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ru* 



OLD AND THE 



^WEW MAGIC 




GIFT 
Dr. Horace Gray 



'■.*-^- 




:-:Oif.EPT-HCuii:: 






THE OLD AND THE NEW 



MAGIC 



BY 

H ENRY 
RIDGELY 

EVAN S 



ILLUSTRATED 




11 -.'It r; I ; 



i" 



INTRODUCTION 
BY 

DR. PAUL 

C A R U S 






CHICAGO 

KEGAN PAUL. TRENCH. TRUBNER & CO.. LIMITED. LONDON 
1906 



Copyright 1906 

BY 

The Open Court Publishing Co. 
Chicago 






TO MY GOOD FRIENDS, 

DR. SARAM R. ELLISON, HENRY V. A. PARSELL, 

AND 

ADRIAN PLATE, of New York City, 

THOSE EARNEST COLLECTORS OF MAGICAL LITERATURE 

AND LOVERS OF THE ART OF ESCAMOTAGE, 

AND TO 

M. FELICIEN TREWEY, 

THE EMINENT PRESTIDIGITATEUR, SHADOWGRAPHIST, 

AND MIMIC, OF ASNIERES, FRANCE, 

I DEDICATE THIS BOOK. 



8^;i50 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



PAGE 

Introduction by Dr. Paul Cams ix 

History of Natural Magic and Prestidigitation 1 

The Chevalier Pinetti 23 

Cagliostro: A Study in Charlatanism 42 

Ghost-making Extraordinary 87 

The Romance of Automata 107 

Robert-Houdin : Conjurer, Author and Ambassador .... 123 

Some Old-time Conjurers 160 

The Secrets of Second Sight 188 

The Confessions of an Amateur Conjurer 201 

A Day with Alexander the Great 215 

A Twentieth Century Tliaumaturgist 237 

A Gentleman of Thibet 254 

Magicians I Have Met 271 

The Riddle of the Sphinx 318 

Trewevism 331 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



INTRODUCTION. 

BY DR. PAUL CARUS. 

The very word magic has an alluring sound, and its practic^ 
as an art will probably never lose its attractiveness for people'^ 
minds. But we must remember that there is a difference between 
the old magic and the new, and that both are separated by a 
deep chasm, which is a kind of color line, for though the lattel 
develops from the former in a gradual and natural course of 
evolution, they are radically different in principle, and the new 
magic is irredeemably opposed to the assumptions upon which 
the old magic rests. 

Magic originally meant priestcraft. It is probable that the 
word is very old, being handed down to us from: the Greeks 
and Romans, who had received it from the Persians. But the]^ 
in their turn owe it to the Babylonians, and the Babylonians to 
the Assyrians, and the Assyrians to the Sumero- Akkadians. 

Imga in Akkad meant priest, and the Assyrians changed 
the word to fiiaga, calling their high-priest 'i?a&-;7zar^; and 'con- 
sidering the fact that the main business of priests in ancient 
tfmes consisted in exorcising, fortune-telling, miracle-working, 
and giving out oracles, it seems justifiable to believe that the 
Persian term, which in its Latin version is magus, is derived 
from the Chaldsean and is practically the same ; for the connota- 
tion of a wise man endowed with supernatural powers has 
always been connected with the word magus, and even to-day 
magician means wizard, sorcerer, or miracle-worker. 



X THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

While the behef in, and practice of, magic are not entirely 
absent in the civih'zation of Israel, we find that the leaders of 
orthodox tliougbt had set their faces against it, at least as it 
appeared in its crndest form, and went so far as to persecute 
sorcerers with fire and sword. 

We read in the Bible that when the Lord "'multiplied his 
signs" in Egypt, he sent Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh to turn 



■A 



7>. 



Saul and the Witch of Endor, (After Schnorr von Carolsfeld*) 



their rods into serpents, that the Egyptian magicians vied with 
them in the performance, but that Aaron's rod swallowed up 
their rods, demonstrating thus Aaron's superiority. It is an 
interesting fact that the snake charmers of Eg}-pt perform to-day 
a similar feat, which consists in paralyzing a snake so as to 
render it motionless. The snake then looks Uke a stick, but is 
not rigid. 



Xll 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



How tenacious the idea is that religion is and must be magic, 
appears from the fact that even Christianity shows traces of it. 
In fact, the early Christians (who, we must remember, recruited 
their ranks from the lowly in life) looked upon Christ as a kind 
of magician, and all his older pictures show him with a magi- 
cian's wand in his hand. The resurrection of Lazarus, the 
change of water into wine, the miracle of the loaves and fishes, 
the healing of diseases by casting out devils, and kindred mir- 
acles, according to the notions of those centuries, are performed 
after the fashion of sorcerers. 

The adjoined illustration, one of 
the oldest representations of Christ, 
has been reproduced from Rossi's 
Roma Sotterranca (II, Table 14). It 
is a fresco of the catacombs, discovered 
in the St. Callisto Chapel, and is dated 
by Franz Xaver Kraus (Geschichte 
der christlichcn Kimst, I, p, 153) at 
the beginning of the third century. 
Jesus holds in his left hand the scrip- 
tures, while his right hand grasps the 
wand with which he performs the 
miracle. Lazarus is represented as a 
mummy, while one of his sisters kneels 
at the Saviour's feet. 
Goethe introduces the belief in magic into the very plot of 
Faust. In his despair at never finding the key to the world- 
problem in science, which, as he thinks, does not offer what we 
need, but useless truisms only, Faust hopes to find the royal 
road to knowledge by supernatural methods. He says: 

"Therefore, from Magic I seek assistance, 
That many a secret perchance I reach 
Through spirit-power and spirit-speech, 
And thus the bitter task forego 
Of saying the things I do not know, — 
That I may detect the inmost force 
Which binds the world, and guides its course; 
Its germs, productive powers explore, 
And rummage in empty words no more !" 





E 

^^fc^^ The Egyptian Snake Naja Haje Made Motionxess by Pkessuke 

^^^^^ Upon the Neck 

^^^^H (Reproduced from Venvom after Photographs.) 



XIV THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

Faust follows the will o' the wisp of pseudo-science, and so 
finds his efforts to gain useful knowledge balked. He turns 
agnostic and declares that we cannot know anything worth know- 
ing. He exclaims : 

"That which we do not know is dearly needed; 
And what we need we do not know." 

And in another place : 

"I see that nothing can be known." 

But, having acquired a rich store of experience, Faust, at the 
end of his career, found out that the study of nature is not a 
useless rummage in empty words, and became converted to 
science. His ideal is a genuinely scientific view of nature. He 
says : 

"Not yet have I my liberty made good : 
So long as I can't banish magic's fell creations 
And totally unlearn the incantations. 
Stood I, O Nature, as a man in thee, 
Then were it worth one's while a man to be. 
And such was I ere I with the occult conversed, 
And ere so wickedly the world I cursed." 

To be a man in nature and to fight one's way to liberty is a 
much more dignified position than to go lobbying to the courts 
of the celestials and to beg of them favors. Progress does not 
pursue a straight line, but moves in spirals or epicycles. Periods 
of daylight are followed by nights of superstition. So it hap- 
pened that in the first and second decades of the nineteenth 
century the rationalism of the eighteenth century waned, not to 
make room for a higher rationalism, but to suffer the old bug- 
bears of ghosts and hobgoblins to reappear in a reactionary move- 
ment Faust (expressing here Goethe's owti ideas) continues: 

"Now fills the air so many a haunting shape. 
That no one knows how best he may escape. 
What though the day with rational splendor beams. 
The night entangles us in webs of dreams. 
By superstition constantly ensnared. 
It spooks, gives warnings, is declared. 
Intimidated thus we stand alone. 
The portal jars, yet entrance is there none." 



INTRODUCTION XV 

The aim of man is his liberty and independence. As soon 
as we understand that there are no spooks that must be con- 
ciliated by supplications and appeased, but that we stand in nature 
from which we have grown in constant interaction between our 
own aspirations and the natural forces regulated by law, we 
shall have confidence in our own faculties, which can be increased 
by investigation and a proper comprehension of conditions, and 
we shall no longer look beyond but around. Faust says : 

"A fool who to the Beyond his eyes directeth 
And over the clouds a place of peers detecteth. 
Firm must man stand and look around him well, 
The world means something to the capable." 

This manhood of man, to be gained by science through the 
conquest of all magic, is the ideal which the present age is striv- 
ing to attain, and the ideal has plainly been recognized by leaders 
of human progress. The time has come for us "to put away 
childish things," and to relinquish the beliefs and practices of 
the medicine-man. 

The old magic is sorcery, or, considering the impossibility 
of genuine sorcery, the attempt to practise sorcery. It is based 
upon the pre-scientific world-conception, which in its primitive 
stage is called animism, imputing to nature a spiritual life analo- 
gous to our own spirit, and peopling the world with individual 
personalities, spirits, ghosts, goblins, gods, devils, ogres, gnomes 
and fairies. The old magic stands in contrast to science; it 
endeavors to transcend human knowledge by supernatural meth- 
ods and is based upon the hope of working miracles by the 
assistance of invisible presences or intelligences, who, according 
to this belief, could be forced or coaxed by magic into an alli- 
ance. The savage believes that the evil influence of the powers 
of nature can be averted by charms or talismans, and their aid 
procured by proper incantations, conjurations and prayers. 

The world-conception of the savage is long-lingering, and 
its influence does not subside instantaneously with the first 
appearance of science. The Middle Ages are full of magic, and 
the belief in it has not died out to this day. 

The old magic found a rival in science and has in all its 
aspects, in religion as well as in occultism, in mysticism and 
obscurantism, treated science as its hereditary enemy. It is now 



XVI THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

succumbing in the fight, but in the meantime a new magic has 
originated and taken the place of the old, performing miracles 
as wonderful as those of the best conjurers of former days, nay, 
more wonderful; yet these miracles are accomplished with the 
help of science and without the least pretense of supernatural 
power. 

The new magic originated from the old magic when the 
belief in sorcery began to break down in the eighteenth century, 
which is the dawn of rationalism and marks the epoch since 
which mankind has been systematically working out a scientific 
world-conception. 

In primitive society religion is magic, and priests are magi- 
cians. The savage would think that if the medicine-man could 
not work miracles there would be no use for religion. Religion, 
however, does not disappear with the faith in the medicine-man's 
power. When magic becomes discredited by science, religion 
is purified. We must know, though, that religious reforms of 
this kind are not accomplished at once, but come on gradually in 
slow process of evolution, first by disappointment and then in 
exultation at the thought that the actualities of science are 
higher, nobler and better than the dreams of superstition, even 
if they were possible, and thus it appears that science comes to 
falfil, not to destroy. 

Science has been pressed into the service of magic by ancient 
pagan priests, who utilized mechanical contrivances in their 
temples to impress the credulous with the supernatural power 
of their gods. 

The magic lantern, commonly supposed to be an invention 
of the Jesuit Kircher, in 1671, must have been secretly known 
among the few members of the craft of scientific magic at least 
as early as the end of the middle ages, for we have an old draw- 
ing, which is here reproduced, showing that it was employed 
in warfare as a means of striking terror in the ranks of the 
enemy. We have no information as to the success of the strata- 
gem, but we may assume that in the days of a common belief 
in witchcraft and absolute ignorance of the natural sciences, it 
must have been quite effective with superstitious soldiers. 



XVni THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

While magic as superstition and as fraud is doomed, magfic 
as an art will not die. Science will take hold of it and permeate 
it with its own spirit, changing it into scientific magic which is 
destitute of all mysticism, occultism and superstition, and comes 
to us as a witty play for our recreation and diversion. 

It is an extraordinary help to a man to be acquainted with 
the tricks of prestidigitateurs, and we advise parents not to neg- 
lect this phase in the education of their children. The present 
age is laying the basis of a scientific world-conception, and it is, 
perhaps, not without good reasons that it has produced quite a 
literature on the subject of modern magic. 

It might seem that if the public became familiar with the 
methods of the magicians who give public entertainments, their 
business would be gone. But this is not the case. As a peep 
behind the scenes and a knowledge of the machinery of the 
stage only help us to appreciate scenic effects, so an insight into 
the tricks of the prestidigitateur will only serve to whet our 
appetite for seeing him perform his tricks. The prestidigitateur 
will be forced to improve his tricks before an intelligent audi- 
ence; he will be obliged to invent new methods, but not to 
abandon his art. 

Moreover, it is not the trick alone that we admire, but the 
way in which it is performed. Even those who know how things 
can be made to disappear by sleight of hand, must confess that 
they always found delight in seeing the late Alexander Herr- 
mann, whenever he began a soiree, take off his gloves, roll them 
up and make them vanish as if into nothingness. 

It is true that magic in the old sense is gone; but that need 
not be lamented. The coarseness of Cagliostro's frauds has 
given way to the elegant display of scientific inventiveness and 
an adroit use of human wit. Traces of the religion of magic are 
still prevalent to-day, and it will take much patient work before 
the last remnants of it are swept away. The notions of magic 
still hold in bondage the minds of the uneducated and half- 
educated, and even the leaders of progress feel themselves now 
and then hampered by ghosts and superstitions. 

We believe that the spread of modern magic and its proper 
comprehension are an important sign of progress, and in this 



INTRODUCTION 



XIX 



sense the feats of our Kellars and Herrmanns are a work of 
religious significance. They are instrumental in dispelling the 
fogs of superstition by exhibiting to the public the astonishing 
but natural miracles of the art of legerdemain; and while they 
amuse and entertain they fortify the people in their conviction 
of the reliability of science. 

In speaking of modern magic, we refer to the art of the 
prestidigitateur, and exclude from its domain the experiments 
of hypnotism as well as the vulgar lies of fraud. There is no 
magic in the psychosis of an hysterical subject, who at the 
h)rpnotizer's suggestion becomes the prey of hallucinations; nor 



^t 






<i 



♦j? 



St 



> A 






\ 4 



Zoixxer's Tllusiox 

is there any art in the dece[>tion5 of the fortune-teller, whf>sc 
business will vanish when the public cea=^e< to Ixi credulous and 
superstitious. The former 15 a disease, the latter mostly fraud 
Magic proper H. e., the artifices of prestidigitation; is pro- 
duced by a combination of three factors : ( \ ) legerdemain 
proper, or sleight of hand: (2) psychological illusions, and ^3; 
surprising feats of natural science with cle'v'er a/nc/:alment of 
their true causes. The success of alm^^rst every trick dejiendn 
upon the introduction of these three i^itt/yr^. 

The throwing of cards is mere dexterity; 7J'Aintr^^ fanrv/u.^ 
figures of parallel lines having an apparent inclination U>w^r4 



XX THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

one another is a pure sense-illusion (see cut here reproduced) ; 
so is the magical swing; while fire-eating (or better, fire-breath- 
ing) is a purely physical experiment. But it goes without say- 
ing that there is scarcely any performance of genuine prestidigi- 
tation which is not a combination of all three elements. The 
production of a bowl of water with living fishes in it is a com- 
bination of dexterity with psychology. 

The trick with the glass dial (which is now exhibited by 
both Mr. Kellar and Mr. Herrmann, the nephew of the late 
Alexander Herrmann) is purely physical. The machinery used 
by them is entirely different, but in either case no sleight of hand 
nor any psychological diversion is needed, except in letting the 
accomplice behind the stage know the number to which he should 
point. 

As an instance of a wonderful trick which is a mere sense- 
illusion we mention the magic swing, which is explained by 
Albert A. Hopkins in his comprehensive book on magic^ as 
follows : 

"Those who are to participate in the apparent gyrations of the swing — and 
there may be quite a number who enjoy it simultaneously — are ushered into a 
small room. From a bar crossing the room, near the ceiling, hangs a large 
swing, which is provided with seats for a number of people. After the people 
have taken their places, the attendant pushes the car and it starts into oscilla- 
tion like any other swing. The room door is closed. Gradually those in it 
feel after three or four movements that their swing is going rather high, but 
this is not all. The apparent amplitude of the oscillations increases more and 
more, until presently the whole swing seems to whirl completely over, describ- 
ing a full circle about the bar on which it hangs. To make the thing more 
utterly mysterious, the bar is bent crank fashion, the swing continues appar- 
ently to go round and round this way, imparting a most weird sensation to 
the occupants, until its movements begin gradually to cease and the complete 
rotation is succeeded by the usual back and forth swinging. The door of the 
room is opened, and the swinging party leave. Those who have tried it say the 
sensation is most peculiar. 

"The illusion is based on the movements of the room proper. During the 
entire exhibition the swing is practically stationary, while the room rotates 
about the suspending bar. At the beginning of operations the swing may be 
given a slight push; the operators outside the room then begin to swing the 
room itself, which is really a large box journaled on the swing bar, starting 

iMagic, Stage Illusions, and Scientific Diversions, Including Trick Pho- 
tography. Compiled and edited by Albert A. Hopkins. With 400 illustrations. 
New York : Munn & Co. 1898. 



INTRODUCTION 



xxin 



wall, of the cupboard full of chinaware, of the chair with a hat on it, and of 
the baby carriage. All contribute to the mystification. Even though one is 
informed of the secret before entering the swing, the deception is said to be 
so complete that passengers involuntarily seize the arms of the seats to avoid 
being precipitated below." 

The illusion is purely an instance of misguided judgment, 
which is commonly but erroneously called illusion of the senses, 
and belongs to the same category as the well-known Zollner 
figures mentioned above and consisting of heavy lines crossed 
slantingly by lighter lines. The heavy lines are parallel but 
appear to diverge in the direction of the slant. 




The Sword-Trick. 

Another very ingenious trick consists in apparently stabbing 
a man to death, the bloody end of the sword appearing at the 
back, yet leaving the man uninjured. Since the audience natur- 
ally will suspect that the point emerging from the back is not 
the true end of the sword, the trick has been altered to the 
effect of replacing the sword with a big needle (A), having tape 
threaded through its eye. When the assassin's needle has passed 
through the victim, it can be pulled out at the other side, together 
with the tape, where it appears reddened with blood. The stab- 
bing, when performed quickly, before the spectator begins to 



XXIV THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

notice that the blade is somewhat reduced in size, is most start- 
ling, and makes a deep impression on the audience ; but the arti- 
fice through which the manipulation is rendered possible is 
very simple. The sword, or needle, used for the purpose, is 
made of a very thin and flexible plate of steel, sufficiently blunt 
to prevent it from doing any harm. The victim, as if trying 
to ward off the dangerous weapon, takes hold of it and causes 
it to slip into the opening of a concealed sheath (B), which he 
carries strapped around his body, whereupon the assassin makes 
his thrust. The interior of the sheath contains a red fluid, which 
dyes the blade and helps to make the deception complete. The 
accompanying illustration sufficiently explains the performance 

* * * 

While the performance of magical tricks is an art, the obser- 
vation of them and also their description is a science, pre- 
supposing a quick and critical eye, of which very few people are 
possessed; and scientists by profession are sometimes the least 
fit persons to detect the place and mode of the deception. 

How differently different persons watch the same events be- 
comes apparent when we compare Professor Zollner's reports of 
spiritualistic seances with those of other more critical witnesses. 
Professor Zollner, for instance, writes (Wisscnschaftliche Ah- 
handl,. Vol. Ill, p. 354) in his description of one of the experi- 
ments with the famous American medium. Dr. Slade, that Pro- 
fessor Fechner's chair was lifted up about half a foot above the 
ground, while Dr. Slade touched the back of it lightly with his 
hand, and he emphasizes that his colleague, after hovering some 
time in the air, was suddenly dropped with great noise. The 
event as thus described is mystifying. However, when we care- 
fully compare Professor Fechner's account, we come to the 
conclusion that the whole proceeding is no longer miraculous, 
but could be repeated by prestidigitateurs. Fechner writes that 
at the request of Dr. Slade, he himself (Professor Fechner), 
who was slim and light, took the place of Professor Braune. 
Dr. Slade turned round to Professor Fechner and bore his chair 
upward in a way which is not at all inexplicable by the methods 
of legerdemain. Professor Fechner does not mention that he 
hovered for some time in the air, but it is obvious that Dr. Slade 



XXVI THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

Mr. Carl Willmann, a manufacturer of magical apparatus at 
Hamburg, and the author of several books on modem magic, 
publishes a circumstantial description of Professor Zollner's 
double slates used in seances with Dr. Slade, which are now in 
possession of X)r. Borcherdt of Hamburg, who bought them, 
with other objects of interest, from the estate of the deceased 
Professor Zollner. The seals of these slates are by no means 
so intact as not to arouse the suspicion that they have been 
tampered with. To a superficial inspection they appear unbroken, 
but the sealing wax shows vestiges of finger marks, and Mr. 
Willmann has not the slightest doubt that the slates were opened 
underneath the seals with a thin heated wire, and that the seals 
were afterwards replaced. 




