THE OP EN COURT PUB LISHIN G Co. - Forgotten Books

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COPYRIGHT 1906

THE OPEN COURT PUBLISHIN G Co.

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DR. SARAM R . E LLISON , HE NRY V. A . PARSELL,

AN D

ADRIAN PLATE , 0? N EW YORK Crnr,

AN D TO

M . FELICIEN TREWE Y,

AN D M IM IC , OF A SNIERES , FRANCE,1 D E D ICATE THIS B OOK.

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INTRODUCTION .

BY DR. PAUL CARUS.

T he very word magic has an al luring sound,and i ts pract ice

as an,

art w i ll probably never lose i ts attract i veness for people’sminds . But we must remember that there i s a d i fference betweenthe old magi c and the new, and that both are separated by adeep chasm , wh ich 18 a kind of color l ine, for though the latte?develops from the former i n a gradual and natural course o fevolut ion

,they are rad ical ly d i ff erent i n principle, and the new

magic is i rredeemably opposed to the assumpt ions upon wh ichthe old magic rests.Magic or iginal ly meant pri estcraft . I t i s probable that - thc '

word i s very old , be ing handed down to usfrom ' the’ Greeksand Romans, who had received i t from the Pers ians . But theyi n thei r turn owe i t to the Babylon ians , and the Babylon ians tothe Assyri ans , and the Assyrians to the Sumero -Akkadians .Imgd tn Akkad meant pri est , and the Assyri anschangedthe word to maga , cal l ing thei r h igh -

priest'Ra b- i t tag ; and

‘considering the fact that the main business of pri ests in ancientt imes cons i sted i n exorc is i ng, fort une - tel l i ng, mi racle- work i ng,and gi ving out oracles, i t seems just ifiable to bel ieve that thePers ian term

, wh ich i n i ts Lat i n vers ion i s mag tts, i s deri vedfrom the Chaldaean and i s pract ical ly the same ; for the connotat ion of a w i se man endowed w i th supernatural powers hasa lways been connected w i th the word mag i ts, and even to - daymagici an means w i zard , sorcerer, or mi racle- worker.

THE OLD A N D THE N EW MAGIC

Wh i le the bel ie f in , and pract i ce of, magic are not ent i relyabsent i n the ci v i l i zat ion of Israel , we find that the leaders oforthodox thought had set thei r faces against i t, at least as i tappeared in i t s crudest form , and went so far as to persecutesorcerers w i th fire and sword .

We read i n the B ibl e that when the Lord mult ipl i ed h iss igns” i n Egypt, he sen t Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh to turn

SAUL A ND rm: Wrrcx or Ennon. (A f ter Schnorr von Carolsf eld.)

thei r rods into serpents, that the Egypt ian magic ians v ied w i ththem in the performance, but that Aaron ’s rod swal lowed upthei r rods

,demonstrat i ng thus Aaron ’s superiori ty. I t i s an

i nterest i ng fact that the snake charmersof Egy pt perform to - daya s imi lar feat, wh i ch cons i sts i n paralyz ing a snake so as torender i t motionless. The snake th en looks l ike a st ick, but i snot ri g i d.

Cmu sr W ITH rm : “Hu m.

From a Chri st i an Sarcoph agumI Reproduced f rom Mrs. J ame

-

son'

s and Lady Ea stlake’sHistory of ou rLord. La ndon, Longmans, Green 8: Co, Vol. I., pp . 347 and 349.

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THE OLD AN D THE N EW MAGIC

How tenacious the idea i s that rel igi on i s and must be magi c,appears from the fact that even Christ i ani ty shows traces o f i t.In fact, the early Chri st i ans (who, we must remember, recru i tedthei r ranks from the low ly i n l i fe) looked upon Chri st as a ki ndof magician

,and al l h i s older p ictures show h im w i th a mag i

ci an’

s wand i n h is hand . The resurrect ion of Laza rus, thechange of water i nto w i ne, the mi racle of the loaves and fishes,the heal ing of d iseases by cast ing ou t dev i ls, and kindred mi racles , accord ing to the not ions o f those centu ries, are performedafter the fash ion o f sorcerers .

The adjoined i l lustrat ion , one ofthe oldest representat ions of Chri st.has been reproduced from Rossi ’sRoma Sot tcrra iwa ( I I , Table Iti s a fresco of the catacombs

,d i scovered

i n the S t . Cal l i sto Chapel, and i s dated

by Franz Xaver Kraus (Geschi ch teder chrz

’

sth’

chrn Kunst,I, p. 153) a t

the begi nn ing of the th i rd century.Jesus holds i n h i s l eft hand the scriptures , wh i l e h i s ri ght hand grasps thewand w i th wh ich he performs themi racle . Lazarus i s represented as amummy

, wh i le one of h i s s i sters kneel sat the Sav iour’s feet.

Goethe introduces the bel i ef i n magi c into the very plot o fFaust . I n h i s despai r at never find ing the key to the worldproblem i n sc ience, wh ich , as he th inks , does not o ff er what weneed

,but useless tru isms only, Faust hopes to find the royal

road to know l edge by supernatural methods . He says :Therefore, f rom Mag ic I seek assistance,Th a t many a secret perchance I reach

Throu gh sp i ri t - power and sp iri t - Speech ,And th us the bi t ter task foregoO f say ing the th ings I do not know,

Th a t I may detect the inmost forceWh ich b inds the world, and gu ides i ts course ;

Its germs, product ive powers exp lore,And rummage in empty wordsnomore !

Moses AND AARON Penmam nc rm:Mnmcu :orrm: Sanpzm sBEFORE Pa u u on(A f ter Schnorr von Carolsfeld.)

Tn: EGYPTIA N SNA KE N AJ A Han MADE Mortom ss av PRESSUREUPON m s N ECK

(Reproduced f rom Verworn a f ter Photographs. )

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THE OLD AND THE N EW M AGIC

Faust fol lows the w i l l 0’ the w i sp of pseudo - sc ience, and sofinds h is efforts to ga in usefu l knowledge balked . He turnsagnost i c and declares that we cannot know anyth ing worth knowi ng. He excla ims :

T h a t wh ich we do not know is dea rly needed ;And wh a t we need we do not know.

And i n another placeI see tha t noth ing canbe known.

”

But , hav ing acqu i red a rich store O f experi ence , Faust , at theend of h is career, found out that the study of nature i s not auseless rummage i n empty words, and became converted toscience. His ideal i s a g enu inely sci ent ific v iew of nature. Hesays :

“Not yet have I my l iberty made goodSo long as I can

’t banish mag ic’

s f el l crea t ionsAnd tota l ly unlearn the inca rna t ions.

Stood I, 0 Na tu re, as a man in thee,

Thenwere i t worth one’s wh i le a man to be.

And such was I ere I with the occu l t conversed,And ere so w ickedly the world I cursed.

"

To be a man i n nature and to fight one’s way to l iberty i s amuch more d ignified pos i t ion than to 'go lobbying to the courtsof the celest i als and to beg of them favors. Progress does notpursue a stra ight l i ne, but moves i n sp i rals or ep icycles . Per iodsof dayl ight are fol lowed by n ights of superst i t ion . So i t happened that i n the first and second decades o f the n ineteenthcentury the rat iona l i sm of the eighteenth centu ry waned, not tomake room for a h igher rat iona l i sm , bu t to su ff er the old bugbears of ghosts and hobgobl ins to reappear i n a react ionary movement. Faust ( express ing here Goethe’s own i deas ) cont inues

Now fi l ls the a ir so many a h aunt ing shape,

Th a t no one knows how best h e may escape.

Wha t thou gh the day w i th ra t iona l splendor beams,The ni gh t entang les u s inwebs of dreams.

By superst i t ion constant ly ensna red,It Spooks, g ives warnings, i s declared.

Intimidated th us we stand alone.

The port a l jars, yet entrance i s there none.

”

IN TRODUCTION

The aim of man i s h is l iberty and independence. As soonas we understand that there are no spooks that must be conci l i ated by suppl i cat ions and appeased, but that we stand i n naturefrom wh ich we have grown i n constant i nteract ion between ourown asp irat ions and the natural forces regulated by law, we

sha l l have confidence i n our own facul t ies, wh ich can be increasedby invest igat ion and a proper comprehension o f condi t ions, andwe shal l no longer look beyond but around . Faust says

“A fool who to the Beyond h is eyes directethAnd over the clou ds a pl ace of peers detecteth .

Firm must man stand and look around h im wel l,The world means someth ing to the capab le.

”

This manhood of man , to be gained by science through theconquest o f al l magi c, i s the ideal wh ich the present age is strivi ng to attain , and the ideal h as pla in ly been recogni zed by leaderso f human progress . The t ime has come for us “ to put awaych i ld ish th ings ,” and to rel inqu ish the bel ie fs and pract ices ofthe medici ne-man .

The old magi c i s sorcery, or, considering the impossibi l i tyof genu ine sorcery, the attempt to pract ise sorcery. I t i s ba sedupon the pre - sci ent ific world - concept ion , wh ich i n i ts primi t i vestage i s cal led an imism , imput ing to nature a spi ri tual l i fe analogous to our own spi ri t , and peopl i ng the world w i th i nd iv idualpersonal i t i es, spi ri ts , ghosts , gobl ins, gods , devi ls, ogres , gnomesand fai ri es. The old magic stands i n contrast to science ; i tendeavors to transcend human know ledge by supernatural methods and i s ba sed upon the hope of working mi racles by theass istance of i nv i s ible presences or intel l igences, who,

accord ingto th is bel i ef, could be forced or coaxed by magi c i nto an al l iance . The savage bel i eves that the evi l i nfluence of the powersof nature can be averted by charms or tal i smans , and thei r aidprocured by proper i ncantat ions, conjurat ions and prayers .The world - concept ion of the savage i s long- l ingering, and

i ts i nfluence does not subside instantaneously w i th the firstappearance of sci ence . The M iddle Ages are ful l of magi c, andthe bel ief i n i t has not d i ed out to th i s day.

The Old magic found a ri val i n sc i ence and has i n al l i tsaspects, in rel igion as wel l as i n occul t ism , i n myst ic i sm andobscuranti sm, treated sci ence as i ts hered i tary enemy. I t i s now

THE OLD AN D THE N EW M AGIC

succumbing i n the fight, but in the meant ime a new magic hasorigi nated and taken the place of the old, performing miraclesas wonderfu l as those of the best conjurers o f former days, nay,more wonderful ; yet these mi racles are accompl i shed w i th thehelp of science and w i thout the least pretense of supernaturalpower.The new magic ori gi nated from the old magic when the

bel i ef i n sorcery began to break down i n the eighteenth century,wh ich i s the dawn of rat ional ism and marks the epoch s incewh ich mankind has been systemat ical ly working out a sci ent ificworld - concept ion .

In pr imi t i ve society rel igion i s magic, and priests are magiei aus . The savage wou ld th ink that i f the med ic i ne-man couldnot work mi racles there would be no use for rel igion. Rel igion,however, does not d isappear w i th the fai th i n the med ic i ne-man’spower. When magi c becomes d iscred i ted by science, rel igioni s purified . We must know, though , that rel igious reforms ofth i s k ind are not accompl i shed at once, but come on gradual ly i nslow process of evolut ion , first by d isappo i ntment and then i nexul tat ion at the thought that the actua l i t ies of sc ience areh igher, nobler and better than the dreams of superst i t ion , eveni f they were possible, and thus i t appears that sci encecomes tofulfi l , not to destroy.Science has been pressed i nto the serv ice o f magic by ancient

pagan priests, who ut i l i zed mechan ical contri vances i n thei rtemples to impress the credulous w i th the supernatural powerof thei r gods .The magi c lantern , commonly supposed to be an invent ion

of the Jesu i t K i rcher, i n 167 1 , must have been secret ly knownamong the f ew members of the craft o f sci ent ific magic at leastas early as the end of the middle ages , for we have an old drawi ng, wh ich is here reproduced , show i ng that i t was employedi n war fare as a means of str iking terror i n the ranks of theenemy. We have no i n format ion as to the success of the stratagem , but we may assume that i n the days of a common bel i e fi n w i tchcraft and absolute ignorance of the natural sci ences

,i t

must have been qui te e f fect i ve w i th superst i t ious sold iers .

MAGIC La xrsnx or JOHA N NES m: FUNTA N A .

mm '

r men.

[Th e a ppa ra t u s i s qu i te cru de in compa rison

w i th modern inst ruments o f the same k ind. It

possesses no lens, th e p i ct u re be ing drawn in an

u prigh t posi t ion u pon cy lindrica l g la ss, presumab lyb la ckened w i th the except ion o f the fig u re . So

f a r as known th is i s the o ldest record o f th e u se

of the mag i c lantern.

Fontana ’

s lantern was used, as F. M . Feldha us informs u s (Gartcnla uhe.1905, Nov. 23, p . 848) by the cnct

'

g u crt'

u: or anta 'erc ma islcr, i . e., the masterof si ege

‘

and fortress defenses, who f rom an appropri a te h iding -

place pm

j'

ected the image u pon a conveni ent wa l l in the ou tside works o f a fort so as

to let assa i lants unexpectedly be conf ronted wi th the h ideous form of a

demon.)

D g t zed by (

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IN TRODUCTION

sense the feats o f our Kellars and Herrmanns are a work ofrel ig ious s ign ificance. They are i nst rumental in dispel l ing thefogs of superst i t ion by exh ibi t ing to the publ ic the aston i sh i ngbut natural m i racles of the art of legerdemain ; and wh i le theyamuse and enterta i n they fort i fy the people i n thei r conv ict ionof the rel i ab i l i ty o f sci ence.I n Speak ing of modern magi c, we refer to the art o f the

prest id igi tateur, and exclude from i ts doma i n the exper imentsof hypnot i sm as wel l as the vulgar l i es o f fraud . There i s nomagic i n the psychosi s of an hysterical subject , who at thehypnot izer’s suggest ion becomes the prey of hal lucinat ions ; nor

ZO‘

LLN ER’S ILLUSION

i s there any art i n the decept ions of the fortune- tel ler, whosebus iness w i l l van ish when the publ ic ceases to be credulous andsuperst i t ious . The former is a d isease

,the latter mostly fraud .

Magi c proper ( i . e. , the art ifices of prest i d igi tat ion ) i s produced by a combinat ion of three factors : ( I ) legerdemainproper, or sle ight of hand ; (2) psychological i l lus ions, and (3)surpris i ng feats o f natura l sc i ence w i th clever concealment ofthei r t rue causes . The success o f almost every trick dependsupon the i ntroduct ion O f these three factors .The throw i ng of cards i s mere dexteri ty ; Zol lner’s famous

figures of paral lel l i nes hav ing an apparent i ncl i nat ion toward

THE OLD A N D THE N EW M AGIC

one another is a pu re sense- i l lusion ( see cu t here reprodu ced ) ;so i s the magi cal sw i ng ; wh i le fire ea t ing (or bett er, fire- brea thing) i s a pu rely phys ica l experiment. But i t goes wi thout saying tha t there i s sca rcely any performance o f genu i ne prest i di g ita t ion wh ich i s not a combi nat ion o f al l three elements. Theproduct ion o f a bow l o f water w i th l i v i ng fishes in i t i s a combinat ion o f dexteri ty w i th psychology.

Th e t ri ck w i th the glass d ial (wh i ch is now exh i bi ted byboth Mr. Kel lar and Mr. Herrmann , the nephew of the lateAlexander Herrm ann ) i s pu rely phys i ca l . Th e mach inery u sedby them i s ent i rely d i ff erent , but i n ei ther case no sleight o f handnor any psychologi ca l d ivers ion i s needed , except i n lett ing theaccompl ice beh ind the stage know the number to wh ich he shouldpo int .

A s an i nstance o f a wonderfu l t rick wh ich i s a mere sensei l l us ion we ment ion the magi c sw i ng, wh ich i s expla ined byAlbert A . Hopkins in h i s comprehens i ve book on magi c1 asfol lows

“Those who are to pa rt icipa te in the appa rent gyra t ions of the swing—and

there may be qu i te a number who enjoy i t simu l taneou sly—a re u shered into a

sma l l room . From a ba r crossing t he room , near th e cei l ing , ha ngs a largesw ing , wh ich is provi ded w i th sea ts for a number of people. A f ter th em i c

have taken their places, the a t tendant pushes the ca r and i t sta rt s into osci l lat ion l ike any oth er sw ing . Th e room door is closed. Gradu a l ly those in i tf eel a f ter three or f ou r movements th a t thei r sw ing i s going ra ther h igh , bu tth is i s not all. The appa rent ampl i tude of the osc i l la t ions increases more and

more, unt i l present ly the whole sw ing seems to wh irl completely over, descri b

ing a f u l l ci rcle abou t the ba r on wh ich i t h angs. To ma ke th e th ing moreu tt erly mysteriou s, t he ba r i s bent crank f ash ion, the sw ing cont inu es appa r

'

ent ly to go round and round th is wa y , impart ing a most weird sensa t ion to

the occu pants, unt i l i ts movements beg in g radu a l ly to cease and the completerota t ion is succeeded by the usu a l back and forth swing ing . The door of the

room isopened, and the sw ing ing party leave. Those who h ave tried i t say thesensation i smost pecu l iar.

“The i l l usion i s based on the movements of the room proper. D u ring the

ent ire exh ibi t ion the sw ing is pract ica l ly sta t ionary , wh i le the room rota tesabou t the SttSpending bar. A t th e beg inning of Opera t ions the swing may be

g iven a sl igh t push ; the opera tors ou tside the room then beg in to swing theroom i tsel f , wh ich is rea l ly a large box jou rna led on the swing bar, start ing

tMag i c, S tage Illusions, and Sci ent ific D iversions, Including Tri ck Photography . Comp i led and edi ted by A lbert A . llopk ins. With 400 i l l ustrat i ons.New York : M unn Co. 1898.

IN TRODUCTION

i t 06 to correspond w ith the movements of the sw ing . Th ey sw ing i t ba ckand forth, increasing the are throu gh wh ich i t moves unt i l i t goes so f ar as

to make a complete rota t ion. The opera t i ves do th is w i thou t spec i a l machinery , taking hold of the sides and corners of th e box or

‘

room.

’

A t th is

qsmn PRODUCED av A RIDE m rm: SWING

t ime the people in the sw ing i mag ine th a t the room is sta t ionary wh i le theyare wh irl ing th rou gh space. A f ter keep ing th i s u p for some t ime, the movement is brou gh t gradu a l ly to a stop, a su fficient number of back and forthswings being g iven a t the finale to carry ou t the i l lusion to the end.

XX" THE OLD A ND THE N EW MAGIC

The room i s as completely f u rnished as possible, every th ing being, ofcou rse, f astened in p lace. Wha t is apparent ly a kerosene lamp stands on a

tab le, near a t h and. It i s secu rely f astened to the tab le, wh ich in i ts turn isf astened to the floor, and the l ight is supp l ied by a sma l l incandescent lamp

TRUE Posmonor rm: Swmc

wi th in the ch imney , bu t concea led by the sh ade. Th e visitor never imag inestha t i t i s an electric lamp. and na tu ra l ly th inks th a t i t wou ld be impossib lefor a kerosene lamp to be inverted w i thou t di saster, so tha t th is adds to the

decept ion ma teri a l ly : The same i s to be sa id of the p ict u res h ang ing on the

INTRODUCTION xx i i i

wa l l, of the cu pboa rd f u l l of ch inaware, of the ch a ir with a h a t on i t, and of

the baby carri age. All contribu te to the myst ifica t ion. Even thou gh one is

informed of the secret before entering the sw ing , the decep t ion is sa i d to beso comp lete th a t passengers involunta ri ly seize the arms of the sea ts to avoidbeing precipita ted below.

”

The i l lus ion i s purely an i nstance of misgu ided judgment,which is commonly but erroneously cal led i l lu s ion of the senses,and belongs to the same category as the wel l - known Zol lnerfigures ment ioned above and cons ist i ng of heavy l i nes crossedslant i ngly by l ighter l i nes . The hea vy l ines are para l lel bu tappear to d iverge i n the di rect ion of the s lant.

THE SWORD-TRICK.

Another very ingen ious tr ick cons ists i n apparent ly stabbinga man to death, the bloody end of the sword appear ing at theback, yet leav ing the man un injured. Since the audi ence natural ly w i l l suspect that the point emerging from the back is notthe true end of the sword , the trick has been al tered to theef fect o f replac ing the sword w i th a big need le (A ) , hav i ng tapethreaded through i ts eye . \Vhen the assass i n’s needle has passedth rough the v ict im ,

i t can be pul led out at the other s ide, togetherw i th the tape, where i t appears reddened w i th blood . The s tabbi ng, when per formed quickly, before the spectator begi ns to

D g t zed


not ice that the blade i s somewhat reduced i n s i ze, i s mos t sta rtl i ng

,and makes a deep impress ion on the aud ience ; but the art i

fice through wh ich the manipulat ion i s rendered poss ible i svery s imple. The sword, or needle, used for the purpose, i smade of a very th i n and flexible plate of steel , su fl‘i ci ently bluntto prevent i t from doing any harm . The v ict im, as i f try ingto ward off the dangerous weapon , takes hold of i t and causesi t to s l ip i nto the open ing of a concea led sheath (B ) , wh ich hecarri es strapped around h i s body, whereupon the assass i n makesh i s thrust . The interior of the sheath contains a red flu id , whi chdyes the blade and helps to make the decept ion complete. Theaccompanying i l lustrat ion su fficient ly explains the performance

Wh i le the performance of magical tricks i s an art , the obser~

vat ion o f them and also thei r descript ion i s a sc ience, presupposing a qu ick and cri t i ca l eye, of wh ich very f ew people arepossessed ; and scient i sts by profess ion are somet imes the leastfit persons to detect the place and mode of the decept ion .

How d i fferently d i ff erent persons watch the same events becomes apparent when we compare Professor Z i i llner’s reports o fSpi ri tual i st i c séances w i th those of other morecri t i cal w i tnesses .Professor Zol lner, for i nstance, wri tes (Wisscnscha f tliche A bhandl., Vol . I I I , p . 354 ) i n h i s descript ion o f one o f the experimen ts w i th the famous American med ium , Dr. Slade , that Prof essor Fechner

’

s chai r was l i fted up about hal f a foot above theground , wh i le Dr. Slade touched the back of i t l ightly w i th h ishand

,and he emphas izes that h i s col leagu e, after hovering some

t ime i n the ai r, was suddenly dropped w i th great noise. Theevent as thus described i s myst i fyi ng. However, when we careful ly compare Professor Fechner’s account , we come to theconclus ion that the whole proceed ing i s no longer m i raculous,but could be repeated by prest i d igi tateurs . Fechner wri tes thatat the request of Dr. Slade, he h imsel f (Professor Fechner) ,who was s l im and l ight , took the place of Professor Braune.Dr. Slade turned round to Professor Fechner and bore h i s cha i rupward i n a way which i s not at al l i nexpl icabl e by the methodsof legerdema i n . Professor Fechner does not ment ion that hehovered for some t ime inthe a i r, but i t i s obv ious that Dr. Slade

IN TRODUCTION XXV

made the two professors change seats because he wou ld scarcelyhave had the strength to l i ft up the heavy Professor Braune.

Paorsssoa Zou nsa AN D DR. Su es. (From W i l lmann.)

S imi larly, the accounts of the famous pai nter, Gabriel Max,

who also attended some of S lade’s séances w i th Zol lner, makethe performances of the med ium appear i n a less wonderfu l l ight.

IN TRODUCTION Xxvll

The foot and hand prints wh ich Dr. Slade produced wereapparent ly made from cel luloi d impress ions, wh ich could easi lybe carri ed about and h idden i n the pocket . This expla ins whythese vest iges of the spi r i t were not of the s i ze of Dr. Slade’shands or feet.Mr. W i l lmann cal ls attent ion to the fact that the footprints ,

as publ i shed by Professor Zéi llner, were made from feet whosestockings had been removed but a f ew moments before, fort hey st i l l show the meshes of the kn i tt ing wh i ch qu ickly d i sappearas soon as the skin of the foot grows cold . Professor Zdllnerd id not see su ch tri fles, and yet they are important , even i f i twere for the mere purpose o f determini ng whether the spi ri tswear stock ings made i n Germany or America .

The accounts o i t ravelers are, as a rule, ful l o f extravagantpraise o f the accompl ishments of foreign magici ans ; thus, thefeats o f our American Indi ans are almost habi tual ly great lyexaggerated . The same i s t rue i n a greater measure o f faki rsand H indu magici ans. Recent accounts of a famous travelerare start l i ng, but the problem i s not whether or not what hetel l s i s t rue ( for only a l i tt le dose of good j udgment i s su ff i cientto recogn i ze thei r impossibi l i ty) , but whether or not he bel i eveshi s tales h imsel f. The problem is nei ther phys i cal nor h i storicalas to the real i ty of the events narrated ; the problem i s purelypsychological as to h i s own state of m ind .

The primi t ive s impl ic i ty of the met hods of the H indu jugglers and the openness of the theatre where they perform thei rtricks cause wonderment to those who are not fami l i ar w i ththe methods o f legerdemain . Mr. W i l lmann , who had occas ionto watch H indu magici ans, says i n h i s book, M odernc Wunder

,

page 3 : After a careful i nvest igat i on , i t becomes apparent thatthe greatest m i racles of Indian conj urers are much more insignificant than they appear i n the latest reports o f t ravelers. Thedescript ions wh i ch i n our days men of sci ence have fu rn i shedabout the wonderfu l tricks of faki rs , have very l i tt l e value i n theshape i n wh ich they are rendered . I f they, for i nstance, speakwi th admi rat i on about the i nv i s ible growth of a flower beforethei r very ey es, produced from the seed depos i ted by a fak i r i n

xxvi i i THE OLD AN D THE N EW MAGIC

a flower- pot , they prove only that even men of sc ience can beduped by a l i tt le tr ick the pract ice of wh ich l ies w i thout the paleo f thei r own experience.”Eye-w i tnesses whose cr i t ical capaci t ies are a safeguard against

impos i t ion, relate more plausible stories . j ohn T . McCu tcheon

describes the famous trick of grow i ng a mango tree, as fol lows :“The f u rther away f rom Indi a one is th e grea ter appea rs the sk i l l of these

Hindu mag ici ans. How of ten h ave we read the traveler’s ta les abou t thef ea ts of Indi an j ugg lers, and how eagerly we have looked forward to the t imewhen we m igh t behold them and be spel lbound w i th ama zement and su rpri se.

When I first saw the Indi an j ugg ler beg inning the prepa ra t ions for the mangotrick I was h a l f prepared by the traveler’s ta les to see a gracef u l tree spring

Tm: Smea u zss Conwm BEN -Kl- BEY .

(A f ter Ca rl W i l lmann. )

qu ickly into l i f e and subsequent ly see somebody cl imb i t and p ickqu anti t iesof nice, ripe mangoes. Noth ing of the k ind h appened, as w i l l be seen by the

fol low ing descript ion of th e mango trick a s i t is rea l ly performed :“Th e j u gg ler, w i th a b ig ba g of propert ies, arrived on the scene and im

medi a tely began to ta lk exci tedly , meanwh i le unpack ing various receptaclestaken f rom the bag . He squ a t ted down, p iped a f ew notes on a wheezy reed

wh ist le and the show began. From h is belong ings h e took a l i tt le t in can

abou t the si ze of a cove oyster can, fi l led i t w i th di rt and sa tu ra ted the dirtw i th wa ter. Then he h eld u p a mango seed to show th a t there was noth ingconcea led by h is sleeves; counted ‘

ek , do, t in, ch ar,’

or‘

one, two, three, f ou r,’

and imbedded th e seed in the moist earth . He spread a large cloth over the

can and severa l f eet of ci rcum jacent ground. Then he p layed a f ew more

notes on h is reed instrument and a l lowed th e seed a f ew m inu tes in wh ichto take root and develop into a g lorious sh ade tree. Wh i le he waswa it ing he

IN TRODUCTION

unfolded some snakes f rom a sma l l basket , took a mongoose f rom a bag and

enterta ined h is a udience w i th a comba t between the mongoose and one of

the snakes.

“Bk, do, t in, ch ar; one

, two, three, fou r—plenty figh t—very good mon

goose—b iga snake—fou r ru pee mongooseb two ru pee sna ke—mongoose figh t

snake. Look—gentlymans—p lenty b ig figh t .’“All th is t ime the cloth rema ined peacef u l and qu iet , and there were no

uneasy movements o f i ts folds to indica te th a t th e mango crop was flou rish ing .

The j ugg ler now tu rned h is a t tent ion to i t , h owever, poked h is h ands under

the cloth , and a f ter a f ew seconds of mysterious f umb l ing triumph ant ly threwoff the cloth , and 10 ! there was a l it t le bunch of leaves abou t as big as a sprig

MODERN SNAKE CHARM ERS . (From Brehm.)

of wa ter cress st ick ing u p dejected ly f rom th e damp ea rth . Th is was stra i gh tway delu ged w i th some w a ter and the cloth aga in th rown over i t .

“Once more there was a diversion. Th is t ime an exh ib it ion of a shel l

game, inwh ich the j u gg ler showed considerab le dexteri ty in p lacing the l i tt leba l l where you didn’t th ink i t wou ld be. St i l l the cloth revea led no di sposit ion to bu lge Skyward, and a second t ime the j ugg ler f umb led under i t , ta lk ingh u rriedly in Hindustani and mak ing the occa sion a s interest ing as possible.

A f ter mu ch pok ing a round he fina l ly threw ofl'

the cloth w i th a g lad cry , and

there was a mango tree a f oot h igh , w i th adu l t leaves wh ich g l istened w i thmoistu re. Wh en h i s specta tors h ad gazed a t i t for awh i le he pu l led the l i tt letree up by the roots, and there was a mango seed a t tached, w i th the l i tt leSprou ts spring ing ou t f rom i t .

“

Th e trick was over, the j ugg ler’s ha rvest of ru pees and annas began, and

soon h is crowd f aded away . A f ew minu tes la ter, f rom a ha l f - h idden sea t

XXX THE OLD A ND THE N EW MAGIC

on the hotel veranda , I saw the w izard over across th e street, benea th the bi gsh ade trees, f olding u p the mango tree and tuck ing i t compact ly into a

sma l l bag .

”I

To conjure ghosts has always been the h ighest ambi t ion ofperformers of magi cal tricks , and we know that the magic lan o

tefu h as been used for th i s purpose sinee‘

mediaeval days , bu tmodern necromancv has been brough t to perfect ion by Rober tson and Pepper, through the i nvent ion of a simple contri vance,known under the name of Pepper’s ghost, by wh ich impa lpablespecters become pla in ly v is ible to the aston i shed eyes of thespectators.For a descript ion of these performances , as well as many

other feats i n the same l i ne, we refer to Mr. Evans’ fascinat ingexplanat ions i n the body O f the present volume.Tricks performed by med iums are i n one respect qu i te d i ff er

ent from the feats of prest id igi tateurs ; i f they come up to thestandards

,they are

,or might be , based upon the psych ic d isposi

t ions o f people. Bel ievers w i l l gladly be caught i n the traps setfor them and are, as a ru le, grateful for the decept ion , wh i ledetermined unbel i evers w i l l e i ther prove al together hopeless orw i l l become so bewi ldered as to be l ikely to become bel ievers.Sleight of hand is always a valuable a id to the medium ; but,as t ri cks pure and s imple, mediumi st i c séances are not d iff erentfrom the performances of prest i d igi tateurs , and d i ff er on ly i nth is, that they cla im to be done w i th the ass i stance of Spi ri ts.Mediums must be on the lookout and use d i f ferent methods asthe occasion may requ i re. They produce rappings w i th thei rhands or thei r feet ,* or w i th mechan ical dev ices h idden i n the i rshoes ; nei ther do they scorn the use of rapp ing tables w i th concea led batteries and electri c w i res .The instances here adduced are su ffici ent to show that even

the most complete decept ions admi t o f explanat ions wh ich , i nmany instances , are much s impler than the spectators th ink.

ICh ica gO Record, Apri l 22, 1899.

*One of the Fox sisters cou ld produce rapp ings throu gh a pecu l i a r con

struct ion of th e bones of her foot , and Cumberland’

s b ig toe was b lessedwi th a tendon of i ts own, enabl ing h im to rap the floorqu ite vigorously w ithou t being detected.

INTRODUCTION

N ei ther the marvelous feats of prest i d igi tateu rs nor the surpri si ng revelat ions of mediums should shake our confidence i n sc i enceo r make us slaves o f superst i t ion . The success of modern magi c,wh ich accompl i shes more than the old magic or sorcery ever d id,i s a su f fi ci ent guarantee o f the rel iab i l i ty O f reason , and evenwhere “

now we see through a glass darkly, we must remainconfident that when we grow i n w i sdom and comprehensionwe shal l learn to see “ face to face. ”

Tu e CON JURER. (By Prof . W. Zimmer.)

al l these reasons,knowle dge o f magic and i ts h i story,

the false pretenses of the old magic and the bri l l i ant success ofmodern magic should have a place i n our educat ional program.

I do not advocate i ts in troduct ion in to schools , but wouldrecommend parents to let thei r ch i ld ren become acquai nted w i ththe remarkable performances of the best and greatest amongmodern magic ians . we al l should know someth ing of the general methods of magi c, and some t ime i n our l i ves w i tness the

XXX“ THE OLD AN D THE N EW M AGIC

extraord inary feats , bordering on mi racles, w i th a prest i dig i ta teu r can dazz le our eyes and misguide our j udgment.Modern magi c i s not merely a d i vers ion or a recreat ion

,

but may become possessed o f a deeper worth when i t broadensour i nsight i nto the ri ch possibi l i t i es o f myst ifica t ion, wh i le a

peep beh ind the scenes w i l l keep us sober and preven t us fromfa l l i ng a prey to supers ti t ion.

HISTORY OF

NATURAL MAGIC AND PRESTIDIGITATION .

Therefore made I a decree to bring in a ll the w ise men of Baby lon bef oreme. Then came in the mag ici ans, the astrologers, the Cha ldeans, andth e soothsayers.

”—D an. in , 6-

7 .

Wha t , S ir ! you dare to make so f ree,

And play you r hocus-

pocu s on us5”

~ Goarnsz Fa ust, Scene V.

I.

The art of natural magi c dates back to the remotest ant iqu i ty.

There i s an Egypti an papyrus* i n the Bri t i sh Museum whichchronicles a magical seance given by a certain Tch a tch a - em - ankhbefore K ing Khufu , B . C. 3766. The manuscript says o f thew i zard : “He knoweth how to bind on a head wh ich hath beencut off he knoweth how to make a l ion fol low h im as i f led bya rope ; and he knoweth the number of the stars of the house( constel lat ion ) of Thoth . I t w i l l be seen from th is that thedecapi tat ion trick was i n vog ue ages ago , wh i le the experimentw i th the l ion , wh ich i s unquest ionably a hypnot ic feat. showshypnot ism to be very ancient i ndeed . Ennemoser, i n h i s Historyof M ag i c, devotes cons iderable space to Egypt i an thaumaturgy,especi al ly to the wonders wrought by an imal magnet ism , wh ichin the hands of the pri est ly h ierarchy must have been mi raclesi ndeed to the un in i t i ated . Al l that was known of sc i ence was i n

*Westcar papy rus, XVIII dynasty ; abou t B . C.

_

1550. In th is ancientmanuscript a re stories wh i ch da te f rom the early emp i re.

“They are as old,

”

says Budge (Egypt i an M ag i c, London,“

as the Grea t Pyrami d.

”

HISTORY OF N ATURA L M AGIC 3

t ion of the i r i l lus ions. He v is i ted one at Alba , upon the lake ofFu ci us. I t was located amid the ru i ns o f a temple, and was i na perfect state o f preservat ion . Thi s chamber o f mysteri es wasformed under the aps is—that i s to say, under the large semici rcular n i che which usual ly shel tered the image O f the god , atthe far extremi ty of the edifice. “One part o f th is chamber,”says he, “ i s sunk beneath the pavement of the principal part O fthe temple (cello) and the other ri ses above i t . The latter,t hen,

must have appeared to the worsh ipers gathered togetherin the temple merely l i ke a base that occupied the lower port ionof the aps is , and that was designed to hold i n an elevated posit ion the statue o f the god or goddess whose name was borne bythe edifice. Thi s sanctuary, moreover, had no door or v i s iblecommun i cat ion that opened i nto the body of the bu i ld ing. E u

trance therei n was efl'ected through a secret door in an enclosureof wal l s at the rear of the temple. I t was through th is that thepr iests i ntroduced themselves and thei r mach inery w i thout beingObserved by the hoi polloi . But there i s one remarkable factthat proves beyond the shadow of a doubt the purpose of theadytum . One d iscovers here a number of tubes or pipes wh ichpierce the wal ls between the h id ing- place and the i nterio r of thetemple. These tubes debouch at d i fferent places i n the part i t ionso f the cel la

,and thus permi t a vo i ce to be heard i n any part

o f the bui ld ing, wh i le the person and place from which the soundissues remain unknown to the aud i tors . ”Somet imes the adytum was simply a chamber s i tuated behi nd

the apsi s , as i n a smal l temple wh ich was sti l l i n exi stence atRome in the s ixteenth century. An arch i tect named Labbaccoh as le ft us a descript ion of the ed ifice. Travelers who havev i si ted the remains of the temple of Ceres , at Eleusi s , haveObserved a curious fact . The pavement o f the cel la i s rough andunpol i shed, and much lower than the level o f the adjacent porch ,thereby indicat i ng that a wooden floor, on a level w i th th e port ico, covered the present floor, and h id from v iew a secret vaul tdes igned to operate the machinery that moved the flooring .

Th is v iew i s confirmed by vert i cal and horizontal grooves , andthe holes constructed i n the s ide wal ls . Simi lar contri vancesexisted i n Ind ia . Ph i lostra tus, i n h is Li fe of Apolloni us ( 1 , I I I,

4 THE OLD AND THE N EW M AGIC

Ch. v) , says : The Ind ian sages conducted Apol lon ius towardthe temple o f thei r god , march ing in solemn process ion and s ingi ng sacred hymns . Occasional ly they would strike the earth i ncadence w i th the i r staves , whereupon the ground moved l ike asea i n tu rmoi l , now ri s ing w i th them to the height o f almosttwo feet, then subsid i ng to i ts regular level . The blows fromthe wands were ev ident ly the cue for the concealed ass istants tooperate the mach inery that mover] the so i l . Says Brown , i n h isS tellar Theology :

“Among the bui ld ings uncovered at Pompei ii s a temple o f I s i s , wh ich i s a tel l tale o f the m y steri es o f theEgypt i an dei ty, f or the secret sta i r wh ich conducted the pri estsunseen to an open ing back of the statue o f the goddess

,through

whose marble l ips pretended oracles were gi ven and warni ngsuttered , now l ies open to the day, and reveals the whole impos i t iou .

”

The B ible has preserved to us the story o f the stru ggle o fDan i el w i th the priests o f Bel , i n wh ich the secret door playedi ts part . The Hebrew prophet re fused to worsh ip the ido l Bel

,

whereupon the King said to h im :“Doth not Bel seem to thee

to be a l i v i ng god ? Seest thou not how much he eateth anddrinketh every day Then Dan iel sm i led and sa id : “

0 King,be not decei ved ; for th is i s but clay w i th i n and brass w i thout.nei ther hath he eaten at any t ime.” The King sent for h i s pr iestsand demanded the t ruth of them , declari ng h is i ntent ion o f putt i ng them to the sword should they fa i l to demonstrate the factthat the god real ly consumed the o f feri ngs o f meat and w i ne.And the priests o f Bel said : Behold , we go out ; and do thou ,0 King, set on the meats , and make ready the w i ne, and shutthe door fast , and seal i t w i th thy own ri ng. And when thoucomest i n the morn ing, i f thou findest not that Bel hath eatenUp al l , we w i l l su f f er death , or else Dan iel that hath l ied aga instus .” And they “ l i t t le regarded i t , because they had made underthe table a secret entrance, and they always came in by i t, andconsumed those th ings.”Daniel detected the imposture i n a very origi nal manner.

He caused ashes to be si fted upon the floor of the temple,whereby the footsteps o f the false priests were made mani fest tothe enraged King o f Babylon .

HISTORY OF N ATURAL M AGIC 5

One reads i n Pausan ias (Arcadi a , I VI I I , Ch . xv i ) that atJerusalem the sepulcher of a woman of that country

,named

Helena, had a door wh ich was of marble l ike the rest of themonument, and that th i s door opened of i tsel f on a certai n dayof the year, and at a certai n hour, by means of concealedmach inery, thus antedat ing our t ime- locks . Eventual ly i t closedi tsel f. “At any other t ime,” adds the author, “ i f you had des i redto open i t, you would have more eas i ly broken i t .”When Aeneas went to consult the Cumaean S ibyl , the hun

dred doors of the sanctuary opened of themsel ves , i n order thatthe orac le might be heard .

“Ost ia jamqu e domu s pa tu ere ingent i a centumSponte su a , va t isqu e f eront responsa per a u ras.

A PPA RATUS 7 0k BLOW'ING A TRUM PET ON OPE N ING

A DOOR.

Accord ing to Pl iny, the doors of the labyrinth o f Thebeswere const ructed i n such a manner that when they were Openeda sou nd resembl ing that of thunder greeted the aston ished worsh ipers.

Heron,i n h is Pneuma t i cs, describes an apparatus f or blow i ng

a t rumpet on open ing the door of a temple, the e f fect of whichmust have been awe i nspi ri ng to the un in i t iated common people.I t i s hard ly necessary to gi ve a detai l ed translat ion of the

text of the Greek engineer, as the modus operandi of the experimen t i s su ffi c ient ly explained by reference to the descript i ve


p icture. I t w i l l sufli ce to add : One sees that when the door O fthe temple i s opened, a system of cords, rods and pul leys causesa hemispherica l cap, to the upper part of wh ich the t rumpet i satta ched , to s ink in to a vase ful l of water. The ai r compressedby the water escapes through the i nst rument , causing i t to sound .

M ECHAN ISM WHICH CAUS ED THE T EM PLE D OO RS TO O PE N “TIEN A

FIRE WAS LIGHTE D ON THE A LTAR.

Another remarkable dev ice i s described i n the Pneuma ti csof Heron , and consi sts o f an apparatus wh ich i s ent i t led : “

Coh

stru ct ionof a ch apelwherein, whenfire is ligh ted upon the altar,the doors open, and when i t i s ext ing u ished, th ey close.

”


The a lta r is hol low, and when a fire is l ighted thereon , thea i r contai ned in the i nterior expands and begins to press u ponthe water w i th which the globe s i tuated beneath i s fi l led . Thewater then rises through a ben t tube which leads to a spec ies ofpot , i nto wh ich i t fal ls . The pot i s suspended upon a cord whichpasses along a pul ley, doubl ing immediate ly, in order to enrol li tse l f about two cyl i nders , wh ich turn upon pivots, said cyl i nders

E “YPT IA N ALTAR

form ing the prolongat ion o f the axes upon wh ich the doorsabove turn . Around the same cyl i nders are enrol led in a con ~

trary manner, two other cords , wh ich also un i te i nto one beforepass ing along a pul ley

,and then hangi ng vert ical ly for the sup

port of a counterpo ise.I t i s c lear that when the water from the globe enters the

pot , the weight o f the latter w i l l be augmented and i t w i l l s i nk ,pul l i ng upon the cord wh ich has been wound about the cyl i nders


i n such a way as to cause the doors to open , when i t i s drawn inth i s d i rect ion .

The doors close themselves i n the fol low ing manner : Thebent tube, wh ich places i n communicat ion the globe and thepot, forms a siphon , the longest branch o f which plunges i ntothe globe. lc en the fi re i s ext i ngui shed upon the al tar , thea ir contained i n the latter and i n the globe , coo ls , and dimin ishesi n volume. The water in the pot i s then drawn into the globe ,

now Th e srA TOas w ane a'u na To roa n LIB A T ION S w a rm

A w a s: w a s xrnoLa D ON Tt-i a A LTA R.

and the siphon , bei ng thus natural ly influenced , operates unt i lthe water i n the pot has passed over into the globe . I n measureas the pot l ightens , i t remounts under the constra int o f the counlerpoise, and the latter , i n i ts descent , closes the doors throughthe intermed ium of the cords wound around the cyl i nders .Heron says that mercury was somet imes used i n place o f

water, by reason o f i ts superior weight.

HISTORY or NATURAL MAGIC 9

Certa i n al tars were provided w i th such mechan ism as toa f ford to the fai thfu l even more aston ish ing spectacles . Here i sanother experiment from the learned Heron

“

To constru ct an altar so tha t when one kindles the fire

thereon, the sta tues wh i ch are a t the sides shall pou r ou t li ba»

t ions.

”

There should be a pedestal , upon wh ich are placed the statues ,and an altar closed on al l s ides. The pedestal should commun icate w i th the al tar through a central tube , also w i th the statuesby means of tubes , the ends of the latter terminat i ng i n cupsheld by the statues . Water i s poured i nto the pedestal througha hole, wh ich i s stopped up immed iately a fterward .

I f, then , a fire be kindled upon the al tar, the ai r w i th i n expanding, w i l l penetrate the pedestal and force out the water ;but the latter, hav ing no other outlet than the tubes, mountsi nto the cups and the statues thus perform l ibat ions , wh ich lastas long as the fire does . Upon the fire being extingu i shed , thel iba t ions cea se, and recommence as many t imes as i t i s reki ndled .

The tube through wh ich the heat i s conveyed should belarger at the m idd le than at the extremi t ies , to al low the heat ,or more especial ly, the draft , wh ich i t produces , to accumulatei n an i nflat ion

,i n order to be most effectual .

The pri ests of the temples o f old were truly masters of thearts of mechan ics and pneumat i cs .According to Father Ki rcher (Oed. A egypt ., Vol . I I ) , an

author, whom he cal l s B i tho, states that there was at Sai s atemple o f M inerva contai n ing an al tar upon wh ich , when a firewas kind led , Dionysos and Artem is (Bacchus and Diana) pouredout mi lk and w i ne, wh i le a dragon h issed . The use o f steam isi nd icated here.The Jesu i t savant possessed in h is museum an apparatus

wh ich probably came from some ancient Egypt i an temple. I tcons isted of a hol low hemispherical dome supported by fourcolumns, and placed over the image of the goddess of the numerous breasts . To two of the columns were adjusted movableholders , upon wh ich lamps were fixed . The hemisphere washermet i ca l ly closed beneath by a metal l ic plate. The sma l l al tar,into wh ich the mi lk was poured, communi cated wi th the i nteri or

D ig it ized by

HISTORY OF N ATURAL MAGIC

lactea l fluid streamed out , to the great admi rat ion of the spec “

ta tors, who bel ieved that a mi racle had taken place . When thesacrifice was fin i shed , the lamps were extingu ished by the attendant pri est o f the shrine

,and the mi lk ceased to flow .

There were many other mechan ical dev ices of great i nterest ,such a s the m i racu lous vessels used i n the temples of Egypt andGreece, and the apparatus that formed part of the Grecianpuppet - shows and other theatrical performances ; but these hardlycome w i th in the scope of th i s chapter. Phi lo of Byzant ium andHeron o f Alexandria both left exhaust i ve treat ises on the mechanic arts as understood by the ancients . Phi lo ’s work hasunfort una telv been lost , but Heron ’

s t reat i se has a world ofi nterest to anyone who i s attracted to the subject.

A uncann y Pa rr-tun a LUBTRAL wa ne -m eant.sno'r na cm xa A LMOQT D nscnxna n a r ” 8 8 0 1!

w an ton , wrrnnunou’s “ sour 100 a c .

wa rm -va ssan

Besides the m iracle -mongers o f ant iqu i ty there were alsocu p

- and - bal l conjurers , who were cal l ed “

acetabu la ri i ,” from the

Lat in word aceta bulum, wh ich means a cup , and pro fessors ofnatura l magic i n general who lai d no claim to supernatura lpowers . They wandered from place to place, giv i ng thei r showsThe grammarian , Athenaeus , i n h i s D eipnosoph ists, or

“ Banqueto f the Learned (A . D . ment ions a number o f famousconjurers and jugglers of Greece. He says : “The people o f

Hist ima and of Oreum erected in thei r theatre a brazen statuehold ing a d ie i n i ts hand to Theodorus the juggler. Xenophon ,the conj urer

, was very popu lar at Athens . He left beh ind h ima pupi l named Crat isthenes, “a ci t i zen of Phl ias; a man who


used to make fire spout up of i ts own accord , and who contri vedmany other extraordi nary s ights , so as almost to make mendi scred i t the ev idence of the i r own senses . And Nymphodorus,the conjurer

, was another such man . And D iopei thes, theLocri an , according to the account of Phanodemus, when hecame to Thebes

,fastened round h i s wai st bladders ful l of w i ne

and mi lk, and then , squeez ing them , pretended that he wasdraw i ng up those l iqu ids out o f h is mouth . And Noémon gained

ORIENTAL CON JURER PERFORM IN G 1 m : CUP- A ND'BALL Ta tcx,wrrn Su san

Eraser INTRODUCED.

From an old and ra re book ca l led Th e Universa l Conj urer or the WholeArt as Pra ct ised by the fiamous Bresi aw , Ka terf elto, J onas, Floekton, Comes,and by the Grea test A depts inLondon and Paris

,etc. London.

(From th e E l l ison Col lect ion, N ew York . )

a great reputat ion for the same sort of tricks . There werealso

,at Alexander’s court , the fo l low i ng jugglers who had a

great name : Scymnus of Tarentum , and Ph i list i des of Syracuse

,and Heracl i tus of Mi tylene.” (B eipu . Epi t . , B . I , c. 34,

CON JL’

ROR PULLING A TOOTH Br PISTOL.

From a rare book ca l led The Wh ole A rt of fl ow s Pom s. Conta ining the

t ilest D ex/crows Fea ts of S la g /zt -of -h and Perf ormed by Ka ter/elto, B ra /a w .

Boa s, etc. London, 181 2. (From th e E l l isonCo l lect ion. New York . )

D g t zed by (St

HISTORY or N ATURAL M AGIC 13

In the M iddle Ages the art o f magic was ardent ly cult i vated,

i n spi te of the denunc iat ions of the Church . Many pretenders tonecromancy made ’use of the secrets o f opt ics and acoust i cs

,and

gained thereby a wonderful reputat ion as genu ine sorcerers.Benvenuto Cel l i n i , sculptor, goldsmi th and man - a t - arms

,i n that

greatest o f autobiograph ies.* records a magical seance wh ichreads l ike a chapter from the Arabi an N ights.He says : “ I t happened th rough a vari ety o f s i ngu lar acci

dents that I became int imate w i th a S ici l i an pr iest, who was a

man of very elevated gen ius and wel l i nstructed i n both Lat i nand Greek letters . In the course of conversat ion one day, wewere led to talk about the art o f necromancy, ti propos of which Isaid : ‘Throughout my whole l i fe I have had the most i ntensedesi re to see or learn someth ing of th i s art. ’ Thereto the priestrepl ied : ‘A stout soul and a stead fast must the man have whosets h imsel f to such an enterpri se . ’ I answered that of strengthand steadfastness o f soul I should have enough and to spare

,

prov i ded I found the opportun i ty. Then the pri est sa i d : ‘I fyou have the heart to dare i t , I w i l l amply sat i s fy your curios i ty.’Accord ingly we agreed upon attempt i ng the adventure.

“The priest one even ing made h i s preparat ions , and bade mefind a comrade, or not more than two. I i nv i ted V incenzioRomoli , a very dear fri end of mi ne, and the pri est took w i th h ima nat i ve of P istoj a , who also cu l t i vated the black art . we wenttogether to the Colosseum ; and there the priest , havi ng arrayedhimsel f i n necromancers ’ robes , began to describe ci rcles on theea rt h w i th the finest ceremon ies that can be imagined . I mustsay that he had made us bring precious per fumes and fi re , andalso drugs of fet id odor. When the prel iminari es were completed, he made the entrance i nto the ci rc le ; and taking us by thehand , i nt roduced us one by one i nside of i t . Then he assignedour several funct ions ; to the necromancer, h i s comrade, he gavethe pentacle to hold ; the other two of us had to look after thefi re and the perfumes ; and then he began h is incantat ions . Th is

{ Memoirs of Cellini , Book I, Ch apter LXIV.

14 THE OLD A N D THE N EW M AGIC

lasted more than an hour and a hal f, when several legionsappeared and the Colosseum was al l ful l o f dev i ls . I wasoccupiedw i th the precious perfumes , and when the pri est percei ved i nwhat numbers they were present , he turned to me and said :‘Benvenuto , ask them someth ing.

’ I cal led on them to reun i teme w i th my S ici l i an Angel ica .

"

I t seems the spi ri ts d id not respond . The magic spel l s werefound inoperat i ve, whereupon the priest d i smi ssed the demons,observing that the presence of a pure boy was requ is i te to thesuccess ful accompl i shment o f the séance.Another n ight Cel l in i and the sorcerer - repai red to the ru ins

of the Colosseum . The art ist was accompan ied by a boy of twelveyears of age, who was i n h i s employ, and by two fri ends, Agnol ino Gaddi and the before-ment ioned Romoli . The necromancer,after describing the usual magi c ci rcle and bui ld ing a fire, “ beganto utter those aw ful i nvocat ions

,cal l i ng by name on mult i tudes

of demons who are captains o f thei r l egions i nsomuchthat in a short space of t ime the whole Colosseum was ful l o f ahundredfold as many as had appeared upon the first occasion .

”

At the advice of the w i zard , Cel l in i agai n a sked to be reun i tedw i th h is mistress . The sorcerer turned to h im and said : “Hearyou what they have repl ied ; that i n the space of one month youw i l l be where she i s . ” The company w i th i n the magic c i rclewere now confronted by a great company of demons. The boydeclared that he saw four armed '

g i ants of immense stature whowere endeavoring to get w i th i n the ci rcle . They trembled w i thfear. The necromancer, to calm the fright o f the boy, assuredh im that what they beheld was but smoke and Sh tldOi ’ t’S, and thatthe spi ri ts were under hi s power. As the smoke d ied out, thedemons faded away, and Cel l i n i and h is fri ends left the placeful ly sat i sfied of the real i ty of the conj urat ions . As they leftthe Colosseum , the boy declared that he saw two of the demonsleap ing and skipping before them , and often upon the roofs ofthe houses . The priest paid no attent ion to them , but endeavoredto persuade the goldsmi th to renew the attempt on some futureoccas ion

,i n order to di scover the secret treasures of the earth.

But Cel l in i d id not care to meddle more i n the black art.

HISTORY or N ATURAL MAGIC 15

What are we to bel i eve about th i s magi c i nvocat ion ? WasCel l i n i romancing? Though a vainglorious , egot i st i ca l man, hewas t ruth ful , and h is memoi rs may be rel i ed on .

John Add ington Symonds , one of the translators o f Cellini ’sautobiography, remarks : “ Imagi nat ion and the awe- i nspi ri ngi nfluences of the place, even i f we el im inate a poss ible magi clantern among the conjurer’s appurtenances , are enough toaccount for what Cel l i n i saw. He was credulous ; he was superst i t iou s.

Si r Dav id Brewster, who quotes Cellim s narrat ive i n h isN a turalM ag ic, expla ins that the demons seen i n the Colosseum“were not produced by any influence upon the imaginat ions ofthe spectators, but were actual opt ical phantasms , or the imagesof p ictures or objects produced by one or more concave mi rrorsor lenses . A fire i s l ighted and perfumes and i ncense are burnt ,i n order to create a ground for the images, and the beholdersare r igid ly confined w i th i n the pale o f the magic c i rcle. Theconcave mi rror and the objects presented to i t hav ing been ‘soplaced that the persons w i th i n the ci rcle could not see the aerialimage of the obj ects by the rays d i rect ly reflected from themi rror, the work of decept ion was ready to begin . The attendance of the magic ian upon h i s m irror was by no means necessary. He took h i s place along w i th the spectators w i th i n themagic ci rcle. The images o f the devi l s were al l d ist i nct ly formedi n the a i r immed iately above the fire, but none of them could beseen by those w i th i n the ci rcle.

“The moment , however, the perfumes were thrown into thefi re to produce smoke, the first wreath o f smoke that rose throughthe place of one or more of the images would reflect them to theeyes of the spectators , and they would again d isappear i f thewreath was not fol lowed by another . More and more imageswould be rendered v is ible as new wreaths of smoke arose, andthe whole group would appear at once when the smoke wasuni formly d iffused over the place occupied by the images .”Again, the magic ian may have been aided by a con federate

amid the ru ins, who manipulated a magic lantern , or some deviceof the k ind. The magi cian h imsel f may have been prov ided w i tha box fi tted up wiQM ve mi rror, the l ights and figu res of

16 THE OLD AN D THE N EW M AGIC

the demons . The assert ion of the boy that he saw demonsskipp ing i n front of h im , etc . , would be accounted for by themagic box bei ng ca rried wi th them .

Says the Encyclopa edi a Bri tanni ca , i n speak ing of Cellini ’sa dventure : “The ex istence of a camera at th i s latter date (middleo f s ixteenth century) i s a fact , for the i nstrument i s descr ibed byBapt i sta Porta , the N eapol i tan ph i losopher, i n the M ag i a N a tu

ralis And the doubt how magi c l antern e f fects cou ldhave been produced i n the fourteenth century, when the lanterni tsel f i s al leged to have been i nvented by Athanas ius K i rcheri n the middle of the seventeenth century, i s set at res t by the factthat glass lenses were constructed at the earl ier o f these dates,Roger Bacon

,i n h is D iscovery of the M i racles of A rt, N a ture

andM ag i c ( about wri t i ng o f glass lenses and perspect i vesso well made as to give good telescopi c and microscopi c eff ects,and to be useful to old men and those who have weak eyes .”Chaucer, i n the House of Fame, Book I I I , speaks of “ appear

anecs such as the subt i l tregetours perform at feasts”—imagesof hunt ing, falconry and kn ights j oust ing, w i th the persons andobjects i nstantaneously d i sappearing.

Later on N ostradamus conj ured up a v i sion o f the futureking o f France i n a magic mirror, for the benefit of Mari e deMedeci . Thi s i l lus ion was eff ected by mirrors adroi t ly concealedamid hanging draperi es .I n the s ixteenth century conjurers wandered from place to

place,exh ibi t ing thei r tri cks at fa i rs, i n barns, and at the cast les

o f noblemen . They were l i tt le more than strol l i ng gypsi es orvagabonds . Reginald Scott, i n h is D iscoveri e of Wi tchcraft

enumerates some of the stock feats o f these mountebanks . The l i st includes, “ swal low i ng a kn i fe ; bu rn ing a cardand reproducing i t from the pocket of a spectator ; passing acoin from one pocket to another ; convert ing money i nto counters,or cou nters i nto money ; conveying money i nto the hand ofanother person ; making a co i n pass through a table or van i shfrom a handkerch ie f ; tying a knot and undoing i t ‘by the powerof words’ ; tak ing beads from a stri ng, the ends o f wh ich areheld fast by another person ; making a coi n to pass from onebox to another ; tu rn ing wheat i nto flour ‘by


performer, who usual ly stood enci rcled by the spectators.Final ly

,the suspic ious - look ing g i béci ére was abandoned by al l

save strol l i ng mountebanks , and a table w i th a long cloth sub .

st i tuted . Thi s tabl e concealed an assi stant , who made the necessary transformat ions requ i red i n the act , by means of trapsand other dev ices . Comus , the elder, i n the eighteenth century,abandoned the long table covers and the concealed ass i stant forthe servante. But h is immed iate compet i tors st i l l adhered tothe draped tables, and a whole generat ion of later conj urers ,among whom may be ment ioned Comte, Bosco and Phi l l ippe,fol lowed thei r example . Robert - Houdin struck the keynote ofreform i n 1844 . He sarcast ical ly cal led the suspi c iously drapedtable a boi te a compere (wooden con federate) .

Conjurers in the seventeenth century were frequent ly knownas HocusPocus. These curious words first occur i n a pamphletpri nted i n 164 1 , i n which the author , speaking o f the s ights o fBartholomew fa i r , ment ions “Hocus Pocus, w i th three yards oftape or ribbon i n h i s hand , show i ng h is art of legerdemain .

”

The seventeenth century i s the age of the strol l ing mountebank,who performed wherever he could get an audi ence— in the stable,barnyard , street or fa i r . From h im to the prest i d igi tateu r ofthe theatre i s a long step, but no longer than from the barnstorming actor to the art i st o f the wel l - appointed playhouse .There is evolut ion i n everyth ing. I t was not unt i l the eighteenthcentury that conjuring became a legi t imate pro fession . Thiswas largely ow ing to the fact that men of gentle bi rth , wel lversed i n the sc ience o f the age, took up the magic wand , andgave the art d igni ty and respectabi l i ty.

I t was not unti l the eighteenth century that natural magicwas shorn of charlatan ism , but even then the great Finett i pretended to the occul t i n h i s exh ibi t ion of so- cal led “ second s ight .”He always avoided the Papal States , taking warn i ng from thefate of Cagl iostro . Magic and spi ri t i sm were i n bad odor i n .

the domin ions o f the Pope . Towards the middle o f the centurywe hear of j onas , Carlott i , Katerfel to, Androlet t i , Phi ladelph ia ,Rol l in

,Comus I and I I . Comus I I was famous for coin ing hard

words . He advert i sed i n London , “ varioments w i th h is Enchante d Horologium, Pyx i


and many curious operat ions i n Rhabdology , Steganography andPhylacteri a , w i th many wonderfu l performances on the grandDodecahedron , also Chartomant ic Decept ions and Kh arama t i cOperat ions . To conclude w i th the performance o f the Teretopaest Fig ure and Magical House ; the l ike never seen i n th isk ingdom before ; and w i l l aston ish every beholder. ” These magical experiments were doubtless very s imple. What puzzled thespectators must have been the names of the tri cks .Rol l in

,a Frenchman

,after accumulat i ng a fortune

,pur

chased the chateau o f Fontenoy- a ux - Roses,i n the department o f

the Seine. He was denounced under the Red Terror, and su ff ered death by the gui l lot i ne, i n 1 793. When the warrant forh i s execut ion was read to h im, he remarked , w i th a smi le, “Thati s the first paper I cannot conj ure away.

”

I now come to the Count Edmond de Gri sy, Finett i ’s greatr ival i n the field o f conjur ing.

The duel for supremacy between these eminent magi ci ansi s told i n the chapter on Finett i . The father o f De Gri sy, theCount de Gri sy, was ki l led at the storm ing of the Tu i lleries,wh i le defend i ng the person of h is k ing, Lou is XVI , from themob. Young De Gri sy was i n Paris at the t ime, and , profit ingby the d i sorders i n the capi tal , was enabled to pass the barri ersand reach the small fami ly domain i n Languedoc. Here he dugup a hundred lou is , wh ich h i s father had concealed

'

for any unforseen accident ; to th i s money he added some j ewel s left by h i smother. \Vi th thi s modest sum , he proceeded to Florence, wherehe stud ied med ic ine, graduat ing as a phys i ci an at the age o ftwenty- seven . He became a professional magi c i an

,and had an

adventure at Rome which i s wel l worth relat ing. He was re

quested to perform before Pius VI I , and ransacked h i s brainsto dev i se a tr ick worthy of a Pope. On the day be fore the myst icséance he happened to be i n the shop of a prominent watchmaker,when a lackey came i n to ask i f H is Eminence the Card inal de

’

s watch was repai red.


I t w i l l not be ready unt i l th i s even ing, answered the watchmaker. “ I w i l l do mysel f the honor of persona l ly carrying i tto your master.The lackey ret i red .

“That i s a handsome watch you have there, sa id De Gri sy.Yes

,repl i ed the j eweler, “ i t i s valued at more than ten

thousand francs . I t was made‘ by the celebrated Brégu et .

Strangely enough , the other day I was o f fered a s im i lar t imep iece, by the same art i st , for one thousand francs.”

“Who was he?” asked the Count.A young prod igal and gambler, belonging to a noble fami ly,

who i s now reduced to sel l ing h is fami ly j ewels.”Li ke a flash of l ightn ing, a scheme for working a splendid

myst ifica t ion passed th rough De Grisy ’

s mind . He nonchalantlysa id

Where i s th isyoung rake to be found P”III a gaming house , wh ich he never qu i ts .Wel l , then , I w i l l buy th i s masterpi ece o f Bre’gu et ’s. Have

the kindness to purchase i t for me, and engrave upon i t theCard inal ’s coat - of - arms, so that i t w i l l be a repl i ca of H is Eminence

's chronometer . ”The j eweler, assured of De Grisy ’

s d iscret ion and honor,though probably suspect ing the use to wh ich the t imepi ece wouldbe subj ected

,immed iately left h is shop, and returned a fter a

l i t t le wh i le w i th the gambler’s watch .

“Here i t i s,he cri ed .

“To - n ight I shal l have i t ready foryou .

At the appo inted hour he brought the two watches for DeGrisy

’

s i nspect ion . They were facs im i les. The conjurer tookh i s purchase, and the next day appeared at the pont ifical palace,where a most d ist ingu ished aud ience greeted h im . The Popesa t on a raised dai s ; near h im were the card ina ls i n thei r bri l l i antrobes of crimson .

After performing a seri es of magi cal feats. De Gr i sy came toh is piece dc resistance. The d i fficul ty was to obtai n the loan ofthe Cardi nal's watch , and that w i thout ask ing h im d i rect ly fori t . To succeed the conj urer had recourse to a ruse . At h i s

HISTORY OF N ATURA L M AGIC 21

quest several watches were o ff ered to h im , but he returnedthem as not su ited to the experiment .

“ I desi re a t imepiece that w i l l be easi ly ident ified . I shouldprefer one o f rather large s i ze,” said De Gri sy.

“Cardinal,

” sa id H is Hol iness, obl ige me by lend ing yourwatch to M . de Gri sy.

”

W i th great reluctance the Card inal de handed h i sprecious chro‘nometer to the conjurer. I t seems he set grea tvalue on i ts exaggerated s i ze, al leging, w i th considerable showof reason

,that the works acted better i n a large case.

In order to prove the sol id i ty and excel lence of the ebronometer, De Gri sy let i t fal l to the ground . A cry of alarm aroseon al l s ides . The Card inal , pale w i th rage, bounded from h i scha i r, excla im ing : “This i s a sorry j est

,si r !”

“Do not be alarmed , monsignor,” sai d De Gri sy, the watchw i l l escape scathless from i ts many trial s .” He handed thebroken t imepiece to the Card inal . Do you recogni ze th i s asyour watchThe prelate ga zed anxiously at the coat - of - arms engraved

ins ide of the case, and repl ied , w i th a profound sigh“Yes , that i s my watch .

"

You are certai n o f i tQui te certa in ! But I seriously doubt your power to restore

We shal l see !” said the conjurer.De Grisy ’

s assistant now brought i n a brass mortar andpest l e. The watch was cast i nto the mortar and pounded toatoms . Some magic powder was poured into the receptacle anda torch appl i ed . There was a detonat ion , fol lowed by a cloudof smoke. The spectators were i nv i ted to examine the i ngot ofgold— al l that remained of the prec ious chronometer . Pius VI Ipeered curiously into the mortar . De Gri sy, sei z i ng the opportuni ty , adroi t ly popped the dupl i cate t imepiece i nto a pocket ofthe Pope’s robe . At the proper moment he pretended to passthe ingot i nto the pont i f f’s pocket , wh i ch resulted in the d iscoveryof the Card ina l's watch , made whole again . This clever tri ckcreated a great sensat ion i n Rome, and drew crowds to DeGrisy

’

s performances . Poor De Grisy seemed doomed to misfor

22 THE OLD AN D THE N EW MAGIC

tune. His young son was ki l led accidental ly by a specta tor,

duri ng an exh ibi t ion o f the pi stol t rick at Strasburg. A realbu l let got mixed Up w i th the false bul lets, and was loaded i ntothe weapon . De Grisy was tri ed and conv icted of “ homicidethrough imprudence,” and sentenced to s ix months’ impri sonment ,

’ during wh ich t ime h is w i fe d ied . On h is rel ease,he

assumed the name of Torrin i , wh ich was that o f h is brother- inlaw and fai th ful ass i stant . He ret i red to the prov inces of France,and never appeared again in the large c i t ies. He died a brokenhearted man at Lyons .Torrin i was a ski l l ful performer w i th cards, as Robert

Houd in test ifies . He invented a tri ck wh ich he cal led “TheBl ind Man ’s Game of Piquet . Whi le bl i ndfolded he wouldp lay piquet and defeat adepts at the game. This trick was oneof the features of ‘ h i s enterta inments, and always gained h imgreat applause. The secret cons i sted i n subst i tut ing a preparedpack for the ord inary pack used . After the spectator hadshu ffled the cards and handed them to Torri n i to cut , the con~

j urer would rest h i s hand momentari ly upon the pack, wh i le hemade some observat ion to h i s opponent . Then i t was that thesubst i tut ion was artful ly eff ected by means of a “magi c box ,

”

which the prest id igitateur had concealed i n the sleeve of h is coat.Pressure upon the table caused a spring i n the box to shootout a prepared pack o f cards , wh i le a pai r o f pincers at the samet ime sei zed the recently shu ffled pack and drew i t up i nto theh idden receptacle. This ingen ious pi ece o f apparatus Torrin ihad obtai ned from a gambler named Z i lbermann.

Whi le attempt ing to cheat an opponent , the apparatus hadhung fire, and Zi lbermann was detected in flagrante deli cto. Aduel was the resu lt , and Zi lbermann was mortal ly wounded .

He sent for Torrin i , whose conjuring abi l i t i es he greatly ad

mired , and presented h im w i th the box . Soon a f terwards’he

d ied .

Torrin i never used the apparatus except i n h is conjuri ngperformances . He was a man of honor and not a Chevali er

d'

industri e.

THE CH'EVALIER PINETTI .“The Age of Romance h as not ceased ; i t never cea ses; i t does not, i f

we w i l l th ink of i t, so much as very sensibly decl ine.

” —CARLYLE : The

D iamond N ecklace.

Paris ! Time—the latter hal f o f the eighteenth century !Lou is XVI i s on the throne of France, rel iev i ng the ennu i o f

court et iquette by working at locksmi th ing. His beaut i fu l consort, Marie Antoi nette, amuses hersel f playing at dai ry- farming

,

h la Watteau , i n the gardens of the l i tt le Trianon . Dr. Gu i l lot i n ,as yet , has not even dreamed of that terrible mach ine o f woodand steel to be ca l led by h i s name. Danton , Marat and Robespi erre—the “bloody triumvi rate”—are unknown to fame.I t i s the age of powder and patches , enormous hoop- ski rts

,

embroidered coats, lace ru flles, cocked hats, s i lk stocki ngs andswords . Gent lemen meet and exchange snu ff boxes; fight duel sa t t imes, despi te the royal ed ict ; i ndulge i n grandiose g allant ri es . Noblemen in thei r coaches - and - four, on thei r way toVersa i l l es (wh ich to them is heaven on earth) , drive recklesslythrough the narrow streets of the capi tal , splash ing the pedestri ans w i th mud from the kennels, and knocking down ci t i zensw i th impun i ty. The ari stocracy l i ve to be amused.

Vi i /e la baga telle! i s the watchword of the gent le born , andwhen the Cheval i er Pinett i , knight of the German Order ofMeri t o f St . Ph i l ippe

,comes to town , there is a grand rush for

seats at the theatre to see h im perform. The Cheval ier i s thegreatest conjurer o f the age, al so a learned student of phys icsand member of various sci ent ific bodies i n France, England andGermany.


I have i n my possess ion'an old print, picked up in Paris, aportrai t of the Cheval ier. This p icture i s an’ al l egorical af fa i r .Two w i nged cupids are depicted plac ing the bust of P inet t i i nthe Temple of Arts . Strewn about the pla ce are various instru

PIN ET’

I‘

I

ments used i n physi cs and mathemat ics . The motto appendedto th is curious print i s as fol lows: D es gem

'

es pla cent lo buste de

M . lo Prof esseu r F inet t i ( f ans to temple des a rts, an ttt i li eu des

i nstruments de physiqu e ct de ma thema t iqu e.

