TheLearned Pig Project Famous Tricks of Famous Conjurers By David Devant The oldest trick in the world is known to conjurers as the "Cups and Balls." The conjurer has three small cups, usually made of brass, and three small cork balls, about the size of a filbert. All sorts of things happen with these simple articles. The conjurer can make a ball pass invisibly through the top of each cup, or he can make all three balls go invisibly from one cup to another, and so on. There is practically no limit to the effects which the conjurer can produce with three cups and three balls, and as the trick is one of pure sleight of hand it has always been admired alike by magicians and the public. Who are the famous magicians who have done this trick? Well, they are mostly anonymous, for they have performed on race courses. The trick is peculiarly suited to the racecourse conjurer, for it can be done in the center of the audience and no preparation is needed. The foundations of magic are laid in this one little trick, and if I were writing for magicians I could prove the truth of that statement. For many years dishonest men have made a precarious living by this one trick alone, for the "cups and balls" was the ancestor of the more familiar "three thimbles and a pea" swindle. There is but one drawback to the fine old trick: Its effect is lost in a large room; the audience must be close to the conjurer's table. The racecourse conjurer has his audience standing up near him-the right position for a spectator who would appreciate the trick properly. One of the most popular tricks of modern times has been "The Magic Kettle." It created quite a sensation a few years ago, but I fancy that most magicians were rather displeased with it, for it was more of a scientific toy than a trick. The chief effect consisted in making the kettle boil water when it was standing on a block of ice. Magic kettles being all the rage, I, naturally, had to have one; but I was determined that my magic kettle should be a little different from anybody else's. Therefore I borrowed an idea from a very old trick--the inexhaustible bottle: a bottle from which the conjurer can pour any drink asked for by the audience. In place of the bottle I used a kettle, and from it I poured spirits, wines, liqueurs, and milk and water (in separate glasses; my milk was the real thing). I nearly had a terrific failure with the magic kettle. The trick itself The trick had been well advertised all over the town. "if I am allowed to put up a bedstead on the stage. and so on. Buatier de Kolta. was over. and a large balloon. So I fell back on the old idea of making the kettle a total abstainer. and it was with great difficulty that the audiences were prevented from mobbing me and the kettle as I rushed about the hall pouring out any drink I was asked for. The performer covered her with a silk shawl. During my second visit to Vienna--twenty-five years after the first--I wanted to do the kettle trick. The name of the hall ought to have been a warning to me.never failed me. What was to be done? I could not possibly break faith with the public. for I knew that it was beyond the powers of my trusty kettle to serve a hot drink one moment and an iced drink the next. The trouble occurred at Leicester." and I agreed with him that the day of cabinets and other things which were so obviously tricks. but I had overlooked it. I have performed only twice out of England. It was invented by a brilliant magician. The performer came forward with a newspaper. floated over the Temperance Hall. On the paper he placed a chair. It appeared that the man who built the hall had given it on the condition that no intoxicating drinks were consumed on the premises. At the last moment I was prohibited by the proprietors from doing the magic kettle because of the intoxicating drinks it produced. it was just a little too good for the audience. and I take this opportunity of thanking the proprietors of Temperance Hall. and found to my joy that hot lemonade was a regular drink in Vienna. lemonade. cocoa. Now for the sequel to that story. I hurriedly decided to make the kettle a total abstainer for the time being and to cause it to produce only temperance drinks: tea. Leicester. He had a wholesome scorn of cabinets and other cumbersome pieces of apparatus. The audiences thought that I had paid them a compliment by remembering that they liked their lemonade hot. but it was not. for the kettle was the leading item in my programme. and on both occasions in Vienna. The trick was a great improvement on anything that had been done before de Kolta's time." he once said to me. Some people marvelled at the idea of having hot lemonade served to them. "I can do anything. coffee. milk. but I found that there was such a very large variety of non-temperance drinks in Vienna that I could not possibly remember them all. Never has the kettle made a bigger success than it made in Vienna. in the form of an elephant. and was shown by him for the first time in Paris. . A lady sat on the chair. in which I was to perform. and there was a clause in my agreement telling me of this condition. Go! She disappeared. To offer to produce any drink named by the audience was out of the question altogether. but I did not. "The Vanishing Lady" was at one time a very popular illusion. which he spread out on the stage. his father was a Scot. who catches it between