The Opening of Slade's Sjuate by Means of a Heated Wire. 
(After Willmann.) 

Professor Zollner, the most famous victim of the bold me- 
dium, lacked entirely the necessary critical faculty, and became 
an easy prey of fraud. One of his colleagues, a professor of 
surgery in the University of Leipsic, had entered upon a bet 
with Professor Zollner that a slate carefully sealed and watched 
by himself .could not be written upon by spirits ; he had left the 
slate in Professor Zollner's hands in the confidence that the latter 
would use all necessary precautions. Professor Zollner, how- 
ever, not finding Dr. Slade at home, saw nothing wrong in 
leaving the sealed slate at the medium's residence and thus allow- 
ing it to pass for an indefinite time out of his own control, think- 
ing that the seals were a sufficient protection. It goes without 
saying that his colleague at once cancelled the bet and took no 
more interest in the experiment. 



INTRODUCTION XXVll 

The foot and hand prints which Dr. Slade produced were 
apparently made from celkiloid impressions, which could easily 
be carried about and hidden in the pocket. This explains why 
these vestiges of the spirit were not of the size of Dr. Slade's 
hands or feet. 

Mr. Willmann* calls attention to the fact that the footprints, 
as published by Professor Zollner, were made from feet whose 
stockings had been removed but a few moments before, for 
they still show the meshes of the knitting which quickly disappear 
as soon as the skin of the foot grows cold. Professor Zollner 
did not see such trifles, and yet they are important, even if it 
were for the mere purpose of determining whether the spirits 
wear stockings made in Germany or x\merica. 
* * * 

The accounts of travelers are, as a rule, full of extravagant 
praise of the accomplishments of foreign magicians; thus, the 
feats of our American Indians are almost habitually greatly 
exaggerated. The same is true in a greater measure of fakirs 
and Hindu magicians. Recent accounts of a famous traveler 
are startling, but the problem is not whether or not what he 
tells is true (for only a little dose of good judgment is sufficient 
to recognize their impossibility), but whether or not he believes 
his tales himself. The problem is neither physical nor historical 
as to the reality of the events narrated; the problem is purely 
psychological as to his own state of mind. 

The primitive simplicity of the methods of the Hindu jug- 
glers and the openness of the theatre where they perform their 
tricks cause wonderment to those who are not familiar with 
the methods of legerdemain. Mr. Willmann, who had occasion 
to watch Hindu magicians, says in his book, Modernc Wundcr, 
page 3 : "After a careful investigation, it becomes apparent that 
the greatest miracles of Indian conjurers are much more insig- 
nificant than they appear in the latest reports of travelers. The 
descriptions which in our days men of science have furnished 
about the wonderful tricks of fakirs, have very little value in the 
shape in which they are rendered. If they, for instance, speak 
with admiration about the invisible growth of a flower before 
their very eyes, produced from the seed deposited by a fakir in 



XXVttl THE OLD AXD THE NEW MAGIC 

a flower-pot, they prove only that even men of science can be 
duped by a little trick the practice of which lies without the pale 
of their own experience." 

Eye-witnesses whose critical capacities are a safeguard against 
imposition, relate more plausible stories. John T. McCutcheon 
describes the famous trick of growing a mango tree, as follows : 

"The further away from India one is the greater appears the skill of these 
Hindu magicians. How often have we read the traveler's tales ahout the 
feats of Indian jugglers, and how eagerly we have looked forward to the time 
when we might behold them and be spellbound with amazement and surprise. 
When I first saw the Indian juggler beginning the preparations for the mango 
trick I was half prepared by the traveler's tales to see a graceful tree spring 




The Singalese Conjurer Ben-Ki-Bey. 
(After Carl Willmann.) 

quickly into life and subsequently see somebody climb it and pick quantities 
of nice, ripe mangoes. Nothing of the kind happened, as will be seen by the 
following description of the mango trick as it is really performed : 

"The juggler, with a big bag of properties, arrived on the scene and im- 
mediately began to talk excitedly, meanwhile unpacking various receptacles 
taken from the bag. He squatted down, piped a few notes on a wheezy reed 
whistle and the show began. From his belongings he took a little tin can 
about the size of a cove oyster can, filled it with dirt and saturated the dirt 
with water. Then he held up a mango seed to show that there was nothing 
concealed by his sleeves; counted *ek, do, tin, char,' or 'one, two, three, four/ 
and imbedded the seed in the moist earth. He spread a large cloth over the 
can and several feet of circumjacent ground. Then he played a few more 
notes on his reed instrument and allowed the seed a few minutes in which 
to take root and develop into a glorious shade tree. While he was waiting he 



INTRODUCTION 



XXIX 



unfolded some snakes from a small liasket, took a mongoose from a bag and 
entertained his audience with a combat betv^^een the mongoose and one of 
the snakes. 

"*Ek, do, tin, char; one, two, three, fonr — plenty fight — very good mon- 
goose — biga snake — four rnpce mongoose — two rnpee snake — mongoose fight 
snake. Look — getitlymans — plenty big fight/ 

"All this time the cloth remained peaceful and quiet, and there w^cre no 
uneasy movements of its folds to indicate that the mango crop was flourishing. 
The juggler now turned his attention to it, however, poked his hands under 
the cloth, and after a few seconds of mysterious fnmhling triumphantly threw 
off the cloth, and lo ! there was a little bunch of leaves about as big as a sprig 



k*^\^^ 



:?&. 



PS^-f 



'-S^^.^^'^^i 



hs^'^ 



^ism- 



Modern Snake Charmers, (From Brehm,) 



of water cress sticking up dejectedly from the damp earth. This was straight- 
way deluged with some water and the clolh again thrown over it, 

**Once more there was a diversion. This time an exhibition of a shell 
game, in which the juggler showed considerable dexterity in placing the little 
ball where you didn*t tliink it would be. Still the cloth revealed no disposi- 
tion to bulge skywmrd, and a second time the juggler fumbled under it, talking 
hurriedly in Hindustani and making the occasion as interesting as possible. 
After much poking around he finally threw off the cloth with a glad cry, and 
there was a mango tree a foot high, with adult leaves which glistened with 
moisture, When his spectators had gazed at it for awhile he pulled the little 
tree up by the roots^ and there was a mango seed attached, with the little 
sprouts springing out from it. 

'The trick was over, the juggler's harvest of rupees and annas began, and 
soon his crowd faded away. A few minutes later, from a half-hidden seat 



XXX THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

on the hotel veranda, I saw the wizard over across the street, beneath the big 
shade trees, folding up the mango tree and tucking it compactly into a 
small bag." I 

To conjure ghosts has always been the highest ambition of 
performers of magical tricks, and we know that the magic lan- 
tern has been used for this purpose since mediaeval days, bui 
modern necromancy has been brought to perfection by Robert- 
son and Pepper, through the invention of a simple contrivance, 
known under the name of Pepper's ghost, by which impalpable 
specters become plainly visible to the astonished eyes of the 
spectators. 

For a description of these performances, as well as many 
other feats in the same line, we refer to Mr. Evans' fascinating 
explanations in the body of the present volume. 

Tricks performed by mediums are in one respect quite differ- 
ent from the feats of prestidigitateurs ; if they come up to the 
standards, they are, or might be, based upon the psychic disposi- 
tions of people. Believers will gladly be caught in the traps set 
for them and are, as a rule, grateful for the deception, while 
determined unbelievers will either prove altogether hopeless or 
will become so bewildered as to be likely to become believers. 
Sleight of hand is alv/ays a valuable aid to the medium; but, 
as tricks pure and simple, mediumistic seances are not different 
from the performances of prestidigitateurs, and differ only in 
this, that they claim to be done with the assistance of spirits. 
Mediums must be on the lookout and use different methods as 
the occasion may require. They produce rappings with their 
hands or their feet,* or with mechanical devices hidden in their 
shoes ; neither do they scorn the use of rapping tables with con- 
cealed batteries and electric wires. 

The instances here adduced are sufficient to show that even 
the most complete deceptions admit of explanations which, in 
many instances, are much simpler than the spectators think. 

I Chicago Record, April 22, 1899. 

♦One of the Fox sisters could produce rappings through a peculiar con- 
struction of the bones of her foot, and Cumberland's big toe was blessed 
with a tendon of its own, enabling him to rap the floor quite vigorously with- 
out being detected. 



INTRODUCTION 



XXXI 



Neither the marvelous feats of prestidigitatenrs nor the surpris- 
ing revelations of mediums should shake our confidence in science 

• or make us slaves of superstition. The success of modern magic, 
which accomplishes more than the old magic or sorcery ever did, 
is a sufficient guaraiUee of the reliability of reason, and even 

I where ''now we see through a glass darkly," we must remain 
confident that when we grow in wisdom and comprehension 
we shall learn to see **face to face.'* 



The Conjurer. {By Prof. W. Zimmer.) 



^H For all these reasons, knowledge of magic and its history, 
^H the false pretenses of the old magic and the brilliant success of 
^^ modern magic should have a place in our educational program. 
I do not advocate its introduction into schools, but would 
recommend parents to let their children become acquainted with 
the remarkalile performances of the best and greatest among 
modem magicians. We all should know something of the gen- 
eral methods of magic, and some time in our lives witness the 




XXXll THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

extraordinary feats, bordering on miracles, with which a pres- 
tidigitateur can dazzle our eyes and misguide our judgment. 

Modern magic is not merely a diversion or a recreation, 
but may become possessed of a deeper worth when it broadens 
our insight into the rich possibilities of mystification, while a 
peep behind the scenes will keep us sober and prevent us from 
falling a prey to superstition. 



HISTORY OF 
NATURAL MAGIC AND PRESTIDIGITATION. 



"Therefore made I a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before 
me. . . . Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and 
the soothsayers." — Dan. iv., 6-7. 

"What, Sir ! you dare to make so free, 
And play your hocus-pocus on us !" 

— Goethe: Faust, Scene V. 



The art of natural magic dates back to the remotest antiquity. 
There is an Egyptian papyrus* in the British Museum whicli 
chronicles a magical seance given by a certain Tchatcha-em-ankh 
before King Khufu, B. C. 3766. The manuscript says of the 
wizard: "He knoweth how to bind on a head which hath been 
cut off; he knoweth how to make a lion follow him as if led by 
a rope; and he knoweth the number of the stars of the house 
(constellation) of Thoth/' It will be seen from this that the 
decapitation trick was in vogue ages ago, while the experiment 
with the lion, which is unquestionably a hypnotic feat, shows 
hypnotism to be very ancient indeed. Ennemoser, in his History 
of Magic, devotes considerable space to Egyptian thaumaturgy, 
especially to the wonders wrought by animal magnetism, which 
in the hands of the priestly hierarchy must have been miracles 
indeed to the uninitiated. All that was known of science was in 

♦Westcar papyrus, XVIII dynasty; about B. C. 1550. In this ancient 
manuscript are stories which date from the early empire. "They are as old," 
says Budge {Egyptian Magic, London, 1899), "as the Great Pyramid." 



2 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

possession of the guardians of the temples, who frequently used 
their knowledge of natural phenomena to gain ascendancy over 
the ignorant multitude. 

An acquaintance with stage machinery and the science of 
optics and acoustics was necessary to the production of the many 
marvelous effects exhibited. Every temple in Egypt and Greece 
was a veritable storehouse of natural magic. Thanks to ancient 
writers like Heron of Alexandria, Philo of Byzantium, and the 
Fathers of the early Christian Church, we are able to fathom 
some of the secrets of the old thaumaturgists. The magi of the 
temples were adepts in the art of phantasmagoria. In the ancient 
temple of Hercules at Tyre, Pliny states that there was a seat of 
consecrated stone "from which the gods easily rose." 

In the temple at Tarsus, Esculapius showed himself to the 
devout. Damascius says: "In a manifestation, which ought not 
to be revealed, . . . there appeared on the wall of a temple a 
mass of light, which at first seemed to be very remote ; it trans- 
formed itself, in coming nearer, into a face evidently divine and 
supernatural, of severe aspect, but mixed with gentleness and 
extremely beautiful. According to the institutions of a myste- 
rious religion the Alexandrians honored it as Osiris and Adonis." 

By means of concave mirrors, made of highly polished metal, 
the priests were able to project images upon walls, in the air, or 
upon the smoke arising from burning incense. In speaking of 
the art of casting specula of persons upon smoke, the ingenious 
Salverte says: "The Theurgists caused the appearance of the 
gods in the air in the midst of gaseous vapors disengaged from 
fire. Porphyrus admires this secret; lamblichus censures the 
employment of it, but he confesses its existence and grants it to 
be worthy the attention of the inquirer after truth. The Theur- 
gist Maximus undoubtedly made use of a secret analogous to 
this, when, in the fumes of the incense which he burned before 
the statute of Hecate, the image was seen to laugh so naturally 
as to fill the spectators with terror." 

A. Rich, in his Dictionary of Roman and Greek Antiquities, 
relates, under the heading of the word "Adytum," that many 
of the ancient temples possessed chambers the existence of which 
was known only to the priests, and which served for the produc- 



HISTORY OF NATURAL MAGIC 3 

tion of their illusions. He visited one at Alba, upon the lake of 
Fucius. It was located amid the ruins of a temple, and was in 
a perfect state of preservation. This chamber of mysteries was 
formed under the apsis — that is to say, under the large semi- 
circular niche which usually sheltered the image of the god, at 
the far extremity of the edifice. "One part of this chamber," 
says he, "is sunk beneath the pavement of the principal part of 
the temple (cella) and the other rises above it. The latter, 
then, must have appeared to the worshipers gathered together 
in the temple merely like a base that occupied the lower portion 
of the apsis, and that was designed to hold in an elevated posi- 
tion the statue of the god or goddess whose name was borne by 
the edifice. This sanctuary, moreover, had no door or visible 
communication that opened into the body of the building. En- 
trance therein was effected through a secret door in an enclosure 
of walls at the rear of the temple. It was through this that the 
priests introduced themselves and their machinery without being 
observed by the hoi polloi. But there is one remarkable fact 
that proves beyond the shadow of a doubt the purpose of the 
adytum. One discovers here a number of tubes or pipes which 
pierce the walls between the hiding-place and the interior of the 
temple. These tubes debouch at different places in the partitions 
of the cella, and thus permit a voice to be heard in any part 
of the building, while the person and place from which the sound 
issues remain unknown to the auditors." 

Sometimes the adytum was simply a chamber situated behind 
the apsis, as in a small temple which was still in existence at 
Rome in the sixteenth century. An architect named Labbacco 
has left us a description of the edifice. Travelers who have 
visited the remains of the temple of Ceres, at Eleusis, have 
observed a curious fact. The pavement of the cella is rough and 
unpolished, and much lower than the level of the adjacent porch, 
thereby indicating that a wooden floor, on a level with the por- 
tico, covered the present floor, and hid from view a secret vault 
designed to operate the machinery that moved the flooring. 
This view is confirmed by vertical and horizontal grooves, and 
the holes constructed in the side walls. Similar contrivances 
existed in India. Philostratus, in his Life of Apollonius (i, III^ 



4 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

Ch. v), says: "The Indian sages conducted Apollonius toward 
the temple of their god, marching in solemn procession and sing- 
ing sacred hymns. Occasionally they would strike the earth in 
cadence with their staves, whereupon the ground moved like a 
sea in turmoil, now rising with them to the height of almost 
two feet, then subsiding to its regular level." The blows from 
the wands were evidently the cue for the concealed assistants to 
operate the machinery that moved the soil. Says Brown, in his 
Stellar Theology: "Among the buildings uncovered at Pompeii 
is a temple of Isis, which is a telltale of the mysteries of the 
Egyptian deity, for the secret stair which conducted the priests 
unseen to an opening back of the statue of the goddess, through 
whose marble lips pretended oracles were given and warnings 
uttered, now lies open to the day, and reveals the whole impo- 
sition.'' 

The Bible has preserved to us the story of the struggle of 
Daniel with the priests of Bel, in which the secret door played 
its part. The Hebrew prophet refused to worship the idol Bel, 
whereupon the King said to him : "Doth not Bel seem to thee 
to be a living god? Seest thou not how much he eateth and 
drinketh every day?" Then Daniel smiled and said: "O King, 
be not deceived; for this is but clay within and brass without, 
neither hath he eaten at any time.'' The King sent for his priests 
and demanded the truth of them, declaring his intention of put- 
ting them to the sword should they fail to demonstrate the fact 
that the god really consumed the offerings of meat and wine. 
And the priests of Bel said : "Behold, we go out ; and do thou, 
O King, set on the meats, and make ready the wine, and shut 
the door fast, and seal it with thy own ring. And when thou 
comest in the morning, if thou findest not that Bel hath eaten 
up all, we will suffer death, or else Daniel that hath lied against 
us." And they "little regarded it, because they had made under 
the table a secret entrance, and they always came in by it, and 
consumed those things." 

Daniel detected the imposture in a very original manner. 
He caused ashes to be sifted upon the floor of the temple, 
whereby the footsteps of the false priests were made manifest to 
the enraged King of Babylon. 



HISTORY OF NATURAL MAGIC 5 

One reads in Pausanias (Arcadia, i VIII, Ch. xvi) that at 
Jerusalem the sepulcher of a woman of that country, named 
Helena, had a door which was of marble like the rest of the 
monument, and that this door opened of itself on a certain day 
of the year, and at a certain hour, by means of concealed 
machinery, thus antedating our time-locks. Eventually it closed 
itself. **At any other time," adds the author, "if you had desired 
to open it, you would have more easily broken it." 

When Aeneas went to consult the Cumaean Sibyl, the hun- 
dred doors of the sanctuary opened of themselves, in order that 
the oracle might be heard. 

"Ostia jamque domus patuere ingentia centum 
Sponte sua, vatisque ferunt responsa per auras." 




APPARATUS FOR BLOWING A TRUMPET ON OPENING 
A DOOR. 



According to Pliny, the doors of the labyrinth of Thebes 
were constructed in such a manner that when they were opened 
a sound resembling that of thunder greeted the astonished wor- 
shipers. 

Heron, in his Pneumatics, describes an apparatus for blowing 
a trumpet on opening the drx^r of a temple, the effect oi which 
must have been awe inspiring to the uninitiated common people. 

It is hardly necessary to give a detailed translation of the 
text of the Greek engineer, as the modus operandi of the experi- 
ment is sufficiently explained by refcrctire to the descriptive 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



picture. It will suffice to add: One sees that when the door of 
the temple is opened, a system of cords, rods and pulleys causes 
a hemispherical cap, to the upper part of which the trumpet is 
attached, to sink into a vase full of water. The air compressed 
by the water escapes through the instrument, causing it to sound. 



liimttmiimuimttttitiU 



^m^kPi^^j 



mm 




MF-CHANISM WHICH CAUSKD THE TKMPLE DOORS TO OPEN WHEN A 
FIRE WAS LIGHTED ON THE ALTAR. 

Another remarkable device is described in the Pneumatics 
of Heron, and consists of an apparatus which is entitled : ''Con- 
struction of a chapel wherein, when Hre is lighted upon the altar, 
the doors open, and zvhen it is extinguished, they close," 



HISTORY OF NATURAL MAGIC ^ 

The altar is hollow, and when a fire is lighted thereon, the 
air contained in the interior expands and begins to press upon 
the water with which the globe situated beneath is filled. The 
water then rises through a bent tube which leads to a species of 
pot, into which it falls. The pot is suspended upon a cord which 
passes along a pulley, doubling immediately, in order to enroll 
itself about two cylinders, which turn upon pivots, said cylinders 




EGYPTIAN AT.TAR 



forming the prolongation of the axes upon which the doors 
above turn. Around the same cylinders are enrolled in a con- 
trary manner, two other cords, which also unite into one before 
passing along a pulley, and then hanging vertically for the sup- 
port of a counterpoise. 

It is clear that when the water from the globe enters the 
pot, the weight of the latter will be augmented and it will sink, 
pulling upon the cord which has been wound about the cylinders 



8 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



in such a way as to cause the doors to open, when it is drawn in 
this direction. 

The doors close themselves in the following manner: The 
bent tube, which places in communication the globe and the 
pot, forms a siphon, the longest branch of which plunges into 
the globe. When the fire is extinguished upon the altar, the 
air contained in the latter and in the globe, cools, and diminishes 
in volume. The water in the pot is then drawn into the globe, 




HOW THE STATUES WERE MADE TO POUR LIBATIONS WflEN 
A FIRE WAS KINDLED ON THE ALTAR. 



and the siphon, being thus naturally influenced, operates until 
the water in the pot has passed over into the globe. In measure 
as the pot lightens, it remounts under the constraint of the coun- 
terpoise, and the latter, in its descent, closes the doors through 
the intermedium of the cords wound around the cylinders. 