D g t zed by Google


numerous orders. Thi s i s an odd i ty w i th a fatal suggest ion ofcharlatan ism . He was given to vaunt ing, and was i n no w i secareful to adhere to the t ruth i n communicat ions regard ing h ismag i cal art . A vic ious trai t o f h is character was h i s readinessto adopt the most contempt ible measures to free h imsel f o f theri val ry of another ; and th i s unworthy characteri st i c undoubtedlyled to h i s u l t imate down fal l .

Pinet t i's repertory was very extended . However interest ing

i t m ight be to pass i n review the whole seri es o f h is feats, I musthere l im i t mysel f to a f ew, which appear - typical o f h im and ofh i s publ ic.There was first the wonderful automaton known as The

Grand Sul tan ,” also cal led “The clever l i t t le Turk,” wh ich wasabout forty cent imeters i n height , and wh ich st ruck a bel l wi tha hammer, or nodded and shook h is head , i n answer to quest ionspropounded .

“The golden head and the rings” was as fol lows :I n a glass, the bottom of wh ich was covered w i th coins, a previously shown , mass i ve head was placed. A cover was thenplaced on the glass . The head answered yes or no to i nqui ries ,or counted numbers by leaping in the glass. I n a second glassborrowed rings were la id , wh ich moved in un ison w i th the head.head , as though by symp’athy. The “Clever Swan” was put intoa vessel of water, and varied i ts course accord ing to the w i l lo f the onlooker. Moreover, when a spectator had drawn acard from a pack of inscribed cards

,i t spel led the word wri tten

thereon , by mov ing toward the appropri ate letters, wh ich wereprinted on strips o f cardboard hung about the vessel .A kind of sympathet i c act ion i s shown in the fol lowi ng

experiment . A l ighted lamp was depos i ted on a table . As soonas a spectator , stat ioned at a cons iderable d istance, blew througha reed , the lamp was immediately ext i ngu ished . Another : 3l i ve dove was fastened , by means of two ribbons about i ts neck,to two oppos i te columns . On the instant when a picture of thedove, or even the shadow of the suspended bi rd , was pierced bya sword , the dove i tsel f was beheaded , al though i t had not beend i stu rbed , and the severed and st i l l bleed ing head , and the rest

THE CHEVA LIER PIN ET‘

I‘

I 27

of the body, f ell separately to the ground . Thi s experiment ,ca l led “ Theophrastus Paracelsus , reca l ls an Old superst i t ion .

namely, that ev i l can be wrought upon a person by injury to api cture of h im . accompan ied bv a spoken incantat ion . I t i sthe so- cal le d “ Picture charm .

Fet teri ng and bind ing experiments were shown . but o f asimpler nature than modern ones . To each leg of the magici anwas fastened a ring, and through each ring an i ron chai n waspassed , i ts ends locked on a pi l lar. “The Prisoner" seemed aidedby some external power to release h imsel f, for in a verv shortt ime he was free from his bonds. More difii cu lt was anotherexperiment , wherein a chain was fastened by a str ip of clothd i rect ly about the leg, and secured to the pi l lar ; but here also,

ahal f m inute su ffi ced the “

Ga llev Slave" to free h imsel f o f theshackles . The most pleasing was the fol low i ng trick : Finett ial lowed both thumbs to be t i ed together w i th a cord . and h i shands , so bound , to be covered w i th a hat ; hardly was th is donethan be stretched ou t h is right hand , sei zed a flask of wi ne anddrank to the heal th of the person who had t i ed h im , and tossedthe empt ied glass to the cei l ing, whence i t fel l as a bal l o f finelycu t paper. At the same instant , he al lowed the hat to fal l , andd i splayed h i s hands, st i l l as closely bound as at the beginn ing ofthe experiment .‘ Also

,the wel l - known tri ck , i n wh ich several

borrowed rings are passed over twp ribbon bands, the endso f wh ich are knotted together and held by some o f the spectators ; nevert heless the ri ngs can be drawn off w i thout severi ngthe ribbons. This was hardly new . but merely a variat ion o f atrick described in 1690 , i n a work by Ozanam , i n h i s R t

‘crr

‘

a t ions

Illa thema t iqu cs, and exhibi ted by the jugglers o f that t ime underthe name o f “My Grandmother's Rose Wreath . They madeuse o f smal l bal ls , strung on two cords , from which they werew i thdrawn , notw i thstand ing that the cords were held by strangers . TO- day th i s tr ick is explained i n most books o f games andamusements

,which fact does not h inder the publ ic from being

qui te as much astounded when the feat i s performed a la Finett i ,wi th rings or a watch , accompan ied bv c lever pa tter .

e conj u rer, named Tenou r va udevdle thea tres

28 TIIE OLD A N D Tllli N EW’

M AGIC

Finett i s magical bouquet was a very pre t ty trick . III a vasewere placed the dry, leafless stems of a bunch o f flowers , t i edtogether. At the magician's command , leaves , flowers and fr ui tappeared

,t ransforming the bouquet into a th ing of beauty ; but

al l i ts splendor d i sappeared again at the command o f the performer. IIi s feat o f the “ recovered r ing was as fol lows : A

FIN ETTI AN D THE Dove. (From an Old Print . )

ri ng was borrowed from a lady and fired from a pisto l i n toa casket, wh ich h ad been previously shown empty and devoid ofpreparat ion . \Vhen the casket wa s opened , after the shot wasfired , a dove was seen w i th i n , hol d ing i n i ts h i l l the ri ng. But ,i n addi t ion , the p i et ty bi rd knew preci sely the possessor of thering, for i t shook i ts head i n rotat ion a t each lady to whom thetrinket di d not belong. “then the owner appeared , the dove

THE CHEVALIER PIN E’

I‘

TI 29

voluntari ly presented the ri ng to her i n i ts beak. I n N aples .where Finett i ’s theatre was s i tuated d i rect ly on the sea shore, hevar i ed the trick by firing the pi sto l loaded w i th the ring out ofthe w i ndow . On opening the casket a large fish was seen

,bear

i ng the ring i n i ts mouth .

Another clever experiment was the mech anica ll

bird, wh i ch ,when set upon a flask , fluttered i ts w ings and wh i st led anyfavori te melody cal led f or by the audience

,also blow ing Ou t a

l ighted candle and immed iately rel ight ing i t . I t would a ccomp~

l i sh these feats just as wel l when removed from the flask to atabl e, or when held i n the performers hand upon any part of thestage. The sounds were produced by a “ con federate who im irated song bi rds after Rossignol ’ s method . by ai d o f the i nnerski n o f an On ion i n the mouth , and speaki ng trumpets d i rectedthe Sounds to whatever pos i t ion was occupied by the bi rd .

"

Though the two last described feats were the most celebrated ofFinett i ’ s masterp ieces , the most remarkable, w i thout doubt , wasthe one h e cal led “ T

he stolen sh i rt . III spi te o f i ts somewhatunseemly appearance , i t was shown before the king and h isfam i l y, and consi sted of th is: A gent leman from the aud ience,not i n leag ue w i th the performer , came upon the stage and , atFi nett i ’s request , un fastened the buttons of hi s sh i rt at the neckand cu ff s , and Finett i , w i th only a f ew movements Of h i s handdrew the sh i rt from his body, though the gent leman had notremoved a s ingle art i cle o f h is cloth ing.

F i nett i eventual ly revealed the process by wh ich th i s surpri s i ng resul t was obta ined . He was moved to do so , becauseal l those who saw the tr ick performed i n the Theatre des MenusPla i s i rs held the convict ion that the other party to i t was i ncol lus ion w i th h im . The publ i c was not to be blamed for th i serroneous conclus ion , for not only at that t ime , but much later ,many o f the aston i sh ing feats o f the magic ian were efi

’

ected

through the compl ic i ty o f ass istants seated among the aud ienceSuch con federates were cal led by the French , Comperes and Commercs, wh ich translated i nto the vulgar vernacular, stand for“ pals

,

” “ cron ies . These gentlemen brought art i cles, of whichthe magician possessed dupl icates, and loaned them—apparent lyas unrel ated spectators—when su ch art icles were asked for in


the course of the exper iments. Robert - Houdi n ended th i s reg ime

of confederacy. When he asked for the loan o f an art icle,he

genu inely borrowed i t , and exchanged i t for a subst i tute bysl eight of hand . This is the modern method . The fol low i ng is

PIN ETTI’

s CARD TRICK .

Pinett i s explanat ion of the sh i rt trick : The means of performing th i s t ri ck are the fol low i ng—only observ ing that the clothesof the personwhose shi rt i s to be pul led of f be wi de and easyBegin by making h im pul l of f h is stock and unbu ttonning h is

THE CHEVALIER FIN ETTI 3I

sh i rt at the neck and sleeves, afterwards t i e a l i tt le str ing i n thebuttonhole of the left sleeve ; then , pass ing your hand beh i nd h isback, pu l l the shi rt out of h is breeches and sl ip i t over h i s headthen , pul l i ng i t out before i n the same manner, you w i l l l eave i ton h is stomach ; after that , go to the r ight hand and pul l thes leeve down , so as to have i t a l l out of the arm ; the sh i rt beingthen al l of a heap , as w el l i n the right sleeve as before thestomach , you are to make use o f th i s l i tt l e stri ng fastened to thebut tonhole o f the left sl eeve to get back the °

sleeve that musthave s l ipt up , and to pul l the whole sh i rt out that way . To h ideyour way of operat i ng from the person whom you

'

unsh i f t , andfrom the assembly, you may cover h i s head w i th a lady’s cloak ,hold ing a corner o f i t i n your teeth . In order to be more atyour case, you may mount on a chai r and do the whole operat ionunder the cloak.

”

P i a ct t i s explanat ion o f the sh i rt tr i ck was conta ined i n awork ent i t led Amusements Physiqu es, Pa ris, 1 784 . An ed i t ioni n Engl i sh o f th is book was publ i shed i n London i n the sameyear. I t was cal led : “Amusements i n phys i cs , and various enterta in ing experiments

,i nvented and executed at Pari s and the

various courts of Europe by the Cheval ier M . Jean - j osephF i nett i W i lledale de Merci , Knight of the German Order ofMeri t o f St . Ph i l ip , professor of mathemat i cs and natural ph i losophy

,pensioned by the Court o f Pruss ia , patron i zed by al l the

Royal Fami ly of France, aggregate of the Royal Academy ofSci ences and Bel le-Lettres of Bordeaux , etc. As an exposé o fconjuring feats i n general th i s work was an impos i t ion on thepubl ic. I t was i ntended to mislead the reader. In spi te of theh igh - sounding t i t le o f the work, i t contai ned noth ing outs ide o fthe solut ion of the “ stolen sh i rt” mystery. There was no explanat ion of any trick upon wh ich F inett i set value, but merelvexperiments al ready publ i shed i n preced ing books on the j uggler

’

s art , and wh ich belonged to a long- past t ime, cons ist i ngmost ly of chemi ca l experiments and ch i l d i sh d ivers ions .

3: THE OLD A N D THE N EW MA GIC

This unworthy publ icat ion , and Finett i 5 custom of speak ingof h imsel f as endowed w i th pretem a tu ral powers

,aroused an

adversary i n the person o f M . Henri D ecremps, of the Museumof Pari s , an accompl ished and enthusi ast i c lover of the art o fmagic. From h im appeared a book ent it led

, La M ag i c blanch e

dévoi lée, Pari s , 1784 , addressed , as he declares i n the prefacenot to the great publ ic , s i nce “ the world loves to be dece i ved ,and would rather bel ieve the fai ry tales of the imposter than theunvarn i shed truth of h i s opponent , but to the real lovers o f anenterta in ing art. As th is work set forth the real explanat ion ofFinett i ’s wonders , one may imagine what recept ion i t met w i thfrom h im and hi s admiring publ i c. Characteri st i c of Pinet t i i sthe manner i n wh ich he sought revenge on D ecremps. I n oneo f h i s performances h e deplored the fact that an ignorant imposter, solely w i th th e i ntent o f inj ur ing h im (Finett i ) , soughtto reveal mysteries wh ich h is i ntel l igence was i nsuffi c ient tograsp . Al l knew to whom he referred , who had the sl ightestknowl edge of D ecremps. And what now ensued? Hardly hadPinett i fin i shed speaking, when a shabbi ly- dressed and unpre

possess i ng ind i vidual arose, assai l ed Finett i w i th abuse and badeh im take care, he would be ful ly exposed . The audience

, indignant at the d isturbance of an amusing performance , j eered theman from whom i t proceeded , and made preparat ion to expel thepoor dev i l . Here i ntervened , however, the “good” P inet t i . Inconc i l i atory

,kind ly fash ion , be accompan ied h i s assai lant to the

door,ostentat iously present ing h im also w i th several lou i s d’or

as i ndemnificat ion for the harshness shown h im .

N eedless to expla in , the expel led i ntruder was not the authoro f the book in quest ion , but genu inely a “poor dev i l” who playedh is part i n the comedy, for a money cons iderat ion . However,D ecrempswas an able man , who could act w i th as much shrewdness as energy. In 1 785he fol lowed h is first book w i th a second

,explain ing Finett i ’s newest tri cks , the sel f- playing organ ,

art ifici al snakes and bi rds , chess - playing automatons, ascend ingbal loons i n human shape, perpetual mot ion , learned an imals,automat i c flute playi ng

,etc. The handl i ng of the topic i s much

more thorough than i n the firs t volume, and the matter i nterestingly set forth . It is in the form of letters of travel : the author


i n company w i th a M r. H i l l , an Engl ishman , traverses d istantlands, where remarkable and astoni sh ing th ings are met w i th ,and the ca uses and const ruct ion wh ich bring about thei r wonderf u l resul ts , are ascerta ined and expla ined .

Th ey reach the Cape O f Good Hope, where, am id a savagepopulat ion , w i th many arts o f refined civ i l i za t ion , they encountera w i zard , who, i n a bombast i c declarat ion , extol s h i s own wonder- work ing powers . In the course o f the narrat i ve these featsare descr i bed and thei r operat ion expla ined. The behav ior ofthe w i zard i s amusingly depicted . How strenuous ly he den i esthe t ruth of the solut ion O f h i s wonders found by the strangers ;how he endeavors , by means of every art ifice, to hoodw i nk thepubl ic ; how he fi rst strives , through cunn ing and bribery, thenthrough abuse and i njury , to r i d h imsel f O f h is dangerous adversa ri es—in al l th i s i s Finett i ’s character so i nt imately picturedthat we cannot err i n supposing th i s ent i re port ion of the bookd i rected solely aga inst h im . And what name does -he gi ve thew i zard? He cal ls h im “ Pi l ferer. Dec idedly , D ecremps couldbe severe.These books were translated i nto Engl i sh i n 1 785, and pub~

lished as a single volume, under the t i t le o f The Conj urer Uhmasked

,etc.

Fi nett i , who was an original gen ius , soug ht to overcome thee f fects o f D ecremps’ revelat ions i n other ways bes ides ch i ca nery.

He i nvented new i l lus ions, performed h i s Old t ri cks w i th greaterdash and bri l l i ancy, and added new appointments to h i s m ise onscene, to dazzle and overcome the spectators . His patter wasunceasing and conv i ncing. But now was heard the d i stantthunder of the approach ing social upheava l— the French Rev0~

la t ion . The po l i t i cal hor i zon was ful l O f black clouds. Thepeople of Pari s began to desert the theatres for clubs and cafe's ,there to enter upon pol i t ical d iscussions . Pinet t i , seeing theaudiences O f h i s Temple O f Magic dw i nd l ing away, packed uph i s apparatus and went to England, wh ich is the immediate aimof al l fugi t i ves from France.During h is stay inLondon he made the fol lowi ng announce

ment i n the newspapers : “The Cheval i er Finett i and h i s consortw i l l exh ibi t most wonderful , stupendous and absolutely ini m i t

THE CHEVALIER FIN ETTI 35

able, mechani cal , phys ical and ph i losoph ica l p i eces, wh ich h i srecent deep scrut iny i n these sciences , and assi duous exert ion ,have enabled h im to i nvent and construct ; among wh ich Cheval i er Pinet t i w i l l have the special honor and sat i sfact ion o fexh ibi t i ng var ious experiments, of new di scovery, no less curiousthan seemingly i ncredulous , part icularly that of Mme. Pinet t ibei ng seated i n one O f the front boxes w i th a handkerch ie f overher eyes and guessing at everyth ing imagined and proposed toher by any person i n the company. Here we have the firstment ion of the “Second - Sight” t ri ck , wh ich Robert - Houdin rei nvented sixty- one years later, and wh ich Robert Hel ler, notmany years ago, by usi ng electric i ty combined w i th verbal s ignals, made into such an aston i sh ing feat of magic. The teachings of Mesmer and the so- cal led sorcery o f Cagl iostro

,ev ident ly

suggested the idea o f th i s pretended clai rvoyance to P inet t i .Truly was the Cheval ier an original and creat ive gen ius . H isreperto i re consi sted almost ent i rely o f h i s own i nvent ions

,and

ecl ipsed those of contemporary conj urers . His rope - tying experiments were the prototypes for the cabi net evolut ions o f modernmed i u tm.

La te i n the year 1 769, Finett i appea red i n Hamburg andexh ibi ted w i th great success i n the “

D ri llha use,”

where D egabrieland Phi ladelph ia had played prev iously. From there he wentto the pri ncipal ci t i es of Germany and arrived at Berl in , where ,i n the then “

D oebbelin’

schen Theatre,” i n the Behrenstrasse, heproduced h i s “Amusements Phys iques,” and soon became theavowed ido l o f the publ ic.I n August

,1 796, he appeared i n Hamburg, at the French

Theatre,on the Drehbahn , where h is receipts were consi derable .

Such was not the case , however, i n Altona, whose i nhabi tantswere d ist ing ui shed by lack of i nterest i n any mani festat ion of h isart . He gave there three exh ibi t ions , wh ich terminated w i thtwo empty houses . In Bremen , wh ither he next turned , thepubl i c was even more i ndi ff erent than i n Altona, so that he abandou ed the intent ion O f performing there, returned to Berl i n andthere rema ined for some t ime.

36 THE‘ OLD AN D THE N EW M AGIC

Pinett i deri ved large profits from h is entertainments . Hisentrance fee was by no means low . I n Hamburg and Berl in

,for

instance, the pri ce O f the best places was a thaler—equ ivalent atpresent values to about ten marks

, $2.50. Pinett i saw careful lyto the comfort and pleasure of h i s patrons

,and heightened the

e f fect o f h is ski l l by every avai lable means . The eye was grat ified by the Splendor of the scen ic accessories . In the middle ofthe stage, upon a superb carpet , stood two massive tables , wh ichserved i n performance of the experiments . They were coveredw i th scarlet cloths , bordered w i th broad stripes of dark velvet ,rich ly embroidered i n gold and s i l ver. Further in the background stood a larger and a smal ler table, w i th the same decorat ions, and w i th relat i vely slender and elaborately carved legs .Close to the rear of the stage, w i th a cover extending

’

to thecarpet , was a very long table wh ich was set forth w i th magnificent candelabra and bri l l iant apparatus . The above-ment ionedtables were not moved from thei r places . In the middle of thestage

,hung from the cei l i ng an immense chandel ier of crystal .

w i th countless candles . The art ist made h is entrance and ex i tthrough si lken hangings .As in Paris , so also i n Berl in , Finett i found an adversary ,

i n the person of Kosmann,professor of physics

, who i n dai ly andperiod ical publ i cat ions sought to explai n Finett i ’s experiments .These elucidat ions were col lected , bou nd together and publ i shedin Berl i n i n the year 1 797. The Engl ish translat ion of the t i t lei s as fol lows : Cheva li er F inet t i ’s Recrea t ions in Physi cs, or

Explana t i on of His Tri cks. As w i th D ecremps, so fared i t w i thKosmann. H is explanat ions d id not meet w i th publ ic accordand the contemporary press denominated the two authors “

who

sought to bel i tt le Finett i ’s sk i l l ,” as mere apprent i ces comparedw i th the latter, and thei r expos i t ions “ shal low and unsa t isf ac

tory. Natural ly ! The la i ty invariably form a false concep

t ion of the nature O f the art O f magic . They suppose the mostcompl i cated mechan ism i n the apparatus wh ich the art i st uses,and overest imate the manual ski l l o f the performer ; and whenthei r abi l i ty i s insu f fi cient to explai n matters after thei r ownfash ion

,they prefer to endow the performer w i th pretem a tu ra l

power rather than accept the “ shal low” elucidat ions of “igno

THE CHEVALIER FIN ETTI 37

rant expounders. They do not real i ze that every trick i s on lywhat the art ist i s able to make i t

,and that the s implest i l lus ion

may take an imposing aspect through the accessori es thrownabout i t and the manner i n which i t i s presented .

Wha tever'

opinion the lai ty migh t have of these works , thei rvalue was in no w i se lessened for the i nstructed. Robert - Houdin ,an incontestable connoi sseur

, as wel l as a “ class ical” w i tness,cal ls the work of M . D ecremps, Wh i te M ag ic Unveiled—thefi rst edi t ion o f wh ich could not have been u nknown to the Berl inprofessor—“

an excel lent work.

At the beginn ing of the carn ival o f 1 798, Finett i appearedi n Naples , and saw the whole c i ty crowd ing to h i s performances .Among the constant v is i tors to h i s theatre (on the strand )

was numbered a young French nobleman , Count de Gri sy, whohad sett led i n Naples as a phys ic i an , and was a welcome gu estin the most d ist i ngu i shed c i rcles o f the town . A pass ionate loverof the art o f magic , he succeeded i n find ing the key to a largeport ion of Finett i ’s experiments , and amused h imsel f i n theclo sest c i rcles o f h i s i nt imates , by repeat ing them . Hi s abi l i tybecame general ly known , and gained for h im a kind o f celebrity ;he was i nv i ted to perform in the most aristocrat i c salons, bu tthrough modesty seldom accepted.

Final ly h i s fame came to the ears o f Pinet t i , who was so

much the more chagri ned beca use o f the fact that people o ffash ion

, who had at first th ronged h is thea t re, now were deserti ng h im. N evertheless, he l i stened w i th apparent pl easure to thereports gi ven h im o f De Gri sy

'

s sk i l l , and sought t o gai n theacquai n tance o f the young physi c i an . He frankly pro ffered h isfri endsh ip

,i n i t iated De Grisy into h i smyster ies, and showed h im

the arrangement o f h i s stage. The fam i lia ri ty wh ich Pinet t iopen ly and intent iona llv di - p i a yed towa rds h im m ight ha ve d i spleased the young man under o ther c i rcumstanc e ,

lmt h i s. pi t‘

s'

s ion for mag i c and th e persu a si ve elf / p ence wh i c h l’ incst i i employed to arouse h i s amb i t ion. m ade i f m ll f f r xl to (w a lnu t , wh ich ,


m the m ind of one more versed i n men , might have awakenedsuspicion .

So F inett i succeeded , final ly, i n overcoming De Grisy's t imidi ty i n regard to a publ i c appearance. He repeated the mostflattering assurances of the latter ’s sk i l l , and urged h im to givea performance for the benefi t of the poor of Naples . He would,declared Pi net t i , attract a more d ist i ng ui shed audi ence than heh imsel f cou ld

_

hope to do ; and so , De Gri sy, who had alreadyearned the grat i tude o f the poor, would become thei r greatestbenefactor i n al l the ci ty. Finett i would h imsel f make al l prev ions arrangements most careful ly, and would , moreover, holdh imsel f i n readiness , beh ind the scenes , to come to the youngperformer’s ass i stance, i f requ i red . De Gri sy at last gave relu ctant consent . Fortune seemed to favor h im , moreover, for theKing s ignified hi s i ntent ion to attend i n company w i th h i s ent i recourt .Aug ust 20, 1 798, th i s extraord inary exhibi t ion took place

The house was packed . The roya l fami ly recei ved the youngFrench em igrant w i th tokens o f favor and sympathy. De Grisy,confident of success , was i n the happi est mood , but i n h i s veryfirst experiment a bi tter d is i l lus ion awa i ted h im . A secret confederate, posted by Finett i , had loaned a ring to carry out theal ready- described trick, “The Recovered Ring, wh ich was properly found i n the mouth of the great fish . Conscious of thesuccess o f th i s lou dly- applauded feat , De Gri sy bowed h is thanks.when an angry remonstrance was heard from the person whohad loaned the r ing. This man declared that i n l i eu of h i s cost lygold ri ng

,set w i th d iamonds, there had been returned to h im a

trumpery im itat ion set w i th ord inary glass stones A long andpain ful d i scuss ion ensued

,and De Grisy owed i t on ly to h is tact

that he final ly extricated h imsel f from the a f fa i r. He was notclear h imsel f a s to whether the ring had somehow been changed ,or whether the ass i stant played a role from some secret mot iveHe proceeded to the performance of h i s next experiment

w i th less concern , i n that no secret con federate was needed . Heapproached the King’s box and asked h im to do h im the honorof draw i ng a card from a pack he tendered . The K i ng compl i edw i th much graciousness; but scarcely had he looked at i t than

TIIE CHEVALIER FIN ETTI 39

he flung i t to the ground w i th every mark Of h i s d ispleasure.De Gri sy , con founded , picked up the card , and read on i t a scandalou s i nsul t to the k ing, i n I’ inet t i 's handwri t i ng ! An attemptto expla i n and cl ear h imsel f was checked by an imperat i ve gesture from the K i ng. The betrayed man , who now understoodthe si tuat ion , di st racted w i th rage . rushed beh ind the scenes w i ththe intent to ki l l h i s decei tfu l fri end. Like a man ia‘c ‘ he traversedevery port ion o f the house, but the Cheva l i er P inet t i had disappeared

,as though the earth had swal lowed h im ! \~Vherever

De Grisy now showed h imsel f, he was received w i th jeers , h i ssesand insul ts from h is aud ience , unt i l he fel l senseless and wasborne by servants to hi s house. After h i s ri val ’s removal , Pinett i appeared as though by chance ; whereupon severa l personsi n the secret cal led on h im to cont inue the per formance, to whi chhe courteously acceded , and gained enthus i ast i c plaud i ts .During a v iolent fever wh ich ensued , De Grisy constantly

call ed i n h i s del i r ium for revenge on Pinett i ; i but the latter .

qu i tted Naples soon after the occurrence. Poor De Gr i sy wassocial ly and pro f essi ona llv tabooed by the ari stocracy of Naples .Finett i 's revenge seemed complete.Though De Grisy thorough ly comprehended the contemp

t ible ruse o f h i s opponent , he was long i n uncerta i nty how topuni sh h im . H is first impulse was to chal lenge the magic ianto fight a duel , but that idea he rej ected . Finett i was not worthyo f such an honor . For the purpose of complet i ng h i s restorat ionto heal th , De Gri sy passed some t ime i n the quiet o f the country,and here the thought occurred to h im to fight h is betray er wi thh i s own weapons , and, i n th i s contest , to ei ther conquer orwhol ly abandon al l ideas o f revenge . He set h imsel f for hal f ayear to the most ass iduous study, i n order to attai n perfect ioni n the art o f mag i c , not merely equal to Finett i ’s , but superiorto i t. He improved onmany o f his ri vals experiments

,i nvented

new ones , and expended h is ent i re fortune i n prov id ing apparatus and decorations wh ich should cast i nto the shade Finett i ’ssuperb appointments.And now i ssued De Gri sy forth to a duel , bloodless, i t i s

true, but none t he less a struggle to the death .


He learned that Finett i had,i n the meant ime

,v is i ted the

pri ncipal c i t i es o f central I taly, and had just left Lucca w i th thev iew of v is i t i ng Bologna next ; later Modena, Parma, Piacenza,etc. W i thout loss o f t ime, De Gri sy took h is way to Modena , i norder to forestal l h i s ri val there, and debar h im from any furtherperformances . The latter had al rea dy caused the announcementof h is forthcoming enterta i nments to be spread over the ci ty

,

and the Modena journals had w idely advert i sed the speedycoming of the wonder worker, when suddenly the exhibi t ions ofthe “Count de Grisy, the French escamoteur,” were announced .

The people crowded the house from top to bottom . De Grisy ’

s

success was unparal leled . Then , as the date for Finett i's appearance drew near, he left the town and went to Parma . Finett ihad no fai th i n De Grisy ’

s success , and instal led h imsel f i n thesame theatre wh ich the latter had lately qu i tted , i n rel i ance onhi s own celebri ty. But here began that humi l iat ing exper iencewhich was henceforth to be h i s lot . The town was sated w i thth is Species o f enterta inment , and the Cheval ier’s house wasempty. Sti l l , accustomed to take the highest place, he would noty ield to a “ nov ice.” Accord ingly, he di rected h issteps to Parmaimmediately

,and establ i shed h imsel f i n a theatre j ust oppos i te

to De Grisy ’

s. I n vain ! He had the mort ifica t ion of seei ng h i shouse deserted

, wh i le h is r ival ’s was constantly fi l led . N evertheless, Pinett i wou ld not yield , but wheresoever De Grisy wenthe fol lowed.

Thus were v i si ted , one after another, Piacenza, Cremona ,Mantua

,Vicenza

,Padua

,and Ven ice

, whose wal ls w i tnessed theembi ttered stri fe of the two r ivals, unt i l F i nett i , whose most zealous supporters were turn ing recreant, could bl ind h imsel f nolonger to the fact that he had lost the game wh ich he and DeGri sy had been playing. He closed h is theatre and betook h imsel f to Russ ia .

For a short t ime i t seemed as though Fortune would indemni f y h im for h i s i l l luck. But , after hav ing for so long showeredher favors on h im

,i t now appeared that she had final ly and

defin i tely turned her back upon h im . Long and severe i l lnessexhausted not only h is v igor

,but the slender means he had saved

from sh ipwreck. Fi nett i - fel l i nto the most abj ect want. A

CAGLIOSTRO—A STUDY IN CHARLATAN I SM .

“M undusvu lt decipi , ergo deci p ia tur.

"—La t inProverb.

“The pseudo-myst ic, who deceives the world beca u se he knows th a t th e

world w ishes to be deceived, becomes an attracti ve subject f or psycholog ica lana lysis.

”—Hu co M imsrm sxc : Psy chology and Li f e.“Unpara l leled Cag l iostro ! Look ing a t th y so attractively decorated pri

va te thea tre, wherein thou actedst and livedst , wh a t hand bu t itch es to drawaside thy curta in; overh a u l thy pasteboards, pa int- pots, paper-mant les, stagelamps, and tu rning th e whole inside ou t , find thee in th e m iddle thereof ! ”CARLYLE : M iscellaneous Essays.

In the summer o f 1893. I was i n Pari s. part ly on bus iness.part ly on pleasu re. I n the Figaro one day, short ly a fter myarr i val

,I read about the marvelous exh ib i t ions o f magic o f

M . Caroly , who was attract i ng crowds to h i s séances di a boliquesat the Capuci ne Theat re o f the Isola Brothers. I went to seethe n i neteenth - century necromancer exh ibi t h i s marvels . I sawsome very clever i l lus ions performed during the even ing, butnoth ing that exci ted my espec ia l i nterest as a devotee o f thewei rd and wonderful , unt i l the prest i d igi tateur came to h i spi ece de résistance—the Mask of Balsamo . That aroused mvflagging attent ion . M . Caroly brou gh t

‘

f orward a smal l tabl e .undraped , wh ich he placed i n the center ai sle of the theatre ; andthen passed around for examinat ion the mask of a man , verymuch resembl ing a death -mask , but unl ike that ghast ly menwntomori i n the part icu lars that i t was exqu is i tely modeled i n waxand art i st ical ly colored .

“Mess ieurs et mesdames , sai d the pro fessor of magic andmystery, “ th i s mask i s a perfect l i keness of Joseph Bal samo .Count de Cagl iostro

,the famous sorcerer o f the eighteenth cen

CAGLIOSTRO : A srunv m CHARLATA N ISM 43

tury. I t i s a reproduct ion of a death -mask wh ich i s containedi n the secret museum of the Vat ican at Rome. Behold ! I laythe mask upon th is table i n your m idst . Ask any quest ion youplease and i t w i l l respond .

”

The mask rocked to and fro wi th wei rd eff ect at the biddingof the conj urer , rapping out frequent answers to quer ies put bythe spectators. I t was an ingen ious electri cal tri ck.

* Beingalready acquainted w i th the secret o f the surpris i ng experimentin natural magic , I ev inced no emot ion at the extraordinarybehavior of the mask . But I was i ntensely interested i n thema sk i tsel f. Was i t indeed a true l ikeness o f the great Cagl iost ro

,the prince of charlatans? I repai red to the manager’s

o ffice at the close of the soi re'e mag iqu e, and sought an introdu ct ion to M . Ca roly .

“ Is monsi eur an aspi ring amateur who w i shes to take lessons in l egerdemai n

“No I repl i ed .

Pardon ! Then monsieur i s des i rous of purchas ing thesecrets of some of the l i tt l e f ear?”I repl i ed as before i n the negat ive. The manager shrugged

h i s shoulders,toyed w i th h is ponderous watch - chain , and ele

y ated hi s eyebrows i nqu i ringly.

“ I simply w i sh to ascerta i n whether the mask of Balsamowas real ly modeled from a genu ine death -mask o f the old - worldw i zard .

”

“Monsieur,I can answer that quest ion , sai d the theatrical

man, w i thout an appeal to the art i st who performed th is eve

n ing. I t was taken from a l ikeness of the eighteenth - centurysorcerer

,not a death - mask as stated , but a rare old medal l ion

cast i n the year 1 785. Unfortunately th i s i s not i n our possess ion .”

“ The secret of the trick is as f ol lows: That part of th e wood wh i chforms the ch in i s rep laced by a sma l l stri p of i ron, wh ich is pa inted the same

color a s the mask, so th a t i t cannot b e seen ; an electro - ma gnct is let intothe top of th e table, so th a t the cores sh a l l be opposi te the stri p o f i ron wh en

orda ined place.—Hopk ins’ M ag i c, etc.


I thanked the manager for h i s i n format ion . The storyabout the death -mask in the possess ion o f the Vat i can was s implya part o f the prest id igi tateur’s patter, but everyth ing i s perm issible i n a conjuri ng séance.I went home to the l i tt l e hotel where I lodged i n the h i stori c

Rue de Beaune, a stone’s th row from the house where Volta i red ied . I n my bedroom , over the carved oak mantel , was a curiouso ld mi rror set i n a tarn ished gi l t frame, a rel i c o f the eighteenthcentury . Said I to mysel f : “Would th i s were a ghost - gla ss,a veri table mi rror o f Nostradamus, wherei n I might conjureup a phantasmagoria o f that van ished Paris o f long ago." Possessed w i th th i s fantast i c idea, I ret i red to res t, closed i n thecrimson cu rtains of the ant ique four- poster, and was soon waftedi nto the land of dreams . Strange v i s ions fi l led my bra i n. In themi rror I seemed to see Cagl iostro search ing for the “el ix i r o fl i fe,” i n the laboratory of the Hotel de Strasbourg, wh i le nearh im stood the Card i nal de Rohan, breathlessl y awa i t i ng the resultso f the mysti c operat ion . The red glow from the a lchemist’sfurnace i l lum ined the great necromancer w i th a coppery splendor.Cagl iostro ! Cagl iostro ! I was pursued a l l the next day,

and for weeks afterward , w i th v is i ons of the enchanter. “Ah,

wretched mask of Balsamo,” I sa i d to mysel f, “why have you

bewi tched me thus w i th your false oleaginous smi le i’” I tookto haunt ing the book - stalls and ant i quari an shops o f the QuaiVoltai re, i n the hope o f p icking u p some old medal l ion or rarepri nt o f the arch - quack. The second - hand l i terature o f the worldmay be found here. Am i d the flotsam and j etsam of old bookstossed upon th i s i nhospi table shore o f l i terary endeavor manya prec ious Elzev i r or Aldus has been picked up. My laborswere not i n va in . I was fortunate i n d iscoveri ng a qua i nt l i tt levolume, the li fe o f Cagl iostro, translated from the I tal i an workpri nted under the auspices of the Apostol i c Chamber

,Rome

,

1790. I t was ent i t led Vi e de J oseph B alsamo, Comm Sous le

N am de Comte Cagliostro. Tradu i te d’

apres l’

orig i rza l i talien,

imprimé cl la Chombre Apostoliqu e; enri ch i e de N otes cu ri euses,cl ornée de son Portra i t . P aris ci S trasbourg , 1791 . The

front i sp iece was an engraved portrai t o f Cagl iostro . Yes , here

CAGLIOSTRO : A STUDY IN CHARLATAN ISM 45

was the great magi cian stari ng at me from out the musty, fadedpages o f a quain t old chron icle. A world o f cunn i ng lay reveal edi n the depths of h is bold

,gleam ing eyes. H is th ick l ips wore

a smi le o f Luci feri an subt lety. Here, i ndeed , was a study forLavater. Here was the biography of the famous sorcerer o f theold rég ime, the pri nce o f charlatans , who foretold the fal l of theBast i l l e, the bosom friend o f the Card inal de Rohan , and foundero f the Egypt ian Ri te o f Freemasonry. Fasci nated w i th thesubj ect o f magic and mag i c i ans , I v i s i ted the B ibl iothequeN at ionale and d ipped i nto the l i terature on Cagl iostro . Subse

quent ly, at the Bri t i sh Museum , I exam ined the rare brochuresand old fi les o f the Courrier de l’E u rope for i n format ion concern ing the i ncomparable necromancer, who made use of hypnot ism,

and,l i ke Mesmer, performed many strange feats of pseudo

magic,and made numerous cures of d iseases wh ich ba flled the

medicos o f the t ime. *Goethe“ and Catharine I I. w rote plays about h im ; George

Sand introduced h im i nto her novel , “The Countess o f Ru dolstadt ;” Alexander Dumas made h im the hero o f severalromances ; Scribe, St . Georges , and Adam in the year 1844

brought out “ Cagl iostro ,” a comic opera i n three acts, wh ichwas successful ly per formed at the Opéra Comique, Pari s ; Alexander Dumas fils w rote a drama i n five acts cal led “ Joseph Balsamo” wh ich was produced at the Odéon , March 18, 1878 ; andThomas Carly l e ph i losoph i zed concern ing h im .

To understand Cagl iost ro , one must understand the periodi n wh ich he l i ved and acted h i s strange world - drama , i ts ph i losophi ca l and rel igious background . The arch - enchanter appearedon th is mortal scene when the t imes were “ out o f joi nt .” I twas the latter part o f that strange, romant i c eighteenth centuryo f scept i cism and credul i ty. The old world l ike a huge Chesh i recheese was being n ibbl ed away from w i th i n , unt i l l i tt le but the

t a p e, Grog - Coph ta”

( a comedy in five a cts) . Goethe’

s Werke, vol. 18,Stu t tgart , 1868.

“ A superb b ibl iogra ph y o f Cag l iostro i s to be f ound in “B6rsenbla t t f u r

den deu tschen Bu chh andel ,” N os. 2 10- 2 12, and 2 14 ( Sept . 9- 12, pp.

7488-92, 7524-30, 7573-

75. Th is publ ica t ion is to be f ound in the Library of

Congress, Wash ington, D . C.


ri nd was le ft to tel l the ta le. The rotten fabri c of French soc iety,i n part icu lar, was about to tumble down i n the sulphurous flamesof the Revolut ion , and the very people who were to su ff er mosti n the calami ty were doing thei r best to ass i st i n the processof soci al and pol i t i cal d is integrat ion . The dogmas of the Churchwere bi tterly assai led by learned men . But the more scept ica lthe age, the more credul i ty extant . Man begins by denying,and then doubts h i s doubts . Charles Kingsley says : And so i t

From a pa i nt ing i n th eVersa i lles Af teranengraving wh i ch served asa f ront is

Hi stori ca lGa llery p i ece of Ba lsamo’sL i f e, pu blished i n1781

Joseph Ba lsamo, Known as Count Cag l iostro.

befel l , that th is eighteenth century, wh ich i s usual ly held to bethe most ‘material ist i c’ o f epochs , was i n fact a most ‘spi ri tuali st ic

’ one.” The soi l wa swell fert i l i zed for the coming of Cagl iostro

,the sower o f superst i t ion . Every variety of myst ic ism

appealed to the imaginat ive mi nd . There were societ i es o f I l lum inat i

,Rosicru ci ans, and Alchemists .

Speaking of the great charlatan , the Anglo - Ind ian essayistGreeven i n an art icl e publ i shed a f ew years ago i n the Calcu tta

ca cu osrao : A STUDY IN CIIARLATA N ISM 47

Review wr i tes : I t i s not enough to say that Cagl iost ro posedas a magic ian , or stood forth as the apostl e o f a myst i c rel igion .

After a l l,in i ts m i ld way , our own generat ion puts on i ts even ing

dress to worsh i p at the feet o f med iums , whose fami l i ar sp i r i tsenable them to w riggle out of ropes i n cupboards , or to proj ectc igarette papers from the cei l i ng [d la Madame B lavatsky ] .W

'

e ride our hobby , however. only when the wh im sei zes us,and

,as soon as i t w earies , we break i t i n p ieces and fl i ng i t aside

M E M O I R EP OUR

LE COMTE DE CAGLIOSTRO.

A c c Us a ;CONTRE

M LEPROCUREUR.GENERAL.

a c c u sa r a vni

En, préfence de -M . le Cardinal DI

ROHA N de la Comtelfe D E LA

M O T TE . ct sums Co-Accusb .

ll. D I Cm u osn o l l b ru n t que .TlAN.

Qu i t u t a n sugars; r'uosriu m t

m m “ to“ . £3 7 3 1 " ( w h en la in

wi ll. toCu m dc Vu cm xu Manila In

SW M , h 3, M“ m.

1 7 8 6.TlTLl - PAGI 0? TB ! D E ’ BKSB O'CAOUOS TI O .

V I E

DB J OSEPH BALSAMO ,

com msou s u non

A P A R l S .Chu Ounor. libraire. unwise-Vietnam“.

a t a STRA BBOURG .

O a h u -Gl enn'rn u rru . Iibu ire.

i 7 9 1 .

T ITLB'PAO R D ? 0'CA GLIO S7 ‘0

w i th a laugh . But Cagl iostro impressed h imself deeply on theh istory of h i s t ime. He flashed on the world l ike a meteor.He carri ed i t by storm . Princes and nobles th ronged to h i s‘magic operat ions. ’ They prostrated themselves before h im forhours . His horses and h is coaches and h is l i veri es ri valed aking’s i n mag nificence . He was o ff ered

,and refused

,a ducal

throne. No less i l lustr ious a w r i ter than the Empress of Russ iadeemed h im a worthy subj ect o f her plays . Goethe made h imthe hero o f a famous drama. A French Card inal and an Engl i shLord were h i s bosom compan ions . In an age wh ich arrogated

COMTE CAGLIOSTRO,Em i u de Ia Pmoédum fam inem m lu i d fi om . eu t 790 .

m am emu reagen t inner:imprime la ChambreApostolique ;enrichiodcNam cu isines st at ues

48 THE ow A N D THE N EW M AGIC

to i tsel f the t i tle of the ph i losoph i c, the charm of h i s eloquencedrew thousands to h i s lodges , i n wh ich he preached the mysteri eso f h is E gypt i an ri tu al, as revealed to h im by the Grand Kophtaunder the shadow of the pyramids.”

And now for a brief revi ew of h is l i fe. Joseph Balsamo,the son of Peter Balsamo and Fel ic i a Braconieri , both o f humble extract ion , was born at Palermo, on the eighth day of June.1743. He received the rudiments o f an educat ion at the Sem inary oi St . Roche, Palermo . At the age o f th i rteen , accord ingto the Inqu is i t ion biographer, he was i ntrusted to the care o f theFather-General o f the Benf ra telli , who carri ed h im to the Convent o f that Order at Ca rtag i rone. There he put on the habi t o fa nov ice, and , be i ng placed under the tu it ion of the apothecary,he learned from h im the first principles o f chemistry and med ici ne. He proved incorrigible, and was expel led from the monastery i n d isgrace. Then began a l i fe of d issipat ion i n the ci tyo f Palermo . He was accused of forging theatre- t i ckets and

a w i l l. Final ly he had to flee the c i ty for hav ing duped a goldsmith named Marano of s ixty pieces o f go ld , by promis ing toass ist h im i n unearth ing a buried treasure by magical mea ns .The superst i t ious Marano entered a cavern s i tuated i n theenvi rons of Palermo , accord ing to i nstruct ions given to h im bythe enchanter

,and discovered , not a chest ful l of gold , but a

crowd of Balsamo ’s confederates , who, di sgu i sed as in fernalspi ri ts

,admin i stered to h im a terrible cast igat ion . Furious at the

decept ion,the goldsmi th vowed to assassi nate the pretended

sorcerer. Balsamo , however, took w ing to Mess ina , where hef ell i n w i th a strol l i ng mountebank and alchemist named Althotas

,or A ltotas, who spoke a vari ety of languages . They tra

veled to Alexandria i n Egypt,and final ly brought up at the i sland

o f Malta. Pinto , the Grand Master of the Kn ights of Malta ,was a searcher after the ph i losopher’s stone, an enthusiast i calchemist. He extended a warm recept ion to the two adventu r

ers,and took them under h i s patronage. They remained for

some t ime at Malta, working in the laboratory of the deluded


be fou nd in the col lect ion o f autographs of the Marqu i s deChateaugi ron , V . Catalogue, Paris , 1851 . Cagl iostro i s regardedas the greatest mason ic imposter o f the world . His pretent iou swere bi tterly repudiated by the Engl i sh members o f the fraterni ty , and many o f the Cont i nental lodges . But the factremains that he made thousands of dupes . As Grand Master ofthe Egypt i an Ri te he leaped at once i nto fame. H is sw i nd l ingoperat i ons were now conducted on a gigant i c scale. He had theentrée i nto the best soci ety. Accord ing to h im

,freemasonry

was founded by Enoch and El i as. I t was open to both sexes .I ts present form , especi al ly w i th regard to the exclus ion ofwomen , i s a corrupt ion . The true form was preserved only bythe Grand Kophta , or H igh Pri est o f the Egypt i ans . By h im i twas revealed to Cagl iostro. The votari es of any rel igion are

admiss ible, subj ect to these condi t ions , ( 1 ) that they bel i eve inthe ex istence o f a God ; (2 ) that they bel ieve i n the immortal i tyof the sou l ; and (3) that they have been in i t i ated into commonMasonry. The candidate must swear an oath of secrecy, andobed ience to the Secret Superiors . I t i s d i v ided i nto the usualthree grades o f Apprent ice

,Fellowcra f t ,

'

and M astermason.

In th i s system he prom ised h i s fol lowers “ to conduct themto perfect i on, by means of a physi ca l and moral regenera t i on; toenable them by the former (or phys i ca l ) to find the prime ma t ter,or Ph i losopher's Stone, and the a cacia

,wh ich consol idates in

man the forces of the most v igorous youth and renders h imimmortal ; and by the latter (or moral ) to procure them a Pantagon

, wh ich should restore man to h i s primi t ive state o f i nnocence, lost by original s i n .

”

Cagl iostro declared Moses , El i as and Christ to be the SecretSuperiors of the Order, because hav ing atta i ned to such perf ect ion i n masonry that

,exalted i nto h igher spheres, they are able

to create fresh worlds for the glory of the Lord. Each i s st i l lthe head of a secret communi ty.

”

No wonder the Egypt i an Ri te became popular among loverso f the marvelous, because i t promised i ts votaries , who shouldattai n to perfect ion , or adeptsh ip , the power o f transmut ingbaser metals i nto gold ; prolonging l i fe i ndefi n i tely by means of

CAGLIOSTRO Z A STUDY IN CHARLATA N ISM 51

an el ix i r ; communing w i th the spi r i ts o f the dead ; and manyother necromant i c feats and experiments.The meet ings o f the Egypt i an Lodges were i n real i ty spi ri t

u alist ic séances . The med ium was a young boy (pupi llc) oryoung gi rl (colombe) i n the state o f v i rgin i nnocence, “ to whompower was given over the seven spi r i ts that surround the throneo f the d iv in i ty , and preside over the seven planets ." TheColombe wou ld kneel i n front o f a globe o f clarified water wh ichwas placed upon a table covered w i th a black cloth , and Cagliost ro would summon the angels of the spheres to enter the globe,whereupon the youth ful clai rvoyan t would behold the v is ionspresented to v iew , and describe events t ranspi ri ng in d istantplaces . I t would be hard ," says Count Beu gnot , “ to bel i evethat such scenes could have taken place i n France at the end ofthe eighteenth century ; yet they aroused great i nterest amongpeople of importance i n the Court and the town .

”

In the myst ic i sm of the twent i eth century the above -ment ioned form of d i v inat i on i s known as “ crystal gaz ing

,

” thoughthe med ium employed i s usual ly a bal l o f rock crystal

,and not a

globe o f water such as Cagl iostro general ly used . Occult i smclasses al l such experiments under the head o f mag i c m i rrors.

The pract ice i s very ancient . The Regent d'Orléans of Franceexperimented w i th the magic m i rror, as Saint S imon records .The great traveler

,La ne. speaks o f such di v inat ion among the

modern Egy pt i ans by means o f i nk held i n the palm o f the hand .

Mirrors o f i vory , meta l , and wood coated w i th gypsum have bee nused . As Andrew Lang puts i t : “There i s , i n short , a chai nof examples

,from the Greece of the fourt h century B . C. , to the

cases observed by Dr. Mayo and Dr. Gregory i n the middle o f then ineteenth century

,and to those wh ich Mrs . De Morgan w i shed

to expla i n by ‘spi ri tual i sm .

’ In the opera “l’a rsi f al by

Richard the necromancer, Kl ingsor, sees the approachof the young knight i n a mag i c m i rror. In the M idd le Ages theuse o f th ese mi rrors was wel l known . Dee ply imbued w i th thespi ri t o f med iaeval ism ,

Wagner properly equ ipped the mag i c i anof h i s su bl ime Opera w i th the m irror.Max D essoi r, the German psycholog ist , wri tes as fo l lows

concerni ng the magic mi rror (Monist , Vol. I . l

52 HISTORY OF N ATURAL M AGIC

The phenomena produced by the agency of the magi c mi rrorwi th regard to thei r contents proceed from the realm of the subconsciousness; and that w i th regard to thei r form they belongto the category of hal lucinat ions . Hal lucinat ions

,the pro

duct ion of wh ich are faci l i tated by the fixat ion of sh in ing surfaces, do not occur w i th al l persons ; and there may be a kernelo f truth in the trad i t ion wh ich des ignates women and ch i ldrenas endowed w i th especial capaci t ies i n th is respect . The i nvest iga t ions of Fechner upon the varying v iv idness o f after- imagesthe stat i st ics of Galton upon hal lucinatory phantasms in art i stsand the extensi ve stat i st i ca l work of the Soc iety for Psych ica lResearch , appear to point to a connect ion o f th i s character.Along w i th the i nner process the outward form of the hal lucinat ion requi res a bri ef explanat ion . The ci rcumstance, namely,wh ich lends magic- mirror phenomena thei r sal i ent feature, i sthe sensory reproduct ion of the images that have sprung up fromthe subconsciousness . The subterranean ideas produced do notreach the surface as thoughts , but as pseudo - percept ions .Cagl iostro somet imes made use of a metal l ic mi rror. This

fact we have on the authori ty of the Countess du Barry, the fra i lfavori te o f Lou is XV. When the “Wel l Beloved went the wayof dusty death , the charming Countess d iv ided her years of banishment from the glories of the Court at her Chateau ofLuciennes and her houses i n Paris and Versai l les . She relatesthat on one occasion the Card inal de Rohan paid her a v isi t .During the conversat ion the subject of Mesmer and magnet i smwas discussed .

“My dear Countess , sai d the Card inal , “ the magnet icséances of Mesmer are not to be compared w i th the magi c of myfriend the Count de Cagl iostro . He i s a genu ine Rosicruci an ,who holds commu n ion w i th the elemental spi ri ts. He is ableto p ierce the vei l of the future by h is necromant i c power. Permitme to i ntroduce h im to you .

”

The curios i ty of the Countess was exci ted , and she consented to recei ve the i l lustrious sorcerer at her home. The nextday the Card inal came, accompanied by Cagl iostro. The magici anwasmag ni ficently dressed , but not al together i n good ta ste.Diamonds sparkled on h i s breast and upon h is fi ngers . The

CAGLtosrRo : A STUDY IN CHARLATAN ISM 53

knob of h i s walk ing- st i ck was i ncrusted w i th prec ious stones .M adame du Barry, however, wasmuch struck w i th the power ofh i s bold, gleaming eyes . She real i zed that he was no ord inarycharlatan . After d iscuss ing the quest ion o f sorcery

,Cagl iost ro

took from the breast p ocket o f h i s coat a leather case wh ich hehanded to the Countess , saying that i t conta ined a magic m irrorwherei n she migh t read the events o f the past and future . “ I fthe v i s ion be not to your l ik ing,” he remarked , impress i vely,“ do not blame me . You use the mi rror at your own ri sk.

She opened the case and saw a “metal l ic glass in an ebonyframe, ornamented w i th a variety of magica l characters i n goldand s i lver.” Cagl iostro rec i ted some cabal i st i c words, and badeher gaze i ntent ly into the glass. She d id so , and i n a f ewminutes was overcome w i th fright and fainted away.

Such is the story as related by Du Barry i n her memo i rs ,wh ich have been recent ly ed i ted by Prof. Leon Val lée , l ibrari ano f the Bibl iotheque Nat ionale, Pari sShe gives us no clew as to the VlSlOl‘t w i tnessed by her in the

magic glass. She says she afterwards refused to recei ve Cagliost ro under any c i rcumstances .

-

’hat are we to bel i eve concern ing th is remarkabl e story ’We might poss ibly conjecture that she saw i n the mi rror aphantasmagor ia of the g ui l lot i ne , and beheld her blonde head“ sneeze i nto the basket,” and held up to publ i c execrat ion . Com

ing events cast thei r shadows before .But al l th i s i s mere fancy, “midsummer madness , as the

Bard of Avon has i t .God alone k nows the future. W i sely has i t been vei led

to us .Poss ibly Madame la Comtesse from her subl iminal consc ious

ness conj ured up an hal luci nat ion of the loathsome death bysmal l pox of her roya l lover, at whose corpse even the “ n ightmen” of Versa i l les reco i led w i th horror. Telepathy from Cagl iostro may have played a part i n i nducing the v is ion . Ah , whoknows ! We leave the problem to the psychologists for solut ion .

54 THE OLD AND THE N EW MAGIC

From England Cagl iostro Went to the Hague, where heinaugu rated a lodge of female masons, over wh ich h i s w i fe presided as Grand M istress . Throughout Hol land he was recei vedby the lodges w i th mason ic honors—beneath arches of steel .He discoursed volubly upon magic and masonry to enrapturedthousands. In March , 1779, he made h is appearance at M i tau .*i n the Bal t i c Prov inces, wh ich he regarded as the stepping- stoneto St. Petersburg. He placed great hope i n Catheri ne I I o fRussia—“ the avowed champion of advanced thought .” Hehoped to promulgate wi dely h is new and mysterious rel ig iouscul t i n the land of the Czars , w i th al l the pomp and glamour ofthe East. The nobi l i ty of Kurland recei ved h im w i th open arms.Some of them o ffered to place h im on the ducal throne, so heclaimed . He w i sely refused the o ff er. Cagl iostro eventual lymade a fi asco at M i tau and left i n hot haste. In St. Petersburg h i s stay wasas short. Catherine I I was too clever a womanto be h is dupe. She ordered the charlatan to leave Russ ia , whichhe forthw i th d id . Prospects of S iberia doubtless hastened hi sdeparture. In May, 1780, he turned up at Warsaw. A lead ingprince lodged h im i n h is palace. Here Cagl iostro paradedh imsel f i n the wh i te shoes and red heels of a noble . H isspi r i t séances were not a success. He chose as h is cla i rvoyanta l i t t le gi rl

,eigh t years of age . After pouring oi l i nto her hands,

be closed her i n a room , the door of wh ich was hung w i th a blackcurta in . The spectators sat outs ide. He interrogated the chi ldconcern ing the v isions that appeared to her. Among othertests , he requested the spectators to i nscribe thei r names on apiece of paper wh ich he appeared to burn before thei r very eyes .Cal l ing to the ch i ld that a note would flutter down at her feet ,he requested her to pass i t to him through the door. He passedh is hand through the open ing of the door to receive the note.I n the next instant he produced a note closed w i th a freemason ’s seal , which contai ned the signaturesof the spectators .This was noth ing more than the trick o f a prest id igi tateur, such

‘N achn’

ch t t i on des beri i ch t ig ten Cag liostro’

s A u f enth alt in M i thau imIahre, 1779, and von dessep domgenmag ischen ( )pera t ionen.

—Charlotte Elisabeth von der Rccke. Berl in und Stet tm, 1787 . 8vo.

CAGLIOSTRO Z A STUDY IN CHARLATA N ISM 55

as was performed by Ph i ladelph ia and Finett i , the two greats le igh t o f hand art i sts o f the period . The next day the cla i rvoyant

’

confessed the fact that she had been tutored by the mag i c i anand that the v i s ions were but figments of the imagi nat ion . Cagliostro secured a new subject , a gi rl of s ixteen , but had the fol lyto fal l i n love w i th h i s accompl i ce. In exasperat ion she repeatedthe con fession of her predecessor. The Pol ish nobles now

i ns i sted that Cagl iost ro i nvoke the spi r i t o f the Grand Kophta( the Egypt i an ‘High Priest ) . This séance took place “ i n ~ a darkroom , on a sort o f stage, l i t w i th two candles only, and fi l ledw i th clouds o f i ncense.” The Grand Kophta appeared . Throughthe uncertai n l igh t the spectators beheld an impos ing figu rein wh ite robes and turba n . A snowy beard fel l upon i ts breast .

“What see ye cri ed i n a hoarse voice the sage of the pyra

I see, repl ied a scept ical gentleman from the aud ience,that Monsieur le Comte de Cagl iostro has d i sgu ised h imsel fw i th a mask and a wh i te beard .

Everybody recogn i zed the port ly figure o f the v is ion . Arush seemed imm inent . Quick as thought , the Grand Kophta .

by a wave o f h i s hands , ext ingu ished the two candles. A soundfol lowed as the sl ippi ng off of a mantle. The tapers were rel i t .Cagl iostro was observed si tt ing where the sage had d isappeared .

A t Wola, i n a pr i vate laboratory, he pretended to transmutemercury i nto s i lver. The scene must have been an impress iveone. Gi rt w i th a freemason ’s apron , and stand ing on a blackfloor marked w i th cabal i st i c symbols i n chalk, Cagl iostro workedat the furnace. I n the gloom of tw i l ight the proceed ings wereheld . By a clever subst i tut ion of crucibles , Cagl iostro apparentlvaccompl ished the feat o f t ransmutat ion , but the fraud wasdetected the next morni ng, when one of the servants of thehouse d i scovered the original crucible contai n ing the mercury ,wh ich had been ca st upon a pi le o f rubbish by the pretendeda lchem ist

,or one of h i s con federates .

I n September, 1 780,

Cagl iost ro arr ived i n Strasburg. Herehe was rece ived w i th unbounded enthus i asm . He lav ishedmoney right and left

,cu red the poor w i thout pay, and treated the

great w i th haught iness. Just outs ide of the c i ty he erected a

56 THE AN D THE N EW M AGIC

country v i l la in Chinese arch i tecture, wherei n to hold h i s Egypt ian lodges. Thi s place was long pointed out as the Cagliostrzeum. The peasants are said to have passed i t w i th uncoveredheads, such was thei r admi rat ion and awe of the great wonderworker. At Strasburg resided at that t ime the Cardinal Loui sde Rohan , who was anx ious to meet the magi cian . Cagl iostro ,to whom the fact was reported , said : “ I f the Card inal i s s ick ,he may come to me and I w i l l cure h im ; i f he i s wel l , he has nofurther need of ine, nor I of h im .

” Card inal de Rohan , GrandAlmoner of France, Commander o f the order of the Holy Ghost ,enormously ri ch , and an amateur dabbler in alchemy and theoccul t sci ences , was now more anxious than ever to becomeacquainted w i th the charlatan . Such d isdain on the part of alayman was a new experience to the haughty churchman . Hisimaginat ion , too, was fired by the stori es told o f the enchanter.The upshot o f i t was that Cagl iostro and the Cardinal becamebosom fri ends . The prelate i nv i ted the juggler and h i s w i fe tol i ve at h i s epi scopal palace .The Baroness d’

Oberk i rch , who saw h im there, says in hermemoi rs “No one can ever form the fai ntest i dea of thefervor w i th wh ich everybody pursued Cagl iostro . He was surrounded , besieged ; every one trying to w in a glance or a word .

A dozen ladies of rank and two actresses had fol lowed h imi n order to cont inue thei r treatment . I f I had not seen i t, Ishould never have imagined that a Prince of the Roman Church,a man in other respects i ntel l igent and honorable , could so farlet h imsel f be imposed upon as to renounce h is d ig ni ty, h is freew i l l , at the bidd ing of a sharper.”Cagl iostro said to the Card inal one day : Your soul i s

worthy of m ine, and you deserve to be the confidant of al l mysecrets.” He presented the Card inal w i th a d iamond worth

francs wh ich he pretended to have made, the churchmancla iming to have been an eye- w i tness of the operat ion . TheCard inal said to the Baroness : “But that i s not al l ; he makesgold ; he has made five or s ix thousand francs worth before me,up there i n the top of the palace. I am to have more ; I am tohave a great deal ; he w i l l make me the richest prince i n Europe

”li moircs de la Barmmc d’

Obcrh i rrhe, I.

58 THE OLD AN D THE new M AGIC

hour i n the n ight . I t was sa i d that the great Card inal ass i stedthe sorcerer in h i s labors , and many persons spoke of the mysteri ~ous laboratory where gold bubbled and diamonds sparkled incrucibles brought to a wh i te heat . But nobody except Cagliost ro , and perhaps the Cardinal , ever entered that mysteriouslaboratory. All that was known for a certa inty was that theapartments were furn ished w i th Ori ental splendor, and thatCount Cagl iostro i n a dazzl ing costume received h i s guests w i thk ingly d ign i ty, and gave them h is hand to ki ss . Upon a blackmarble slab in the antechamber carved i n golden letters was theu niversal prayer o f Alexander Pope . “Father of al l ! i n everyage,” etc. , the parody o f wh ich ten years later Paris sang as ahymn to the Supreme Being.

Says Funck - Brentano '* “At Pari s Cagl iostro showed h imsel f what he had been at Strasburg, d ignified and reserved . Herefused w i th haught iness the i nvi tat ions to d inner sent to h imby the Count o f Artoi s , brother of the king, and the Duke ofChart res , prince of the blood . He proclaimed h imsel f ch ief o fthe Rosicruci ans , who regarded themselves as chosen beingsplaced above the rest o f mankind , and he gave to h i s adepts therarest pleasure. To al l who pressed him w i th quest ions asto who he was, he repl ied i n a grave voice , kni tt ing h i s eyebrows and point ing h is forefinger towards the sky, ‘I am he whoi s’ ; and as i t was di fficul t to make out that he was ‘he who i snot ,’ the only th ing was to bow w i th an a i r of profound deference.

“He possessed the sci ence o f the anci ent pr i ests of Egypt .His conversat ion turned general ly on three po ints : ( 1 ) Universal Medic i ne, o f wh ich the secrets were known to h im. (2)Egypt ian Freemasonry. wh ich he wi shed to restore, and ofwhich he had just establ ished a parent lodge at Lyons, for Scotchmasonry

,then predominant i n France, was i n h i s eyes only an

in ferior,degenerate form . (3) The Phi losopher’s Stone, wh ich

was to ensure the transmutat ion o f al l the imperfect metals i ntofine gold .

”

*The D i amond N ecklace. Bei ng the true S tory of Ma ri e Antoinet te and

the Cardina l de Rohan. From the new documents recently discovered in

Parts. By Frantz Funck - Brentano. Transla ted f rom the French by H. S .

Edwa rds. Ph i ladelph i a , 1901 . 8vo.

CAGLIOSTRO Z A STUDY IN CHARLATAN ISM 59

He thus gave to humani ty, by h is un iversa l med i ci ne, bod i lyheal th ; by Egyp t ia n masonry , spi ri tua l health ; and by the ph i losopher

’

s stone,i nfin ite wea l th .

” These were h i s principal secrets.

bu t he h ad a host o f others , that of pred ict ing the w inn ing numbers i n lotter ies ; prophesying as to the future ; so ftening marbleand restori ng i t to i ts pri st i ne hardness ; o f giv ing to cottonthe lustre and so ftness o f s i lk, wh ich has been re- i nvented i n ourda y by a chem i ca l process.Many wri ters on magic have fancied that the art o f making

gold was the secret that lay h i d under the forms of Egypt iantheology. Say s the Benedict i ne monk , Pernetz : “The hermeti csci ence was the source of al l the riches o f the Egypt ian kings ,and the object o f these myster i es50 h idden under the vei l o f thei rpretended rel igi on .

” In a subterranean chamber beneath theGrea t Pyram id o f Gi zeh , Hermes Trismegi stus i s supposed ,accord ing to medizeval alchemists , to have placed h i s Table ofEmerald

,upon wh ich he engraved the secret o f transmut ing

meta l s i nto gold .

Among the many stories told o f Cagl iostro, that o f the su pper i n the hotel o f the Rue Saint Claude, where the ghosts mademerry, i s the most extraord inary. S ix gu ests and the host tookthei r pla ces at a round table upon wh ich there were th i rteencovers. Ea ch guest pronounced the name of the dead man whosesp i ri t he desi red to appea r at the banquet table. Cag l iost ro , concentra t ing h is myster ious forces, gave the i nvi tat ion in a so lemnand command ing tone. One after another the s ix guestsappeared. They were the D u e de Choi seu l . Voltai re, d’

A lembert ,

Diderot, the Abbé de Vo isenon, and Montesqu ieu .

The story o f th is spi ri t séance crea ted a sensat ion i n Paris .I t reached the court , and one even ing, when the conversat ionturned upon the banquet of the ghos ts, Louis XVI frowned ,sh ru gged h is shoulders , and resumed h is game of cards . Thequeen became ind ignant , and forbade the ment ion of the nameof the charlatan in her presence . Nevertheless

,some of the

l ight - hea ded lad ies o f the court burned for an introduct ion to thesuperb sorcerer. They begged In renza Felici ani to get h im togi ve them a course o f lectures or lessons i n magi c to wh ich nogent lemen were to be admi tt ed . Lorenza repl i ed that he wouldconsent , provided there were th i rty - s ix pupi ls. The l ist wasmade


up in a day, and a week afterward the fai r dames got thei r firstlesson . But they goss iped about i t . Th is caused another scandal , and consequent ly the fi rst lesson was the last .Cagli ostro

’

s Egypt i an Rite o f Masonry was wel l recei ved inParis

,especi al ly the lodge for lad ies, wh ich was presided over by

the beaut i ful Lorenza, h i s w i fe. I t was appropriately cal ledIsis. Among the members of th is female lodge were theCountesses de Brienne

, D essa lles, de Pol ignac, de Brassac, deChoiseul

, d’

Espinch a l, the March ioness d’

A vrincou rt , and Mmes .de Lomeni e, de Genl i s, de Bercy, de Trevieres, de Baussan , deMontei l , d’

A i lly , etc.Cagl iostro l i ved l ike a lord , thanks to the revenues obtained

from the i n i t i ates i nto h i s ma soni c ri te, and the money wh ich heunquest i onably recei ved from h i s dupe, the Card inal de Rohan ,who was magic mad .

“His w i fe,” says a gossipy wri ter, was rarely seen , but byal l accounts she was a woman of bewi ldering beauty, real i z ingthe Greek l ines i n al l thei r ant i que puri ty and enhanced by anItal ian expression . The most enthus iast i c of her so-cal ledadmirers were precisely those who had never seen her face.There were many duels to decide the quest ion as to the color o fher eyes

,some contend ing that they were black, and others that

they were blue . Duels were also fought over the d imple whichsome admi rers i ns i sted was on the right cheek , wh i le others saidthat the honor belonged to the left cheek . She appeared to beno more than twenty years old , but she spoke somet imes of hereldest son

, who was for some years a captain i n the Dutcharmy.

The magici an's sojourn in Paris caused the greatest exci tement . His portra i t and that of h is w i fe were to be seen everywhere, on fans, on rings , on snu ff- boxes, and on medal l ions .His bust was cu t i n marble by the famous sculptor, Houdon , castin bronze

,and placed i n the mansions of the nobi l i ty . He was

cal led by h is admirers “ the d iv ine Cagl iostro.

” To one of theold portra i ts was appended the fol low ing verse

D e l’

Am i desHuma ins reconna issez les tra i tsTous ses jou rs sont marqu é s par de nouveaux bienf a i ts,Il prolonge la V ie, i l secou rt l’indi gence ;Le pla isir d

’

é tre u t i le est seu l sa recompense.

CAGLIOSTRO : A STUDY IN CHARLATAN ISM 6x

Hats and neckt ies were named after h im. In Pari s as i nSt rasburg, he gave away large sums of money to the poor andcured them of thei r ai lments free of charge. His mans ion wasalways crowded w i th noble guests. The idle aristocracy couldfind noth ing better to do than attend the spi ri t séances of thecharlatan . The shades of Vo l ta i re, Rousseau , and other deadcelebri t i es were summoned from the “ vasty deep ,” impersonateddoubtless by clever confederates in the pay of Cagl iostro, often

B a r or Ca cu osno. CAcu osruo.

A f terHou don. From Vi e dc J oseph Balsamo, etc.

(In the possession of M . Storel l i . ) Pa ris, 1791 .

aided by mechanical and Opt ical accessories. The art o f phantasmagori a , in wh ich the concave mi rror plays a part , was wel lknown to the enchanter. The Count de Beu gnot gi ves i n detai l ,in h is i nteresti ng autobiography, an account of Ca gliostro’

s

per formances at the residences o f Madame de la Motte and theCardinal de Rohan . The n iece of Count de la Mo tte. a M lle . de

62 rm: ow A N D THE new M AGIC

l a Tour, a charming gi rl o f fi fteen , frequent ly acted as cla i rvoy

ant in the myst ica l séances . She is report ed to have possessedal l the requ i s i tes of a seeress : angel i c puri ty, del icate nerves , andblue eyes, al so to have been born under the constel lat ion Capricorn .

“Her mother nearly d i ed of joy.

Says Count Beu gnot : “When she learned that her ch i l d fulfi l led al l these cond i t ions o f Egypt ian thaumaturgy, she thoughtthe treasures of Memph is and of that large c i ty i n the i nterioro f Afri ca were about to fal l upon her fam i ly, wh ich was badlyi n need of them . In the report o f the necklace t ria l (Arch.

N a t. X2,B - I4 17 ) , the young gi rl con fesses to have ai ded the

charlatan i n h i s magi cal operat ions at the house of the Card inal,by pretend ing to see vi s ions o f Mari e Antoi nette and others ina globe o f water , wh i ch was surrounded by l ighted ta pers andfigures of Is i s and Api s . He had decked her out i n a freemason’s apron embroidered w i th cabal i st i c characters. She aidedh im because “ she d id not want to be bothered ,” and answered hisleading quest ions

,etc. But there was perhaps another reason

for her acqu iescence i n the fraud . Cagl iostro had declared toher, i n the presence o f the prelate, her aunt and mother, when shefirst attempted to play the part o f pythoness and fai led

,that her

inabi l i ty to see anyth ing in the globe was ev idence that she wasnot innocent . Stung by h i s inu endos, she immed iately y i eldedand saw al l she was des i red to see , thereby becom ing h is con fedcrate to decei ve De Rohan .

An interest i ng pen portrai t o f Cagl iostro i s contained inBeu gnot

’

s memoi rs . The Count met the enchanter for the firstt ime at the house o f Madame de la Motte

“Cagl iostro was of medium height , rather stout , w i th anol ive complexion , a very short neck, round face, two l arge eyeson a level w i th the cheeks , and a broad , turned - up nose.Hi s ha i r was dressed i n a way new to France, being d iv ided i ntoseveral smal l t resses that un i ted beh i nd the head , and weretw i s ted up i nto what was then cal led a club.