his teeth. with a bird inside it. without covering the lady. Curiously enough. the famous Chinese magician--(an Englishman off the stage. On a fully lighted stage. The medium allows someone to tie one end of a cord round his wrist in any way he pleases and to .Some time after de Kolta's death I tried to go one better than "The Vanishing Lady. Amateurs seldom realize the effectiveness of a trick until they see it performed by a professional. and everybody could see it swimming about-quite happy and comfortable. Soo used a plate for the purpose. Slade." The cage. and he must have known that at least half-a-dozen conjurers have been killed by doing the same trick. Another of his famous tricks was the production of vast quantities of paper flowers from a sheet of paper which he twisted up into a cone-shaped bag. He was warned over and over again by his friends against doing that trick." A lady took the part of the moth." I wanted to make the lady vanish without covering her up. One of the tricks was "The Disappearing Birdcage. disappeared from the inventor's hands. Soo would then take in the line. The conjurer shows a clean slate and produces on it any writing--figures or words--which he requires. actually born in New York City. who. and it is now known to every conjurer. Soo made his name in this country with a trick of a totally different kind--the "Aerial Fishing Rod. makes every point tell. drop it into a glass bowl of water. The secret of the trick was given away. Dr. for it was by performing that trick that Chung Ling Soo. marked by the audience. his mother a Briton)--recently met his death. The trick was invented by an amateur conjurer. provided conjurers with an excellent slate trick. Conjurers are also indebted for some of their tricks to the bogus spiritualists. is fired at the magician. Buatier de Kolta invented several tricks which have made the name of more than one magician. of course. Professional magicians are indebted to amateurs for several good tricks. The trick is always sensational and effective. but the conjurers simplified his method. A bullet. but one evening a draught on the stage caught one of the flowers and blew it into the orchestra. the famous medium. remove the fish. This trick baffled conjurers for a long time. and after many experiments I produced "The Mascot Moth. The "spiritualists" have one very effective trick which they use to prove the presence of spirits. Suddenly the audience would be startled to see a fish caught on the end of the line over their heads. I just picked her up in my arms and she disappeared. The "Bullet-catching Trick" will be fresh in the minds of my readers." He would stand in the center of the stage with a rod and line in his hand and make a cast into the auditorium. I do not believe that any conjurer ever stood in the open air. He has his hands tied together behind his back by a member of the audience. But it never is. The Indian conjurers content themselves with doing a few good tricks and doing them very well." for which every magician has a profound admiration. but I am not a believer in that explanation. The conjurer borrows a ring and retires behind a screen for a moment. Having done this. The drawing-room performer of today has improved on that trick. when they are turned up the assistant sees a knot in the middle of the cord.seal the knots. In Mr. Harry Kellar. Let me add that this bald description does not do justice to the splendid effect Mr. made the name of more than one conjurer. He will have a piece of string tied tightly round both his wrists with about a yard of string between them. A few good tricks have come to us from India. Mr. owes his celebrated "Kellartie" to an idea of the Davenport Brothers. and shows his hands still tied tightly together in their original position. Kellar's hands are still tied behind his back. but never will! I regard the famous Indian rope trick as a myth. to my mind. threw up a rope. The tree puts forth blossoms. for his hand is free. Mr. It is said that the Indian performer of this trick hypnotizes his audience. the assistant holds the other end. In a second he is ready to shake hands with his volunteer assistant. No. The lights are lowered for a few moments. a fact which amateur conjurers should remember. for they originated some excellent ropetying tricks. and then caused a boy to climb up the rope and disappear at the top of it. The Davenport Brothers. Kellar turns round instantly. Kellar. The knots may be sealed. Is it? Mr. including the knot that ties the ring in its place. which develop into fruit in front of the . How does the knot get there? One end is tied tightly round the medium's wrist. is the mango-tree trick. and eventually the first shoot grows into a large tree--by means of a series of very clever substitutions. and the knots on the wrists have not been tampered with. This trick is the forerunner of the orange-tree performed by many European conjurers. Kellar produces with his "tie. Then just as the assistant is wondering if "seeing is believing" he is startled by being patted on the back by Mr. America's most famous magician. it is not done by spiritualism! And the knots are perfectly fair. I rather fancy that my friend. the assistant holds the other end of the cord in his hand. When he emerges the audience sees that the ring is not only on the string but tied on it. Kellar's expert hands it is a most