Heron says that mercury was sometimes used in place of 
water, by reason of its superior weight. 



HISTORY OF NATURAL MAGIC () 

Certain altars were provided with such mechaiiisni avS to 
afford to the faithful even more astonishing spectacles. Here is 
another experiment from the learned Heron: 

''To construct an altar so that zclicn one kindles the fire 
thereon, the statues zvhich are at the sides shall pour out liba- 
tions/' 

There should be a pedestal, upon which are placed Ihc statues, 
and an altar closed on all sides. The pedestal should communi- 
cate with the altar through a central tube, also with the statues 
by means of tubes, the ends of the latter terminating in cups 
held by the statues. Water is poured into the pedestal through 
a hole, which is stopped up immediately afterward. 

If, then, a fire be kindled upon the altar, the air within ex- 
panding, will penetrate the pedestal and force out the water; 
but the latter, having no other outlet than the tubes, mounts 
into the cups and the statues thus perform libations, which last 
as long as the fire does. Upon the fire being extinguished, the 
libations cease, and recommence as many times as it is rekindled. 

The tube through which the heat is conveyed should l>e 
larger at the middle than at the extremities, io alk>w the heat, 
or more especially, the draft, which it prr>duces, tr> accumulate 
in an inflation, in order to be most effectual. 

The priests of the temples of old were truly masters of the 
arts of mechanics and pneumatics. 

According to Father Kircher (Oed, Ae^ypt., Vol. H), an 
author, whom he calls Bitho, states that there was at Sai^ a 
temple of Minerva containing an altar r.fx^n which, when a ftre 
was kindled, Dion^-sos and Artemis ^Bacchus and Diana; p*^>tirerl 
out milk and wine, while a dragon hissed. The iBe of steam i^ 
indicated here. 

The Jesuit savant possesi^ed in his museum an ;?f/f>ara*u> 
which probably came from some ancient F^$^ypti;m ferrjp>. ff 
consisted of a hollow hemrspherical dr>m<^ ^ftf>^/>rf^/'l by foitr 
columns, and placed over the image of fh<^, <//>AAf^^ of ff>^ ni»mf r- 
ous breasts. To two of the cr>InmrK w<^r«^ ;idjiRf<f'd rnov^M<^ 
holders, upon which. lamp^ were fix:M. 7h<^ F»^rr»i«jf>f»^r^ w«^ 
hermetically closed beneath by a m^M'\t, i>ht^, 'I hA ^atm]] ^If^r , 
into which the trrilk was poared^ crjmmuri'i^^t^A wifh fbA lof^f |/rf 



lO 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



of the Statue by a tube reaching nearly to the bottom; it was 
also connected with the hollow dome by a tube having a double 
bend. At the moment of sacrifice, the two lamps, which were 
turned by means of movable holders directly beneath the lower 
plate of the dome, were lighted, thereby causing the air inclosed 




TBB MIRACULOUS STATUE OP CYBELB. 



in the dome to expand. This expanded air, passing through 
the tube, pressed upon the milk shut within the altar, forcing it 
to ascend the straight tube into the interior of the statue and up 
to the height of the breasts of the goddess. A series of little 
ducts, branching off from the principal tube, conveyed the liquid 
into the breasts. From these mammary glands of bronze the 



HISTORY OF NATURAL MAGIC 



II 



lacteal fluid streamed out, to the great admiration of the spec- 
tators, who believed that a miracle had taken place. When the 
sacrifice was finished, the lamps were extinguished by the attend- 
ant priest of the shrine, and the milk ceased to flow. 

There were many other mechanical devices of great interest, 
such as the miraculous vessels used in the temples of Egypt and 
Greece, and the apparatus that formed part of the Grecian 
puppet-shows and other theatrical performances ; but these hardly 
come within the scope of this chapter. Philo of Byzantium and 
Heron of Alexandria both left exhaustive treatises on the me- 
chanic arts as understood by the ancients. Philo's work has 
unfortunately been lost, but Heron's treatise has a world of 
interest to anyone who is attracted to the subject. 




A RECENTLY PATENTED 

SLOT MACHINE ALMOST 

IDENTICAL WITH HERON'S 

WATER-VESSEL 



LUSTRAL WATER -VESSEL 

DESCRIBED BY HERON 

ABOUT 100 B.C. 



Besides the miracle-mongers of antiquity there were also 
cup-and-ball conjurers, who were called ''acetabularii,'' from the 
Latin word acetabulum, which means a cup, and professors of 
natural magic in general who laid no claim to supernatural 
powers. They wandered from place to place, giving their shows. 
The grammarian, Athenseus, in his Dcipnosophists, or ^'Banquet 
of the Learned'' (A. D. 228), mentions a number of famous 
conjurers and jugglers of Greece. He says: "The people of 
Histiaea and of Oreum erected in their theatre a brazen statue 
holding a die in its hand to Theodorus the juggler." Xenophon, 
the conjurer, was very popular at Athens. He left behind him 
a pupil named Cratisthenes, "a citizen of Phlias; a man who 



12 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



used to make fire sp< mt iij) of its own acatrtl, and vvlio contrived 
many other extraordinary sights, so as ahiiost to make men 
discredit tlie evidence of their own senses. And Nyniphodorus, 
the conjurer, was another such man. . . . And Diupeithes, the 
Locrian, according to the account of Phanodemus, wdien he 
came to Thebes, fastened round his waist bladders full of wnne 
and milk, and then, squeezing them, pretended that lie was 
drawing up those liquids out of his mcmth. And Noemon gained 



y 



Oriental Conjurer Performing the Cup-anikBall Trick^ with Snake 
Effect Introduced 

From at! old and rare book called The Unhfrsal Conjurer or the Whole 
Art as Fraetised by the Famous Breslanf, Katerfeito, Jonas, Flock ton, Conns, 
and by the Greatest Adepts in London and Paris, ete, London* 
(From tlic Ellison Collection^ New York.) 



a g^reat reputation for the same sort of tricks. . . . There were 
also, at Alexander's court, the following- jugglers who had a 
g^eat name : Scymnus of Tarentum, and Philistides of Syra- 
cuse, and Heraclitus of Mitylene/' {DetpiL Epit., B. i, c 34, 35,) 



HISTORY OF NATURAL MAGIC 1 3 

II. 

In the Middle Ages the art of magic was ardently cultivated, 
in spite of the denunciations of the Church. Many pretenders to 
necromancy made use of the secrets of optics and acoustics, and 
gained thereby a wonderful reputation as genuine sorcerers. 
Benvenuto Cellini, sculptor, goldsmith and man-at-arms, in that 
greatest of autobiographies,* records a magical seance which 
reads like a chapter from the Arabian Nights. 

He says: ''It happened through a variety of singular acci- 
dents that I became intimate with a Sicilian priest, who was a 
man of ver}- elevated genius and well instructed in both Latin 
and Greek letters. In the course of conversation one day, we 
were led to talk about the art of necromancy, a propos of which I 
said: 'Throughout my whole life I have had the most intense 
desire to see or learn something of this art.' Thereto the priest 
replied: *A stout soul and a steadfast must the man have who 
sets himself to such an enterprise.' I answered that of strength 
and steadfastness of soul I should have enough and to spare, 
provided I found the opportunity. Then the priest said: *If 
you have the heart to dare it, I will amply satisfy your curiosity/ 
Accordingly we agreed upon attempting the adventure. 

"The priest one evening made his preparations, and bade me 
find a comrade, or not more than two. I invited Vincenzio 
Romoli, a very dear friend of mine, and the priest took with him 
a native of Pistoja, who also cultivated the black art. We went 
together to the Colosseum ; and there the priest, having arrayed 
himself in necromancers' robes, began to describe circles on the 
earth with the finest ceremonies that can be imagined. I must 
say that he had made us bring precious perfumes and fire, and 
also drugs of fetid odor. \\'hen the preliminaries were com- 
pleted, he made the entrance into the circle ; and taking us by the 
hand, introduced us one by one inside of it. Then he assigned 
our several functions ; to the necromancer, his comrade, he gave 
the pentacle to hold ; the other two of us had to look after the 
fire and the perfumes; and then he began his incantations. This 

* Memoirs of Cellini, Book I, Chapter LXIV. 



14 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

lasted more than an hour and a half, when several legions 
appeared and the Colosseum was all full of devils. I was occupied 
with the precious perfumes, and when the priest perceived in 
what numbers they were present, he turned to me and said: 
*Benvenuto, ask them something/ I called on them to reunite 
me with my Sicilian Angelica.'' 

It seems the spirits did not respond. The magic spells were 
found inoperative, whereupon the priest dismissed the demons, 
observing that the presence of a pure boy was requisite to the 
successful accomplishment of the seance. 

Another night Cellini and the sorcerer- repaired to the ruins 
of the Colosseum. The artist was accompanied by a boy of twelve 
years of age, who was in his employ, and by two friends, Agno- 
lino Gaddi and the before-mentioned Romoli. The necromancer, 
after describing the usual magic circle and building a fire, **began 
to utter those awful invocations, calling by name on multitudes 
of demons who are captains of their legions . . . ; insomuch 
that in a short space of time the whole Colosseum was full of a 
hundredfold as many as had appeared upon the first occasion.'' 
At the advice of the wizard, Cellini again asked to be reunited 
with his mistress. The sorcerer turned to him and said : "Hear 
you what they have replied ; that in the space of one month you 
will be where she is." The company within the magic circle 
were now confronted by a great company of demons. The boy 
declared that he saw four armed giants of immense stature who 
were endeavoring to get within the circle. They trembled with 
fear. The necromancer, to calm the fright of the boy, assured 
him that what they beheld was but smoke and shadozvs, and that 
the spirits were under his power. As the smoke died out, the 
demons faded away, and Cellini and his friends left the place 
fully satisfied of the reality of the conjurations. As they left 
the Colosseum, the boy declared that he saw two of the demons 
leaping and skipping before them, and often upon the roofs of 
the houses. The priest paid no attention to them, but endeavored 
to persuade the goldsmith to renew the attempt on some future 
occasion, in order to discover the secret treasures of the eartfau 
But Cellini did not care to meddle more in the black art. 



HISTORY OF NATURAL MAGIC 1 5 

What are we to believe about this magic invocation? Was 
CelHni romancing? Though a vainglorious, egotistical man, he 
was truthful, and his memoirs may be relied on. 

John Addington Symonds, one of the translators of Cellini's 
autobiography, remarks : "Imagination and the awe-inspiring 
influences of the place, even if we eliminate a possible magic 
lantern among the conjurer's appurtenances, are enough to 
account for what Cellini saw. He was credulous ; he was super- 
stitious." 

Sir David Brewster, who quotes Cellini's narrative in his 
Natural Magic, explains that the demons seen in the Colosseum 
*Svere not produced by any influence upon the imaginations of 
the spectators, but were actual optical phantasms, or the images 
of pictures or objects produced by one or more concave mirrors 
or lenses. A fire is lighted and perfumes and incense are burnt, 
in order to create a ground for the images, and the beholders 
are rigidly confined within the pale of the magic circle. The 
concave mirror and the objects presented to it having been so 
placed that the persons within the circle could not see the aerial 
image of the objects by the rays directly reflected from the 
mirror, the work of deception was ready to begin. The attend- 
ance of the magician upon his mirror was by no means neces- 
sary. He took his place along with the spectators within the 
magic circle. The images of the devils were all distinctly formed 
in the air immediately above the fire, but none of them could be 
seen by those within the circle. 

"The moment, however, the perfumes were thrown into the 
fire to produce smoke, the first wreath of smoke that rose through 
the place of one or more of the images would reflect them to the 
eyes of the spectators, and they would again disappear if the 
wreath was not followed by another. More and more images 
would be rendered visible as new wreaths of smoke arose, and 
the whole group would appear at once when the smoke was 
uniformly diffused over the place occupied by the images." 

Again, the magician may have been aided by a confederate 
amid the ruins, who manipulated a mag^c lantern, or some device 
of the kind. The magician himself may have been provided with 
a box fitted up with a concave mirror, the lights and figures of 



l6 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

the demons. The assertion of the boy that he saw demons 
skipping in front of him, etc., would be accounted for by the 
magic box being carried with them. 

Says the Encyclopaedia Britannica, in speaking of CelHni's 
adventure : "The existence of a camera at this latter date (middle 
of sixteenth century) is a fact, for the instrument is described by 
Baptista Porta, the Neapolitan philosopher, in the Magia Natu- 
ralis (1558). And the doubt how magic lantern effects could 
have been produced in the fourteenth century, when the lantern 
itself is alleged to have been invented by Athanasius Kircher 
in the middle of the seventeenth century, is set at rest by the fact 
that glass lenses were constructed at the earlier of these dates, — 
Roger Bacon, in his Discovery of the Miracles of Art, Nature 
and Magic (about 1260), writing of glass lenses and perspectives 
so well made as to give good telescopic and microscopic effects, 
and to be useful to old men and those who have weak eyes." 

Chaucer, in the House of Fame, Book III, speaks of "appear- 
ances such as the subtil tregetours perform at feasts'' — images 
of hunting, falconry and knights jousting, with the persons and 
objects instantaneously disappearing. 

Later on Nostradamus conjured up a vision of the future 
king of France in a magic mirror, for the benefit of Marie de 
Medeci. This illusion was effected by mirrors adroitly concealed 
amid hanging draperies. 

In the sixteenth century conjurers wandered from place to 
place, exhibiting their tricks at fairs, in barns, and at the castles 
of noblemen. They were little more than strolling gypsies or 
vagabonds. Reginald Scott, in his Discoverie of Witchcraft 
(1584), enumerates some of the stock feats of these mounte- 
banks. The list includes, "swallowing a knife; burning a card 
and reproducing it from the pocket of a spectator; passing a 
coin from one pocket to another ; converting money into counters, 
or counters into money; conveying money into the hand of 
another person; making a coin pass through a table or vanish 
from a handkerchief ; tying a knot and undoing it *by the power 
of words'; taking beads from a string, the ends of which are 
held fast by another person; making a coin to pass from one 
box to another; turning wheat into flour 'by the power of 



HISTORY OF NATURAL MAGIC 



17 



words'; burning a thread and making it whole again; pulling 
ribbons from the mouth; thrusting a knife into the head of a 
man ; putting a ring through the cheek, and cutting off a person's 
head and restoring it to its former position." 

Conjuring with cups and balls belongs to this list. ' 




Eighteenth Century Conjurer Performing the Cup-and-Ball Trick. 
(From an Old Print, Ellison Collection.) 



The conjurer of the sixteenth century, and even of later date, 
wore about his waist a sort of bag, called gibecierc, from its 
resemblance to a game bag, ostensibly to hold his parapher- 
nalia. While delving into this bag for various articles to be 
used in his tricks, the magician succeeded in making substitu- 
tions and secretly getting possession of eggs, coins, balls, etc. 
It was a very clumsy device, but indispensable for an open-air 



1 8 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

performer, who usually stood encircled by the spectators. 
Finally, the suspicious-looking gibecierc was abandoned by all 
save strolling mountebanks, and a table with a long cloth sub- 
stituted. This table concealed an assistant, who made the neces- 
sary transformations required in the act, by means of traps 
and other devices. Comus, the elder, in the eighteenth century, 
abandoned the long table covers and the concealed assistant for 
the scrvantc. But his immediate competitors still adhered to 
the draped tables, and a whole generation of later conjurers, 
among whom may be mentioned Comte, Bosco and PhilHppe, 
followed their example. Robert-Houdin struck the keynote of 
reform in 1844. He sarcastically called the suspiciously draped 
table a boitc a compere (wooden confederate). 

Conjurers in the seventeenth century were frequently known 
as Hocus Pociis. These curious words first occur in a pamphlet 
printed in 1641, in which the author, speaking of the sights of 
Bartholomew fair, mentions ''Hocus Pocus, with three yards of 
tape or ribbon in his hand, showing his art of legerdemain.'' 
The seventeenth century is the age of the strolling mountebank, 
who performed wherever he could get an audience — in the stable, 
barnyard, street or fair. From him to the prestidigitateur of 
the theatre is a long step, but no longer than from the barn- 
storming actor to the artist of the well-appointed playhouse. 
There is evolution in everything. It was not until the eighteenth 
century that conjuring became a legitimate profession. This 
was largely owing to the fact that men of gentle birth, well 
versed in the science of the age, took up the magic wand, and 
gave the art dignity and respectability. 

It was not until the eighteenth century that natural magic 
was shorn of charlatanism, but even then the great Pinetti pre- 
tended to the occult in his exhibition of so-called **second sight." 
He always avoided the Papal States, taking warning from the 
fate of Cagliostro. Magic and spiritism were in bad odor in 
the dominions of the Pope. Towards the middle of the century 
we hear of Jonas, Carlotti, Katerfelto, Androletti, Philadelphia, 
Rollin, Comus I and II. Comus II was famous for coining hard 
words. He advertised in London, "various uncommon experi- 
ments with his Enchanted Horologium, Pyxidees Literarum, 



HISTORY OF NATURAL MAGIC IQ 

and many curious operations in Rhabdology, Steganography and 
Phylacteria, with many wonderful performances on the grand 
Dodecahedron, also Chartomantic Deceptions and Kharamatic 
Operations. To conclude with the performance of the Tereto- 
paest Figure and Magical House; the like never seen in this 
kingdom before; and will astonish every beholder." These magi- 
cal experiments were doubtless very simple. What puzzled the 
spectators must have been the names of the tricks. 

Rollin, a Frenchman, after accumulating a fortune, pur- 
chased the chateau of Fontenoy-aux-Roses, in the department of 
the Seine. He was denounced under the Red Terror, and suf- 
fered death by the guillotine, in 1793. When the warrant for 
his execution was read to him, he remarked, with a smile, "That 
is the first paper I cannot conjure away." 



III. 

I now come to the Count Edmond de Grisy, Pinetti's great 
rival in the field of conjuring. 

The duel for supremacy between these eminent magicians 
is told in the chapter on Pinetti. The father of De Grisy, the 
Count de Grisy, was killed at the storming of the Tuilleries, 
while defending the person of his king, Louis XVI, from the 
mob. Young De Grisy was in Paris at the time, and, profiting 
by the disorders in the capital, was enabled to pass the barriers 
and reach the small family domain in Languedoc. Here he dug 
up a hundred louis, which his father had concealed for any unfor- 
seen accident; to this money he added some jewels left by his 
mother. With this modest sum, he proceeded to Florence, where 
he studied medicine, graduating as a physician at the age of 
twenty-seven. He became a professional magician, and had an 
adventure at Rome which is well worth relating. He was re- 
quested to perform before Pius VH, and ransacked his brains 
to devise a trick ,worthy of a Pope. On the day before the mystic 
seance he happened to be in the shop of a prominent watchmaker, 
when a lackey came in to ask if His Eminence the Cardinal de 
's watch was repaired. 



20 THE OLD AXD THE XEW MAGIC 

"It will not be ready until this evening,*' answered the watch- 
maker. "I will do myself the honor of personally carrj-ing it 
to your master." 

The lackey retired. 

"That is a handsome watch you have there," said De Grisy. 

"Yes," replied the jeweler, "it is valued at more than ten 
thousand francs. It was made by the celebrated Bregnet. 
Strangely enough, the other day I was offered a similar time- 
piece, by the same artist, for one thousand francs." 

"Who was he?" asked the Count. 

"A young prodigal and gambler, belonging to a noble family, 
who is now reduced to selling his family jewels." 

Like a flash of lightning, a scheme for working a splendid 
mystification passed through De Grisy's mind. He nonchalantly 
said: 

"Where is this young rake to be found?" 

"In a gaming house, which he never quits." 

"Well, then, I will buy this masterpiece of Breguet's. Have 
the kindness to purchase it for me, and engrave upon it the 
Cardinal's coat-of-arms, so that it will be a replica of His Emi- 
nence's chronometer." 

The jeweler, assured of De Grisy's discretion and honor, 
though probably suspecting the use to which the timepiece would 
be subjected, immediately left his shop, and returned after a 
little while with the gambler's watch. 

"Here it is," he cried. "To-night I shall have it ready for 
you." 

At the appointed hour he brought the two watches for De 
Grisy's inspection. They were facsimiles. The conjurer took 
his purchase, and the next day appeared at the pontifical palace, 
where a most distinguished audience greeted him. The Pope 
sat on a raised dais ; near him were the cardinals in their brilliant 
robes of crimson. 

After j)erforming a series of magical feats, De Grisy came to 
his piece de resistance. The difficulty was to obtain the loan of 
the Cardinal's watch, and that without asking him directly for 
it. To succeed the conjurer had recourse to a ruse. At his 



HISTORY OF NATURAL MAGIC 21 

lequest several watches were offered to him, but he returned 
them as not suited to the experiment. 