“He wore on that day an i ron gray coat of French make,w i th gold lace , a scarlet wa istcoat t rimmed w i th broad Span ishlace

,red breeches , h i s sword looped to the sk i rt o f h is coat , and

a laced hat w i th a wh ite feather, the latter a decorat ion st i l l

ca ou osrao : A STUDY IN CHARLATAN ISM 63

requ ired of mounteba nks, t ooth - drawers and other medical pract i t ioners, who proclaim and retai l thei r drugs in the open a i r.Cagl iostro set of f th is costume by lace rufii es, several valuableri ngs, and shoe- buckles which were, i t is true, of ant ique des ign ,but bright enough to be taken for real d iamonds. The face,att i re, and the whole man made an impression on me that Icould not prevent. I l i stened to the talk. He spoke some sortof medley, hal f French and hal f I tal ian , and made many quotat ions wh ich might be Arabic, but wh ich he d id not trouble h imsel f to trans late. I could not remember any more of [hi s conversat ion ] tha n that the hero had spoken of heaven, of the stars,of the Great Secret , of Memph is, of the h igh - pri est , of transcendental chemistry, of gi ants and monstrous beasts, of a ci ty tent imes as large as Paris, i n the middle o f Africa , where he had

Cagl iostro often boasted of h is great age.One day in Strasburg, he stopped before a huge cr ucifi x of

ca rved wood , and contemplated i t w i th melancholy countenance.“The l ikeness i s excel lent ,” he remarked to one of h is vota

r i es,

“but I cannot understand how the art i st, who cert a i n lynever saw Christ , could have secured such a perfect port rai t .”

“You knew Chri st, then i nqu i red the neophyte, breathlessly.

“We were on the most int imate terms .My dea r CountI mean what I say. How often we st rol led together on the

sandy shore of the Lake of Tiberias . How i nfini tely sweet h isvoice. But, alas , he would not heed my advice. He loved towalk on the seashore, where he picked up a band of laszaroniof fishermen and beggars . This and h is preach ing brought h imto a bi tter end .

”

Turning to h is servant , Cagl iostro added : Do you remember that even ing at Jerusa lem when they crucified Christ

“No, Monsieur le Comte,” repl ied the wel l - tutored lackey,

bow ing low,

“you forget that I have only been i n your employfor the last fi fteen hundred years.”Ba ron Munchausen is not to be compared to*Beugnot , Comte de. Me

'moi res. Pari s, 1866.

D g t zed by C


Cagl iostro was at the heigh t o f h i s fame, when suddenlyhe was arrested and thrown into the Bast i l le. He was chargedw i th compl ic i ty i n the a ff ai r o f the d iamond necklace. Here ish is own account o f the arrest : “On the 22d of August , 1 785,a commissa i re, an exempt , and eight pol i cemen entered my home.The pi l lage began i n my presence . They compel led me to openmy secretary. El ix i rs , balms, and precious l iquors al l becamethe prey of the offi cers who came to arrest me. I begged thecommissa i re to permi t me to use my carriage . He refused !The agent took me by the col lar. He had pi stols , t he s tocksof wh ich appeared from the pockets o f h i s coat . They hustledme into the street and scanda lously dragged me along the boulevard al l the way to the rue Notre Dame du N azareth . Therea carriage appeared wh ich I was permi tted to enter to take theroad to the Bast i l l e.”What was th i s mysterious a ff a i r o f the d iamond necklace

whi ch led to h is i ncarcerat ion i n a state pri son ? I n bri e f thestory is as fol lowsThe court j ewelers , Bohmer and Bassange, had i n their

possess ion a magn ifi cent d i amond necklace, valued atl i vres, original ly designed for the i vory neck o f the fai r but frai lMadame du Barry , mistress of Lou i s XV. But Loui s—“ the wel lbeloved”—d ied before the necklace was completed ; the Sultanawent i nto exi le, and the unlucky jewelers found themselves w i ththe d iamond col lar on thei r hands , i nstead of on the neck ofDu Barry. They were obl iged to d i spose o f i t , or become bankrupt. Twi ce Bohmer o f fered i t to Mari e Antoi nette, but sherefused to purchase i t , or perm i t her husband, Lou i s XVI . , todo so , al leging that France had more urgent need of war sh ipsthan jewels . Poor Bohmer

,d istracted at her refusal to buy

the necklace,threatened to commit su i ci de. The matter became

food for goss ip among thequ i d nuncs o f the Court . Unfortunate necklace ! i t l ed to one o f the most romant ic i ntr igues ofh i story

,i nvolv ing i n i ts j eweled toi ls a Queen , a card inal , a cour

tesan and a conjurer. Li v i ng at the v i l lage o f Versai l les at thet ime was the Countess de la Motte, an ex - mantua maker and

66 THE OLD A N D THE N EW MAGIC

The Ca rd ina l was completely duped . Madame de la Mottepersuaded h im,

" says Greeven,

“ i nto the bel ief that the Queenwas yea rni ng for the necklace, but , as she could not a ff ord i t,he could assure h imsel f of her favor by becoming securi ty forthe payment . She produced a forged instrument, wh ich purported to have been executed by the Queen , and upon wh ich hebou nd himsel f as securi ty.

” The necklace was del i vered to theCard inal

, who handed i t over to Madame de la Motte, to begiven to Mari e Anto inette. Thus i t was, as Carlyle says, thecolli er de la rm

’

ne van ished through the horn - gate of dreams .”But, asks the curious reader, what has al l th is to do w i th

Cagl iostro? What part had he to play i n the drama? This :When the Countess de la Motte was arrested , she attemptedto throw the blame of the affai r upon the Card inal and Cagl iostro . She al leged that they had summoned her i nto one of thei rmyst ic séances . “After the usual hocus - pocus, the Card inal madeover to her a casket conta in ing the d iamonds w i thout thei r sett i ng and di rected her to del i ver them to her husband, w i th instru ct ions to d ispose of them at once in London . Upon th is i n format ion Cagl iostro and h i s wi fe were arrested . He was detainedw i thout hearing, from the 22d of August , 1 785, unt i l the 3othof January, 1 786, when he was first examined by the Judges ,and he was not set at l iberty t i l l the Ist of June ,The trial was the most famous i n the annals o f the Parl ia

ment. Cagl iostro and the Cardi nal were acqu i tted w i th honor.The Countess de la Motte was sentenced to be exposed naked,w i th a rope around her neck, i n front of th e Conciergeri e, and tobe publ icly wh ipped and branded by the hangman w i th the letterV (Vd ense—th ief) on

‘each shoulder. She was further sentenced to l i fe impri sonment i n the pr ison for abandoned women.She escaped from the latter place, however, to London, whereshe was ki l led on the 23d day of Augu st, 1 791 , by a fal l froma w i ndow. The Count de la Motte was sentenced in contuma

ciwu . He was safe in London at the t ime and had d isposed ofthe d iamonds to various dealers . The d ’ol i va was set freew i thout pun ishment . The man who forged the letter forMadame de la Motte

,her secretary, Vi l lette, was banished for

l i fe. The Countess de Cagl iostro was honorably di scharged.

CAGLi osrRo : A STUD Y IN CHA RLATA N ISM 67

The Card ina l was unquest ionably i nnocent, as was ful ly estab~

lished at the tria l . His overween i ng ambi t ion and h is mad lovefor Mari e Antoinette had rendered him an easy dupe to themach inat ions o f the band of sharpers . But how about Cagl iost ro ? The essayist Greeven seems to th ink that the alchemi stwas more or less mixed up in the sw i nd le . He sums up thesusp ic ions as follow s : “

Fi rst,h is [Ca gliostro’

s] immense influence over the Cardinal , and h is i nt imate relat ions w i th h imrender i t imposs ible that so gigant ic a fraud could have beenpract i ced w i thout h i s know ledge . Second, he was i n league w i th

MADA M E ma LA Morris's ESCAPE. (A f ter an Eng l ish print of

the Countess for the purpose o f deceiv ing the Card ina l , i n connect i on w i th the Queen .

”

M . Frantz Funck- Brentano w ri tes' The idea o f implicat i ng Cagl iostro i n the intrigue had been conce ived , as George]says

, w i th diabol ical cunn ing. I f Jeanne de Valoi s had i n thefirst i nstance made a di rect accusat ion agai nst Card inal de Rohan .no one would have bel i eved i n i t. But there was someth i ngmysterious and suspic ious about Cagl iostro , and i t was knownwhat i nfluence be exercised on the m ind o f the Card inal . ‘Thealchemis t,’ she suggested , ‘took the necklace to pieces i n orderto increase by means of i t the occul t t reasures of an unheard - of

fortune .’ ‘To conceal h i s theft, ’ says B o i l lot [Madame de la


Motte’s lawyer] , ‘he ordered M . de Rohan , i n v i rtue of theinfluence he had establ ished over h im , to sel l some of the d iamonds and to get a f ew of them mounted at Paris through theCountess de la Motte, and to get more cons iderable quant i t i esmounted and so ld i n England by her husband .

’ Cagl iostrohad one unanswerable argument : the Card inal had made h isagreement w i th the jewelers on the 29th of January, 1 785, andhe, Cagl iostro, had only arrived i n Paris at n ine in the even ingof the 3oth .

"

Cagl iostro refuted the charges w i th wonderful sang froid.

He appeared i n court “ proud and triumphant i n h is coat ofgreen si lk embroidered w i th gold.

” “Who are you ? and whencedo. you come ?” asked the attorney for the crown .

“ I am an i l lustrious traveler, he answered bombast ical ly.

Everyone present laughed . He then harangued the j udges i ntheatrical style. He told the most impossible stories of h i sadventures i n Arabia and Egypt . He in formed the judges thathe was unacquainted w i th the place o f h is bi rth and the nameof his parents, but that he spent h i s i n fancy in Medina , Arabia ,and was brought up under the cognomen o f Acharat . Heres ided in the palace of the Great Mupht i , and always had theservants to attend h i s wants, besides h i s tutor, named A lthotas,who was very fond o f h im . A lthotas told h im that h is (Cagl iostro ’s ) father and mother were Christ ians and nobles, whod ied when he wa s three months old , l eaving h im i n the care o fthe Mupht i . On one occasion , he asked h i s preceptor to tel l h imthe name of h is parents . A lthotas repl ied that i t would bedangerous for h im to know, but some incaut ious express ionsdropped by the tutor led h im to bel i eve that they were fromMalta . twel ve years o f age he began h i s travels, andlearned the languages of the Orient. He remained three yearsi n the sacred ci ty of Mecca. The Sheri f or Governor o f thatplace showed h im such unusual attent ion and kindness , that heoftent imes thought that personage was h is father. He qu ittedth is good man w i th tears i n h is eyes , and never saw h im again .

“Adieu , nature’s un fortunate ch i ld , adieu !" cried the Sheri fof Mecca to h im , as he took h is departure.


rogu ery and decept ion cou ld never have been carri ed on ; and hewas arrested and impri soned i n the Bast i l l e. He, however, didnot lose courage ; he even found means to corrupt h i s guards,and to establ i sh a correspondence w i th the other prisoners whowere confined along w i th h im . I t was ow i ng to th i s that theywere enabled to be un i form i n the answers wh ich they gave i nto the various i nterrogatori es to wh ich thev were obl iged toreply.

“Cagl iostro, who has recounted the whole o f the c i rcumstances to us , has added , of h i s own accord , that he den iedeveryth ing to h i s j udges w i th the utmost i ntrep id i ty ; and exhibi ted such a sameness i n h i s rep l i es , that , on Madame de la Motte’sbeing confronted w i th h im , and find ing hersel f unable to quashh is ev idence, she became so furious , that she threw a candles ti ckat h is head i n the presence of al l h i s j udges . By th is means hewas declared i nnocent .”So much for the Inqu is i t ion biography. The i nc ident of the

candlest i ck has been verified by the arch ives o f the Parl i ament .Cagl iostro was acqu i tted .

He drove i n triumph from the Bast i l le to h i s res idence,after

heari ng h i s order of d ischarge. H is coach was preceded by “ afantast i c cripple, who d i str ibuted med ic i nes and presents amongthe crowd .

” He found the Rue Saint Claude thronged w i thfri ends and sympath i zers , anx ious to welcome h im home. Atth i s period revolut ionary sent iments were Openly vented by thepeople o f France. The throne was being undermined by theph i losophers and pol i t i c i ans . Any excuse was made to rev i leLouis XVI and h is queen . Scurr i lous pamphlets were publ i sheddeclari ng that Mari e Anto inette was equal ly gui l ty w i th thede la Mottes i n the necklace sw i ndle . Cagl iostro consequentlywas regarded as a martyr to the l ibert ies of man . His arrestunder the detested let tre dc cachet, upon mere suspic ion , andlong i ncarcerat ion i n the Bast i l le w i thout tri al , were i ndeedflagrant abuses of j ust i ce and gave h is sympath i zers a wh ip w i thwh ich to lash the K i ng and Court .His w i fe had been l iberated some t ime before h im . She

met h im at the door o f the temple of magic , and he swooned i nher arms . Whether th i s was a genu ine swoon or not , i t i s

CAGLIOSTRO : A STUDY IN CHARLATA N ISM 7 1

impossible to say, for Cagl iostro was ever a posenr and neverneglected an opportuni ty f or theatrical effect and sel f- advert i sement. He accused the Marqu is de Launay, Governor of theBast i l le—he who had h i s head chopped off and elevated upon ap i ke a f ew years later—o f criminal m isappropriat ion of h isef f ects, money, medicines , a lchemical powders , el ix i rs, etc etc . ,which he valued at a h igh sum . The Commiss ioner of Pol icewho arrested h im was also i ncluded in th is accusat ion . Heappea led to h is judges , who referred h im to the C i v i l Courts .But the case never came to tria l . The day after h is acqui ttalhe was bani shed from France by order of the King. At St .Den is “ his carr iage drove between two dense and si lent l i nes ofwel l -wishers , wh i le, as h is vessel cleared from the port of Bonlogu e, five thousand persons knel t down on the shore to receiveh is blessing.

” He went d i rect to London . No sooner there ,than he fi led h i s su i t against the Marqu is de Launay , “appeal i ng,o f course

,to the hearts o f al l Frenchmen as a lonely and hunted

exi l e.” The French Government , through i ts ambassador,granted h im leave to come i n person to Paris to prosecute h i ssu i t , assuring h im of safe conduct and immuni ty from al l prosecu t ion, l egal as wel l as social . But Cagl iostro refused th is o f fer.h int ing that i t was merely a stratagem to decoy him to Parisand reinca rcera te h im i n a dungeon . No clear- headed , impart ial person bel ieved that the Marqu is de Launay wasgui lty of thecharge la id at h is door. Whatever else he may have been , tyrannical, cold , unsympathet ic, the Governor of the Bast i l le was aman of honor and above committ i ng a theft . In fact , Cagl iostro’s accusat ion was a trumped - u p a f fai r, des igned to annoyand keep open “ a running sore i n the side o f the French a u thorit i es . Notoriety i s the l i fe of charlatanry. Cagl iostrowas no common quack, as h is h istory shows . He next published a pamphlet , dated June 20th , 1786, prophesying thatthe Bast i l le would be demol ished and converted i nto a publ icpromenade ; and,

that a ruler should ari se i n France , who shouldabol i sh lettres dc cachet and convoke the Estates -General . In af ew yea rs the predict ion was fulfi l led . Poor De Launay losth i s l i fe

, whereupon Cagl iost ro i ssued a pamphlet exul t ing overthe butchery of h is enemy. In London , Cagl iostro became the

72 THE OLD A ND THE N EW M AGIC

bosom friend of the eccentri c Lord George Gordon , the heroof the “ no - popery riots. Eventual ly he became deeply i nvol vedin debt, and was obl iged to pawn h is eff ects. He was unable

to impress the common - sense , pract ical Engl ish w i th h i s pretens ions to an imal magnet i sm , t ranscendental medic ine, andoccul t i sm . One o f h i s vaunted schemes was to l ight up the

streets o f London w i th sea - water, wh ich by h is magic powerhe proposed to change into o i l . The newspapers r id iculed h im

,

) g zed by Google


Th is cunning part the arch impostor acts,And th u s the weak and credu lous a ttracts,B u t now, h is h istory is rendered clear,The arrant hypocri te, andqu ack appea r.

Fi rst as B a lsams, he to pa int essay ’d,Bu t only da ub ing , h e renounc

’

d the trade.

Then, as a Mountebank , abroad he strol l'dAnd many a name on D ea th ’

s black l ist enroll’d.

Three t imes h e visited th e Bri t ish shore,’

And every t ime a di ff erent name he bore.

The brave A lsa t i ans be w i th ease ca jol’

d

By boast ing of Egyp t i an f orms of old.

The sel f - same trick he pract is'd a t Bou rdea ux,

A t Strasbu rg , Lyons, and a t Pa ri s too.

B u t f a te for BrotherM ash reserv’

d th e taskTo strip th e vi le impostor of h is mask,M ay all true M asons h is pla in ta le a t tendAnd Sa t ire’

s lash to f rau d sha l l pu t an end.

”

VI.

To escape the harp ies of the law, who threatened h im w i tha debtor’s prison , Cagl iostro fled to h i s old hunt ing- ground

,

the Cont inent , l eav ing la pet i te Comtesse to fol low h im as bestshe could . But the game was played out. The pol ice had byth i s t ime become ful ly cogn izant o f h is impostures. He wasforbidden to pract i ce h is pecul iar system of med ic i ne andmasonry i n Austri a, Germany, Russ ia, and Spai n . Drawn l ikea needl e to the lodestone rock, he went to Rome. Fool i sh GrandKophta ! Freemasonry was a capital o f f ence i n the domin ionso f the Pope . One lodge, however, exi sted . Says Greeven“There i s reason to suppose that i t was to lerated only becausei t enabled the Holy Church to spy out the movements of freemasons in general . Cagl iostro attempted to found one o f h isEgypt i an lodges, but met w i th no success . H is exchequerbecame depleted . He appealed to the Nat ional Assembly ofFrance to revoke the order of ban ishment , on the ground of“ h i s serv ices to the l iberty o f France.” Suddenly on the even ingof Dec . 27, 1 789, he and h i s w i fe were arrested and i ncarceratedi n the fortress of San Angelo . His h igh ly- pr i zed manuscriptof Egypt ian masonry was sei zed , together w i th a l l h i s papersand correspondence. He was tr ied by the Holy Inqu isi t ion. It

must have been an impress i ve scene—that g loomy counci l cham

CAGLIOSTRO : A STUDY IN CHARLATA N ISM 75

her w i th the cow l ed inqu i s i tors. Cagliostro’

s w i fe appearedaga inst h im and l i fted the vei l o f I si s that h i d the mysteries o fthe charlatan ’ s career. The Egypt i an manuscr i pt of GeorgeCoston

,the seals , the mason ic regal ia and paraphernal i a were

mute and damn ing ev idences of h i s gu i l t . He was i ndeed a

freemason , even though he were not an alchemi st , a soothsayer ,the Grand Kophta o f the Pyramids . Cagliostro

’

s l i ne o f defensewas that he had labored throughout to l ead back freemasons,

th rough the Egypt ian ri tual , to Cathol i c orthodoxy.

” Heappeared at first to be contri te. But i t avai led h im noth ing.

Find i ng h is appeals f or mercy useless , he adopted another tack ,and told impossibl e stories o f h is adventures . He haranguedthe Ho ly Fathers for hours , desp ite thei r threats and protests .Noth ing could st0p h i s loquacious tong ue from wagging .

Final ly , he wa s condemned to death as a heret i c , sorcerer, andfreemason , but Pope Pius VI . , on the ru st o f March , 179 1

commuted h is sentence to l i fe impri sonment . His manuscriptwas declared to be “ superst i t ious, blasphemous , w i cked , andheret i cal , and wa sordered to be burnt by the common hangman ,together w i th h is masonic implements.

After the sentence o f the Inqu i s i t ion , Cagl iost ro was takenback to the Castl e o f San Angelo and immured i n a gloomydungeon

, where no one but the j ai ler came near h im . B u t st i l lh i s i ndomi tabl e spi ri t was unconquered . l- Ie concei ved a planof escape. Express ing the greatest contri t ion f or h is crimes,he begged the Governor o f the prison to send h im a con fessor.The request was granted , and a Capuch i n monk was detai led tol i sten to the condemned man's catalogue o f s ins . During the

confess ion , the charlatan suddenly sprang Upon the monk andendeavored to thrott le h im . H is object wa s to escape from the

Cast l e i n the Capuch in ’s robe . But the Father Confessor provedto be a member o f the church m i l i tant , and v igorously de fendedhimsel f. Cagliostro

’

s attempt proved futi l e. Th is anecdote wasrel ated by S . A . S . the Pri nce Bernard o f Saxe -Weimar to theFrench mason i c h istorian , Thory (A cta La tamormn

,I,

The Prince dec lared i t to be authent ic .Soon after the above-mentioned event , the Pont ifica l Gov

ernment ordered Cag l iostro to be conducted i n the n ight t ime to

76 THE ow AND THE N EW MAGIC

the Fortress of San Leon , i n the Duchy ofUrbi no . Here i n asubterranean dungeon , i t i s sa i d , he was l i teral ly swal lowed upal i ve, l i ke the v i ct ims o f med iaeval days i n the stone in pace.

From th is epoch we lose al l t races o f the great necromancer.I t i s sai d that he d ied i n the month of August , 1 795, the r igorof h is pun ishment hav ing somewhat abated . The fol lowi ng i temw i l l prove o f i nterest : News comes from Rome that the famous Cagl iostro i s dead i n the fort ress of San Leon . (Mom

’

tenr

universel, 6 Octobre, 1 795. Correspondence dated from Genoa ,Aug ust 25th . ) Everyth ing concern ing that death is shroudedi n mystery. The stone wal ls o f San Leon have told no tales.

No one knows where the magic ian i s buried . I n a l l l i kel ihoodi n some ignoble pri son grave. One can read i ly p icture the obsequ i es: A flash of flambea ux i n the n ight ; a coarse w ind i ng- sheet ;a wooden coffi n ; an i nd i ff erent pri est to mumble a f ew Lat inprayers ; the cal lous grave d iggers w i th thei r spades—and all

i s over ! No mason ic honors here ; no arches of steel ; no mysticl ights and regal i a . Farewel l forever, Balsamo ! I con fess a

weakness for you , desp i te your charlatanry. Doubt less you werewelcomed w i th open arms to the Shades by your brethren—the

Chaldeans , the sorcerers and the soothsayers .Al fred de Caston

,i n h i s M a rch ands de M i racles, Pari s 1864 ,

remarks that Cagl iostro “ rendered up h is soul to God” j ustone hundred years after the death o f h i s predecessor i n the arttri ag iqne, the bri l l i an t charlatan Joseph Franc is Borr i of M i lan ,who was cou denmed to perpetual impri sonment in the Cast le o fSt . Angelo by the Holy Inqu i s i t ion , as a heret i c, a lchemist, andsorcerer. A curious coi ncidence, says Castro .

The beaut i ful “Flower of Vesuv ius,” Lorenza Felici ani,

escaped severe pun i shment by immuring hersel f i n the conven to f St . Appolon i a at Rome, where she died i n 1 794 . She wasmore s inned against than s inn ing.

There l i ved i n 1858, an old woman known by the nameof Madel i ne

, who i nhab i ted a m iserable att ic i n Par i s, the cei l i ngof wh ich was covered w i th cabal i st i c and astrological emblems .

She pretended to d iv i ne the future and tel l fortunes . She wasthe daughter o f Cagl iostro and a Jewess of Lyons. (Le Figaro,13 ma i ,

78 ru e OLD A ND THE N EW M AGIC

i t i s true, to prove Cagl iostro a freemason and heret i c (heinouscrimes i n the eyes of the Roman Church

,but absurd charges

i n the eyes of al l to lerant men ) , nevertheless he showed conelus ively that Joseph Balsamo of Palermo , the man of manyal iases, was also a charlatan, impostor and evi l l i ver. Al l impart ial contemporary biographers corroborate the facts adducedby the Inquisi t ion i n th is respect . The Card inal de Rohan i snot a competent w i tness for Cagl iostro, for he was bl i nded byhis superst i t ious bel ief i n magic and alchemy. Populus vult

decipi , decipi a tnr—people who w i sh to be decei ved are decei ved .

Some wri ters have asserted that Cagl iostro was the agentof the Templars , and therefore wrote to the freemasons o fLondon that the t ime had arri ved to begi n the work of rebu i ldi ng the Temple o f the Eternal . \Vith the heads o f the Order hehad vowed to overturn the Throne and the Altar uponthe tombof the martyred Grand Master of Templars , Jacques de Mo la i .Learned i n the esoteric doctrines o f the Ori ent , the KnightsTemplars , or Poor Fel low Soldiery of the Holy House o f theTemple , were accu sed of sorcery and w i tchcraft , hence thei r persecu t ion by the Church , and Phi l ippe le Bel o f France. De Molai ,before he was burned to death i n Pari s , organized and inst itu ted what afterwards became i n the eighteenth century occult,hermet ic or Scott ish Masonry. And thus the freemasonstraced thei r order to the Templars of the M iddle Ages , fromwhom they inheri ted the theosoph ical doctr ines of Egypt andIndia . Such i s the romant ic but improbable legend . Color i sl ent to the story by Cagl iostro h imsel f. Among other Munchausen tales related by h im to his Inqu is i tors , he told howhe h ad v is i ted the I l luminat i o f Frankfurt , when on h is way toStrasburg. In an underground cavern the secret Grand Mastero f Templars “ showed h im h is s ignature under a horrible form of

oath , traced i n blood , and pledged h im to destroy al l despots,especial ly i n Rome.Taking th i s idea for a theme, Alexander the Great—he of

the pen, not of the sword—has bu i l t up a seri es O f improbablethough h ighly romant i c novels about the personal i ty of Cagl i ~ostro, ent i t led The Memoirs of a Physi ci an and The D i amondNecklace. He makes h im the Grand Koph ta of a Society of

CAGLIOSTRO ! A STUDY IN CHARLATAN ISM 79

I l lu mi nat i , or exal ted freemasons, wh ich extends throughoutt h e world . Pledged to the propagat ion of l iberty, equal i ty , andfra tern i ty among men , the myst ic brotherhood seeks to overth row the thrones of Europe and the Papacy, symbols of oppress ion and persecut ion .

The M emoirs of a Physici an opens w i th a remarkable prolog ue, descript i ve O f a solemn conclave of the secret superiorso f the Order. The meet ing takes place at n ight i n a r uined chatea u located i n a mountainous region near the old ci ty of Strasbu rg. Cagl iostro reveals h is ident i ty as the Arch -master of theF ratern i ty, the Grand Kophta, who i s i n possess ion of the secretso f the pyramids. He takes upon h imsel f the important task of“

t read ing the l i l ies under foot” and bringing about the destru ct i on O f the monarchy i n France , the storm - centre of Europe. Hedeparts on h i s m iss ion . Like Torr in i , the conjurer, he has a

m i n iature house on wheels drawn by two Flemish horses . Onepart O f the veh icle i s fi tted up as an alchemical laboratory,wherei n the sage Althotasmakes researches for the el ix i r o f l i fe.Arr iv i ng at the chateau of a nobleman o f the anci cn reg ime,

Cagl iostro meets the young dauph iness Marie Antoinette, on herway to Paris , accompanied by a bri l l iant cortege. He causesher to see i n a carafe of water her death by the gui l lot ine. Aidedby the freemasons of Paris , Cagl iostro sets to work to encom

pass the ru in of the throne and to bring on the great Revolut ion .

Dumas in th i s remarkable seri es of novels passes i n rev iew beforeus Jean Jacques Rousseau , Cardinal de Rohan , Loui s XV andXVI , Marie Antoinette, Countess da Barry, Madame de laMotte, Danton , Marat , and a host o f people famous i n the annalsof h istory. Cagl iostro is exalted from a charlatan i nto an apostleof l iberty, endowed w i th many noble qual i t i es . He is repre

~

sented as possess ing occult powers , and h is séances are depictedas real i t i es . Dumas himsel f was a fi rm bel i ever i n spi ri tual i sm

,

and hobnobbed w i th the American medium Daniel D . Home.

Cagliostro’

s house in the Mara is quarter, Pari s, sti l l rema i ns—a memoria l in stone of i ts former master. In the summer


of 1899 the Cou rri er des E ta ts-Unis, N ew York , contai ned ani nterest i ng art icle on th i s mansion . I quote as fo l lows

Cagliostro's hou se st i l l stands in Pari s. Few a l tera t ions h ave been

made in i t since th e days o f i ts g lories and mysteries; and one may easi lyimagi ne the eff ect wh ich i t produced in the nigh t upon those who ga zed u pon

i ts strange pavi l i ons and wide terraces when the l u rid l igh ts of the a lchem ist’sf u rnaces streamed through the ou ter w indow b l inds. The bu i lding preservesi ts noble l ines in

,

Sp i te of modern addi t ions and a t the same t ime h as a weird

appea rance wh ich produ ces an a lmost depressing eff ect . Bu t th is doubt lesscomes f rom the imag ina t ion, beca u se the house was not bu i l t by Cag l iostro;

COURTYARD or CAGLIos'rao’s HOUSE IN PARIS (PRESENT CON DITION ) .

h e simp ly rented i t . \t n he took u p h isqu a rters in i t , i t was th e propertyof the Marqu ise d’

Orvillers. Cag l iostro made no changes in i t , excep t perh aps a f ew temporary interior addi t ions for the mach ines wh ich he u sed in

h is Seances inma g ic.

“The plan of the bu i lding may wel l be sa id to be abnorma l . Th e ou ter

ga te opens u pon the Ru e Sa int Clau de a t th e ang le of the Bou levard Bea umarcha is. The cou rty ard h as a morose and solemn aspect . A t th e end

under a flagged porch there i s a stone sta ircase worn by t ime, bu t i t st i l lpreserves i ts Old i ron ra i l ing . On look ing a t tha t sta i rcase, one cannot helpth ink ing of the hosts of bea u t i f u l women, a ttracted by cu riosi ty to the den

of the sorcerer, and terrified at wha t they imag ined they were abou t to see,

who placed their trembling hands upon that old ra i l ing. Here we can evoke


dust sett led th i ck upon everyth ing ; sp iders bu i l t thei r webs uponthe gi lded cei l ings of the salons . Final ly, i n the Napoleonicyear 1810, the doors O f the temple of magic and mystery wereunfastened , and the furn i ture and rare curios , the retorts andcrucibles , belonging to the dead conjurer, were auct ioned off .

An id le crowd of curiousqu id nuncs gathered to w i tness the saleand pry about. Says Rica udy

The household f u rni tu re, belong ings, etc., of the i l lu strious adventu rerwere not sold unt i l five y ears a f ter h is dea th . The sa le took place in the

apartment wh ich he h ad occu p ied, and was by order of the municipa l government . An exam ina t ion revea led many cu riou s acou st ica l and opt ica l arrangements constructed in the bu i lding by Cag l iostro. By the a i d of th ese contriv

ances and tha t of wel l - tra ined confedera tes, he perpetra ted many supposedlymag ica l eff ects, summoned the sh ades of the dead,

”etc. ( See D ict ionna i re

de la France. By A . G. de St . Fa rgea u , Vol. III., pa ge 245. Paris,Says Lenotre“S ince the a u ct ioning of Cagliostro

’

s ef f ects th e g loomy house of the Ru eSt . Cla u de h as h ad no h istory . Ah , bu t I am m istaken. In 1855some repa irs

were made. The old carri age door was removed, and the one th a t took i tsp lace was taken f rom the ru ins of th e Temple. There i t stands today w i thi ts grea t bol ts and immense locks. The door of the prison of Lou is XVI.closes t he house of Cag l iostro.

”

M . de Rica udy verifies thi s statement about the door of themans ion . The student of Paris ian archaeology wi l l do wel l toconsul t M . de Ri ca udy , as wel l as M . Labreton, 93 BoulevardBeau marchai s, who possesses forty volumes relat i ng to the history of the Marai s Quarter. Last but not least i s the indef a t igable student of ancient l andmarks of Paris , M . G. LenOtre,

author of Pa ris révolnt i onna i re, vi ei lles ma isons, vi ew: papi ers,Ire séri e.

My fri end, M . Fel ic ien Trewey , who v is i ted the place i n thesummer of 1901 , at my request, reported to me that i t had beenconverted into a commercial establ ishment . The salons werecut up into smal l apartments . The laboratories and the chambreégypt i enne where the great sorcerer held h is séa

’

nces were nomore . A grocer, a feather curler, and a manufacturer O f cardboard boxes occupied the bui ld ing, obl i vious of the fact that theworld - renowned Cagl iostro once l i ved there

,plying h i s trade

of sorcerer, mesmerist , phys ician , and mason , l ike a true chewIi er d

’

indnstri e. Alas ! the h istory of these old mansions ! They

CA GLIOSTRO I A STUDY IN CHARLATA N ISM 83

h ave thei r days o f splend i d prosperi ty. fol low ed by shabby gen t i li tv and fina llv bv sord id decav.

—ba t tered. blear—eve d. and repu l

srve looking.

Accord i ng to Henri d'A lmeras (Cogli astro. ct la francmaconneri e ct l

'

occu lt ismc a nXI7 111“ sificlc) . Cagliostro'

s apartm en t on the second floor o f the house wa s occupi ed i n the vear

by a watchmaker. Two famous watchmakers became eonj u rers. one a fter hav ing read an old book on natural magi c. theother a fter hav ing seen a performance o f the Davenport Brothers.I al lude to Robert - Houd in and Jno. Maskel y ne.making lea ds natural ly to the const ruct ion of automata and magi ca l i l lus ions . The young horologi st of the Rue Saint C laude haseverv excuse to become a prest id igi tateur . He works i n anatmosphere o f necromancy in that old house haunted bv i tsmemori es o f the past . I f th i s does not i nfluence h im to enter themagic ci rcle. noth ing else w i l l .People pass and repass th is ghost - house o f the Rue Saint

Claude everv dav . but not one i n a hundred knows that the greatenchanter once resi ded there and held h igh court . I f those dumbwal ls could but speak . what fasci nat i ng stories O f superst i t ionand fo l ly they m ight un fold to our wondering ears ! Yes . i n th i sanci ent house

,dat ing back to pro

- Revo lut ionary Pari s , to theold régime, the great necromancer known as Cagl iost ro l i vedi n the zen i th of h i s fame. In these golden years of h i s l i fe

, wa s

he never haunted bv di sturbing v is ions o f the dungeons o f theHoly Inqu is i t ion , yawn ing to recei ve h im ? Ah . who can tel l ?Thanks to the gossipy memoi r w ri ters o f the per iod , I am ableto gi ve a pen port ra i t . compos i te , i f you w i l l . of some of thescenes that were enacted i n the ant iquated mans ion .

I t is n ight . The lanterns swung i n the streets o f old Par i sgl immer fi t f u lly . S i lence broods over the c i ty w i th shadowywings . No sound i s heard save the Clank o f the patrol on i tsrounds . The Rue Saint Claude , however, i s al l bust le and conf u ‘

sion . A grand “ so i rée magique" i s being held at the house ofMons i eur le Comte de Cagl iostro . IIeavv old- fash ioned carri ages stand i n front o f the door , w i th coaclnnen lol l ing sleep i lyon the boxes , and l i nkboys play ing rude games w i th each otherin the kennel . A rumble i n the street— h a , there , l ackey s ! out o f

84 THE OLD A N D THE N Ew MAGIC

the way ! Here comes the coach o f my Lord Card inal , PrinceLouis de Rohan . There i s a flash of torches. Servants in gorgeons l i veri es of red and gold, w i th powdered w igs, open thedoor of the veh icle

,and let down the steps w i th a crash . Mon

seigneur le Card ina l , celebrant of the mass i n the royal palaceat Versai l l es

,man of pleasure and alchemi st , descends . He i s

enveloped i n a dark cloak,as i f to court d isgu ise, but i t i s only

a pol i te pretense. He enters the mans ion o f h i s bosom fri end ,Cagl iostro the magici an . W i th in , al l i s a blaze of l ight . A l i fes i ze bust o f the d iv ine Cagl iostro ornaments the foyer. Visi torsare recei ved i n 'a handsomely furn i shed apartment on the secondfloor. Beyond that i s the Seance- room , a mysterious chamberhung w i th somber drapery. Wax candles i n tal l s i l ver sconces ,arranged about the place i n myst ic pentagons and t ri angles ,i l luminate the scene.I n the center o f the room i s a tabl e w i th a black c loth

, on

whi ch are embroidered i n red the symbols of the h ighest degreeo f the Rosicruc ians. Upon th i s st range shekinah i s placed thecabal ist i c apparatus of the necromancer—odd l i tt le Egyptianfigures of I si s , Os i r i s, v ial s o f lust ral waters , and a large globeful l of c larified water. I t i s a l l very uncanny. Present ly theguests are seated in a ci rcle about the al tar, and form a magneticchai n . As the ol d chron iclers phrase i t , to them enters Cagl iostro

,the Grand Kophta , the man who has l i ved thousands of

years,habi ted i n gorgeous robes l ike the arch - h ierophan t of an

ancient Egypt ian temple . The clai rvoyant i s now brought in,a ch i ld of angel i c puri ty, who was born under a certai n constel lat ion , O f del icate nerves , great sens i t i veness , and , w i thal , blueeyes. She i s h i dden to kneel before the globe, and relate whatshe sees therein . Cagl iostro makes passes over her, and commands the geni i to enter the water. The very sou l of the seeressi s penetrated w i th the magnet i c aura emanat i ng from the magiei an . She becomes convulsed, and declares that she sees eventstaking place that very moment at the court o f Versai l l es

,at

Vi enna,at Rome .

Every one present i s transported w i th j oy. Monsei gnetrr le

Card ina l de Rohan i s charmed , del ighted, and lauds the necromancer to the sk ies . How wei rd and wonder ful ! Albertu s


But the magician sees noth ing of i t a l l , hears not the warn i ngcry O f the w i nd : he i s th inking O f h is new ly hatched lodges o fEgypt ian occu l t i sm , and the golden lou is d’or to beou t of the strong- boxes O f h i s Paris ian dupes.

GHOST- MAKING EXTRAORDINARY.

Stay i l lusion!If thou hast any sound, or use of voice,

Speak to me.

"—SHA KE SPEARE : Hamlet .

I.

The French Revolut ion drew crowds of adventurers to Par is .thei r brains buzz ing w i th the wi ldest schemes—pol i t ica l , soci al ,and scient i fic—wh ich they endea vored to exploi t . Among thei nventors was a Belgi an opt i cian , Etienne- Gaspard Robertson,

born at Li ége, i n 1 763, where for - many yea rs he had been aprofessor of phys ics . He addressed a memorial i n the year 1794to the Government propos ing to construct gi gant i c burn ingglasses a la Arch imedes , to set fire to the Engl i sh fleets , at thatperiod blockad ing the French seaports . A commiss ion composedO f Monge, Lefevre, C incau and Guyton de Morveau was ap

pointed to i nvest igate the matter, but noth ing came of i t .Fa i l ing to accompl i sh h is scheme, Robertson tu rned

'

h is attent ion to other methods O f money-mak ing. Four years passed away.

Hav i ng a dec ided penchant for magic i l lus ions, etc he set aboutconstruct ing a ghost-making apparatus . The “

Red Terror” wasa th i ng of the past , and people h ad begu n to pluck up courageand seek amusement s. Rid to a great extent , of h i s ri val , LaGui l lot ine—the most famous of “ghost - mak i ng mach ines”—Robertson set up h is phantasmagoria at the Pav i l ion de l’Ech iqu i er,and flooded the c i ty w i th c i rculars descr ibing h i s exh ibi t ion .

Poult ier, a journal i st and one of the Representat i ves O f thePeople , wrote an amusing account O f the entertainment in theL

’

Am i desLois, He says :*D a 8 germina l a u VI—28 Mars, I798.


“A decemvi r of the Republ i c has sa id that the dead returnno more

,but go to Robert son’s exh ibi t ion and you w i l l soon

be convinced of the contrary , for you w i l l see the dead return ingto l i fe in crowds. Robertson cal ls forth phantoms , and com

mands legions o f spectres . In a wel l - l ighted apartment in thePav i l ion l’E ch iqu ier I found mysel f seated a f ew even ings s ince ,w i th s ixty or seventy people. At seven O’clock a pale, th i n manentered the room where we were s i tt ing , and havi ng ext ingu ishedthe candles he sa id : ‘C i t i zens, I am not one of those adventurers

ROBERTSON’

S Gnosr Snow.

and impudent swi ndlers who promise more than they can perform . I have assured the publ ic i n the J ourna l de Paris that Ican bring the dead to l i fe, and I shal l do 50. Those of the company who desi re to see the appari t ions of those who were dearto them , but who have passed away from th i s l i fe by s ickness orotherw i se, have On ly to speak ; and I shal l Obey thei r commands . ’There was a moment ’s si lence, and a haggard - look ing man , w i thd i shevel led h ai r and sorrow ful eyes , rose i n the m idst of theassemblage and excla imed , ‘As I have been unable i n an off i cialjournal to re- establ ish the worsh ip of Marat, I should at lea stbe glad to see h is shadow .

’ Robertson immedi ately threw upon

90 THE OLD A ND THE N EW MAGIC

showed to the worker of al l these marvels. Robertson threwupon the braz ier a f ew sparrow’s fea thers , a grain or two ofphosphorus, and a dozen butterfl i es . A beauti ful woman w i thher bosom uncovered and her hai r float ing about her , soonappeared , and smi led on the young manw i th most tender regardand sorrow. A grave look ing ind iv idual s i tt ing close by mesuddenly exclaimed , ‘Heavens! i t’s my w i fe come to l i fe aga i n,’and he rushed from the room , appa rent ly fearing that what hesaw was not a phantom .

”

One evening one of the audience, avow i ng himsel f to be aRoyal ist , cal led for the shade of the martyred king, Lou is XVI.Here was a di lemma for ci t i zen Robertson . Had he compl iedw i th the request and evoked the royal ghost, prison and poss iblythe gu i l lot ine would have been his fate.But the magic ian was foxy. He suspected a t rap on the part

of a pol ice agent in d isgu ise, who had a spi te against h im . Herepl i ed as fol lows : “Ci t izens , I once had a recipe for bringingdead kings to l i fe, but that was before the 18th Fru ct i dor, whenthe Republ ic declared royalty abol ished forever. On that glorious day I lost my magic formula, and fea r that I shal l neverrecover i t again .

”

In Spite of Robertson ’s clever retort , the af f a i r crea ted sucha sensat ion that on the fol low ing day , the pol ice prohibi ted theexh ibi t ions, and placed seal s on the opt ic ian’s boxes and papers.However, the ban was soon l i fted , and the performances al lowedto cont inue. Lucky Robert son ! The advert i sement fi l l ed h i scoff ers to overflowing. People st ruggled to ga in admiss ion tothe wonderful phantasmagoria .

Finding the Pavi l ion too smal l to accommodate the crowds,the magician moved h is show to an abandoned chapel of theCapuch in Convent, near the Place Vendome. This ancient placeo f worsh ip was located in the middle of a vast cloi ster crowdedw i th tombs and funeral tablets .A more gruesome Spot could not have been selected . The

Chapel was draped in black . From the cei l ing was suspended asepulchral lamp , in which alcohol and sal t were burned , gi vingf orth a ghastly l ight wh ich made the faces of the spectators

GHOST- M AKING EXTRAORDINARY 91

resemble those of corpses . Robertson , habi ted in black , madeh is appearance, and harangued h is audience on ghosts , w i tches ,sorcery

,and magic. Final ly the lamp was ext ingu ished and the

apa rtment plunged in Pluton ian darkness. A storm of w i nd andra in

,thunder and l ightn ing, interspersed w i th the tol l ing of a

church bel l , fol lowed , and after th i s the solemn strains of a farof f organ were heard . At the evocat ion of the conjurer, phantoms of Voltai re, Mirabeau , Jean- Jacques Rousseau , Robespierre,Danton , and Marat appeared and faded away again “ i nto th ina i r.” The ghost of Robespierre was shown ris ing from a tomb.

A flash of l ightn ing, v iv id and terrible, would strike the phantom

, whereu pon i t would s ink down into the ground and van ish .

People were often carried away faint ing from the exh ibit ion .

It was t ruly awe i nspi ri ng and perfect i n mise enscéne.

At the conclus ion of the séance, Robertson used to remark : “ Ihave shown you , cit i zens , every Species of phantom , and there isbut one more truly terrible spectre—the fate which is reservedfor us al l . Behold !” In an instant there stood in the center ofthe room a skeleton armed w i th a scythe. I t grew to a colossa lheight and gradual ly faded awav.

*

Si r David Brewster, i n h i s work on natural mag i c, has thefol low ing to say about concave mi rrors and the art o f ph antasmagori a :

“Concave mirrors are d ist ingu ished by thei r propertyof forming in front of them , and in the ai r, i nverted images oferect objects, or erect images of i nverted objects , placed at somedistance beyond thei r principa l focus. I f a fine transparent cloudof blue smoke is rai sed , by means of a chafing d ish , around thefocus of a large concave mirror, the image of any h ighly i lluminated object w i l l be depicted i n the middle of i t , w i th great beauty.

A skul l concea led from the observer i s somet imes used to surprise the ignorant ; and when a dish of fru i t has been depictedi n a s imi lar manner, a spectator, stretch ing ou t his hand to seizei t,i s met w i th the image of a drawn dagger wh ich has been

quickly subst ituted for the fru i t at the other conjugate focus ofthe mi rror.”

F ro a romance embracing the subject of phantasmagoria see the poet

Sch i l ler'sGhost-Seer. (BohnLibrary )


Thoroughly conversant w i th the science of opt ics , i t i s morethan probable that Robertson made use of large concave mirrorsto project inverted phantoms of l i v ing persons in the ai r, w i thconvex lenses to restore the ghosts to an upright posi t ion. I fhe merely used painted images , wh ich i s the more l ikely , then hehad resort to the phantasmagoric magic lantern , rol l ing upona smal l t rack. Push ing th is contri vance backwards and forwa rdscaused the images to lessen or increase, to recede or advance.Robertson real ized qui te a snug fortune out o f h i s ghost exh i .

bi t iou and other i nvent ions . H is automaton speaking figure,ca l led le phonorganon, uttered two hundred words of the Frenchlanguage Another interest ing piece of mechanism was hi sTrumpeter. These two mach ines formed part of a beauti fulCa binet de Physiqu e in h is house, the Hotel d ’ Yorck, BoulevardMontmartre, No . 12 Paris. He has left some enterta in ingmemoi rs , ent i t ledM émoi resre’créa t i fs et anecdot if s ( 1830copies o f wh ich are exceed ingly rare. He was a grea t aeronautand invented the parachute wh ich has been wrongly att ributedto Carnet i n .

Robertson , as Commandant des Aerost i crs, served in theFrench army , and rendered valuable serv ice w i th h is bal loons i nobserving the movements of the enemy in the campa igns inBelgi um and Hol land , under General Jourdain . In the year 1804he wrote a treat ise on ba l loon ing. ent i t led , La M inerw , va issea u

Aéri en dest iné aux découvcrtes, ct proposc‘

, (i tou tes les Acad

émi es de I’

E u ropc, publ i shed at Vi enna. He d ied at Bat ignol les(Pari s) i n 1837 .

In h is memoi rs , Robertson describes a species of opt ical toycal led the Phantascope, for producing i l lus ions on a smal l scale.This may gi ve a clue to h is spectres of the Capuchi n Convent. Healso off ers an explanat ion of Nostradamus’ famous feat of conjuring up the l ikeness of Francis I . i n a magi c mirror

,for the

edifica t ion of the beaut i ful Marie de Medi ci .

I I .We now come to the greatest of al l ghost - shows , that o f the

Polytechn ic Inst i tute , London . In the year 1863 letters patent


This ghost - making apparatus has been used w i th splendidsuccess i n the dramati zat ions of Dickens’ Christmas Carol andHa unted M an; Bulwer ’s S trange S tory ; and Alexander Dumas’Corsi canBrothers.

“ In the course of the same year says Robert - Houdini n h is Les Secrets de la prest idig i ta t ion cl de la ma g ic,

“M .

Hostein , manager of the Imperial Chatelet Theatre, purchased*from M . Pepper the secret o f the ‘

Ghost ,’ in order to i nt roducei t i nto a drama ent i t led Le S ecret de M iss A u rore [ a Frenchadaptat ion o f “Aurora M . Hostei n spared no expensei n order to ensure the success of the i l lus ion . Three enormoussheets of unsi lvered glass , each five yards square, were placed sideby side, and presented an ampl e surface for the reflect ion of theghost - actor and h is movements . Two Drummond l ights (oxyhydrogen) were used for the purpose of the trick.

“ But before the trick was i n working order at i ts new dest ina t ion, several o f the Paris ian theatres , i n the face of letterspatent du ly granted to M . Pepper, had al ready advert i sed performances wherei n i t was i ncluded .

“M . Hostei n had no means of prevent ing the pi racy ; unlucki ly for h imsel f, and st i l l more so for the i nventor, the plagiari sts had d iscovered among the French o fficial records a patenttaken out

,ten yea rs before, by a person named Se'gu in for a

toy ca l led the Polyoscope, which was founded on the same pri nciple as the ghost i l lus ion .

”

Professor Pepper claims to have been total ly unaware ofthe ex istence of M . Segu in ’s Polyoscope. In his Tru e Historyof the Ghost, Pepper describes the toy as fol lows

“ I t consi sted of a box w i th a smal l sheet o f glass placed atan angle of forty - five degrees , and i t reflected a concealed table,w i th plast i c figu res, the spectres of wh ich appeared beh i nd theglass

,and wh i ch young people who possessed the toy i nv i ted

thei r compan ions to take out of the box , when they mel ted away,as i t were, i n thei r hands and d isappeared .

”

In France, at that t ime , al l improvements on a patent fel lto the original patentee, and Pepper found h imsel f out -oi - court .

‘He pa id francs forthe invention.

GHOST- MAKING EXTRAORDINARY 95

The conj urer Robin cla ims, on very good authori ty, to havebeen the origina l inventor of the ghost i l lus ion . He wri tesas fol lows

“ I first had the idea of producing the appar i t ions i n 1845.Meet ing innumerabl e d iffi cul t ies i n carry ing out my i nvent ion Iw as obl iged to wai t unt i l 1847 before reach ing a sat is factoryresu l t . In that year I was able to exh ibi t the ‘spectres’ to thepubl ic i n the theatres of Lyons and Saint Et ienne under the nameo f ‘The l iv i ng phantasmagoria . ’ To my great aston ishment Iproduced l i tt le e f f ect . The appari t ions st i l l were in want ofcerta in improveme nt s wh ich I have s ince added. After su c

ceeding i n perfect ing them I met w i th great success i n exh ibi t ingthem in Ven ice

,Rome , Munich , Vienna and Brussels , but as my

experiments were very costlv I was obl iged to lay them asidefor some t ime. ”He further declares that M . Ségu in, who had been employed

by h im to pai nt phantasmagoric figures , had based h i s toy , thePolyoscope, upon the pri nciple of h is (Robi n’s ) spectres . Robinwas one of the managers who brought out the i l lus ion i n Pari s,desp i te the protests O f M . Hostein . He opposed Hostei n w i ththe patent of the Polyoscope and some O f h i s Old theatre postersof the year 1847, advert i s ing the “ l i v ing phantasmagoria .

Houdi n i s rather severe on M . Robin when he classes h imamong the plagiari sts and pi rates . But the two conjurers weregreat r ivals . M . Ca roly , edi tor of the Ifh lsi oniste, i n an art i cl eon Robin , suggests that perhaps Pepper had seen and examineda Polyoscope, and bui l t upon i t the theatri ca l i l lus ion of the ghost .My personal bel i ef i s that Professor Pepper was ignoran t O fthe ex istence O f the toy as wel l as of Robin ’s former exh ibi t ionsO f phantasmagoria . and independentlv thought out the ghosti l lus ion . This frequent ly happens among inventors , as everyone knows , who has deal ings w i th theU. S . Patent O ffice.In the year 1868, there was exhibi ted in Paris . at the Ambigu

Theatre, the melodrama of “La Czarine,

” founded On RobertHoudin’

s story of Kempelen’

s Automaton Chess Player . In th i splay was a remarkable use o f the “ghost i l lus ion ,” arranged byHoud in , as wel l as a chess- playing automaton . I quote as fol

96 w e OLD AND rm: new MAGIC

lows from Houdin’

s Les Secrets de la prest idig i ta t ion et de la

mag i c, Chapter VI : “My col laborators , Messrs . Adenis andGast ineau , had asked me to arrange a ‘ghost eff ect ’ for the lastact . I had recourse to the ‘ghost i l lusion ’, but I presented i tin such gu i se as to give i t a completely novel character, as thereader w i l l be enabled to judge from the fol low i ng descript ionThe scene i s la id in Russia , i n the reign of Catherine I I . Inthe last act , an ind i vidual named Pou ga tchef f , who, on thestrength of a personal l ikeness to Peter I I I , attempts to passhimsel f O f f as the deceased monarch , i s endeavoring to inci te theRuss ian populace to dethrone Catherine. A learned man , M . deKempelen , who i s devoted to the Czarina , succeeds , by the aid ofscient ific exped ients , i n neutral i z ing the vi l la inous des igns of thesham prince.

“The scene i s a savage glen , beh ind wh ich i s seen a background of rugged rocks . Pou ga tch eff appears , surrounded by acrowd O f noisy adhere nts . M . de Kempelen comes forward , denounces the impostor, and declares that , to complete h is con fusion ,he w i l l cal l up the Spiri t o f the genu ine Peter I I I . At h is command a sarcophagus appears from the sol i d rock ; i t standsupright on end . The l id opens , and exh ibi ts a corpse coveredw i th a w ind ing sheet . The tomb fal ls to the ground , but thephantom remains erect . The sham Czar, though a good dealfrightened , makes a pret ence of defying the appari t ion , whichhe treats as a mere i l lusion . But the upper part of the w i nd ingsheet fal ls aside, and reveals the l iv id and mould ing features O f

the late sovereign . Pouga tcheff , th inking that he can hardlybe worsted in a figh t w i th a corpse , draws h is sword , and w i thone blow cuts O ff i ts hea d , wh ich fal ls noi si ly to the ground ;but at the very same moment the l i v ing head of Peter I I Iappears on the ghostly shoulders. Pou ga tcheff , driven to frenzyby these success i ve apparit ions , makes at the figure, sei zes i tby i ts garments , and thrusts i t v iol ent ly back into the tomb . Butthe hea d remains suspended i n space, rol l i ng i ts eyes i n a threatcu ing manner, and appearing to O ff er defiance to i ts persecutor.The frenzy of Pouga tchefl reaches i ts cu lminat ing point . Grasping h i s sword wi th both hands, he t ries to cleave in twain the

98 THE OLD AN D THE N Ew M AGIC

arrayed in a w ind ing sheet which she threw aside,reveal ing her

sel f i n the dress of a bride. He endeavored to embrace her.His arms passed un impeded through the spectre. Gradual lythe vis ion mel ted away, l eav ing h im grieving and desolate.

The impress ion produced by thi s i l lus ion was profound andterri fying. Amid cries of aston i shment and fright resoundingthrough the hal l , many women fainted or made thei r escape.

Roam’

s Gu osr- Icw s .

Robin devised another scene wh ich he ca l led The DemonO f Paganin i .” An actor made up to resemble the famous v iol inv i rtuoso, Pagan in i , tal l , gaunt , w i th flowing locks , and dressed inshabby black

, was seen recl i n ing upon a couch . A devi l , habitedin green and red

,and armed w i th a v iol in , made i ts appearance

and clambered upon the sleeper, i nstal l ing h imsel f comfortablyon the v iol in i st’s stomach . Then the demon gave h imsel f upto a v iolin solo which was not in the least interrupted by thefrant ic gestures O f the n ightmare ridden sufferer, whose handsattempted i n vai n to seize thewei rd v iol in and bow. The demon ,

GHOST- M AKING EXTRAORD INARY 99

somet imes s i tt ing, somet imes kneel ing on the body O f h is v ict im

,cont i nued h i s musical select ion .

The Demon of Pagan in i was mounted on a Special supportby wh ich he could be elevated and depressed at pl ea sure. Thev iol in i st

, who was the real player, stood below the stage, but inthe shade

,at one side O f the electric lamp which i l lum inated the

demon . The sound issued from the open ing in front of the glass .

EXPLA N ATION OF ROBIN’

s Gnosr- ILLUS ION .

The glass used by Robin measure d5by 4 meters, i n a singlepiece. I t was placed w i th grea t care , for the lea st deviat ion wouldbe fol lowed by a di splacement of the image.I t should be remarked that Robin ’s aud i torium comprised

only a sloping parterre surrounded by a range o f smal l boxes.There was 110 gal lery. The spectators , conseque nt ly , were notelevated suffi cient ly to percei ve the open ing i n the stage.When, i n 1866 ,

Robin ’s Spectres were taken to a large theatrein Paris , the Chatelet , he was obl iged to dev isearrangement , for the specta tors i n the gal leri es abo


to see, at the same t ime, both the actor and h i s reflect ion . Robinhad been obl iged to place h is actor on a lower level beca use hehad no room at the s ide of h i s l i tt le stage. At the Chatelet , however

,Space permitted a much more conven ient arrangement , for

i t al lowed the actor, who furn ished the reflect ion , to move aboutfreely on a hori zontal plane. The glass was placed vert ical lyand formed , on the plane, an angle of about 45° w i th the longit

’

udina l axis of the theatre. The actor was h idden beh ind aw ing ; h i s reflect ion appeared i n the center of the stage towardthe back - drop ; v isible, neverthel ess , to al l the spectators. Hisfiel d o f movement , necessari ly rest ricted, was marked out inadvance upon the floor.Robin was able to preserve for a considerable t ime the secret

O f the ghost i l lusion ; just enough to pique the curiosi ty O f thepubl ic.

‘I t was gu essed at last that he made use of uns i lveredglassf The fact became known and several wags proved thepresence of the glass by throw ing i no ff ensi ve paper ba l l s wh ichstruck the obstacle and fel l , arrested i n thei r fl ight . Robin wa sgreat ly vexed at these occurrences but the trick was none the lessexposed .

Pepper eventual ly brought out a new i l lus ion cal led . Metempsychos is

,

” the joint invent ion O f “himsel f and a Mr. VVa lkeTf”

I t- i s a very start l i ng opt ical effect , and is thus described by me in myAmerican edit ion of Stanyon’

s M ag i c :“One of the cleverest

i l lusions performed w i th the a id O f mirrors i s that known as the‘Blue Room’

, wh ich has been exh ibited in th is country by Kel lar.‘ I t was patented in theUni ted States by the inventors . The Objecto f the apparatus i s to render an actor, or some inanimate th ing,such as a cha i r, table, su i t O f armor , etc. , visible or i nvi sible atw i l l . ‘I t i s also des igned ,’ says the Spec ificat ion in the patentoffice, ‘to subst i tute for an Object i n s ight of the audience theimage of another s imi lar Object h idden from di rect v i s ion w i thout the audie nce being aware that any such subst i tut ion has beenmade. ’ For th is purpose employ a large mirror—ei ther an ordinary m irror or for some purposes , by preference, a large sheet


jurer. The shaded draw i ng i n the left upper part , represents aport ion of the mi rror

,des igned to show i ts graduated opaci ty .

“

a i s a stage. I t may be i n a lecture - room or theatre. bb,

the seats for the aud ience i n front of the stage. cc i s a smal lroom—eight or ten feet square and eight h igh w i l l often be su f hciently large ; but i t may be of any size. I t may advantageouslybe raised and approached by two or three steps from the stage a .

“

d i s a vert i ca l m i rror, pass ing diagonal ly across the chamber6 and d ivid ing i t i nto two parts , wh ich are exact counterparts theone of the other. The mi rror (1 i s so mounted that i t can berapid ly and noiselessly moved d iagonal ly across the chamber i nthe path represented by the dotted l i ne d‘, and be w i thdrawnwhenever des i red . This can conven iently be done by running i ti n gu ides and upon rol lers to and from a posi t ion where i t i sh idden by a screen, e, wh i ch l imi ts the v iew of the aud ience i nth is d irect ion .

In consequence o f the exact correspondence o f the two partsof the chamber 0, that i n front and that beh ind the m i rror, theaud ience w i l l observe no change i n appea rance when the m i rrori s passed across .

“The front of the chamber i s part ial ly closed at cx by a sh ieldor short part i t ion - wal l , ei ther permanent ly or whenever requi red .

This i s done i n order to h ide from di rec t v iew any object wh ichmay be at or about the pos i t ion c

‘.

The i l lus ions may be performed i n vari ous ways—as, for example, an object may, i n the s ight of the audience, be passed fromthe stage to the pos it ion c", near the rear short wal l or counterpart sh ield f , d iagonal ly oppos i te to and corresponding w i th thefront corner sh ield ex, and there be changed for some other.This i s done by prov id ing beforehand a dummy at c‘

,closel y

resembl ing the object at Then when the object i s i n i ts place ,the m i rror i s passed across w i thout caus ing any apparent change .The object , when h idden , i s changed for another object external lyresembl ing the fi rst , the m i rror i s w i thdrawn , and the aud iencemay then be shown i n any conven ient wa y that the object nowbefore them d i f f ers from that which thei r eyes ight would lea dthem to suppose i t to be.

GHOST- MAKING EXTRA ORDIN ARY 103

“We prefer. i n many cases , not to u se an ord inary mirror ,d, but one o f graduated opaci ty. This may be produced by removing the si lvering from the glass i n l ines ; or, i f the glass be si lveredby chemical deposi t ion , caus ing the si lver to be depos i te dupon iti n l ines , somewhat as represented i n Fig. I . Near one s ide of theglass the l ines are made fine and open , and progressi vely in passi ng toward the other s ide they become bolder and closer unt il acompletely - s i l vered surface i s reached . Other means for obtaini ng a graduated opaci ty and reflect ing power may be resorted to.

“ By passing such a graduated mi rror between the object at c’and the audience, the object mav be made to fade from the s ight ,or gradual ly to resolve itsel f into another form .

”

Hopk ins in h is fine work on M ag ic, stage i llusions, etc. , towh ich I contribute d the Introduction and other chapters , thusdescribes one of the many eff ects wh ich can be produced by theBlue Room appa ratus . The curtain ri ses . show i ng “ the stage setas an art ist ’s stud io . Through the cent re of the rear drop scenei s seen a smal l chamber in which is a su i t o f armor stand ing up

r ight. The floor of th is apartme nt i s ra ised above the level of thestage and i s approached by a short fl ight o f steps . When the curta i n i s ra i sed a servant makes h i s appea rance and begins to dustand clean the apartments . He final ly comes to the su i t of armor ,tak ing i t apart , cleans and dusts i t , and fina l ly re unites i t . N o

sooner i s the armor perfect ly art iculated than the soul less mai ledfigure dea ls the servant a blow . The domest ic , w i th a cry o ffea r , drops h is ( luster. fl ies down the steps into the large room ,

the su i t of armor pursu ing h im ,wrest l i ng w i th h im , and k ick ing

him al l over the stage. When the armor considers that it haspuni she d the servant sufficiently , i t returns to i ts origi nal posit ion i n the smal l chamber , just as the master o f the house enters.

brought there by the noi se and cries of the servant . from whom hedemands an explanat ion of the commotion . Upon being told , hederides the servant's fea r , and , to prove that he was mistaken ,takes the su i t o f armor apart , throw ing i t p iece by piece uponthe floor.”I t i s needless

,perhaps

,to explai n that the armor wh ich

w i th l i fe h as a man ins ide o f i t . W'hen the

to; THE OLD AN D rm : N EW MAGIC

cu rta in ri ses a su i t o f armor i s seen i n the Blue Room , at H , (Fig.

At 1 i s a second sui t , conca led beh ind the proscen ium . I ti s the dupl icate of the v i sibl e one . When the m i rror i s shoveddiagonal ly across the room , the armor at H becomes i nvis ibl e, butthe mi rror reflects the armor concea l ed at I , making i t appa r tothe spectators that the su i t at H i s st i l l i n pos it ion . An actordressed in armor now enters beh ind the mirror, removes the sui tof armor at H , and assumes i ts place. When the m i rror i s againw i thdrawn , the armor at H becomes endowed w i th l i fe. Againthe mi rror i s shoved across the apartment , and the actor replacesthe original su i t o f armor at H . I t i s th i s lat ter su i t wh ichthe master of the house takes to pieces and casts upon the floor,i n order to qu iet the fears of the servant . Thi s most i ngeniousapparatus i s capable o f many novel ef fects . Those who havew i tnessed Professor Kella r's performance w i l l bear w i tness tothe stateme nt . \Vhen the i l lusion was first produced i n Englanda sketch ent i t led Curried Prawns was wr i tten for i t by thefamous comic author, Burnand. edi tor o f Punch .

An old gent leman , after hav ing partaken freely of a d isho f curried prawns , washed down by copious l ibat ions of w ine ,ret i res to bed , and very natural ly “ sees th ings . \Vho wou ld notunder such c i rcumstances ? He has a drea dfu l n ightmare, duringwh ich ghosts , gobl ins . vampires and w i tches v is i t h im . Thee f f ects are produced by the mi rror.

“Whe n I was search ing among the books o f the B ibl iothequeN at ionale. Paris . for material concern ing Robertson and others,a very remarkabl e ghost show was al l the rage i n the MontmartreQuarter o f the c i ty , based on the Pe pper i l l us ion . I w i l l endea vorto describe i t . I t was held at the Ca baret da N éant, or Tavernof the Dea d . Anyth ing for a new sensat ion” i s the motto ofthe Boulevardier. Death i s no laugh ing matter , but the gayPari s ian i s ready to mock even at the Gr im Tyrant , hence thevogue of the Tavern of the Dea d . I went to th i s lugubriouscabaret i n company w i th a student o f medic ine. He seemed to


i nto cavernous sockets ; h i s nose d isappea red ; and presently h i sv isage was metamorphosed into a grinn ing skul l . The i l lus ionwas perfect . During th is ghast ly transformat ion the monks intoned : Voi ld M a cha bwus! He dies ! He wastes away ! Dustto dust ! The eternal worm awai ts you al l l” A church bel l wassolemnly tol l ed and an organ playe d. The scene would havedel ighted that stern gen ius , Hans Holbein , whose Dance ofDeath has ch i l le dmany a human heart . We looked again , andthe skeleton in the co ffin van ished .

“He has ri sen to Heaven !”cried the Capuch ins .In a l i tt le whi l e the figure reappea red . The fleshless skul l

was merged into the face o f my fri end . He stepped out of thebox , throw i ng as ide the shroud , and greeted me w i th a merrylau gh . Other people volunteered to undergo the death scene.After the exh ibi t ion wasover one o f the Capuch ins passed arounda skul l for penny contribut ions , and we l eft the place.

Now for an explanat ion of the i l lus ion .

A sheet of glass i s placed obl iquely across the stage i n fronto f the co ffin . At the s ide o f th is stage, h idden by the proscen ium ,

i s another co f fin contain ing a skeleton robed i n wh i te. Whenthe electri c l ights surrounding the first co ffin are turned of f

and the casket conta in ing the skeleton h igh ly i l luminated , thespectators see the reflect ion of the latter i n the glass and imaginethat i t i s the coffi n i n wh ich the volunteer has been placed . Toresurrect the man the l ights are reversed .

THE ROMANCE OF AUTOMATA .

Wh a t l ’ I sa id to mysel f , ‘

can i t be possible that the ma rvelous science

wh i ch ra ised Va u canson's name so h igh—t he sci ence whose ingeniou s com

b ina t ions can anima te inert ma t ter, and impa rt to i t a species o f ex istence—isth e only one w ithou t i ts a rch ives —ROBERT-HOUDIN .

Automata have played an important part i n the magic ofancient temples , and in the séances o f mediaeval sorcerers . Whohas not read o f the famous “ Brazen Head ,” constructed by FriarBacon , and the wonder ful mach ines of Albertus Mag nus ? Modernconjurers have introduced automata into thei r entertainmentsw i th great ef f ect , as w i tness Pinet t i ’s “W i se Li tt le Turk,” Kempeleu ’s “ Chess Player, Houdin

’

s“ Pastry Cook of the Pala i s

Royal , Kellar’

s“Hindoo Clock ,” Maskelyne’s “ Psycho , etc .

But these automata have been such in name only, the mot ivepower usual ly being furn ished by the conjurer’s a lter ego, orconcealed assi stant .The so- cal led automaton Chess Player i s enveloped w i th a

halo of romance. I t had a remarkable h istory. I t was constructed i n the year I769 by the Baron von Kempelen, a Hungar ian noble man and mechan ic ian , and exh ibi ted by h im at thelea d ing courts o f Europe. The Empress Mari a Theresa of Austria played a game w i th i t . In 1 783 i t was brough t to Pari sand shown at the Ca fé de la Regence, the rendezvous o f chesslovers and experts , after wh ich i t was taken to London . Kempelen d ied on the 26th of March , 1804 , and h i s son sold theChess Player to J . N . Maelzel, musician , i nventor and mechanieian

,who was born at Rat isbon , Bavari a , i n x772 . His father

was a celebrated organ - bu i lder.

DlgiIlZ |


M aelzel was the i nventor of the Metronome a pieceof mechan ism known to a l l i nstruct ors of musi c : the automatonTrumpeter and the Pan-Harmonicum He hada strange career as the exh ibi tor of the Chess Player. Aftershow i ng the automaton i n various ci t i es of Europe, M aelzel sol di t to N apoleon ’s step - son , Eugene Bea uharnai s , the Viceroy ofthe K ingdom of I taly. But the old love of “ adventurous travelw i th the Turbaned Tur took possess ion of h im ,

and he suc

THE Avromu oxv Cnsss PLAYER.

ceeded i n buying back the Chess Player from its royal owner.He went to Paris w i th i t i n 1817 and 1818, afterwards toLondon , meet ing everywhere w i th success . I n 1826 he broughti t to America. The Chess Player exci ted the greatest i nterestthroughout theUn i ted States. Noted chess experts d id thei r bestto defea t i t , but rarely succeeded .

Now for a descript ion of the automaton .

The audience was i nt roduced i nto a large room,at one end of

wh ich hung crimson curta i ns . These cu rta i ns bei ng drawn as ide,

Maelzel rol led forward a box on castors . Beh i nd the box or

D g t zed by G

1 10 THE OLD A N D THE N EW M AGIC

second, to d isg ui se the noi se made by the concealed con federateas he sh i fte dh imsel f from one compartment to the other, as thevarious doors were opened and shut i n success ion . No machinecould possibly be constructed to imi tate the human mind whenengaged in‘ playing chess , or any other mental operat ion wherethe i ndeterminate enters and wh ich requ i res knowledge and

reflect ion . But the majori ty of people who saw the automatondid not real i ze th is fact , and pronounced i t a pure mach ineS ig nor Bl i tz , the conj urer, who was i nt imate w i th M aelzel,

having frequent ly given entertainments i n conjunct ion w i th h im ,

waspossessed of the secret of the Turk . In h i s memoi rs , he says“

The Chess Player was i ngen iously constructed—a perfect counterpa rt of a magic ian ’s t rick - table w i th a vari ety of part i t ionsand doors , wh ich , wh i le they removed every poss ible appearanceof decept ion , only produced greater mystery , and prov ided moresecuri ty to the i nvi s ible player . The drawers and closets wereso arranged as to enable h im to change h i s pos i t ion accord ingto ci rcumstances : at one moment he would be i n th is compartment ; the next inthat : then i n the body of the TurHe says th i s concealed ass i stant was named Schlumberger.

, ,This explanat ion i s ver ified by Professor Al len ,* who was

very intimate w i th M aelzel.

W i l l iam Schlumberger was a nat i ve of Alsace, a remarkablechess expert and l ingu i st . M aelzel picked h im up in the Café dela Regence, Pari s , where he eked out a meagre l i v ing as a teachero f chess .Occasional ly , Sch lumberger would over- i ndulge i n w i ne , and

as a resul t would be beaten , wh i l e act ing as the mot i ve power ofthe Turk .