mystifying trick. The tree is made to grow from a seed planted in the ground. made it rigid in that position. The knot must be spirit-tied. He looks round. The best of all Indian tricks. the famous mediums. in which differently coloured liquids. hold one in his hand. Bertram would tear the cover of Tit-Bits in halves. were made to magically separate themselves and reappear in their original places. My version of the trick is as follows: I have three assistants on the stage. for the idea of magically separating two liquids was not mine. borrowed from the audience. He used a wedding-ring. for the trick had never been before done in that form. In one sense I was the inventor. The paper had been converted into a large envelope. Having persuaded someone from the audience to help him in the trick. the famous "handcuff king. together with a piece of sealing-wax. an Englishman. and the wine and milk separate and return to their two goblets. will always be remembered.Bits. claimed this trick as his invention. From this two more sealed envelopes were taken. The innermost one contained the shilling. The two liquids are then poured from the goblets into a third goblet. Suggesting that if he did the trick again his assistant would see how it was done.audience. and in place of a programme the cover of a copy of Tit. Then the flag disappears from the stick and is taken at once from the goblet in which wine and milk were mixed. and one of his own programmes for the trick. the late Charles Bertram. Into one goblet I pour some milk. The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin. The most he can hope to do. In place of the ring Bertram used a shilling. many years ago there was a little trick. borrowed from the audience. For example. One little trick has been doubly famous. I hold a flag. Bertram then rolled the shilling in the paper and gave the parcel to his assistant. closely sealed. a very clever conjurer who performed in London in the 'eighties. Harry Houdini. Finally he would take all six envelopes and hand them to his assistant with the assurance . which are not covered at any time in the trick. The inventor of it was Verbeck. is to eliminate some of the crudities of an old trick and bring it up to modern requirements. Bertram repeated the performance with the remaining half of the cover of Tit-Bits. in another sense I was not the inventor. but my friend. mixed together. The conjurer who sits down to invent a new trick is seldom successful in thinking of an entirely new effect. in nine hundred and ninety-nine cases out of a thousand. on a stick. Robert-Houdin. obviously very mechanical. Each holds a large glass goblet. This is one of the tricks by which my friend. into another some wine. and ask his volunteer assistant to put the shilling on the paper." shows clearly enough in his book. in front of this goblet for half a second. the famous French conjurer. The assistant was asked to touch the back of his hand with the sealingwax and open the parcel. that the trick was invented in the eighteenth century by Christopher Pinchbeck. Mr. that if he looked at them closely he would see how the trick was done. and audiences are still interested in them. A very famous automaton was known as "The Pastry-Cook of the Palais Royal. with fish swimming in them. There are countless other tricks which have been famous in their day and have helped to make conjurers famous. Robert Heller. Another old Chinese trick is the magical production of a number of glass bowls full of water. The audience could ask for any fruit they liked. These three tricks. in which year it was presented by Haddock. have been performed by generations of conjurers all over the world. The suspension of a person in midair is a very old Eastern trick. and several others from the East. It really consists in the performer secretly transmitting a message to his assistant. receive the orders of the audience for any kind of sweetmeat or pastry. Some excellent tricks have come to us from the Chinese." A figure of the pastry-cook would emerge from the model of a confectioner's shop. in the book ! have already mentioned. I have not space even for their names! . "Second sight" is a more modern trick. The trick known as "The Chinese Rings"--in which a number of solid metal rings. an English performer. and yet the Zancigs made a new trick of it when they performed a few years ago at the Alhambra. The six envelopes had been restored to their original state--the cover of Tit-Bits. become linked and unlinked when the conjurer handles them--is still one of the best tricks we have. This was one of Bertram's best tricks and he certainly improved upon the trick as it was originally invented. when Pinetti performed the trick in London. achieved much fame with this trick. Houdini. The assistant would take the parcel and open it. and then go inside and execute them. remain the most popular alike with magicians and the public. Some of the early methods of bringing about this mystery would hardly pass muster today. who used a model of a fruiterer's shop for the trick. And when all is said and done some of the oldest tricks. an Englishman who performed in the middle of the nineteenth century. but in the latter part of the eighteenth century. performed by modern methods. a magician's labors were a little less arduous than they are now. traces this trick back to 1796. examined by the audience.