"I desire a timepiece that will be easily identified. I should 
prefer one of rather large size," said De Grisy. 

"Cardinal,'' said His Holiness, ^'oblige me by lending your 
watch to M. de Grisy.'' 

With great reluctance the Cardinal de handed his 

precious chronometer to the conjurer. It seems he set greiit 
value on its exaggerated size, alleging, with considerable show 
of reason, that tlie works acted better in a large case. 

In order to prove the solidity and excellence of the chro- 
nometer, De Grisy let it fall to the ground. A cry of alarm arose 
on all sides. The Cardinal, pale with rage, bounded from his 
chair, exclaiming: "This is a sorry jest, sir!" 

"Do not be alarmed, monsignor," said De Grisy, "the watch 
will escape scathless from its many trials." He handed the 
broken timepiece to the Cardinal. "Do you recognize this as 
your watch?" 

The prelate gazed anxiously at the coat-of-arms engraved 
mside of the case, and replied, with a profound sigh : 

"Yes, that is my watch." 

"You are certain of it?" 

"Quite certain ! But I seriously doubt your power to restore 
it." 

"We shall see!" said the conjurer. 

De Grisy's assistant now brought in a brass mortar and 
pestle. The watch was cast into the mortar and pounded to 
atoms. Some magic powder was poured into the receptacle and 
a torch applied. There was a detonation, followed by a cloud 
of smoke. The spectators were invited to examine the ingot of 
gold — all that remained of the precious chronometer. Pius VII 
peered curiously into the mortar. De Grisy, seizing the oppor- 
tunity, adroitly popped the duplicate timepiece into a pocket of 
the Pope's robe. At the proper moment he pretended to pass 
the ingot into the pontiff's pocket, which resulted in the discovery 
of the Cardinal's watch, made whole again. This clever trick 
created a great sensation in Rome, and drew crowds to De 
Grisy's performances. Poor De Grisy seemed doomed to misfor- 



22 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

tune. His young son was killed accidentally by a spectator, 
during an exhibition of the pistol trick at Strasburg. A real 
bullet got mixed up with the false bullets, and was loaded into 
the weapon. De Grisy was tried and convicted of "homicide 
through imprudence," and sentenced to six months' imprison- 
ment, during which time his wife died. On his release, he 
assumed the name of Torrini, which was that of his brother-in- 
law and faithful assistant. He retired to the provinces of France, 
and never appeared again in the large cities. He died a broken- 
hearted man at Lyons. 

Torrini was a skillful performer with cards, as Robert- 
Houdin testifies. He invented a trick which he called "The 
Blind Man's Game of Piquet." While blindfolded he would 
play piquet and defeat adepts at the game. This trick was one 
of the features of his entertainments, and always gained him 
great applause. The secret consisted in substituting a prepared 
pack for the ordinary pack used. After the spectator had 
shuffled the cards and handed them to Torrini to cut, the con- 
jurer would rest his hand momentarily upon the pack, while he 
made some observation to his opponent. Then it was that the 
substitution was artfully effected by means of a "magic box," 
which the prestidigitateur had concealed in the sleeve of his coat. 
Pressure upon the table caused a spring in the box to shoot 
out a prepared pack of cards, while a pair of pincers at the same 
time seized the recently shuffled pack and drew it up into the 
hidden receptacle. This ingenious piece of apparatus Torrini 
had obtained from a gambler named Zilbermann. 

While attempting to cheat an opponent, the apparatus had 
hung fire, and Zilbermann was detected in flagrante delicto, A 
duel was the result, and Zilbermann was mortally wounded. 
He sent for Torrini, whose conjuring abilities he greatly ad- 
mired, and presented him with the box. Soon afterwards^ he 

died. 

Torrini never used the apparatus except in his conjuring 
performances. He was a man of honor and not a chevalier 
d'industrie. 



THE CHEVALIER PINETTI. 

"The Age of Romance has not ceased; it never ceases; it does not, if 
we will think of it, so much as very sensibly decline." — Carlvle: The 
Diamond Necklace. 



Paris! Time — the latter half of the eighteenth century! 

Louis XVI is on the throne of France, relieving the ennui of 
court etiquette by working at locksmithing. His beautiful con- 
sort, Marie Antoinette, amuses herself playing at dairy- farming, 
i la Watteau, in the gardens of the little Trianon. Dr. Guillotin, 
as yet, has not even dreamed of that terrible machine of wood 
and steel to be called by his name. Danton, Marat and Rol:)es- 
pierre — ^the "bloody triumvirate" — are unknown to fame. 

It is the age of powder and patches, enormous hoop-skirts, 
embroidered coats, lace ruffles, axrked hats, silk sUxrkings and 
swords. Gentlemen meet and exchange snuff Ixjxes ; fight duels 
at times, despite the royal edict; indulge in grandiose gallan- 
tries. Noblemen in their coaches-and-four, on their way U) 
Versailles (which to them is heaven on earth), drive recklessly 
through the narrow streets of the capital, splashing the i>edes- 
trians with mud from the kennels, and kmxrking down citizens 
with impunity. The aristrxracy live ifj l>e amused, 

Vive la bagatelle! is the watchword of the gentle lx>rn, and 
when the Chevalier Pinetti, knight of the German <^>rder of 
Merit of St. Philippe, comes to tr>wn, there is a grand rush for 
seats at the theatre to see him jxrf^^rm, 'ITie (^je^alier is the 
greatest conjurer of the age, zWj a learned stu4ent of physics 
and member of various scientific f»dies in France, Kng^land and 
Germany. 



24 



THE OLD AND THE XEW MAGIC 



I have in my possession* an old print, picked up in Paris, a 
portrait of the Chevalier. This picture is an allegorical affair. 
Two winged cupids are depicted placing the bust of Pinetti in 
the Temple of Arts. Strewn about the place are various instru- 







PlNETTI 



ments used in physics and mathematics. The motto appended 
to this curious print is as follows : Dcs gcnics placcnt le buste de 
M. le Profcssctir Pinetti dans Ic temple des arts, an milieu des 
instruments de physique et de mathematique. 



THE CHEVALIER PINETTI ^g 

At Versailles the Chevalier is received with acclaim. His 
*'shirt trick'' produces a great sensation. Imagine whisking the 
shirt off a gentleman's back without disturbing the rest of his 
clothing. But of that, anon! The "second-sight" of the Cheva- 
lier's spouse savors of the supernatural ; and his "ring and fish" 
feat is just too wonderful for anything. In short, the conjurer 
is voted to be very amusing ; therefore, he should be patronized. 

Pinetti was the prince of prestidigitateurs of the eighteenth 
century. His life reads like a romance. After a brilliant, pyro- 
technic career, he faded out into darkness. I have gathered 
my facts concerning him from old French and German brochures 
Little or nothing is known about his ancestry, his youth and early 
experiences. 

He may have purposely guarded the secret of his origin. 
being inordinately boastful. He thoroughly understood how to 
avail himself of all the arts of the toilet to appear much younger 
than, according to his contemporaries, he must have been in 
reality. 

It is believed that he first saw the light of day in 1750, in 
Orbitello, a small fortified town of about three thousand inhabi- 
tants, lying in the foothills of what was then the Grand Duchy 
of Tuscany. 

He is first heard of while traveling through the provinces of 
Germany, in 1783. In 1784 he appeared in Paris, where he 
gave a series of performances, and exhibited several times before 
the court of Louis XVI with distinguished success. At this 
time the public showed a marked predilection for all kinds of 
mystical and inexplicable exhibitions, which had been awakened 
by the performances of various adventurers, like Cagliostro, St. 
Germain and Mesmer. Pinetti thoroughly understood how to 
make the most of this bent of the public mind, and succeeded 
in setting Paris in ecstasy, as well as becoming himself a model 
for all contemporary and succeeding necromancers, for a long 
time. Though without fine or regular features, his physiognomy 
possessed much distinction; while his manners were excellent. 
It is probable, however, that the latter were acquired rather than 
innate; for extremely bad taste is betrayed by his frequently 
wearing on the stage the uniform of a general, decorated with 



26 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

numerous orders. This is an oddity with a fatal suggestion of 
charlatanism. He was given to vaunting, and was in no wise 
careful to adhere to the truth in communications regarding his 
magical art. A vicious trait of his character was his readiness 
to adopt the most contemptible measures to free himself of the 
rivalry of another ; and this unworthy characteristic undoubtedly 
led to his ultimate downfall. 

II. 

Pinetti's repertory was very extended. However interesting 
it might be to pass in review the whole series of his feats, I must 
here limit myself to a few, which appear typical of him and of 
his public. 

There was first the wonderful automaton known as "The 
Grand Sultan," also called "The clever little Turk," which was 
about forty centimeters in height, and which struck a bell with 
a hammer, or nodded and shook his head, in answer to questions 
propounded. "The golden head and the rings" was as follows: 
In a glass, the bottom of which was covered with coins, a pre- 
viously shown, massive head was placed. A cover was then 
placed on the glass. The head answered yes or no to inquiries, 
or counted numbers by leaping in the glass. In a second glass 
borrowed rings were laid, which moved in unison with the head, 
head, as though by sympathy. The "Clever Swan" was put into 
a vessel of water, and varied its course according to the will 
of the onlooker. Moreover, when a spectator had drawn a 
card from a pack of inscribed cards, it spelled the word written 
thereon, by moving toward the appropriate letters, which were 
printed on strips of cardboard hung about the vessel. 

A kind of sympathetic action is shown in the following 
experiment. A lighted lamp was deposited on a table. As soon 
as a spectator, stationed at a considerable distance, blew through 
a reed, the lamp was immediately extingtiished. Another: a 
live dove was fastened, by means of two ribbons about its neck, 
to two opposite columns. On the instant when a picture of the 
dove, or even the shadow of the suspended bird, was pierced by 
a sword, the dove itself was beheaded, although it had not been 
disturbed, and the severed and still bleeding head, and the rest 



THE CHEVALIER PINETTI 2^ 

of the body, fell separately to the ground. This experiment, 
called "Theophrastus Paracelsus,'' recalls an old superstition. 
namely, that evil can be wrought upon a person by injury to a 
picture of him, accompanied by a spoken incantation. It is 
the so-called "Picture charm." 

Fettering and binding experiments were shown, but of a 
simpler nature than modern ones. To each leg of the magician 
was fastened a ring, and through each ring an iron chain was 
passed, its ends locked on a pillar. **The Prisoner'' seemed aided 
by some external power to release himself, for in a very short 
time he was free from his bonds. More difficult was another 
experiment, wherein a chain was fastened by a strip of cloth 
directly about the leg, and secured to the pillar; but here also, a 
half minute sufficed the "Galley Slave" to free himself of the 
shackles. The most pleasing was the following trick: Pinetti 
allowed both thumbs to be tied together with a cord, and his 
hands, so bound, to be covered with a hat ; hardly was this done 
than he stretched out his right hand, seized a flask of wine and 
drank to the health of the person who had tied him, and tossed 
the emptied glass to the ceiling, whence it fell as a ball of finely- 
cut paper. At the same instant, he allowed the hat to fall, and 
displayed his hands, still as closely bound as at the beginning of 
the experiment.* Also, the well-known trick, in which several 
borrowed rings are passed over two ribbon bands, the ends 
of which are knotted together and held by some of the specta- 
tors; nevertheless the rings can be drawn off without severing 
the ribbons. This was hardly new, but merely a variation of a 
trick described in 1690, in a work by Ozanam, in his Recreations 
Mathematiqiies, and exhibited by the jugglers of that time under 
the name of "My Grandmother's Rose Wreath." They made 
use of small balls, strung on two cords, from which they were 
withdrawn, notwithstanding that the cords were held by stran- 
gers. To-day this trick is explained in most books of games and 
amusements, which fact does not hinder the public from being 
quite as much astounded when the feat is performed ^ la Pinetti, 
with rings or a watch, accompanied by clever patter. 

♦There is nothing new under the sun. A Japanese conjurer, named Ten- 
Ichi, at Uie present writing, is creating a sensation in our vaudeville theatres 
with this same thumb-tying trick. 



28 



THE OLD AND TIIK NEW MAGIC 



Pinetti's magical bouquet was a very pretty trick. In a vase 
were placed the dry, leafless stems of a bunch of flowers, tied 
together. At the magician's command, leaves, flowers and fruit 
appeared, transforming the boucjuel into a thing of beauty; but 
all its splendor disapi)eare(l again at the command of the per- 
former. His feat of the ''recovered ring" was as follows: A 



ffl 




M 




w| 




^ ^miWi 


i 


f 



PiNETTi AND THE DovE. (From an Old Print.) 



ring was borrowed from a lady and fired from a pistol into 
a casket, which had been previously shown empty and devoid of 
preparation. When the casket was opened, after the shot was 
fired, a dove was seen within, holding in its bill the ring. But, 
in addition, the pretty bird knew precisely the possessor of the 
ring, for it shook its head in rotation at each lady to whom the 
trinket did not belong. When the owner appeared, the dove 



THE CHEVALIER PINETTI ^Q 

voluntarily presented the ring to her in its beak. In Naples, 
where Pinetti's theatre was situated directly on the sea shore^ he 
varied the trick by firing the pistol loaded with the ring out of 
tlie window. On opening the casket a large fish was seen, bear- 
ing the ring in its mouth. 

Another clever experiment was the mechanical bird, which, 
when set upon a flask, fluttered its wings and whistled any 
favorite melody called for by the audience, also blowing out a 
lig'hted candte and immediately relighting it. It would accomp- 
lish these feats just as well when removed from the flask to a 
table, or when held in the performer's liand upon any part of the 
stage. The "sounds were produced by a ''confederate who imi- 
tated song birds after Rossignol's method, by aid of the inner 
skin of an onion in the mouth, and speaking trumpets directed 
the sounds to whatever position was occupied by the bird.'' 
Though the two last described feats were the most celebrated of 
iPinetti's masterpieces, the most remarkable, without doubt, was 
the oije he called "The stolen shirt.'' In spite of its somewhat 
unseemly appearance, it was shown before the king and his 
family, and consisted of this : A gentleman from the audience, 
not in league with the performer, came upon the stage and, at 
Pinetti's request, unfastened the buttons of his shirt at the neck 
and cuffs, and Pinetti, with only a few movements of his hand 
drew the shirt from his body, though the gentleman had not 
removed a single article of his clothing. 

Pinetti eventually revealed the process by which this sur- 
prising result was obtained. He was moved to do so, because 
all those who saw the trick performed in the Theatre des Menus- 
Plaisirs held the conviction that the other party to it was in 
collusion with him. The public was not to be blamed for this 
erroneous conclusion, for not only at that time, but much later, 
many of the astonishing feats of the magician were effected 
through the complicity of assistants seated among the audience 
Such confederates were called by the French, Comperes and Com- 
meres, which translated into the vulgar vernacular, stand for 
**pals/' "cronies.'' These gentlemen brought articles, of which 
the magician possessed duplicates, and loaned them — apparently 
as unrelated spectators — when such articles were asked for in 



THE CHEVALIER PINETTI 3 1 

shirt at the neck and sleeves, afterwards tie a Httle string in the 
buttonhole of the left sleeve ; then, passing your hand behind his 
back, pull the shirt out of his breeches and slip it over his head ; 
then, pulling it out before in the same manner, you will leave it 
on his stomach; after that, go to the right hand and pull the 
sleeve down, so as to have it all out of the arm ; the shirt being 
then all of a heap, as well in the right sleeve as before the 
stomach, you are to make use of this little string fastened to the 
buttonhole of the left sleeve to get back the sleeve that must 
have slipt up, and to pull the whole shirt out that way. To hide 
your way of operating from the person whom you'unshift, and 
from the assembly, you may cover his head with a lady's cloak, 
holding a corner of it in your teeth. In order to be more at 
your ease, you may mount on a chair and do the whole operation 
under the cloak." 



III. 

Pinetti's explanation of the shirt trick was contained in a 
work entitled Amusements Physiques, Paris, 1784. An edition 
in English of this book was published in London in the same 
year. It was called : **Amusements in physics, and various enter- 
taining experiments, invented and executed at Paris and the 
various courts of Europe by the Chevalier M. Jean-Joseph 
Pinetti Willedale de Merci, Knight of the German Order of 
Merit of St. Philip, professor of mathematics and natural phil- 
osophy, pensioned by the Court of Prussia, patronized by all the 
Royal Family of France, aggregate of the Royal Academy of 
Sciences and Belle-Lettres of Bordeaux, etc." As an expose of 
conjuring feats in general this work was an imposition on the 
public. It was intended to mislead the reader. In spite of the 
high-sounding title of the work, it contained nothing outside of 
the solution of the "stolen shirt" mystery. There was no ex- 
planation of any trick upon which Pinetti set value, but merely 
experiments already published in preceding books on the jug- 
gler's art, and which belonged to a long-past time, consisting 
mostly of chemical experiments and childish diversions, 



^4 THE OLD AND THE NEW MsAGIC 

This unworthy publication, and Pinetti's custom of speaking 
of himself as endowed with preternatural powers, aroused an 
adversary in the person of M. Henri Decremps, of the Museum 
of Paris, an accomplished and enthusiastic lover of the art of 
magic. From him appeared a book entitled. La Magie blanche 
devoilcc, Paris, 1784, addressed, as he declares in the preface, 
not to the great public, since "the world loves to be deceived, 
and would rather believe die fairy tales of the imposter than the 
unvarnished truth of his opponent,'' but to the real lovers of an 
entertaining art. As this work set forth the real explanation of 
Pinetti's wonders, one may imagine what reception it met with 
from him and his admiring public. Characteristic of Pinetti is 
the manner in which he sought revenge on Decremps. In one 
of his performances he deplored the fact that an ignorant im- 
poster, solely with the intent of injuring him (Pinetti), sought 
to reveal mysteries which his intelligence was insufficient to 
grasp. All knew to whom he referred, who had the slightest 
knowledge of Decremps. And what now ensued? Hardly had 
Pinetti finished speaking, when a shabbily-dressed and unpre- 
possessing individual arose, assailed Pinetti with abuse and bade 
him take care, he would be fully exposed. The audience, indig- 
nant at the disturbance of an amusing performance, jeered the 
man from whom it proceeded, and made preparation to expel the 
poor devil. Here intervened, however, the "good'' Pinetti. In 
conciliatory, kindly fashion, he accompanied his assailant to the 
door, ostentatiously presenting him also with several louis d'or 
as indemnification for the harshness shown him. 

Needless to explain, the expelled intruder was not the author 
of the book in question, but genuinely a "poor devil" who played 
his part in the comedy, for a money consideration. However, 
Decremps was an able man, who could act with as much shrewd- 
ness as energy. In 1785 he followed his first book with a sec- 
ond, explaining Pinetti's newest tricks, the self-playing organ, 
artificial snakes and birds, chess-playing automatons, ascending 
balloons in human shape, perpetual motion, learned animals, 
automatic flute playing, etc. The handling of the topic is much 
more thorough than in the first volume, and the matter interest- 
ingly set forth. It is in the form of letters of travel ; the author 



VAn de faire les Portraits h la SiUioueae en 
Miniature a la maniire angloiji, a Paide 
de la Chambre obfcure. 



Cliap. vni»pa<.$s. 




H a Ai dfmafqucr, dans fes heureux Series, 
Du grand arc de jongler les trop uumbreux Apdtres. 
II eat des cnvieux, mais cncor plus d'amis ^ 
St m^rita d*avoir & Us uns & les autres. 



Par M, Sal'^'**. 



M. Decremps 



34 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

in company with a Mr. Hill, an Englishman, traverses distant 
lands, where remarkable and astonishing things are met with. 
and the causes and construction which bring about their won- 
derful results, are ascertained and explained. 

They reach the Cape of Good Hope, where, amid a savage 
population, with many arts of refined civilization, they encounter 
a wizard, who, in a bombastic declaration, extols his own won- 
der-working powers. In the course of the narrative these feats 
are described and their operation explained. The behavior of 
the wizard is amusingly depicted. How strenuously he denies 
the truth of the solution of his wonders found by the strangers ; 
how he endeavors, by means of every artifice, to hoodwink the 
public; how he first strives, through cunning and bribery, then 
through abuse and injury, to rid himself of his dangerous adver- 
saries — in all this is Pinetti's character so intimately pictured 
that we cannot err in supposing this entire portion of the book 
directed solely against him. And what name does he give the 
wizard? He calls him 'Tilferer." Decidedly, Decremps could 
be severe. 

These books were translated into English in 1785, and pub- 
lished as a single volume, under the title of The Conjurer Un- 
masked, etc. 