“On one occasion ,” says Professor Al len , “ just asMaelzel was bringing the Turk out from beh ind the curta in , astrange noise was heard to proceed from h i s i nter ior organ izat i on . someth ing between a ratt l e, a cough , and a sneeze . Mael~

zel pushed back h is al ly in evident alarm , but present ly broughth im forward again , and went on w i th the exh ibi t ion as i f noth inghad happened .

*Fiske's Book of tlic Fi rst Ameri can Chess Congress, N ew York. 1859.

Pp. 420- 484

THE ROM A N CE OF AUTOM ATA I I I

Schlumberger not on ly acted as confederate. but served h isemployer as secretary and clerk .

Edgar Al len Poe, who wrote an expose o f the automatonwhen i t v i s i ted Richmond. remarked : “There i s a man . Sehlumberger, who attends h im (Maelzel) wherever he goes , but whohas no ostens ibl e occupat ion other than that of ass i st ing i n packing and unpacking of the automa ton . Whether he pro fessesto play chess or not , we are not in formed . I t is qu i te certa in .

however, that he i s never to be see nduring the exhibi t ion of theChess Player , al though frequently v i s ible j ust before and afterthe exh ib i t ion . Moreover, some years ago Maelzel v is i ted Rich ~

mond w i th h is automa ton . Sch lumberger was suddenly takeni l l

,and duri ng h is i l lness there was no exh ibi t ion of the Chess

Player . These facts are wel l known to many of our ci t i ze ns . Thereason ass igned for the suspens ion o f the Chess Player’s performances was not the i l lness of S chlumberger. The in ferencesfrom al l th is we l eave , w i thout further comment . to the reader .”Edgar Al len Poe , the apost l e of mystery, certa in ly h i t the na i l

on the head here, and sol ved the problem of the automaton .

The Chess Player had the honor o f defeat ing Napoleon theGreat—“ the V ictor i n a hundred ba tt l es. ” Thi s was i n the year1809, when Maelzel. by vi rtue o f h is o ffice as Mechan ic ian tothe Court of Austri a . was occupying some port ion o f the Palaceo f Schonbrunn , “

when Napoleon chose to make the same bui lding h i s headquarters during the Wagram campaign .

” A man bythe name of Al lgai er was the concealed ass i stan t on th i s occas ion .

Napoleon was better versed in the art of manmu vring humankings , queens , prelates and pawns on the great chess - boards o fdiplomacy and batt l e than moving i vory chessmen on a pa intedtable- top .

M aelzel. i n add it ion to the Chess Player , exh ibi ted h is owni nvent ions , wh ich were real ly a utomatons , al so the famous panorama, “The Burn ing of Moscow.

” After a splend i d tourthroughout the States . he went to Ila vana ,

Cuba, wh ere poor

Schlumberger d ied o f yel low fever. On the retu rn t ri p M aelzel

h imsel f ( l i ed . and was buried at sea . This wa s i n 1838.

The famous Turk , w i th other of M aelzel's ef fects. was so ld

1 12 THE OLD AND THE N EW M AGIC

at publ ic auct ion i n Phi ladelph ia . The automaton was bought byDr. J . K . Mitchel l , reconst ructed , and pri vately exh ibi ted by himfor the amusement of h i s friends . Final ly i t was depos i ted in theCh inese Museum , where i t remained for fourteen years . w i th thedust accumulat ing upon i t . Here the Chess Player reste d fromhis labors , a superannuated . broken down pens ioner , dreaming, i fautomatons can dream , of h i s pa st adventures , unt i l the yea r 1854 .

On July 5of that yea r a great fire destroyed the Museum , and theTurbaned Turk was burnt to ashes . Better such a fate than rott i ng to pi eces i n the cel lar of some old warehouse , forgotte nandabandoned .

Robert - Houdin , i n h i s autobiography, tel l s a most romanticstory about the Chess Player, the accuracy o f wh ich has beenseriously doubted . He al so makes severa l errors concern ing itscareer and that of M aelzel. R . Shel ton Mackenz ie , who t ranslated Houdin’

s l i fe ca l l s atte nt ion to these m istakes inh i s preface to that work .

“Thi s remarkabl e piece of mechan i smwas const ru cted in 1 769, and not i n 1 796 ; i t was the EmpressMari a - Theresa of Austria who played w i th i t , and not CatherineI I of Russ ia . M . M aelzel

’

s death was i n 1838, on the voyagefrom Cuba to theUn i ted States , and not . as M . Houdin says , onh i s return to France ; and the automaton , so far from being takenba ck to France was sold at auct ion here [Phi ladelph ia] , where i twas consumed m the great fire of July 5.

I bel i eve that the t rue h istory of the Chess Player i s relatedby Prof. George Al len , of the Un ivers i ty of Pennsyl van i a, inFiske’s Book of the first Ameri can Chess Congress, N . Y . ,

1859, pp . 420 484.

Now for Houdin’

s enterta in ing story of the Chess P layer. Inthe yea r 1 796, a revol t broke out i n a hal f- Russ ian , hal f- Pol ishregiment stat ioned at R iga , capi tal o f Li von ia , Russia. At thehead of the rebels was an officer named Worou sky , a man oftalent and energy . He was of short stature. but wel l bu i l t . Therevolut ion ists were defeated i n a pi tched batt l e and put to fl ight

,I I4 THE OLD A N D THE N EW M AGIC

i t t raveled , thereby secret ly conveying Worou sky th ither. TheChess Player was set up in the l ibrary , and at the appointed hourCatherine I I , fol lowed by a numerous suite, e ntered and took herplace at the chess- board . The members of the Court took thei rplaces beh ind the Empress . Kempelen never al lowed anyone topass beh ind the automaton , and would not consent to begin thegame t i l l al l the Spectators were in front of the board .

“The chest and the Turk ’s body were then examined , andwhen al l were perfectly convinced they contained noth ing butclockwork , the game began . I t proceeded for some t ime in perfeet s i l ence

,but Catherine’s frowning brow speed i ly revealed that

the automaton was not very gal lant towards her, and ful ly deserved the reputat ion i t had gaine d. The sk i l l ful Mussulman

. captured a bishop and a kn ight , and the game wa s turn ing much. to the d isadvantage of the lady, when the Turk, suddenly forgett i ng hi s d ign ified grav i ty, ga ve a violent blow on h i s cush ion , andpushed back a piece his adversary had just moved .

“Catherine I I had attempted to cheat ; perhaps’ to t ry the ski l lof the automaton , or for some other reason . At any rate thehaughty empress

,unw i l l ing to confess her weakness , replaced the

p iece on the same square,and regarded the automaton w i th an ai r

o f imperious authori ty. The resul t was most unexpected—theTurk upset al l the pi eces w i th a blow of h is hand , and immediately the clock work, wh ich had bee n heard during the “

wholegame

,stopped . I t seemed as i f the mach inery had got out of

repai r. Pale and trembl ing, M . de Kempelen, recogni z ing inth is \Vorousky ’

s impetuous temper , awa i ted the issue of th isconfl i ct between the insurgent and h is sovereign.

‘Ah,ah ! my good automaton ! your manners are rather

rough,

’ the Empress said,good h umoredly ,

not sorry to see agame she had smal l chance of w inn ing end thus . ‘

Oh l you area famous player, I grant ; but you were afraid of los ing the game ,and so prudent ly upset the pieces . Wel l . I am now qui te convinced of your ski l l and your v iolent cha racter . ’

“M . de Kempelen began to brea the again , and regain ing cou rage

,t ried to remove the u nfavorable impression wh i ch the l i tt l e

THE ROM A N CE OF AUTOM ATA I IS

respect shown by the automaton must have produced . Hence hesa id , humbly :

‘W i l l your majesty al low me to o f fer an explanat ion of whathas just happened ?’

‘By no means, M . de Kempelen ,’ Catherine said , heart i ly ,‘

by no means ; on the contrary , I find i t most amusing, and yourautomaton pleases me so much that I w i sh to purchase i t . I shal lthus always have near me a player, some what qu ick perhaps, butyet able to hold h i s own. You can leave i t here tonight

,and

come tomorrow morn ing to arrange the pri ce. ’“There i s strong reason to bel ieve that Catherine w i shed to

commit an ind iscret ion when she evinced a desi re that the figureshould remain at the palace t i l l next morning. Fortunately, theski l l fu l mechan ic ian managed to baff le her femin ine curios i ty bycarrying “forousky off i n the big chest . The automaton re

mained in the l ibrary, but the player was no longer there.“The next day Catherine renewed her proposi t ion to purchase

the Chess Player, but Kempelenmade her understand that , as thefigure could not perform w i thout h im , he could not possibly sel li t. The empress al lowed the j ust ice of these arguments ; and ,wh i l e compl iment ing the mechan ic ian on hi s invent ion . made h ima handsome present .

“Three months after the automaton was i n England,under

the management of Mr . Anthon to whom Kempelen had sold i t .I know not i f Worou sky was st i l l attached to i t , but I fancy so,ow ing to the immense success the Chess Player met w i th . Mr.Anthon v isi te d the whole of Europe , always meet ing w i th thesame success ; but , at h is death , the celebrated automaton waspurchased by M aelzel, who embarked w i th i t for New York . I twas then, probably , Worousky took leave of h is hospi table Turk ,for the automaton was not nearly so successful in America .After exhibi t ing h is mechan ical trumpeter and Chess Player forsome t ime

, M aelzel set out again for France , but died on thepassage, of an attack of indigest ion . His hei rs sold h is apparatus

,and thus Cronier obtained h is precious rel ic.” The Chess

Player caused the greatest amount of d iscussion i n i ts t ime. Atthe sol ic i tat ion of a lead ing thea tri cal manager of Paris, Houdin

1 16 THE A N D THE N EW name

arranged the trick for a melodrama . i n which Ca therine I I o fRuss ia was one o f the characters.

I now come to the celebrated invent ions of Maskelyne whichwere exhibi ted at Egypt ian Hal l

,London Fi rst on the l ist

comes the automaton wh ist player, “ Psycho , wh ich far exceeds

1. N . Ma sxsw u z

the Chess Player of Von Kempelen i n ingen ious construct ion .

I ts secret has never been d i vulged .

Says the Encyclopedi a Bri tannica : In 1875Maskelyne andCooke produced at the Egyptian Hal l , i n London , an automatonwh ist player, ‘Psycho ,

’

wh ich from the manner i n wh ich i t i splaced upon the stage, appears to be perfect ly isolated from any

1 18 THE OLD AN D THE N EW M AGIC

and the hand w i l l move along the cards ; by sl ightly rais ing itth is mot ion w i l l be arrested ; by raising i t st i l l more the pin ,i s released

,and M commences to revolve, and by again depress ing

N th i s wheel w i l l , i n i ts turn , be stopped. Near the bottom ofthe apparatus i s a bel lows , O ,

wh i ch contains a spring tendingto keep the lever, N , w i th which i t i s connected by a rod, X , i n

FIGS . t a , i h .

the pos i t ion shown . This i s connected w i th the tubular support ,wh ich may be connected by a tube through the l eg of the stool ,and another tube beneath the stage, w i th an assi stant beh ind thescenes . By compress ing or exhaust ing ai r through th is tube i ti s obvious that the lever, N , w i l l be raise dor depressed , and theclockwork set going accord ingly. 0 i s a crank - pin set i n M , andconnected w ith the head by catgut

,T

,and w i th the thumb by

S . At R and R are two pul ley s connected by gut . . Thus i f the

THE ROM A N CE OF AUTOMATA 1 19

band moves round , the head appears to fol low i ts mot ions , andwhen raised by pul l ing S, the head ri ses also by means of T .

Further explanat ion seems almost unnecessary ; I i s a stop toprevent the elbow moving too far , and b b spi ral springs , to keepthe thumb open and the head forward respect i vely. When Ni s ra i sed , M pul l s T and S , the latter clos ing the thumb , and thenra is i ng the arm by pul ley H . I f the lever i s al lowed to drop,{1 wi l l catch and keep the arm up . On again raising N , the armw i l l descend .

I n add i t ion to the above contri vance , we have i n Figs . 2 and3 another and s impler arrangement , in wh ich only one t rain ofclockwork i s used . On the same axle as H i s fixed a lever andweight . W , to balance the arm . A vert i cal rod , X , hav ing aproj ect ion , Z , sl ides up and down in g uides, Y Y , and carri es theca tgu t , S and T . The quadrant . B , has cogs cut , between wh ichZ s l ides and stops the mot ion of A , wh ich i s moved , as before ,by clockwork . The lower part o f X i s connected d i rect ly w i thO . \Vhen X i s s l ight ly raised , as shown , A is free to move , buton exhaust ing the a i r and drawi ng X down . 2 enters the cogsand stops the hand over a card ; cont inu ing to exhaust , the thumbcloses and the card i s l i fted up.” The detai ls o f the clockworkthe originator of th issol ut ion omits to give . He says thereshou ld be a fan on ea ch t rain to regulate the spee d. The figu reshould be so placed that an ass i stant can see the cards in thesemi - c i rcular rack Fig. 4 .

One of Maskelyne’s best mechan ical tr icks i s the Spi r i t M u

s ic - Box ,” for an exposé o f wh ich I am indebted to my fri endMr. Henry V . A . Parsel l o f N ew York C i ty , a lover o f the artof magi c . The construct i on o f th i s novel piece of apparatus w i l la ff ord a clue to many al leged medi umist i c performances . Prof essor Parsons . of New Haven. Conn . , i s the owner of the box ,reproduced i n the i l l ustrat ion . Says Mr. Parsel l

“A sheet of plate glass i s exh ibi ted freely to the aud i e nce andproved to conta in no electri c w i res or mechanism . This glassplate i s then suspended hori zontallv i n the center o f the stage byfour cords hooked to i ts corners . An ord inary look ing musicbox i s then brought in by the ass i stant . I t i s opened , so that

1 20 THE OLD AN D THE N EW M AGIC

the aud ience can see the usual mechan ism w i th i n . The musi cbox is now placed on the glass plate and the performer comesdown among the Spectators . Notw i thstand ing the isolat ion ofthe box the command of the per former su fli ces to cause i t toplay

,or cease

,i n obed ience to h is w i l l . I t matters not in what

part o f the room the conjurer goes—hi s word i s enough to makes i lence or harmony i ssue from the box , always beginn ing wherei t l eft of f and never sk ipp ing a note . The simpl e cause of thismarvelous ef fect l ies i n the mechan ism of the box and in i tsmode of suspens ion .

Tm: SPIRIT MUS IC Box.

A smal l mus i c box o f th i s k ind i s shown i n Fig. 5. The boxi s seen wi th i ts mechan ism removed and rest ing upon i t . In add i t ion to the usual cyl i nder , comb and wheel -work , there i s adevice for start ing and stopping the box when i t i s t i l ted s l ightlyendw i se. Thi s cons i sts of a l igh t shaft del i cately pivoted andcarrying at one end a lead weight (seen j ust i n front of thecyl inder) , and at t he other end an arm of l ight wi re whose farend i s bent down so as to engage the fly of the wheel - work . InFig. 5the mechan i sm i s t i lted so that the w i re arm i s rai sed ; thefly is now free to revolve and the box plays .

“A front v iew of the mechani sm i s shown i n Fig. 6. Herethe arm is down , arrest ing the mot ion of the fly and producing


Maskelyne was ca l led as an expert w i tness in the trial of theimpostor, Dr. Henry Slade, and performed i n the w i tness - boxal l o f the med ium’s “

S late tes ts ,” to the great aston ishment of theCourt . As a consequence of these revelat ions, Dr. Slade wassentenced to three months in jai l , but he escaped imprisonmentow i ng to legal techn ical i t i es i nterposed by h is attorneys, and fledto the Cont inent . Mr. Maskelyne has w ri tten a clever exposeof gambl ing devices, ent i t led , Sha rps and Fla ts, and variousmagaz i ne art i cles on conjuring.

In the year 1904 , he and Mr. Cooke moved thei r show toSt . George’s Hal l , hav ing outgrown the old quarters at Egypt ianHal l . S ince that t ime Mr. Cooke died at an advanced age. Associ a ted w i th M r. Maskelyne and h i s son i s Da vid Devant , agood sleight o f hand performer.

ROBERT- HOUD IN—CONJURER , AUTHOR AND

AMBASSADOR .

“Robert -Hou din was a man of remarkab le ingenu i ty and insi gh t . His

au tob iography is th rou ghou t interest ing and psycholog i ca l ly va lu able, and

h is conj u ring precepts abound in points of importance to the psycholog ist .”Josa pn JAsraow :

“

Fact and Fable in Psychology .

"

“To Robert-Hou din I f eel I owe a doub le debt ; first, for th e grea t sa t i s

f act ion I h ave h ad in su ch sl igh t sk i l l as I have acqu ired in h i s art, and,

secondly , for such an insi gh t into i ts underly ing principles as to keep meclear of all danger f rom evanescent delusions wh ich fol low one anoth er inf ash ion.

—BRA NDER MATTa aws:“Books tha t have helped me.

”

Nost radamus i s sa i d to have constructed a magic mi rror ofgreat power . In i ts sh in ing surface, he conj ured up many re

markable v i s ions . But I know of a more wonderful w i zard ’sglass than that o f the French necromancer. I t i s the “mirrorof the m ind”—that mystery of mysteries . I am able, at w i l l ,to evoke i n i t a phantasmagoria o f the past . I need no aid fromcaba l i st i c spel ls

,no burn ing of incense . Presto —a picture ap

pears rad iant w i th l ight and l i fe. I see a wainscoted room ina qua i nt old mans ion . Logs are ablaze on the hea rthstone. Aboy i s ensconced in the deep embrasure of the w i ndow. He i simmersed in a book , and ent i rely obl i v ious of the scene w i thout ,where the Snow King is busy laying a wh i te pal l upon thefrozen earth . Snow flakes l ike whi te butterfl ies skim h i ther andth i ther. The w i nd rumbles mourn ful ly in the ch imneys l ike alost sp i r i t . I t i s the w i tch ing Christmas Tide, when of old theMagi l ed by the burn ing star ( the wei rd pentagram of the In it i a tes) came from afar to v is i t the low ly cradl e o f the Nazarene

1 24 THE ow A N D THE N EW MAGIC

ch i ld . Beaut i ful old legend ! I t st i l l haunts these later years o fmine, breath ing joy and peace i neff able ; for i s i t not an al legoryof the search for, and the d iscovery o f, the Lost Word of theAdepts o f the Temples—the word that sign ifies eternal l i fe?

Let us take a peep over the reader ’s shoulder,at the volume

i n h i s hand . I t i s the autobiography of “ Robert - Houdin,con

jurer, author, and ambassador.” And the reader i s mysel f. 0

van ished years of boyhood : you st i l l l i ve i n the magi c mi rror ofmemory ! And int imately assoc i ated w i th those years i s the myst ic book of Robert - Houd in . Can I ever forget the enjoyment Ihad i n poring over the faded yel low l eaves ‘of that fascinat i ngwork ? Happy the youth who early d ips into i t s golden pages .The Arabian N ights forms a fitt ing prologu e to i t . I fol lowedHoud in i n the Conjurer’s Caravan ; rejoiced i n h i s successes atthe Pala i s Royal ; and i n far-of f Algeri a , watched h im exhibi t ingh i s magic feats before the Marabouts.Speak ing of th i s autobiography

,Professor Brander Matthews

of Columbia Col lege, New York , says : “These Confidences ofa Prest idig i ta teu r are worthy o f comparison w i th al l but the verybest a utobiograph ies—i f not w i th Cellini ’s and Frank l in ’s , atleas t w i th Cibber’

s and Goldoni ’s. Robert -Houdin’

s l i fe of h imsel f, qui te as wel l as any of the others , would j ust i fy Longfel low ’ sassert ion that ‘autob iography i s what biography ought to be.

’

In my humble opi n ion Houdin’

s autobiography i s worthy tobe classed w i th the best , even that of Cel l i n i and Frankl in ; yes ,even w i th Chateaubriand ’s superb M emori es beyond the Tomb.

It i s repl ete w i th interest ing i n format ion about old t ime necromancers; const ructors of automata good stories of contemporarymagi ci ans ; expose’ s of Marabout mi racles ; and last , but not l east ,the fasci nat ing adventures of Houd in h imsel f , - the a rchmasterof modern magic. I t bears the stamp of truth on every page ,and Should be placed i n the hands of al l students of psychologyand pedagogy. His Trickeries of the Greeks, an expose' ofgambl ing dev ices . i s al so an i nterest ing work and should be readi n conj unct ion w i th h i s S tage M ag i c and Conjnring and M ag ic.

The Confidences end w i th Hou din’

s ret i rement from the stageto h i s v i l la at St . Gervai s , near Blois . The book on Conj uring

1 26 THE OLD AN D THE N Ew M AGIC

sessor of a considerable fortune, l ived i n one of those splend i dhouses which surround the square wh ich has been cal led Roy ale,or des Vosges, accord ing to the color of the flag of ourmastersof the t ime being. I mysel f l i ved in a humble lodging in theRue de Vendome, i n the Marais, but the w i de d isproport ion inthe style of ou r respect i ve dwel l ing- places d id not prevent thenobleman and the art ist from address ing ea ch other as ‘my dea rneighbor,’ or sometimes even as ‘my dear friend .

’

Houdin'sM ag ic Clock.

” The cu t represents the ma g ic clock invented by Robert -Hou din abou tsi xty y ears ago. Th is very remarkab le t ime-

p iece consists of a di a l composed of two j u xtaposed disks of g lass, one of wh ich i s sta t ionary and ca rri es

t he hou rs, wh i le the other is movable and serves for the mot ion of the h ands.

Th is la tter d isk is provi ded w i th a wheel or ra ther a toothed ring concea ledw i th in t he meta l l ic ring forming a di a l . The g lass col umn wh ich const i tu testhe body of the p iece is formed of two tubes wh ich opera te according to the

princi p le of the d i a l , th a t i s to say , one i s sta t ionary and the other movable.

To each of the extrem i t ies of the la t ter is fixed a wheel . These wh eels gea rwi th transm ission p inions wh ich communica te, one of th em a t the top w i th themovable p la te of g lass of the di a l , and the other a t the bot tom w i th th e movement p la ced in t he wooden base wh ich su pports the g lass shade covering theclock. A ll these concea led transm issions a re arranged in a most sk i l l f u lmanner, and complete the i l lusion. The movab le g lass of th e dia l , carrieda long by the col umn, actu a tes a sma l l di a l - tra in mounted in the th ickness o fthe sta t iona ry g lass, and wi th in an extremely na rrow space in the center ofthe d i a l . It is covered by t he sma l l h and and i s consequ ently invisib le. Theh ands are very easi ly actu a ted by i t on account of th eir extreme l igh tnessand perfect equ i l ibri um.

”-Sci ent i ti c Ameri can, N . Y.

ROBERT- HOUDIN I27

My nei ghbor then bei ng, as I have just stated , warmly interested in my projects, was constant ly talk ing of them ; and inorder to gi ve me opportun i t i es of pract ice in my future profess ion , and to enable me to acqu i re that confidence i n which I wasthen want ing, he frequent ly i nvi ted me to pass the even ing inthe company of a f ew fri ends of h is own, whom I was del ightedto amuse wi th my feats of dexteri ty . I t wasafter a dinner givenby M . de l’Esca lopier to the Archbishop of Paris , MonseigneurA ff re, w i th whom he was on int imate terms, that I had the honoro f being presented to the reverend prelate as a mechanician andfuture magic ian

, and that I performed before h im a select ion ofthe best of my experiments.

“At that period—I don ’ t say i t i n order to grat i fy a retrospect i ve vani ty—my ski l l i n sleight o f hand was of a h igh order.I am warranted in th is bel ief by the fact that my numerousaudi ences exh ibi ted the grea test wonderment at my performance,and that the Archbishop h imsel f paid me, in h is own handwri ting

,a compl iment wh ich I can not refrain from here relat ing.

“ I had reserved for the last i tem of my programme a trickwhich , to use a fami l i ar express ion , I had at my fingers ’ ends.In eff ect i t was short ly as fol lows —After having requested thespectators careful ly to examine a large envelope seal ed on al ls ides , I handed i t to the Archbishop’s Grand Vicar, begging h imto keep i t i n h is own possession . Next , hand ing to the prelateh imsel f a smal l sl ip o f paper, I requested h im to wri te thereon ,secret ly, a sentence, or whatever he might choose to th ink of ;the paper was then folded in four, and (apparent ly ) burnt. Butscarcely was i t consumed and the ashes scattered to the w i nds ,than , hand ing the envelope to the Archbishop, I requested h imto open i t . The first envelope being removed a second wasfound , sea led in l ike manner ; then another , unt i l a dozen en

velopes, one ins ide another, had been Opened , the last contain ingthe scrap of paper restored intact . I t was passed from handto hand , and each read as fol lows

‘Though I do not cla im to be a prophet,I venture to pre

d ict, s i r, that you w i l l ach i eve bri l l i ant success i n your futurecareer?

1 28 THE OLD AND THE N EW MAGIC

I begged Monse igneur A ff re’s permission to keep the autograph inquest ion , wh ich he very graciously gave me.”Poor Archbishop A fi re ; he was ki l led at the barri cades i n

the Revolut ion of 1848. Though he con fessed that he was noprophet , yet h is predict ion was fulfi l led to the letter. Houdi nbecame the foremost conjurer of h i s age, of any age in fact , andhas left to poster i ty more than a name —h i s fasc inat ing memoi rs

,

and severa l works in which the psychology o f decept ion is trea tedin a masterly manner. The sl ip of paper given to h im by theArchbishop he preserved as a rel igious rel i c . “ I kept i t ,” hesaid , “ i n a secret corner of my pocket - book wh ich I always carried about my person . During my travels i n Algeria I had themis fort une to lose both th is pocket - book and the precious objecti t contained .

”

After the séance recorded above, the Count de l’Escalopierurged Houd in cont inual ly to abandon the watchmaking andmechan ical - toy trade and go on the stage as a prest i d igi tateur.Final ly Houdin con fessed h is inabi l i ty to do so, ow ing to lackof means , where upon the kind - hea rted nobleman exclaimed :“

Mon char ami,I have at home, at th is very moment , ten thou

sand francs or so , wh ich I real ly don’t know what to do w i th .

Do me the favor to borrow them for an i ndefi n ite period : youw i l l be doing me an actual serv ice.But Houdin would not accept the off er , for he was loth to

r i sk a friend ’s money in a thea tri cal speculat ion . The Count ina state of pique left the shop and did not return for many days .The nhe rushed exci tedly into the workroom , sank upon a chai r,and excla imed

“My dear neighbor, s i nce you are determined not to accept afavor from me , I have now come to beg one of you . This i s thestatus o f the case. For the last year my desk has been robbedfrom t ime to t ime of very considerabl e sums of money. In vainhave I endeavored to ascertai n the th ief. I have sent away myservants . one after another. I have had the place watched ,changed the locks

,and placed secret fasten ings on the doors , but

none of these safegu ards and preca ut ions have foi l ed the cunn ingof the miscrea nt . Thi s very morning a couple of thousand franc

r30 THE ow AN D m e new MAGIC

my fam i ly by inadvertence, or through some fata l m istake, shou l dfall a. v ict im to our stern precaut ions ; and then

“You are qui te right 2” sa id Houdin .

“ I had not thought ofthose object ions . I was ca rri ed away by my enthus iasm as aninventor. You are qu i te r ight ! I w i l l a l ter the apparatus atonce.”In the place of the branding contri vance, he inserted a k ind

of cat’s - claw, wh ich would make a sl ight scratch on the handa mere superfic ial wound, read i ly healed . The Count was satisfied w i th the al terat ion , and the apparatus was secret ly fixedto the desk in the nobleman ’s bed - room .

I n order to st imulate the cupid i ty of the robber, the Countdrew considerable money from h is bankers . He even made apretence of leaving Paris on a trip to a short d istance. But thebai t did not take. Sixteen day s passed away. The Cou nt hadalmost despa i red of ca tch ing the culpri t , when one morn ing wh i lereading i n h is l ibrary, wh ich was some l it tle d istance from thebed - room , he heard the report of a pistol .

“Ah,

” he excla imed , exci ted ly.

“The robber at last. P i cking up the first weapon to hand , a batt le axe from a stand ofancestral armor near by , he ran qu ickly to the bed - room . Th erestood h is t rusted valet , Bernard, who had been i n his householdfor many years .

“What are you doing here?” asked the Count .W i th great coolness and audaci ty , Bernard explained that

he had been brought th i ther by the noise of the explos ion , andhad just seen a man making h is esca pe down the back sta i rs .The Count rushed down the sta i rs only to find the door locked .

A frightfu l thought overcame h im :“Could Bernard be the

th ief He returned to the bed - room . The valet, he not iced,kept h is right hand behind h im . The Count dragged i t forciblyi n s ight, and saw that i t was covered w i th blood .

“ In famous scoundrel !” said the nobleman , as he flung theman from him in d isgust .

“Mercy, mercy !” cried the criminal , fal l ing uponh is knees .

ROBERT- HOUD IN 131

How long have you been robbing me?” asked the Count,stern ly.

“For nearly two years .And how much have you takenI cannot tel l exact ly. Perhaps francs , or there

abou ts.”“We w i l l cal l i t francs. You may keep the rest .

What have you done w i th the money?”“ I have i nvested i t i n Government stock. The scrip i s i n my

desk .

The th i ef y ielded up the securi t i es to the amount of fi fteenthousand francs , and wrote a con fess ion of h is gu i l t , wh ich hesigned in the presence of a w i tness. The k ind - hea rted nobleman ,bidd ing the valet repent of h is crime, forthw i th d ismissed himfrom his employ, agreeing not to prosecute h im provided he ledan honest l i fe. One year from that date, the wretched Bernarddied . Remorse hastened h i s end .

M . de l’Esca lopi er took the money thus recovered to Houdin ,saying : I do h0pe , my dear friend , that you w i l l no longerrefuse me the plea sure of lending you th i s sum , wh ich I owe

ent i rely to your ingenu ity and mechanica l sk i l l . Take it , retumi t to me just when you l ike, w i th the understand ing that i t i s tobe repa id only out of the profits of your theatre.”

Overcome by emot ion at the generosi ty of h is benefactor,Houdin embraced the Count . “ This embrace ,” he says , “

was theonly securi ty wh ich M . de l’Esca lopierwould accept from me.”Th is was the turn ing poin t of the conjurer’s l i fe. “ I t i s an

i l l w i nd that blows nobody good .

”

W i th th is money Houd in w i thout further delay bu i l t i n thePala i s Royal a l i tt le theatre. “The gal ler ies wh ich surround thegarden o f the Pala is Royal are d iv ided,

” says Houdin,i nto

success i ve arches , occupied by shops. Above these arches thereare, on the fi rst floor, spacious su i tes of apartments, used aspubl ic assembly rooms, clubs , cafe's, etc. I t was i n the spaceoccupied by one o f these su i tes , at No. 164 of the Rue de Valois,


that I bui l t my theatre, which extended , i n wi dth, over three ofthe above- ment ioned arches ; and i n length the d i stance betweenthe ga rden of the Palais Royal and the Rue de Valoi s , or, i nother words , the whole depth of the bu i ld ing.

” The dimensionsof this min iature theatre were very l im i ted . I t would not seatover two hundred people. Though the seats were f ew i n number,thei r prices were tolerably h igh . Chi ldren were paid for asgrown persons.The Palai s Royal was formerly the residence of Card inal

Richel ieu , the “Red Duke, and afterwards became the homeof the Orle'ans fami ly. The Regent d'Orléans, i n the reign ofLou is XV , experimented w i th magic mi rrors in th i s bu i ld ing.

I t was i n the Pala i s Royal that the French Revolut ion was

hatched . Could a more favorable place have been selected inwhi ch to start a revolut ion in conj uring? I th ink not.The fol low ing i s the announcement of Hou din’

s first performance, which appeared on the bi l l - boards of Paris

Aujourd'hui Jeud i , 3 J'ui l letPremiere Re presenta t ion

oes

Soirées Fantast iquesde

Robert - Houdin .

On th is day, says Houdin , by a strange coincidence, theH ippodrome and the ‘Fantast ic Soi re’ es’ of Robert -Houdin , thelargest and smal lest stage i n Pa ris, were opened to the publ ic .The 3d of July, 1845, saw two bi l l s placarded on the wal ls ofParis ; one enormous belonging to the H ippodrome, wh i l e theother of far more modest proport ions, announced my performances. St i l l as i n the fable of the reed and the oak , the largetheatre

,in spi te of the sk i l l o f the managers , has undergone

many changes of fortune ; wh i le the smal ler one has cont i nual lyenjoyed the publ i c favor. I have sacredly kept a proof o f myfirst bi l l

,the form and color of whi ch have always remained the

same s ince that date. I copy i t word for word here , both to


being related to the fami ly of Robert le D ia ble. The lead ingi l lustrated journals sent art i sts to draw pictures of h is stage.Houdin found t ime, amid al l h i s labors , to ed i t a l i tt le paperwh ich he cal led Cagliostro, ful l of bonma ts and pleasartries, tosay noth ing of carto ons . Copies of th is pet i t journal pour f ire

were d istributed among the spectators at each performance.As each theatrical . season ope ned , Houdin had some new

marvel to present to his aud iences . I l i s maxims were : “ I t i smore di fficult to support admirat ion than to exci te i t . “Thefash ion an art ist enjoys can only last as long as h i s tal ent dai lyincreases . ” Houdin had but f ew , i f any . ri vals i n h is day. Histricks were al l new , or so improved as to appear new. He swepteveryth ing before h im . \Vhe n he went to London for a prolonged engagement . Anderson . the “Wi zard of the North ," whowas a great fa vorite w i th the publ ic. ret i red into the Provincesw i th h is ant ique repertoi re . What had the Engl ish conjurer too f f er alongside of such unique novelt ies as the Second S igh t ,Aeri a l S uspension, 1ne.rhanst ibte Bot tle, M ysterious Portf olio,Crysta l Cash Box, Shower of Gold, Ligh t and Hea vy Chest ,

Orange Tree, the Crysta t Clock, and the automaton figures Anrioland D ebu rea u ,

the Pastry C001: of the Pala isRoya l, etc . , etc.

Jean - Eugene Robert (Houd in ) was born on December 6,

1805, i n the quaint old city o f Blo i s, the bi rth - place of LouisX I I . and o f Papin , the inventor of the stea m eng ine. Napoleonwas at the zen i th o f h is fame , and had just fought the bloodybattl e of Austerl i tz .

Lucki ly for the subject of th is sketch . he was born too lateto serve as food f or powder. He l i ved to grow to man ’s estateand honorabl e old age. and became the veri table Napoleon ofnecromancy. His career makes f a sc inat ing read ing. Houdin

’

s

father was a watchmaker. and from him he inheri ted h is remarkable mechan ical gen ius . At the a ge o f eleven . Jean - Eugene wassent to col lege at Orleans. On the complet ion of h is studies

,he

entered a notary’s o ffi ce at Blois. but spent most of h is t ime i avent ing l i tt le mechan ical toys and devices

,instead of engrossing

ROBERT - HOUDIN 135

dusty parchment , so the notary advised h im to abandon the ideao f becoming a lawyer and take up a mechan ical trade. IIoudin

joyful ly took up h is father's occupat ion o f wa tchmak ing, f or

wh ich he had a dec ided bent . One evening the young apprent icewent to a booksel ler's shop in Bloi s and a sked for a work onhorology by Berthoud . The shopman by mistake handed h im acouple of odd volumes o f the E ncycloped ic, wh ich somewhat resemble dBerthoud's book . Jean - Eugene we nt home to h is att i c ,l i t a candle , and prepared to devote an even ing to hard study , butjudge of hi s surprise to find that the supposed treat ise on watchmak ing was a work on natural magi c and prest id igi tat ion , underthe head of sci ent ific amusements . He was del ighte d at therevelat ions contained i n the myst i c volume , wh ich told how to

perform tricks w i th the ca rds , to cut off a pigeon’s hea d andrestore i t again . etc . , etc . Here was an i nt roduct ion to the NewArabian N ights of enchantment . He sle pt w i th the book underh is pi l low , and poss ibly drea med o f Africa n w i za rds , geni i , andal l sorts of incantat ions . This l i tt le i ncident brought about greatchanges in Houdin's l i fe. He secret lv vowed to become a prest idi g i ta teu r,

— a rol e forwh ich he was eminently fi tted , psychologi ca lly and phys ical ly. The principles o f sleight o f hand Houd inhad to create f or h imsel f, for the myst ic volume. though i t revealed the secrets o i the tr i cks. g a ve the neophyte no adequateidea o f the subt le passes and misd i rect ion requ i red to properlyexecute them .

Though an ardent devotee o f l egerdema in . Houdin d id notneglect h is trade of watchma ker. When h i s apprent icesh ip waso'ver

,he went to Tours as a journeyman . i n the shop of M .

Nori et,who afterwards became a noted sculptor. in the

employ of M . Noriet , Houdin was p oi soned by eat ing a ragou tcooked i n a stew pan i n wh ich there chanced to be verdigri s. Hewas very i l l , and hi s l i fe was saved w i th di fficul ty . Possessedwi th the idea that he was soon to die. he escaped one da y fromhis nurse and doctor and set ou t for Blois to bid adieu to h i sfami ly before he departed from th is sublu nary sphere. A mostsingu lar adventure befel l h im . wh ich rea ds l ike a romance.Those who bel ieve i n dest iny have here a cu riou s example o f i ts

136 THE OLD AN D THE N EW M AG1C

strange workings . The jolt ing of the lumbering old di l igencegave Houd in great pa in . He was burn ing w i th fever and del ir ious . W i thout any one knowi ng i t , he opened the door of therotonde

,i n which he happened to be the only passenger, and

leaped out on the h igh road , where he lay unconscious . Whenhe recovered his senses

,he found himsel f lying in a comfortable

bed. An unknown man w i th a phial of med icine i n h is handbent over h im . By the strangest luck , Houdin had fal l en intothe hands of a travel i ng conjurer named Torrin i , who wentabout the country i n a sort o f house on wheels , wh ich was drawnby a pai r of big Norman horses . Th is unique veh icle wh ich wassix yards i n lengt h could be converted into a min iature theatretw i ce i ts s ize by an ingen ious mechanical arrangement. The bodywas telescopic and could be drawn out , the project ion being supported by trest les . Torrin i early in l i fe had been a phys ician andwas able to tend h i s pat ient wi th i ntel l igence and ski l l . Findingthe young watchmaker a clever mechanic ian , Torrin i gave h imsome magica l automata to

i

repa i r, and Houdin was i ntroduced forthe first t ime to the l i tt le Harlequ i n that jumps out of a box andperforms various feats at the mandate of the conjurer. A del ight ful friendsh ipbegan between the watchmaker and thew i zard .

Torrin i , who was an expert wi th cards , i n i t iated Houd in into thesecrets of many clever tri cks performed w i th the pasteboards. Healso corrected h is pupi l ’s numerous mistakes in legerdemain , i ntowhich al l sel f- educated amateurs fal l . I t was a fascinat ing l i feled in th is conjurer’ s caravan . Bes ides Torrin i and Houdin therewasAntonio , the ass i stant , and man of a llwork. Torrin i relatedmany amusing adventures to h is young pupi l , wh ich the latter . hasrecorded in h is admirable autobiography. I t was he, the ci

de'u int, Comte de Gri sy who performed the famous watch trickbefore Pius VI I . and had so un ique revenge upon the Ch eval ierFinett i .Torrini

’

s son was accidental ly shot by a spectator in the guntrick during a performance at Strasburg, as has been explainedin the chapter on the “History of Natural Magic and Prest i digita t ion.

” Overcome w i th grief at the loss of h is only ch i ld andat the subsequent dea th of h i s w i fe, he abandoned the great c it ies

I38 ru n OLD A ND THE N EW MAGIC

ing at a key- board . Various ingen ious automata were actuatedby th i s means of transmitt ing motion .

”

Hou din’

s stage was very handsome. I t was a repl ica inmin iature of a salon of the Lou is XV . period— al l i n wh i te andgold—i l luminated by elegant candelabra and a chandel ier. Themagic table occupied the center of the room . This piece of furni tu re was flanked by l i tt l e guéridons . At the s ides were consoles , wi th about five inches o f gold fringe hanging f rom them,

and across the back of the apartment ran a broad shel f, uponwhich was displayed the various apparatus to be used i n theséances . “The consoles were noth ing more than shal low wooden

HOUDIN ’

s TRICK-TABLE.

boxes w i th openings through the s ide- scenes . The tops of theconsoles were perforated w i th traps . Any object wh ich the w i zard des i red to work off secretly to h i s con federate beh ind thescenes was placed on one of these traps and covered w i th a sheetof paper, pasteboard cover or a handkerch i ef. Touch ing a springcaused the art icle to fal l noiselessly through the trap upon cottonbatt ing, and rol l i nto the hand of the conjurer's concealed ass istant .”

Now for a f ew of the tricks of th i s class ic prest id igitateur.His greatest invent ion was the “ l ight and heavy chest . Spea king of th i s remarkable experiment he wrote : I do not th ink ,modesty apart , that I ever i nvented anyth ing so dari ngly ingenious .” The magic ian came forward w i th a l i tt le woodenbox,

ROBERT - HOUDIN 139

to the top of which was attached a metal handle. He addressedthe audience as fol lows : Ladi es and gentlemen, I have a cashbox which possesses strange propert ies . It becomes heavy orl ight at wi l l . I place in i t some banknotes for safekeeping and ‘

deposi t i t here on the ‘run - down ’ in s ight of al l . -Vi l l some gentleman test the l ightness of the box P"W’hen the volunteer had sat i sfied the audi ence that the box

could be l i fted w i th the l i tt le finger. Houdin executed some pretended mesmeric passes over i t . and bade the gentleman l i ft i t asecond t ime. But t ry as he might . the volunteer would prove nuequal to t he task . At a s ign from Houdin the box would be restored to i ts prist ine l ightness. This t rick was performed w i th apowerful electro-mag net w i th conduct ing w i res reach ing behindthe scenes to a battery . At a sig nal from the performer an operator turned on the electric current . and the box, wh ich had an i ronplate let i nto its bottom . covered w i th mahogany - colored paper,clung to the magnet wi th supernatural attract ion . In ‘the year1845, the phenomena of electro - magnet i sm were unknown tothe general publ ic, hence the spi ri t cash - box created themost extraord inary sensat ion . When the subject of electrici tybecame better known , Houdin made an addit ion to the featwh ich threw h is specta tors o ff the sce nt . After first havingshown the trick on the “ run - down . he hooked the box to oneend of a cord wh ich passed over a pul ley attached to the cei l ingof the hal l . A specta tor was requeste dto take hold o f the otherend o f the cord and keep the chest suspended .

“ Just at present . remarked the conjurer , the chest i s extremely l ight ; but as i t i s about to become, at my command . veryheavy

,I must ask five or si x other persons to help th is gent l eman ,

for fear the chest should l i ft h im of f h is feet .”No sooner was th i s done tha n the chest came heav i ly to the

ground,dragging along and somet imes l i ft ing off thei r feet al l

the spectators who were hold ing th e cord . The explanat ion i sth is : On a casual i nspect ion of the pulley and block everyth ingappears to indicate that . asstraight over the pul ley,

140 THE OLD AND m a NEW MAGIC

of the dotted l ines (Fig. I ) , wh ich , pa ssing through the blockand through the cei l ing, are attached on ei ther s ide to a doublepul ley fixed in the room above. To any one who has the mostelementary acquaintance w i th the laws of mechanics , i t w i l l beobvious that the strength of the person who holds the handle ofthe w i ndlass above i s mult ipl ied tenfold , and that he can easi lyovercome even the combined resistance of five or s ix spectators .The “Bust o f Socrates” was another favori te experiment w i th

Houdin . In th i s i l lus ion a l i v ing bust w i th the features of Socrates was suspended in the middl e of the stage w i thout v i s ible

Fi g . 1 .

Fig . 2. THE TALKING Bu sr.

support . The performer , habi ted as an Athen ian noble, addressedquest ions to the mut i lated phi losopher and recei ved repl i es instanzas of elegiac verse. The m isc en scene i s represented inFig. 2 . Houdin explains the i l lus ion as fol lows

“A

,B

,C,D

, (Fig. 3) represent a sect ion of the stage onwh ich the trick i s exhibi ted . A sheet of s i l vered glass , G, G, oc

cupy ing the whole w idth of the stage, i s placed in a d iagonal pos it ion , extend ing from the upper part of the stage at the rear, downto the footl ights , so as to form an angle of forty- five degreesw i ththe floor. In the center of the glass i s an opening through wh ich


was placed in a horizontal posi t io n. He remained in a perfectlyrigid att i tude wi th h i s head lean ing on h is arm , the top of the caneunder h is elbow .

This very ingen ious trick was suggested to Houdin on readingstories about the al leged lev itat ion of H indoo faki rs . Thewalk ing- st i ck that supported the right arm of the assi stant waso firon , painted to resemble wood . I t fitted into a slot in the stage ;i ts top connected w i th a bar concealed in the sleeve of the boy .

This bar formed part o f a strong steel framework worn under theass istant ’s cloth ing. Thus was the page S i tSpended i n the ai r.Houdin

’

s tri ck of the “ orange- tree” was a capital one. Thetree blossomed and bore fru i t at the command of the conjurer. Al lthe oranges were d istributed among the spectators except one onthe topmost branch o f the tree. In thi s orange the magiciancaused a handkerch ie f to appear , which had been previously borrowed. The handkerch ief wa smade to van ish from the hands ofthe performer. “Hey , presto !” the orange fel l apart i n foursect ions , whereupon two butterfl i es sprang out and fluttered upward w i th the handkerch ief. T he explanat ion o f th is beaut i fu ltrick i s as fol lows : The tree was a clever piece of mechan ism ,

so closely fash ioned to resemble a plant that i t was impossible todetect the d i f ference. The blossoms . constructed of wh ite s i lk ,were pushed up through the hol low branches by pistons ris ingin the tabl e and operat ing upon simi lar rods contained in the tree.When these pe dal s were relaxed the blossoms di sappeare d, andthe fru i t was slowly developed . Real oranges were stuck oni ron spikes protrud ing from the branches of the tree . and wereconcealed from the spectators by hemi spherica l w i re screenspainted green . The screens were also part ly h idden by the art ifici al fol iage. By means of cords r unning down through thebranches of the tree and off beh ind the scenes , an a ssi stant causedthe screens to make a hal f- turn, thereby developing the frui t .The borrowed handkerch ief was exchanged for a dummy belonging to the conjurer, and passed to an assistant who placed i t i nthe mechanical orange. The tree was now brought forward .

After the real fru i t had been d istributed , the magician cal leda ttent ion to the orange on the top (the mechan ical one) . By

ROBERT - HOUD IN 143

means o f sleight of hand the handkerch ief was made to van ish ,to be discovered in the orange. The butterfl i es , which were fastened by w i res to the stalk and fixed on del ica te spi ral Springs ,i nvi s ible at a l i tt le d istance, flew out O f the orange of thei r ownaccord , carrying w i th them the handkerch ief, as soon as thefru i t fel l apart .

In the year 1846 Houdin was summoned to the Palace ofSaint - Cloud to give a performance before Lou is Ph i l ippe and h isCourt , whereupon he invented h i s remarkable trick o f the enchanted casket . wh ich created great exci tement in the Parisianjour nals

,and gained him no l i tt le fame. He had s ix days to pre

pa re for the séance mag ique. Early on the appointed morn inga van from the royal stables came to convey h im and h i s son ,together w i th the magic paraphem a lia , to the palace of the k ing.

A stage had been erected i n one o f the handsome salons of St .Cloud

,the w i ndows of wh ich opened out on an orangery l ined

w i th double rows of orange- t rees , “ each grow ing in i ts squarebox on wheels . A sentry was placed at the door to see that theconjurer was not disturbed in h is preparat ions . The King himsel f dropped i n once to ask the entertainer i f he had everyth ingnecessary.

”

At four O’clock in the afternoon . a bri l l iant company assembled in the hal l to w i tness the performance. The pi ece de resist

anee of the séance was Cagliostro’

s casket , the eff ect of wh ichi s best described in Hou din’

s own words :“ I borrowed from my noble spectators several handkerch iefs ,

wh ich I made into a parcel , and la id on the tabl e. Then , at myrequest

,di ff erent persons wrote on blank cards the names of

places whi ther they des ired thei r handkerch iefs to be i nv is iblytransported .

“When th is had been done , I begged the K i ng to take threeof the cards at hazard

,and choose from them the place he might

cons ider most su i tabl e.‘

Let us see ,’ Louis Ph i l ippe said , ‘what th is one says : I

des i re the handkerchiefs to be found beneath one of the can


delabra on the mantelp iece. That i s too easy for a sorcerer ; sowe w i l l pass to the next card : The handkerch i efs are to betransported to the dome of the Inva l i des.” That would su i t me,but i t i s much too far , not for the handkerch iefs , but for us, ‘Ah

,

ah ! ’ the K i ng added , looking at the last ca rd , ‘I am afraid,Monsieur Robert - Houdin , I am about to embarrass you . Doyou know what th is card proposes ?’

W i l l your majesty deign to in form me?’I t i s desi red that you should send the handkerch iefs i nto

the chest o f the last orange- tree on the right of the avenue. ’‘Only that , s i r? Deign to order, and I w i l l obey.

’

‘Very good, then ; I should l ike to see such a magic act : I ,therefore, choose the orange - tree chest .’

“The k ing gave some orders in a low voice, and I d i rectlysaw several persons run to the orange- t ree, i n order to wa tch i tand prevent any fraud .

“ I was del ighted at th i s precaut ion , wh ich must add to theeff ect o f my experiment , for the tr ick was al rea dy arranged , andthe precaut ion hence too late.

“ I had now to send the handkerch iefs on thei r travels , so Iplaced them beneath a hellof opaque glass , and , tak ing my wand ,I ordered my i nvis ible travelers to proceed to the spot the kinghad chosen .

“ I ra ised the bel l ; the l i tt l e parcel was no longer there, and awh ite turtle- dove had taken i ts place.

“The King then walked qu ickly to the door, whence he lookedi n the d i rect ion o f the orange- t ree , to assure h imsel f that thegu ards were at thei r post ; when th is was done, he began to smi leand shrug h is shoulders .

‘Ah ! Monsi e ur Houd in ,’ he sa id , somewhat i ron ica l ly, ‘Imuch fear for the vi rtue of your magic sta f f.’ Then he added , ashe returned to the end of the room , where several servants werestand ing

,

‘Tel l W i l l iam to open immediately the last chest at theend of the avenue, and bring me careful ly what he finds there—i fhe does find anyth ing.

’

“W i l l iam soon proceeded to the orange- tree, and though muchaston ished at the orders gi ven h im , he began to carry them ou t.


There is decidedly w i tchcra ft about th is,’ the k ing sa id ,more and more amazed .

‘Nothing i s want ing, for the seal andsignature of the celebrated sorcerer are placed at the foot of th i sstatement , which , Heaven pardon me, smel ls strongly of -sulphur. ’

“At th is jest the audience began to laugh .

‘But ,’ the k ing added , taking out of the box a careful lysealed packet , ‘can the handkerch iefs by possibi l i ty be i n th is I”

‘Indeed , s i re, they are ; but . before open ing the parcel , Iwould request your majesty to notice that i t also bears the impress ion of Cagliostro’

s seal .“This sea l once rendered so famous by being placed on the

celebrated alchemist’s bottles of el ix i r and l iqu id gold , I hadobtained from Torrin i . who had bee n an old fri e nd of Cagliostro

’

s.

‘I t is certainly the same , ’ my royal spectator answered , aftercomparing the two seals. St i l l , i n h is impat ience to learn the contents oi the parcel , the k ing quickly tore open the envelope andsoon d isplayed before the astonished spectators the six h andkerch iefs which , a f ew mome nts before, were st i l l on my tabl e.

“This tri ck gained me l i vely applause.”Robert - Houdin never revealed the secret o f th is remarkable

experiment in natural magi c , but the a cute reader , especial ly i f hebe a student of legerdemain . w i l l be able to give a pretty shrewdg uess as to the modus operandi . The best analys is of thi s trickhas been lately gi ven by Professor Brander Matthews . He wri tesas fol lows (Scri bner’

s M agaz ine, May, 1903)“ Noth ing more extraordinary was ever performed by any

mere conj urer ; i ndeed , th is feat i s qu i te as start l ing as any ofthose a tt ributed to Cagl iostro h imsel f, and i t has the advantageof being accurately and precisely na rra ted by the inventor. Notonly i s the th ing done a seeming impossibi l i ty. but i t stands’ forththe more impress ively beca use o f the spectacular c ircumstanceso f its performance.—a sta tely palace. a lovely garden , the assembled court iers , and the royal fami ly. The magician had to de~pend on his w i ts alone . for he was depri ved o f al l advantagesof h is own theatre and of al l poss ibi l i ty o f aid from a con federatemingled am id the ca sual specta tors .

ROBERT- HOUDIN 147

Robert - Houd in was j ust ified in the gent le pride w i th wh ichhe told how he had thus aston ished the K i ng of the French . Herefrained from any explanat ion of the means whereby he wroughth i s mystery , bel iev ing that what i s unknown i s ever the moremagn ificent . He did no more than drop a h int or two. tel l ingthe reader that he had long possesse da cast o f Cagliostro’

s seal ,and suggest ing slyly that when the King sent messengers outinto the garden to stand gu ard over the orange- tree the trick wasa l rea dy done and al l precaut ions were then fut i le.

“Yet , although the i nventor chose to keep h i s secret , any onewho has mastered the principles of the art o f magic can venturean explanat ion . Robert - Houdin h as set forth the facts honestly ; and w i th the facts sol idly establ ished . i t i s possible to rea sonout the method employed to accompl i sh a deed wh ich , at firsts ight , seems not only impossible but incomprehens ible.The first point to be emphasized is that Robert - Houdin was

as dexterous as he was i ngen ious . He was t ruly a prest id igi tateu r, capable of any sleight of hand . Noth ing was s impler forso accompl i shed a performer than the subst i tut ion of one packagefor another

,right before the eyes of al l the specta tors . And i t

i s to be remembered that a l though the palace was the K i ng’s theapparatus on the extempori zed stage was the magician ’s . Therefore, when he borrowed s ix handkerch iefs and went up on thestage and made them up into a package wh ich remained on atable i n s ight of evervbody , we can grant w i thout d i fficul ty thatthe package wh ich remained i n s igh t d id not then conta in theborrowed handkerch iefs .

“ In fact . we may be sure tha t the borrowed handkerch iefshad been conveyed somehow to Robert -Houdin's son who actedas h i s assistant . \Vhen the handkerch ie fs were once i n the possess ion o f the son out o f s ight beh ind the scenery or hangings o fthe stage

, the father would pick up h is package of blank vi s i t ingcards and di st ribute a dozen of them or a score. moving to andfro i n very lei surely fash ion . perhaps going back to the stage toget penci l s wh ich he would also g i ve out as slow ly as possibl e.fi l l ing up the t ime w i th playful pleasant ry. unt i l he shou l d aga in

148 rm: ow AN D m e N EW MAGIC

catch s ight o f h is son . Then , and not unt i l then , would he feelat l iberty to col lect the cards and take them over to the King.

When the son had got possession of the handkerch iefs , hewould smooth them swi ft ly, possibly even i ron ing them into theirfolds . Then he would put them into the parchment packet whichhe would seal tw i ce w i th Cagliostro’

s seal . Layi ng th i s packet inthe bottom of the rusty i ron casket , he would put on top the otherpa rchment wh ich had al ready been prepared , w i th i ts adroi timi tat ion of Cagliostro’

s handwri t ing. Snapping down the l id ofthe ca sket

,the lad would sl ip out into the corridor and stea l i nto

the garden ,going straight to the box of the appo inted orange- tree.He could do th is unobserved

,because no one was then suspect ing

h im and because al l the spectators were then engaged in th inkingup odd places to which the handkerch iefs might be transported .

Already, i n the long mor ning, probably wh i le the royal householdwas at i ts midday brea kfast , the father or the son had loosenedone of the staples i n the back of the box in wh ich the des ignatedorange- tree was growing. The lad now removed th is staple andthrust the casket into the al ready prepared hole in the center ofthe roots o f the tree. Then he replaced the staple at the back ofthe box, feel ing certa in that whoever should open the box in frontwould find the soi l und isturbed . Th is most d i fficul t part of thetask once accompl i shed , he returned to the stage, or at least insome way he s ignified to h i s father that he had accompl ished hisshare o f the wonder , i n the performance of which he was notsupposed to have any part .

“On seeing h i s son , or on recei ving the s ignal that h i s sonhad returned , Robert - Houdin would feel h imsel f at l iberty to co]lect the cards on which various Spectators had wri tten the dest ina t ions they preposed for the package of handkerchi efs wh ichwas st i l l i n ful l sight . He gathered up the cards he had distri b~

u ted ; but as he went toward the K ing, he subst i tuted for thosewri tten by the spectators others prev iously prepared by h imsel f,a feat o f sleight of hand qui te w i th i n the reach of any ordinarvperformer. O f these cards

,prepared by h imsel f

,he forced three


v.

The grea test event of Houdin’

s l i fe was h is embassy toAlgeria

,

“at the special request of the French Government , wh ichdes i red to lessen the influence of the Marabouts , whose conjuringtricks, accepted as actual magic by the Arabs, gave them too muchinfluence.” He went to play of f h is tricks against those of Arabpriests, or holy men , and , by “greater marvel s than they couldshow, destroy the prest ige wh ich they had acqu i red . He so completely succeeded that the Arabs lost al l fa i th i n the mi racles ofthe Marabouts

,and thus was destroyed an i nfluence very danger

ous to the French Government .” His first performance wasgiven at the lead ing theatre of Algiers , before a great assemblageof Arabs , who had been summoned to w i tness the soirée ma g ique,by the mandate of the Marshal l - Governor of Algeria . Hou din

’

s

Light and Heavy Chest” l i teral ly paralyzed the Arabs w i thaston i shment. He altered the mise en scéne, and pretended tobe able to make the strongest man so weak that he would beunable to l i ft a smal l box from the floor. He says in h is memoi rs :

“ I advanced w i th my box i n my hand , to the center of the‘pract icable,’ communicat i ng from the stage to the p i t ; then ad

dressing the Arabs , I said to them‘From what you have w i tnessed , you w i l l attribute a super

natural power to me, and you are right . I w i l l give you a newproof of my marvelous authori ty , by show i ng that I can deprivethe most powerful man of h is strength and restore i t at my w i l l .Any one who th inks h imsel f strong enough to try the experimentmay draw near me. ’ ( I spoke slow ly, i n order to gi ve the interpreter t ime to translate my

“An Arab of m iddle height , but wel l bui l t and muscular, l ikemany of the Arabs are, came to my side w i th suffic ient assurance.

‘Are you very strong ?’ I said to h im , measuring h im fromhea d to foot .

‘

Oh yes ! ’ he repl ied carel ess ly.

‘Are you sure you w i l l always remain so?’Quite sure.’You are mistaken, for in an instant I w i l l rob you of your

strength,and you shal l become l ike as a l i tt le ch i ld .

’

ROBERT- HOUDIN t51

The Arab smi led disdain ful ly, as a s ign of h is i ncredul i ty.

‘Stay,’ I cont i nued ; ‘l i ft up th is box .

’

The Arab stooped, l i fted up the box, and said to me, ‘Is th is

Wai t I repl ied.

Then w i th al l poss ible grav i ty, I made an imposing gestureand solemnly pronounced the words

‘Behold ! you are weaker than a woman ; now , try to l i ftthe box.

’

“The Hercules , quite cool as to my conjurat ion , seized thebox once again by the handle, and gave i t a v iolent tug, but thist ime the box res isted , and Spite of h is most v igorous at ta cks

,

would not budge an inch .

“The Arab vainly expended on thi s unlucky box a strengthwhich would have raised an enormous weight , unt i l at lengthexhausted , pant ing, and red w i th anger, he stopped , becamethoughtful , and began to comprehend the influences of magic.

“He was on the point of w i thdraw ing ; but that would beal lowing h is weakness, and that he, h i therto respected for h isv igor, had become as a l i tt l e ch i ld. This thought rendered h imalmost mad .

“Deri ving fresh strength from the encouragements h i s friendso ff ered him by word and deed , he turned a glance around them ,

which seemed to say ,

‘You w i l l see what a son of the desert can

He bent once again over the box : h is nervous hands tw i nedaround the handle, and his legs . placed on either s ide l ike twobronze columns

,served as a support for the final eff ort .

“But, wonder of wonders ! th i s Hercul es , a moment s ince so

strong and proud , now bows h i s head ; his arms , riveted to thebox , undergo a violent muscular contract ion ; h is legs gi ve way ,

and he fal ls on h is knees w i th a yel l of agony.

“An electric shock , produced by an. indu ct ion apparatus , hadbeen passed , on a s ignal from me , from the further end of thestage into the handl e of the box . Hence the contort ions of thepoor Arab !

“ I t would have been cruel ty to prolong th is scene.

THE OLD AN D THE N EW MAGIC

I gave a second signal , and the electri c current was immedi a tely i ntercepted . My athlete

,d isengaged from h is terrible

bondage, rai sed hi s hands over h i s head .

‘Allah ! Al lah ’ he excla imed , ful l o f terror ; then , wrappingh imsel f up qu ickly in the folds of h is burnous , asi f to h ide h isd isgrace, he rushed through the ranks o f the spectators andgained the front entrance.

“W i th the except ion of the dig ni tar ies occupying the stageboxes and the pri v i leged spectators . i n the body of the house, whoseemed to take great pleasure in thi s great experiment , my audience had become grave and s i lent , and I heard the words ‘

Sha i tan!’

‘

D jeuoum !’ pass ing in a murmur round the ci rcl e of credulous

men , who, wh i le gazing on me, seemed aston ished that I possessednone of the phys i cal qual i t ies attr ibuted to the angel of darkness .”The Marabout pri ests constantly boasted of thei r invu lner

abi l i ty. They were reputed to be possessed of powerful tal i smanswh ich caused loaded weapons to flash in the pan when fired atthem . Houdin counteracted these claims by performing h i s celebra ted bul let - catch ing feat , i n wh ich a marked bul let apparent lyshot from a gun i s caught by the magic ian in a plate or betweenhis teeth . There are two ways of accompl i sh ing th is t rick . Oneis by subst i tut ing a bul l et o f hol low wax for the rea l leaden bullet. The explos ion scatters the u a x into minute fragments wh ichfly in al l di rect ions and do not come in contact w i th the personshot at ; provided he stands at a respectable d istance from the

i nd iv idual who handles the pistol or gu n. The second method isto insert into the barrel o f the weapon a smal l tube open at oneend . Into th is receptacl e the bul let fal l s. and the tube i s w i thdrawn from the gun in the act of ramming i t . forming as i twere a part o f the ramrod . The performer. once i n possession ofthe l i tt le tube. secret ly ext racts the marke dbul let and produces i tat the proper t ime. Houdin had recourse to both ways of perform ing th is sta rt l ing trick . Somet imes be fi l led the wax bul letw i th bloo d. ext racte d from h is thumb. the bul let smashedaga inst a wh ite wa l l i t left a re d splash . Hou d in. after t ravel ing

erior of Algeria . v isi t ing many prominent Chiefta ins ,Fra nce, and sett l e d down at St . Gerv a is . a suburb


a clock placed in h is study , wh ich wi th the aid o f an. electri cal

w i re worked a food supply i n the stable, a d ista nce of fi fty yardsfrom the house. The d istribut ing apparatus was a square funnelshaped box which d ischarged the provender i n prearranged quant i t ies. No one could steal the oats from the horse after they hadfal len , as the electric trigger could not act unless the stable doorwas locked . The lock was outs ide, and i f any one entered before the horse finished eat ing h is oats , a bel l would immed iatelyri ng i n the house.This same clock i n h is study also transmi tted the t ime to

two large clock- faces , place d one on the top of the house, theother on the gardener's lodge, the former for the benefi t of thev i l lagers.

“ In h is bel l - tower he had a clockwork arrangement of su fficien t power to l i ft the hammer at the proper moment . The dai lyw ind ing of the clock was performed automat ical ly by commun icat ion w i th a sw ing- door in h is k i tchen, and the w i nding-

up ap

paratus of the clock i n the clock - tower was so arranged that theservants in passing backward and forward on thei r domest icdut ies unconsciously wound up the str ik ing movement of theclock.

”

The Priory i s now a part ial ru in . I t has passed out of h isfami ly. Houdin d ied there June 13, 187 1 , after an i l lness o ften days . His death was caused by pneumonia . The fol lowingi s an extract of the not ice of h i s decease taken from the registersof the ci vi l authori t i es o f St . Gerva is

“ June 1 4 , 187 1 . Not ice of the dea th of Robert - Houd in ,Jean - Eugene, d ie d at St . Gervais , June 1 3, 187 1 , at IO P . M . ,

s ixty- five years of age . Son o f the defunct Prosper Robert andMarie Catherine Gu i l lon ; w idower of h is first wi fe JosepheCeci le Eglant ine Houd in ; married the second t ime to FrancoiseMargueri te O lympe N aconnier; Court House of St . Gervai s ,s igned—The Mayor. The s ignature i s i l l egible.W

'i l l iam Manning wasan int imate friend of Houdin . Whenthe famous conjurer went to London to exh ibi t , he lodged atthe house of M ann ing’s father. W i l l iam was a young man atthe t ime and deeply enamored w i th conjuring exh ibi t ions. Hou

ROBERT - HOUDIN 155

d in showed h im many favors and presented h im w i th a nu mberof souveni rs , among them being a magic clock , a harlequ in—inthe- box , etc. , also a photograph of h imsel f, a copy of wh ich Mr.Manning sent to me a f ew years ago , during the course o f acorrespondence I had w i th h im concern ing Houd in . Up to thet ime of h is death the great conjurer exchanged letters w i th h isfr iend , then a grown man. Houdin’

s closing years were saddened by the tragic dea th . 0 f h i s son , Eugene, who was k i l ledat Reichsho f fen in the Franco- Prussian Wa r. He was a subl i eutenant in the French army and a graduate of the mi l i taryschool at St . Cyr. He assi sted h is father on the stage, butabandoned conjuring for a mi l i tary career. In a letter to W i ll iam Mann ing , dated September 1 1 , 1870, Houdin describes thea ff a i r at Reichshoff en “My son was 33 years old ;he was captain since 1866 ; he belonged to the Ist Zouaves andwas considered one of the bravest i n that brave corps . You canj udge of i t by the fol low ing extract from an art icl e in the Figaro,of Sept . 3, ent i t l ed ‘An episode of Reichshoff en ,’ an extract froma pri vate letter. This letter was undoubtedly wri tten by a sold ier i n my son ’s company ; i t i s s igned w i th an X . I omi t theharrow ing inci dents wh ich preceded th is sad retrea t .‘The l ine had recei ved orders to break up and were defeated ,

against My company ( Ist Zouaves ) was

drawn up on the battle- field, to be used as sharp - shooters , alone,w i thout art i l lery ; we were to res i st the retreat . Upon the orderof Captai n Robert - Houdin , Li eutenant Gi rard advanced w i th twomen to reconnoi tre the enemy. He took three steps , and fel l ,crying : ‘

D o not g ive up the Concou , (a fami l iar express ionappl ied to the flag) . \Ve carried h im away and th e Captainshouted ‘Fire ! ’ The order to retreat came, but we d id not heari t,and cont inued to bea t against a wal l of fire wh ich i l luminated

ou r ranks . Soon our Captai n fel l , saying : ‘Tel l themtha t I f ell f acing the enemy .

’ A bul let had p i erced h i s breast .He was taken i n the ambulance to Reichsho f’fen where he d ied .four days later , from h is wound .

“My dear Mann ing, would you bel ieve i t , my brave son ,

morta l ly wounded as he was, had the heroic courage amidst


flying shot to take from his pocket a penci l and a ca rd and towri te these words : ‘Dear father, I am wounded, bu t be re

assured, i t is only a trifle.

’ He could not s ign th is. The cardand the envelope are sta ine d w i th h is blood . This preciousrel i c was sent to me from Reichshofl’

en after my son’s death .

”

“ M ! 110113 rou

LITHOGRAPHED INVITATION -T ICKET D ssrcmto av Hounm .

(Th e signa tu res a re those of Hou din and Hami l ton.)

Emi le, the elder son who dist ingui shed h imsel f i n the Second - Sight Trick ,” as soon as h is father ret i red from the stage,became a watchmaker. He publ ished a work on horology towhich h is father wrote the fol low ing preface

“ I have often been asked why my son d id not fol low thecareer I had opened for h im in prest id igi tat ion , but preferredinstead the study o f horology. My answer to the quest ion maybe used fitly as a preface to th is pamphl et .

“ I f you bel ieve in hered itary vocat ions , here i s a case forthei r just appl i cation . My son’s maternal great - grandfather

,

Nicolas Houdin , was a watchmaker of great meri t i n the lastcentury. J . F. Houdin , h is son , has gained , as i s wel l known,

a prominent place among the most d ist inguished watchmakers ofh i s t ime. A certa in modesty, wh ich you w i l l understa nd, prevents me from pra i s ing my father as h ighly ; I shal l only say


t ion,and he took up the art wh ich Berthoud and Brégu et have

made famous. I t was from the latter of the two celebrated masters that he learned the elements of the profession of h is forefathers .”Emi le was subsequently induce d to take up the magic wand ,

and in conjunct ion w i th Professor Brannet gave many clever enterta inments. During hi s management the old theatre* i n thePala is Royal was abandoned , and a new theatre erected on theBoulevard ( l es Ital i ens. He held th i s property unt i l h is decea sein 1883. The theatre was partly destroyed by fire, January 30,

190 1 , but was rebui l t .The only surv iving members of the fami ly are Madame Emi le

Robert-Houdin , w idow of the elder son , and a daughter who i smarrie d to M . Lemai tre Robert - Houdin , a municipal o fficer ofBlois, who has adopted the name of Houdin . Robert - Houdinis interred in the cemetery of Blois. A handsome monumentmarks h is grave.At the Pari s Exhibi t ion of 1844 , Houdin was awarded a

medal for the ingenious construct ion of automata ; at the Exh ib it ion of 1855he recei ved a gold medal for h is scient ific appl i cat ion of electrici ty to clocks . He invented an ophthalmoscope toenable the operator to examine the interior of h i s own eye.From important papers i n the possess ion of M . Lemai tre i t seemsmore than probable that Houdin had worked out the secret ofthe modern telephone before i t had been made known to theworld at large.Houdin has been cons idered of such importance and interest

i n France that in D idot ’s N ozwelle B i ograph ie Généra le a wholepage i s gi ven him . His personal appearance i s thus describedi n Larousse’s Encyclopedi c: “He was a man of smal l stature.His manners were engaging and v ivacious . His face was clea nshaven

,show ing a large and eloquent month . In h is old age,

*Houdin’

s origina l theatre in the Ga leri e de Valois of the Pa la is Roya lh as long ago been swa l lowed u p in the a l tera t ions made in th e bu i ldingM . Trewey , in the spring of 1905, met an old man, a f ormer emp loyee of thePala is, who remembered seeing Hou din perform in 1845- 46, bu t he cou ld noteven locate the litt le theatre. How soon are the g lories of the past forgottenby a fickle publ ic. The theatre hasbeen divided into two or three shops,

ROBERT- HOUDIN 159

hi s hea d was covered w i th snow wh i te hai r. His eyes up to thelast reta ined the fire and bri l l iancy o f a man of twenty - five.