Pinetti, who was an original genius, sought to overcome the 
effects of Decremps' revelations in other ways besides chicanery. 
He invented new illusions, performed his old tricks with greater 
dash and brilliancy, and added new appointments to his mise en 
scene, to dazzle and overcome the spectators. His patter was 
unceasing and convincing. But now was heard the distant 
thunder of the approaching social upheaval — ^the French Revo- 
lution. The political horizon was full of black clouds. The 
people of Paris began to desert the theatres for clubs and cafes, 
there to enter upon political discussions. Pinetti, seeing the 
audiences of his Temple of Magic dwindling away, packed up 
his apparatus and went to England, which is the immediate aim 
of all fugitives from France. 

During his stay in London he made the following announce- 
ment in the newspapers : "The Chevalier Pinetti and his consort 
will exhibit most wonderful, stupendous and absolutely inimit- 



THE CHEVALIER PINETTI 35 

able, mechanical, physical and philosophical pieces, which his 
recent deep scrutiny in these sciences, and assiduous exertion, 
have enabled him to invent and construct; among which Che- 
valier Pinetti will have the special honor and satisfaction of 
exhibiting various experiments, of new discovery, no less curious 
than seemingly incredulous, particularly that of Mnie. IMnetti 
being seated in one of the front boxes with a handkerchief over 
her eyes and guessing at everything imagined and propcjsed to 
her by any person in the company/' Here we have the first 
mention of the "Second-Sight'' trick, which Rohert-IIoudin re- 
invented sixty-one years later, and which Robert Heller, not 
many years ago, by using electricity combined with verbal sig- 
nals, made into such an astonishing feat of magic. The teach- 
ings of Mesmer and the so-called sorcery of Cagliostrrj, evidently 
suggested the idea of this pretended clairvoyance to Pinetti. 
Truly was the Chevalier an original and creative genius. Hiri 
repertoire consisted almost entirely of his own inventions, and 
eclipsed those of contemporary cr^njurers. His rojic-tying exper- 
iments were the prototypes for the cabinet evolutir^ns of modern 
mediums. 

IV. 

Late in the year 1769, Pinetti ap|>carerl in Hamfnirg and 
exhibited with great success in the "iJrillhauMr,' where iJegal/riel 
and Philadelphia had played previou-Jy, Irofn there he went 
to the principal cities of (^jtrmzny and arrive/l at lU^rlin, y/here, 
in the then "Doebbelin'schen Theatre/' in tlie lUtUr^m^ir^^^, be 
produced his "Amusements Kny^^i^^jue^/' and vm/u \tt^Mni^ the 
avowed idol of the pubiic. 

In August. 1796. ^e <iiy\j^:^rtA in HatrJ/ijr$(, at tliie l-r^rnch 
Theatre, on the Drehl/ahn- where hi^ re<>r;;/>, w^r-^ 'y/fjj;id*:rabk 
Such was not t.-e ca-^. h^v.xr.er. ::■ /'.?//*:z, /.///jy: ':u)/^}/^s,^iA^ 
were distiiJgTiishec ^jy l<:ck -.: ',r:\^^\ :r; a*;v j/^),';f<^i;{ttivjj of hi^ 
art. He gave there three exh:'^/:t:vrj^. VkJ.i'/fj ijt^uni/4,u*A wit1i 
two cmptT Ix/G^et^- Iv. J:>rtrrjer.. \\h:\))^r ]^. i^e/i ^Mrfi^'A, i\^.. 
public was even vfy^jrt rnci^ererrrt */rja.r, :u Ah//i)ii, v</ tlijitt Ia*^ d/4tn 
doncd the JntemScjc of '^i^/rrfAr,^ th-^^, r0^^nutA V/ JjA-rlin itnd 
tlicfie fCDsaioed fee hrrrjt tirit. 



36 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

Pinetti derived large profits from his entertainments. His 
entrance fee was by no means low. In Hamburg and Berlin, for 
instance, the price of the best places was a thaler — equivalent at 
present values to about ten marks, $2.50. Pinetti saw carefully 
to the comfort and pleasure of his patrons, and heightened the 
effect of his skill by every available means. The eye was grati- 
fied by the splendor of the scenic accessories. In the middle of 
the stage, upon a superb carpet, stood two massive tables, which 
served in performance of the experiments. They were covered 
with scarlet cloths, bordered with broad stripes of dark velvet, 
richly embroidered in gold and silver. Further in the back- 
ground stood a larger and a smaller table, with the same decora- 
tions, and with relatively slender and elaborately carved legs. 
Close to the rear of the stage, with a cover extending to the 
carpet, was a very long table which was set forth with magnifi- 
cent candelabra and brilliant apparatus. The above-mentioned 
tables were not moved from their places. In the middle of the 
stage, hung from the ceiling an immense chandelier of crystal, 
with countless candles. The artist made his entrance and exit 
through silken hangings. 

As in Paris, so also in Berlin, Pinetti found an adversary, 
in the person of Kosmann, professor of physics, who in daily and 
periodical publications sought to explain Pinetti's experiments. 
These elucidations were collected, bound together and published 
in Berlin in the year 1797. The English translation of the title 
is as follows: Chevalier Pinetti' s Recreations in Physics, or 
Explanation of His Tricks. As with Decremps, so fared it with 
Kosmann. His explanations did not meet with public accord, 
and the contemporary press denominated the two authors **who 
sought to belittle Pinetti's skill," as mere apprentices compared 
with the latter, and their expositions ^'shallow and unsatisfac- 
tory.'' Naturally! The laity invariably form a false concep- 
tion of the nature of the art of magic. They suppose the most 
complicated mechanism in the apparatus which the artist uses, 
and overestimate the manual skill of the performer; and when 
their ability is insufficient to explain matters after their own 
fashion, they prefer to endow the performer with preternatural 
power rather than accept the "shallow'' elucidations of "igno- 



THE CHEVALIER PINETTI 37 

rant" expounders. They do not realize that every trick is only 
what the artist is able to make it, and that the simplest illusion 
may take an imposing aspect through the accessories thrown 
about it and the manner in which it is presented. 

Whatever opinion the laity might have of these works, their 
value was in no wise lessened for the instructed. Robert-Houdin, 
an incontestable connoisseur, as well as a "classical" witness, 
calls the work of M. Decremps, White Magic Unveiled — the 
first edition of which could not have been unknown to the Berlin 
professor — "an excellent work." 



V. 

At the beginning of the carnival of 1798, Pinetti appeared 
in Naples, and saw the whole city crowding to his performances. 

Among the constant visitors to his theatre (on the strand) 
was numbered a young French nobleman, Count de Grisy, who 
had settled in Naples as a physician, and was a welcome guest 
in the most distinguished circles of the town. A passionate lover 
of the art of magic, he succeeded in finding the key to a large 
portion of Pinetti's experiments, and amused himself in the 
closest circles of his intimates, by repeating them. His ability 
became generally known, and gained for him a kind of celebrity; 
he was invited to perform in the most aristocratic salons, but 
through modesty seldom accepted. 

Finally his fame came to the ears of Pinetti, who was Sf) 
much the more chagrined l>ecause of the fact that \)C()p\c of 
fashion, who had at first thronged his theatre, now were desert- 
ing him. Nevertheless, he listened with apparent pleasure to the 
reports g^ven him of De Grisy's skill, and s^^ught to gain the 
acquaintance of the young physician. He frankly proffered his 
friendship, initiated De Grisy into his mysteries, and showed him 
the arrangement of his stage. The familiarity which Pinetti 
openly and intentionally displayed tov.ards him might have dis 
pleased the young man under other circumstances, but his pas- 
sion for magic and the persuasive eWjuence v/hich Pinetti em- 
ployed to arouse his amWtion, made him blind to ^y/ndud, v/hicli, 



38 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

in the mind of one more versed in men, might have awakened 
suspicion. 

So Pinetti succeeded, finally, in overcoming De Grisy's tim- 
idity in regard to a public appearance. He repeated the most 
flattering assurances of the latter's skill, and urged him to give 
a performance for the benefit of the poor of Naples. He would, 
declared Pinetti, attract a more distinguished audience than he 
himself could hope to do; and so, De Grisy, who had already 
earned the gratitude of .the poor, would become their greatest 
benefactor in all the city. Pinetti would himself make all pre- 
vious arrangements most carefully, and would, moreover, hold 
himself in readiness, behind the scenes, to come to the young 
performer's assistance, if required. De Grisy at last gave reluc- 
tant consent. Fortune seemed to favor him, moreover, for the 
King signified his intention to attend in company with his entire 
court. 

August 20, 1798, this extraordinary exhibition took place 
The house wp'3 packed. The royal family received the young 
French emigrant with tokens of favor and sympathy. De Grisy, 
confident of success, was in the happiest mood, but in his very 
first experiment a bitter disillusion awaited him. A secret con- 
federate, posted by Pinetti, had loaned a ring to carry out the 
already-described trick, "The Recovered Ring," which was prop- 
erly found in the mouth of the great fish. Conscious of the 
success of this loudly-applauded feat, De Grisy bowed his thanks, 
when an angry remonstrance was heard from the person who 
had loaned the ring. This man declared that in lieu of his costly 
gold ring, set with diamonds, there had been returned to him a 
trumpery imitation set with ordinary glass stones. A long and 
painful discussion ensued, and De Grisy owed it only to his tact 
that he finally extricated himself from the affair. He was not 
clear himself as to whether the ring had somehow been changed, 
or whether the assistant played a role from some secret motive 

He proceeded to the performance of his next experiment 
with less concern, in that no secret confederate was needed. He 
approached the King's box and asked him to do him the honor 
of drawing a card from a pack he tendered. The King complied 
with much graciousn^s? ; but scarcely had he looked at it than 



THE CHEVALIER PINETTI 3Q 

he flung it to the ground with every mark 6i his displeasure. 
De Grisy, confounded, picked up tlie card, and read on it a scan- 
dalous insult to the king, in Pinetti's handwriting! An attempt 
to explain and clear himself was checked by an imperative ges- 
ture from the King. The betrayed man, who now understood 
the situation, distracted with rage, rushed behind the scenes with 
the intent to kill his deceitful friend. Like a maniac lie traversed 
every portion of the house, but the Chevalier Pinetti had dis- 
appeared, as though the earth had swallowed him! Wherevet* 
De Grisy now showed himself, he was received with jeers, hisses 
and insults from his audience, until he fell senseless and was 
borne by servants to his house. After his rival's removal, Pin- 
etti appeared as though by chance; whereupon several persons 
in the secret called on him to continue the performance, to which 
he courteously acceded, and gained enthusiastic plaudits. 

During a violent fever which ensued, De Grisy constantly 
called in his delirium for revenge on Pinetti ;^ but the latter 
quitted Naples soon after the occurrence. Poor De Grisy was 
socially and professionally tabooed by the aristocracy oi Naples. 
Pinetti's revenge seemed complete. 

Though De Grisy thonnighly comprehended the contemp- 
tible ruse of his opponent, he was long in uncertainty how to 
punish him. His first impulse was t(j challenge the magician 
to fight a duel, but that idea he rejected. Pinetti was not worthy 
of such an honor. For the purpose of completing his restoration 
to health, De Grisy passed some time in the quiet of the country, 
and here the thought occurred to him to fight his I)etrayer with 
his own weapons, and, in this contest, to either conquer or 
wholly abandon all ideas of revenge. He set himself for half a 
year to the most assiduous study, in order to attain perfection 
in the art of magic, not merely equal U> Pinetti's, Init superior 
to it. He improved on many of his rival's exj)erimenls, invented 
new ones, and expended his entire fortune in providing appa- 
ratus and decorations which should cast into the shade Pinetti's 
superb appointments. 

And now issued De Grisy forth to a diutl, bloodless, it is 
true, but none 4:he less a struggle to i\n* (U*u\\\, 



40 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

He learned that Pinetti had, in the meantime, visited the 
principal cities of central Italy, and had just left Lucca with the 
view of visiting Bologna next; later Modena, Parma, Piacenza, 
etc. Without loss of time, De Grisy took his way to Modena, in 
order to forestall his rival there, and debar him from any further 
performances. The latter had already caused the announcement 
of his forthcoming entertainments to be spread over the city, 
and the Modena journals had widely advertised the speedy 
coming of the wonder worker, when suddenly the exhibitions of 
the "Count de Grisy, the French escamoteur,'' were announced. 
The people crowded the house from top to bottom. De Grisy's 
success was unparalleled. Then, as the date for Pinetti's appear- 
ance drew near, he left the town and went to Parma. Pinetti 
had no faith in De Grisy's success, and installed himself in the 
same theatre which the latter had lately c[uitted, in reliance on 
his own celebrity. But here began that humiliating experience 
which was henceforth to be his lot. The town was sated with 
this species of entertainment, and the Chevalier's house was 
empty. Still, accustomed to take the highest place, he would not 
yield to a "novice." Accordingly, he directed his steps to Parma 
immediately, and established himself in a theatre just opposite 
to De Grisy's. In vain ! He had the mortification of seeing hi& 
house deserted, while his rival's was constantly filled. Never- 
theless, Pinetti would not yield, but wheresoever De Grisy went 
he followed. 

Thus were visited, one after another, Piacenza, Cremona, 
Mantua, Vicenza, Padua, and Venice, whose walls witnessed the 
embittered strife of the two rivals, until Pinetti, whose most zeal- 
ous supporters were turning recreant, could blind himself no 
longer to the fact that he had lost the game which he and De 
Grisy had been playing. He closed his theatre and betook him- 
self to Russia. 

For a short time it seemed as though Fortune would indem- 
nify him for his ill luck. But, after having for so long showered 
her favors on him, it now appeared that she had finally and 
definitely turned her back upon him. Long and severe illness 
exhausted not only his vigor, but the slender means he had saved 
from shipwreck. Pinetti fell into the most abject want. A 



THE CHEVALIER PINETTI 41 

nobleman in the village of Bartitschoflf in Volhynien took him 
in from pity. And thus, at the turn of the century, ended the life 
of this richly gifted artist, who was so wanting in nobility of 
spirit. 

The extraordinary story of Pinetti's downfall was told to 
Robert-Houdin by De Grisy himself, and is given at length in 
Houdin's memoirs. Pinetti had married a Russian girl, the 
daughter of a carriage-maker. By her he had two children. 
He was hardly fifty when he died. Etienne-Gaspard Robertson 
when traveling in Russia met the widow Pinetti at Bialistock. 
She showed him her husband's cabinet of physics and endeav- 
ored to sell it to him, but he did not purchase it. However, he 
bought a medallion, set with diamonds, and a ring which the 
Czar had presented to Pinetti. Says Robertson, in his memoirs : 
"Pinetti had the audacity to ask the Russian l^mperor to stand 
god-father for his children at the baptismal font, and the 
Emperor actually consented.'' 

To me this seems nothing wonderful. 

Why should not the greatest conjurer of the age ask a favor 
of the greatest autocrat? Both were sovereigns in their partic- 
ular domain. 



CAGLIOSTRO— A STUDY IN CHARLATANISM. 

"Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur."— La/i» Proverb. 

"The pseudo-mystic, who deceives the world because he knows that the 
world wishes to be deceived, becomes an attractive subject for psychological 
analysis." — Hugo Munsterberg: Psychology and Life, 

"Unparalleled Cagliostro! Looking at thy so attractively decorated pri- 
vate theatre, wherein thou actedst and livedst, what hand but itches to draw 
aside thy curtain; overhaul thy pasteboards, paint-pots, paper-mantles, stage- 
lamps, and turning the whole inside out, find thee in the middle thereof!" — 
Carlyle : Miscellaneous Essays. 



In the summer of 1893, I was in Paris, partly on business, 
partly on pleasure. In the Figaro one day, shortly after my 
arrival, I read about the marvelous exhibitions of magic of 
M. Caroly, who was attracting crowds to his seances diaboliqucs 
at the Capucine Theatre of the Isola Brothers. I went to see 
the nineteenth-century necromancer exhibit his marvels. I saw 
some very clever illusions performed during the evening, but 
nothing that excited my especial interest as a devotee of the 
weird and wonderful, imtil the prestidigitateur came to his 
piece de resistance — the Mask of Balsamo. That aroused my 
flagging attention. M. Caroly brought forward a small table, 
undraped, which he placed in the center aisle of the theatre ; and 
then passed around for examination the mask of a man, very 
much resembling a death-mask, but unlike that ghastly memento 
mori in the particulars that it was exquisitely modeled in wax 
and artistically colored. 

"Messieurs et mesdames,'' said the professor of magic and 
mystery, "this mask is a perfect likeness of Joseph Balsamo, 
Count de Cagliostro, the famous sorcerer of the eighteenth cen- 



CAGLIOSTRO: A STUDY IN CHARLATANISM 43 

tury. It is a reproduction of a death-mask which is contained 
in the secret museum of the Vatican at Rome. Behold! I lay 
the mask upon this table in your midst. Ask any question you 
please and it will respond." 

The mask rocked to and fro with weird effect at the bidding 
of the conjurer, rapping out frequent answers to queries put by 
the spectators. It was an ingenious electrical trick.* Being 
already acquainted with the secret of the surprising experiment 
in natural magic, I evinced no emotion at the extraordinary 
behavior of the mask. But I was intensely interested in the 
mask itself. Was it indeed a true likeness of the great Cagli- 
ostro, the prince of charlatans? I repaired to the manager's 
office at the close of the soiree magique, and sought an introduc- 
tion to M. Caroly. 

"Is monsieur an aspiring amateur who wishes to take les- 
sons in legerdemain?" 

"No!" I replied. 

"Pardon! Then monsieur is desirous of purchasing the 
secrets of some of the little jeuxf' 

I replied as before in the negative. The manager shrugged 
his shoulders, toyed with his ponderous watch-chain, and ele- 
vated his eyebrows inquiringly. 

"I simply wish to ascertain whether the mask of Balsamo 
was really modeled from a genuine death-mask of the old-world 
wizard." 

"Monsieur, I can answer that question," said the theatrical 
man, "without an appeal to the artist who performed this eve- 
ning. It was taken from a likeness of the eighteenth-century 
sorcerer, not a death-mask as stated, but a rare old medallion 
cast in the year 1785. Unfortunately this is not in our posses- 
sion." 



♦"The secret of the trick is as follows: That part of the wood which 
forms the chin is replaced by a small strip of iron, which is painted the same 
color as the mask, so that it cannot be seen; an electro-magnet is let into 
the top of the table, so that the cores shall be opposite the strip of iron when 
the mask is laid upon the table. Contact is made by means of a push-button 
somewhere in the side scenes; the wires run under the stage, and connection 
is made through the legs of the table when the legs are set on the fore- 
ordained place." — Hopkins' Magic, etc. 



44 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

I thanked the manager for his information. The story 
about the death-mask in the possession of the Vatican was simply 
a part of the prestidigitateur's patter, but everything is permissi- 
ble in a conjuring seance. 

I went home to the little hotel where I lodged in the historic 
Rue de Beaune, a stone's throw from the house where Voltaire 
died. In my bedroom, over the carved oak mantel, was a curious 
old mirror set in a tarnished gilt frame, a relic of the eighteenth 
century. Said I to myself: "Would this were a ghost-glass, 
a veritable mirror of Nostradamus, wherein I might conjure 
up a phantasmagoria of that vanished Paris of long ago." Pos- 
sessed with this fantastic idea, I retired to rest, closed in the 
crimson curtains of the antique four-poster, and was soon wafted 
into the land of dreams. Strange visions filled my brain. In the 
mirror I seemed to see Cagliostro searching for the "elixir of 
life," in the laboratory of the Hotel de Strasbourg, while near 
him stood the Cardinal de Rohan, breathlessly awaiting the results 
of the mystic operation. The red glow from the alchemist's 
furnace illumined the great necromancer with a coppery splen- 
dor. 