”

On December 6, 1905, the French Society of Magi ci ans celebrat ed the hundredth ann iversary of Houdin’

s bi rth . The exerci ses were held at the Theatre Robert - Houdin , Boulevard desI tal i ens , Pari s. The l i tt le theatre was crowded w i th conjurersand thei r fri ends . Among the w i elders of the magi c staff wereCaroly , the ed i tor of Illusi om

'

ste,M . and Mme. de Gago, Fol letto,

M . and Mme . Talazac, and M . Raynaly . M . and Mme. Ta lazac,i n thei r “mind- read ing” act, evoked great applause. M . Mi l ies,the manager of the house, exh ibi ted the automaton , AntonioDiavolo,” i nvented by Robert - Houdin . M . Rena ly , the wel lknown draw i ngroom conjurer, read a poem in honor of thegreat master

,at the close of wh ich a bust of Robert - Houdin ,

whi ch stood upon the stage, was crowned w i th a wreath oflaurel . Strange to say, not a word of th i s interest ing eventwas recorded i n the newspapers .Houdin was the first conjurer to be employed i n an ofli ci al

capaci ty by a c iv i l i zed Power. The second case we have recordof wa s on the occaswn of the Engl i sh M ission to the late Sul tanof Morocco when Mr. Douglas Beaufort was appointed conjurerto the party by the Bri t i sh Government . The object was to surprise the Arabs wi th the ski l l of an Anglo - Saxon prest id igi tateur.During the journey to Fez from the coast , Mr. Beaufort gave anumber of séances. The news of h i s necromant ic powers soonspread l ike w i ld- fire among the nat ives . When the Embassyreached the Arab Capital , the Sul tan refused to see the “Devi lMan ,” as he termed the conjurer. He imagi ned that the Bri t i shproposed to cast a . spel l over h im . For eight weeks he heldout , but fina l ly curios i ty got the better of h im . The GrandViz ier was ordered to produce the Disciple of Beelzebub at theRoyal Palace. The performance of Mr. Beaufort so del ightedthe ruler of Morocco that he presented h im w i th a si lver dagger,a fine Arabian steed from the royal stabl e, and a bag contain ing500 dol lars, as a token of esteem and regard .

SOME OLD - TIME CONJURERS.

As in Agrippa’

s mag i c g lass,The loved and lost arose to vi ew.

—W 11 11'1 1En: The M erma i d.

I love to read about the old - t ime conjurers, the contemporaries of Robert - Houdin , or h is immediate successors. Li terature on the subject i s very sparse i ndeed . I n h is memoirs , Houdin gives u s a f ew thumbnai l sketches of h is r ivals i n the myst i cart , and then d ismisses them w i th a kindly, Vale. He has someth ing to say about Bosco’s personal appearance and performances, but makes no ment ion of the romant ic i ncidents in thegreat magician’s career. I shal l t ry, i n th i s chapter, to sketch thel i ves of some of these men , basing my in format ion on rarebrochures contained in the El l ison Library

,and from informa

t ion picked up by Mr. Harry Houdin i i n Europe. The greatencycloped ic d ictionary of Larousse—a monument of Frencherud it ion—contains someth ing about Phi l l ippe

,

. Robin ' andComte. Mr. El l i s Stanyon. a conjurer of London , and authoro f several valuable l i tt le treat ises on magic, has kindly furn i shedme w i th interest ing data ; the fi les of old newspapers in theB ri t ish Museum , and the Library of Congress have also beendrawn upon , also the fine col lect ion of old programmes of Mr.Arthur Margery, the Engl ish magician . Let us begin w i th

COMTE .

Lou is Apol l inai re Comte was a magician of great sk i l l , amimic and ventri loqu ist . He was born i n Geneva , Sw i tzerland ,June 22 , 1 788, and d i ed at Ruei l , France, November 25, 1859.

On one occasion he was denounced by some superst i t ious Swi sspeasants as a sorcerer, set upon and beaten w i th clubs, and was


Comte was made a Cheval ier of the Legi on of Honor byLou is Phi l ippe.

PHILLIPPE .

Phi l l ippe [Talon ] was born at Alais , near N imes (France) .

He carried on the trade of confect ioner first in Paris , a fterwardsin Aberdeen , Scotland . Fai l ing to make a success of the sugarbusiness, he adopted conjuring as a profession, and was remarkably successful . He was ass isted by a young Scotchman namedMacal ister, who on the stage appea red as a negro, “Domingo .

Macal ister, a clever mechanic , i nvented many of the best th ingsi n Ph i l l ippe’s repertoi re. From some Chinese jugglers

,Phi l l ippe

learned the gold - fish t r ick and the Chinese rings . W i th thesecapi ta l experiments added to h is programme, he repai red toParis, i n 184 1 , and made a great h i t. Habited l ike a Ch inaman,he performed them in a scene cal led “A night in the palace ofPekin .

” The fish trick he ostentat iously named “N eptune’s Ba

s ins, and the Gol d Fish .

” The bowl s of water conta in ing thefish he produced from shawl s whi le stand ing on a low tabl e. Hefol lowed th is w i th a product ion of rabbits , pigeons, ducks , andch ickens.Robert - Houdin , i n h is memoirs , gi ves a brief but pointed

sketch of Phi l l ippe. On page 163 I reproduce one of h is un iqueprogrammes (London , March , 1846)

ROBIN .

Henri Robin was a Hol lander by bi rth , h i s real name bei ngD unkell. He was born about 1805and died i n Paris in 1874.

Although he had appeared before the publ ic many t imes and histalents as a prest idiga ta teu r had long been recogn ized , i t was notunt i l the end of 1862, when he opened h is theatre in Pari s, thathe became a celebrity and a household word in the country ofh is adopt ion . He was a man of d ist ingu ished appearance, veryurbane

,and possessed of a sparkl ing w i t . His handsome l i tt le

salle de spectacle, known as the Theatre Robin ,* was s ituated on*Th is thea tre was demol ish ed a t the t ime of the enlargement of the

Place de Ch a tea u d’

Eau .

N EW S TRA N D THE ATRELessee, It . PHILLIPPE , 4 Strand Lane

T R IUM P H A N T S UC C E S S

3

501 1213135

M Y S TE R IEUS E STh e Enterta i nmentsw i llcommencewi th hi . PHILLIPPE ’

sCelebra ted andUnri va lled

T OUR S D E P H Y S IQUEAND ASTOUNDING FEATS OF

M A G IC A L D E LUS IO N !Wh i ch h e h asexh i b i ted i n Pa ri s, Vi enna , Berlin. S t . Pa tcrsbu rg b , and before a ll th e Cou rts

of rope, wi th t ru ly u npa ra lleled S u ccess.THE ENTERTAINME NT WILL BE DIVID ED INTO TWO PARTS

Wi ll compri se pecu l i a r and unequ a l led

Met amorph oses and Delu si ons!And Astoni sh i ng D ecep t i ons !

INCLUD INGTh e M i ller o i Amst erd am Th e M od ern Coni ec i i oner

Th e Ob ed i ent Ca rds Th e Ench a nt ed Hand k erch i eill D i a volo

Th e Rose n ee o i Grana d a Th e A ccom p li sh ed Ha rlequ i nTh e Fly i ng W a t ch es New M et h od o i M a k i ng Coi i ee

Conclu d ing wi th th e uni versa lly adm i red and eleg ant Tou rd‘

Addressc, ent i t ledTHE NATIONAL FLAG

Th ere wi ll be an interva lof Fi f teenM inu tes betweent h e Pa rts

A N IG HT IN TH E

P A L A C E O F P E K IN IInwh i ch Mons. PHILLIPPE wi ll perf orm some of t he most Extraord ina ry and S ta rt ling

IN D IA N A N D CHIN E S E E XP E R IM E N T S

Ever a t temp ted by any E umpoa n, compri sing

i ng Ha ndk erch i e i sLa Fi lle (les Flenrs

E R E

And conclud ing w i t h the celebra ted D ELUSIONLes Ba ssi ns de Nep tune e i les Poi ssons d ’

or

AND m a GRAND M E NAGER IE !

Unanimously pm ounced to bethemost inexpli cableand surpri sing‘rourdePhysiqueeverwi tnessed

164 ru e OLD A N D m e new M AGIC

the Boulevard du Temple. Porcelai n medal l ions ornamentedthe wal ls , represent ing Arch im ides, Gal i leo , Pal i ssy , Va u canson,Frankl in , Vol ta , New ton , Dagu erre, Arago , Cuvier, Robertson,Humboldt , Comte, and Cagl iostro . Of these great men onlyVa u canson, Robertson , and Cagl iostro could properly be cla ssedas magic ians . Va u canson was a bui lder of ingen ious automata ;

Robertson the creator of Optical i l lusions ; Cagl iostro a pretender to sorcery, who made use o f hypnot ism and phantasmagoria in h is séances. But science has i ts w i zards, in one senseof the word , and so Robin included the great pioneers of sci ent ihe research among h is galaxy of wonder—workers .The journal La France said i n i ts issue o f January 19, 1863

The stage i s large and square in form , the curtain rises upon

166 THE ow A N D m e new M AGIC

on phys ics, sci ent ifi c men expla in to thei r hea rers the operati onof the Robert -Houdin bott le.

*

When the Davenport Brothers, pretended spi ri tuali sts , cameto Pari s , Robin dupl icated a ll thei r t ricks at h i s thea tre. He di dmuch to discred i t the charlatans. About 1869 he gave up histheatre, and became the proprietor of a hotel on the BoulevardMazas .Robin left three works , copies of wh ich are very rare, vi z

L’

A lmanach Illustré de Cogli astro;Histoi re desSpectres V{ventsa t Impalpables; Secret de la Physiqu e Amm ante (Pari s,He was also the inventor o f a rai l road for ascend ing Mount Rigii n Sw i tzerland . The motor in this system was a bal loon which ,by i ts ascent ional force compel led the car to cl imb the ascentguided by four i ron ra i ls . A model of th is contrivance wasexhibi ted at Robin’s theatre, 49 Boulevard du Temple.

BOSCO.

I look aga in into the magic mi rror of the past. Who i s th i sport ly figure enveloped i n a befrogged mi l i tary cloak ? He hasthe mobi l e v i sage o f an Ital ian. There is an a i r of pomposi tyabout h im . H is eyes are bold and piercing. He has someth ingof the appearance o f a Russia n nobleman , or general under theEmpi re. Ah , that i s the renowned Bosco , the conjurer !Bartolomeo Bosco had an adventurous careers} He was

born in Turin , Italy, January 1 1 , 1 793. He came of a noblefami ly of Piedmont. At the age of n ineteen he was one ,

of the1““It i s remarkab le how many of the i l l usions regarded as the orig ina l

invent ions of eminent conj u rers h ave been rea l ly improvements of oldertricks.

‘Hocus Pocus J unior,’

the Ana tomy of Legcrdcma t'

n (4th edit ion,g ives an explana tory cu t of a method of drawing di ff erent l iquors ou t

o f a sing le tap in a barrel , the barrel being divided into compartments, each

having an a i r- hole a t the top, by means of wh ich th e l iquor in any of thecompa rtments wa s w i th held or perm i t ted to flow. Robert -Hou din appl iedthe princi ple to a w ine- bott le held in h is h and, f rom wh ich he cou ld pou r f ourdi ti

’

crcnt l iqu ids, regu la ted by the unstopp ing of any of the fou r t iny a ir holeswh ich were covered by h is fingers. A large number of very sma l l l i quorg lasses being provi ded on trays, and conta ining dra ps of certa in flavoringessences, enabled h im to supply imi ta t ions of various wines and l iquors,according to the g lasses w i th wh ich b e pou red sy rup f rom th e bot t le.

”—E ucy clopcdi a Bri tannica .

8i CabincHo mag ico dcl Ca t 'a h

'

cn'

Bartolomeo Bosco dc Tori no. M i lano,1 54.

some ow lrrmr: CON J OKERS 167

v ict ims caught in the meshes of the great m i l i tary drag- net ofNapoleon I , that fisher for men . In other words, . he became“ food for powder” i n the Russian campa ign of the Emperor of

Bosco.

(From a Rare Engraving in th e Possession of D r. Sa ram R. E l l ison,New York Ci ty .)

France. He was a fusi l ier i n the n th in fantry of the l ine. Atthe batt le of Borod ino , in an encounter w i th Cossacks , Boscowas badly wounded in the side by a lance, and fel l u pon theground . A son of the Cossack lancer who had wounded him ,

168 m s AN D rns'

N sw name

d ismounted and began to rifle h is pockets . Like al l sold iers ona campaign , Bosco carried h is fortune w i th h im . I t d id notamount to very much : a watch , a keepsake from a sweetheart , af ew gold pieces , a tobacco pouch , etc. Fearing to rece ive thecoup de grace from his enemy , he pretended to be dead . But onreal i z ing that i f he were robbed of h is money he would be leftdest i tute in the world , he put h is abi l i t i es as a conjurer to workand dexterously picked the Cossack's pocket o f a wel l - filled purse.I t was a case of Greek meet ing Greek . The Russ ian , grumbl ing,perhaps

,at the pauci ty of h is i l l - gotten plunder, final ly mounted

h is horse and rode away after h i s comrades , to d iscover later onthat he had been done and by a corpse. La ter

'

in the day Boscowas picked up from the batt lefield by the Russian med ical corps ,and h i s wounds treated . He was sent a capt i ve to S iberia , nearthe town of Tobolsk . His talent for escamotage served h im wel l .The long w i nter even ings o f h is capt i vi ty when the snow lay deepupon the earth , and the w ind howled about the pri son wal ls, werespent by h im ei ther amusing h is ja i lors or h is fel low- sold iers .He somet imes gave exhibi t ions of h i s sk i l l before the h igh e ffi

ci als of the place, thereby pick ing u p considerable money . Hespent h is earn ings ge nerously upon h i s poorer brethren . F i nal ly.

i n Apri l , 181 4 , he was released . He returned to I taly, to thegreat del ight of h is friends. and stud ied med icine. Event u a llv

he abandoned the art of Escu lapi us for the art o f Trismegi stusand became a profess ional conjurer.Bosco was a wonderful performer of the cup- and - bal l trick .

He also possessed great sk i l l w i th cards and coins. He traveledal l over Europe. He gave an exh ibi t ion before Marie Lou ise.the w idow of Napo leon I , on the 27th of Apri l , 1836. Hissonorous . bizarre name has become a byword in France fordecept ion . whether in conjuring or pol i t ics . The statesmanTh i ers was cal led the Bosco of the Tribune.” Many o f Bartolomeo Bosco’s imi tators assumed h i s cognomen . At the present day there i s a French magician touring the music hal ls o fEurope. who cal ls h imsel f Bosco . The ori ginal Bosco , l ikeAlexander Herrmann , was i n the habi t of advert i s i ng h imsel fby giv ing impromptu exh ibit ions of h is sk i l l in cafe's , stage


After making a majest ic bow to hi s audi ence,the celebrated

conjurer walked si lently and w i th measured steps up to thefamous copper bal l . After convinc ing himsel f i t was sol idlyhung, he took up hi s wand, which he w iped wi th a whi te hand

HOUDIN I AT THE GRAVE OF BOSCO.

(From a Photograph in th e Possession of D r. Saram R. E l l ison,N ew York Ci ty . )

kerch ief,as i f to remove any foreign influence ; then , w i th im

perturbable gravi ty,he stru ck the bal l thrice w i th i t , pronouncing,

amid the most solemn si lence, th i s imperious sentence : Spiri li

mej infernali , obedi te.

SOM E OLD - TIM E CON JURERS 1 7 1

I, l ike a simpleton , scarce breathed in my expectat ion of somemiraculous resul t, but i t was only an innocent pleasantry

,a

s imple introduct ion to the performance w i th the cups.”After many wander ings Bartolomeo Bosco la id down h i s

magic wand i n Dresden , March 2 , 1862. He l ies buried i n acemetery on Fri ederichstrasse. Mr. Harry Houdin i

,the Amer

i ca n conjurer, located the grave on October 23, 1903. Upon thetombstone is carved the insign ia of Bosco’s profess ion—a cupand - bal l and a wand . They are enci rcled by a w rea th of l aurel .Says Mr. Houdin i , i n a letter to M aha tma :

“ I found thehead of the wand missing. Looking into the tal l grass nearby I d iscovered the broken t ip. This rel ic he presented to Dr.Sarani R . El l ison , of N ew York The tombstone bea rsthe fol low ing inscript ion : Ici répose Ie célébre Ba rtolomeo Bos

co. N ed Turin10 I I J anvi cr, I793; décédé a D resdenla 2 M ars,

1 862. Madame Bosco was i nterred in the same grave w i th herhusba nd , but no ment ion of her i s made on the stone. The smal lplot of ground where the grave is s ituated was leased for a termof years . That term had long expired when Mr. Houdin i d i scovered the last rest ing place of Bosco . I t was o ff ered for sale.In the event of i ts purchase the remains of the conjurer and h isw i fe would have been transferred to a sect ion of the cemetery setapart for the neglected dead . But Houdin i prevented al l futurepossibi l i ty of th i s by buying the lot in fee. He then deeded i tto the Society of American Magicians.

AN DERSON .

John Henry Anderson was born in Aberdeensh i re, Scot land,July 14 , 1814 . He began l i fe as an actor. After w i tness ing aperformance in England by Signor Bl i tz , h i s m ind was struckw ith the resources of magic as a means of enterta in ing the publ ic , and add ing to h is own exchequer. So he abandoned theh istrion ic stage for conjuring

,though he occasional ly performed

in melodrama as a s ide issue. He was very fine i n the t i t le roleof “Rob Roy,” and as W i l l iam , i n “Black - eyed Susan . Hisprofessional sobri quet in h is early career wa s that o f the “Cal idou fan N ecromancer. On one occasion he gave an exh ibi t ion

1 72 THE OLD AN D THE N EW MAGIC

of h is sk i l l at Abbotsford , and the gen ial S i r Wal ter Scott saidto h im. They cal l me the ‘W i zard of the N orth ,’ but th is isa mistake— i t i s you, not I , who best deserve the t i t le.” Mr.Anderson was not slow i n adopt ing the suggest ion of theW i zard

S TR AN D T l] B ATR E .

l. " wa n n a- l 0 ! [ c og - t un“;u

I ll l t a fi lt h -3m

rats4 u a n;

m t M ‘mu -M

mRI YI AOl l ll t l t , h a

m N m u m m

W i th i n ' 0‘M Q O M

"O J

OI ADI A. DO .l‘l l l

.Jfl u m u . a h a

" l " fl u

of the Pen , and ever after ca l le dh imsel f the Great \Vizard of theNorth .

He displayed a great col lect ion of apparatus , wh ich he described as a most gorgeous and cost ly apparatus of sol id s i lver,the mysterious mechan ical construct ion of wh ich is upon a secretprinciple

,h i therto unknown in Europe.” He cla imed to have

been the i nventor of the gun trick , bu t th i s was not so, as

Torrin i and others exh ibi ted i t on the Cont inent i n the latter

1 74 THE OLD A ND THE N EW M AGIC

paratus. On top of th i s d isaster came the bankruptcy of theRoyal Bri t i sh Bank

,and that event completely swal lowed up the

remains of the w i zard ’s fortune. But he was undaunted . Borrow ing funds from h is friends , he bought new paraphernal ia , andtoured the world . After an absence of five years he returned toEngland

,January 1 1 , 1863. He had t raveled mi les and

“had passed through h is hands the enormous sum ofsterl ing.

" He died at Darl ington , Scotland , on Tuesday, Febru ary 3, 1874 . I n accordance w i th a w i sh expressed during h islast i l lness, he was buried at Aberdeen , i n the same grave w i thh is beloved mother. No inscript ion on the tombstone recordsthe fact that the W i zard of the North l ies beneath .

Whatwas the secret of Anderson ’s success ?He was not a great magic ian i n the sense of the word—that

is to say, an adept at l egerdemain , an original creat i ve genius l ikeHoudin , Robin , and the elder Herrmann . But he was an actorwho played the role of necromancer w i th great eff ect . He surrounded h imsel f w i th cost ly and bri l l iant apparatus wh ich dazzled the eyes of the groundl ings . His baggage weighed tons andfi l led many trunks and boxes . He bel ieved i n heavy art i l lery

,l ike

Napoleon I . The dash ing Hussar style was not h i s. Thatbranch of conjuring belongs to Frikell and De Kolta . Strangeto say, i n spi te of the revolut ion in the art o f magi c since Anderson’s day, we are coming back to the big paraphernal i a o f theold school . The publ ic is t i red of smal l tricks. A discussionof th is subject w i l l be found i n the art icl e on Frikell.I doubt whether a greater advert iser than Anderson ever

l i ved . Bosco cannot be compared to h im . Alexander Herrmanndepended on h is social qual i t ies and h is laughable adventures instreet cars, cafés , and clubs to boom h is reputat ion . Andersona dopted the methods of the patent -medic ine manufacturers. Hewould have made an excel lent advance agent for a new panacea .He l i teral ly plastered the streets and wal ls o f London w i th h i s advert ising devices . Some of them were h ighly ingen ious andamusing and kept the publ ic on the qm’

viva w i th exci tement .In th i s l i ne of pu ffi ng, people are w i l l ing to overlook charlatanry.

One of h is posters was a caricature imi tat ion of the famouspaint

some OLD - TIM E CON JURERS 1 75

i ng, Napoleon’s Return from Elba . I t was of gigant i c s ize.Houdin describes i t and other advert i s ing schemes as fol lows

“ In the foreground Anderson was seen a ff ect ing the att i tudeo f the great man ; above h is head fluttered an enormous banner,bearing the words ‘The Wonder of the World ,’ wh i le, beh indh im , and somewhat lost in the shade, the Emperor of Russ ia andseveral other monarchs stood in a respect ful posture. As in theorigi nal picture, the fanat ic admi rers of the W i zard embraced h isknees , wh i le an immense crowd recei ved h im triumphantly. Inthe d istance could be seen the equestrian statue of the I ron D uke,who, hat in hand , bowed before h im , the Great W i zard ; and ,last ly, the very dome of St . Paul's bent towards h im most humbly.

“At the bottom was the inscript ion ,‘RETURN or THE N A POLEON or N ECROM AN CY .

’

Regarded seriously, th is picture would be found a pu ff invery bad taste ; but , as a cari cature, i t i s excess i vely comic. Be

s ides , i t had the double result o f making the London publ ic laugh ,and bringing a great number of sh i l l ings i nto the ski l l ful pu f fer ’spockets.

“\Vhen Anderson i s about to leave a town where he has ex

hansted al l h is resources , and has nothing more to hope , he st i l lcontrives to make one more enormous haul .

“He orders from the first j e wel ler i n the town a s i lver vase,worth twenty or twenty- five pounds ; he h i res , for one even ingonly , the largest theatre or room in the town, and announces thati n the VVi za rd’

s part ing performance the spectators w i l l competeto make the best pun .

“The s i lver vase i s to be the prize of the victor.A jury i s chosen among the ch ief people of the town to de

cide w i th the publ ic on the meri ts of each pun .

“ I t is agreed that they w i l l applaud i f they th ink a pun good ;they w i l l say noth ing to a passable one, but groan at a bad one.The room is a lways crowded , for people come less to see the

performance, which they know by hea rt , than to d isplay thei r wi tpubl icly. Each makes h i s jest , and receives a greet ing more orless favorable ; and , lastly, the vase is decreed to the cleverestamong them .

1 76~THE OLD A N D THE N EW M AGIC

Any other than Anderson would be sat isfied w i th the enormous receipts h is performance produces ; but the Great W izard ofthe North has not finished yet . Before the audience leaves thehouse he states that a short - hand writer has been hi red by h im totake down al l the puns , and that they w i l l be publ ished as a M iscellany .

“As each spectator who has made a joke l ikes to see i t i n print ,he purchases a copy of the book for a shi l l ing. An idea of thenumber of these copies may be formed from the number o f punsthey contain . I have one of these books in my possession , printedin Glasgow in 1850, in wh ich there are 1091 of these f acet iw.

”

Here is one of Anderson ’s typical programmes , dated 1854

M US I C HA LL , L E E D S

V I C T O R Y IIof th e i nh a b i tants o f Leeds h a ve SURRE ND ERE D to Ma rsh a l Pro fessor

Andersondu ring t he p a st Fortni g h t.

LA ST 1 1 N IGHT SOF THE GRE AT W IZ ARD

E XC IT E M E N T E XT RA O R D IN A RY !

ALL LE E D S MORE ASTON ISII S D THAN THE

RUS S IA N S W E RE AT S E BASTO PO L !

m In order to a vo id be ing incommoded , Visi tors to t h e Front Sea ts a re

respect f u l ly requ ested to secu re p laces a t t h e Ha ll d u ring t he da y .

PROFES SOR A ND ERSONBegs respect f u l ly to i nform the i nh a b i t ants of Leeds. th a t i n consequ ence ofh a vi ng ma de a rrangement s toperf orm i nS t .George

’sHa ll, Brad ford , onMonda y ,

October23rd , h e cannot 1551t appea r InLeeds a f terSa t u rd a y , October2lsuh e f ollowmg w i ll be t h e orderof

Th e La st E leven D a y s of W ondersT h la E veni ng . M O N D A Y . O ct . 9 t h . 1 854 . LA ST N c T bu t 1 0.

TUE S D A Y . O CTO B E R lot h . LA ST N IGHT BUT e.

W E D N E S D A Y, O CT O B E R 1 1 111 , LA ST N ICHT BUT 8 .

THURS D A Y. O CT O B E R 1 zeh . LA ST N IGHT BUT 7 .

F R ID A Y. O CTO B E R 1 3 t h . LA ST N IG HT BUT e.

S A TUR D A Y. O CT O B E R 1 4 111 , LA ST N IGHT B UT 5.

M O N D A Y O CTO B E R 1 0t h . LA ST N IG HT BUT 4 .

TUE SD A Y’. O CTO B E R 1 7 t h . LA ST N IGHT BUT 3 .

(W ed nesd a y .O c to b er ] 8 t h . No Perf orm a nce . t h e B a ll b ei ng p i e - eng a ged .)T HUR S D A Y. O CT O B E R 1 9m . LA ST N IO R T B UT 2.

FR ID A Y . O CTO B E R 201 11 . LAS T N IGHT BUT I .

A nd SA TUR D A Y . O CTOB E R T HE LA ST GRA N D A N D F INA LFA RE W E LL N IC B T I

1 78 THE OLD AND rm: N EW M AGIC

BLITZ .

S ignor Anton io Bl itz was born June 2 1 , 1810, in a l i tt le vi llage of Moravia. At an early age he picked up

,unknown to any

one, “a f ew adroit tri cks from certain gyps i es , who v is i ted h i s na

t ive town .

” He began to exh ibi t these feats for the amusementof h imsel f and friends. He made his professional début at Hamburg when but th i rteen years of age, and was known to the pubhe as the “mysterious boy .

” His first appea rance in this countrywas at the Musi c Hall, Broadway, N ew York . He had manyimi tators. Not less than th i rt een people traveled the Un itedStates us ing h is name, ci rculat ing a verba t im copy of h is handbi l l and advert isement—“ not only assuming to be the orig ina lBl i tz , but i n many instances cla iming to be a son or nephew.

”

“ I have been ,” say s Bl i tz . in h is memoi rs , F i fty Years in the

M ag ic Ci rcle, (Hart ford , Conn . ,

“ i n constant receipt ofbi l l s of thei r contract ing, for, not content w i th taking my name,they have not even honor enough to pay thei r debts .” The th irteen impostors exh ibi ted under the fol low ing and other names :Signor Bl i tz .S ignorS ignorS ignorS ignorSig norS ig nor

Bl i tz, Jr.

Bl i tz,The Original .

Bl i tz’s Son .

Bl i tz’s Nephew .

Bl i tz , The \Vonderf u l.Bl i tz , The Great .Bl i tz

,The Unri vallecl.

Bl i tz , The Mysterious.Bl itz

,By Purchase.

Bl i tz,The Grea t Original .

Bl itz was not only a magician , but a ventri loqui st and trainero f bi rds . He relates an amusing encounter w i th the great buteccentri c gen ius

,the I tal ian v iol in ist , Paganin i , whose romant i c

l i fe i s known to al l loversn

of music. The adventure took placei n the ci ty o f Glasgow,

Scotland . where Paganin i was giv inga concert . Says Bl itz : He, Paganin i , was tal l and awkwardlook ing.

cadaverous i n features . unga in ly in form ,wi th long

S ignorS ignorS ig norS ignor

som : OLD - TIM E CON JURERS 1 79

black ha i r, sa id to be very wea lthy, and characterized as ext remelypenurious. No instance was ever known of h i s contribut inga penny to the d istressed , or to a benevolent i nst i tut ion . One

Fea rmi rb kwd m—m of d o h arm 4 Ski n B ing .

M rs. Thornh i ll.“ W o h w ow d l

“lo- n.

fi M b M H O M -qh um en

"

S IGNOR B LITZ?“ i

l

r yfi :“ Fm

-lei ."ru mana ucn t~ th a

Lu

z)

:. w w —u m d : ra“ hh - fl e M d

Geo-I a n h em A M “ fl i t ! »to mu n - M UN ) "let . a n.

0 . d qp nd tb h t

Pot tery M u . ( w as t un) Hunk y .

w “

Ou TM ] Evening, Avc. l01h . l830.

ru m ca m -uh

S IGN ORM

B L ITZ .

FROM MORAVIAM OW of

MECHANISM METAMORPHORISC,no." 0" CAT.“ IOVAL.muons,

THAUM A TURG ICS ;M M fi 'M h m b - fl .

k h a n- d a m .stom a “ wa nt—a qu edu

f ly a t the Ra te ot'500. Miles a Minu te !

Perform W i th Tum Havens!

J M of N u . m ” dy a d ic D i e.

The Diving Bell: Learned Half -Crowns.

Ga n Tri ck 4} a .sew i ng

“

of fi ce D i nnerPlum

A D a nce by M i Thornh i ll.

I M M fl b M M fl h -M Q M M “

C L A R I ,

The Ma id of M i lan.

M »" b u l lec w al -n cn- Uol “ i t s!“

r a n: r a“ m i nu teu "m efl znt i m mnm

PLAY B ILL.

(From the Col lect ion of Mr. E l l is S tanyon, London, Eng land. )

morning I cal led and found h im qu ietly seated i n h is roomalone. After conversing w i th h im a short t ime I not iced h isv iol in case lying upon the tabl e

, when suddenly the cry o f a

ch i ld i ssued from therein .


Who i s that?’ said Paganin i , qu ickly look ing around .

I t is me, w i th the babe,’ answered a womanly voice.‘My God ! what i s th is?’ i nqu i red the aston i shed v iol i n ist .You wel l know,

’ plaint i vely answered the woman, at thesame t ime the in fant again commenced crying.

‘We know you are a bad woman ,’ vehement ly declared theexci ted man .

‘And d id you not make me so, you old I tal ian fiddler?’After th is there was apparently a commot ion i n the box

,

when Paganin i became alarmed and was about to leave the roomwhen I unmasked mysel f and explained that he had been a v ict imto the vagaries of ventri loqu ism ; wh ich , on hearing, del ightedh im prod igiously, and grasping me by the hand he excla imed,‘Bravo, Sig nor l—bravoS ignor Bl i tz ret i red from the stage w i th a fortune and set

tled i n Phi ladelph ia . His home was on Green street nea r 18thstreet . He taught magic and gave pri vate entertainments forsome years before h is death , wh ich took place February, 1877 .

One of h is daughters was the famous opera singer,Madame

Vanzant , who at the present wri t ing l ives i n Europe. These factsI obtained from Mr . Thomas Yost .

ALEXAN DER.

Alexander Heimburger was born December 4 , 1819, i n Germany . He performed under the now do théci tre of Herr Alexander. He toured Europe, North and South America w i th greatsuccess for a number of years , and ret i red to h i s nat i ve land wi tha large fortune. He is at present res id ing at Munster an old manof eighty- four, w i th snow-wh ite hai r and beard, an bent overw i th age. He was long supposed to be dead by the fratern i ty o fmagicians . but Mr. Houdin i , i n h i s tour of Germany in 1903,

d iscovered that he st i l l l i ved , and h is whereabouts . Alexander hadmany strange stories to relate of h is adventures in America andother places. He was personal ly acquainted w i th Houd in , Fri kell,Bosco , Anderson , Bl i tz , the original Bamberg of Amsterdam , etc.

He performed several t imes at the Wh ite House before PresidentPolk, and hobnobbed wi th Henry Clay, Webster and Calhoun.

182 THE A ND THE N EW MAGIC

One is i n New York a t the present t ime. Wh i le i n N ew York ,

A lexander was approached by an i l lusionist named Orz ini, wh o

had a cabinet of mystery . He was i n ha rd c i rcumsta nces and

came to A lexa nder for assistance. The gen ia l Germa n ga ve h imten dol la rs. Orz ini secured an engagement a t the Pa rk Thea t re

,

but a las, only played one night , as h is act did not sui t, so he wa sclosed a fter h is first per formance. Sa i d A lexander to me, and

the sta tement ca used me i nfini te surprise : ‘This Orzini was theman who threw the bomb a t N a poleon III i n Pa ris, trying to k i l lthe Emperor, but was h imsel f ki l led ; a lso blow i ng up severa lbystanders, and wounding the horses of N apoleon’

s carriage.

The reporters d iscovered tha t Orz ini h ad just a rri ved fromAmeri ca ,

and in h is lodgings they f ound some kind of a mysteriou s glass house, wh ich must ha ve been the Il lusion Cabinet .In th is a ffa i r N apoleon esca ped w i th h is l i fe and a f ew

scra tches.

’

This is a strange story . I am of the opinion tha t Herr A lexander is laboring under a mistake in t rying to ident i fy the i l lusionist Orzini w i th the celebra ted revolut ion ist O rsini . In the

first place, there is the di fferent spel l ing of the names Orzini"

and O rsini” ; but Mr. Houdini ma y ha ve incorrect ly reporte dA lexander i n th is respect . There is no record of O rsini ha vingcome to the Un i ted S ta tes. Aga i n , he was not ki l led in the

a t tempted assassina t ion of N a poleon III, in the ru e Lepellet ier,

Pa ris, Janua ry 14 , 1858. He was captured and su f fered imprisonment , and was gu i l lot ine dM a rch 13, 1858. Whi le i n prisonhe wrote h is memoirs.

Herr A lexander is the a uthor of a work ent i t led D erM oderiw

Z a u berer (“The Modern

FRIKELL.

W i ljalba Frikell was born in Scopio, a v i l lage of Finland:in 1818. His fami ly was wel l - to - do and gave h im adva ntagesi n the way o f educa t ion. He gradua ted a t the High School ofM uni ch in 1840, in h is twenty- second yea r. D uring h is scholast i c days he became interested in legerdema i n , and rea d w i tha v id i ty every work on the subject he could find . He a ttended

some OLD - TIM E CON JURERS 183

the performances of all conju rers who came to Munich . Refusing to study for one of the lea rned professions, grea t ly to thed isappointment of h is pa rents, he went on the stage, and visi tedthe principa l c i t ies of E urope, a fter wh ich he journeyed to Egypt .In the land of the pyramids Fri kell had the honor of perform ingbefore Mehem i t Ali , who presented h im w i th a gold meda l .Return ing to E urope he v isi ted Greece, Ita ly , and Spa in . Sub

sequent ly he went to Ind ia and i nvest iga ted the thauma turgyof the faki rs. He made h is first appea rance i n London in 1851 ,

Peer. WrLJ ALBA m n’

s Cu msrma s Exrearammenr.

(As Exh ib i ted Before Qu een V ictori a a t W indsor Castle. )

and per f ormed before Queen V i ctoria and the Roya l Fami ly.

a t W'i ndsor Cast le. His broken German and pecul ia ri ty of man

ner ca used h im to be described by Punch as“

a comic Cha rlesMa tthews.

”

The same j ourna l a lso compa red h im to “a monster

ra ven i n ful l dress for even ing pa rty .

”

His success was ma rked .

The Cza r of Russia presen ted Fri kell w i th a d iamond ring ofgrea t valu e, and the King o f Denma rk ma de h im a Kn ight ofD annebrog. Just when th is rema rkable man ret i red from the

stage I ha ve been una ble to ascerta in. In h is old age he became

184 THE OLD AN D THE new M AGIC

a recluse and den ied h imsel f to v isi tors. In fa ct , i t was supposedby the profession tha t he was dead , unt i l M r. Houdini d iscoveredh is whereabouts i n Krotschenbroda , a f ew mi les from Dresden,Germany , Februa ry, 1903, and ca l le d a t h is v i l la , but d id notsucceed in obta i n ing an interview . N ine months la ter Fri kelldied . He contempla ted wri t i ng h ismemoi rs21 la Robert - Houdin ,but , a las, dea th cu t short the undertak ing. Tha t they wouldha ve been ext remely enterta ining and f ul l of curious i ncidentsof tra vel , a dmi ts of no doubt . An ext ra ct f rom a let ter wr i ttenby Mr. Houdini to h is American fr iend , H . S . Thompson, o f

Ch icago , w i l l prove of interest to the reader .

D resden, Oct . 20, 1903.

I h ave some news f or you th a t may be o f interest . You may remembertha t I sough t

~an interview last Febru ary w i th D r. W i ljalba Fri kell, bu t wasunable to meet h im. S ince then we have been in correspondence, and he

wrote me th a t i f I ever came to Dresden he wou ld be pleased to see me. ona rriving in D resden I sent h im word th a t I wou ld ca ll u pon h im on Octo

ber 10th last . I accordingly went to the V illa Frikell abou t 1 o’

clock , and

you can imag ine w i th wh a t sorrow and astonishment I learned th a t D r.

Fri kell had d ied of h ea rt f a i lu re th ree hou rs before. He was awa i t ing mya rrival a t the t ime. Fa te w i lled i t tha t I shou ld see Herr Frikell, bu t th a twe should not speak to each oth er.

"He was bu ried on October 13th . I a t tended the f u nera l and la id two

la rge wrea ths on h is g rave ; one on beh a lf of the Society of American M ag i

ei a u s, and the other f rom myself . Th e S. A . M . wrea th was t he la rgest and

h andsomest there.

“Herr Frikell was 87 years old and h ad made all a rrangements to live

to 100. He a lwa ys cla imed h e wou ld live to over 100 y ea rs and wou ld tell

why he expected to reach th a t age. Too bad we cou ld not have held a con

versa t ion ere h e depa rted th is li f e.

S incerely you rs,“HARRY Houmm .

Fri kell was an i nnova tor in the a rt Of magic . He d is

pensed w i th appa ra tus. In h is Lessons in illag t'

c, he says : The

u se of compl ica ted and cumbersome appa ra tus. to wh ich modernconjurers ha ve become a ddicted , not only grea t ly dimin ishesthe amount o f astonishment they a re enabled to produce,

—a

defect wh ich i s not compensa ted by the externa l splendor and

imposing eff ect o f such pa ra pherna l ia — but the use ful lesson,

how fa l l ible our senses a re, by means the most ord ina ry and a t

everybody’

s command , is ent i rely lost . It has been my object

THE ABOVE i s A COPY or ON E or FRIKELL’S PROGRAMMES.

some OLD - TIM E CON JURERS 187

the str i ving for simpl ic i ty may be overdone. The performeris apt to lose h is feel ing for brea dth of ef f ect , and to f r i t ter awayh is ski l l over i l l usions too minute and too soon over to make anypermanent impression . One o f the most ski l f ul sleight o f handperf ormers we ha ve ever seen throws away ha l f the va lue ofh is work by going too f ast , and producing sma l l eff ects, indi vi du a lly bri l l iant , so ra pidly tha t h is aud ience has not t ime fa i rlyto a pprecia te one before another i s presented . The specta tor,under such ci rcumstances, takes away w i th h im a mere blurredimpression , ra ther than a clea r menta l photograph of wha t he h asseen, and the show su ff ers in h is est ima t ion a ccordingly.

“Another danger a t tending the non - appa ra tus school l ies i n

the fa ct tha t the per f ormer is apt , by ca rrying the princ ipleto needless lengths, unduly to l imi t h ismethods.

“

On the whole we are incl ined to th ink tha t the most succ.essf u l magician of the f utu re w i l l be one who j udic iously com

bines a ppa ra tu s and non- appa ra tus tr icks ; su ch a ppara tus, however , to be of a simple and homely k ind and not ma de a dm i ttedlyfor the purpose of the tr ick. The idea l enterta inment , from the

standpo int of the specta tor , w i l l be one i n wh ich fea ts of dexteri ty or suppose d dexteri ty , a re worked in conjunct ion w i thbri l l iant stage ef f ects of a more spectacula r k ind . su ch as a re

exh ibi ted by Mr. Maskelyne a t the E gyptian Ha l l , London .

"

And so I r ing down the curta in on the old - t ime conj urers.

They played thei r pa rts i n the grea t drama of l i fe, and enrichedthe h istory of the stage w i th thei r a dventures. Wha t could bemore romant ic than the ca reer of the i ncomparable Bosco ?

The prest i d igi ta teur makes th ingsappea r and d isa ppea r to ourgrea t wonderment , unt i l fina l ly Dea th ; the grea test of a ll necromancers, wa ves h iswand , and the morta l fades away from V iew ,

am i d the sha dows o f the tomb. Tom M asson, tha t cha rm ingwri ter of verse dc societe, says

\Vc are like pu ppets in some conj u rer's hands,W ho smi ling , ea sy , nonch a lantly st ands

And says, am id the uni versal cheers“

You see t h is mans—and now he di sa ppearsl” *

‘Munsey's

THE SECRETS OF SECON D SIGHT.

Then second-si gh ted Sandy sa id,‘We

’

ll do na e good a t a’

, W i llie.

’

-Ch i ld’

s B a llads, VII. 265.

I went on one occasion to d ine w i th M r. Francis J . Ma rt i nka ,and wh i le wa i t ing for the repast to be served , sea ted mysel fu pon an old - f ash ioned so f a i n h is draw ing- room .

Ronear HELLER’

S MAGi c SOFA .

Pa rdon me, sa id my host , ga i ly, wh i le I put a bottle ofw i ne on ice. I w i l l be ba ck in a l i t t le wh i le. In the meant ime,you may amuse yoursel f looking over these photos o f

conjurers. And, by the way , you are sea ted on the v


Tremendous a pplause greeted th is fea t.Mr. Fred Hunt , who was for a number of yea rsRobert Hel

ler’s assistant, revea led the secret o f second sight soon a fterHel ler’s dea th . The performer h as first to be ini t ia ted into a newa lphabet i ca l a rrangement , wh ich is as f ol lows

I ; I i s B ; J isL ; K i s

isR ; X is See th is; Y i sQ; Z i s Hurry. Hurry up” means torepea t the last letter. For example, the i n i t ia lsor name in a r i ngis wanted . Say i t is

“Anna .

” By the a lphabet i ca l a rrangementH stands for A , D for N . The exclama t ion “Hurry up”

a lwaysmeans a repet i t ion of the last letter, and aga in H w i l l give theanswer when put as fol lows:

“Here i s a name. D o you see i t ? Hurry up. Ha ve yougot i t ?

A t tent ion i s pa i d on ly to the first letter of every sentence,and i t w i l l be percei ved tha t the name of Anna i s spel led .

A fter the a lphabet we ha ve the numbers, wh ich are a rrangedas fol lows: 1 is Say or Speak ; 2 is Be, Look or Let ; 3 isCanorCan ’t ; 4

i

is D o or D on ’t ; 5is W i l l or Won’ t ; 6 i s \Vh a t ; 7 is

P lease or Pray ; 8 is A re or A i n’t ; 9 is Now ; 10 is Tel l ; 0 is

Hurry or Come.

“Wel l" is to repea t the last figure. Now foran example : The number i s needed. The conjurerrema rks: “

Say the number. Look a t i t. Can you see i t? D o

you know?Suppose the number ca l led f or is 100.

“Tellme the number. Hurry !

”

So much , dea r reader, f or the spel l ing of proper names andconveying numbers to the cla i rvoyant on the stage. In rega rdto colors, meta ls, precious stones, countries, ma ter ia ls, fabrics,makers of wa tches, playing ca rds, society emblems, coins, bi l ls,jewel ry, wea ring a ppa rel , surgica l instruments, etc. , etc. , Hel lerhad them a rranged in sets of ten. The first quest ion he askedga ve the clue to the set ; the second quest ion to the number ofthe art icle i n the set . Thusbut two shortquest ionswere a cces~sa ry to el i ci t the proper reply from the assistant. M iscel lane

THE SE CRETS OF SECOND SIGHT 191

ou s a rt icleswere d iv i ded into n ineteen sets. I w i l l gi ve examplesof two

Wh a t art icle is th is?I. Handkerch ief . 6. Basket .

2. Neckerch ief . 7. Beet .

3. Bag . 8. Com forter.

4 . Glove. 9. Headdress.

5. Pu rse. 10. Fan.

SECOND SET.

Wha t is th is?1 . Wa tch . 6. N ecklace.

2. Bracelet . 7. Ring .

3. Gu ard. 8. Rosary .

4. Ch a in. 9. Cross.

5. Breastp in. 10. Ch arm.

Supposing a specta tor handed a Rosary to the conjurer. Hewou ld ca l l out to h is'

assi stant ,“Wh a t i s th is?

”

(Clue to the

second set . ) Then he would excla im , A re you ready? The

word are would give the clue to number 8. And so on.

The clues to the sets were worded very nea rly a l i ke, so as tomake the specta tors bel ieve tha t the same quest ions were bei ngconsta ntly asked.

E voking the a id of electri c i ty, Robert Hel ler was enabledto convey the cu e words and numbers of the sets to M iss Hel lerwi thou t speaking a word. It was th is wonder f ul eff ect tha t sopu zzled everybody. A conf edera te sa t among the specta tors,nea r the center a isle of the thea tre, and the w i res of an electri cba ttery were connected w i th h is cha i r

, the electr i c push buttonbei ng under the front pa rt of h is sea t . Hel ler ga ve the cu e tothe set i n wh ich the a rt ic le was, i ts number, etc. ,

by some na tura lmovement of h is body or a rms; and the confedera te, rapidlyi nterpret ing the secret signa ls, telegra phed them to the cla i rvoyant on the stage. The recei v ing instrument was a tta chedto the sofa upon wh ich M iss Hel ler sa t . The i nterchangeableu se of the two methods of conveying i n forma t ion—spoken and

unspoken—during an eveni ng, completely bew i ldered the spectators. It was i ndeed a sph inx problem .

Robert Hel ler, or W i l l iam Henry Pa lmer, was born i n Canterbu ry , E ngland, i n 1833. A t the age of fourteen he won a

scholarsh ip a t the Roya l Academy of Musi c. In the year 1852


he made h is début in N ew Y ork Ci ty a t the Ch inese Assemb lyRooms. On th is occasion he wore a bla ck w ig and spokew i th a Ga l l i c a ccent , bel ieving tha t a French conj urer would bebet ter rece i ved in th is country than an Engl ish magic ia n . Hef a i led to make a su ccess

, and eventua l ly dri f ted to Wash ington

where he ta ught musi c for a number of yea rs. All th is t imehe was per fect ing h imsel f in legerdema i n . Fi na l ly he reappea redi n New Y ork and won unbounded success. He v isi ted E uropeand India , returning to the Uni ted S ta tes in 1875. His lastperfor mance wasgiven a t Concert Ha l l , Ph i ladelph ia , onNovember 25, 1878. He d ied i n the same ci ty on N ovember 28, 1878.

Soon a fter h is dea th an absurd story went the rounds of the

I94 THE OLD A N D THE N EW MAGIC

A curious exh ibi t ion of si lent second sigh t was tha t o f theSvenga l i tr io. The eff ect a s described by the N ew York Herald,A ugust 1 1

,1904 , is as fol lows:

“Two persons ( la dy and gentlema n) are on the stage, bothw i th thei r backs towa rd the a udience. A th i rd one goes i nto thea ud i tori um ,

w i th h isba ck towa rds the stage, to recei ve the w ishesof the audience. If the name of any i n terna t iona l celebri ty iswh ispered to h im

,w i th l ightn ing rapi di ty the thought is

t ra nsmi tted . The gent leman on the stag e tu rns rou nd immedia tely and appea rs i n f ea tures, bea ring and dress as the desi redpersonage—w i th wonderful ly sta rt l ing resemblance.

“

One can l i kew ise wh isper to the gent leman in the audi toriumthe name of an interna t iona l opera ,

operet ta or i nterna t iona lsong. The thought fl ies l ike l ightning, and the lady sings wha tis wanted, instant ly a ccompanying hersel f on the piano.

“The secret of th is tri ck is as f ol lows: When the curta in

rises, the master of ceremonies wa lks to the f ront o f the stageand i n a pleasi ng voice begins: ‘

Ladies and gentlemen—I ha vethe pleasure of i ntroducing to you , etc. , etc. I w i l l ca l l youra t tent ion to the fa ct tha t the specta tors must confine thei r wh ispered w ishes to interna t iona l celebri t ies, names of wel l - knownpersonages, songs and operasof i nterna t iona l fame,

’

etc.

“This l im i ta t ion o f cho ice is the keyoto the performance.

They have l ists of these ‘interna t iona l celebri t ies,’ rulers, sta tes

men, d iploma ts, grea t wri ters and musi ca l composers; songs ofworld- w i de reputa t ion , popu la r select ions from the operas, etc.

’

And the secret of the even ing i s tha t a llof these ca reful ly selectednames, t i t les, etc. , are numbered , as i n the fol low i ng examples:

sra rssmsn A ND RULERS. POPULA R SONGS .

1 . B ismarck . 1 . Home, Sweet Home.

”

2. King Humbert of Italy . 2. Last Rose of Summer.

"

3. N apoleon Bonaparte. 3. Marseilla ise.

4. King Edward VII. 4 . The Jewel Song in Faust .”

5. Pa u l Kruger. 5. Wa lter’

s Prize Song .

”

120. Lincoln. 101 . Com in’

Thro’

the Rye.

”

THE SECRETS or SECOND SIGHT 195

09211118. GREAT wamms.

1 . Fa u st . 1 . Th ackeray .

2. Loh engrin. 2. VictorHugo.

3. Boh em i an Girl. 3. D ickens.

4. Luci a di Lammermoor.

”

4 . George Eliot .

5. Carmen.”

5. Sh akespeare.

120.

“

Trova tore. 101 . D ante.

HOW THE SIGN A LS A RE CON CEALED .

The manager rei tera tes tha t i f only names of i nterna t iona lreputa t ion a re gi ven the responses w i l l be correct n ine hundredand n inety~ n ine t imes i n a thousand . Then he descends from the

stage, and, smi l ing right and left, i ncl i nes h i s ear to ca tch thewh ispered w ishes as he moves slow ly up the a isle, genera l ly w i thh isback to the stage. An aud i tor wh ispers to h im ,

‘Bisma rck.

’

“Herr Svenga l i , gest i cula t ing freely but na tura l ly, pressi ngh iseyesw i th h is fingers for an i nstant as i f going into a momenta ry trance—only a second or two, j ust enough to impress thea udienceh then th rusts a hand into the a i r, w i pes the moisturefrom h is face w i th h is handkerch ief or leans towa rd a specta tor,seeking h is a ttent ion, when a voice f rom the stage says,

‘B is

ma rck.

’

‘Right ,

’ responds the man who wh ispered tha t i l lustr iousname. Then there is a craning of necks and crush ing of programmes

,a ll eyes fixed on the stage, where the impersona tor,

‘

standing before a cabinet of costume pigeonholes, w i th the a i d

of an assista nt h as donned w ig and uni f orm in h is l ightningchange and wh i rls a round disguised as Bisma rck, wh i le the gi rla t the piano plays ‘

The \Va tch on the Rh ine.

’

It i s all the workof a f ew seconds and makes a grea t impression upon the spec 'ta tor.

“The next man ca l ls for an opera a i r,

‘Bohemian Gi rl ,’

and

the piano plays ‘

I D reamt Tha t I D wel t i n Ma rble Ha l ls,

’

etc.

Another man suggests the magic name ‘

Sheridan .

’

It is echoeda loud from the stage, wh i le the a udience applauds and the gi rlpla ys ‘

T he S ta r Spangled Banner. ’“The f ew experts present pay l i t t le a ttent ion to the stage.

Thei r eyes a re fixed on the man Svenga l i i n the a isle,not ing

every move he makes. It is observed tha t h is numerous gestures, h is frequent u se o f h is handkerch ief, th e pressure of h is

196 THE OLD A N D THE N EW ma cro

fingers on h is eyes, as i f to hypnot i ze h is assistant on the stage .

are na tura l movements, a ttra ct ing no a ttent ion , yet necessa ryto h ide the v i ta l si gna ls i n the c ipher code of the show .

“In the programme and show bi l ls i t is emphasi zed tha t th e

lady and gentleman on the stage ha ve thei r backs to the aud ience wh i le Svenga l i , down i n the a isle, h as h is back to the stage,mak i ng col lusion a ppa rently impossible. Thisma kes a profoundimpression on the publ ic.

A CON FED ERATE BEHIN D A SCREEN .

But not a word is sa i d o f tha t curious screen panel , bea ringa double- headed eagle—the A ustr ia n coa t of a rms—surmount inga la rge cabinet o f costumes occupying so much space on the

singe. The programme does not expla in tha t th is screen panelis t ranspa rent from beh ind and tha t an a ccompl i ce w i th a strongumgni fy ing lens reads every move made by Svenga l i and repea tsh is signa ls to the pretty girl a t the piano and the impersona tora t the cabinet.

THE SYSTEM S EXPLA IN ED .

Here is an i l l ustra t ion of how the figure system can be

worked . As explained above, the f amous personages, popula rm ugs and operas are on numbered l ists. Svenga l i in the a isle,w i th h is code of signa ls, h as all these numbers committed tomemory.

“When a specta tor wh ispers ‘

D ickens’ Svenga l i knows i t isNo . 4 , and he signa ls a ccord ingly.

“Bu t how ?By touch ing h is head , ch in , or breast , or tha t pa rt icu la r pa rt

o f h is body desi g na ted in the signa l code o f the Svenga l i Com

pany . The d iagram given herew i th i l lust ra tes the svstem ofm nnnunica t ion by numbers, n ine figu res and a c ipher bywh ich all the weal th o f the world may be measured, and any

number o f words may be commun ica ted w i thout a word ofspeech . One has but to map ou t a squa re on h is face, breast orhndy , and number i t w i th these n ine figures, w i th an ext ra spacefor the c ipher, to be ready for the Svenga l i busi ness. Tha t is,when he hasmemori zed the names and the numbers represent i ngll.

198 THE AN D THE N EW name

w i th the left arm for Nos. 4 , 5and 6 ; w i th ei ther ha nd placedna tura l ly beh ind you , on the sma l l of the ba ck, above the bel t andover your shoulder for Nos. 7, 8 and 9, and on the ba ck of yourhea d or neck for the cipher

It i s an interest i ng fact to note tha t the Cheva l ier Fi net t i wasthe first exh ibi tor of the second - sight trick. Houdi n rev i ved (orre- i nvented ) i t.On the 1 2th of D ecember, 1846, he announced i n h i s bi l l .

In th isprogramme, Robert -Houdin’

sson, who.

is gi fted w i th

SECON D- SIGHT TRICK—SIGN ALING.

ma rvelous second sigh t , a f ter h i s eyes ha ve been covere dw i th a

th ick bandage, w i l l desi gna te every object presented to h im by thea ud ience. In h is memoi rs he thus descr ibes how he came toi nvent the tr ick

“My two ch i ldren were playing one day in the draw i ngroom

a t a game they h ad i nvented for thei r own amusement. The

younger had bandaged h is elder brother’s eyes, and ma de h imguess a t the objects he touched , and when the la tter happened toguess right , they changed pla ces. This simple game suggestedto me the most compl ica ted idea tha t ever crossed my m ind.

“Pursued by the not ion , I ran and shut mysel f up in my work

room , and was fortuna te ly in tha t happy sta te when the mind

THE SECRETS OF SECON D SIGHT 199

fol lows easi ly the combina t ions t raced by fancy. I rested myhea d i n my hands, and, i n my exci tement, la i d down the firstpri nciples of second sight .”

Houdin never revea led h is method of working the t r ick.

Robert Hel ler'

s successors i n menta l magic are M ax Beroland w i fe, and the Zancigs. Among other fea ts Berol is able tomemori ze over two hundred words ca l led out by the specta torsand wri t ten down on a sl i p of paper by some gentleman . Berolw i l l then wri te these words backwa rds and f orwa rds w i thouthesi ta t ion and name any one of them by i ts number i n the l ist.The Zancigs a re ma rvels in the a rt of second sight . They wereborn in Copenhagen , Denma rk, but a re na tura l i zed ci t i zens of theUn i ted Sta tes. Clever a dvert isers, they lay cla im to occul tpowers, as the fol low ing not ice in the Wash ington Post , A pri l

30, 1905, w i l l test i fy“A l though Prof. Zancig and Mme. Zancig , who w i l l be a t

Chase’

s th is week, are na tura l i zed Americans. they come fromDenma rk. They first developed thei r transmission of thoughtfrom one mind to another—or wha t i s known as telepa thywh i le journeying through the O rient . They found tha t qui tea number of the Orienta ls h ad found i t possi ble to control‘thought wa ves’ and transmi t them to the minds of others, j ustasMa rcon i , w i th h is w i reless telegra phy, controls electri c wavesand transmits them to an object i ve poin t. Prof. Zancig discovered tha t Mme. Zancig was incept i ve, and he could rea di ly transmit to her mind the thoughts o f h i s own. The tests were cont inned , and became so posi t i ve and conclusi ve tha t i t was dec i dedto give publ ic exh ibi t ions.

“Wh i le i n India , I’rof . and Mme. Zancig saw some aston ishing telepa th ic exh ib i t ions, wh ich encouraged them to st i l l grea teref f orts. They ga ve exh ibi t ions before the M aha ra jah , nea rDelh i ; before the Ch inese min ister a t Hongkong, and before theJapanese ofii ci a ls of h ighest gra des, who took grea t i nterest i nthe menta l tests. One rema rkable inc ident occurred a t Potchef

stroom , South A frica , where the na t i ves a re extremel y superst it ions. The exh ibi t ion had been extensi vely advert ised, and thehouse was ful l . The enterta i nment crea ted a sensa t ion. As longas Prof. Zanci g rema i ned on the stage everyth ing was all righ t,


but when he went among the audience and rea d da tes of coins,i nscript ions on lett ers, and performed other rema rkable fea ts,the audience suddenly became pan ic - str icken , and there was a

mad rush for w i ndows, doors, or any other means of ex i t. In

five minutes the ha l l was empty, and noth ing could i nduce thepeople to return . A f ter concluding h is tour abroa d, Prof. Zancigand h is w i f e returned to Amer i ca ,

and began an Ameri ca n tou rwh ich h as been uni nterruptedly successful and w i l l extend toevery sect ion of t he Un i ted Sta tes.

”

Two clever performers of the second - sight trick are Ha rryand M i ldred Rou clere. Mr. Rou clere gi ves a very plea singmagi ca l enterta i nment .


and towns all over theUn i ted Sta tes, and welcomed everywhereby happy chi ldren . The big ci t ies you lef t to your more ambit ious brethren . But wha t of tha t ? You brought thereby morepleasure i nto humble l i ves than all of the old conj urers puttogether. “fel l have you ea rned your rest . Though your nameis qui te forgotten by the present genera t ion , a f ew old boys and

g i rls st i l l hold you in lov ing remembrance.

Wyma n was born in A lba ny , N . Y . , and was reported to besix ty- five yea rs of age a t the t ime of h is dea th . Just when he

Wy man, THE M acrcu m.

(From anOld Print , E llison Collect ion.)

went on the stage, I have been unable to ascerta in. Mr. GeorgeWood, who is now runni ng a sma l l curio shop on Fi lbert S treet ,Ph i ladelph ia

, was for sixteen yea rs Wyman's manager. He

a fterwa rds went w i th Ph ara zyn and Frederi ck E ugene Powel l .Thanks to my friend

, Mr. C. S . E by , who interv iewed Mr. Woodduring the summer of 1905, I ha ve obta ined a f ew fa cts concern i ng Wyma n ’

s ca reer . A fter gi v ing exh ibi t ions all over theUni ted Sta tes in school houses and sma l l balls, Wyman wentabroad and brought ba ck w i th h im qui te an outfi t of a ppa ra tus,most of i t purchased , I presume, from Voisi n ’

s Reposi tory i n

THE CON FESSION S OF A N A M ATEUR CON JURER 203

Pa ris. Voisi n was the only manufacturer of magica l novel t iesi n those days. A bout 1850 W

'yman played in New Y ork Ci tyunder the management of P. T . Ba rnum . When the magicia nAnderson sold out, \Vyman bought consi derable of h is pa ra

phernali a , such as the“M agic Cauldron”

(Ph i l l ippe’

s old tri ck ) ,the

“Nest of Boxes,

” “A eria l Suspension ,

” “Inexha ust ible Bot

tle, and GunTrick . In 1867Wyman sta rted the“ gi f t show”

i n connect ion w i th h is magic enterta inment, somet imes giv ingaway bui l d ing lots as a first pri ze. He introduced the Sph inxi l lusion in the South for the first t ime and made a tremendoush i t . People would come twenty m i les to see i t . He had a wou

derf u l memory, wh ich he a ppl ied to a second - sight a ct . The

a rt icles were pla ced in a handkerch ief by the boy who borrowedthem and the professor managed to get one secret look a t the collect ion . From h is remembrance he would la ter describe the

a rt i cles wh i le they were held a lo f t st i l l t ied in the handkerch ief.Another f a vori te i l lusion was the borrow i ng of a wa tch , wh ichwas pounded and a fterwa rds found under one of the specta tors

(not a con federa te) . It was one of the dut ies of Wood to sl i pthe borrowed wa tch i n pla ce wh i le ostensibl y sel l ing magicbooks.

Wyman ret i red from the stage eventua l ly, and l i ved in Phi ladelph ia for severa l yea rs a t 6 1 2 North E leventh S treet. A fterwa rds he move d to Burl ington , New Jersey, where he boughtan imposi ng country pla ce. He owned consi derable rea l esta te.

He died July 31 , 1881 . A f ew days before h is dea th he ca l ledto see h is old friend Thomas \V. Y ost , the manu f a cturer of magi ca l appa ra tus, of Ph i ladelph ia . He must ha ve h ad a premonit ion of h is dem ise, for he rema rked to Mr. Yost , as he lef t thestore : “

You w i l l not see me aga in. This is the last o f Wyman.

”

In a f ew days he was dea d . He was buried a t Fa l l Ri ver, Mas

sach uset ts, the home o f h i s w i f e. W'

yma n ’

s show consisted ofventri loquism , magi c , and an exh ibi t ion o f Ita l ian f antoch ini(puppets) . He wasone of the best enterta iners of h is day

I took to magic a t an ea rly age—not the magic of the sleightof hand a rt ist, however, but the rea l goet i c or black magi c,


as bla ck as any old grimoire of medizeval days coul d make i t.A ye, da rker i n hu e than any i nveighed aga inst i n the famousD aemonologi e of K i ng James I. of Protesta nt memory. I

bel ieved firmly in w i tches, ghosts, gobl ins, voodoo spel ls, and

conjure doctors. But wha t can you expect of a sma l l boy sur

rounded by negro servants, the rel ics of the old regime of slavery , who st i l l hel d tena ciously to the devi l - lore of thei r ancestorsof the A frican j ungle? A t night fa l l I da red not go nea r thesmoke- house for f ea r of the w i tches who hel d thei r revels there.

One day my f a ther brought home a book f or h is l ibra ry. It

was M a ckey’

s Ex traordinary Popular D elusi ons; or, The M ad

ness of Crowds. Tha t work of absorbing i nterest Opened myeyes to the unrea l i ty o f the old superst i t ions. I rea d i t w i tha vidi ty. It became a sort of B ible to me. It l ies on the tablebeforeme, asI pen these l i nes; a much - thumbed , fa ded , old book .

The first ama teur sleight o f hand show I ever took pa rt i n ,was gi ven by a boy named A lbert N iblack. The ma t inée mag iqu ewas hel d i n a stable a t tached to my fa ther’s house. The entrancef ee was three pins, orchestra cha i rs ten pins. The stage waserected i n the ca rriage house, and the curta i n consisted of a

couple of sheets surrept i t iously borrowed from the househol dl i nen closet . I a cted as the conj urer’s assistant . The successo f the enterta inment was phenomena l . The a udience consistedof some th i rty ch i ldren , w i th a sprinkl ing o f negro nurses whocame to preserve order among the sma l ler fry, and an old horsewho persisted in st i ck ing h is hea d through a w i ndow nea r thestage, h issta l l being in an a djoini ng compa rtment . He occupiedthe only pri va te box i n the thea tre. Among other tr icks on theprogramme, young N ibla ck produced a sma l l cana ry bi rd f roman egg wh ich had been prev iously examined and decla red tobe the rea l product of the hen by all the colored experts present , who tested i t on thei r teeth . One f a t old mammy, w i th herhea d picturesquely done up i n a red bandana handkerch ief, wasso overcome by the trick tha t she shouted out : “

Fo de Lawdsake ! D a t boy mus’ be k in to de D ebb i l sho,

’

and regretted thefact tha t she d id not have a rabbi t ’s foot w i th her, to wa rd of f

the spel ls. Y ea rs ha ve passed si nce then . Y oung N iblack i snowLieut . Commander N iblack, U. S . N ., erstwh i le nava l a t ta ché


orthodox rel igionist , the principa l o f a Bapt ist Sunday school ,and consequently hel d ca rds in abhorrence. I o f ten hea rd h imrema rk tha t ca rds were the

“D ev i l's Looking Glasses.

”

One

day , I sl ipped a couple of packs of ca rds in the sleeve of the

pro fessor ’s overcoa t , wh ich hung upon the wa l l ba ck o f h i s desk,and t ipped the w ink to the boys. They were astounded a t mya uda c i ty. W

'hen the class was dism issed , the schola rs l ingereda round to see the f un. The pro fessor went to put on h is coa t,whereupon the ca rds flew about the room in a shower, beingpropel led by the impact o f h i s a rm , which he thrust v iolent ly

GLEN Wrrww, GEORGETOWN ,

D . C.

i nto the sleeve. The boys, w i th a grea t shout , began picking upthe sca t tered pasteboa rds wh ich they presented to the teacher,comm isera t ing w i th h im in h is t rouble. The old man, who wasvery angry, d iscla imed ownersh ip of the detested ca rds, and gotout o f the room as speedi ly as possi ble. Perhaps i t is needlessto rema rk tha t I f a i led miserably in the La t in exam ina t ions tha tyea r. But i t ma y ha ve been ow i ng to my stupidi ty and not toany an imus on the pro fessor's part. Let us hope so.

A f ter long pra ct ise in legerdema in,I determined to give an

enterta i nment , and selected as my a ssistant , my school chum ,

E dwa rd L. Dent , a boy who possessed grea t mechan ica l gen ius.

La ter in l i f e he gradua ted w i th honors as a mechan ica l engineer

THE CON FESSION S OF A N AM ATEUR CON JURER 207

from S tevens’ Inst i tute, New Jersey, and f ounded a grea t i ronmi l l i n Georgetown . Poor fel low , he met w i th business reversesand lost a fortune. He died some five or six yea rs ago. Y oungD ent l i ved i n a h istorica lmansion on the heights of Georgetown,surrounded by a grea t pa rk of oaks. It was the home of JohnC. Ca lhoun , when he was Secreta ry of S ta te of theUn i ted Sta tes.

In the grea t a tt i c of the house, Judge D ent had fit ted up a superbca rpenter shop and forge for h is son.

Here my chum and I manu f a ctured our appa ra tus: the

VVasherwoman’

s Bott le, the Nest of Boxes a la Kel la r the Ca rdSta r ; the Coff ee and M i l k Vases; the Sph inx Table, etc. Whenall was rea dy, about two hundred inv i ta t ions were sent out fora Soi rée M agr

’qu c. The grea t draw i ngroom of the house wasfitted up as a thea tre, w i th a stage a t one end and drop curta i n .

We fenced i n the stage w i th ri ch dra peries, a f ter the style ofRobert Hel ler, and our gi lded tables and si l ver candelabra w i thwax tapers looked very fine aga inst the crimson background .

It was the most elabora te ama teur show I ever saw . Twentyminutes bef ore the curta in rang u p , both magician and assistantwere sei zed w i th stage fr igh t . \Ye h ad peeped through a hole i nthe curta in and taken in the sea of f a ces. \Ve da red not conf ront tha t crowd o f youngsters w i thout a mask of some kind .

Happy thought ! W'

e dec ided to blacken our faces w i th burntcork and appea r asnegro necromancers. The performance wentoff very wel l i ndeed, unt i l we came to the Ca rd S ta r.” 0 fa ta lPentagram of Pythagoras! The ca rds were chosen from a

pack and rammed down the mouth o f a big pistol , prepa ra toryto firing them a t the sta r , on the po ints of wh ich they were toappea r. I began my pa tter, f ac ing the a udience.

“

Ladies and

gent lemen , I w i l l gi ve you an exhibi t ion o f magic ma rksmansh ip .

I w i l l fire th is pistol ( laughter) a t the sta r on yonder table (renewed laughter) , and the ca rds”—( i ron ica l ca t ca l ls) . I turneda round, and to my horror, the dupl ica te ca rds were a l readyst i cki ng to the sta r ; my assistant h ad let of f the appa ra tus toosoon . The curta i n fel l . I shed tea rs of rage a t the fiasco. But

,

la ter on , I lea rned to act more ph i losoph ica l ly. M agicians are

subject to these mistakes. I have seen A lexander Herrmann’s

208 THE OLD A ND THE N Ew M AGIC

ca lcula t ions all upset by com i ca l contretemps of l i ke cha ra cterto the above, but he sm i led benignant ly and went r ight a long as

unconcernedly as ever. Conj uring certa i n ly gets on the nervesof i ts devotees.

IV.

Ama teur magicians are ca l led upon to exh ibi t thei r ski l l in all

sorts of pla ces. I once ga ve a performance in a Pul lman car,

going a t ful l speed. It was on the occasion of a pi lgrimage tothe Scott ish R i te temples of the Southwest , w i th a pa rty ofeminent members of the fra tern i ty. This was i n the spri ng of1904 . Among those who went on the journey were the Hon .

James Da niel Ri cha rdson , Soverei gn Grand Commander ofthe A ncient and A ccepted Scott ish Ri te of Freemasonry for theSouthern jur isdict ion of the Uni ted Sta tes, and A dmi ra l W infield Scot t Schley, the

“ hero o f Sant iago, a most gen ia lt ra vel i ng companion and ra conteur . Mr. Ri cha rdson h ad j ocularly appointed me Hierophant of the M yster ies, so I took a longw i th me a box ful l of magic appa ra tus, to amuse the In i t ia teswhen t ime hung heavy on thei r hands. My first performancewas gi ven wh i le speeding a cross the S ta te of Kentucky. A t one

end of an observa t ion car I a rra nged my table and pa rapherna l ia .

In honor of the A dmi ra l , I got up an impromptu trick, wh ich Ica l led,

“A fter the Ba tt le of Sant iago .

” Borrow i ng a si l k ha t ,and show i ng i t empty, I bega n as fol lows:

“Gent lemen , stretch your imagina t ions, l ike JulesVerne, and

let th ish a t represent the cru iser Brooklyn , Admi ra l Schley ’

ssh ip.

This osci l la t i ng Pul lma n car is the ocean . The grea t ba t tleof Sant iago is over. V i ctory has crowned the American a rms.

An order comes from the flagsh ip to decora te the vessels of thefleet w i th bunt ing. The sa i lors of the Brooklyn d i ve down intothe hold and bring up a va riety o f flags. (Here I produced fromthe h a t the flagsof allna t ions. ) They are not sa t isfa ctory. Rol lthem together, says the comma nder, and see wha t the composit ion w i l l make. (I rol led the flags i nto a bundle, wh i ch I proceeded to throw i n the a i r

, whereupon a big si lk Ameri ca n flagappea red , the sma l ler ensi gns ha v ing d isappea red . ) Ah , the S ta r

2IO THE OLD A N D THE N EW M AGIC

v.

The study of na tura l magi c i s wonderful ly fascina t ing. It

possesses, too, a dec ided peda gogic va l ue, wh ich eminent schola rsha ve not been slow to recogn i ze. Those who obta i n an i nsigh ti nto i ts principles are preserved aga i nst i n fect ion from the manypsych ica l epidemics of the age. The subject is of interest toscient ists. D r. G. Stanley Ha l l , a t one t ime pro fessor of experimenta l psychology a t the Johns Hopkins Un iversi ty, Ba l t imore,Md. , a t present presi dent of Cla rke Uni versi ty, Worcester, Mas

sachuset ts, used to exh ibi t conj uring tricks to h is classes, to i l lustra te the i l lusions of the senses. An eminent Germa n sc ient ist,Dr. M ax D essoi r, has wr i tten lea rnedly on the psychology oflegerdema i n . Prof. Joseph Jastrow , of the Uni versi ty of Wisconsin, subjected the conj urers, Herrmann and Kel la r, to a

series of ca reful tests, to ascerta i n thei r “ ta ct i le sensibi l i ty, sensit iveness to textures, accuracy of visua l percept ion, qu ickness ofmovement,menta l processes,” etc. The resultsof these testswerepri nted in Sci ence

,Vol. III, page 685-689, under the t i t le of

Psychologica l Notes upon S leight - o i - hand Experts.

The l i tera ture o f na tura l magic is not extensi ve. Thi rtyyea rs ago, first - classworks i n E ngl ish on legerdema in were ra re.

Hou din’

s Secrets de la Prest idig i ta t ion et de la M ag i c, wh ichwas publ ished in 1868, wasout of pri n t , and, says Prof. Hoff mann,“the possession o f a copy was rega rded among professors ofmag ic asa boonof the h ighest possible va l ue.

”

Hoflmann pickedup an old second - hand copy of the work in Pa r is, and transla tedi t i n the yea r 1877. To~ day, books on sleight o f hand ha ve beenmul t iplying rapi dly. E very pro fessor of the art th i nks i t incumbent upon h im to publ ish a trea t ise on magic . S trange to say ,

the good works on the subject ha ve been wri t ten by ama teurs.

Prof. Ho f fma nn (Angelo Lew is) , a member of the London bar,haswri tten the best book, fol low ing h im have come E dw i n Sachsand C. La ng Nei l l . The autobiography of tha t a rch -master ofmagic

,Robert- Houdin , was transla ted , i n 1859, by Dr. R. Shel

ton Mackenzie, of Ph i ladelph ia . Thomas Frost, i n 1881 , produced an i nterest ing work on the Lives of the Conj urcrs, but i tis now qui te out of da te. I know of no rea l ly scholarly trea t iseextant to

- day on the h istory of prest i d igi ta t ion.

THE CON FESSION S OF AN AMATEUR CON JURER 2 1 !

I ha ve been very fortunate i n my resea rches i n the h istoryof magi c, to have had a ccess to severa l pri va te col lect ions of

books, old playbi l ls, programmes, pri nts, etc. , rela t ing to the sub

ject . I mysel f have been an i ndefa t igable co l lector of books and

WA N Ds or FAM OUS MAGlC i A N S.

(From the Ellison Collect ion, New York .)

pamphlets trea t i ng of magic and magicians. But my l ibra rypa les into insig nificance besi de tha t o f my f riend , Dr. Sa ram R.

E l l ison, o f New York Ci ty. D r. E l l ison is a pract isi ng physi c ianand, l i ke many others o f h i s pro f ession, a grea t lover of escamotage, perhaps beca use o f i ts rela t ionship to psychology.

_

He has

21 2 THE OLD AND THE N EW M AGIC

i n h is col lect ion of books, ma ny ra re volumes picked up i n E uropeand elsewhere. A t the present wr i t i ng h is l ibra ry conta i ns nea rlyone thousa nd two hundred t i t les, among them bei ng ra re copiesof D ecremps ( 1 789 Fi nett i Breslaw

Porta Kosmann VVi tgcest N au deus

etc. , etc. In the yea r 1902, Kel la r v isi ted the E l l isonl ibra ry. He endea vored to purchase the col lect ion forDr. E l l ison refused to pa rt w i th h is beloved books. In h is w i l lhe has left the col lect ion to Columbia Uni versi ty, New Y orkCi ty. One of the doctor’s fads i s the col lect ion of wa nds offamousmagi cians. He possesses over sixty rods of the modernmagi , and has often contempla ted sending an exped i t ion toEgyp t to discover the wa nds used by Moses and A a ron . Amongh is col lect ion are wands formerly w iel ded by Ca rl , Leon , A lexa nder and Mme. Herrmann ( f our representa t i ves of one fami ly) ,W i l lmann, Anderson, Bl i tz, de Kol ta , Ho ff mann , Gold in , M as

kelyne, Powel l , McA llister, Robinson, Kel la r, Fox, etc. E a chof the wands i s a ccompanied by a story, wh ich w i ll be publ ishedi n the nea r future.

When the c i t i zen - king, Lou is Ph i l ippe, ru led over the dest in ies of la belle France, there resi ded i n Pa ris an ol d man,

by thename of M . Rou jol, fami l ia rly known among h is con freres as“Fa ther” Rou jol. He kept a modest shop i n the Ru e Ri chel ieufor the manufacture and sa le of magi ca l appa ra tus. The pro i essioua l and ama teur conj urers of the French capi ta l ma de Roujol ’s thei r meet ing pla ce.

“The D ue de M sa ys Robert

Houd in,

“did not d isda i n to v isi t the humble emporium of themyst i c art , and rema i n for hours conversi ng w i th R011o and h is

associa tes.

”

It was here tha t Houdi n became a cqua i nted w i thJules de Rovére, of noble bi rth , a conjurer who abandoned thet i t le of cscamoteur, as benea th h is a r istocra t i c d ign i ty, and coinedfor h imsel f the pompous cognomen , prest i dig i ta teur, from prest idig i ti (a ct i vi ty of the fingers) . The French A ca demy sanct ioned the forma t ion of th is word , thus handing i t down to posteri ty . Jules de Rovere a lso ca l led h imsel f Physi ci an du Roi .Old Fa ther Rou jol i s dust long ago. \Ve ha ve repl i cas of h is


the two of them ca l led the meet ing for the forma t ion of thesociety. The first i dea of such a fra tern i ty of magic ians wasformula ted by the wri ter of th is book, who endea vored to founda society ca l led the “

Sph inx, but i t proved a bort i ve. The lea di ng conj urers of the Un i ted S ta tes and E urope are enrol ledamong the members of the S. A . M . The meet ings a re hel donce a month , a t M art inka

’

s, usua l ly fol lowed by exh ib i t ions o fski l l 011 the stage of the Bijou Thea tre, a tta ched to the pla ce.

Robert - Houdin , i n the closing chapter of h is Secrets of Con

ju ring and M ag i c, rema rks tha t i t would be a superb sight tow i tness a performance by magi cians, where each would show h i schef d’

oeuvre i n the art . A t M art inka’

s th is is rea l i zed . Here

you may see the very perfect ion of d igi ta l dexteri ty, menta lmagic , and the l ike. Mr. Francis J . M a rt inka possesses manyinterest ing rel i cs of celebra ted performers: A lexander Herrmann’

s wand , Robert Hel ler’s orange tree, and photographsga lore of magicians, l i v i ng and dea d . Some of the most important i l lusi ons o f the day have been bui l t in the shop of the Mar~

t inka Brothers. O ther manu fa cturers in N ew Y ork Ci ty are

W i tmark Sons, and Mr. Bea dle, a veteran mecha n i c and erstwh i le assistant to Robert Hel ler.In Boston we ha ve the magi c empori ums of W . D. LeRoy

and C. M i l ton Chase ; and i n Ch i cago, tha t o f A . Roterberg.

Both LeRoy and Roterberg a re fine sleight -of - hand performers.

M r. Roterberg i s the a uthor of a clever work on ca rd conj uring,wh ich ra nks very h igh in the est ima t ion of

.

the professi on , a lsosevera l l i t t le brochures on up

- to - da te legerdema i n . In Ph i ladelph ia , M r. Thomas Yost , a veteran manufacturer of magi ca lappa ra tus, holds forth . He has bui l t many fine i l lusions and

tr i cks. In London , we ha ve the wel l - known firm of Hamley 8:Co. i n Pa ris, Caroly and D eVere. There is no dearth of periodi cals devoted to the art of magic. Among the lea ding ones a reM aha tma , Brooklyn , New Y ork ; The Sph inx,

Ka nsasCi ty, M is~

souri ; M ag i c and The Wisard, London ; The M ag i ci an, L i verpool ;L

’

Illusioniste, Pa ris; and D er Z anberspi egel, Berl i n .

A DAY WITH ALEXAND ER THE GREAT.

Come, bring thy wand, whose mag i c powerCan wake the troubled spi ri ts of the deep.

HEMANS : Address to Fancy .

They come back to me, those ol d days i n the newspaper ofii cei n Ba l t imore. I can shut my eyes and see the long, d ingy roomw i th i ts ink - Spla ttered tables and fla ring gas jets. The primersdev i ls rushing in and out w i th wet proo f - sheets. Reporters comeand go. Look ! There is Joe Kel ly, Lefevre, Ja rret t and JohnMonroe. And here comesLudlam , f am i l ia rly known as

“Lu d,

”

the prince of Bohemian newsga therers; a cross between D i ckens’

A l fred J ingle and Murger’s Rodolph . He is a lways “ down onh is luck,

” but noth i ng can phase h is na tura l ga iety and bonhomie. He snaps h is fingers a t Fa te, and mocks a t the world.

On h is dea th bed he ma de bon mots. Poor ol d Ludlam , he is

forever associ a ted w i th my introduct ion to A lexander the Grea t.I look ba ck a cross the yea rs tha t sepa ra te me from my jour

nalist i c experiences,and see mysel f sea ted a t a reporter

’

s table,on a certa i n morni ng i n Janua ry, wa i t i ng for anassi gnment fromthe c i ty edi tor ; a fire, a murder, pol i t i ca l interview,

I knew notwha t, and therein l ies the ineff able cha rm of newspaper report ing.

Enter Ludlam , j aunty and debona i re. The snow encrusts h isfaded coa t w i th powdery flakes. He st rikes a thea tri ca l a tt i tude,and excla ims: “

Ph i losophers say tha t the Devi l is dead ! Gentlemen, don

’ t you bel ieve them . I ha ve j ust h ad an i n tervieww i th His Sa tani c M a jesty, and he i s very much a l i ve. He was

bea ut i ful ly per f umed w i th sulphur ‘ (or was i t c iga rette smoke?)and wore a fur- l ined overcoa t. Coming from a tropica l c l ima te,


h e finds th is cold wea ther very disagreeable. He turned mywa tch into a turn ip and ba ck aga i n . He took a roll of greenbacks f rom my coa t pocket . Tha t was sure enough w i tchcra f t.I defy any other person than Beelzebub to get money from my

clothes. He ext racted a ha rd - boi led egg from my nose, and a

rabbi t from my ha t . But seei ng is bel ieving. Here he is now 1”

W i th tha t he threw open the green ba i ze door w i th a crash ,

and i n wa lked A lexander Herrmann, the magician, sm i l ing and

A t exa xnea IIERRM A N N .

bow ing. This l i tt le comedy had been arranged by the i rrepres~

sible Ludlam , He was a grea t pra ct ica l joker . We shoutedw i th laughter. This was my first introdu ct ion to A lexanderthe Grea t , who was making h is periodica l v isi t to the newspaperoffices, and he came to the N ews first , because i t was an a fternoonjourna l . He was to play tha t night a t Ford

'

sOpera House. He

performed a number of capi ta l t ricks for u s w i th wa tches, coins,handkerch iefsand rings, and waspronounced a roya l good fel lowby the ent i re ou tfi t— edi tors, reporters, typeset ters and devi ls.

Being the only ama teur magici an on the paper, I was deta i ledto accompany the famous conjurer on h is sw ing a round the

2 18 THE A N D THE N EW M AGIC

The fol low i ng is a charming anecdote rela ted by Herrma nnin the North Ameri canRevi ew , some yea rs ago

“InMa rch , 1885, wh i le i n Madrid , I appea red a t the Sasuella

Thea tre qui te successful ly, for the house was fi l led every eveni ngw i th h ida lgos and noble senoras, and K i ng A lphonso XII. wa skind enough to v iew my performance from a box. He was so

A LEXA N DER HERRM AN N AT THE AGE or 23.

p leased tha t I was asked to the pa lace, and know ing h im to be a

grea t sportsman, I presented h im w i th a si l ver- mounted saddlewh ich I h ad brought w i th me f rom Buenos Ayres. He was

exceedingly kind , and a fter I had performed a ma thema t i ca l t rickw i th ca rds, wh ich pleased him grea t ly, he kept asking me cont i nu ally i f he could not be of some serv ice to me. A t first I did noraccept, but a l i ttle wh i le a fterwa rds I thought i t would be a grea t

A DAY WITH ALEXA N DER THE GREA T 2 19

th ing i f I coul d make the K ing of Spa i n my conf edera te i n a tr i ck.

He consented , laugh ingly, and i t was so a rranged tha t from the

stage I was to ask one of the audience to wri te a number, whenthe

.K ing was to get up and say ,‘I wi l l wr i te i t,’ and do i t. O f

course, w i th such a conf edera te, the tri ck was a ccompl ished w i ththe grea test ef f ec t. The first th ing I d id i n beginni ng the secondpa rt o f my performance was to take a blank piece of paper. ThisI handed to the K ing, asking h im to si gn i t a t the bottom . He

did so rea di ly, and the paper was passed from hand to hand and

given to me. I conj ured up a ll the spir i ts tha t ha ve been or w i l lbe, and lo and behold ! the paper was closely wri t ten from the

top to the place where His M a jesty’

s si g na ture was a ffixed . It

was handed ba ck to h im , and, wh i le he laughed very hea rt i ly,he sa i d ,

‘

I w i l l not deny my signa ture to th is document, wh ichappoints A lexander Herrmann prest i d igi ta teur to the King ofSpa in , and, as the Spi ri ts ha ve done so, I hea rt i ly a cqu iesce.

’

Those who are a cqua i n ted w i th the pecul ia r propert ies ofsympa thet i c i nks w i l l readi ly understand the modus Opera nd iof the above tr ick . For example : Copper sulpha te in very di lutesolut ion w i l l produce an i nv isible handwri t ing, wh ich w i l l turnl igh t blue when subjected to the vapor of ammonia . Aga i n ,wri te w i th a weak solut ion of sulphuric aci d and the ch i rographyw i l l appea r i n black let ters when the paper is submi tted to a

strong hea t . To obta i n the requisi te hea t , all you ha ve to doi s to lay the sheet of paper on a sma l l table wh ich has a top ofth i n sheet i ron or t i n . Benea th th is top, concea led i n the body ofthe table, i s a Spi ri t lamp—not a lamp run by spooks, but “

spi ri tsof w i ne.

”

Ample t ime for the chemica l opera t ion to take pla ceis a f forded by the pa t ter of the conj urer.A nother clever tri ck

,bordering on the superna tura l , was

Herrma nn ’

s“ThibetanM a i l ,

”

the ef fect of wh ich was as fol lowsHandi ng a sheet of note paper to va rious persons i n the a ud ience, Hermann requested them to wri te sentences upon i t, oneunder the other. When th iswas accompl ished, he tore the paperi nto ha l ves, and requeste d some gentlema n to reta i n one ha l f.The other ha l f the magician thrust i nto the flame of a candleand burned i t to ashes. Fl i nging the ashes i n the a i r, he cried“I send th ismessage to the mighty Maha tma who dwel ls i n the


grea t temple of Lhassa . Let h im restore the paper i ntact andreturn i t to me by sp iri tua l post .” No sooner sa i d tha n done.

Immed ia tely a D istri ct Messenger boy rushed i nto the thea tre,down the center a isle, wa ving i n h is hand a sea led letter. Ha nding th is to some one i n the a ud ience, Herrmann requested h im tobreak the sea l and examine the contents of the envelope. Insi deof the envelope he found a second one, and w i th i n tha t a th i rdand fourth , etc. In the last envelope the ha l f sheet of paper wasrevea led perfect ly restored . Its i dent i ty was proved by ma tch ingi t w i th the ha l f- sheet o f wri t ing reta i ned by the fi rst specta tor,whereupon they were found to fi t exa ctly, and the wr i t i ng tocorrespond . The modus operand i o f th is astounding fea t , l ikeall good th ings i n magi c, is very simple, but i t requ i res a droi tness on the pa rt o f the performer to execute properly. The conj urer does not burn the piece of pa per wh ich conta i ns the wri ti ng, but exchanges i t for a dummy wh i ch he thrusts i nto theflame of the candle. The origina l ha l f- sheet of paper i s secret lytransferred to an assistant , usua l ly i n the fol low i ng ma nner : Themagicia n ca l ls for a ca ndle and ma tches, wh ich the assista ntbrings in upon a sa l ver. The sl i p of paper i s “worked off

” tothe assistant i n the act of taking the candle and ma tches from the

tray. The confedera te then goes beh ind th e scenes, sl i ps the

pa per into a“nest o f envelopes,

”

sea ls them simul ta neously,and gi ves the pa ckage to a stage hand habi ted as a messengerboy, who runs to the front pa rt of the house to awa i t the cu e

from the conj urer. This tr ick was i ntended as a burlesque onM adame Blava tsky

’

s Indian M a i l fea t.I remember very wel l per form ing th is exper iment a t an

ama teur show a t the home of M r. O H of Ba l t imore, someeighteen yea rs ago, before a compa ny of i nterested specta tors,among whom was the cha rming daughter of the house, M issA l ice, now the Countess Andrezz i Bern in i , of Rome, Ita l y. Mystage wassi tua ted in an a lcove a t one end of the splendi d drawi ng room , and i t h ad a w indow open ing on a si de street . MyDistri ct Messenger boy , h ired for the occasion , and pri va telyi nstructed how to act , was sta t i oned benea th th is w i ndow, and

threa tened w i th all the pena l t ies of Dante’

s In ferno i f he wentasleep a t h is post. My brother, Wa l ter Dorsey E vans, a fter


Ca rl Herrmann was born i n Hanover, Germa ny, Janua ry 23,1816. Despi te pa renta l opposi t ion he became a sleight -o i - handa rt ist, and was known as the

“Fi rst Professor o f Magic in the

World . In 1848 he made h is fi rst bow to the E ngl ish people,a t the A delph i Thea tre, London , where he produced the secondsigh t tr ick , wh ich he copied from Houdin i n France. E a rly inthe sixt ieshe ma de a tour o f Ameri ca , w i th grea t success. A t h is

fa rewel l performance i n N ew Y ork Ci ty, he i n troduced h is

brother A lexander as h is legi t ima te successor. Ca rl then ret i redw i th a fortune to V ienna , where he spent the rema inder of h isdays i n col lect ing ra re a nt i qu i t ies. His dea th occ urred a t Ca rlsbad, June, 1887, a t the age of seventy- two . He was a grea tfavori te w i th Cza r N i cholas and the Sul tan of Turkey and f re

quent ly performed a t thei r pa la ces.

Here i s one of Ca rl Herrmann’

s German programmes

T ep li t z er S t a d t t h e a t er

D i enstag den8 Ju ni 1886

Zwei t e u nd let z t e Ga st vorst ellu ngdee berti bm tenPrest i d ig i ta teu r

rrm annans W i en

unter der D i rect i on des Herrn A . MORIN I

PROGRAMM

I. Ab th ei lung II. Ab th ei lung

L W0 wunschenS i e es? 1 . DerSa ck

2. D i e B i lla rd-Ku gel 2. D i e Planta ti on

3. D esSchlangentu ch 3. D i e Tasch e

4. D i e fl i egendenGegenstande 4. D erKegel

5. D er B anqu i er 5. D erRing inGef a h r

6. D erF isch f ang u nd dasGegensti i ck 6. E ine Improvisa t i on

Alle oben a usgettlh rtenE xperimente sind E rfindungendesHerrnProf .Herm ann und werdenoh ne jedwedenAppa ra t u nd sonst i ge

Hi lfsmi t tel a u sgef fih rt .

The fol low i ng is one of Ca rl ’s cha ra cterist i c Engl ish pro

grammes. I consi der i t o f grea t i nterest to the profession

Mr. B .WEBSTE R, Sole Lessee and Mana ger, Old Brompton.

M O RN IN G PE RFO RMAN C E S .

M AT IN EES

Commencing a t Two o’clock .

THE WO N D ER O F THE WO RLD !T h i s M orni ng , W ednesda y M a y st d , 1 84 8 ,

And du ring theweek ,

(OF HANOVER) , PREMIER PRESTIDIGITATEUR OF FRANCE , AND THEACKNOWLBDGED FIRST PROFESSOR OF MAGIC IN THE WORLD ,

Respect fu lly announces to t he Nob i li t Gent ry and t he Pu bli c i n generalt h a t h e wi Ig i ve

FOUR FAREW E LL PE RFO RM A N C E S .

Previ ou s to h i sdepa rtu re to t he Provinces, and w i ll i nt rodu ce

S IX N EW E XT R A O R D IN A R Y T R IC KS .

N EVE R B E FO RE EXHIB ITE D IL

’Alb um Hanoveri en Th e Ha nover-inn A lb u m .

Lea Ch a pea u x D i a boli u es; T h e D i a bollca l Hu ts.Le Co tf re i nterna le ; T 0 Int erna l C h ea t .LeVase d

’Armi de on. l

’

horlogeri e de Geneva ; Am ld a'l Vase : or

T h e G eneva Clock w ork .

La Mu lt i pli ca t i ondes lode-s; lnd lnn M u lt lp lloa tlon.

LesMysteresde Pa ri s; T h e M y steri es o f P a ri s.

MAD E HERRM ANNW i ll a lso exh i b i t herextraordina ry powersof

S ECO N D S IGHT ; O R A NT I- MAGN ET IS M ,

By di vining , wi th Closed E yes, any objects th a t ma y be su bm i t ted to th isp roof,wh i ch h as astoni shed t hemost sc i ent i fi c.

Le Voltage desCortes; Illu si ons w i t h Ca rds.

Le M i ro rdesD ames. t h e La a g'oLook i n

gG lass.

LA aoum mna INEPUISABLE ; T HE 1 a xna us-rmmnRob i n 10 Sorci er (Hi ece mocani u e) ; Rob i n t h e Sorcerer.La Poche Ma rvel ense ° T rvellona Pock e t .Le NooesdoCannes; The a t i ni a o f Gu ns.

S a t an et sonMou ch o i r; Sa t a n a nd h i s K erc h i e f .LesColombes Sym a t h et i nee : T h e 8 m t h e t i o D om .

LE CADRAN MAT EMA ICIEN ; T E A THE MA T ICA L CLOCK.

Le Ti mbre Isole i ecemeeaniqu e) : T h e Isola ted Clock B e ll

Le pa indom ore a g i no; T h e M a g i c Swootca k o.Pi u si eu re tou rsdoCa 3 nou vea u x et doma gi c blanche : N ew

w i t h Ca rd . a nd W h i te M a g i c.

La na i ssance dos Poissonsrows. execu te on h ab i t de vi lle ; T h e B i rt ho f G old F i sh ; perform i n a n E veni ng D ress.

Le SUSPENSION ETHEREENNE By EtherLE DOUBLE VUE i or, SECOND SIGHT,

By m m 83m m , wi th vari ousnew

ILLUSIONS WITH CARDS AND MAGIE BLANCHE IAnd 8. Concert inImi ta t i onof Vari ousB irds,

By m. asaamanu .

224 rm: om AND rm: new MAGIC

A lexander was dest ined by h is f a ther to the pra ct ice of med ic ine

,but f a te w i l led otherw ise.

When qu i te a boy, he ran away and j oined Ca rl , a ct i ng as

h is assistant . He rema i ned w i th h is brother six yea rs, when h ispa rents pla ced h im in col lege a t V ienna . He di d not completeh is scholast i c stud ies, but went to Spa i n i n 1859 and began h isca reer as a magician. He appea red i n America i n 186 1 , bu t

retu rned a yea r la ter to E urope, and ma de an extended tour.He played an engagement of consecut ive n ights a t Egypt ia n Ha ll, London. In 1875he ma rr ied A dela i de Scarsez, a

beaut i fu l and clever danseuse, who assisted h im in h i s soi rées

mag iques. Herrmann became a na tura l i zed ci t i zen of the Uni tedS ta tes i n 1876. He died of hea rt fa i lure i n h is pri va te car,

D ecember I I , 1896, wh i le tra vel i ng from Rochester, N . Y .,to

Bradford, Penn . , and was buried w i th M ason i c honors inWoodlawn cemetery, j ust outsi de of New Y ork C i ty. He ma de and

lost severa l fortunes. Unsuccessf ul thea tr i ca l specula t ions werela rgely responsible for h is losses. He aspi red i n va i n to be themanager and proprietor of a cha i n of thea tres. He i ntroducedthe celebra ted Trewey , the French fanta isiste, to the Ameri ca npubl i c. Herrmann was an ext raordina ry l ingu ist , a raconteurand w i t. Severa l ch i va l r i c orders were conferred upon h im byE uropea n potenta tes. He usua l ly bi l led h imsel f as the Cheval ier A lexander Herrma nn . His meph istophelean aspect, h is foreign a ccent , and h istrion i c powers, coupled w i th h is wonderfulsleigh t of hand , made h im indeed the king of conj urers. He h ada wr ist o f steel and a pa lm of velvet . He performed trickswherever he went , in the st reet cars, ca f és, clubs, hotels, newspaper ofi‘i ces, and ma rkets, im i ta t i ng in th is respect the renownedBosco . These impromptu enterta i nments w i dely advert ised h isart . He ra rely changed h i s reperto i re, but old tr icks i n h is handswere invested w i th the cha rm of newness. I can remember asa boy w i th wha t emotion I behel d the r isi ng of the curt a i n , inh is fa ntast i c soi rées, and saw h im appea r, in ful l court costume,smi l ing and bow ing. Hey , presto ! I expected every moment tosee h im metamorphosed into the Meph isto of Goethe’s “

Faust,”

habi ted in the trad i t iona l red costunw, wi th red cock’s fea therin h is pointed cap, and clanki ng rapier by h is si de; sardonic,


n igh t i n the desert . The Sph inx loomed up ma jest i ca l ly underthe bla ck canopy of the Egyptian Sky . In front of the giantfigure stood Herrmann , i n the center of a magic c i rcle of skul lsand caba l ist i c figu res. Incense from a bra z ier ascended and ci rcled about the hea d of the Sph inx . Herrma nn was depicted inthe act of producing rabbi ts and bow ls o f gold fish from a shaw l ,wh i le Meph isto, the gua rdian of the wei rd secene, stood nea r by,dressed a ll in red, and po int i ng approv ingly a t h is d isciple i n theblack art . In th is picture were symbol i zed Egypt ian mysteryand necroma ncy, medizcvalmagi c, and the sorcery of science andprest i d igi ta t ion .

When Herrmann came to Ba l t imore, he always put up a t

Ba rnum ’

s Hotel , a. qua i n t ,‘old ca ra vansa ry tha t had shel tered

benea th i ts hospi table roof such notables as Cha rles Dickens,

Thackeray and Jenny Li nd . A las, the h istori c hostel ry was torndown yea rs ago to make room for improvements. It stood onthe southwest corner of Ca l vert and Fayet te streets, w i th i n a

stone’

s throw of the Ba t tle Monument . I spent some happyhours w i th Herrmann i n th is a ncient hotel , l isten i ng to h is ri chstore of anecdotes. I recei ved from h im ma ny valuable h intsi n conjuring. There wassometh ing exot ic about h is tastes. Heloved to surround h imsel f w i th Oriental l uxuries, ra re curiospicked up i n the ba zaa rs of Constant inople, Ca i ro , and Damascus; na rgi lehs, swords o f exqu isi te workmanship ; ca rved i voryboxes; richly embroidered hangings, and the l ike. His pri va teya cht ,

“Fra Dia volo,

”

and h isPul lman carwere fi tted up rega rdless of expense. Habi ted in a Turkish dressi ng gown wh ichglowed w i th all the colors of the ra i nbow ; h is feet th rust i ntored Morocco sl i ppers; the inevi table ciga rette i n h is mouth ,Herrmann resembled a pasha of the East. He was i nord ina telyfond of pets and ca rried w i th h im on h is tra vels a Mex ica n dog.

a Persian ca t , cages ful l of cana ries, a pa rrot and a monkey. His

rooms looked l ike a sma l l zoo . He seemed to enjoy the noisesmade by h is pets. His opinions concern i ng h is art were i n terest ing.

A DAY WITH ALEXAN DER THE GREAT 227

A magic ian is born , not made ! was h is f a vori te apothegm .

He must possess not only d igi ta l dexteri ty, but be an a ctor aswel l ”

Wha t i s the grea test i l lusion i n the repertoi re of the conj urer P” I asked h im .

“The Vanish ing La dy of M . Bu a t i er de Kol ta , was the

unhesi ta t ing reply.

“Why so?”

I i nqu i red .

Because of i ts simpl ic i ty. The grea t th ings of magi c are

a lways the simple th ings. The‘

Vanish ing La dy ’ tr i ck h as themost transcendant ef fect when properly produced, but, alas, thesecret is now too wel l known . Its grea t success proved i ts ru in .

Irresponsible bunglers took i t up and made a fiasco of i t. In the

hands of D e Kolta i t was perfect ion i tsel f. There was noth ingwant ing i n a rt ist i c fin ish .

”

Herrmann rela ted to me some amusi ng episodes of h is va riedca reer. In the yea r 1863 he was playing an engagement i nConstant inople. He recei ved a summons to appea r before theSul ta n and h is court. A t the appointed hour there came to thehotel where he was staying a Turkish offi cer, who drove h im ina handsome equ ipage to a pa lace overlooking the gleamingwa tersof the Golden Horn , where “

sh ips tha t fly the flags of ha l fthe world ri de a t anchor. It wa s a lovely a f ternoon in A pri l .Herrmann was ushere d into a l uxuriously f urnished a pa rtmentand i nv i ted to be sea ted on a di van. The officer then w i thdrew .

Present ly a couple o f ta l l A rabs entered . One ca rried a l ightedchibouk ; the other a sa l ver, upon wh ich was a golden pot ful l o fsteam ing hot Mocha cof fee, and a t i ny cup and saucer of exquisi teporcela in. The sla ves knel t a t h is feet and presented the trayand pipe to h im .

“A f a int suspic ion, sa i d Herrmann , crossed my mind tha t

perhaps the toba cco and coffee were drugged w i th a pinch or twoof hasheesh—tha t opia te of the E ast , celebra ted by Monte Cr isto ;the drug tha t brings forget fulness and eleva tes i ts vota ries tothe seventh hea ven of spi ri tua l ecstasy. I thought ,

‘wha t i f theSultan were trying some of h i s sleight - o i - hand tr icks on me forthe amusement of the th ing. Sul tans ha ve been known to dosuch th ings.

’

Now I wanted to keep cool and have allof my w i ts

228 THE ow AND THE N Ew M AGIC

about me. My reputa t ion as a prest i d igi ta teur was a t stake.

It was very si l ly, I suppose, to enterta in such ideas. But oncepossessed of th is absurd obsession I coul d not get r i d of i t . So

I wa ved off the a ttendants pol i tely and sign ified by gestures tha tI did not desi re to indulge i n coff ee or tobacco. But they persisted, and I saw tha t I could not r i d mysel f of them w i thout aneff ort. Happy thought ! I j ust took a wh i ff of the pipe and a sipof the coff ee, when , hey , presto - I ma de the ch ibouk and cupvanish by my sleight of hand and ca used a couple of sma l l snakes,wh ich I ca rried upon my person for use in impromptu tricks, toappear inmy hands. The aston ishment on the f a ces of those twoA rabswassometh i ng indescribable. They ga zed up a t the gi ldedcei l i ng and down a t the ca rpet, puzzled to find out where the

a rt icles had gone, but finding no solut ion to the problem and

beholding the wri th ing serpents i n my hands, fled i ncont inent lyfrom the room. These simple sonsof the desert evi dently thoughttha t I had j ust stepped out of the A rabia n N ights E nterta i nments. A t th is j uncture a Chamberla in entered and in Frenchbade me welcome, i n form ing me tha t His Imperia l M a jesty wasready to recei ve me. He conducted me to a superb sa lon w i tha pla t form a t one end. I looked a round me, but saw only one

person , a black - bea rded gentleman , who sa t i n an a rmcha i r i nthe middle o f the apa rtment . I recogn i zed i n h im the famous‘

S ick Man of E urope.

’

I bowed low to the Sul tan Abdul A zi z .

‘Wel l , monsieur, begin ,’

he sa i d i n French .

And so th is was my audience. No a rray of bri l l iantlyga rbed court iers and a t tendants; no musi c. Only a f a t gentleman, langu idly pol i te, wa i t ing to be amused . How was i t possible to perform w i th any élan under such depressi ng condi t ions?

It takes a la rge and enthusiast i c a udience to inspi re a performer .I bega n my tricks. As I progressed w i th my programme, however, I became aware o f the presence of other persons i n the

room besi des the ru ler o f the O ttoma n Empi re. The laughterof women rippled out from beh ind the gi lded la tt i ce work and

si lken curta i ns tha t surrounded the sa lon. The ha rem was present though invisible to me. I fel t l ike another bei ng and executedmy t ricksw i th more than usua l effect . The Sul tan was cha rmedand pa i d me many compl iments. A couple of weeks a fter the

230 THE OLD AN D THE N Ew MAGIC

wa tch tr icks were unpopula r i n the O rient, or I was encroa ch ingupon the preserves of the Derv ishes—a close corpora t i on for theworking of pious frauds. But th ings ha ve changed i n Turkeysi nce then .

M adame Herrma nn , on the dea th of her husband, sent toE urope for her nephew - inlaw, Leon Herrmann , and they con

t i nned the enterta i nments of magi c throughout the count ry,meet i ng w i th success. Some curious and amusi ng a dventureswere encountered on thei r travels. One of A lexa nder Herrma nn ’

s fa vori te tri cks was the product ion O f a mass of coloredpaper ribbon from a cocoanut shel l , and from the pa per a l i veduck. Th is clever f ea t a lways evoked tremendous appla use.

The stupi d look o f the duck as i t wa ddled a round the stage wasvery laughable. On one occasion, when I was present a t thesoi rée mag iqu e, the duck seemed to find di fli cu lty in rea ch ing theexi t and went a round quack ing in loud d istress, thereby interru pt ing the conjurer in h is pa t ter. Qu ick as a flash , Herrmannrema rked to h is assistant ,

“Ki nd ly remove the comedian.

”

Shouts of laughter greeted the sa l ly. Herrmann was very fel ic itous i n th is species O f impromptu by - play. He was indeed , ashe descri bed h imsel f, the necromanti c comed ian . Leon , f ol lowi ng 1 he footsteps O f h is i l lustrious uncle, a lso performed thecocoanut shel l tri ck . He h ad as assistant a sta lwa rt E th iop ianwho had been w i th the el der Herrmann , and rej oiced in the

stage name of “Boumsk i . One day i n the ci ty of D etroi t , M i ch . ,

Madame Herrma nn m issed from her dressing room a t the thea trea va luable d iamond ring. Suspi c ion f el l upon the negro , whohad a tta ined some proficiency i n the black a rt , SO f a r as makingth ings disappea r was concerned , though he was not so apt wheni t came to produci ng them . Boumsk i stoutly assevera ted tha t heh ad seen the ( luck swa l low the ring. Th e f ow l was a ccord inglyS la in, and i ts stoma ch sea rched , but w i thout resul t . The lossof the duck caused consi derable grief i n the conjuring ménage.

It was qui te a pet , and tra ined to per form i ts pa rt i n the magictricks. Suspic ion aga i n fel l upon Boumsk i . Fina l ly, the duskynecromancer con fessed tha t he was the th ief and tha t the poor

A DAY WITH ALEXANDER THE GREAT /'

231

duck was innocent . The ring was recovered in a pawnbroker ’sshop . Boumsk i went to j a i l . To revenge himsel f he exposed thewhole repertoi re of tricks of the Herrmann company to the

newspapers.

A f ter playing together f or a season or two, aunt and nephewsepa ra ted . Today they a re performing w i th grea t success invaudevi l le. M adame Herrmann calls her act

“A N ight i n

j apan .

”It is an exh ibi t ion of si lent magic—en pantomime.

ALEXAN DER HERRM A N N’

S MAGIC TABLE.

(In the Possession of Francis J . M art inka . )

She was ever a gra cef ul woman, and her exh ibi t ions of legerdema in are most pleasing. Bea ut i f ul scenery adds to the ef fect .Leon Herrmann, who resembles h is grea t uncle in persona lappea rance, is fast becoming a f a vori te w i th the Amer ica n publ i c.

VI.

Let u s now pass in review some o f A lexander Herrmann’

s

tr icks. His gun i l lu sion was perhaps h is most sensa t iona l f ea t.


I am i ndebted to the la te Frederi ck Bancro f t for the correctexplana t ion o f the sta rt l ing trick . A squa d of sol d iers, underthe command of a sergeant

,comprised the firing pa rty. The

guns were appa rent ly loaded w i th genuine ca rtri dges, the bul letso f whi ch had been previously ma rked f or i dent ifica t ion by va r iousspecta tors. The sold iers stood upon a pla t form erected i n the

centre of the thea tre, and Herrmann sta t ioned h imsel f uponthe stage. The guns were fired a t h im , and he caugh t the ba l lsupon a pla te. Upon exam ina t i on the balls were f ound to be st i l lwa rm from the efi

'

ects o f the explosion, and the ma rks werei dent i f ied upon them . The subst i tut ion of the sham ca rtridges,

MAGICA I. CABIN ET CON STRUCTED nv CARI. HERRM A NN .

The mag ici an pla ces a card in one of the li ttle drawers of

the cab inet , and i t reappears in any other drawer the onlooker

ma y su ggest . (Now in the possession of M r. M art inka , New

York Ci ty . )

wh ich were loaded into the g un, f or the genuine ones was verysubt ly executed by means of a t ri ck sa lver having a sma l l wel llet into i ts centre to hold the ca rtr idges. Into th is wel l thema rked ca rtridges were deposi ted by the specta tors. In the

interior of the sa l ver was a second compa rtment loaded w i th theblank ca rtri dges. The sergeant who col lected the bul lets sh i f tedthe compa rtments by means o f a peg u ndernea th the sa l ver, ashe wa lked from the aud ience to the stage. The sham ca rtr idges


the Ba l l . A la rge pier glass, wh i ch was eleva ted some two feeta bove the stage, was brought forwa rd by the magician , and theglass shown to be sol i d, back and front . Mme. Herrma nn ,dressed i n a handsome ba l l costume, was now i ntroduced to theaudience. By the a id of a sma l l ladder, she cl imbed up and

stood upon a glass shelf immedia tely in front o f the mi rror. Ana rrow screen was then pla ced about her, so as not to h ide fromthe specta tors the si desof the mirror.

“La dies and gent lemen , sa i d Herrmann, M a dame Va n i ty

Fa i r, who i snow ga zing a t her pret ty fea tures i n the m i rror, hasonly to pronounce a certa i n myst i c formula known to the Caba lists, and she w i l l be instant ly transported to the grand ba l l a t theOpera House. Th is i s a deci ded improvement on horses and ca rri ages. He fi red a pistol , and the screen was pul led away. The

la dy was found to ha ve completely vanished . But how ? Not

i nto the mi rror, i n to tha t land o f a dumbra t ion, celebra ted inA li ce

’

s A dventures in 0 Look ing Glass. No, the glass was

appa rent ly of sol i d crysta l , and too th in to concea l anyone. Thisi s the modus operandi o f the tri ck : The m i rror in rea l i ty wascomposed of two sect ions. The glass shel f, upon wh i ch the la dystood , concea led the top of the lower sect ion . The upper sect ionwas pla ced to the rea r of the lower m irror, so tha t i ts lower endsl i d down beh ind i t . This upper glass worked l ike a w i ndowsash . When i t was pushed up, i ts upper end was h i dden i n thew i de panel o f the frame. The lower pa rt o f th is la rge glass hada piece cut out. Through th is open ing the lady was drawn by anassistant across an improvised bridge—a plank shoved throughthe back scene, as shown i n the i l lustra t ion . When she h ad

escaped , the counterpoised mi rror was aga i n pushed downinto i ts proper place, and the plank w i thdrawn. The fa cttha t some of the mirror was in view during the exh ibi t ion a l layedsuspicion on the pa rt o f the a udience. The eff ect was furtherenhanced by turning the ba ck of the mirror to the specta tors toshow them tha t the la dy wa s not there. It was one of the mostnovel and effect i ve i l lusions o f Herrmann ’

s repertoi re, pa rt ienlarly because of the f act tha t he was assisted by h is pretty and

gra ceful w i fe, who looked cha rm ing in her elegant ba ll dress,

and a cted her pa rt to perfect ion .


The fol low i ng isone of A lexander Herrma nn ’

s programmes

The Necromant i c comedi an

HERRMANN, th e Grea t

Ai ded by AIME . HERRMANN, i nh i s i ncompa ra ble enterta inment ofMA GIC, M IRTH AND M Y S T E RY

PART I.

THIRTY M INUTES WITH HERRMANN ,

AllNa t u re'slawsset asi de. La u g h terbornof bew i lderment and wonder.

Conclu d ing wi th Herrmann’s la test and most sta rt ling i llusi on, ent i tled :

A FT E R T H E B A LL .

By MME . HERRMANN .

INTE RM IS S IO N .

PART II.

HERRMANN ’S NEW MARVELLOUS SPIRIT SEANCE .

(D u ri ng t he Sea nce no one wi ll be a llowed to enter or leave th e a u d i tori um. )

IN T E RM IS S IO N .

B errmann'sla test t h ri lli ng sensa t i ona l i llusi on.

T HE E S C A P E FRO M S IN G S IN G ,

Fou nded on t he recent esca pe of t he notoriou s convi cts. Pa llister

and Roeh i , from th e famouspri son.

IN T E RM IS S IO N .

HE RRMA N N ,

Wi th a bouqu et of myst i c novelt i es.

“ The closer you wa tch th e less you see.

"

Concludi ng wi th Herrmann’smyst i fy ing m asterp i ece,

THE MYS T ERIOUS SW ING .

THERE ! N OWHERE !


the table, and the big lamp vanishes w i th l ightn ing rapidi ty. It

seems to mel t away . It i s a seemingly impossible fea t , beca usethe glass- topped table h as no possible place o f concea lment abou ti t. The f oula rd is a f terwa rds passed to the specta tors for examina t ion. I am not a t l ibe rty to revea l the secret of th is surprisingtrick. I must preserve a discreet si lence, in de ference to the

w ishes o f Mr. Kel la r. As origina l ly invented by Herr Conra di ,the lamp reappea rs in a frame hanging in the center o f the stage.

But Kellar’

s method I consi der more a rt ist i c, and in bet terkeeping w i th the ra ise en scene. W i thout pa t ter th is fea t o f

magic would fa l l compa ra t i vely fia t . In Kella r’

s ha nds i t isi nvested w i th a ha lo of superna tura l ism wh ich is very eff ect i ve.

The fol low i ng i sa brief résumé of the story of the lamp : “La dies

and gent lemen,I ha ve here on th is pedesta l a copper lamp of

ant ique pa t tern wh ich was loaned to me by a celebra ted Bra hm inwho presi des over a shrine in the Holy Ci ty o f Bena res, India .

I ha ve h is perm ission to u se i t in my thauma turgic séances, butI must return i t to h im a t a certa in hour every evening, as i t isneeded in the ceremonia l r i tes of the temple a t Bena res. Tha thour h as now a rri ved . (A bell stri kes the hour

,slowly and sol

emnly . He wraps the foula rd abou t the lamp, wh i ch he places

on the table. ) I sha l l count three— the myst i c numberof Brahm i n theosophy— and fire th is pistol . Instantaneously thea toms composing the lamp w i l l be d isi ntegra ted by the f orce ofmy w i l l and fly through the fourt h d imension of space to India ,

where they w i l l reassemble and ma teria l i ze i n thei r former shape,and the lamp w i l l appea r upon the a l ta r of the temple as o f

old .

O f course no one credi ts th is rhodomontade, but the con

ju rer’

s purpose is a ccompl ished . The t r ick i s given a myst i ca lsett ing and a certa in kind of pseudo - scient ific explana t ion . And

all th i ngs a re possible in na ture, for ha ve we not the x- rays,ra dio- a ct i v i ty, w i reless telegraphy , and forces undreamed of a

f ew yea rs ago by the physi c ists?

Kel la r was born in E r ie, Pennsyl vania , i n 1849—the famous

yea r o f the Ca l i forn ia A rgonauts. \Vhen qui te a young lad he


was a pprent i ced to the drug busi ness. In th is respect he resembles the grea t Cagl iostro. One day wh i le experiment ing on h i sown a ccount , during the absence of h is master, he cha rged a

copper vessel w i th soda and sulphuri c a ci d , the resul t being a terrific explosion wh ich tore a hole in the office floor overhea d .

Thus he began l i fe by making a grea t noise in the world , and h asresolutely kept i t up . A fter the fiasco w i th the chem i ca ls, he wasdismissed by h is employer, whereupon he boa rded a freight tra inand went to N ew Y ork C i ty, where he became a newsboy. His

energy and w inni ng manners a ttracted the a ttent ion of Rev.

Robert Ha rcourt , an Engl ish clergyman, who adopted h im , and

ga ve h im a good educa t ion . The reverend gent lema n intendedprepa ring you ng Kel la r for the church,but such was not to be.

Seeing an a dvert isement in a Bu ff a lo paper tha t the renowned“Faki r o f Ava ” wanted a boy to tra vel w i th h im and lea rn thetra de of magic ian, Kel la r determined to apply f or the place.

He set out f or Bu f f a lo and went to the Faki r’s bunga low , a

qua int old house in the envi rons of the c i ty.

“When h e enteredthe ya rd , the Faki r

’

s l i tt le black- and- tan dog j umped a t h im i na f riendly way , and showed grea t del ight a t the meet ing. The

Fa ki r soon appea red , and a fter he h ad ta lked w i th the boy for ashort t ime, sa i d :

‘

I have had about one hundred and fi fty appi ica t ions for the pla ce, but tha t l i tt le dog has shown grea t animosi ty to every boy who entered the ga te unt i l you came. You are

the first one he h asmade friendsw i th . I w i l l gi ve you a tria l . ’The resul t was tha t Kel la r became a colyte or f am i l ia r to the

Faki r of Ava , and a ll beca use of a dog. Thiswas reversing theold proverb,

“Love me, love my dog

” to tha t of “Whom my dogloves, I love. The reader w i l l remember tha t Meph istophelesfirst appea rs to Fa ust in the shape of a dog. Perhaps the Fakir’scan ine was possessed w i th the D evi l , and recogn i zed a futu remaster of the bla ck a rt i n Kel la r.

A fter tra vel ing severa l seasons w i th the good old Faki r,Kel la r sta rted out on h is own account . It was an uph i l l fight .He met the D a venport Brothers and Fa y , a l leged spiri t mediumsbut i n rea l i ty clever conj urers, and joined them , fi rst as assistant ,then as agent , and a fterwa rds as businessmanager. He tra veled

*A M ag i ca l Tour. Ch icago, 1886.


i l lustra t ion . We were doing the wa tch tri ck— taking a t imepiece from some one in the a ud ience, passi ng i t upon the stage i na pla tter , dest roying both pla tt er and t imepiece in pla i n v iew ofthe specta tors, load ing the fragments i nto a pistol , firing the

weapon a t a ta rget and bringing the wa tch—whole and soundto l i fe aga i n upon the fa ce of the ma rk, i n pla i n sight o f thea udience. But on tha t pa rt i cula r da y the ta rget concluded notto do i ts sha re of the per formance. No wa tch would i t produce ;the ma ch inery was out o f order. we h ad to work ha rd to ‘

sa vef acef

“D isguised as an usher o f the house, I went down i nto the

a udience w i th the t imepiece, hoping to be able to sl ip i t unohserved into the pocket of the owner. He wassi t t i ng a t a d istancefrom the a isle ; I found i t impossible. I ( l i d the next best th ingsl i pped the wa tch into the wa istcoa t pocket o f the man who sa t

next to the a isle on the same row wi th the owner. Then Ireturned to the stage.

“The Faki r i n the meant ime was d iscussing lea rnedly upon

some other subject . When I returned , the quest ion of the whereabouts of the wa tch ‘

was ca l led up and a hell on the stage wassummoned to answer quest ions; one r ing f or ‘

yes,’ two for ‘no .

’

‘

Is the wa tch on the stage?’

NO,

’ repl ied the obed ien t bel l .Is i t i n the a ud ience?’

Yes.

’

Is i t on the first row?’No.

’

The second—the th i rd , the f ourth , the fi fth?’

To each quest ion came a‘no.

’

‘Is i t on the sixth row ?’Yes.

’

Is i t the first man on the row?’

Yes.

’

The eyes of the a ud ience focused upon the unfortuna teoccupant of the sea t .

‘

Look in your pocket, si r,’

sa i d the Faki r of Ava , i n h ispol i test , most persuasi ve tones.

A TWEN TIETII CEN TURY THAUM ATURGIST 243

Go on w i th your show there and let me a lone,’

shouted theenraged sea t ho lder.

‘But I pray you, look i n your pocket ,’

sa i d the Faki r.The man obeyed and produced the wa tch . The t ri ck, ca l led

instage vem ac ular a‘l i fe sa ver,

’ made a h i t vast ly more impres~

si ve tha n the one origina l ly planned but spoi led by the perverseness O f the ta rget . ”

Kella r's grea test and most sensa t iona l i l lusion i s h is levi ta

t ion”—ra ising a person and lea ving h im suspended in mid - a ir

w i thout any appa rent mea ns of support , seemingly defyi ng the

FIG. I .—THE CELEBRATED LEVITATION MYSTERY.

law o f gra vi ta t ion . An expla na t ion o f th is surprising fea t isthus described by a wri ter i n the S trandM agasi u e (London )

“An assistant is introduced , la i d upon an ottoman, and then

sent off into a hypnot i c trance The per former takes an

ordina ry f an and f ans the body wh i le i t r ises slow ly about fourfeet in the a ir, where i t mysteriously rema ins f or any length o f

t ime desi red . A la rge sol i d steel hoop i s gi ven for examina t ion ,and a fter the a udience is sa t isfied a s to i ts genu ineness i t is passedover the body from hea d to feet , beh ind the body and over i taga in, a t once d ispel l ing the i dea of w i res or any other tangiblesupport being used , the body, as i t were, journeying through thehoop each t ime. The suspended a ssistant i s now fanned from


above and gent ly descends to the ottoma n as slow ly and graceful ly as he rose from

,i t. He i s then brought back to h is norma l

sta te out of the trance, and wa lksoff none the worse for h is aeria lpose.

“This seeming impossibi l i ty i s performed by the a id o f acranked ba r (Fig . 2 and A , Fig . 3) and a pul ley to ra ise i t, thebar being pushed through from the back a t the moment when theperformer i s ‘hypnot i z ing’

the subject , and in the act of pla cing a

l ight cover ing over h im he guides a clamp (B , Fig . 3) and fixesi t to the top of the ottoman upon wh ich the subject rests, and

FIG. 2. LEVITATION —He OTI5M onMECHAN ISM —WB ICH?

which r ises, unseen , w i th h im , the edges bei ng obscured by thecovering. The ba r bei ng the same color as the ba ck scene ca nnotbe not i ced, and rest ing upon a stand (C, Figs. 2 and 3) beh indthe scenes the same hei gh t as the ottoman i t is kept firm by thea id of strong supports. Bei ng a lso double the w i dth (D , Fig . 3)a t th is pa rt grea ter leverag e is Obta i ned to hold the boa rd uponwh ich the subject restssecure from ti l t ing ei ther way . By meansof a pul ley a rrangement (E , Fig . 2) the assista nt beh ind

'

ra isesand lowers the body, looking through a sma l l hole in the sceneand t iming the performer’s movements w i th exactness. Fi g . I

shows the i l lusion as i t appea rs. Fi g . 2—a si de view—shows the


turbaned Turk, and penet ra ted into da rkest A fri ca . In Indiahe w i tnessed many exh ibi t ions of tha uma turgy. Concer ni ngthe h igh - caste magic, such as hypnot i c f ea ts and experimentsin appa rent dea th , he spea ks w i th respect , but the magic of thestrol l ing Fak i rs he cha ra cteri zes as inf erior to tha t o f our \Vestern conju rers, w i th , perhaps, the except ion of the Hindoo BasketTrick, wh ich is a clever i l lusi on. When we contempla te the

f act tha t th is sta rt l ing trick is a lwa y s performed in the opena ir, amid a ci rcle of specta tors, we must gi ve du e credi t to the

h istrioni c abi l i ty of the na t i ve conj urers and thei r powers ofmisdi rect ion. Robert - Houdi n and Col. Stodare i ntroduced th isexperiment to E uropea n thea t re- goers, but they were a ided byall the a ccessories of the modern stage and the a udience sa t

a t a respectable distance; Let us hea r Kellar’

s explana t ion ofthe f ea t (A Illag ici a u

’

s Tou r, Chi cago , 1886 )“A t A l lahaba d I saw a j uggler who ma de a specia l ty o f th is

t ri ck. Ha v ing expla ined to the specta tors wha t he proposedto do

,he a l lowed them to select a spot on the tur f in the open

a i r where the t rick should be per f ormed . Here he sta t ionedh imsel f w i th a basket w i th a h inged l i d a t h is f eet , a l i t t le boy a t

h is si de, and a sha rp sword in one hand . He wore noth ingbut a breech clout . The company surrounded the conj urer i na ci rcle so close tha t there was no possibi l i ty f or any personto pass i t w i thout detect ion. The juggler pla ced the ch i ld inthe basket , closed the l i d . and bega n mutteri ng a seeming inca nta t ion. Wh i le st i l l praying he wound a la rge wh i te Cloth abou th is arm, and suddenly threw i t over the basket , bind ing one end.

He then drew the cloth towa rds h im , brought i t up a round h iswa ist and tucked the end in h is clout , lea ving a port ion to ha ngdown in ‘front i n gra ceful f olds. This much done, he plungedthe sword through the basket . As the ch i ld ’

s agon i z ing crieswere hea rd , the man drew ba ck the sword all dripping w i thblood . A ga i n and aga i n was the sword thrust into the basket ,the ch i l d ’

s hea rt - rending screams grow ing f a i nter and fa i nterunt i l they ceased a l together . The Faki r asked tha t the basketbe examined . It was opened and f ound to be empty. A gleefulshout was hea rd . The specta tors looked in the d i rect ion fromwhence i t came, and there sa t the ch i ld on the l imb of a sma l l

A TWEN TIETH CEN TURY THAUM ATURGIST 247

tree,wa ving h is am i s and seeming as happy as a bi rd. I pa i d

the thauma turgist two rupees (one dol la r) and the secret O f thet rick was expla i ned to me. I ma rveled a t first tha t the manwas w i l l i ng to revea l the mystery for so sma l l a sum, but Isoon d iscovered tha t on ly those who wore the India n juggler’scostume, the breech clout, could perform i t. The trick is donein th is way : When the cloth i s spread the boy sl i ps out of

the basket under the friendly cover o f the l i nen, and craw lsunder the Faki r. Grasping a strap about the ma n’

s wa ist , hedraws h imsel f up between the juggler’s legs. The cloth whenbrought about the Faki r’s wa ist h ides the l i tt le fel low,who,from h is unexpected retrea t , utters the piercing shrieks of thedying ch i ld . W i th a sponge sa tura ted w i th a red l i qu i d the

conj urer produces the blood sta ins. When the people rushf orwa rd to look i nto the basket , the boy sl i ps from h is pla ceof concea lment and makes h is presence man i fest wherever heh as been di rected to go.

”

248 THE OLD A N D THE N Ew M AGIC

Herr W i l lmann describes pra ct ica l ly the same trick under thet i t le “

Spi ri t box ,

” designed to prove the permeabi l i ty of ma t ter.A med ium is placed in the box, and a fter some hocuspocus themanager reopens i t and decla res i t to be empty ; for the purposeof proving h is assert ion he tu rns i t over toward the publ i c , andwhen the l i d is opened , the medium , who rema ins a ll the wh i le inh is pla ce, has become i nv isible, because he i s h idden by the interior pa rt of the double wa l l , wh ich now seems to be the bottomof the box. The box stands upon a pod ium, i n order to showtha t the medium could not have escaped through the floor. The

a djoined i l lustra t ion revea ls the secret o f the tr ick, the explanat ion of wh ich i s as simple as the eff ect i ssurprisi ng.

On stages whi ch a l low the prest i d igi ta teur to u se t raps, a

t runk i s pla ced so as to a l low the prisoner to escape throughthe floor. The movable wa l l o f the t runk in such a case sw i ngsround an ax is wh ich l ies pa ra l lel w i th the rope tha t is a fterwa rds fastened a round the trunk. The movable wa l l i n the

t runk connects w i th a tra p i n the floor , and wh i le visi tors fromthe a ud ience closely wa tch the f astening, the enclosed personmakes h is escape w i th the grea test ease.

Kel la r is an expert i n the rope- tying busi ness, wh ich the

notorious D a venport Brothers exploi ted under the g uise ofspi r i t ism . When I first saw Kel la r a t Ford ’

s Opera House,Wash ington , D. C. , i n Februa ry, 1879, h is cabinet act , a burlesqu e on the Da venport séance, was a fea ture of h is enterta inment . A fter playing a disast rous engagement i n Ph i ladelph ia ,he came to Wash ington, where h is busi ness proved no bet ter,and bei ng “ fla t broke,

”

as he expressed i t , he a dvert ised i nsheer despera t ion a Sunday n ight lecture on Spi r i tua l ism , to bedel i vered a t the old N a t iona l Thea t re. The thea tre and adver

t i sing were f urnished by Mr. Ford , who took ha l f o f the~gross

receipts. I was present on the occasion and reca l l the exc i tement . E veryth ing passed of f w i thout specia l i nc i dent , unt i lthe magician came to the Davenport cabinet test. A t th isjuncture a venerable gent leman a rose i n the audience and cha llenged Kel la r to permi t h im to do the tyi ng i n the same mannertha t he h ad t ied the Davenports yea rs before. The gentlemanwas very much i n earnest and remarked : “

If you fa i l to get


people i n the thea tre cried , Shame. Ha v ing completed h is

job , he turned to the Specta tors w i th a sel f - sa t isfied look on h isf a ce, as much as to say ,

“I ha ve trapped the fox .

” But hereckoned w i thout h is host . No sooner was h is ba ck turnedto the magician than the la tter sl ipped one hand from i ts lashings and tapped the skept i c on the shoulder. “

If you ha vetwo of my hands t ied beh ind my ba ck,” sa i d Kel la r,

“I must

ha ve been roya l ly. endowed by N a ture w i th a th i rd hand .

Thunders of applause greeted t he scene. E ven ladies rosefrom thei r sea ts and cheered .

“ Bra vo , Kel la r l”

was hea rd onall si des. The Old gent leman j oined in the demonstra t ion , anda cknow ledged h imsel f bea ten . This episode caused so grea ta sensa t ion i n Wash ington tha t two more Sunday eveninglectures were gi ven to crowded houses, and Kel la r was enabledto pay h is debts and get out O f town .

It is now pretty wel l known to conj urers tha t the Davenportsa ccompl ished thei r fea ts by secret ly taking up slack in the ropewhi le i t was bei ng t ied , thereby gett ing a loop hole i n the bondsthrough whi ch to work one hand loose. Frequently they cu tthe cords w i th kni ves secreted up thei r sleeves, and a f ter

'

the

a l leged spi ri t mani festa t i ons were gone through w i th , exchangedthe cu t ropes for genuine ones. and came out of the cabinetw i th these, ma king the specta tors bel ieve tha t some occul t agencyhad freed them from the knots.

There is a conj urer named Joa d Hetch who cla ims to havedropped f rom the eye o f the Sph inx in the f orm O f a tea r, andwas immedia tely metamorphosed into the \~Vi za rd of the Pyramids. A ccord ing to h is account the spi ri ts of the sorcerersand soothsayers of the O lden Pha raohs left thei r rock - cut tombsand pa inted mummy »cases to be present a t the event . Joa dHetch h as a clever press- agent. If j oad fel l from the. Sph inx’

s

eyé‘

i n the shape of a tea r, Kel la r must have dropped fromthe fabled monster’s mouth in the form of a word, and tha tword “

Mystery.

“ Kel la r is ably assisted by Herr Va ladon ,an Anglo -German professor of legerdema i n , formerly of Egypt ian Ha l l , London. Va la don, upon h is entrance on the stage,takes off h is gloves, vanishes them ,

by appa rent ly throwing

A TWEN TIETH CENTURY THAUMATURGIST 25!

them in the a ir, whereupon a wh i te dove flutters upwa rds. It

i s a very pretty eff ect .

X-RAv PHOTOGRAPH or KELLAR’

s HAND.

( InPossession of Mr. Francis J . Ma rt inka , New York . )


I give one of Kella r’s programmes (Proctor’

s Thea tre,Y ork Ci ty, September,

THE PE E RLESS MAGICIAN .

Spec ia l Engagement o f

PAUL VALAD ON

From England ’

s Home of Mystery, the Egypt ian Ha l l , London .

Tour under the management o f DUDLE Y McADow.

FIRST PART.

KE L LA R

In a ser ies of origina l experiments i n pure sleigh t of hand ,thoroughly up to ( la te. A display of ma rvelous digi ta l dexter i ty,surpassing anyth ing heretofore ach ieved i n the field o f magic.N ovel , un ique, origina l , i ncluding

OLD GLORY ,

THE D Y E ING ENIGMA ,

AND THE GREAT HYPNOTIC SCENE ,

The Levi t a t ion of PrincessKarnac

The most da ring and bew i ldering i l lusion , and by f ar the mostd i ffi cul t ach ievement Mr. Kel la r ever a ttempted . A bsolutely newin principle. The dream in mida i r of the da inty Princess ofKarnac surpasses the fabled fea ts of the ancient E gypt ia n sor

cerers, nor can a nyth ing more magica l be found in the pages O fThe Thousand and One N ights, and i t lends a resemblance tothe miraculous ta les O f levi ta t ion tha t come out O f India . Th is

A GENTLEMAN OF THIBET.

“I cou ld not remember any more th an th a t th e hero [Cagliostro] h ad

Spoken of heaven, of th e stars, of the Grea t Secret , of Memph is, O f t he High

Priest , of transcendental chemistry , of g i ants and monstrou s beasts, of a ci ty

ten t imes as la rge as Paris, in the m i ddle of A f ri ca , where he h ad correspond

ents.

”—COUNT BEUGNOT : Memoi rs.

t en M adame Blava tsky , High Priestess of Isis, died ,there fol lowed a long interreg num duri ng wh ich magic langu ished. Fi na l ly there a ppea red in the East a sta r of grea tmagn itude—the five- poi nted sta r of the Gnost i cs and the Ori

enta l M aha tmas, hera l d ing the coming of another myst i c.M adame Bla va tsky h ad set the fash ion for Th ibetan a depts.

and had turned the current of modern occul t ism towa rds the

Land of the Lamas, so i t was qu i te na tura l tha t the new thauma tu rgist should ha i l from the Holy C i ty O f Llassa . His

name was Monsieur le D octeur A lbert de Sa rak , Comte deD as, who cla imed to be “

the son o f a Ra ja h of Thibet and a

French Ma rch ioness, and to have been born in the land ofma rvels.

Monsieur le Comte, i n h is ci rculars, descr ibed h imsel f as

Genera l Inspector of the Supreme Counci l of Thibet . He

carried about w i th h im a voluminous port fol io of papers conta in ing “

the numerous d iplomas wh ich he possessed as memberof severa l orders o f knigh thood and of scient ific and human ita ria n associa t ions.

”

He a lso exh ibi ted a Mason i c d iploma ofthe Thi rty- th i rd degree, wh i ch bore the endorsement o f all theSupreme Counci ls of the Ri te to wh ich he belonged i n the

countries through wh ich he h ad tra veled . But he was not a

A GENTLEM A N or THIE ET 255

Fel low of the Theosoph ical Soc iety. On the contrary, hecla imed to ha ve been persecuted by the members of tha t Brotherhood ; to ha ve

.

been f requent ly a rrested and denounced bythem as a pretender to the occul t , as a f a lse magician, etc.

, etc.

The Count ma de h is début in lVash ington,D . C. , in the

yea r 1902 , where he f ounded one o f h i s esoter ic centers, described as fol lows in the organ of h i s cu l t , The Radi ant Tru th ,of wh ich he was edi tor- in-ch ie f

”Orienta l E soteri c Hea d Centre o f the Un i ted Sta tes of

America , under obed ience to the Supreme Esoter i c Counci l 01'

the Ini t ia tes o f Thibet . Socia l object : To f orm a cha in ofuniversa l f ra tern i ty, based upon .

the purest A l tru ism . w i thoutha tred of sect , caste or color ; in which reign tolerance, order,d iscipl ine, l iberty, compassion and t rue love. To study the

Occul t Sc iences o f the Or ient and to seek,by medi ta t ion, con

centra t ion and by a specia l l ine o f conduct , to develop thosepsych ic powers w h ich a re i n man and h i s env i ronment .The Count a lso ga ve priva te séances, aswe see by h is adver~

t isement i n the above- named journa l“Science of O ccul t ism , D ouble V isi on , Telepa thy , Astrology ,

Horoscopy, etc. D octor A lbert de Sa rak , Count de D as, Genera lInspector O f the Supreme Counci l of Th ibet.

“

O ffice hours : 3 to 5p . m .

Address, 1 443 Corcoran St reet, Wash ington , D. C.

Dr. Sa rak’

s first publ i c exhibi t ion of h is a l leged psych icpowers is thus descr ibed in the Wash ing ton Post (M a rch 16,

1902)“D r. A . de Sa ra k, occul t ist and adept , a professor of the

myst i c and the sixth sense, ga ve a demonstra t ion last nigh tbefore a Washi ngton audience. Severa l hundred persons ga thered in the beaut i fu l assembly ha l l of the House o f the Templeof the Supreme Counc i l , Southern Jurisd ict ion , 433 Thi rd st reet ,last evening, to w i tness h is wei rd exh ibi t ion of occu l t powers.

A f ter three hours spent i n the presence of the East Ind ia n ,the audience fi led out w i th appa rently someth ing to th ink aboutand ponder .

Pro fessor Sa rak, wh i le master of fourteen languages, doesnot spea k flu entlv the English language. Last even ing he spoke


i n French , and a very cha rm i ng young woman , a lso an a dept ,but o f Engl ish bi rth , a cted as h is i nterpreter . The Easterner,a man o f medium heigh t, was a t t i red in a gorgeous gown ofwh i te si lk, a cross the breast of wh ich hung certa in myst i c em

h iems of gold and si l ver. A loose, pa le- yel low robe covered th isga rment during most of the evening. He wore a wh i te turban.

The a dept wea rs a pointed bla ck bea rd , wh ich , w i th la rge,languid brown eyes, gave ful ly the effect tha t one expects i n a

student o f the myst i c schools o f Thibet .“The interpreter sta ted tha t Professor de Sa rak was born in

Thibet and was descended f rom a noble French fami ly. He

had devoted h is l i fe, she sa i d , to the study O f the occul t , firstin the Thibetan schools and la ter w i th the ascet ics h idden i n themounta i ns. He h ad v isi ted a lmost every country on the globe,spreading the occul t science, wh ich , she decla red, some t imewould bring a ri ch ha rvest to all mankind .

“As the professor finished h is ra pidly spoken French sen

tences the young woman t ransla ted them to the hea rers. Dr .de Sa rak described the sixth sense in man, saying tha t i t wassecond - si gh t, a la tent and undeveloped force. He sa i d he merelyw ished to present the facts of h is rel igion. He expla i ned the

wonderfu l fluid force tha t existed . He sa i d i t is the force tha tra ised the huge stones i n bui ld ing the pyramids and is the

same force tha t brings the bi rd from the egg , the force wh ichgives man the power of risi ng as i f fi l led w i th a buoyant

gas, a power wh i ch can be concentra ted in a tube. He sta tedtha t occul t ism was absolutely noth ing but the powers of the w i l l .

‘It i s noth ing superna tura l ,

’

the doctor sa i d ,‘but is merely

the hasteni ng of na ture’

s work .

’

“A sma l l table stood by a lea ther cha i r, and on th is burned

a t i ny candle from the mouth o f a bra zen asp. The pro fessorstood over the table and busied himsel f w i th a pungent i ncensei n an Odd burner. A glass pla te, w i th a number o f fish eggs,was shown and examined . A la rge glass bow l was fi l led w i thwa ter, and one O f the members of the a udience was told toca reful ly brush the eggs i nto the wa ter. In the meant ime threemen from the a udience h ad w i th strong ropes securely bound

THE OLD A N D THE N EW M AGIC

Not ma ny months a f ter th is exhibi t ion the Esoteri c Centrewas f ounded , and the fo l low ing extraordina ry ci rcula r sent outto prominent people i n W’

ash ington

D IRECTING COMM ISSION OF THE ORIENTAL ESOTERIC

CENTRE OF WASHINGTON .

UN DER OBEDIENCE To THE SUPREM E EsOTr-zinc COUNCIL or THE IN lTlA‘

l‘

E S or

THIDET.

We address ou rselves to those who tru ly desi re to read—to those who

tru ly w ish to understand !

For those whose t ime h as not yet come, th i s page h as li t tle value—i tw i ll b

’

u t be scorned and rej ected.

B u t we and ou r work go onward, w i th few or w i th many—Forward,ever forward .

We w i ll, t hen, be bri ef , bu t log ical and clear !

THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE AD EPTS OR MAHATMA S

RESID ES WHERE IT D ESIRES ! since i t possesses powers

st i lli

unknown in the West ; bu t i t h as, in f act , i ts centre of act ion in a

reg ion not yet explored, in the North of Th ibet .Th is Counci l, composed O f Masters who wa tch th a t th e Law of the Lotus

be not revealed to the vu lg ar, has i ts General inspectors in the West as

in th e East , who, invested wi th the necessa ry powers to demonstra te t he

tru th of t h a t wh ich th ey teach and propa ga te, have di ff erent missions, wh ich

they must f ulfill strictly ; and althou gh misunderstood and insu lted by those

who do not u nderstand them, yet th ey cont inu e to work act ively to serve

worth ily the Holy Cau se of Tru e, Veri table Fra terni ty , having ever be foretheir eyes th is device :

“

Forward, ever f orward !”

T hey may su ff er all manner of pa in and torments, bu t none of these

no, noth ing can touch them ; for the Occu lt Hand su sta ins, saves and pro

teets them !

The Su preme Council of th e M ah a tmas of Th ibet h as, then, g iven

powers to i ts Representa t ives, th a t they may use them, not to enrich them

selves, bu t to ca ll t he a t tent ion O f every man or woman of h igh idea ls who

desi res“

To go forward, ever forward, and ever h igh er !”

We care li t tle f or their names or thei r na t ionali ty , for names and na t ions

disappear—the Work a lone rema ins !

We h ave seen some ! appea r like a shoot ing sta r, li gh t u p space,

and disappear almost w i thou t being not iced.

We h ave read and we h ave seen many th ings ! ca lumnies, su f f er

ings, noble deeds, etc. !

We h ave read th a t the w icked took them for specu la tors or sorcerers

and we h ave seen them cont inue thei r good works and rema in almost

poor !

We h ave read th a t men tried to destroy th em, cast ing the stones of

calumny and vengeance ; and we h ave seen them, even though weep ing i a ~

wardly , ga ther up th e stones, ask ing pardon for those who threw them !

A GEN TLEM AN or THIBET 259

We h ave. in short . read lies, and we h ave seen th em present th e

Tru th !

Th erefore, th is Commi ssion, anima ted by the most sincere and reasoned

f a i th , st rong in t he Ri gh t wh ich su pports i t , f or Tru th and f or J u st ice, makesan appeal to all those who know th a t to Th ink i s to Crea te. to Crea te i s to

Love, and th a t to Love is to Li am—to uni te themselves w i th us in a tru lyf ra ternal ch a in, not formed of links of i ron wh i ch can be broken, bu t wovenof flowers of the sou l—a ch a in wh i ch knows nei ther h a tred nor decei t !