Cagliostro! Cagliostro! I was pursued all the next day, 
and for weeks afterward, with visions of the enchanter. "Ah, 
wretched mask of Balsamo," I said to myself, "why have you 
bewitched me thus with your false oleaginous smile ?" I took 
to haunting the book-stalls and antiquarian shops of the Quai 
Voltaire, in the hope of picking up some old medallion or rare 
print of the arch-quack. The second-hand literature of the world 
may be found here. Amid the flotsam and jetsam of old books 
tossed upon this inhospitable shore of literary endeavor many 
a precious Elzevir or Aldus has been picked up. My labors 
were not in vain. I was fortunate in discovering a quaint little 
volume, the life of Cagliostro, translated from the Italian work 
printed under the auspices of the Apostolic Chamber, Rome, 
1790. It was entitled Vie de Joseph Balsanio, Connu Sous le 
Nom de Comte Cagliostro, Traduite d'apres Voriginal italien, 
imprime a la Chambre Apostolique; enrichie de Notes curieuses, 
et ornee de son Portrait, Paris et Strasbourg, 1791. The 
frontispiece was an engraved portrait of Cagliostro. Yes, here 



CAGLIOSTRO: A STUDY IN CHARLATANISM 45 

was the great magician staring at me from out the musty, faded 
pages of a quaint old chronicle. A world of cunning lay revealed 
in the depths of his bold, gleaming eyes. His thick lips wore 
a smile of Luciferian subtlety. Here, indeed, was a study for 
Lavater. Here was the biography of the famous sorcerer of the 
old regime, the prince of charlatans, who foretold the fall of the 
Bastille, the bosom friend of the Cardinal de Rohan, and founder 
of the Egyptian Rite of Freemasonry. Fascinated with the 
subject of magic and magicians, I visited the Bibliotheque 
Nationale and dipped into the literature on Cagliostro. Subse- 
quently, at the British Museum, I examined the rare brochures 
and old files of the Courrier de T Europe for information con- 
cerning the incomparable necromancer, who made use of hypno- 
tism, and, like Mesmer, performed many strange feats of pseudo- 
magic, and made numerous cures of diseases which baffled the 
medicos of the time.* 

Goethe** and Catharine H. wrote plays about him; George 
Sand introduced him into her novel, '*The Countess of Rudol- 
stadt;'' Alexander Dumas made him the hero of several 
romances; Scribe, St. Georges, and Adam in the year 1844 
brought out "Cagliostro," a comic opera in three acts, which 
was successfully performed at the Opera Comique, Paris; Alex- 
ander Dumas fils wrote a drama in five acts called "Joseph Bal- 
samo" which was produced at the Odeon, March 18, 1878; and 
Thomas Carlvle philosophized concerning him. 

To understand Cagliostro, one must understand the period 
in which he lived and acted his strange world-drama, its philo- 
sophical and religious background. The arch-enchanter appeared 
on this mortal scene when the times were "out of joint.'' It 
was the latter part of that strange, romantic eighteenth century 
of scepticism and credulity. The old world like a huge Cheshire 
cheese was being nibbled away from within, until little but the 

*"Der Gros-Cophta" (a comedy in five acts). Goethe's IVerke, vol. 18, 
Stuttgart, 1868. 



**A superb bibliography of Cagliostro is to be found in "Borsenblatt fur- 
den deutschen Buchhandel," 1904, Nos. 210-212, and 214 (Sept. 9-12, 14), pp. 
7488-92, 7524-30, 7573-75. This publication is to be found in the Library of 
Congress, Washington, D. C. 



46 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



rind was left to tell the tale. The rotten fabric of French society, 
in particular, was about to tumble clown in the sulphurous flames 
of the Revolution, and the very people who were to suffer most 
in the calamity were doing their best to assist in the process 
of social and political disinteg-ration. The dogmas of the Church 
were bitterly assailed by learned men. But the more sceptical 
the age, the more credulity extant, Man begins by denying, 
and then doubts his doubts. Charles Kingsley says : '*And so it 



From a painting in the Yersuilles 
Hlstoriciil Gallery 



After an oti^raviDR wbicU served as a f root la 
piece of Uabamo's Life, published iu 1181 



Joseph Balsamo, Known as Count Cagliostro. 



befell, that this eighteenth century, which is usually held to be 
the most 'materialistic* of epochs, was in fact a most ^spiritual- 
istic' one/' The soil was well fertilized for the coming of Cagli- 
ostroj the sower of superstition. Every variety of mysticism 
appealed to the imaginative mind. There were societies of Ilhi- 
minati, Rosicrucians, and Alchemists. 

Speaking of the great charlatan, the Anglo-Indian essayist 
Greeven in an article published a few years ago in the Calatita 




CAGLIOSTRO: A STUDY IN CHARLATANISM 



47 



Review writes: "It is not enough to say that Cagliostro posed 
as a magician, or stood forth as the apostle of a mystic reHgion. 
After all, in its mild way, our own generation puts on its evening 
dress to worship at the feet of mediums, whose familiar spirits 
enable them to wriggle out of ropes in cupboards, or to project 
cigarette papers from the ceiling [d la Madame Blavatsky]. 
We ride our hobby, however, only when the whim seizes us, 
and, as soon as it wearies, we break it in pieces and fling it aside 



M E M 01 R E 

IP U R 

LE COMTE DE CAGLIOSTRO, 

ACCUSE; 

CONTRE 

M. LE PROCUREUR.GENERAL* 

ACCUSATEURj 

En. pr^fence de .M. ]e Cardinal dB 

ROHAN , de la ComteOe DE LA 

lVIOTT£» ct autres Co-Accusis. 



M. DE CaGLIOSTSO KB OBMAMOE QUB.TRAN* 

Qjailint BT SURETY ; L'HOSPlTALITfi 
LIS lUI ASSOSB. ExTRAtT iunt Letm ictm 
f» M. U Comte dt Vkrgehhks , Minifin da 
4f4irts Etrsngins , i Af . GitLdRD , Priteur dt 
Strasbourg i U tj Mart lyS^. 



17 8 6. 

TITLE-PAGE OP THE DEFENSE OP CAGLIOSTRO. 



V I E 

DE JOSEPH BALSAMO, 

CONMC SOUS LB NOM 

COMTE CAGLIOSTRO, 

Extnite de U Procedure UutndU 
contre luid Rome, en 1790, 

Tradiiite d*aprb Voriginal italien » 
imprim^ &la ChambreApostolique; 
enriehie da Notes curieiues y etornto 
de son Portrait. 



A PARIS, 

CheapMfROT, Ubraire, rue Saint-Victor, n^. 1 1. 

ST A STRASBOURG^ 
CheaJBAM-GBOROBTRBOTTBL, libraire» 



1 7 9 t- 

TtTLE-PAGE Of THK LIFE OP CAGLIUSTRU. 



with a laugh. But Cagliostro impressed himself deeply on the 
history of his time. He flashed on the world like a meteor. 
He carried it by storm. Princes and nobles thronged to his 
'magic operations.' They prostrated themselves before him for 
hours. His horses and his coaches and his liveries rivaled a 
king's in magnificence. He was offered, and refused, a ducal 
throne. No less illustrious a writer than the Empress of Russia 
deemed him a worthy subject of her plays. Goethe made him 
the hero of a famous drama. A French Cardinal and an English 
Lord were his bosom companions. In an age which arrogated 



48 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

to itself the title of the philosophic^ the charm of his eloquence 
drew thousands to his lodges, in which he preached the mysteries 
of his Egyptian ritual, as revealed to him by the Grand Kophta 
under the shadow of the pyramids." 



II. 

And now for a brief review of his life. Joseph Balsamo, 
the son of Peter Balsamo and Felicia Braconieri, both of hum- 
ble extraction, was born at Palermo, on the eighth day of June, 
1743. He received the rudiments of an education at the Semi- 
nary of St. Roche, Palermo. At the age of thirteen, according 
to the Inquisition biographer, he was intrusted to the care of the 
Father-General of the Benfratelli, who carried him to the Con- 
vent of that Order at Cartagirone. There he put on the habit of 
a novice, and, bemg placed under the tuition of the apothecary, 
he learned from him the first principles of chemistry and medi- 
cine. He proved incorrigible, and was expelled from the mon- 
astery in disgrace. Then began a life of dissipation in the city 
of Palermo. He was accused of forging theatre-tickets and 
a will. Finally he had to flee the city for having duped a gold- 
smith named Marano of sixty pieces of gold, by promising to 
assist him in unearthing a buried treasure by magical means. 
The superstitious Marano entered a cavern situated in the 
environs of Palermo, according to instructions given to him by 
the enchanter, and discovered, not a chest full of gold, but a 
crowd of Balsamo's confederates, who, disguised as infernal 
spirits, administered to him a terrible castigation. Furious at the 
deception, the goldsmith vowed to assassinate the pretended 
sorcerer. Balsamo, however, took wing to Messina, where he 
fell in with a strolling mountebank and alchemist named Altho- 
tas, or Altotas, who spoke a variety of languages. They tra- 
veled to Alexandria in Egypt, and finally brought up at the island 
of Malta. Pinto, the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta, 
was a searcher after the philosopher's stone, an enthusiastic 
alchemist. He extended a warm reception to the two adventur- 
ers, and took them under his patronage. They remained for 
some time at Malta, \^'orking in the laboratory of the deluded 



CAGLIOSTRO : A STUDY IN CHARLATANISM 49 

Pinto. Eventually Althotas died, and Balsamo went to Naples, 
afterwards to Rome, where he married a beautiful girdle-maker, 
named Lorenza Feliciani. Together with a swind'^r calling him- 
self the Marchese d'Agliata, he had a series of disreputable ad- 
ventures in Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Unmasked at one place, 
he fled in hot haste to another. 

In 1776 he arrived in London. He had assumed various 
aliases during the course of his life, but now he called himself 
the "Conte di Cagliostro.'' The title of nobility was assumed, 
but the name of Cagliostro was borrowed from an uncle on his 
mother's side of the house, Joseph Cagliostro, of Messina, who 
was an agent or factor of the Prince of Villafranca. His beauti- 
ful wife called herself the "Countess Serafina Feliciani.'' Cagli- 
ostro announced himself as a worker of wonders, especially in 
medicine. He carried about two mysterious substances — a red 
powder, known as his "Materia Prima," with which he trans- 
muted baser metals into gold, and his "Egyptian Wine,'' with 
which he prolonged life. 

He dropped hints that he was the son of the Grand-Master 
Pinto of Malta and the Princess of Trebizonde. He foretold 
the lucky numbers in a lottery and got into difficulty with a gang 
of swindlers, which caused him to flee from England to avoid 
being imprisoned. While in London he picked up, at a second- 
hand book-stall, the mystic writings of an obscure spiritist, one 
George Coston, "which suggested to him the idea of the Eg\'p- 
tian ritual" ; and he got himself initiated into a masonic lodge. 
Henri d'Almeras (Cagliostro: la Franc-Maconncric ct V Occult- 
isme an XVIII sieclc, Paris, 1904) states authoritatively that 
the famous charlatan received the masonic degrees in the Espe- 
rance Lodge, April 12, 1777. This lodge, composed mainly of 
French and Italian residents in London, held its sessions at the 
King's Head Tavern (Gerard Street). It was attached to the 
Continental Masonic order of the Higher Observance, which was 
supposed to be a continuation and perfection of the ancient asso- 
ciation of the Knights Templars. According to Almeras, Cagli- 
ostro was initiated under the name of Joseph Cagliostro, Colonel 
of the 3d regiment of Brandenburg. On June 2, tlie Grand 
Lodge of London gave him his masonic patent, whicli is to 



50 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

be found in the collection of autographs of the Marquis de 
Chateaugiron, V. Catalogue, Paris, 1851. Cagliostro is regarded 
as the greatest masonic imposter of the world. His pretentions 
were bitterly repudiated by the English members of the fra- 
ternity, and many of the Continental lodges. But the fact 
remains that he made thousands of dupes. As Grand Master of 
the Egyptian Rite he leaped at once into fame. His swindling 
operations were now conducted on a gigantic scale. He had the 
entree into the best society. According to him, freemasonry 
was founded by Enoch and Elias. It was open to both sexes. 
Its present form, especially with regard to the exclusion of 
women, is a corruption. The true form was preserved only by 
the Grand Kophta, or High Priest of the Egyptians. By him it 
was revealed to Cagliostro. The votaries of any religion are 
admissible, subject to these conditions, (i) that they believe in 
the existence of a God; (2) that they believe in the immortality 
of the soul; and (3) that they have been initiated into common 
Masonry. The candidate must swear an oath of secrecy, and 
obedience to the Secret Superiors. It is divided into the usual 
three grades of Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Mastermason. 

In this system he promised his followers "to conduct them 
to perfection, by means of a physical and moral regeneration; to 
enable them by the former (or physical) to find the prime matter, 
or Philosopher's Stone, and the acacia, which consolidates in 
man the forces of the most vigorous youth and renders him 
immortal; and by the latter (or moral) to procure them a Pan- 
tagon, which should restore man to his primitive state of inno- 
cence, lost by original sin." 

Cagliostro declared Moses, Elias and Christ to be the Secret 
Superiors of the Order, because having "attained to such perfec- 
tion in masonry that, exalted into higher spheres, they are able 
to create fresh worlds for the glory of the Lord. Each is still 
the head of a secret community." 

No wonder the Egyptian Rite became popular among lovers 
of the marvelous, because it promised its votaries, who should 
attain to perfection, or adeptship, the power of transmuting 
baser metals into gold; prolonging life indefinitely by means of 



CAGLIOSTRO: A STUDY IN CHARLATANISM 5 1 

an elixir; communing with the spirits of the dead; and many 
other necromantic feats and experiments. 

The meetings of the Egyptian Lodges were in reahty spirit- 
uaHstic seances. The medium was a young boy (pupille) or 
young girl (colombe) in the state of virgin innocence, ''to whom 
power was given over the seven spirits that surround the throne 
of the divinity, and preside over the seven planets." The 
Colombe would kneel in front of a globe of clarified water which 
was placed upon a table covered with a black cloth, and Caglios- 
tro would summon the angels of the spheres to enter the globe, 
whereupon the youthful clairvoyant would behold the visions 
presented to view, and describe events transpiring in distant 
places. "It v^ould be hard," says Count Beugnot, "to believe 
that such scenes could have taken place in France at the end of 
the eighteenth century; yet tliey aroused great interest among 
people of importance in the Court and the town." 

In the mysticism of the twentieth century the above-men- 
tioned form of divination is known as "crystal gazing," though 
the medium employed is usually a ball of rock crystal, and not a 
globe of water such as Cagliostro generally used. Occultism 
classes all such experiments under the head of ma^ic mirrors. 
The practice is very ancient. The Regent d'Orleans of l^>ance 
experimented with the magic mirror, as Saint Simon records. 
The great traveler. Lane, speaks of such divinaticjn among the 
modern Egyptians by means of ink held in the palm of the hand. 
Mirrors of ivory, metal, and wood coated with gypsum have been 
used. As Andrew Lang puts it: "There is, in short, a chain 
of examples, from the Greece of the fourth century 13. C, to the 
cases observed by Dr. Mayo and Dr. Gregory in tlie middle of the 
nineteenth century, and to those which Mrs. De Morgan wished 
to explain by 'spiritualism/ " In the opera "Parsifal" by 
Richard Wagner, the necromancer, Klingsor, .sees the approach 
of the young knight in a magic mirror. In the Middle Ages the 
use of these mirrors was well known. Dce]jly imbued with the 
spirit of mediae valism, Wagner proj^erly e^juippcd the magician 
of his sublime opera with the mirror. 

Max Dessoir, the German psychologist, writes as follows 
concerning the magic mirror (^Monist, Vol. L Xo. / ; : 



52 HISTORY OF NATURAL MAGIC 

"The phenomena produced by the agency of the magic mirror 
with regard to their contents proceed from the realm of the sub- 
consciousness ; and that with regard to their form they belong 
to the category of hallucinations. . . . Hallucinations, the pro- 
duction of which are facilitated by the fixation of shining sur- 
faces, do not occur with all persons ; and there may be a kernel 
of truth in the tradition which designates women and children 
as endowed with especial capacities in this respect. The investi- 
gations of Fechner upon the varying vividness of after-images; 
the statistics of Galton upon hallucinatory phantasms in artists; 
and the extensive statistical work of the Society for Psychical 
Research, appear to point to a connection of this character. . . . 
Along with the inner process the outward form of the hallucina- 
tion requires a brief explanation. The circumstance, namely, 
which lends magic-mirror phenomena their salient feature, is 
the sensory reproduction of the images that have sprung up from 
the subconsciousness. The subterranean ideas produced do not 
reach the surface as thoughts, but as pseudo-perceptions.'' 

Cagliostro sometimes made use of a metallic mirror. This 
fact we have on the authority of the Countess du Barry, the frail 
favorite of Louis XV. When the "Well Beloved'' went the way 
of dusty death, the charming Countess divided her years of ban- 
ishment from the glories of the Court at her Chateau of 
Luciennes and her houses in Paris and Versailles. She relates 
that on one occasion the Cardinal de Rohan paid her a visit. 
During the conversation the subject of Mesmer and magnetism 
was discussed. 

"My dear Countess," said the Cardinal, "the magnetic 
seances of Mesmer are not to be compared with the magic of my 
friend the Count de Cagliostro. He is a genuine Rosicrucian, 
who holds communion with the elemental spirits. He is able 
to pierce the veil of the future by his necromantic power. Permit 
me to introduce him to you." 

The curiosity of the Countess was excited, and she con- 
sented to receive the illustrious sorcerer at her home. The next 
day the Cardinal came, accompanied by Cagliostro. The magi- 
cian was magnificently dressed, but not altogether in good taste. 
Diamonds sparkled on his breast and upon his fingers. The 



CAGLIOSTRO: A STUDY IN CHARLATANISM 53 

knob of his walking-stick was incrusted with precious stones. 
Madame du Barry, however, was much struck with the power of 
his bold, gleaming eyes. She realized that he was no ordinary 
charlatan. After discussing the question of sorcery, Cagliostro 
took from the breast pocket of his coat a leather case which he 
handed to the Countess, saying that it contained a magic mirror 
wherein she might read the events of the past and future. "If 
the vision be not to your liking,'' he remarked, impressively, 
"do not blame me. You use the mirror at your own risk." 

She opened the case and saw a "metallic glass in an ebony 
frame, ornamented with a variety of magical characters in gold 
and silver." Cagliostro recited some cabalistic words, and bade 
her gaze intently into the glass. She did so, and in a few 
minutes was overcome with fright and fainted away. 

Such is the story as related by Du Barry in her memoirs, 
which have been recently edited by Prof. Leon Vallee, librarian 
of the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris. 

She gives us no clew as to the vision witnessed by her in the 
magic glass. She says she afterwards refused to receive Caglios- 
tro under any circumstances. 

What are we to believe concerning this remarkable story? 
We might possibly conjecture that she saw in tlie mirror a 
phantasmagoria of the guillotine, and beheld her blonde head 
"sneeze into the basket," and held up to public execration. Com- 
ing events cast their shadows before. 

But all this is mere fancy, "midsummer madness," as the 
Bard of Avon has it. 

Grod alone knows the future. Wisely has it been veiled 
to us. 

Possibly Madame la Comtesse from her subliminal conscious- 
ness conjured up an hallucination of the loathsome death by 
smallpox of her royal lover, at whose corpse even the "night 
men" of Versailles recoiled with horror. Telepathy from Cagli- 
ostro may have played a part in inducing the vision. Ah, who 
knows ! We leave the problem to the psychologists for solution. 



54 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

III. 

From England Cagliostro went to the Hag^e, where he 
inaugurated a lodge of female masons, over which his wife pre- 
sided as Grand Mistrej^s. Throughout Holland he was received 
by the lodges with masonic honors — beneath "arches of steel." 
He discoursed volubly upon magic and masonry to enraptured 
thousands. In March, 1779, he made his appearance at Mitau,* 
in the Baltic Provinces, which he regarded as the stepping-stone 
to St. Petersburg. He placed great hope in Catherine U of 
Russia — "the avowed champion of advanced thought." He 
hoped to promulgate widely his new and mysterious religious 
cult in the land of the Czars, with all the pomp and glamour of 
the East. The nobility of Kurland received him with open arms. 
Some of them offered to place him on the ducal throne, so he 
claimed. He wisely refused the offer. Cagliostro eventually 
made a fiasco at Mitau and left in hot haste. In St. Peters- 
burg his stay was as short. Catherine II was too clever a woman 
to be his dupe. She ordered the charlatan to leave Russia, which 
he forthwith did. Prospects of Siberia doubtless hastened his 
departure. In May, 1780, he turned up at Warsaw. A leading 
prince lodged him in his palace. Here Cagliostro "paraded 
himself in the white shoes and red heels of a noble." His 
spirit seances were not a success. He chose as his clairvoyant 
a little girl, eight years of age. After pouring oil into her hands, 
he closed her in a room, the door of which was hung with a black 
curtain. The spectators sat outside. He interrogated the child 
concerning the visions that appeared to her. Among other 
tests, he requested the spectators to inscribe their names on a 
piece of paper which he appeared to burn before their very eyes. 
Calling to the child that a note would flutter down at her feet, 
he requested her to pass it to him through the door. He passed 
his hand through the opening of the door to receive the note. 
In the next instant he produced a note closed with a free- 
mason's seal, which contained the signatures of the spectators. 
This was nothing more than the trick of a prestidigitateur, such 

*Nachricht von des beruchtigten Cagliostro's Aufenthalt in Mithau im 
Jahre, 1779, und von dessen dortigen magischen Operationen.—ChdsXoM^ Elisa- 
beth von der Recke. Berlin und Stettin, 1787. 8vo. 



CAGLIOSTRO: A STUDY IN CHARLATANISM 55 

as was performed by Philadelphia and Pinetti, the two great 
sleight of hand artists of the period. The next day the clairvoy- 
ant 'confessed the fact that she had been tutored by the magician, 
and that the visions were but figments of the imagination. Cag- 
liostro secured a new subject, a girl of sixteen, but had the folly 
to fall in love with his accomplice. In exasperation she repeated 
the confession of her predecessor. The Polish nobles now 
insisted that Cagliostro invoke the spirit of the Grand Kophta 
(the Egyptian 'High Priest). This seance took place "in a dark 
room, on a sort of stage, lit with two candles only, and filled 
with clouds of incense." The Grand Kophta appeared. Through 
the uncertain light the spectators beheld an imposing figure 
in white robes and turban. A snowy beard fell upon its breast. 

"What see ye?" cried in a hoarse voice the sage of the pyra- 
mids. 

"I see," replied a sceptical gentleman from the audience, 
"that Monsieur le Comte de Cagliostro has disguised himself 
with a mask and a white beard." 

Everybody recognized the portly figure of the vision. A 
rush seemed imminent. Quick as thought, the Grand Kophta. 
by a wave of his hands, extinguished the two candles. A sound 
followed as the slipping off of a mantle. The tapers were relit. 
Cagliostro was observed sitting where the sage had disappeared. 

At Wola, in a private laboratory, he pretended to transmute 
mercury into silver. The scene must have been an impressive 
•one. Girt with a freemason's apron, and standing on a black 
floor marked with cabalistic symbols in chalk, Cagliostro worked 
at the furnace. In the gloom of twilight the proceedings were 
held. By a clever substitution of crucibles, Cagliostro apparently 
accomplished the feat of transmutation, but the fraud was 
detected the next morning, when one of the servants of the 
house discovered the original crucible containing the mercury, 
which had been cast upon a pile of rubbish by the pretended 
alchemist, or one of his confederates. 

In September, 1780, Cagliostro arrived in Strasburg. Here 
he was received with unbounded enthusiasm. He lavished 
money right and left, cured the poor without pay, and treated the 
great with haughtiness. Just outside of the city he erected a 



56 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

country villa in Chinese architecture, wherein to hold his Egyp- 
tian lodges. This place was long pointed out as the Caglios- 
trseum. The peasants are said to have passed it with uncovered 
heads, such was their admiration and awe of the great wonder- 
worker. At Strasburg resided at that time the Cardinal Louis 
de Rohan, who was anxious to meet the magician. Cagliostro, 
to whom the fact was reported, said: "If the Cardinal is sick, 
he may come to me and I will cure him ; if he is well, he has no 
further need of ine, nor I of him.'' Cardinal de Rohan, Grand 
Almoner of France, Commander of the order of the Holy Ghost, 
enormously rich, and an amateur dabbler in alchemy and the 
occult sciences, was now more anxious than ever to become 
acquainted with the charlatan. Such disdain on the part of a 
layman was a new experience to the haughty churchman. His 
imagination, too, was fired by the stories told of the enchanter. 
The upshot of it was that Cagliostro and the Cardinal became 
bosom friends. The prelate invited the juggler and his wife to 
live at his episcopal palace. 

The Baroness d'Oberkirch, who saw him there, says in her 
memoirs:* "No one can ever form the faintest idea of the 
fervor with which everybody pursued Cagliostro. He was sur- 
rounded, besieged ; every one trying to win a glance or a word. 
... A dozen ladies of rank and two actresses had followed him 
in order to continue their treatment. ... If I had not seen it, I 
should never have imagined that a Prince of the Roman Church, 
a man in other respects intelligent and honorable, could so far 
let himself be imposed upon as to renounce his dignity, his free 
will, at the bidding of a sharper." 

Cagliostro said to the Cardinal one day: "Your soul is 
worthy of mine, and you deserve to be the confidant of all my 
secrets." He presented the Cardinal with a diamond worth 
20,000 francs which he pretended to have made, the churchman 
claiming to have been an eye-witness of the operation. The 
Cardinal said to the Baroness: "But that is not all; he makes 
gold ; he has made five or six thousand francs worth before me, 
up there in the top of the palace. I am to have more ; T am to 
have a great deal ; he will make me the richest prince in Europe 

*Memov'cs de la Baronne d'Ohcrhirche, I. 



CAGLIOSTRO: A STUDY IN CHARLATANISM 57 

These are not dreams, madanie; they are proofs. And his 
prophecies that have come true ! And the miraculous cures that 
he has wrought ! [He really eared the Cardinal of the asthma. ] 
I tell you, he is the most extraordinary man, the sublimest man 
in the world/'* 

From Strasburg Cagliostro went to Naples, and from thence 
to Bordeaux. After residing at Bordeaux for eleven months, 
he proceeded to Lyons in great pomp, with lackeys, grooms, 
guards armed with battle-axes, and heralds garbed in cloth of 
gold, blowing trumpets. In the year 1785 he founded at Lyons 
the Lodge of Triumphant Wisdom, and made many converts 
to his mystical doctrines. The fame of his Egyptian masonry 
reached Paris and created quite a stir among the lodges. The 
chiefs of a masonic convocation assembled in I'aris wrote to him 
for information concerning his new rite. lie scr^rn fully rcfu.scd 
to have anything to do with them, unless they burncrl all their 
masonic books and implements as useless trash and acknowl- 
edged their futility, claiming that his Egyptian Rite was the 
only true freemasonr\' and worthy of cultivation anv^ng men r^f 
learning. His next move was to the French capital. HchoM 
him on his travels with coach-and-four, flunkies and outriders 
in gorgeous liveries of red and gold; vehicles filled with baggage 
and paraphernalia. Best of all. he carries with him an in^n ('(tffcj 
which contains the silver, gold, and jewels reai>ed from his rlupen. 



IV. 

Cagliostro's greatest triumph v/as HchitvfA in I'aris. A gay 
and frivolous arist'ocraqr. :r,^d after nev/ s^mratiorr-,, v/^ih/fUit-A 
the magician with open arrr.s. The v/av ha/I ]ffu:ri |/av/r/| ((/f 
him by St. Gerrr.ain zrA Merger. He rna/1^ hi-. '^\f\t4'uru\uj', in 
the French capita!, Tar.tiary 30. 17^5. I'ar;*a/:^ '-Jf^ri'". //fj^: 
circulated about him. The Car^^Iina! 'l^. Pof,;ir; '/'.U'/u-A uuf\ 
furnished a hotiie i'.-r "r'-.rr.. ar.c .W.*/-/. h:rr. *':.r*'t', or i'^^^x Uu\*'.% 
a week, arriving at cinr.er t:rr>e ar.c r*:rrja:r,:r,jf ';r/,:! an a/l/ar»^>'/I 

♦It '^ an irrtitr*??::-'^ f:£.tr, *.', 'r/^f, •'.:** ^A7''/^'*r^, wit f^/z/rr.rj'^r,^/! '4% 
a phjsicnn to CK' B«^r.;irr::'. rr^-y.'. -<* *'^* ♦ 'r>: r* ..'l.r,;^ ,1. t"Ai,s '/M 
Hale's FrenkUm ix r-:itr< ',i 2 ;, ^y. 



58 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

hour in the night. It was said that the great Cardinal assisted 
the sorcerer in his labors, and many persons spoke of the mysteri- 
ous laboratory where gold bubbled and diamonds sparkled in 
crucibles brought to a white heat. But nobody except Caglios- 
tro, and perhaps the Cardinal, ever entered that mysterious 
laboratory. All that was known for a certainty was that the 
apartments were furnished with Oriental splendor, and that 
Count Cagliostro in a dazzling costume received his guests with 
kingly dignity, and gave them his hand to kiss. Upon a black 
marble slab in the antechamber carved in golden letters was the 
universal prayer of Alexander Pope. "Father of all! in every 
age/' etc., the parody of which ten years later Paris sang as a 
hymn to the Supreme Being. 

Says Funck-Brentano :* **At Paris Cagliostro showed him- 
self what he had been at Strasburg, dignified and reserved. He 
refused with haughtiness the invitations to dinner sent to him 
by the Count of Artois, brother of the king, and the Duke of 
Chartres, prince of the blood. He proclaimed himself chief of 
the Rosicrucians, who regarded themselves as chosen beings 
placed above the rest of mankind, and he gave to his adepts the 
rarest pleasure. ... To all who pressed him with questions as 
to who he was, he replied in a grave voice, knitting his eye- 
brows and pointing his forefinger towards the sk}% *I am he who 
is' : and as it was difficult to make out that he was *he who is 
not,' the only thing was to bow with an air of profound defer- 
ence. 

**He possessed the science of the ancient priests of Eg)rpt. 
His conversation turned generally on three points: (i) Uni- 
versal ]\Ie(licine, of which the secrets were known to him. (2) 
Egyptian Freemasonry, which he wished to restore, and of 
which he had just established a parent lodge at Lyons, for Scotch 
masonry, then predominant in France, was in his eyes only an 
inferior, degenerate form. (3) The Philosopher's Stone, which 
was to ensure the transmutation oi all the imperfect metals into 
fine gold." 

*Thc Diafnoptd Xccklacc. Pcin^ the true Story of Marie Antoinette and 
the Cardinal dc Rohan. From the «t*:i' documents recently discovered in 
Paris, By Frantz Fiinck-Brontano. Translated from the French by H. S. 
Edwards.' Philadelphia, 1901. 8vo. 



CAGLIOSTRO: A STUDY IN CHARLATANISM 59 

"He thus gave to humanity, by his universal medicine, bodily 
health ; by Egyptian masonr\% spiritual health ; and by the philos- 
opher's stone, infinite wealth." These were his principal secrets. 
but he had a host of others, that of predicting the winning num- 
bers in lotteries ; prophesying as to the future ; softening marble 
and restoring it to its pristine hardness; of giving to cotton 
the lustre and softness of silk, which has been re-invented in our 
day by a chemical process. 

Many writers on magic have fancied that the art of making 
gold was the seaet that lay hid under the forms of Eg)rptian 
theology. Says the Benedictine monk, Pernetz: "The hermetic 
science was the source of all the riches of the Egj-ptian kings, 
and the object of these mysteries so hidden under the veil of their 
pretended religion." In a subterranean chamber beneath the 
Great PjTamid of Gizeh, Hermes Trismegistus is supposed, 
according to mediaeval alchemists, to have placed his Table of 
Emerald, upon which he engraved the secret of transmuting 
metals into gold. 

Among the many stories told of Cagliostro, that of the sup- 
per in the hotel of the Rue Saint Claude, where the ghosts made 
merry, is the most extraordinar}'. Six guests and the host took 
their places at a round table uprjn which there were thirteen 
covers. Each guest pronounced the name of the dead man whose 
spirit he desired to appear at the banrjuet table. Cagliostro, con- 
centrating his mysterious forces, gave the invitation in a solemn 
and commanding tone. One after another the six guests 
appeared. They were the Due de Choiseul, Voltaire, d'Alembert, 
Diderot, the Abbe de \'oisenon, and Montesquieu. 

The story of this spirit seance created a sensation in Paris. 
It reached the court, and one evening, when the conversation 
turned upon the banquet of the ghosts, Louis XVI frowned, 
shrugged his shoulders, and resumed his game of cards. The 
queen became indignant, and forbade the mention of the name 
of the charlatan in her presence. Nevertheless, some of the 
light-headed ladies of the court bumerl for an introduction to the 
superb sorcerer. They begged Lorenza Feliciani to get him to 
give them a course of lectures or lessons in magic to which no 
gentlemen were to be admitted. Lorenza replied that he would 
consent, provided there were thirty-six pupils. The list was made 



60 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

up in a day, and a week afterward the fair dames got their first 
lesson. But they gossiped about it. This caused another scan- 
dal, and consequently the first lesson was the last. 

Cagliostro's Egyptian Rite of Masonry was well received in 
Paris, especially the lodge for ladies, which was presided over by 
the beautiful Lorenza, his wife. It was appropriately called 
Isis. Among the members of this female lodge were the 
Countesses de Brienne, Dessalles, de Polignac, de Brassac, de 
Choiseul, d'Espinchal, the Marchioness d'Avrincourt, and Mmes. 
de Lomenie, de Genlis, de Bercy, de Trevieres, de Baussan, de 
Monteil, d'Ailly, etc. 

Cagliostro lived like a lord, thanks to the revenues obtained 
from the initiates into his masonic rite, and the money which he 
unquestionably received from his dupe, the Cardinal de Rohan, 
who was magic mad. 

"His wife,'' says a gossipy writer, "was rarely seen, but by 
all accounts she was a woman of bewildering beauty, realizing 
the Greek lines in all their antique purity and enhanced by an 
Italian expression. The most enthusiastic of her so-called 
admirers were precisely those who had never seen her face. 
There were many duels to decide the question as to the color of 
her eyes, some contending that they were black, and others that 
they were blue. Duels were also fought over the dimple which 
some admirers insisted was on the right cheek, while others said 
that the honor belonged to the left cheek. She appeared to be 
no more than twenty years old, but she spoke sometimes of her 
eldest son, who was for some years a captain in the Dutch 
army." 

The magician's sojourn in Paris caused the greatest excite- 
ment. His portrait and that of his wife were to be seen every- 
where, on fans, on rings, on snuff-boxes, and on medallions. 
His bust was cut in marble by the famous sculptor, Houdon, cast 
in bronze, and placed in the mansions of the nobility. He was 
called by his admirers "the divine Cagliostro." To one of the 
old portraits was appended the following verse : 
"De TAmi des Humains reconnaissez les traits: 
Tons ses jours sont marques par de nouveaux bienfaits, 
II prolonge la Vie, il secourt Tindigence ; 
Le plaisir d'fitre utile est seul sa recompense." 



CAGLIOSTRO: A STUDY IN CHARLATANISM 



6i 



Hats and neckties were named after htm. In Paris as in 
' Strasburg. he gave away large sums of money to the poor and 
cured them of their aihnents free of charge. His mansion was 
always crowded with noble guests. The idle aristocracy could 
find nothing better to do than attend the spirit seances of the 
charlatan. The shades of Voltaire, Rousseau, and other dead 
celebrities were summoned from the ^Sasty deep/* impersonated 
•doubtless by clever confederates in the pay of Cagliostro, often 



^H Bust of Cagliostro, 

^V After Houdon. 

^B<(In the possession of M. Storelli.) 

Baidet 



Cagliostro. 
From Fie de Joseph Balsatno, etc. 
Paris, 1791. 



ded by mechanical and optical accessories. The art of phan- 
tasmagoria, in wliich the ctjncave mirror plays a part, was well 
known to the enchanter. Tlie Count de Beugnot gives in detail, 
in his interesting autobiography, an account of Cagliostro \s 
performances at the residences of Madame de la Motte and the 
Cardinal de Rohan. The niece of Count de la Motte, a Mile, de 



62 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

la Tour, a charming girl of fifteen, frequently acted as clairvoy- 
ant in the mystical seances. She is reported to have possessed 
all the requisites of a seeress : angelic purity, delicate nerves, and 
blue eyes, also to have been born under the constellation Capri- 
corn. "Her mother nearly died of joy." 

Saj'^s Count Beugnot : "When she learned that her child ful- 
filled all these conditions of Egyptian thaumaturgy, she thought 
the treasures of Memphis and of that large city in the interior 
of Africa were about to fall upon her family, which was badly 
in need of them." In the report of the necklace trial (Arch. 
Nat. X2, B-1417), the young girl confesses to have aided the 
charlatan in his magical operations at the house of the Cardinal, 
by pretending to see visions of Marie Antoinette and others in 
a globe of water, which was surrounded by lighted tapers and 
figures of Isis and Apis. He had decked her out in a free- 
mason's apron embroidered with cabalistic characters. She aided 
him because "she did not want to be bothered," and answered his 
leading questions, etc. But there was perhaps another reason 
for her acquiescence in the fraud. Cagliostro had declared to 
her, in the presence of the prelate, her aunt and mother, when she 
first attempted to play the part of pythoness and failed, that her 
inability to see anything in the globe was evidence that she was 
not innocent. Stung by his inuendos, she immediately yielded 
and saw all she was desired to see, thereby becoming his confed- 
erate to deceive De Rohan. 

An interesting pen portrait of Cagliostro is contained in 
Beugnot's memoirs. The Count met the enchanter for the first 
time at the house of Madame de la Motte : 

"Cagliostro was of medium height, rather stout, with an 
olive complexion, a very short neck, round face, two large eyes 
on a level with the cheeks, and a broad, turned-up nose. . . . 
His hair was dressed in a way new to France, being divided into 
several small tresses that united behind the head, and were 
twisted up into what was then called a club. 

"He wore on that day an iron gray coat of French make, 
with gold lace, a scarlet waistcoat trimmed with broad Spanish 
lace, red breeches, his sword looped to the skirt of his coat, and 
a laced hat with a white feather, the latter a decoration still 



CAGLIOSTRO: A STUDY IN CHARLATANISM 63 

required of mountebanks, tooth-drawers and other medical prac- 
titioners, who proclaim and retail their drugs in the open air. 
Cagliostro set off this costume by lace ruffles, several valuable 
rings, and shoe-buckles which were, it is true, of antique design, 
but bright enough to be taken for real diamonds. . . . The face, 
attire, and the whole man made an impression on me that I 
could not prevent. I listened to the talk. He spoke some sort 
of medley, half French and half Italian, and made many quota- 
tions which might be Arabic, but which he did not trouble him- 
self to translate. I could not remember any more of [his con- 
versation] than that the hero had spoken of heaven, of the stars, 
of the Great Secret, of Memphis, of the high-priest, of transcen- 
dental chemistry, of giants and monstrous beasts, of a city ten 
times as large as Paris, in the middle of Africa, where he had 
correspondents/'* 

Cagliostro often boasted of his great age. 

One day in Strasburg, he stopped before a huge crucifix of 
carved wood, and contemplated it with melancholy countenance. 

"The likeness is excellent,'' he remarked to one of his vota- 
ries, "but I cannot understand how the artist, who certainly 
never saw Christ, could have secured such a perfect portrait." 

"You knew Christ, then?" inquired the neophyte, breath- 
lessly. 

"We were on the most intimate terms." 

"My dear Count!—" 

"I mean what I say. How often we strolled together on the 
sandy shore of the Lake of Tiberias. How infinitely sweet his 
voice. But, alas, he would not heed my advice. He loved to 
walk on the seashore, where he picked up a band of laszaroni — 
of fishermen and beggars. This and his preaching brought him 
to a bitter end." 

Turning to his servant, Cagliostro added : "Do you remem- 
ber that evening at Jerusalem when they crucified Christ?" 

"No, Monsieur le Comte," replied the well-tutored lackey, 
bowing low, "you forget that I have only been in your employ 
for the last fifteen hundred years." 

Baron Munchausen is not to be compared to Gag' 

♦Beugnot, Comte de. Memoires. Paris, 1866. 



64 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

V. 

Cagliostro was at the height of his fame, when suddenly 
he was arrested and thrown into the Bastille. He was charged 
with complicity in the affair of the diamond necklace. Here is 
his own account of the arrest: "On the 22d of August, 1785, 
a commissaire, an exempt, and eight policemen entered my home. 
The pillage began in my presence. They compelled me to open 
my secretary. Elixirs, balms, and precious liquors all became 
the prey of the officers who came to arrest me. I begged the 
commissaire to permit me to use my carriage. He refused! 
The agent took me by the collar. He had pistols, the stocks 
of which appeared from the pockets of his coat. They hustled 
me into the street and scandalously dragged me along the boule- 
vard all the way to the rue Notre Dame du Nazareth. There 
a carriage appeared which I was permitted to enter to take the 
road to the Bastille." 