From those who come to u s we w ill ask no sacri fices bu t sinceri ty and

good f a i th , wh ich we w i ll pu t to th e test ; we respect all creeds and cus

toms, bu t we banish hypocri sy and slander !

S trong i n ou r R igh t . invested ref i ll: th e powers bequ ea thed to us byHim who had the power to g ive them, we ini t i a te h ere in th e Cap i tal of the

Uni ted Sta tes, in the hea t of th e fire of ou r enem ies, th is movement of true

progress, dest ined to perpet u a te the work of the Adept who h as j ust lef t u s!Th ey , ou r enem i es, h ave insu lted h im, calumni a ted h im, ha ve abandoned

h im, because he was an obstacle to th em ; for the Centres wh ich rad i ate

a rt i fici a l ligh t are a f ra id of th e Radi ant Centre of Tru th !“

The Radi ant Tru th shall be ou r device. and wi th i t we w ill go, w i th

our Venera ted Master,“

Forward, ever forward l”

Therefore let those who tru ly desi re to learn and to eleva te their spi ri t ,

wi thou t f ear and w i thou t ca re, and they w i ll find B roth ers, tru e Brothers!

Let those who h ave betra yed and insu lted ou r Master, whom we w i llnew

name,

ou t BROTHER, an. SARAK,

know : tha t we h ave in our ranks persons who, h aving belonged to Theo~

soph ical Societ ies, h ave torn u p their d iplomas, not ca ring to appear in the

li st o f those who, under pretext of j ust ice and under th e f alse name of Fra

terni ty , def ame, calumni a te and insult those whose m i ssion i s sublime.

Let those, in short , who w i sh to know many other th ings, come

to us! and we wi ll prove to them both the Su preme Counci l and the

Radi ant Tru th , and, lastly , also our powers!

We make, then, an appeal, in vi ew of the preceding consi dera t ions, to

all those wh o, even i f belong ing to other organi za t ions, w i sh to uni te wi th

u s frankly and sincerely , and we can assu re them tha t la ter th ey w ill thank

u s wi th all th eir h ea rts.

Th is w i ll a ff ord them the most conclusive proof of the protect ion and

a id of those Masters or Gu ides who direct u s.

Ou r Order w i ll publish an official Review, wh ich w i ll h ave so mu ch

success and be so well recei ved th a t we sh a ll be compelled to reprint i t twice.

In t h is Revi ew, whose propaganda name w i ll he The Radi ant Tru th ,

w ill be f ound all th a t th e most eager stu dent o f Occu lt Tru th can desire,

for, aside f rom the Esoteric work . wh ich we h a ve in reserve, we possess

documents of inest imable va lue, wh ich w i ll be publish ed.

Only th e members o f ou r Order w i ll h ave the ri gh t to ou r studies and

Esoteric demonstra t ions of a more advanced degree.

A Convent ion w i ll be h eld a t Wash ing ton a t a conveni ent t ime, and a

Commi ssion of delega tes and members of the Order w i ll be sent to the

260 THE ow A N D THE new M AGIC

East to receive instru ct ions and orders f rom those who di rect the sp i ri tual

f u tu re of th e Race of Evolu t ion—th is in sp i te of all Theosoph ical or sec

ta ri an soc iet ies and of those who do not desire the Li gh t .

Those, then, who wish to make pa rt of ou r Order, as Act ive or \ Iili

tant Members, or as Correspondents or D eleg a tes, shou ld send in their appli

ca t ions to the General Secret ary of th e Comm ission,‘

1443 Corcoran Street, Wash ingt on, D . C.

All the Members of ou r Hea d Centre in the Uni ted Sta tes h ave the

righ t to receive gra tu i tously a ll the publica t ions and work of the Centre.

For f u rt her pa rt icu la rs wri te to the General Secretary a t Wash ington

and to th e General Delega tes abroad.

May Peace be w i th all Beings !

Viewed and found in conf orm i ty w i th Superior Orders.

Th e General Secretary of Gen. Inspect ion

A . E . MARSLAND .

( at . a .

Given a t our Headqu arters th is 1sth day of J une, 1902.

The above c ircu la r was a lso signed by the Presi dent of theDi rect ing Comm ission, the Secreta ry Genera l and the seven Esoteric Members of the Counci l o f the O rder a t Wash ingt on , thema jori ty of them bei ng women . I suppress thei r names. Pos

sibly by th is t ime they ha ve repud ia ted Sa rak and h is absurdpretensions.

III.

I consul ted w i th my fri end , Mr. J . E lf reth Wa tki ns, a cleverjourna l ist and interested inquirer into the methods of spi r i t istsand occul t ists, and we decided to invest iga te Dr. A lbert de Sa rakthe Thibetan adept. M r. Wa tkins was to go first and ha ve an

i n terv iew w i th h im , w i th the i dea of exploi t ing the Count i n a

newspa per a rt icle on modern magic and theosophy ; even tua l lywe were to a t tend one of the myst i c ’s séances together. I sha l llet Mr. Wa tk i ns tel l the story i n h is own words:

“I a ddressed a letter to Dr. Sa rak by post request i ng an

a ppointment . I recei ved a prompt response i n the form of acourteous note, headed

‘

O rienta l E soteri c Center of “lash ington

,

’

and wh ich commenced : ‘Your letter, wh ich I have recei ved,

revea ls to me a man o f noble sent iments.

’

An hour was namedand the letter bore the si gna ture,

‘D r. A . Count de Sa rak,

’

benea th wh ich were inscribed severa l Orienta l cha racters.

262 rm: ow AND THE new M AGIC

Through my power of second sight was revea led to meyour mission bef ore you a rri ved ,

’

was the i nterpreta t ion.

‘And

now tha t you come, a good spi ri t seems to a ttend you , and Iknow tha t you come as a friend . I assure you a lso tha t I welcome you as a f riend.

’

The transla t i ons were made a sentencea t a t ime.

“I assured M onsieur tha t th is was deeply apprec ia ted .

I asked h im i f i t m ight be my good fortune to w i tnesssome of h is esoteri c ma ni f esta t ions, such as I h ad hea rd o f h isperform ing.

‘

In the beginn ing,’

he cont i nued ,‘

I ga ve some publ i c tests.

But now I am engaged in the serious work of tea ching, and mytime i s devoted ent i rely to the work. If Monsieur pleases, wewould wel come h is presence as an honora ry member of ourcenter. The d iploma w i l l cost h im noth ing. It is a rule of thecenter tha t none ma y a t tend except members. His d iploma w i l lenti t le h im to a ttend a ll our meet ings as a specta tor. We meetevery Wednesday n ight . ’

‘A ll tha t we w i l l requ ire of Monsieur is tha t he endea vor

to lea rn , and to describe wha t he sees w i th absolute t ruth .

’

‘

I would ask M . le D octeur i f he be a Buddh ist ,’

I sa i d .

The quest ion was suggested by a picture of Buddha upon the

wa l l before me.

‘

Yes, Monsieur, I am a Buddh ist, as a re my masters inThibet . Understand , however, that th is is not a rel igion wh ichI am here to teach , but a sc ience— the science of the soulwh ich does not confl ict w i th any rel igion . I simply demonstra teto them the powerswh ich I ha ve lea rned from my masters.

’

‘Wha t is your opin ion of Mme. Bla va tsky was asked .

She was a good person—wha t sha l l I say P—was good

hea rted . She endea vored to enter Thibet , but was unsuccessful .N one of the Theosoph ists ha ve ever lea rned from my masters.

Wh i le Mme. Blava tsky l i ved , however, the Theosoph i ca l Soc ietyseems to ha ve worked in ha rmony. Now tha t she is dead, theyare d iv i ded by ha tred and i l l - feel ing.

‘

Once when I was i n Pa ris, the Theosoph ists, hea ring tha tI was from Thibet , asked me to become an honora ry memberof thei r society, j ust as I i nv i te you, Monsieur. I a ccepted

A GENTLEM A N or THIBET 263

thei r d iploma , as courtesy demanded . I a t tended a congressi n Pa ris. One speaker mounted the tribune and sta ted tha tthere was a gent lema n f rom Thibet present who could vouchfor thei r connect ion w i th the masters. I was a young man then—let me see—i t was about seventeen yea rs ago, but now the

weight o f fi fty yea rs hangs on my shoulders. M y young bloodboi led and I rushed to the tribune and denounced the sta temen tas fa lse. The Theosoph ists expel led me f rom thei r societywh i ch I h ad never sought to enter,

’

and here he shrugged h isshoulders,

‘and since then , they have waged aga inst me a relent

less campa ign o f ca lumny. In Europe, i n South Americaeverywhere—fol lowsme a tra i l o f c i rcula rs and let ters publ ishedby base ca l umnia tors. But st i l l I ha ve gone on w i th my work,found ing centers over the world. I have founded many inSouth Ameri ca , but th is is the first in th is country.

’

“I ventured to console the count w i th words to the ef fect

tha t all grea t ca uses h ad grown ou t o f persecut ion. When theinterpreter transla ted these sent iments, Monsieur, who

‘

sa t a t h is

desk , assumed anExpression of ext reme pa i n and ha l f c losingh is eyes fixed h is ga ze upon a strange instrument reposing uponthe w indow si l l . It was a piece o f colored glass w i th a pebbledsurfa ce held upright by a meta l support . The interpreta t ionof my words was repea ted, but Monsieur ra ised one finger.cont inuing h is sta re of mixed concentra t ion and su ff er ing.

‘He is now recei vi ng an interpreta t ion from h is masters,’

the i nterpreter tol d me i n a low voice. I did not not ice i t andi n terrupted h im . The doctor ma inta ined h is wei rd sta re for

a f ew minutes, during wh ich I hea rd f rom h is corner of theroom a vibra t ing sound such as is produced by a Fa radic ba ttery .

'

Monsieur rose from h is reverie w i th a sigh and hast i lywrote someth ing upon a sheet o f pa per upon h is desk. Thenhe resumed the conversa t ion .

‘Fortuntely I ha ve preserved extra cts from a ll of the j our

nals wh ich ha ve been friendly to me,’ he sa id . I was shown a

shel f ful l of scra p- books and the t ransla t ions of numerous cl i pp ings from foreign journa ls. One of these, credi ted to the Pa risF igaro, 1885, described experiments i n ‘

M agnet ism and Fas

cina t ion’ performed by D r. de Sa rak before a commi ttee of

264 THE ow A N D THE N EW M AG1E:

scient ists and journa l ists, during wh i ch he hypnot i zed a cagefull of l i ve l ions. There were many such accounts, i ncludinga descript ion of demonstra t ions ma de before the Queen ofSpa in i n 1888; a nother before the K i ng of Port uga l the sameyea r. An a rt icle credi ted to La Révu e des Sci ences de Paris,N ovember 7, 1885, sta ted tha t i n theGrand Sa l le de la Sorbonne,Count Sa rak de D as, i n the presence of the Pr i nce of Lari gnansand people, caused h is body to rise i n the a i r about twometers and to be there suspended by lev i ta t ion .

“It was agreed tha t my name should be presented to the

counci l as suggested , and two days la ter I recei ved a letter not if y ing me of my elect ion as honora ry member of the center,congra tu la t i ng me thereupon and i nv i ti ng me to be present a tthe next meet i ng. I was gi ven the pri vi lege of bringing a friendw i th me. I i n formed Mr. E vans, and we agreed to a ttend thenext séance, and make ca reful menta l notes of the events of theeven ing.

”

Mr. Wa tkins and I went together on the appointed even ingto the house of the M age, loca ted i n qua i nt l i tt le Corcoran street .It was a stormy n ight, la te i n N ovember ; j ust the sort of eveningfor a ga thering of modern w i tches and w i za rds, i n an u p

- to - da teWalpurg is N a ch t. We were admi tted by the i n terpreter and

secreta ry, whom I a fterwa rds lea rned wasM issA gnes E . Ma rsland, gradua te of theUn i versi ty of Cambridge, E ngland .

In the back parlor upsta i rs we were greeted by the Doctor,who wore a sort of M asoni c col la r of gol d bra i d , upon wh ichwas embroidered a t riangle. He presented u s to h is w i fe and

ch i ld, who were conspicuously foreign i n a ppea rance, the la t terabou t five yea rs old . We were then i n troduced to an elderlv

woman, stout and w i th gray ha i r, who, we were told , was thepresi dent of the center . She wore a cordon sim i la r to D r.

Sa rak ’

s, and soon a fter our a rri va l she rapped w i th a sma l lgavel upon a table, loca ted i n the bay w i ndow of the front drawi ngroom .

When sh e ca l led the meet ing to order the D octor sea ted h imsel f upon her righ t , and a t her left—all beh ind the table—were


more simple method . He described the fa i lures of forei gnersto penet ra te i n to Th ibet, sta t i ng tha t h is masters there were ableto pla ce a flu idic wa l l before any man or beast. * The womenwa tched thei r h ierophant w i th intense fascina t ion , save the interpreter, who ma i n ta ined her sa i nt ly ga ze up into space, and thew i fe, who sa t by i n subl ime noncha lance.

“The D octor then passed into a rea r room , donned a long

robe o f l ight blue ma ter ia l and returned w i th the piece of colored glass which I h ad seen during my - previous visi t . It was

st i l l fi i t ted to the meta l support , and w i th i t he brought a barmagnet . He pla ced the glass upon the table before h im , makingmany passes over i t w i th h is fi ngers, somet imes ru bbing themupon h isgown as i f they were burned . He expla i ned tha t he h adsensi t i zed the glass wi th a secret flui d wh ich rema ined thereonas a fi lm . He drew a sort o f tri pod upon paper and pla ced theglass and magnet a longsi de.

‘

I demonstra ted a t the last meet ing how th is powerwh ich I ca l led ‘yud’—could be exerted aga i nst huma n bei ngs.

You remember tha t I ca used the man to fa l l from h is bicycle.

Tonight I w i l l exert the power aga i nst an an ima l ,’

sa i d the

fanta isiste.

“He sta ted tha t the l ights would all be ext inguished ; tha tthose present would be sta t ioned a t the front w i ndows; tha t a ta gi ven sig na l he would ca use a horse passing the st reet to ha l tand rema in motionless, to the ama zement o f the driver. Turn ~

ing to me, he asked ,‘Would M onsieur prefer tha t the horse be

passi ng eastwa rd or westwa rd ?’ ‘

E astwa rd ,’ I sa i d .

“Then the l ights were put out , but previously h is w i fe h adret i red ,

ostensi bl y to put to bed the boy, who h ad grown sleepy.

All of the members present and the young man—a stranger,evidently a reporter—were posted a t the front w indows. My

compan ion and I were sta t ioned a t two w i ndows w i th in a sma l lha l l room a djoining. We were all asked to ma inta i n absolutesi lence. V ines covered both w indows o f ou r room and a streetlamp burned before the house to our right . The wa i t was long,

‘S ince D r. Sarak’

s séance, Col. Youngh u sband and a column of Bri t i sh

soldiers h ave penetra ted into the holy ci ty of Llassa w ithou t di fficu lty . The

flu idic walls of the masters have not impeded the progress of the Brit ish inthe least degree.

A GENTLEMAN or Ta mer 267

probably twenty minutes, bef ore the first veh icle venturedthrough the block.

“It was a buggy, drawn by a single horse, but , a las! i t pro

ceeded westwa rd . In i t were sea ted two figures, whom I coul dnot see—both enshrouded i n da rkness.

“My impa t ience was now wel l nigh unbea rable. In a f ew

minutes, however, I hea rd the cla t ter o f hoo fs f rom the opposi ted i rect ion—ea stwa rd .

“A buggy w i th a single horse came i nto v iew . One figure

wore a wh i te fasci na tor or shaw l about the hea d . The otherwas a man. The horse slowed into a wa lk j ust before rea ch ingth e house. It ha l ted d irectly i n front o f u s, then backed a f ew

feet and the rea r wheel went upon the sidewa lk opposi te.

‘Wha t ’s de ma t ta h w i d (la t hoss sa i d a neg ro voice.

‘

N ebber seen h im act da t way The horse stood st i l l fora minute ; then the dri ver clucked h im up and he proceeded onh i sway . It wa s too dark to see the posi t ions o f the reins or thefea tures of ei ther occupant o f the veh icle. Soon a fterwa rdM adame de Sa rak returned w i th the ch i ld and pointed towa rdh im , as i f to say :

‘

See, he h as recovered f rom h is sleepy spel l“A t th is point the D octor ret i red and returned gowned i n

wh i te. He passed to u s a ca nvas such as is commonly used bypa inters in oi l . He placed th is upon an easel . A t h is r ight wasa table bea ring brushes and two glasses fi lled , one w i th da rkblue and the other w i th wh i te pa i n t . He then d istributed la rgenapkins among those present and handed to me two ba l ls ofabsorbent cotton. These I was tol d to pla ce over h is eyes, andas I di d so the two other men and severa l o f the women boundthe na pkinsover the cotton . They were t ied very t ight ly and twowere crossed . W

'

e i nspected the bandages and pronounced themsec ure. Then the wh i te- robed fig ure, i n th is grotesque headgea r, asked me to lead h im to an arm - cha i r in the f ar end ofthe rea r a pa rtment , wh ich I di d . Sea ted in the cha i r, h is ch inhangi ng down upon h is breast , h e rema i ned for some t ime, unt i lsuddenly he a rose and wa lked stra igh tway to h is w i f e and ch i ld ,who were si t t ing beh ind the table i n the f ront room , upon the

sofa as prev iously. He knel t before them , kissed the l i tt le one,h is back bei ng toward us the wh i le. Then he wa lked di rectly


to my compan ion and took the la tter’s wa tch from h i s pocketw i thout fumbl ing. He now proceeded to the easel , and, select inga brush f rom the table, d ipped into the blue pa int and printeda cross the top of the canvas ‘

Fi fteen M inutes.

’

I looked a t mvcompan ion ’

s wa tch and i t registered hal f past 10. E v i dent ly thewords denoted the t ime i n wh ich the picture was to be pa i nted .

One of the women present requested tha t a moonl ight scene i nTh ibet be reproduced . Sudden movements of two brushes,dipped i n the two colors, transformed the letters i n to a c loudedsky through wh ich a moon was burst ing. Below was outl i neda sort of tower, to the left of wh i ch was pa inted a tree. A f tersome deta i l i n the picture was outl i ned i n blue, for example,the wh i te pa i n t would be appl ied i n l i nes exa ct ly pa ra l lel to thefirst, and many such touches of the brushes i nd ica ted tha t thepa int ing was not made as the resul t of memory a lone. N ea rthe end of the pa int ing the Doctor aga i n approached h is w i feand ch i ld, leading the la tter to the easel and pla ci ng h im upona cha i r before i t.

“The ch i l d was gi ven a brush and dabbed pa i n t upon va rious

pa rts of the picture. Somet imes he seemed to be gu idi ng h isfa ther’s hand , but during th is opera t ion the la t ter was not doingdi fficul t work. All the wh i le the a dept was chant ing someth ingwh i ch the ch i ld repea ted . The picture was signed w i th O rienta lsymbols pla ced in one corner. Then the pa i nter ma de a gestureof grea t fa t igue, sighed very audibly and staggered into the

rea r room . He fel l upon a sofa nea r the door and mot ioned toha ve the bandages removed . I removed some, assisted by h isw i fe, who brought h im a glass of wa ter. The cotton was i n i tspla ce as f ar as I could see. His eyes rema ined closed a fter theywere uncovered , and h is a t t i tude was tha t o f a man who h adfa i nted . Hi s Wi fe hel d the wa ter to h is l i ps, and then, l i ft i ngea ch o f h is eyel ids, blew i n to them . Then the M age a rose and,

compla in ing of fa t igue, resumed h is sea t beh ind the table.

Shading h is eyes w i th h is hand , he looked towa rd the ca nvas,saying : ‘Behold the house i n Th ibet where I was i n i t ia ted i ntothe mysteries of the M aha tmas.

’

“A fter the exh ibi t ion of ‘doub le v ision’

D e Sa rak performedthe c iga rette paper test .

270 THE OLD A ND THE N Ew M AGIC

interested i n occul t ism . The pi lgr imswere to v isi t the i na ccessible shrines, pagodas, crypts, and lamaseries of the E ast , underthe c iceronage o f the Count , who doubtless was to break downfor them by sheer force of w i l l the flu i dic ba rriers tha t surroundLhassa , Thibet , where dwel l the M aha tmas, i n order tha t thetourists might penetra te into the sa cred ci ty.

I never hea rd o f anybody lea ving Wash ington to go on th isexpedi t ion, except the Count—and h e, I understand , got nof a rther than New York Ci ty, where the French ta ble d

’

lrdte

abounds, and magic and mystery are ch iefly to be studied i n therecipes of French chefs dc cu isine.

MAGICIANS I HAVE MET.

To su cceed as a conj urer, three th ings are essent i al—first, dexteri ty ;second, dexteri ty ; and th ird, dexteri ty .

”—Ronear-HovmN .

Imro Fox,

“the com i c conj urer , was born May 2 1 , 1852 ,

in Bromberg, Germany. He came to theUni ted Sta tes in 1874 ,

and a f ter serv ing as a d i f f dc cu isine in severa l New Y ork hotels,fina l ly came to “f

ash ingt on, where he presi ded over the ki tchenof the old Hotel Law rence, a famous resort f or

“

vaudev i l lepeople. When not engaged in h is cul ina ry dut ies, he pract isedsleigh t of hand tr icks. In the yea r 1880, a strol l i ng companycame to the ci ty, ha ving as i ts bright , pa rt icula r sta r a magician .

The man o f mystery , a las, was a ddi cted to the flowing bow l ,and went on a spree a f ter the first night's per formance. The

manager o f the troupe, who was staying a t the Lawrence, was Indespa i r. He to l d h is woes to the proprietor o f the hotel , whoinformed h im tha t the chef of the establ ishment was a conj urer .

D escending to the “ lower regions” (a capi ta l place, by the way ,i n wh ich to seek a d isciple o f th e bla ck art ) , the thea tri ca l mandiscovered the genia l Imro studying a big vo lume. Nea r bya black ca t sa t bl inking a t h im . Upon the stove was a hugeca ldron. The ra ise me scene of the place was decidedly tha tof a w i za rd's stud io . But th ings are seldom wha t they seem .

The book wh ich Fox was so i ndustr iously conning provedto be a dict iona ry of the French language, not a black - letter tomeon sorcery. The chef was engaged in making up a ménu ca rd ,i n other words, gi ving French names to good old Anglo - Saxond ishes. The ca ldron conta i ned soup . The ca t was the reg ul a rfel i ne hab i tué of the ki tchen , not an imp or fami l ia r demon .


The chef, I bel ieve, sa i d the manager, pol i tely.

“I am, sa i d Fox.

You are an ama teur conj urerI amuse mysel f w i th legerdema in occasiona l ly.

Y ou ’re the man I’m looking for. I am the proprietor o fa vaudevi l le company playing a t The gent lema n whodoes the magi c turn for me h as disappea red ; gone on a prolonged deha u ch

“Ah , I see,

. interrupted Imro, a devotee of the ‘

inexh a ust i

ble bottle’ tri ck .

”

“I want you to take h is place, sa i d th e manager, and fi l l

out the week ’

s engagement. I w i l l a rra nge ma tters w i th the

hotel proprietor f or you .

”

“D onner a nd Blazers!

" cr ied Fox. Why , I never was ona stage bef ore inmy l i fe. I

’

d di e w i th f right. Fa ce an a udience?

I’

d ra ther f ace a ba ttery o f cannons.

“N onsense,

”

answered the thea trica l man. D o help me l ikea good fellow . It w i l l be money i n your pocket .A fter consi derable persuasion,

Fox consented. The cul ina rydepa rtment was turned over to an assistant . Tha t n igh t Imroa ppea red on the stage, habi ted in a h i red dress sui t tha t di d notfit h im l ike the proverbia l “paper on the wa l l .” W i th f ea r andtrembl ing he ma de h i s bow , and broke the i ce by the fol low inga l lusion to h is very ba l d pa te : La dies and gent lemen , why i smy hea d l ike Hea ven ?. .You give i t up ! Good ! Beca usethere is no pa rt ing there ! Amid the shout o f laughter occasioned by th is conundrum, Fox bega n h is ca rd tri cks. In the

a rgot o f the stage, he“made good .

This event decided h im ; he abandoned cooking for conjuring ; menu ca rds for the making o f programmes.

His enterta inment i s qui te origina l . The curta i n rises ona gloomy cavern. In the middle is a boi l ing ca ldron,

f ed byw i tches d InM acbeth . An aged necromancer, dressed i n a longrobe w i th a pointed cap on h is head, enters. He begins h isincanta t ions, whereupon hosts of demons appea r, who danceabout the ca l dron. Suddenly amid the crash of thunder and

a bl inding flash of l ight , the W i za rd’

s ca ve is metamorphosedinto a twent ieth centu ry draw ing- room , fi tted up for a con


Dr. Golden Mort imer, first presi dent o f the S . A . M . , i s a

gentleman of cul ture. He was born i n New Y ork Ci ty , D ecember 27 , 1854 . He began l i fe as a magician, and was a pupi l ofRobinson, the Fa ki r of V ishnu . He eventua l ly toured the country w i th an enterta i nment of the Hel ler order, known as

“Mor

t imer’s Mysteries,”

and was very successful . Gradua t i ng fina l lyas a physi c ian, be aba ndoned the art mag iqu e as a pro fession .

Krieger, the a rch - master of cup - and- ba l l conj uring, the su c

cessor o f Bosco,o f ten drops i nto M a rt inka

’

s. He i s o f Jew ishbirth . “f i th h is l i t t le f am i ly he t ra vels about , giv ing exh ibi t ionsof h is sk i l l , a t summer hotels, seasi de resorts, clubs, lyceums,etc. The errant propensi t ies of the Krieger ménagc ga i ned fori t the sobriquet o f the Few,

”

a pa ra ph rase of thet i t le of E ugene Sue’

s wei rd novel , The ll’andcring f ew . Tol isten to Krieger’s funny a ccent ; to see h im shake h isbushy locks;to wa tch h is deft fingers man ipula te the l i t t le cork ba l ls, i s toenjoy a ra re t rea t . \Vhen the sma l l ba l ls grow to la rge ones andfina l ly change into on ions, pota toes, lemons, and a pples you are

qui te rea dy to a cknow ledge tha t Krieger’s a rt is the a cme oflegerdema i n .

But the prince of Hanky Pa nky is undoubtedly N a te Leipz iger. For close work w i th ca rds, coins, wa tches, handkerch iefs,and the l ike he is pre- eminent i n th is country , perhaps i n any

country. Hi s grea t forte is amusi ng a fter- d inner pa rt ies. Hi s

art i s extremely subtle and indetectable, even to those a cqua i ntedw i th the mysteries o f magic . He is the inventor o f many newsleights and conj u ring a rt ifices.

Lei pziger was born in S tockholm , Sweden , i n 1873, and

was a pprent i ced a t an ea rly age to an opti ca l instrument maker .

Grinding and pol ish ing lenses is h is t ra de, but be abandonedi t f or conjuring when he came to the Un i ted Sta tes. It is a

curious fa ct tha t the ma jor i ty o f grea t magicians ha ve beenrecrui ted from among wa tchmakers, Opt i ca l i nstrument manu o

f actu rers, chemists, and physi c ians. Hundreds of them havebeen doctors. Among our Ameri ca n Indiansmedic i ne and magicare synonymous terms. The

“medi cine man”

is the High Priest ,the M age, of the tribe. As every student o f psychology knows,there i s a good dea l of humbug about the pra ct ice of med ic ine.

M AGICIAN S I HAVE M ET 275

Suggest ion a i ded by decept ion i n the way of brea d pi l ls and

ha rm less ph i lt res eff ect asmany cures as potent dr ugs. Surgeryi s an exa ct science

,medic ine 15 experimenta l . The med ico takes

na tura lly to magic, for he i s a l rea dy an adept in the art of suggest i on. A propos of th is let me quote a sentence from an a rt i cleby Joseph Jastrow (Psycholog i ca lRevi ew,

Vol. 7 , p . 6 17)dominant principle, most frequently i l lustra ted , i s the kinsh ipo f conjuri ng to suggest ion ; for i t is the suggest ion o f th ingsnot done qui te as much as the concea lment of those tha t aredone tha t determines the success o f modern conj uring.

Hora ce Goldin i s known as the -’h irlw ind \Vi za rd , so

ca l led beca use o f the rapidi ty o f h is work . His tr i cks and i l lusions fol low each other w i th ka lei doscopi c ef fect . Gold in can

compress more magic fea ts i n a twenty- m inute turn , than the

a verage conj urer can execute .i h an hour. But h is a ct i s a si lentone ; he uses no pa t ter wha tever. As a genera l ru le th is is tobe condemned . Ama teurs a re wa rned aga i nst i t. Says Prof essor Jastrow , the psychologist :

“The

‘pa tter,’ or sett i ng of a

tr ick, o f ten const i tutes the rea l a rt o f i ts execut ion,because i t

d i rects, or ra ther misd irects, the a ttent ion .

”

More than tha t,a rt ful ly worded pa tter wea ves ab out a conjuring experiment ana tmosphere o f pla usibi l i ty ; people are o f ten convinced tha t redis bla ck, etc. Consi der the drama t i c set t ing o f Hou d in

’

s magicchest and a eria l suspension. W i thout pa t ter these cha rmingtrickswould ha ve degenera ted to the commonplace. But Goldi nis a law unto h imsel f

,and must not be j udged by any standa rds

other than those la i d down by h imsel f. He i s a geni us.

Gold in, who i s of Jew ish descent , was born in IVi lana ,

Russia , D ecember 1 7 , 1874 . He began l i fe as a tra vel i ng sa lesman. He took to conj uring to amuse h imsel f and h is f riends.

A fter wa rds he went on the stage. He h as played be fore E dwa rdVII of England and II of Germany. Wh i le playing an

engagement in N ew Y ork Ci ty , a t Hammerstei n ’

s Thea tre,A ug ust, 1904 , he went about the c i ty in an a utomobi le knownas the

“red devi l . ” Some o f h i s f a cet ious friends described h im

as a“ l i t t le wh i te dev i l” in a big red devi l . ” Among the numer

276 THE OLD AND THE N ew M AGIC

ous clever i l lusions per formed by h im is the Invisible Fl igh tan exposé of wh ich was publ ished in the S trand, as fol lows

“A pedesta l about seven feet h igh is seen i n the centre of

the stage. The performer i ntroduces a l i veri ed assista n t andent i rely envelops h im in a bla ck cloa k and hood , and puts a pisto li n h is righ t hand . He then fetches a la dder , pla ces i t aga i nst the

pedesta l , wa lks up , and steps from i t on to the top of the pedesta l ,beh ind a curt a in, wh ich i s hung i n front , j ust rea ch ing to h is feet .The assistant puts the la dder back and fi res the pistol , whenimmed ia tely the cu rta in rises and a grea t surprise meets the

ga ze of the a ud ience, for there on the pedesta l , where the performer stepped only a moment previously, sta nds the l i veri edserva nt ; but the cl imax is rea ched when the supposed assistantpul ls of f the c loak and hood , show i ng h im to be none other tha nthe performer h imsel f.

“To perform th is i l lusi on i t i s necessa ry to ha ve two assista ntsas nea r a l i ke as possible and of sim i la r sta ture to the performerh imsel f, the rest bei ng qu i te simple but requ i ri ng much exa ctnessi n execut ion. The performer cloaks assistant No. I and ha ndsh im the pistol , then goes to fetch the ladder, pa rt o f wh i ch i sshow ing between the w i ngs, the other pa rt bei ng hel d by assistant No. 2, who ismade to look , a t a quick gla nce, exa ctly l i ke theper former. The performer ca tches hold of the ladder and stepsbetween the w ings, lea v ing one leg show ing ; the assista nt (No .

2) steps out ba ckwa rds w i th the la dder, coveri ng the performermomenta ri ly, who then steps righ t i n between the w i ngs. Th e

na tura l movement of the assista nt i n stepping ba ck a t the r igh tmoment looks as i f i t is st i l l the performer ; i ndeed , he i s never.suspected to be otherw ise. Assista nt No. 2 pla ces the la dderaga inst the pedesta l , wa l ks up , and, stepping beh i nd the curta in,

unhooks a dupl ica te l i very from i t . qu ickly puts i t on , pocketsw i gand musta che, or any other make- u p wh ich went to ma tch the

magi c ia n ’

s a ppea ra nce, and stands ready for the curta i n to bera ised , a t the sound o f the pistol . by a st ri ng lea d ing insi de to oneof the stage ha nds. D uring th is t ime assistant No. I has takenthe la dder ba ck to i ts origina l pla ce, and the performer, whoh as meanwh i le qu ickly donned a cloak and hood exa ct ly as wornby assista nt No. I , reverses h is previous a ct ion , steppi ng ba ck

278 T IIE OLD AND THE N Ew M AGIC

E dw i n , was one of h is strong ca rds. Robert Hel ler h ad j ustd ied, and there was no one to cont inue the art of second sigh tbut Powel l. A fter touring the Un i ted S ta tes and SpanishAmeri ca he lef t the stage to take the intermedia te cha i r of ma thema t ies a t the Pennsylvan ia M i l i ta ry A cademy, wh ich post hehel d f or three yea rs. The se denta ry l i fe a ff ected h is hea l th , andhe returned to the stage. Powel l h as played severa l long engagements a t the E den Musée, one of them last ing for six months.

In the yea r 1892, he produced a t th is thea t re for the first t imeto a New Y ork audience the i l lusion “

She.

”

In 1902 he visi tedthe Sandw i ch and Samoa Islands, and played i n the princi pa lc i t ies o f A ust ra l ia . Powel l was the first conjurer to introducethe improved “ co in ladder” in th is country.

Howa rd Thurston , the Amer ican i l lusionist , was educa tedfor the min istry, but abandoned theology f or conj uring. He

possesses grea t ski l l w i th ca rds, and is an inventor o f many novelfea ts o f specta cula r magic.

Hi s stage represents an O rienta l scene. E nter Thurstondressed somewha t a f ter the fash ion of a Ta rta r Ch iefta in: loosetrousers, short ja cket , turban and h igh boots. He i ntroduces h isact w i th ca rd manipula t ion , a fter wh ich he produces f rom a shaw lthrown over h is arm a bow l from wh ich bursts a flame, thenanother bow l from wh ich spurts a jet o f wa ter l i ke a founta i n .

He stands on a sma l l stool o f glass and produces a grea t quant i tyof wa ter from a la rge t in can, by dropping into i t the ha l f o f acocoanut shel l . E nough wa ter wel ls up f rom the can to fi l lsevera l receptacles. The thauma turgist then defies the laws ofgra vi ta t ion by suspending a la rge ba l l in the a i r, a la M ahomet ’sa l leged coffin a t Mecca , and passes a hoop about the ba l l . Whenhe lea ves the stage, the ba l l fol lows h im . This fea t is aecom ~

plished by a stream o f compressed a i r wh ich plays upon the

globe f rom a receptacle secreted in the sleeve of the performer.The conjurer wa lks to a stool , covers i t w i th a shaw l , and produces a l i fe- si ze sta tue, which undergoes va rious pretty transforma t ions. The i l lusion suggests tha t of Pro f essor Pepper.Fi na l ly he produces pigeons f rom a borrowed h a t , and toy ba lloons wh i ch floa t i n the a i r. A l together i t is a pleasing and

curious a ct .

280 THE oLD AND THE N Ew MAGIC

V.

'

W i l l iam'

G. Robinson for yea rs a cted as A lexa nder Herrmann’s stage manager and ma ch inist . He is a devotee o f themagi c a rt , a col lector of ra re books on legerdema i n , and the

i nventor of ma ny ingen ioussleigh ts, tr i cks, and i l lusions. Whennot employed a t the thea tre, he spends h is t ime ha u nt i ng the

second - ha nd book stores, sea rch ing for l i tera ture on h is fa vori tehobby. He h as found t ime to wri te a profoundly i nterest i ngbrochure ca l led Spiri t Sla te- Wri t ing , publ ished by the Sc ien t i ficAmeri ca n Company. A fter read ing th is work, I ca nnot see howany sane person can cred i t the rea l i ty o f “ i ndependent sla te- wr i ti ng.” It is a mere juggl ing tri ck.

Rob i nson was born i n New Y ork Ci ty, A pri l 2, 1861 , and

recei ved a common schoo l educa t ion . He sta rted l i fe as“a

worker in brass and other meta ls,” but he a bandoned the prof ession o f Tuba l Ca i n for conj uring. A fter the dea th o f Herrma nn ,Robinson went as assistant to Leon Herrma nn f or severa l seasons, and then sta rted out to aston ish the na t ives on h is owna ccount , but w i thout any appreci able success. Just about th ist ime there came to the Un i ted S ta tes a Ch i nese conj urer namedCh ing Li ng Foo, w i th a reperto i re o f O rienta l t r i cks. One ofthem was the product ion of a huge bow l o f wa ter from a tablecloth

,fol lowed by l i ve p igeons and ducks, and last but not leasr

a l i t t le a lmond - eyed Celest ia l , h i s son. Th is was but a repl icaof the tr i ck wh i ch Ph i l l i ppe lea rned from the Ch inese many yea rsago. Foo ’

s performa nces drew crowds to the thea tres. It was

the novel ty o f the th ing tha t caught the publ i c fancy. In rea l i ty,the Mongol ia n ’

s magi c was not to be compa red w i th tha t ofHerrmann,

Kel la r , or Gold i n . Benea th the folds of a C h i neserobe one may concea l a lmost a nyt h ing, ra ngi ng i n si ze from a

bedpost to a cannon ba l l . W'

hen Foo ’

s manager boast fu l lya dvert ised to forfei t $500 i f any Ameri ca n could fa thom ordupl i ca te any of the Celest ia l

’

s t r i cks,“ Bi l ly”

Rob i nson cameforwa rd and a ccepted the cha l lenge. But noth ing came of i t .Foo ’

s impressa rio “ ba cked wa ter,” to u se a boa t i ng phrase.

Rob i nson was so taken w i th Ch ing Li ng Foo ’

s act tha t hedec i ded to gi ve sim i la r séa nces, disgu isi ng h imsel f as a Ch inaman. Under the name of Chung Li ng 500 he went to E ngla nd,

282 THE OLD AND THE NEw M AGIC

even had the audac i ty to grant i nterv iews to newspaper reporters.

He usua l ly hel d these recept ions a t h is lodg i ngs, where he hadan apa rtment fi t ted up a la Ch inois ; the wa l ls hung w i th si lkendrapery embroidered w i th grotesque dragons. The place wasdimly l i t by Ch inese lanterns. Propped up on si lken cush ions,the

“Y ankee Ce lest ia l w i th h is face made up l ike a finely pa i nted

mask, si pped h is rea l oolong, and laughed i n h is capa cioussleevesa t the credul i ty of the journa l ist i c ha cks. He gave h is Opin ionon the “Boxer” t rouble

,Speaking a ki nd of gibberish wh ich the

previously tutored Ch inese a croba t pretended to interpret i n toEngl ish . Gradua l ly i t leaked out i n thea tri ca l c i rcles tha t ChungLing 500 was a Y ankee, but th is informa t ion never came to thepubl ic ear genera l ly.

A t the close of the Boxer uprisi ng the rea l Ch ing Ling Fooh ad returned to h is beloved Flowery Kingdom , loaded downw i th bags f ul l o f dol la rs ex tra cted from the pockets of the “

For

eign Devi ls,” yclept Ameri ca ns. Under h i s Own v ine and bam

boo tree he proceeded to enjoy l i f e l ike a regula r Ch inese

gent leman; to burn joss st icks to the memory of h is a ncestors,and study the maxims of Confuci us. But the longing for otherworlds to conquer w i th h i s magic overcame h im , and so i n theyea r 1904 he went to E ngland . Grea t was h is aston ishment tofind tha t a pretended Mongol ian had preceded h im and stolena ll of h is thunder. In Janua ry, 1905, Robinson was playing a t

the Hippodrome, London, and Chn Ling Foo a t the Empi re.

There was grea t r i va l ry between them . The resul t was tha tFoo cha l lenged 500 to a gra nd tria l o f strength , the a rt i clesof wh ich appea red in the Weekly D espa tch .

“I offer

i f Chung Ling 800,now appea ring a t the Hippodrome, can do

ten out of the twenty o f my t r icks, or i f I fa i l to do any one ofh is fea ts.

A meet ing was a rranged to take place a t the D espa tch office,on Ja nua ry 7 , 1905, a t 1 1 a . m . The cha l lenged man, Bi l ly”

Robinson a l ias Chung Ling Soo,rode up to the newspaper office

i n h is big red a utomobi le, a ccompanied by h is manager and

assistants. He was dressed l ike a manda rin . The a croba t heldover h is master’s head a gorgeousCh inese umbrel la . Rob i nson

gave anexh ib i t ion of h is ski l l before a committee of newspaper

MAGICIAN s I HAVE M ET 283

men and thea tri ca l managers. Foo came not . The next da ya rri ved 3 letter from Ching Ling Foo’

s impressa rio sa ying tha tthe M ongol ian magician would only consent to compete aga i nsth is r i va l on the f ol low ing cond i t ion : “Tha t Chung Li ng 500

first prove before members of the Ch inese Lega t i on tha t h e is a

Chinaman . Th is was wh ipping the D evi l (or sha l l I sa y

dragon?) a round the stump. The origi na l cha l lenge had madeno condi t ion as to the na t iona l i ty o f the performers.

The D espa tch sa i d :“The dest i na t iono f the cha l lenge money

rema i ns i n abeyance, and thequest ions arise: ‘

D id Foo fool500? And canSoo sueF00


The meri ts of th is i nterest i ng m ix- up are thus summed upby Mr. John N . Hi l l ia rd, i n an edi toria l publ ished i n the Sph inx,

Kansas Ci ty, Mo. , M a rch 15, 1905“Whi le we do not take the controversy w i th undue ser ious

ness, there is an eth i ca l aspect in the case, however, tha t i nvi tesdiscussion . In comment ing dispa ragingly on the professiona labi l i ty of the Ch inese conj urer, in bel i tt l ing h is origi na l i ty and

h is a ch ievements in the magi c a rts Mr. Robinson (Chung Li ng500) is rea l ly throw i ng stones a t h i s own crysta l dwel l i ng place.

Despi te the glow ing presentments of h is press agent, one si nglenaked truth sh ines out as clea rly as a frosty sta r i n a turquoisesky . It is viola t ing no confidence to assert tha t h ad i t not beenfor Ch ing Li ng Foo, the professiona l sta tus of Mr. W i l l iam E .

Robinson , masquerad ing as a Ch inaman , and a dopt ing the

sobriquet of ‘

Chung Li ng Soo,

’ would be more or less of a negat ive quant i ty today . Ch ing Li ng Foo,

the genuine Ch inaman ,is indisputably the origina tor, so f ar as the Western bemis

phere i s concerned , a t least , of th is pecul ia r a ct , and Robinsonis merely an im i ta tor . Robinson i s shrewd and h as a

‘head forbusiness.

’ He doubtless rea l i zes, as wel l as h is cri t ics, tha t i nthe dress o f the modern magicia n he would not be unqu alifiedlysuccessf ul , despi te h is ski l l w i th ca rds and co ins and h is know ledge of the art . The success of Ch ing Li ng FOO i n th is countrywas h is opportuni ty. A dopt ing the dress and make- u p of a

Mongol ian , and appropria t ing the lea ding f ea tures of Ching’

s

act , he went to Europe, where the a ct was a novel ty, and scoreda grea t success. O f course, from a ut i l i ta r ian po int of v iew ,

th is success i s legi t ima te ; but in the l igh t o f wha t the Ameri ca nmagician rea l ly owes to the grea t Ch inese conj urer, i t is ri dicu

lous for Robinson to pose as‘

the origina l Ch inese magic ian,’

and for h im to say tha t Ching Ling Foo is‘a performer of the

streets,’ wh i le he is the ‘court magician to the EmpressDowager. ’

This may be good showmansh ip , but i t is not f a i r play . The

devi l h imsel f i s ent i tled to h is du e ; and, the quest ion of meri tasi de, the indubi table fa ct rema i ns tha t i t is Ch ing Li ng Foowho is the ‘

Origi na l Ch inese magician ,’ wh i le ‘

Chu ng Ling Soo’

is an imi ta tor of h is act and a usurper i n the O rienta l ki ngdom.


pa lanqui n wh ich cost the Ch inese equiva lent o f gu ineas.

It was presented to h im by the la te D owager Empress O f Ch ina ,and is constructed O f sol i d ebony i nla i d w i th gold and preciousstones. In th is pa lanquin,

Robinson comes on the stage toperform h is bul let - ca tch ing f ea t , supposed to be a repl i ca o f a

sim i la r a dventure when he was a t ta cked by “Boxers” in Ch ina .

This is Herrmann'

s old tri ck, w i th an O rienta l set t ing. Some

yea rs ago, a German- Ameri can w i za rd , Pro f. M i ngus, i nventeda method of ca tch ing l i ve gold fish on the end of a l i ne fixed toan ord i na ry bamboo fish ing rod. The l ine being cast i n the a i r,

a gold fish a ppea red dangl ing upon the hook. The fish was thenth rown i nto a bow l o f wa ter and shown to the a udience. Severa lf i sh were caught i n th is manner. Robinson a dopted th is tri ckw i th grea t success. Pestered to dea th f or an explana t ion of the

mystery by h is journa l ist i c f riends, he fina l ly condescended toexpla i n i t . He thus described i t i n the N ews of the World,

Hol loway, England , A pri l 9, 1905“Anyone may know how Chung does the goldfish tri ck, bu t

i t does not fol low tha t ha ving been told one can do i t. WhenChung Li ng 500 makes casts i n the a i r w i th h i s rod and l ine,l i t t le Suce Seen , the Celest ia l handma i den, stands meekly someya rds away, hol ding a glass bow l o f wa ter. The hook is a

powerfu l magnet , and i f one could examine the goldfish caught ,one would detect pieces o f meta l a t tached to the bodies of the

finny ca ptures. The l i ve goldfish repose i n l i ttle Suce Seen ’

s

sleeve, and when a more th an usua l ly ski l l f ul cast br ings themagnet i c ba i t for a second into the interior O f the gi rl

’

s sleeve,a

‘ca tch ’

has a t once been eff ected , and the fish is seen dangl ingand wriggl ing in the a i r a t the end of the l ine.

”

It is needless to rema rk tha t th is i s a fish story . Chung Li ng500 i s romanc ing . The gold fish a re concea led i n the handle ofthe rod . The fish tha t appea rson the hook a t each cast O f the l inei s an im i ta t ion a f fa i r of si lk, wh ich is hidden i n the hol low leadsinker. A subst i tut ion ismade, and the rea l fish thrown i nto thebow l by the conj urer. The da inty l i ttle Ch inese ma i den (Mrs.

Robinson) h asnoth ing more to do w i th the tri ck tha n the peoplei n the audience. She merel y holds the bow l and looks cute.

The fol low ing is a sample of some of the nonsense publ ished

MAGICIA N S I HAVE M ET

about Robinson , taken f rom the Weekly D espa tch , Apri l 9, 1905“Chq Li ng Soo rose f rom the ranks, and h is fame as a

sorcerer penet ra ted to the C h i nese Empress Dowager, whocommanded h im to court , where, a f ter yea rs of serv i ce, he waspromoted to many Celest ia l honors, and ult ima tely the ranko f M anda rin was bestowed u pon h im . His skin is yel low, h is

eyes a re black and obl ique, and h is teeth are absolutely i nky, asa ll true Celest ia ls o f ra nk should be.

”

Any one a cqua inted w i ththe a rt of stage “make- up

” knows how easi ly these fa cia leff ects can be produced . There is even a black paste for theteeth . I don’t doubt th ismuch of the journa l ist’s story—but the“

Celest ia l honors” and the“ rank of M a nda ri n” - sha de of the

i l lustr iousMunchausen preserve u s! Poor old Ch ing Ling FOO ,the ori gina l Ch inaman , has doubt less devoted h is i ngenious ri va land

“forei gn devi l” to the innumerable hel ls O f the Ch inese

Buddh ists.

So much for the O rienta l ancestry of my Old friend , Bi l lyRobinson , the

“One Button M an

” of the Celest ia l Empi re (Theatre of London , England ) .

Robinson is the i nventor O f the clever stage i l lusi on Gone,wh ich Herrmann exh ibi ted , and wh ich st i l l forms one o f the

princ ipa l specia l t ies of Kel la r. I am i ndebted to my friend,Henry V . A . Pa rsel l , for an a ccura te descript ion of the tr ick,as a t present worked by Mr. Kel la r .

“A t the rise of the curta in the stage i s seen to ha ve i ts rea r

pa rt concea led by a second curta in and dra pery, wh ich , bei ngdrawn up, discloses a substant ia l f ramework . This framework,a t the first glance, gives one the impression tha t i t is tha t horr iblei nstrument o f dea th , the g ui l lot i ne. As w i l l be seen , i t consistssimply of two uprigh ts, w i th a bar a cross the top and anothera l i t t le below the middle. Just below the centre bar is a w i ndlass,the two ropes of wh ich pass through two pul leys fixed to the topba r. The ma ch ine stands out boldly aga inst a bla ck ba ckground,the d istance from wh ich i s indetermina te.

“A fter the i ntroduct ion O f the fa i r ma i den ‘who i s to be gone, ’

an ordina ry looking bent wood cha i r is shown . The cha i r isthen pla ced on the stage beh ind the framework, and by meansof snap hooks the two ropes from the windlass are a ttached


to the si de of the cha i r. The ma i den i s now sea ted i n the cha i rand herski rt a djusted tha t i t may not hang too low .

“A couple of assistants now work the w i ndlass and eleva te

the cha i r and i ts occupa nt unt i l they are wel l above the mi ddle

GON E,”

ROBIN SON’

s ILLu sION .

crossbar. One assista nt then ret i res, the other rema i nsw i th onehand rest i ng aga i nst the si de O f the framework . The perfo rmerfires h is pistol thrice, upon wh i ch the ma i den van ishes and the


first saw the wonders of magic as revea led by a strol l i ngma gi cian, and he became so fascina ted w i th the possibi l i t ies o f

the a rt tha t he entered upon i t a t once.

He commenced h is pro f essiona l career a t Geneva , Ita ly, i n1867, and short ly a f ter became assoc ia ted w i th h is cousin, Jul iasVi dos de Ko l ta , who f or fi f teen yea rs therea fter a cted as h i s

BUA ‘

I‘

IER DE KOLTA

business manager . D e Ko l ta was h is mother’s ma i den name,a dopted by her ancestors from one o f the Hunga rian provinces.

Bu a t ier de Kol ta ,as the magic ian was now known

,t ra veled

through Ita ly , where he presented a two hou rs’

enterta inment .consist ing o f origina l sleights w i th a mul t i pl ic i ty o f sma l l prop~

ert i es. In 1875he opened in London, where a grea t furore wasmade w i th h is flying cage, wh ich he had i ntroduced i n Ita lysome two yea rs ea rl ier. Though de Kolta was not given to

IIAGICIAN S I HAVE M ET 29 1

m isha ps, on the first presenta t ion o f h is trick h e threw the cageou t into the audience, an a cci dent wh ich h as been repea ted byother per formers.

He ma rried M iss A l i ce A l len, i n London , D ecember 8, 1887 .

She a fterwa rds tra veled w i th h im as h is assistant , and acted as

h isbusi nessmanager. In the yea r 1891 , he ma de h is first appea rance i n the Un i ted S ta tes by playing a f our months’ engage

BOATIER DE KoLTA’

s FLYING CAGE.

ment a t the E den M use'

e, N ew Y ork Ci ty. On tha t occasionhe introduced the la rge van ish ing cage, which he i ntended as a

sa t i re on the flying cage because o f the repea ted su pposi t ion tha ta bi rd was ki l led a t ea ch per f ormance o f tha t trick , but he neverl iked the la rge cage and soon abandoned i t . III 1903 he returnedto th is country, and opened a t the E den M usée, on September15, where he played many months. Among other new t ri cks he


exh ibi ted an improvement on the risi ng ca rds, consist i ng i nthe cont inuousand successi ve r isi ng o f every ca rd in a pa ck fromout a glass tumbler ; and a l i t t le sketch enti tled “

to douse der

m i lli ons,” i n wh ich the money- ca tch ing idea was elabora ted .

Thisnumber, del i vered in A lexandrine versesw i th all the cha rmO f a classi c, was i ntended as a h i t a t the extra vagance of thePa nama Cana l Company under the reg ime of D e Lesseps and h isassoc ia tes.

On tha t occasion he introduced an absolutely new i l lusion ,the ef fect o f wh ich was as fol lows: The curta i n rose show i nga pla t form in the center of the stage. It was about four f eetsqua re and eighteen inches h igh , w i th four legs. The conjurerappea red ca rrying a sa tchel i n one ha nd . He i n formed the audience tha t he kept h isw i fe i n the recepta cle. It was a convenientway of transport i ng her about w i th h im . Opening the sa tchelhe took therefrom a die about six i nches squa re, rema rking tha th is consort was concea led w i th i n i t . This he pla ced on the pla tform . A fter a rranging two open fans on the back O f the pla t ~

form he touched a spring, whereupon the d ie opened to about twoand a ha l f f eet square. Presto — he l i f ted up the die and h isw i f eappea red on the pla tform , si t t i ng cross- legged l ike a Turkishla dy on a d iva n .

The secret o f th is surprisi ng i l lusion d ied w i th Bu a t ier deKol ta . His w i fe refused to revea l i t a fter h is dea th .

From New Y ork de Kol ta went to N ew Orleans to play an

engagement a t the O rpheum Thea tre. In tha t c i ty he died ofa cute Bright ’s disease on October 7, 1903. The body was ta kento London for buria l .

Among the better known tri cks and i l lusions i nvented by deKol ta may be ment ioned the fol low i ng : The flying bi rd cage( 1873) the van ish ing lady ( 1889) flowers from a paper cone

the cocoon and l i v i ng pictures ( 1887) and h is disap

pearance, a t the top of a twenty- one- foot ladder set uprightaga i nst a bri dge, i n ful l l ight ; soup pla te and ha ndkerch iefs; thedecanters and flying handkerch iefs; mult ipl y ing bi l l ia rd ba l ls;product ion O f a la rge flag on a sta ff ; new i nk and wa ter tr ick,etc.


right . They are clea rly seen to drop from h is hand from severa li nches above ; he shows h is hands empty and immed ia tely rushesa cross to the other goblet , brings i t forwa rd , and a l lows the

audience themsel ves to take out all the jewel ry wh ich was pla cedi n the r ight goblet on ly a moment previous. Ha ving finishedw i th these a rt icles, they disappea r as mysteriously and qui cklyas they appea red .

“The next i l lusion performed is the produ ct ion

‘

f rom spa ceof a l i ve lady ’

s bust suspended i n a frame. The performer ra isesh is wand and a la rge p icture- frame suddenly hangs i tsel f upon

BLACK ART”—SOME or Irs Mvsremss.

i t . Th is is brought for examina t ion , then placed i n the center o fthe chamber, where i t rema i ns suspended in mid -a ir and sets upa sw inging mot ion by i tsel f. It is then covered momenta ri lyw i th an E astern rug, and when removed , a lady , devoi d of legs,whose body completely fi l ls the f rame, i s seen sw inging w i th i t .The

‘l i ve picture' is covered momenta ri ly, and when the cover ingisw i thdrawn a la rgeUn ion Jack is seen to ha ve taken the pla ceof the la dy, who h as vanished.

“The per former proceeds next w i th a deca pi ta t ion act , i n

wh ich a lady is beheaded in f ul l v iew o f the a udience. A t a wa veof h is ha nd a lady a ppea rs, and hands to h im her own gruesomemeans of execut ion, a la rge, gl i ttering sabre, wh ich he takes,

MAGICIAN S I HAVE M ET 295

and w i th one sw i ng cuts her hea d clean ofl‘ where she stands.

Ca tch i ng the head as i t fa l ls, he pla ces a pa i r of w ings a t the backof i t , when i t becomes a flying cherub , and immedia tely soa rsa ll about the chamber, fina l ly returning to h is outstretched hand .

He then removes the w ings and replaces the head upon the lady'sshoulders, restori ng her to l i fe, f or wh ich kindness she quicklyembra ces h im and vanishes. “f ish ing to get another such sha reof her fa vors, the performer endea vors to bring her ba ck bymagic a id,

but i s surprised by the appea rance of a grinningghost, whose whole body consists of a skul l , w i th a moving jaw,

INVISIBLE ATTE N DAN T PRODUCING Tm: Swmcmo BUSTTHE TABLE . Exrmmen.

draped w i th a wh i te sheet . He ca tches i t , and detach ing i tsskul l brings i t forwa rd for a closer scrut iny, the jaw moving a ll

the t ime and the sheet danc ing about a lone. He then throwsthe skul l into the a i r and i t i s seen no more.

“The séance i s genera l ly concluded by an i nvisible fl ight ,

the va n ish ing performer immedia tely reappea ring amongst thea udience. He takes the dancing sheet and enti rely covers h imsel fw i th i t , standing in the center of the chamber, taking grea t ca reto drape h imsel f in such a manner as to show the shape of h isbody. In a f ew seconds the sheet col lapses

,and bef ore i t has

t ime to reach the ground a shout is hea rd in the back of the


ha l l ; the audience turning a round na tura l ly a re surprised to see

the per f ormer stand ing amongst them , smi l ingly bowi ng i na cknow ledgment o f the a pplause wh ich greets h im .

“As before ment ioned , the whole of th is takes place i n da rk

ness, obta i ned by the chamber being dra ped in black vel vet andthe floor covered w i th bla ck fel t . The brightness o f the l ightstu rned towa rds the a udience, contrast ing w i th the denseness ofthe black beh ind , da zzles the eye to such an extent tha t i t cannot d iscern anyth ing in the chamber tha t i s not wh i te or of a

l igh t co lor. The stage is a ll a rra nged before the a ct , and

D ECA P ITATION .

Showing the g i rl’

s head covered w i th a black hood—The g i rl act ing for t hehead f alling to h er knees.

the tables are in thei r respect i ve places, but cannot be seen on

a ccount of thei r being dra ped w i th bla ck vel vet . The gobletsframe, lady, ghost , etc. , a re a llpla ced in readiness behind a bla ckscreen, a lso draped . None of th is can be seen wh i le they are

beh ind the l ights, i f kept covered in black , no ma tter how nea rto the front they are pla ced . But how do they floa t about andappea r so mysteriously ? An assistant is w i th in the chamber.dressed in bla ck vel vet throughout , w i th bla ck gloves and

mask, covering a ll signs of wh ite about h im and makinghim per f ect ly i nv isible. He wea rs no boots, and the f el t


ber, stooping a t interva ls. so as to take an i rregula r course. The

behea ded la dy i s restored by exa ct ly the reverse method , and she

d isappea rs beh ind the screen . The ghost i s danced a bout on a

st i ck by the assistant , and when i ts skul l is thrown into the a i r

i t is ca ugh t i n a black bag . The performer takes the sheet andgoes beh ind i t and hands i t to the assistant , and i t i s the la t terwho i s seen draping h imsel f, the performer r unni ng a round to

MAGICIA N S I HAVE M ET 299

the ba ck of the ha l l meanwh i le, where he wa i ts to see the sheetdrop. The assistant , a l low ing t ime f or th is, simply lets go thetop o f the sheet, and, of course, cannot be seen beh ind i t. The

CAZENEUVE PERFORM ING A Tmcx.

per former r uns i n before i t h as t ime to rea ch the ground, h is

i nv isible fl igh t and immed ia te reappea rance grea t ly astonish ingthe specta tors.


VII.

Ca zeneuve, bet ter known as Ie commandmr Ca zeneuve, thegrea t ca rd expert and magician, was born i n Toulouse i n 1840.

He a dopted magic, a fter w i tnessi ng a performance of tha t origi na l gen i us, Bosco . His ch i va l r i c t i t le (comma nder of theimper ia l order o f Medj i die) was con ferred upon h im by the

Sul ta n of Turkey , w i th whom he was a fa vori te. A t the Courto f Russia he and h is cha rm ing w i fe ma de a grea t sensa t ionw i th the second - sight tr i ck. When the Franco- Prussia n war

broke out , Ca zeneuve retu rned to Toulouse and ra ised twocompan ies of sold iers, one of wh ich was composed ent i rely o fthea t ri ca l people. He served as ca pta i n o f the 1st regiment ofTi ra i l leurs'

d’

Eli te,under the command of Colonel Ri u , and

fough t bra vely for Fra nce. A fter pea ce was decla red he prepa red a new programme of magic and toured E urope and the

Ameri cas. He has a ha ndsome home i n h is na t i ve c i ty o f Toulouse, where he has col lected many ra re curios. In the yea r1905, Ca zeneuve was touring A lger ia w i th a magi c show . He

is a member of severa l scient ific societ ies, and mani f ests grea ti n terest i n physi cs.

I fi rst saw Ca r l Hertz i n Ba l t imore a t the old va udev i l lethea tre “

a cross the bridge,"

some twenty yea rs ago. I rememberh im as a clever, good - looking young fel low , possessed of considcrable dash , and very nea t i n the per formance of ca rd tri cks.

His spec ia l ty was the bi rd - cage t r i ck , wh ich he d id to perf ect ion . He was born in San Fra ncisco , of Germa n pa rents.

His first manager was M . de Frére. Hertz h as t ra veled extensively i n the O rient . \Vi th the bi rd - cage t ri ck he puzzled thebest i n formed faki rs of India . In Borneo he met w i th a mosr

romant i c adventure. He is probably the only man who h as hadto off er h imself asa bu rnt - off ering to esca pe anamorous Princess.

He wasgivi ng a series of magica l enterta i nments before a M a la ySul ta n and Court , and not on ly succeeded i n fasci na t ing the

yel low - sk inned mona rch , but h is daughter a s wel l . The youngprincess proposed ma rriage to the conj urer. “

On M r. Hert zi n form ing the lady, through an i n terpreter, tha t he was a l rea dywedded , she replied tha t ma de no di f ference to her, as she wouldrule h is other lad ies. Here was a fix . However, w i th the con


t r icks, and the th igh - bone of a sa cred monkey consequentlyought to make an a dmi rable myst i c wand for a conj urer. The

doctor pri zes th is uni que rel i c very h igh ly, and is th i nki ng ofbu i ld ing a shrine of Bena res copper for i ts recept ion . In the

future, crowds o f wa ndering w i za rds w i l l doubt less make pi lgr ima ges to th is shrine to ga ze i n ecstasy a t the holy rel i c, j ustas crowds o f E ast Indians v isi t the temple where Buddha ’

s

w isdom tooth i s d isplayed for the delecta t ion of the fa i th fu l .

VIII.

In th e yea r 1894 there flashed on the thea tr i ca l hori zon ofE urope an eccentr i c gent lema n conj urer, who per formed w i tha mask on h is fa ce, advert isi ng h imsel f as L’

Hommc M asqu é( the Masked Man) .

“Who is he?" inqui red the qu id mmcs of the vaudev i l le

thea t res.

Nobody seemed to know . Had the M an in the Iron M ask,

celebra ted by Vo l ta i re and A lexander Dumas, come to l i fe aga i n ?

\Vh a t does he wea r a mask for P" asked the publ i c.To h ide h is a ristocra t i c fea tures, repl ied the ma nager o f

L’

Hommc M asque". “He w ishes to rema i n i ncogn i to.

”

E ventua l ly he perm i t ted h i s name to leak out . It was M a r

qu is d o.

“ But ‘

O’

is not a name," cried thequ i d mines.

“It

is a letter, an exclama t ion o f surprise or terror. “Not so fast ,

rema rked the D ryasdusts.

“There was a M a rqu is d'O whol i ved in the seventeenth t centu ry . He was a noted duel ist andgambler, but tha t d i d not prevent h im from bei ng a fa vori tew i th Henri III o f France. Possibly L'

Hommc M asqué is a

descendant of the famous nobleman o f the old régime. He i s

unquest ionably a Frenchman, f or he Speaks l i ke a na t i ve.

The masked man refused to further revea l h is i dent i ty. In

one respect he resembled the fa vori te o f the Va lois K i ng. He

was fami l ia r w i th ca rds. A fter losi ng francs a t MonteCa rlo,

he took up magic a s a profession and ma de h is début ,M a rch , 1894 . I ha ve ascerta ined tha t the M a rqu is is a na t i veo f Peru , South Ameri ca . His rea l name I do not know . The“O

” perhaps is a now do théa trc. Aga i n , i t may be an abbrev ia

MAGICIAN S I HAVE M ET 303

t ion o f O l i va rez . Mr. Downs wri tes as fol lows i n the Sph inx,

Ja nua ry, 1903, concern i ng the mysterious ma rqu is“L

’

HommcM asqu é (Ma rqu is d’

O ) and mysel f are especia l lyengaged to gi ve a ser ies of magica l performances a t the CasinoThea tre, Spa , Belgium , Nov. 1 3 to D ec. 31 , 1902. The Mar

qu is i s a rema rkably clever magicia n of the non - a ppa ra tus schooland gi ves an hour and th i rty m inutes’ performance, changingh is show ea ch even ing. He uses onl y ca rds, handkerch iefs,flowers, eggs and oth er sma l l objects for h is i l lusi ons. He i s

eminently ori gina l and possesses a grea t persona l i ty. He is

a decided sensa t ion in the thea tri ca l world . His success h asbeen so pronounced tha t he has had many imi ta tors who havedonned the mask and t raded on h is reputa t ion . The Societyof M agic ians i n Hamburg presented h im w i th a va luable goldt ipped wa nd set w i th d iamonds. Li ke Robert - Houdin, the M ar

quis presents h is aud iences w i th many cha rm ing souven i rs, someo f them of consi derable va l ue, such as ciga ret te eases, ciga rs,bouquets. etc. He i s very popula r i n a ristocra t i c c i rcles. \Vheni n London , he recei ved as h igh as £20 for a pri va te enterta i nment and was invi ted everywhere.

To keep the publ i c guessi ng i s the pa rt i cula r busi ness of aconj urer, but to keep people gu essi ng as to your i dent i ty as

wel l as your tri cks, ca ps the cl imax i n the art o f mystery mongering. Imagine the Sph i nx wea ring a mask . This busi nessof a w i za rd disgu isi ng h is fea tures w i th a bla ck mask is a pieceo f subl ime a udac i ty. V{etc 10 Ma rqu is d’

O ! Is i t not a pi ty tha tsuch an act cannot be cepyrigh ted

? Think of some rea l ly origi na l i dea and produce i t on the stage and immedia tely hundredsof im i ta tors w i l l spring up l ike mushrooms i n a si ngle n ight .Not only w i l l they copy your act , but your pa tter as wel l .Two of our foremost Ameri can conj urers, Downs and

Houdin i , can test i fy to th is fa ct . T . Nelson Downs, the “K i ngof Coins,

”

a na t i ve of M arshaltown, Iowa , i nvented a numberof origi na l sleights w i th co ins, wh i ch be embodied i n an act

known as the M iser's Dream . A bri l l ia nt success was the resul t ,whereupon a legion o f imi ta tors, bi l l ing themsel ves as CoinK i ngs, sprang up everywhere. Downs, however, rema i ns the

unapproachab le manipula tor o f co ins; h is im i ta tors ha ve gone

304 THE A N D THE N Ew M AGIC

to the wa l l , one a fter the other. Downs’ act is rea l ly un i que.

He is a lso a fine performer w i th ca rds. E dwa rd VII of E ngla nd ,who h as a penchant for enterta inments of magi c and mystery ,h ad Downs give pri va te séances for h im , and was cha rmedw i th the Ameri ca n ’

sski l l .

A word or two here concern i ng tha t bri l l iant enterta i ner ,Ha rry Houdin i , whose ha ndcu f f act i s th e sensa t i on of twocont inents .

Mr. Houdin i , whose rea l name is \Veiss, was born Apr i l 6,1873, i n A ppleton, W isconsi n . He began h is ca reer as an

enterta i ner when but n ine yea rs o f age, doing a contort ion and

t ra peze act i n Ja ck Hofl’ler’

s“

five cent" ci rcus i n A ppleton .

His mother took h im away from the sawdust a rena and appren

t i ced h im to a locksmi th . Here he was ini t ia ted i nto the mysteries of locks and keys, and la i d the founda t ion of h i s grea thandcuff act . Locksmi th ing, despi te the fa ct tha t K i ng LouisXVI of Fra nce worked a t i t as an ama teur, possessed no cha rmsfor the youth ful Houdin i . To u se h i s own expressi on ,

“One

day I ma de a bol t for the door, and never came ba ck to myemployer. ” Aga i n he went w i th a c i rcus, where he a cted as

a conjurer, a clown and a vent ri loqu ist . He ma de a Specia l tyof the rope- ty ing busi ness and per formed occasi ona l ly w i thhandcu f fs

,but w i thout sensa t iona l resul ts. Fi na l ly the c i rcus

landed i n Rhode Island and opened up in a town where Sundayperformances were forbi dden by law, but were grea t ly desi redby a la rge sect ion of the popula t ion . As the fine was l ig ht , theproprietor ran the r isk , and

‘ga ve a show on the Sabba th . A

summons fol lowed , and ea ch member of the t roupe was fined.

As Houdini epigramma t i ca l l y put i t : “The ma nager cou ldn’ t

find the fine, so we a ll found oursel ves i n confinement .” Houd in i

was locked up in a cel l w i th a number o f si de- show freaks, thef a t lady , the l i v ing skeleton, and the German giant . The f a t

la dy was too w i de for the compa rtment , the giant too long.

W i th tea rs i n thei r eyes they emplored Houdini to p ick the lockand let them out . Fi na l ly the young conj urer consented , anddexterously pi cked the lock , whereupon he and h is compan ions


The handcu f’f act when exh ib i ted w i th the proper mise en

scéu e is certa inly very myst i fying and ca lcu la ted to producea profound impressi on on the minds of suscept ible people. Tak

i ng the cue from the Da venport B rothers, Houdi n i m ight have

HARRY IIOUDIN I, IN IlA N DCL‘

Fl-‘

S A N D CHA IN S

advert ised h imsel f as a spi r i t medi um . thereby crea t i ng a grea tsensa t ion. But he preferred not to play the cha rla ta n . I am

not persona l ly a cqua i n ted w i th h is method of work ing the t r ick ,

therefore I express no opin ion on the subject , except to sa y

tha t the locks o f the handcu f fs a re picked w i th a key of some

M AGICIAN S I HAVE M ET 307

ki nd wh i ch is adroi t ly secreted about the person of the performer ; or some so f t p iece o f i ron or copper w i re wh i ch can be

converted into a skeleton key . In the event of h is bei ng stri ppednaked (as often occurs i n the case o f Houdini ) the key is proba bly h idden in the nose, ear, mouth , or bushy ha i r of the Handcu ff King—or else Sl i pped to h im by a confedera te, or concea ledi n a pocket i n the dra pery o f the cabinet. I quote the fol low i ngfrom the S trand M agasinr (Sept . , 1903)

"For a man f ettered w i th ha ndcu f fs, leg - i rons, and cha i ns

to free h imsel f i n less t ime than i t h as taken to fasten h as

FIG. I—THE PERFORM ER FASTENED WITH S i x PA IRS or HA NDcu rI-s .

long been so myst i fy i ng a performance tha t ma ny people havea cqui red the impression tha t i t bordered on the superna tura l .The secret is, however , l ike ma ny of the best tr icks ever i nvented ,i n rea l i ty a surprisingly simple one.

“In the first pla ce, i t must be remembered tha t handcu f fs

Such as are used by Scot land Y a rd a re constructed w i th Springlocks, wh ich a re fastened or released by means of a key , orsome a rt i cle wh ich answers the same purpose, wh i ch pul ls backthe spr ing. \Vi thou t the a id o f such a key i t i s impossi ble forany huma n bei ng to free h imsel f from the regula t ion handcu ff s employed by the pol i ce. And herei n l ies the whole secret


—the performer has a key , or ra ther severa l keys. All h is i nge‘

uni ty i s exercised in concea l i ng these about h is person , or i nsi dethe cabinet to wh ich he ret i res to release himsel f a fter bei ng, toa ll appea ra nces, hel plessly secured .

“

Some o f these keys are concea led i n the framework of th ecab i net , wh ich is genera l ly const r ucted of p ip ing, ha v ing a dd it ional pieces wh i ch a ppea r to be essent ia l port ions of the framework , but wh ich i n rea l i ty a re only i ntended to hol d the keys.

O ther keys the performer keeps d isposed about h is person i n

FIG. 2—THE HAN DKERCHIEF AN D KEV FIG. 3- UNLocxING THE HANDCUFFSD RAWN FROM THE WA ISTCGAT. W ITH THE KEV.

sundry sma l l pockets especia l ly ma de for the purpose, and so

a rra nged tha t he is able to pla ce h is hand upon some one or otherof them in wha tever posi t ion he may be. The best places forconcea lment are—first , a pocket between the knees, to perm i tthe key to be rea ched when the performer is fastened i n a

crouched posi t ion ; secondly, a pocket about six i nches up i nsi dethe leg o f the trousers; th i rd ly, a key ca rried in the h ip pocketof the t rousers, for u se when pinioned w i th the a rms beh indthe back ; and fina l ly, a sma l l pocket i nsi de the top of the wa istcoa t, or wherever i t may be found conven ient.


in the other end o f the loop , and the lock is then ea si ly drawnba ck. A f ter one pa i r has been opened the others fol low as a

ma tter of course.

“Figs. 5and 6 Show another posi t ion, the key th is t ime being

obta ined f rom the wa istcoa t . Fi g . 7 shows one of the most d i fl‘i

cul t posi t ions i n wh ich i t is possible to be pla ced . The si l kha ndkerch ief shown is j ust peeping from the wa istcoa t , and i s

brought ou t by the a id o f the tongue. i t be ing possible to d rawout a good si lk by l ick ing i t. InFig . 8 t he performer h as rol led

FIGs. 5 A ND 6—A NO’

I’HER Posm oN , THE KEV BEING OBTAIN ED FROM THE

WA IsTI'

OAT.

over and obta ined a good hol d o f the handkerch ief. wh i ch , bya quick jerk o f the hea d , he throws over h i s ba ck , and eventua l lygets hold o f i t w i th h is hands. a s shown in Fi g . 9. If the keyfa l ls to the floor he rol ls over and pi cks i t up , the ra tt le o f theha ndcu ff s h i d ing the sound of the fa l l ing key . His nex t movement i s to free h is hands from h is feet , wh ich he does in the

manner a l rea dy descr ibed . The kev f or th is posi t ion can a lsobe obta i ned f rom the leg o f the trousers.

“Fig . 10 shows the implements of torture and the cond i t ion

o f the performer'

s wr ists a f ter an exh ib i t ion . The spec ia l keys

FIG. 7—O N E or THE MOST D t rrICULT POSITION S.

(The performer i s draw ing ou t the handkerch i ef w i th h is tongue.)

FIG. 8—THE HAN DRERCHIEF AND KEV D RAWN OUT.

FIG 9—THE HA N DKERCHIEE THROWN OVER THE BACK AN D THE KEV CAUGHTBY THE HAND.


are spl i t w i th a saw about ha l f an i nch down , to a l low for

va ria t ion i n the si zes of va r ious locks (Fig . It should beunderstood tha t an expert , when about to gi ve a performa nce,i nqu i res wha t posi t ion i t i s intended to pla ce h im in. He thenca uses, as an i n troduct ion , a f ew pa i rs of h is own handcu ff s tobe pla ced on h is w rists, and wh i le freei ng h imsel f from these

FIG. Io—THE PERFORM ER A N D HIs IM PLEM ENTS .

(Showing the Condi t ion of the Wrists a f ter an Exh ibi t ion.)

i n h is cabinet he a rranges h is keys to su i t the posi t ion i n wh i chhe w i l l next be pla ced . O ther implements besi des keys are

a lso used : a piece o f bent w i re is o f ten qui te su fli ci ent . Mostexperts a re a lso conj urers, and

‘pa lm'

the key , especia l ly i n thecase of a nude test , when they a re str i pped and locked up i na cel l ; or they make u se of a concea l i ng key , wh i ch is ma de telescopi c , the handle being const ructed to close down the si de of .


down the ba rrel w i l l effectua l ly prevent the lock from bei ngdrawn . Th is method has O ften been a ttempted , but not su c

cessf u lly .

“Now tha t the methods ha ve been exp la i ned and i l lustra ted ,

i t w i l l be very easi ly percei ved tha t there i s noth ing superna tura labout the secret o f handcu ff ma n ipula t ion.

”

Houdin i is not on ly a Handcu f f Ki ng, but a ski l l fu l performer w i th ca rds. When too ma ny imi ta tors Sha l l ha ve madeh is spec ia l ty a dr ug on the ma rket , he can take to some otherbra nch o f conjuri ng. He has a very fine t runk i l l usion wh ichhe o f ten combines w i th h is handcu f f act . For seven yea rs pasthe has been col lect i ng da ta for an extensi ve biograph i ca l encyclopedi a of mag i c ia ns. In h i s t ra vels on

'

the cont i nent o f E uropehe h as v isi ted the homes and haunts of famous conj urers ofthe past and secured va l uable ma teria l f or h is prospect i ve book .

Thanks to th is i n terest i ng man, photographs o f the tombs o f

Robert - Houd in and Bosco ha ve been ma de, and consi derablel i ght thrown on thei r ca reers. In a letter to me, October 9.

1905, h e says: When i n Russia , I sea rched i n va i n for thegra ve of the fasc i na t i ng Pinet t i—tha t prest i di gi ta teur par excel

lence of the eighteenth century— but , a las, my lab ors were notrewa rded . But in St . Petersburg I pi cked up an exceed inglyra re portra i t o f Fi net t i , wh i ch I pri ze h igh ly and wh ich w i l lform the front ispiece to my book on magicians.

” Houd ini isa rei nca rna t ion of S ir Wa l ter Scott ’s Old M orta l i ty, who wentabout f urbish ing up the tombstones o f the i l lust rious dea d ofh is fa i th . When a t home (New Y ork C i ty) , Ha rry Houd in il i ves among h isbooks and curios. He h as a lso a handsome fa rmi n M assa chuset ts. Houd in i's brother, under the stage name o f

Hardeen, is a lso a handcu f f expert .

In th is rev iew of magicians I ha ve met , I must not fa i l toment ion Cha rles E dw i n Fiel ds of the Roya l A qua r i um and

Crysta l Pa la ce, London , E ngla nd . This vetera n of the wa ndwas born in London , M ay 15, 1835, and recei ved a good educat ion a t pri va te academ i cs i n E ngla nd and Fra nce. He has

appea red before roya l ty and i nstr ucted hundreds of people i n

M AGICIA N S I HAVE M ET 3I':J

the myst i c art . In the days when magic l i tera ture was Spa rse,Prof. Fields obta ined la rge sums of money from wea l thy a ma

teu rs for the secrets of t ri cks. A las, the golden age of w i za rdryhas passed . M agi c i san “open secret . The Professor’s occupat ion is gone.

I come now to Francois de V i l l iers, the French i l lusion ist ,who is an excel lent per former. He is able to i nvest the sim

plest pa rlor t ri ck w i th a ha lo of interest, tha nks to h is w i t andbonhomie. He was born i n the Island of Ma l ta , where Cagl iost ro went to work i n the chemica l labora to ry of the Gra ndCommander P i n to. D e V i l l iers when but a ca l low youth ran

away from the pa renta l home and joined a French ci rcus wh ichhappened to be touring the Isla nd o f M a l ta . He wandered all

over the cont inent of E urope w i th the kn ights of the sawdustc i rcle, playing many pa rts, a croba t , clown and conjurer. Fi na l lyhe took up magic as a profession .

D e V i l l iers nex t dri fted to Ind ia ,where h e became a subject

o f the Bri t ish crown. Being of an a dventurous na ture, hejo i ned a ca va l ry regiment and wore the khaki o f the Queen .

When h is term of enl istment had expi red , he went to Spa i nand fought va l ia nt ly under the banner o f Don Ca r los. Cap

tu red by the government forces, he was tr ied as a rebel andcondemned to be shot , but h is sentence was commuted to bani shment , tha nks to the t imel y i ntervent ion of the Bri t ish Ambas~

sa dor, to whom he h ad appea led for a id. D e V i l l iers isnow a

na tura l i zed c i t i zen of theUn i ted Sta tes and h is home is i n NewY ork Ci ty.

Z iska i s a magic ia n of abi l i ty and possessed O f much originali ty . A ssisted by Mr. K i ng, he does an act i n wh ich magicis blended w i th comedy. It is ent i t led “

The M agic ia n and His

Va let . ” The conjurer is very clever and the va let very clumsy,but no exposés of the tri cks a re ma de ; Mr. Z iska is too muchof an a rt ist to perm i t tha t .

J . Wa rren Keane i s a clever mani pula tor o f ca rds and bi l l ia rdba l ls. He gi ves a pleasi ng act of mag i c.

Prof. Ba rney Ives i s possessed of grea t or igi na l i ty. Someof h is i nvent ions ha ve become famous. In th is respect he is a

r i va l to the celebra ted Henry Ha rd in.


D e Biere and St i l lwel l a re conj urers who are fast r isi ng i ntoprom inence. S t i l lwel l is a ha ndkerch ief man ipu la tor.

Next in l i ne we ha ve Ma l i n i , Fred Hurd . Hal Merton and

M a ro , a ll o f them clever magi cia ns. Hurd's rabbi t and ducktri ck has to be seen to be a pprec ia ted . Ma ro is not only an

excel lent i l lusion ist , but a musi c ia n and a cravon a rt ist . Merton ,a fa vori te i n the lyceum field , was a t one t ime the ed i tor of“M aha tma .

”

M a l i n i ’s forte is ca rds, and he devotes most ofh is t ime to gi vi ng draw i ngroom and club enterta imnents. O f

la te yea rs he h as ma de London h is home. Among the cleverama teurs I ha ve met may be ment ioned Mr. Guy L. Baker, ofBu f f a lo , N . Y . , and Mr. LeRoy McCa ff erty and Mr. John J .

A l len , o f IVash ingt on, D . C. Mr. Baker is an excel lent draw i ngroom conj urer and the origina tor o f a novel method o f work ingthe r isi ng ca rd tri ck i t la de Kolta , by means of a clockworka ppa ra tus in the body o f a sma l l table. Mr. McCa f ferty is gooda t hanky- panky, pa rt i cu la rly w i th bi l l ia rd ba l ls; and M r. A l len .

an a rdent studen t o f the art of decept ion, bi ds fa i r to becomea good enterta i ner.

Ere I bring th is chapter to a close I must not neglec t to

pay a tri bute to my old - t ime friend . Dr. Leona rd Ca ughey , ofBa l t imore, h i d , the finest ama teur conj urer, rope- tying and

cabinet medium I ha ve ever met . A dent ist by profession , h edevoted h is leisure t ime to magic. He d ied some fi fteen yea rsago i n \Vash ington , D . C. Hi s cousin, Mr. Cha rlesM . Caughey,a lso an ama teur prest id igi ta teur. i s a t present Uni ted Sta tesConsul to Pa lermo, S ic i ly, the bi rthpla ce of Cagl iostro . FromD r. Ca ughey I recei ved my first scient ific instruct ion i n the a rt

of pa lm ing and medium ist i c ma rvels. I owe h im a debt ofgra t i tude. In my l i t t le book “Hours \Vi th the Ghosts I ha vedescr ibed some of my a dventures w i th th is a dmi rable ama teurnecromancer, who h as passed from the lesser to the Grea terMysteries. Long before Professor Ho f fmann h ad wri t ten h isgrea t trea t ise on Modern M agic,

”

D r. Caughey was thoroughlyi n i t ia ted into all branches o f magic , someth ing unusua l in thosedays, and was gi vi ng splend i d enterta i nments f or churches,lyceums, etc. A fine mechan i c , he ma de most o f h is a ppa ra tus,some o f i t o f a very elabora te cha racter. I imported Ho f fma nn

’

s

THE RIDDLE ‘

OF THE SPHINX .

Thu s they placed Sph inxes before the ga tes O f thei r temples, meaningby tha t to say th a t th eir theology cont a ined a ll the secrets of wisdom under

an enigma t ic f orm .- MARIETTE : Voy age dans la Hank - Egypt , Vol. II, p . 9.

Wha t is the meani ng of th is Egypt ian Temple, t ransplantedfrom the banks of the N i le to prosa i c London ? The smokeand grime ha ve a tta cked i t and played sad ha voc w i th i ts sa ndstone wa l ls, pa i nted w i th ma ny h ierogl y ph i cs. The fog envelopsi t w i th a spectra l embra ce. NO Sph i nxes gua rd i ts porta l . A las,i ts glories ha ve depa rted ! But stop a bi t ! There i s a gentlema ni n even ing dress, w i th a ta l l h a t pushed wel l ba ck from h is forehea d , si t t ing i n a sma l l box- l ike recepta cle on one si de of thecolossa l entrance, h is face framed i n by a sma l l w i ndow ; anda nother man, sim i la r ly a t t i red , sta nding a t an i ron w i cket lea di nginto the sanctum sanctorum . The temple, then , is gua rded bytwo u p

- to - da te, flesh - and- blood Sph inxes i n swa l low - ta i l coa tsand opera ha ts. A h me

, wha t a t ra vesty on the human- hea dedmonsters O f the land of M i zra im . See the long l ine o f worsh ipers wa i t ing to obta i n a dmissi on to the Mysteries. Has

the cul t o f Isis and Osi r is been rev i ved ? The devotees deposi tco ins w i th Sph inx No. I and recei ve from h im yel low t i cketsin exchange, the presenta t ion of wh ich to Sph inx NO . 2 perm i tsthei r entrance i nto the temple.

\Vh a t does i t a ll mean?

D ea r reader, th is is Egypt ia n Ha l l , P iccadi l ly, London , andthe people are crowd ing to see a conj uring exh ibi t ion by ColonelStoda rc. His Sph i nx t ri ck i s the grea t a tt ra ct ion .

S todare is dust long ago,and the Sph inx no longer a mys

tery . Its ri ddle h as been sol ved .

TIIE SRHINx ILLUSION .

(From the English edi t ion of Hofimann’

sM ag i c. London,


But let u s rehea rse i ts h istory.

The Sph inx i l lusion , wh ich h as formed the basis of nea rlyall t ri cks performed by the a id of looking- glasses, was i nventedby Thomas Tobin , of the Polytechn i c Inst i tut ion , London .

Colonel S toda re, the conjurer, had the honor of first i ntroducingi t to the world . The

“London Times” (October 19, 1865)

descr i bes i t as‘ fol lowsMost intrica te is t he problem proposed by Colonel Stoda re, when, in addi

t ion to h is admi rable f ea ts o f ventriloqu ism and legerdema in, he presents

to h is pa trons a novel illusion called the‘

Sph inx.

’

Placing u pon an un

covered table a chest sim ilar in size to the cases commonly occu p ied byst u ff ed dogs or

.foxes, he removes th e side f acing th e specta tors, and reveals

a head a tt ired a f ter the f ash ion of an Egypt i an Sph inx. To avoid the sus

picion of vg'

nt gi loqu i sm, he ret i res to a distance f rom the figu re, supposed

to be too grea t for the pract ice of th a t art , tak ing h is posi t ion 011 the borderline of th e stalls and the area , wh i le the chest i s on the stage. Thus sta t ioned,

h e calls upon th e Sph inx to Open i ts eyes, wh ich i t does—to sm ile, wh ich i t

does a lso, thou gh the h ab i tu al expression of i ts countenance i s most melan

gholy , and to m ake a Speech , wh ich i t does also, th is being the m i racu lous

p'

a'

rt/of the exh ib i t ion. Not only w i th persp i cu i ty , bu t w ith someth ing like

eloqu ence, does i t u t ter some twenty lines O f verse ; and wh ile i ts countenanceTS anima ted and expressive, th e movement of the lips, in wh ich there is

noth ing mech anica l, exactly corresponds - to the sounds art icu la ted.

"Th is certa inly is one of the most extraordinary i llusions ever pre

sented to the public. Tha t the TSpeech is spoken by a h uman voice there

i s no doubt , bu t how is. a head to be contrived wh i ch , being deta ched f romany th ing li ke a body , confined in a case, wh ich i t completely fills, and placed

on a bare- legged t able, w i ll accompany a Speech , th at a pparently proceeds

f rom i ts lips, w i th a stri ctly appropri a te movement of the mou th , and a

play Of the countenance th a t is the reverse of mechanical? Eels, as we all

know, gan wriggle abou t a f ter they h ave been chopped into h alf a dozen

p ieces; bu t a h ead th a t , li ke th a t of th e Physici an D ouban, in the Arab i antales, pu rsues i ts eloqu ence a f ter i t h as been severed f rom the body , scarcelycomes w i th in th e reach of possib ili t ies; unless, indeed, t he old- f ash ionedassert ion th a t

‘

King Ch a rles walked and talked h alf an hou r a f ter h is head

was cu t of f ,’i s to be received, not as an i llu stra t ion of defect ive punctu a t ion,

bu t as a posi t ive h istori cal sta tement .“D avus m igh t h ave solved the

‘Anth ropoglossu s,

’

bu t Colonel Stoda re

presents us w i th a Sph inx tha t i s really worthy of an Oedipus.

”

Mr. A l fred Thompson , the well known thea tr i ca l manager,a t tended one of S todare’

s performances a t the E gypt ian Ha l l ,and was lucky enough to penetra te the secret o f the Sph i nx. In


Th is Sph inx was the sensa t ion of London for weeks following , and

having occasion to go to Pa ris a f ew days la ter, I of f ered the secret to

Robert -Hou din’

s successor, Ham i lton, who, however, ref used my terms unt i l

he knew the trick . Th is delay of h i s was much regret ted by h im,f or some

other specu la tor produ ced th e secret some th ree months la ter and made a

colossal sensa t ion in Pari s w i th h is‘

D ecap i te Pa rlant .’

“In the same year I introduced the i llusion for the first t ime on th e

stage in the celebra ted spectacle of‘

Bab il and Bi jou ’

a t Covent Ga rden

Thea tre. In th e ba llet of‘The Seasons

'Mlle. Henriet te Dor, one of th e

most poet ica l dancers ever seen, appea red as the Wh i te Rose, and I desi gneda large rose bud on i ts stalk , wh ich , com ing u p through the bed of summer

flowers, blossomed wide unt il f rbm i ts open petals the bea u t i f ul Dor rose

up, apparently ma teri alizing as she issu ed f rom the calix on the stalk . The

ba llet g irls were 50 a rranged in grou ps around three si des (not in f ront )a s to a i d the decept ion by their adj usted reflect ions in the m irrors.

“Pract ica lly i t was the same trick—two mi rrors a t a righ t angle and a

trap door. Th is cu rious trick was never improved on. It was added to

and altered a t the Poly technic, where, among oth er adapta t ions of th e same

principle, was shown an anima ted tablea u of S ir Josh u a Reynolds’

f amou s

cherubs. Three cherubs’ heads a ppeared in a moonli t sky , floa t ing , and

sang in sweet ch i ld voices the verses of an anthem.

Cu riously enough I met the orig i nal Sph inx not three years ago in

the person O f a bu siness manager who h ad been Stoda re’s agent , and only

three months back one of those very cherubs in Mr. Fred Solomon, the

comedi an, who was then a chori ster a t th e Ch apel Royal, and who was

th rea tened wi th all sorts of tort ures i f he let the ca t or th e ch erub ou t of

the bag .

”

One of the best expla na t i ons of the Sph inx is gi ven by Prof essorHofl

'

mann in h iswork 011 magi c. I quote as fol lows fromh im

For the benefit of those who h ave never seen th is i llusion presented

u pon the stage, we w i ll descri be i ts eflect a li ttle more m inu tely . Th e Sph inx

is always made a sepa ra te port ion of the entert a inment , as i t i s necessa ry to

lower the cu rta in for a f ew moments before and a f ter i ts appearance, in

order to a rrange and remove the necessary prepara t ions. The cu rt a in rises,

and reveals a round or oval table, supported u pon three slender legs, and

u t terly devoi d of drapery . Th i s stands in a cu rta ined recess of ten or twelve

f eet squ are, open on the S ide towa rds the a u dience. The performer comes

forward bearing a cloth covered box, fi f teen to twenty inches squ are, and

places i t u pon the table already ment ioned. He then unlocks the box, the

f ront of wh ich drops down, so as to g ive a perf ect view of the interior, in

wh ich is seen a head of Egypt i an f ash ion, and colored in perf ect im i ta t ion

of li f e. Th e performer now ret i res to a posi t ion in the very m idst of the

a u dience, and ra ising h is wand, says in a tone of command,‘

Sph inx, awake l'

The Sph inx slowly opens i ts eyes, look ing first to the f ront with a strong

THE RIDDLE or TnE SPHIN X 323

ga ze ; then, as i f gradu ally ga ining consciou sness, to the one side and the

other, the head moving sligh tly w i th the eyes. Qu est ions are pu t by the

performer to the h ead, and a re answered by i t , the play of the mou th and

f ea t u res being in perf ect h a rmony w i th th e sounds u t tered. Finally , in an

swer to a qu ery o f the opera tor, th e Sph inx decla ims a nea tly t u rned oracle

in verse. Th i s conclu des the exh ib i t ion, and the performer closes the box .

Shou ld th e a u dience call for an encore, the performer addresses them to the

following or some sim i la r eff ect‘

Ladies and gentlemen, I am glad th a t th e Sph inx h a s a fl'

orded you

sa t isf act ion, and I shou ld be only too plea sed to be able to indu lge t he desi re

wh ich you k indly test i f y o f seeing i t aga in. Unfort una tely , th is i s not possible. The ch arm by wh ich I am enabled, as you h ave seen, to revivi f y for

a space the ashes of an ancient Egypt ian, who lived and died some cent u ri es

ago, lasts bu t f or fi f teen minu tes. Tha t t ime has now exp i red, and the head

wh ich h a s a stoni shed you w i th i ts mysteriou s eloqu ence h a s aga in retu rned

to i ts ori g inal dust .’

As he speaks the last words, he aga in Opens th e box,

Fi c. t . Pro. 2.

and the h ead is found to h ave di sa ppeared, leaving in i ts pla ce a h andf u l

of ashes.

“Th is sing u la r illu sion depends u pon the well- known principle, common

to opt ics as to mech anics, t h a t the‘

angle o f reflect ion is equ al to the angle

of incidence.

’

Th us, i f a person standing a t t he po int a , in Fig . 1 , look into

a m i rror placed in the posi t ion indica ted by th e line I) t , h e w i ll see reflected,not h imself , bu t wha tever obj ect may be placed a t th e point (I. By an in

genious applica t ion of th i s principle a looking -

glass may be u sed to conceal

a g iven object beh ind i t , wh i le a t the same t ime an image reflected in the

glass may be made to represent wh a t wou ld be presumably seen i f no glass

were th ere, and th u s prevent the presence of the m i rror f rom be ing su spected.

Th is i s the secret of the Sph inx. Th e t able, a s a lrea dy ment ioned, h as

three legs, one in f ront , and one a t each si de. Between these legs the Spec

t a tor sees apparently the cu rt a ins a t the back of th e recess, bu t really a re

flect ion of the cu rta ins a t th e sides. The space between the m iddle leg and

th a t on ei ther side i s occu p ied by p ieces of look ing -

gla ss (see Fig . 2, wh ich

represents a ground plan of the a rrangements) , extending f rom a to b, and

a to c. The glass extends qu i te down to the floor, wh ich i s covered w i th

cloth of the same ma teri al and color a s the su rrounding cu rta ins. The spec


ta tors, therefore, look ing towards the table, see above i t th e curta ins a t the

back , and below i t the reflect ion o f the cu rta ins a t the sides; wh ich , how

ever, i f the rela t ive angles are properly a rranged, appears to be si mply th e

cont inu a t ion or lower port ion of the cu rt a ins a t the back . The i llusion i s

perfect , and the Specta tor, f rom the posi t ion assigned to h im, cannot possiblydiscover, by the evi dence of h is senses, tha t h e i s look ing a t any other than

an ordinary ba re- legged table, wi th the background visible in the u sual wa y .

“

The rest is a very simple ma t ter. The person who is to represent

the Sph inx is beforeh and placed, du ly a tt i red, undernea th the table. There

i s a trap in the t able th rou gh wh ich he can pass h is head a t the proper

moment . Th is trap is a round p iece of wood, covered to ma tch the su rf a ce

of the table, and work ing on a h inge on the si de nearest to the a udi ence. It

has no spring , bu t i s kept closed by means o f a bu t ton on the opposi te side,and when released hangs down perpendicu la rly . It must be la rge enough to

a llow the passage of th e somewh a t elabora te h eadp iece of the Sph inx, and

wou ld therefore leave an open space vi sible round the neck . Th is di fficu lty

is met by the expedient of ha ving a wooden collar, th e u pper su rf ace of

wh ich is a f acsim i le in si ze and pa t tern of the trap. Th is collar i s f astened

round the neck of the representa t ive of the Sph inx. When he li f ts h is headu p throu gh the trap, the collar exactly fills the opening , and th u s shows no

break in the su rf ace of the table. Th e box is bot tomless, and when brou gh tforward by the performer is empty . A li t tle cau t ion h as to be observed inplacing i t u pon the t able, for, i f the performer were to a pproach the t ablef rom the side, h is legs would be reflected in the glass, and wou ld th erebybetray the secret . He must therefore make h is appearance f rom some qu a rter ou tsi de of the cu rta ined recess, and advance to a posit ion well in f rontof , and a t some li t tle distance f rom the table, wh en, by moving in a stra igh t

line f rom the a u dience towards the middle leg 0, he prevents th is incon

venient reflect ion. Th e placing the box u pon the table, and the unlocki ng

i t , allow t i me for the represe nta t ive of the Sph inx to get h is head into posi

t ion w i th in i t . Th is done, the box is Opened, and th e rest depends on the

drama t ic talent of the perf ormer and h is assistant . Th e performance beingconcluded, the box is aga in locked, and th e head wi thdrawn, a h andf u l of

ashes being introduced on the trap in i ts stead.

“Th e angle a t wh i ch th e two m i rrors should be set cannot be determ ined

absolu tely , bu t w i ll va ry according to the distance and posi t ion of th e su r

rounding drapery .

”

The above method i s genera l ly employed i n working the

Sph inx i l lusi on , but i t d i ff ers i n one respect from tha t used byColonel Stoda re. In the Colonel

’

s presenta t ion of the t r ick,the box was not bot tomless. It had a tra p i n i t correspond ingw i th a sim i la r tra p i n the top of the table. Stodare ca rriedthe myst i c chest to the run down a fter the l i d was closed,and then , by h is ventr i loqu ia l power , caused a mu fli ed voice toissue from the recepta cle, presumably tha t of the Sph inx . Thusthe specta tors were led to bel ieve tha t the head was st i l l i n the


lamps suspended from the va ul ted roo f. When he rea ched thebottom he was sudden ly con fronted w i th a group of wax figuresrepresent i ng a scene under the Inquisi t ion . E very deta i l o f atorture chamber was gi ven , such as i s described by V i ctor Hugoin h isN otre D ame dc Paris. The cow led emissa ries of the HolyOffi ce were depicted i n the act O f putt i ng a wretched v ict im tothe torture. The l igh t f rom a flambea u , held by one of thefigures, i l lumined the ghastly scene. In th is uncerta in l ight everyth ing was horribly ma jest i c . Push ing onwa rd and turn i ng to theright,

“the specta tor passed through a dimly- l igh ted corr i dor.

and found h imsel f i n fron t of a ba lust ra de, breast - h igh , wh i chextended a cross the entra nce of a na rrow recess. In the middleof th is gloomy cel la r , the floor o f wh i ch was ca rpeted w i th mustystraw , was seen a table, on wh ich rested a human head , lea ni ngsl ight ly to one si de and appa rently asleep. 011 bei ng a ddressedby the exh ibi tor the hea d ra ised i tsel f, opened i ts eyes, and

rela ted i ts own h istory ,. inclu ding the deta i ls of i ts deca pi ta t ion ,

a fter wh ich i t repl ied , i n va r ious languages, to quest i ons put bythose present .One day a pa rt y of young students, out for a la rk, bega n

shoot ing bread pel lets a t the hea d , in order to test whether i th ad ent i rely lost a ll sensa t ion . The Decapi ta ted One, i n h iswra th , abused them soundly, in la nguage tha t sa vored more O f

modern Pa r is than the days of the Inqu isi t ion . This a ff a i r gotnoised abroad , and gay young bouleva rd iers ma de up regu larpa rt ies to go and shoot pel lets a t the hea d ; th is amusemen t theyca l led “ pop -

g un pra ct i ce.

”

Some of these pel lets, not so wel l“ bred (pa rdon the pun ) as others, struck certa i n port ions o fthe table wh i ch were appa rent ly open , but from wh ich they re

bounded , clea rly indi ca t ing tha t the supposed va cant spa ce wasrea l ly a sheet o f look ing- glass. M . Talri ch then put a closemeshed w i re gra t ing between the specta tors and thei r v i ct im , buta las! the secret o f the Inquisi t ion was d isclosed , and the pa lmydays of the Musée Franca is were over. Says Houdi n : “

The

ca use of M . Talrich’

s fa i lure was the same tha t brought d isasterto the BrothersD avenport . Too grea t confidence i n the Pa risianpubl i c led both pa rt ies to o ff er wha t , a fter all, were but i ngen iousconjuring tr icks as superna tura l phenomena .

”

THE RIDDLE OF THE SPHIN X 327

v.

A f ew yea rs ago, the eminent E ngl ish novel ist , H . Ri derHagga rd , evol ved f rom h is elast i c imagina t ion a w ierd and

wonderful romance of Da rkest A fri ca , ca l led “She, who must

be obeyed .

"

It was redolent of magic and my stery. The bea ut i fu l sorceress, “

She,"

a damsel o f Greek descent , had l i ved f orcenturies in the hea rt o f A fr i ca , rul ing over genera t ions o f

‘ bla cksubjects w i th an i ron despot ism , and subduing them by her

necroma nt i c power. She was worsh i ped as a goddess. Her

immort a l i ty upon ea rt h was due to the rej uvena t i ng ef fects o fthe myst i c fire of Kor , i nto wh ich she plunged and renewed heryouth a t certa i n periods. Fa l l i ng i n love w i th a young Engl ish

SHE . Fro. t .

"SHE . F1c. 2.

explorer. who had succeeded in penet ra t i ng into her rea lm , the

Rosi cruc ia n spel l was broken, and the beaut i ful“She shri veled

up and expi red i n agony wh i le a ttempt ing to ba the i n the flameso f Kor. The scene, as depi cted by t he novel ist , i s very awe

i nspi ring. The book h ad a grea t vogue in i ts dav, and was

drama t i zed w i th fine ef f ect .3

“Have you seen ‘

She’P"

was the apparentlv ungramma t i ca lquest ion asked by thea t re- goers.

Fi na l ly, the conj urer , a lwa ys rea dy to sei ze upon the f a dsand fancies o f the day to make ca pi ta l ou t o f them , took the

ch ief mot i f of Ri der - H agga rd'

s romance, and bu i l t u pon i t one


of the very best i l lusions i n the doma i n of magi c, ca l led She. I

ha ve understood tha t the i nventor of “

She”

was the ChevalierThorne. In th is a ct , a young la dy

, ga rbed as the w i tch o fthe Da rk Cont inent , was crema ted in ful l v iew o f the a ud ience.

It was the Sph i nx tr ick over a ga i n , but i n a more ingen iousshape. Th e la dy mounted a ba re- legged ta ble, whereupon an

asbestos ca nopy was lowered over her, so tha t she was com

pletely concea led from the a ud ience. Suddenl y flames and

smoke poured forth from benea th the ca nopy. The shrieks o fthe v i ct im were hea rd . \Vhen the cover was ra ised , noth ing wa sto be seen except a bla ckened skul l and some cha rred bonesthe lady was presumably crema ted . In another versi on of thetri ck , the sku l l and bones were dispensed w i th , and the la dyrea ppea red i n a pri va te box or came running down the centera isle of the thea tre. a fter the ca nopy was l i fted.

Now for an explana t ion o f the i l l usi on.

The specta tors saw an i nnocent - l ooking table w i th four legs.

and benea th i t , supported by a centra l rod , four supports hold ingl ighted candles, very much on theorder of a cha ndel ier. Th isla tt ereff ec t seemed to preclude the i dea of mi rrors being used .

“

Bu t

th i ngs are seldom wha t they seem ,

” i n magi c a t least . In rea l i tythe table h ad but two legs, and there were but two ca ndles burning , the rema i n ing legs and ta pers bei ng reflect ions. Howlwasthe decep t ion a ccompl ished ? In the fol low i ng ma nner : Convergi ng a t the centra l standa rd (Fi g . I ) were two pla ne mi rrorsfixed a t an angle of n inety degrees w i th each other and f ortyfive degrees w i th the si de panels of the sc reen wh ich boxed . i n

the ta ble from the rest o f the stage. These mi rrors reflectedthe si de pa nels, wh ich were of the same color as the pa nel a tthe back, and made the specta tors bel ieve tha t they saw undernea th the table the rea r of the screen . They a lso reflected the

two legs of the table and the t wo supports w i th thei r l i gh tedca ndles. The triangula r wooden box , upon the si des of wh ichthe mi rrors were

'

f astened, extended to the ba ck pa nel o f thescreen . It was covered w i th cloth of the same color as tha tof the screen. This box was on a level w i th the top o f the table.

The lady got away through a t ra p, a fter ha v ing pla ced the

skul l and bones i n posi t ion and i gni ted a lot o f red fi re (Fi g


I fi rst saw th is interest i ng i l lusi on exh ibi ted in a caféchantmzt i n Pa r is. The f a t , th i ck-necked, l i t t le Frenchma n , whopresented the tr ick to the a ud ience, reminded me of one of thosehuma n - hea ded bul ls ca rved upon the wa l ls of Assyria n pa la cesand temples. His ha i r and bea rd were oi led and curled . Hebel lowed out the ma rvels o f h is deca pi ta ted Pri ncess, and fl i rtedthe ski rts of h is long Pr ince A lbert coa t l i ke an a n ima l lash i ngfl ies of f i ts flanks w i th i ts ta i l . A ccord ing to th is Cheva l ierd

’

Anani as, the Pr incess lost her cha rm ing l i t t le powdered hea dduring the reign of Robespierre I ; i t

“sneezed i nto the basket

o f the g ui l lot i ne one fi ne morn ing wh i le the kn i tt i ng womensa t a round the sca f fol d and pl ied thei r needles and tongues.

“D own w i th the A r istocra ts!” Thanks to an em inent surgeon ,who begged the hea d from the execut ioner , i t was restored tol i fe by hypnot i c power. The surgeon handed i t downto h isdescendants. Fi na l ly i t came i nto possessi on of the showman,

by wha t means the gent lema n d i d not rela te.

A f ew days a fter the above exh ibi t i on , I saw the poOr l i t t lePrincess ea t ing cabbage soup i n a second—class cabaret . Her

manager was w i th her. Her hea d was on her body a t the t ime.

TREWEY ISM .

“Le m ime- comédien Trewey est un prest idig i ta teur mervei lleu s, cre

'a teur

vra iment su rprenant d’

ombres ch inoises avec l'uniqu e secou rs de ses ma ins.

On peu t direqu e Trewey est de ceu xqu i ont agrandi le cercle de la f antas

magorie et en ont f a i t un des a stres les plus vagabonds de la f anta isie.

”

DOM BLA sws: I.’

Inlransig eant .

My fa vori te cha ra cter i n French fict ion is A lexander Dumas’

i n imi table D’

A rtagnan, Io mousqueta ire par expellence, whocomes out o f Gascony w i th noth i ng but a rusty sui t of clotheson h is ba ck, an ancest ra l sword a t h is si de, h is fa ther

’

s blessi ng,and a bony sorrel horse under h im , to seek h is fortune i n theworld . A i ded by h is good ra pier, h i s wonderful sang froi d,splend i d a uda ci ty and versa t i leta lents, he elbows h is way to thefoot of a throne, to become ca pta in o f the Gra nd Mona rque’

s

bodygu a rd , and eventua l ly a ma rsha l o f France.

In the world o f magi c we ha ve a sim i la r cha ra cter, not amere figment

,however, of the novehst

’

s i mag ina t 1on, but a

l i v ing, brea th ing persona l i ty. I refer to Fe’ l i c ien Trewey , the

eminent French fa nta isiste, whose l i fe rea ds l ike a romance.

M . Trewey possesses a ll of the qua l i t ies of hea rt and mind ofD umas’ hero—auda ci ty, versa t i l i ty, t i reless energy in the pursu i tO f h is profession , bonhomie, and wha t not . Had he l i ved i n theseventeenth century , he doubt less would ha ve been a sold ier offortune l i ke D ’

Artagnan, fought duels, ma de love to duchesses,and outw i t ted a ca rd ina l , but ha v ing been born i n an age ofsteam and electr i c i ty, and ful ly rea l i z i ng the fa ct tha t sciencehas reduced the art of war to mere mechan ics, he sought out acareer tha t promised the most romance and a dventure, and

became a mousqueta i re of mag ic, wieldi ng the wand i nstead of

332 THE OLD AN D THE NEW MAGIC

the sword. It is a long, long way from the ha l f- sta rved mountebank of a wa nder i ng ca ra va n to an Offici er d

’

A cadémi e and

landed proprietor l i v i ng a t ease in one’s old age. But Treweyh as a ccompl ished all th is.

One even ing, when strol l i ng a long the Bouleva rd, I saw

ou tsi de of the Concert des Ambassadeurs, a bi l lboa rd, w i th the

V ILLA AT Assn-i nns SL'R SFIN E . AUCLA IR DE LA LUN E .

f o i lm ving a nno uncement : Le Grand Treweyleri e. I

‘rest id ig i t a t ion.

—Lo Chapeau M u lt i fo

so u s u n Chapea u .

—l\lu siqu e.—S i lbo

{les M a ins. etc . Amu sements Scient ifiqu es et

.\ lv interest was a t once a roused . IIere

a rt i st . bu t a man of versa t i l i ty. I bough t a t i cket ,sea ted in the thea t re. A fter the usua l i nfl ict i on ofacroba ts and eccentr i c si ngersw i th raspy voices, thOn M . Trewey

’

s act . I sighed w i th rel ief. A h , hOasis in the vast Sahara of vaudevi l le claptrap and


he passed on to ombromani e, or hand - made shadows, amongthem being portra i ts of Thiers, Gla dstone, Cza r A lexa nder III,Em i le Zola , Gambetta ,

Bisma rck , Cr ispi and Lord Sa l isbury .

The a rt o f cast ing si l houettes of an ima ls, such as the dog , the

ca t , and the rabbi t , upon an i l lumina ted wa l l i s very a ncient .The Ita l ian pa i n ter, Campi , was one of the fi rst to add new

types to the co l lect ion of figures. Trewey ra ised the art to thedig ni ty o f a stage per forma nce. and endowed i t w i th movement

Taswev E xmmrmoUpon A STAGE.

and l i fe. I sha l l quote as fol lows from an a rt i cle on Trewey ,

con tributed by me to the “Cosmopol i ta n Maga z ine”

some yea rsago :

He stands beh ind a screen, wh ich is br i l l iant ly i l lumina tedby an oxyhydrogen l igh t , and w i th h is hands projects the si l

hou et tes—pictures o f so ld iers, peasants, abbe’

s, etc. , to say nothing of an ima ls. To form the headgea r of h ismen and women ,such as the grotesque bonnets of Norman bonnes, the képisof the l i t t le p iou - pious, and the morta r- boa rds of the E ngl ishscholast ics, he has recourse to small pieces of cardboa rd cu t to

resemb le the respect ive cran ia l coverings. Trewey is not con

tent wi th the ‘cold profi les,’ashe ca l ls them, of living creatures.

336 THE om A N D THE new M AGIC

but endows h is shadows w i th an ima t ion . His old peasants, forexample, smoke, imbibe l i quor from la rge j ugs, i nha le snu ff

,

Tm: PULPIT Pam omm a .

rol l thei r eyes, open thei r mouths, gest i cula te ; h is a n ima ls are

exceed ingly mobi le. Besi des th is, he makes h is cha ra cters enactcha rming l i tt le pa ntom imic scenes. One he ca l ls the ‘

serenade.

Taswzv’

sHANDS.

A piece of ca rdboard , fash ioned to represent the si de of a house,const i tutes the scenery. A gendarme (supposed to be violently


the righ t hand is hel d a bi t of pasteboa rd , cut i n the shape of amorta r - boa rd cap. The pa ra pherna l ia is very simple. You see

the lea rned d i v ine a scend the pulpi t , bend forwa rd i n pra yer,then begi n to exhort an imagina ry congrega t ion .

-He thumpsthe pulpi t ra i l vehement ly, tw ists h imsel f i n to a ll sorts of grotesqu e posi t ions, and w i pes h is perspi ri ng brow . A fter ha v ingblessed the people, he descends from h is eleva ted perch .

”

I lea rned from h im many i nterest i ng th ings about sha dowgra phy and sleigh t o f ha nd genera l ly. To excel i n the a rt o fombromanie requi res long pra ct ice. The fingers ha ve to b e

exercised cont i nuously i n certa i n pecul ia r movements, such as

are depicted i n the a ccompanying i l lust ra t ion. Dexteri tyla rgely dependent upon the forma t ion of the hand . one of thepa rt icu la r cha ra cterist i cs of ski l l fulness being “

the fa cul ty o freversi ng the metaca rpa l pha langes of the fingers, so tha t whenthe hand is extended i t is convex.

”

Trewey possesses th is fa c e

u lty . Another pecu l ia ri ty of h is ha nds i s the forma t i on o f thefingers; they d i ff er very much i n lengt h . The middle fingerexceeds the ring finger by nea rly an inch .

I met Trewey some weeks la ter , in London , a t the Empi reThea t re, and we struck up a grea t fr iendsh i p wh i ch h as lastedto th is day . The story o f h is l i fe is ful l o f i nterest , and is

a typ ica l example of the fol ly o f set t i ng a nyone to a voca t ion forwh ich he has no pa rt icula r taste. Intended a t first for the priesthood by h is pa rents, and subsequent ly for a mecha n i ca l t ra de,Trewey fol lowed h i s own incl ina t ions—conj ur ing and j uggl ing.

I w i l l quote aga i n from my paper i n the “

Cosmopol i ta n M agaz ine"

“Li ke most a rt ists who ha ve risen to eminence on the

French stage, Trewey h as known ha rdsh ips and bi tter poverty .

Hi s youth was a struggle aga i nst adverse cond i t ions. But heh ad i n h im ,

i n i ts t r uest sense, the soul of ol d Gau l—tha t j oyousi nsouciance, tha t sa rdoni c humor , wh i ch laughs a t fort une and

snaps i ts finger a t the world . N a tura l v i va ci ty w i l l often keepa Frenchman a l i ve, though h is body i s clothed i n rags and h is

TREWEYISM 339

stomach is empty. Trewey was born a t Angouleme, . Fra nce,duri ng the Revolut ion of 1848. His fa ther was an engineer i na pa per m i l l . Trewey pérc was ambi t i ous for h is son to enterthe Church , so he sen t h im to the Semina ry o f the Holy Trin i tya t Ma rsei l les to study for the priesthood . But fa te h ad w i l ledotherw ise. When qui te a young boy, Trewey had been takento see a ci rcus a t M a rsei l les. Among the mounteba nks was a

conj urer,who gave a very interest i ng exh ibi t ion . The fea ts o f

magic of th is st rol l ing M erl i n so fascina ted the l i t t le Treweytha t he forthw i th secretly vowed to become a professiona l prest i dig i ta teu r as soon as he grew up. The stud ies pursued a t the

j esu i t col lege d i d not cure the boy of h is love. for the stage.

He d iv i ded h is t ime between La t i n verbs and j uggl i ng, ma thema t i cs and the art of pa lm istry. Soon he was able to gi vel i tt le exh ibi t ions, pr i va te, of course, for the amusement o f h iscomra des. The good fa thers must ha ve thought h im a veryeccentri c youth , for he was cont i nua l ly trying to ba lance

:

h is

sla te on the t i p of h is nose. Many a wel l - deserved ca t - o’- n i ne

ta i ls he got for h is improvised fea ts o f equ i l ibra t ion . Lyingawake a t n ight in the si lent dormitory, he i nvented tr i cks, thenfel l asleep to dream of th e w i ld del ights of the mountebank ’

s

li fw wandering l i ke a gipsy over the country i n a ca ra va n , andperforming a t the l i t t le French v i l lages and towns before crowdsof ru st i cs. He pictured h imsel f dressed i n gorgeous ra iment

,

exh ibi t i ng magi c tri cks for the amusement of gaping yokelspul l ing rabbi ts from ha ts, turni ng omelets i nto doves, and produ cing bow ls of goldfish from shaw ls. The boom , boom ,

of thebass drum ,

ca l l i ng the specta tors together , resounded in h is ea rs.

The boy had i n h im the spir i t o f a dventure ; the blood of someold strol l i ng player o f an a ncestor ran i n h is vei ns. He longedto escape from under the wa tch fu l domina t ion o f the ‘bla ckrobes,

’

as be designa ted the good priests of the semina ry . Threeyea rs passed . One day , during the Christmas hol i days, Treweyrefused to return to h is stud ies, so h is fa ther pla ced h im i n theengine room of the paper m i l l to lea rn ma ch inery . Cog wheelsand o i l ca ns possessed no more fasc ina t ion for h im tha n La t i nand Greek. One fine summer day he ran away from home i ncompa ny w i th an a croba t .

340 rm: ow A N D m e new MAGIC

Trewey , a t th is per iod of h is ca reer, was not over fi fteenyea rs of age, and had but l i t t le experience of men and ma nners.

The qu iet c loisters of a Jesui t semina ry are not conduc i ve toknow ledge of the world . Li fe now became ha rd for Treweyand h is companion , the youth fu l tumbler . They exh ibi ted i nma rket pla ces

,ca fés, and i n inn ya rds. The l i fe thev led was

next door to sta rva t ion . Soon Trewey left the a croba t and

obta i ned an engagement a t one of the sma l l musi c ha l ls o f

M a rsei l les. The munificent sum o f six fra ncs per week (onedol la r and twenty cents) was the sa la ry he recei ved for h is ser

vi ces. In a dd i t ion to h is j uggl ing exh ibi t ion , gi ven severa l t imesa day , he was obl iged to appea r i n a pantom ime performa ncea t n ight. In th is t roupe was the famous Plessis, who eventua l lybecame one of the foremost comedia ns o f France, r i va l i ng eventhe grea t Coquel i n .

“In those days i t was the custom for people to throw monev

on the stage to fa vori te performers. A ppla ud ing w i th the ha ndsbei ng monopol i zed by a pa i d claque, there was no better way forenthusiast i c specta tors, i n French pla ces of amusement , to showthei r a pprec ia t ion o f the ta lents of an art ist , than by showeri ngupon h im gold

, si l ver or copper co ins. The va udev i l le a rt istsdi d not consi der i t benea th the i r d ign i ty to stoop and ga ther upthese substa nt ia l evi dences of publ i c fa vor.

“Sa i d Trewey to me :

‘I sa ved these coi ns unt il I was able

to purchase two fine costumes. Then I secured an engagementa t the A lca za r a t M a rsei l les.

’

“

Other engagements fol lowed th is, and Trewey became themost popula r performer i n the south o f Fra nce. The desi re fora rov ing l i fe led him to become the proprietor o f a tra vel i ngpa ntomime and va udevi l le compa ny . His versa t i l i ty was shownhere. He j uggled , conj ured , played P ierrot i n the pantom imedanced in the clodoche, and ma naged the finances of the t roupe.

A f ter two yea rs of th is l i fe, he got an engagement a t Bordea ux.

It was here tha t he invented h is ombromani e, and st ra ightwaybecame famous. From Bordea ux he migra ted to Pa r is. Hissuccess was instanta neous.

”

The j ourna l ists ra l l ied to h is a i d. He became the l ion ofthe hour . L

’

Illustra t iou named h is art Trewey ism. His reputa t ion was establ ished .


vendors of quack nostrums of the Pont Neuf wasMontdor. Hewas a i ded by a buff oon named Taba rin

,who ma de fa cet ious

repl ies to quest ions asked by h is master, a ccompa n ied w i thla ughable grimaces and grotesque gestures. The modern r ingmaster and clown of the c i rcus ha ve sim i la r scenes together ,minus the sel l i ng o f medi c i nes. Taba r i n was celebra ted for h isw i t . Some of h i s bon mots ha ve descended to our t ime. Heperformed the fea t of making some ten d i ff erent ha ts out o f thebrim of a fel t ha t , giv ing appropria te fa cia l portra i ts benea thea ch , and using w i gs and bea rds to enha nce the eff ect . Such , i nbr ief, is the story of the famous Merry A ndrew whose name h asbecome a by

-word i n France for buff oonery and broa d humor.The biograph ies of such men would make interest ing rea d ingfor the student o f h istory. But Dame Cl io h as eyes only fortremendous ba t t les, diploma t i c i n tr igues, the doings of roya l tyand grea t folk. The l i t t le world o f everyday l i fe, tha t busyant h i l l where the huma n comedy is so a rdently played , i s benea th her not ice. The l i f e and a dventures of qua cksa l vers, minorpoets, wandering jugglers, f a ugh l—tha t i s asking too much o fthe Muse of H istory. Says Gu i zot : “History h as no room forall those who throng about her ga tes w i thout succeed ing i nget t ing in and lea v ing tra ces of thei r stay.

"

But occasi ona l ly a man or woman r ises f rom the dregs ofthe people and compels recogn i t ion ; and, sad to rela te, n ine t imesou t o f ten,

through the commission o f crimes. Ha ve we notCagl iostro and M adame de la Motte, thorough - pa ced scoundrelsand cha rla tans, but , nevertheless, very del i gh tful folk, who ha vea dded a t inge o f romance to h istory ? I for one, w i th Tha ckera y , confess a weakness for the t i t t leta t t le of court gossi p and

ba cksta i rs d iploma cy . Beh i nd the scenes w i th Louis XV a nd

XVI, Frederick the‘

Grea t and Ca therine II is f a r more entert a i n i ng than the ba t t les o f the period . Casa nova gives one a

bet ter picture of eighteenth century mora ls and ma nners thanany of the grea t h istor ians of the t ime. History is the dry bonesof an epoch ; the memoi r wri ters are the E zekiels who beholdthe bones clothed w i th flesh and thri l l i ng w i th l i fe- blood .

\Vandering one morn ing a cross the old Pou t N euf, a ll thesethoughts came to my mind . Once aga i n , as i n the days of long

344 THE 0LD .A ND THE N EW MAGIC

ago, I saw, in my imagina t ion , the bri dge crowded w i th people.

There came to me the fa i n t rust l i ng of si l k ski rts, the cla tter ofh igh

o heeled shoes u pon the pa vi ng stones. Boom ! boom ! goesthe drum . I hea r the st r i dent voice of Montdor shout ing out h i swa res, and the unctuous notes of the comica l Taba r in utteri ng a

banmot.

V.

Trewey is the i nventor of many clever ca rd sleights and

passes; for example, a color change executed by taking ca rdsfrom the ba ck o f the pa ck w i th the fork of the thumb and forefinger and pla c i ng them on the front. The origi n o f th is cleversleight is not genera l ly known. I ha ve seen h im throw ca rdsfrom the stage of the A lhambra Thea tre, London , to the topmostga l lery. This is a tremendous fea t

,as the A lhambra is one o f

the la rgest thea tres i n the world . He possesses the pecu l ia rta lent of wri t ing i n reverse, necessi ta t ing the use of a mi rrori n order to read i t. The a rt ist i c sent imen t was born i n h im .

It seems to be a fami ly cha ra cterist i c . Rosa Bordas, the celebra ted French chante use pa tri ot iquc, i s h is cousin- german. A

wri ter i n L’

E cho des [ runes thus a p ost roph ises h im in verse“

D ans le monde art ist iqu e ou son étoile brille,Trewey ne peu t que resort i r,

Vra iment, cela t ient de f am ille,

Vu que bon sang ne peu t ment ir.

The most exclusi ve and a r istocra t i c sa lons of Pa r is and

V ienna ha ve engaged h is services for pri va te séances. In Spa i n,Belg i um, ,

A u stri a , Russia and England he was the sensa t ion ofthe day . A t the present t ime he is l i v i ng i n ret i rement a t Asn ieres, nea r Pa ris, where he h as purchased a cha rm ing homeknown as the V i l la Tra versiere an Cla ir de la lune. Duringthe Exposi t i on of 1900 he was the manager of the Thea t rePhono -Ci néma . Trewey was a grea t fr iend o f the French inventor, Lumiere, and was the first to i ntroduce the cinema to

graphe to the publ i c o f London and Pa ris. A t h is v i l la hespends h is t ime i nvent ing and improv ing dev ices to be used inmov ing- picture appa ra tus, corresponding w i th h is fr iends, medita t ing upon the works of h is fa vori te a uthors, Con fucius and

346 am : ow AN D rm: N EW M AGIC

E pi ctetus, and w ri t i ng songs, fa rces and drama t i c a rt icles. In

the yea r 1903 he wasma de an Ofli ci er d'A cadém ie by the French

Government . He ma rried M iss Ixa , of Troca dero fame. Amongh is pupi lsmay be ment ioned the lady conj urer, M l le. Pa tr i ce.

Trewey rela tes many i nterest i ng a necdotes of contempora ryFrench magic ia ns whom he has met on h is t ra vels. He is l i tera l ly a man w i thout envy . His a dmi ra t ion for Bu a t i er de Kol tawas unbounded . They were close f riends.

He once toured the Cont inent w i th the Hunga ria n conj urer,Vel le, who was the first to gi ve exh ibi t ions w i th i n a ma rkedc i rcle, where the aud ience could ga ther on a ll si des. Vel le impersona ted Meph isto to perfect ion . Trewey and A ug ust Lassa i g ne were once pa rtners. Lassa i g ne was born in Toulouse,

i n 1819. Besi des bei ng a magi c ian he was an aerona ut , hav ingma de 347 ascensi ons. He died in Montpel l ier i n the yea r 1887 .

-Vhen Trewey first toured theUn i ted Sta tes, under the management of A lexander Herrmann , he was very much annoyedby impostors, who a dvert ised themsel ves as D rcrc'ey , but thei rper fo

’rmances were only weak imi ta t i ons of the origi na l—the

merest shadows o f a sha de. In the wake o f the wha le fol lowl i t t le fishes— “ pikers”—who grab a t the crumbs dropped by themona rch o f the sea , being too la zy or indi f ferent to find hunt ingseas o f thei r own .

“Many ama teurs a re more ski l l fu l tha n professiona ls, sa i d

Trewey to me.

“I ha ve i n mi nd my friend A lexandre Asso

,

who was born i n Pa ris i n the yea r 1828. \Vh i le a studen t , heonce happened to be present a t a soi rée where M . Comte wasgi ving an exh ibi t ion. He was so fasci na ted tha t he a fterwa rdstook lessons in legerdema i n from the pro f essor. \Vhen he fin

i shed h isschool ing, he entered the servi ce o f the Count de N i grathen Ambassador to Ita ly, and rema i ned w i th . h im for fortyyea rs, vi si t ing London, S t . Petersburg, V ienna , and other grea tcapi ta ls. Asso often enterta i ned the Count and h is fr iends w i thconj uri ng séa nces. In th is way be amused society a t nea rly all

the Courts of E urope, besi des gi v i ng many enterta i nments forthe benefi t o f the poor. In spi te of h is advanced age, he st i l lkeeps i n pract ice as a conjurer a t h is vi l la at Asn ieres. He

TREWEYISM 347

ret i red from an a ct i ve l i fe in 1903. e see a grea t dea l o f eachother.

“Then we ha ve M . Pi ta u , a w ine mercha nt , who stud iedlegerdema in to amuse h is friends and increase h is custom . He

was a capi ta l guest a t the hotel table. People loved to be sea tednea r h im ,

for he was not only ski l f ul a t hanky panky w i thglasses, pla tes, napkins, kni ves, corks, co ins, etc.

, but he was a

A LEAF FROM Tazwav’s Nora BOOK.

br i l l iant raconteur and a mimic“ His most amusing tri ckthe fol low ing : He woul d pla ce h is h a t over h is pla te, wh ich hel dperhaps a chop and po ta toes. Passing h i s hand under the h a the would bring forth severa l five- f ranc p ieces. Then he wouldpass i t a second t ime benea th the chapeau and bri ng out five orsix gold one- hundred - franc pieces. Now he woul d excla im '

‘La dies and gent lemen , I w i l l give wha t is left on the pla te forten cent imes.

’Li ft i ng the ha t , a ch i l d

’

s sock or an ol d shoe

348 THE OLD A N D rm: N EW M AGIC

would be seen , the chop and pota toes hav ing van ished . Thisfea t was a lways greeted w i th shouts of laughter. Pi tau oftenga ve ent i re per forma nces for cha r i table purposes.

Beh ind the scenes i n an Egypt ia n temple would doubt lesshave revea led many curious secrets of na tura l magic to the

unint i a ted. Li ke all so- ca l led sorcerers, the priests evidentlycompi led works on the subject o f thei r art for the benefit ofthei r successors. But not one o f these h as come down to u s.

Hermes Trismegistus is sa i d to ha ve wr i t ten two myriads ofbooks on the occul t sciences. He was the A lexa nder D umas ofthe Egypt ian pantheon .

Trewey , an apt descendant o f the ancient magi of the la ndof M i zra im , has compi led a ponderous fol io o f i l lusions and fea tsof juggl i ng and legerdema i n ; a grea t ma nuscript volume ofmyster ies. the text o f wh i ch i s i l lust ra ted by pen

- and- i nksketches by h imsel f. O ver two thousand magica l experimentsare described and expla i ned i n th is tome of thauma turgy, ga thered from a ll sources, many o f them bei ng h is own i nvent ions,perhaps the ma jori ty of them . I know tha t th is volume ex ists,for I have seen i t and glanced over i t. I have urged Trewey topubl ish the work. Perhaps he w i l l some day , now tha t he h asthe leisure for l i tera ry labors. He i s a t present a t work on h i sinvent ion, the Trert'cyorama , wh ich w i l l be exh ibi ted soon i nPa ris.

IND EX

Hi ndoo basket.Hofl

’

mann, Profi , explana t ion of Sph inx

i llusion,

Horse, a lleged stopp ing of , by power o f

w i ll,

Hou din. See Robert -Hou di n.

Hou di ni , Harry . bandent’i trick ,

Hypnot ic fea t o f E gy pt i an sorcerer,

Indi an basket . Sec Hindoo basket .Invi sible fl i gh t, Goldin

's,

Kellar and Fak i r of Ava , levi t a ‘

t ion mystery , rope tricks, 2 1 8

Yoge’

s lamp,Kempelen, chess-play ing au toma ton.

K i rcher, Fa ther, temple trick descri bed,

Lamp, my steriou s, Finet t i , Voge's, Kel

la r. I

Levi t at ion my stery . Kellar's,

Li gh t a nd h eavy chest , Hou d in's,

Lu stral wa ter vase. ma g ic,

Ma elzel, and the ch ess—pla yer,Magi c clock , Hou din

's.

M ag ic m i rror, Cagliostro’

s, con~

M ag ic v i lla, Hou din’

s,

M a g ica l bouqu et , Fi net t i’

s,

M ango tree, xxvi i i -xxx.

M askelyne’

s“Psycho,

”

sic-box,

Spi ri t mn

din’

s casket trick ,

M etempsy chosis,

M u sic-box, sp i ri t , M askelyne’s.

Mysteri ou s lamp, Finet t i’

s,

Ombromanie. See Sh adowgraphy .

Orange tree, Hou di n's.

Pag anini , demon of ,

w i t h S i gnor B li tz,

Parsell, Henry V . A . ,

music-box,

exposé of sp iri t

Rob inson’s

"Gone,

"

Pepper, ghost illusi on,

chosis,

Ph antasma gori a , a rt of ,

Finet t i , beheaded dove,golden head and ri ngs,

and b inding experi ments,bouqu et. mech ani cal b i rd,terious lamp , recovered ring.

ring and ribbons. second si gh t ,

35; stage, :Wlse li ttle Turk.

Piqu et , blind man’

s g ame of ,Pistol trick , fa t a l, of De Grisy ,

Psy cho,”M askelyne

's,

magi c vi lla .

Robertson, gh ost i llu si on.Rob in, ghost i llu sion, stage,

i llu sion

Rods tu rning into serpents, x.

Rope tri cks, D avenport Broth ers,Kellar

’

s, Fi net t i’

s,

Sa lverte, descri pt ion o f temple tricks,

c arak , D r. , dou ble vi si on,

h a tch ing fish eggs by ma g ic,

stopp i ng horse by power of w i ll,

Second si gh t , Anderson’

s,

i nvented by Finett i ,

Wyman’

s, Zancigs

Tables, conju ring,Talrich

's decapi tepot ions,

Recovered ri ng , Finet t i’

s,

Ring and ribbons, Fi net t i's,Robert -Hou din, aeriel su spension,bu llet -ca tch ing , bu rglar-

proof desk .bu st of Socra tes,liostro

’

s casket , ghost i llu sion.

h istory of Kempelen’

s chess

ligh t and heavy chest.

mag ic clock.

orange t ree,

Segu in’

s polyoscope,

Sepu lchre. marvellou s,

Serpents, rods tu rning i nto, x.

Sen-

u nto,

Sh adowgraphy . Trewey’s,

Sh e,"i llusion.

Sh irt trick. Finet t i’

s.

S i lent second si gh t , Svengalis’

,

Slade, Dr. , and sp iri t sla tes, xxvi .

Slot mach ine, ant iqu i ty of .

Spectres. See Gh ost i llusion.

Sph inx i llu si on,

Sp i ri t mu si c-box , Maskelyne’

s.

Sp i ri t ra pp i ng, xxx .

Sp i ri t séance, Cagliostro's.

Sp i ri t wri t ing , Ca gliostro’s,

mann’

s,

St a ge, Hou din’

s,

S todare. Colonel, and Sph inx i llusion,

Svengalis, si lent second si gh t ,

Sw ing, mag ic, xxoxxi i i .

Sword trick , xx i i i , xxiv.

IN D E X

Ta rsu s, t emple of , i llu sions.

T avern of the dea d. Sec Ca ba ret da N éant.

T emple doors. See D oors. temple.

Ten-Ich i , th umb- ty ing trick ,

Th eu rg i sts, decept i ons of ,

T h i bet an ma i l,

T h ompson, A lfred, and Sph inx i llu sion,

T h umb- ty ing trick , Finet t i's,

27 .

T h u rston, Howard, tricks and i llu si ons o f ,

Ten lch i's,

T ob in, Thomas, inventor o f Sph inx i llu v

Trick t able, Houd in's,Tru nk tri ck ,

Comte.

Fak i r of

Yoge’s lamp, Kellar

's,

“Ynd,

”my stery of ,

Zanci gs. second si gh t ,

zollner's i llu sion, xix .

Wa tch tri ck , D e Grisy’s.

Herrmann’

s.

Wh ist pla y ing a u tomaton. S ee“Psycho.

”

W ine and m i lk trick ,

W i se li t tle Tu rk , Finet t i's,

Wyman, second si gh t ,

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ANTS AND SOME OM B INSECTS, an Inqu i ry into the Psy chi c PowersAnimals wi th an Appendi x on t he Pecu li ari t i es of Thei r Olf actory Sense,A ugust Porel, la te Prof essor of Psych i a try a t theUni versi ty of Zuri ch .

f rom the German by m . Wi lli am MortonWheeler, Ameri canMuseumHistory , New York. 1904. 50c, ma i led 5se. (2s. Pp. 49.

THE OPE N COURT PUBLISHING CO CHICAGO

THE ME TAPHYSICAL SYSTEM OP HOBB B S, as cont a ined i n twelve ch apt e

h is‘E lements of Ph i losophy Concerning B ody ,

’and in bri ef er E xtra cts f l

Human N a t ure”and “ Levi a t h an

,

”select ed by M ary Whi ton Ca lk i ns.

40c, ma i led 47c. Pp. i v.,187.

LOCKB ’S E SSAY CONCERND IG HUMAN UND ERSTAND ING, Books II

(wi th omi ssi ons) . Selected by M ary Wh i ton Ca lk i ns. 1905. 50c, ma i led 60

Pp. xi i i ., 342.

THE PRIN CIPLE S OF D ESCARTE S’PHILOSOPHY , b y Benedi ct u s D e 5

( th e Ph i losoph er’s E a rli est Work ) . Transla ted f rom t he La t in w i th an i n

t i on by Ha lbert Ha i ns Bri t an, Ph . D . Pp. ln xi,1 77. Pri ce, paper, 35e;

420. (2s.)

Index of Ti tles of Book s and Au thors

Page

Acvagh osh a's D i scou rse T. S uzu k i 9

A i nn Grou p , Th e, Prof. St a rr 11Anselm, S t ItAntsand Some O t h er Insects} ?A t tent i on, Th e Psychology 01. Th . R i bot . .6, 12

gobs; an

ld B i blei F 2ac ri o r u c p es o uep pe

Ba yne. -1m Ta ft . 10Beet hoven.P i lg ri m e to:Ri ch a rdWa gner 1 1Beh a ’U'llla h . G. B . hei ra llaBerkeley , -l, llB i bli ca ly Lover i t t i es, P.Ha 8B i edermann Edu a rd . 10B inet . A. , i

°

zlll

B loomfield Ma u ri ce:Bo Cnney , Cha rlesBou ncy Florence Peori aBook 0 t h e D ea d , B u dge .

Bra hman, The Redemp t ionof t he, Ri ch ard9Ga r obe 1“

Bu dd h a , Gospelo f ,Pa u lCams

B u ddh a , Scenes f rom t he L i f e of , Ke i ch yuYama da

Buddh a s, D a s E vangelina}:Pa u l Ca m s 7

B u déi h i sm

m

and i ts h ri st i an Cri t i cs, Pa u l13

Bu dd i st Art .Port folio of "B udd i st and Ch rist i anGospels,B u dg e, E s A . 0 0 e e e e o o o e e e e e e e o e e s o o n e e e e e e

Ca lcu lus,E lementa ry Illustra t i ons, D eMor

Calk ins"

, Ma ry Wh i ton" " 0

Ca u dlin, George T.

Canono f Reasonand Virt u e, Pa u l Ca ru s . . ltCa ru s, Pa u l 7, 9,Cerberu s, The D og of Hades, Ma u ri ce

B lOO lD O o o o o o o s ee s. 10Ch i ef‘s D a u gh ter, Th e, Pa u l Cams 10

Ch i nese F i ct i on, G. T Ca ndli n . 13

Ch inese Ph i loso b y , Pa u l Ca rus. 13Ch rist . Age of a ru s. . 7Ch ri st i ani t y and Pa tri ot ism, Cou nt

10Cleme

O

nS

t , E rnest W“

10

Consc i ousness.OnD ou ble.Alfred B inet . 12Conwa

E DMoncu re

. 2Corni ll. Ca rl Heinri ch “

"

i"

. 13Crown of Thom a , Th e , Pa u l Ca ru s 10

Cu mont , Franz .

D a rwi nand a f ter D a rw i n, G. J . Romance . 2D a rwm i an Theory G J . RomanceD awnof

a

s New Reli g ious E ra , The, Pa u l"

0 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . ”9 13Deana ,

mSa

ido

ney Norton, B . A. 14

Dedek i nd, Ri ch a rdDeli tteach , F. .

DeMorga n, Au g ust u sD esca rt es, ReneD es inoa a . Bened i cD ev .Hi story of t lfe, Pa u lCaru s .

D en i es, Hu go

D h a rma . Ca ru s. .

D i scou rse onMethod , Rene Desca rtes.

tors oi Org ani

0 0 0 0 . O'C O O O O O O O Q O C O O Q O I O

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0


Frey ta g , Gu st aFundament a lProblems, Pa u l CamsGarbe Ri ch a rdGenesis, Crea t ionS tory of , Ra da uGenesis. The Legends o f Hermann GGeomet ri c E xerc i ses i n Pa per-Fold in

Su nda ra Row .

Geomet r , Fou nda t i ons o f D HillierGerm ina Select ion. A . We i smannG i lbert . Grove K a rl

The Idea of , Pa u l Ca ru sGodwa rd . Ca ru s.

608 1 Accord ing to D a rwi n, Th e, W

Gunkel, Hermann

Hadley Ba lla ds, J u li a Ta ft B a yneHa unt , Pa u .l .

Ha ring , E wa ldHi lbert DHolyoa lle, George J a cobHom i li esof Sc i ence, Pa u l Ca ru s

16 THE OPEN COURT PUBLISHING CO ., CHIOAG

J a p anese Floral Ca lenda r, Th e, Ernest W.

Kant Spencer, Pa u l Ca ru s.Kant , Immanu el. .Ka rma Pa u l Ca rKh elra lla , George Ibra h im

12

127

Le Bru b l, Lu ci enLoc e

's Essa ys Concerni n

lg Hnlna uUnder

st and ing , MarlyW k ins

t Manu scri p t , h e , Gu st a vFrey tag . 13

Loyson, Ma dame Em i li eLu ther, Ma rt in, Gust a v 13

511

133

3

8

80 0 0 0 0 05. 140

12a t

Meta ph ysi cs, Lei bni z .5, 14Met a p h ysi cs Su rd of Pa u lCamsM i cro-Or anlsms, The Psych i c Li fe o f ,

Alfre B i net . . 4, 13M i lls, ProfessorLa wrenceHeywort h .

Moni sm dzMeliorism, Pa u lCa rus.

Mu ller, F. Ma x 6, 11, 12

My steri esof M i thra , Franz 8

N aegeli , Ca rlvon.

Na poleonMyt h TheN i rvana , Pa u lCamsNoi re, Lu dwi g 12N um bers. Essa ys on t he Theory of , R.

Dedeki nd .

Oldenberg , H . . 12Ort hogeu esi s, On. Th.

Personali t y . t he D i seaseso f , Th . Ri bot . .6, 12Ph i losop h ers Port ra i ts0 6

Ph i losoph y Ou rNeed of , Penn

] Ca ru s. .

Pop u la rScient i fic Lect u res, E rnst Mach 3, 12

Port ra i ts of Ph i los0p hersand Psycholog i sts.

Prosolog i um. Anselm .

Psycholog i sts, Port ra i ts of .

Psycholog y f orBeg i nners, H. M . St an

Sa cred Tu nes, Pa u lSch i ller, Fri edri ch , Ca rus .

Sch u bert , Hermann"

Sc i ence and Fa i t h , Pa u l.

ToPi nllfl L

ulSc i ence a Roll ou sRevela t on,Sensa t i ons. e Ana lysis of t he, E

ac O O O O O O O O O O O O O

Sh u ts. D C KQrtw t O O O O O O O Q C

sm i t h . D QVi d EnmSolomonand Solomoni c Li tera tu re,

Ca rus

S uzu k i ,Swa inSchoolLect ures

Tao Tell K ingeLa o-Tee

’s, Pa u l

Tel-ta ry , Th i t and Ch ina , Tra vels i nno

Th ei sm, A.

Candid Exam ina t i on of ,

"

O . O .

SE ND FOR COMPLETE ILLUSTRATE D CATALOGUE

Wa gner, Ri ch a rdWelsmann. A.

Wei smannism , E xam i na t ion of , G. J

Wh a t i st he B i ble , J .

.

A. Ru thWh eelba rrow . M . M . Trumbu llW h ence and Wh i t h er? Pa u l Ca ru s.

W i ll, Th e D i sea seso f t he . Th . Ri botW i t h ers. J ohnWi lli am, Ph . D

CWorld ‘

9 CongressAddresses C. .C BoWorsh i Pu bli c : A S tnd i n th ePsych

off fl li g i on, J . P.Hy an

Xeni cu s, Goet he and Schi ller's

Yamada , Kelch ynZa ra t h ush tri an

yGa t h a s. L . H.M i lls

Za ra th ush tra and t h e Greeks, L.H.

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