What was this mysterious affair of the diamond necklace 
which led to his incarceration in a state prison? In brief the 
story is as follows: 

The court jewelers, Bohmer and Bassange, had in their 
possession a magnificent diamond necklace, valued at 1,800,000 
livres, originally designed for the ivory neck of the fair but frail 
Madame du Barry, mistress of Louis XV. But Louis — **the well 
beloved'' — died before the necklace was completed; the Sultana 
went into exile, and the unlucky jewelers found themselves with 
the diamond collar on their hands, instead of on the neck of 
Du Barry. They were obliged to dispose of it, or become bank- 
rupt. Twice Bohmer offered it to Marie Antoinette, but she 
refused to purchase it, or permit her husband, Louis XVL, to 
do so, alleging that France had more urgent need of war ships 
than jewels. Poor Bohmer, distracted at her refusal to buy 
the necklace, threatened to commit suicide. The matter became 
food for gossip among the quid mines of the Court. Unfortu- 
nate necklace! it led to one of the most romantic intrigues of 
history, involving in its jeweled toils a Queen, a cardinal, a cour- 
tesan and a conjurer. Living at the village of Versailles at the 
time was the Countess de la Motte, an ex-mantua maker and 



CAGLIOSTRO : A STUDY IN CHARLATANISM 65 

a descendant of an illegitimate scion of the Valois family who 
had committed a forgery under Louis XIII. Her husband 
was a sort of gentleman-soldier in the gendarmerie, a gambler, 
and a rake. Madame de la Motte- Valois, boasting of the royal 
blood that flowed in her veins, had many times petitioned the 
King to assist her. A small pension had been granted, but it 
was totally inadequate to supply her wants. She wished also 
to gain a foothold at Versailles and flutter amidst the butterfly- 
countesses of the Salle dc rOciUdc-Bocuf. Looking about for 
a noble protector, some one who could advance her claims, she 
pitched upon the Cardinal de Rolian, who was the Grand 
Almoner of the King. He supplied her with money, but accom- 
plished very little else for her. Though Grand Almoner and a 
Cardinal, Louis de Rohan was persona non grata at the court. 
He was cordially detested by Marie Antoinette not only because 
of his dissolute habits, but on account of slanderous letters he 
had written about her when she was still a Dauphiness. This 
coldness on the part of the Queen caused the Cardinal great 
anguish, as he longed to be Prime Minister, and sway the des- 
tinies of France through the Queen like a second Richelieu, 
Fleury or Mazarin. More than that, he loved the haughty 
Antoinette. All these things he confided to Madame de la Motte. 
When the story of Bohmer and the diamond necklace was noised 
abroad, Madame de la Motte conceived a plot of wonderful 
audacity. She determined to possess the priceless collar and 
make the Cardinal the medium of obtaining it. She deluded the 
Cardinal into the belief that she was in the Queen's confidence. 
She asserted that Marie Antoinette had at last yielded to her 
pleadings for recognition as a descendant of the Valois and 
granted her social interviews. She confided to him that the 
Queen secretly desired to be reconciled to him. She became 
the pretended "go-between'' between the Cardinal and the 
Queen, and delivered numerous little notes to him, signed 
"Antoinette de France." Finally she arranged an interview for 
him, at night, in the park of Versailles, ostensibly with the 
Queen, but in reality with a young girl named d'Oliva who bore 
a remarkable resemblance to Marie Antoinette. The d'Oliva 
saw him only for a few moments and presented him with a rose. 



66 THE OLD AXD THE XE^' MAGIC 

The Cardinal was completely duped ''Madame de la Motte 
persuaded him," saj^ Greeven, "into the belief that the Queen 
was yearning for the necklace, but, as she could not afford it, 
he could assure himself of her favor by becoming security for 
the paj-ment. She produced a forged instrument, which pur- 
ported to have been executed by the Queen, and upon which he 
bound himself as security'." The necklace was delivered to the 
Cardinal, who handed it over to Madame de la Motte, to be 
given to Marie Antoinette. Thus it was, as Carlyle says, the 
collier de la rcine vanished through *'the hom-gate of dreams." 

But, asks the curious reader, what has all this to do with 
Cagliostro? What part had he to play in the drama? This: 
WTien the Countess de la Motte was arrested, she attempted 
to throw the blame of the affair upon the Cardinal and Cagli- 
ostro. She alleged that they had summoned her into one of their 
mystic seances. "After the usual hocus-pocus, the Cardinal made 
over to her a casket containing the diamonds without their set- 
ting and directed her to deliver them to her husband, with instruc- 
tions to dispose of them at once in London. Upon this informa- 
tion Cagliostro and his wife were arrested. He was detained 
without hearing, from the 22A of Augriist, 1785, until the 30th 
of January', 1786, when he was first examined by the Judges, 
and he was not set at liberty till the ist of June, 1786." 

The trial was the most famous in the annals of the Parlia- 
ment. Cagliostro and the Cardinal were acquitted with honor. 
The Countess de la Motte was sentenced to be exposed naked, 
with a rope around her neck, in front of the Conciergerie, and to 
be publicly whipped and branded by the hangman with the letter 
V (Voleuse — thief) on each shoulder. She was further sen- 
tenced to life imprisonment in the prison for abandoned women. 
She escaped from the latter place, however, to Ixjndon, where 
she was killed on the 23d day of August, 1791, by a fall from 
a window. The Count de la Motte was sentenced iti contuma- 
ciinn. He was safe in London at the time and had disposed of 
the diamonds to various dealers. The d'Oliva was set free 
without punishment. The man who forged the letter for 
Madame de la Motte, her secretar}', \'illette, was banished for 
life. The Countess de Cagliostro was honorably discharged 



CAGLIOSTRO: A STUDY IN CHARLATANISM 



67 



The Cardinal was unquestionably innocent, as was fully estab- 
lished at the trial. His overweening ambition and bis mad love 
for Marie Antoinette had rendered him an easy dupe to the 
machinations of the band of sharpers. But how about Cagli- 
ostro? The essayist Greeven seems to tliink that the alchemist 
w^as more or less mixed up in the swindle. He sums up the 
suspicions as follows: '"First, his [Cagliostro's] immense influ- 
ence over the Cardinal, ajid his intimate relations with him 
render it impossible that so gigantic a fraud could have been 
practiced without his knowledge. SLXond, he was in league with 



,S£»5 



IMadame de la Motte^s Escape. (After an English print of 1790.) 

the Countess for the purpose of deceiving the Cardinal, in con- 
nection with the Queen.'' 

M. Frantz Funck-Brentano writes: 'The idea of impli- 
cating Cagliostro in the intrigue had been conceived, as Georgel 
says, with diabolical cunning. If Jeanne de Valois had in the 
first instance made a direct accusation against Cardinal de Rohan, 
no one would have believed in it. But there was something 
mysterious and suspicious about Cagliostro, and it w^as know^n 
what influence he exercised on the mind of the Cardinal. The 
alchemist,' she suggested, *took the necklace to pieces in order 
to increase by means of it the occult treasures of an unheard-of 
fortune/ To conceal his theft,' says Doillot [Madame de la 



68 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

Motte's lawyer], *he ordered M. de Rohan, in virtue of the 
influence he had estabHshed over him, to sell some of the dia- 
monds and to get a few of them mounted at Paris through the 
Countess de la Motte, and to get more considerable quantities 
mounted and sold in England by her husband.' . . . Cagliostro 
had one unanswerable argument: the Cardinal had made his 
agreement with the jewelers on the 29th of January, 1785, and 
he, Cagliostro, had only arrived in Paris at nine in the evening 
of the 30th/' 

CagHostro refuted the charges with wonderful sang froid. 
He appeared in court "proud and triumphant in his coat of 
green silk embroidered with gold." "Who are you? and whence 
do you come?'' asked the attorney for the crown. 

"I am an illustrious traveler," he answered bombastically. 
Everyone present laughed, tie then harangued the judges in 
theatrical style. He told the most impossible stories of his 
adventures in Arabia and Egypt. He informed the judges that 
he was unacquainted with the place of his birth and the name 
of his parents, but that he spent his infancy in Medina, Arabia, 
and was brought up under the cognomen of Acharat. He 
resided in the palace of the Great Muphti, and always had the 
servants to attend his wants, besides his tutor, named Althota.s, 
who was very fond of him. Althotas told him that his (Cagli- 
ostro's) father and mother were Christians and nobles, who 
died when he was three months old, leaving him in the care of 
the Muphti. On one occasion, he asked his preceptor to tell him 
the name of his parents. Althotas replied that it would be 
dangerous for him to know, but some incautious expressions 
dropped by the tutor led him to believe that they were from 
Malta. \Mien twelve years of age he began his travels, and 
learned the languages of the Orient. He remained three years 
in the sacred city of Mecca. The Sherif or Governor of that 
place showed him such unusual attention and kindness, that he 
oftentimes thought that personage was his father. He quitted 
this good man with tears in his eyes, and never saw him again. 

"Adieu, nature's unfortunate child, adieu!'' cried the Sherif 
of Mecca to him, as he took his departure. 



CAGLIOSTRO : A STUDY IN CHARLATANISM 69 

Whenever he arrived in any city, either of Europe, Asia, or 
Africa, he found an account opened for him at the leading 
banker's or merchant's. Like the Count of Monte Cristo, his 
credit was unlimited. He had only to whisper the word 
"Acharat," and his wants were immediately supplied. He really 
believed that the Sherif was the friend to whom all was owing. 
This was the secret of his wealth. He denied all complicity in 
the necklace swindle, and scornfully refuted the charge of 
Madame de la Motte, that he was "an empiric, a mean alchemist, 
a dreamer on the Philosopher's Stone, a false prophet, a profaner 
of true worship, the self-dubbed Count de Cagliostro." 

"As to my being a false prophet," he exclaimed grandilo- 
quently, "I have not always been so; for I once prophesied to 
the Cardinal de Rohan, that Madame de la Motte would prove 
a dangerous woman, and the result has verified my prediction." 

In conclusion he said that every charge that Madame de la 
Motte had preferred against him was false, and that she was 
mentiris impitdcntissime, which two words he requested her 
lawyers to translate for her, as it was not polite to tell her so in 
French. 

The Inquisition biographer, regarding the subject of the 
necklace, says: "It is difficult to decide whether, in this cele- 
brated affair, Madame de la Motte or the Count Cagliostro had 
the greatest share of glory. It is certain, however, that both 
of them acquired uncommon eclat, and indeed attempted to 
surpass each other. We cannot affirm that they acted in concert 
on this memorable occasion ; we can, however, with safety assert 
that Cagliostro was well acquainted with the designs of this 
woman, so wonderfully formed for intrigue, and that he always 
kept his eye steadily fixed upon the famous necklace. He cer- 
tainly perceived, and has indeed confessed in his interrogatories 
[the italics are mine], that he u^as acquainted zvith all the 
manoeuvres which she put in practice to accomplish her criminal 
designs. 

"The whole affair was at length discovered. He had fore- 
seen this ; and wished to have evaded the inevitable consequences 
attendant on detection ; but it was now too late. The officers of 
the police were persuaded that without his aid this piece of 



70 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

roguery and deception could never have been carried on ; and he 
was arrested and imprisoned in the Bastille. He, however, did 
not lose courage; he even found means to corrupt his guards, 
and to establish a correspondence with the other prisoners who 
were confined along with him. It was owing to this that they 
were enabled to be uniform in the answers which they gave in 
to the various interrogatories to which they were obliged to 
reply. 

"Cagliostro, who has recounted the whole of the circum- 
stances to us, has added, of his own accord, that he denied 
everything to his judges with the utmost intrepidity; and exhib- 
ited such a sameness in his replies, that, on Madame de la Motte's 
being confronted with him, and finding herself unable to quash 
his evidence, she became so furious, that she threw a candlestick 
at his head in the presence of all his judges. By this means he 
was declared innocent.'' 

So much for the Inquisition biography. The incident of the 
candlestick has been verified by the archives of the Parliament. 

Cagliostro was acquitted. 

He drove in triumph from the Bastille to his residence, after 
hearing his order of discharge. His coach was preceded by "a 
fantastic cripple, who distributed medicines and presents among 
the crowd.'' He found the Rue Saint Claude thronged with 
friends and sympathizers, anxious to welcome him home. At 
this period revolutionary sentiments were openly vented by the 
people of France. The throne was being undermined by the 
philosophers and politicians. Any excuse was made to revile 
Louis XVI and his queen. Scurrilous pamphlets were published 
declaring that Marie Antoinette was equally guilty with the 
de la Mottes in the necklace swindle. Cagliostro consequently 
was regarded as a martyr to the liberties of man. His arrest 
under the detested Icttrc dc cachet, upon mere suspicion, and 
long incarceration in the Bastille without trial, were indeed 
flagrant abuses of justice and gave his sympathizers a whip with 
which to lash the King and Court. 

His wife had been liberated some time before him. She 
met him at the door of the temple of magic, and he swooned in 
her arms. Whether this was a genuine swoon or not, it is 



CAGLIOSTRO: A STUDY IN CHARLATANISM 7 1 

impossible to say, for CagHostro was ever a poseur and never 
neglected an opportunity for theatrical effect and self-advertise- 
ment. He accused the Marquis de Launay, Governor of the 
Bastille — he who had his head chopped off and elevated upon a 
pike a few years later — of criminal misappropriation of his 
effects, money, medicines, alchemical powders, elixirs, etc., etc., 
which he valued at a high sum. The Commissioner of Police 
who arrested him was also included in this accusation. He 
appealed to his judges, who referred him to the Civil Courts. 
But the case never came to trial. The day after his acquittal 
he was banished from France by order of the King. At St. 
Denis "his carriage drove between two dense and silent lines of 
well-wishers, while, as his vessel cleared from the port of Bou- 
logne, five thousand persons knelt down on the shore to receive 
his blessing." He went direct to London. No sooner there, 
than he filed his suit against the Marquis de Launay, "appealing, 
of course, to the hearts of all Frenchmen as a lonely and hunted 
exile." The French Government, through its ambassador, 
granted him leave to come in person to Paris to prosecute his 
suit, assuring him of safe conduct and immunity from all prose- 
cution, legal as well as social. But CagHostro refused this offer, 
hinting that it was merely a stratagem to decoy him to Paris 
and reincarcerate him in a dungeon. No clear-headed, impar- 
tial person believed that the Marquis de Launay was guilty of the 
charge laid at his door. Whatever else he may have been, tyran- 
nical, cold, unsympathetic, the Governor of the Bastille was a 
man of honor and above committing a theft. In fact, Cagli- 
ostro's accusation was a trumped-up affair, designed to annoy 
and keep open "a running sore in the side of the French authori- 
ties." Notoriety is the life of charlatanry. CagHostro 
was no common quack, as his history shows. He next pub- 
lished a pamphlet, dated June 20th, 1786, prophesying that 
the Bastille would be demolished and converted into a public 
promenade; and, that a ruler should arise in France, who should 
abolish lettres de cachet and convoke the Estates-General. In a 
few years the prediction was fulfilled. Poor De Launay lost 
his life, whereupon CagHostro issued a pamphlet exulting over 
the butchery of his enemy. In London, CagHostro became the 




to impress the aHranow-sense. pnMrtkal English with his pre- 
tensii^iiit to sininiatl iiwgnctism. tniuscendcntad medicine, and 
tcciiUi^iv Oi¥t o{ his A-aitmtetl schemes wis to light up the 
streets v»f LtuukMi with sea-water, which by his magic po^cr 
he |vn>|K\s>e\l to change into oiL The ne ws p a p e rs ritficnted him. 




CAGLIOSTRO: A STUDY IN CHARLATANISM 73 

especially the Courrier de VEiirope, published and edited by M. 
Morande, who had "picked up some ugly facts about the swin- 
dler's early career/' The freemasons repudiated him with scorn, 
and would have nothing to do with his Egyptian Rite. There 
is a rare old print, a copy of which may be seen in the Scottish 
Rite Library, Washington, D. C, which depicts the unmasking 
of the famous imposter at the Lodge of Antiquity, published 
Nov. 21, 1786, at London. It was engraved by an eye-witness 
of the scene. In company with some French gentlemen, Cagli- 
ostro visited the lodge one evening. At the banquet which 
followed the working of the degree, a certain worthy brother 
named Mash, an optician, was called upon to sing. Instead 
of a post-prandial ditty, he gave a clever imitation of a quack 
doctor selling nostrums, and dilating bombastically upon the 
virtues of his elixirs, balsams (Balsamos), and cordials. Cagli- 
ostro was not slow in perceiving that he was the target for 
Brother Mash's shafts of ridicule. His "front of brass," as 
Carlyle has it, was beaten in, his pachyderm was penetrated by 
the barbed arrows of the ingenious optician's wit. He left the 
hall in high dudgeon, followed by the jeers of the assembled 
masons. Alas, for the Grand Kophta, no "vaults of steel," no 
masonic honors for him in London. 

The verse appended to the engraving of Cagliostro and the 
English lodge is as follows : 

"Born, God knows where, supported, God knows how, 

From whom descended, difficult to know. 

Lord Crop* adopts him as a bosom friend. 

And manly dares his character defend. 
This self-dubb'd Count, some few years since became 
A Brother Mason in a borrow'd name; 
For names like Semple numerous he bears, 
And Proteus like, in fifty forms appears. 
'Behold in me (he says) Dame Nature's child, 
*0f Soul benevolent, and Manners mild; 
*In me the guiltless Acharat behold, 
*Who knows the mystery of making Gold; 
*A feeling heart I boast, a conscience pure, 
*I boast a Balsam every ill to cure; • 

*My Pills and Powders, all disease remove, 
'Renew your vigor, and your health improve/ 

♦Lord George Gordon, 



74 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

This cunning part the arch impostor acts, 
And thus the weak and credulous attracts, 
But now, his history is rendered clear. 
The arrant hypocrite, and quack appear. 
First as Balsams, he to paint essayed, 
But only daubing, he renounced the trade. 
Then, as a Mountebank, abroad he stroll'd 
And many a name on Death's black list enrolled. 
Three times he visited the British shore,' 
And every time a different name he bore. 
The brave Alsatians he with ease cajol'd 
By boasting of Egyptian forms of old. 
The self-same trick he practis'd at Bourdeaux, 
At Strasburg, Lyons, and at Paris too. 
But fate for Brother Mash reserv'd the task 
To strip the vile impostor of his mask. 
May all true Masons his plain tale attend 
And Satire's lash to fraud shall put an end." 

VI. 

To escape the harpies of the law, who threatened him with 
a debtor's prison, Cagliostro fled to his old hunting-ground, 
the Continent, leaving la petite Comtesse to follow him as best 
she could. But the game was played out. The police had by 
this time become fully cognizant of his impostures. He was 
forbidden to practice his peculiar system of medicine and 
masonry in Austria, Germany, Russia, and Spain. Drawn like 
a needle to the lodestone rock, he went to Rome. Foolish Grand 
Kophta! Freemasonry was a capital offence in the dominions 
of the Pope. One lodge, however, existed. Says Greeven: 
"There is reason to suppose that it was tolerated only because 
it enabled the Holy Church to spy out the movements of free- 
masons in general." Cagliostro attempted to found one of his 
Egyptian lodges, but met with no success. His exchequer 
became depleted. He appealed to the National Assembly of 
France to revoke the order of banishment, on the ground of 
*1iis services to the liberty of France." Suddenly on the evening 
of Dec. 27, 1789, he and his wife were arrested and incarcerated 
in the fortress of San Angelo. His highly-prized manuscript 
of Egyptian masonry was seized, together with all his papers 
and correspondence. He was tried by the Holy Inquisition. It 
must have been an impressive scene — that gloomy council cham- 



CAGLIOSTRO : A STUDY IN CHAkLAtANISM 75 

ber with the cowled inquisitors. Cagliostro's wife appeared 
against him and Hfted the veil of Isis that hid the mysteries of 
the charlatan's career. The Egyptian manuscript of George 
Coston, the seals, the masonic regalia and paraphernalia were 
mute and damning evidences of his guilt. He was indeed a 
freemason, even though he were not an alchemist, a soothsayer, 
the Grand Kophta of the Pyramids. Cagliostro's line of defense 
^was that "he had labored throughout to lead back freemasons, 
through the Egyptian ritual, to Catholic orthodoxy." He 
appeared at first to be contrite. But it availed him nothing. 
Finding his appeals for mercy useless, he adopted another tack, 
and told impossible stories of his adventures. He harangued 
the Holy Fathers for hours, despite their threats and protests. 
Nothing could stop his loquacious tongue from wagging. 
Finally, he was condemned to death as a heretic, sorcerer, and 
freemason, but Pope Pius VI., on the 21st of March, 1791, 
commuted his sentence to life imprisonment. His manuscript 
was declared to be '^superstitious, blasphemous, wicked, and 
heretical," and was ordered to be burnt by the common hangman, 
together with his masonic implements. 

After the sentence of the Inquisition, Cagliostro was taken 
back to the Castle of San Angelo and immured in a gloomy 
dungeon, where no one but the jailer came near him. But still 
his indomitable spirit was unconquered. lie conceived a plan 
of escape. Expressing the greatest contrition for his crimes, 
he begged the Governor of the prison to send him a confessor. 
The request was granted, and a Capuchin monk was detailed to 
listen to the condemned man's catalogue of sins. During the 
confession, the charlatan suddenly sprang upon the monk and 
endeavored to throttle him. His object was to escape from the 
Castle in the Capuchin's robe. But the Father Confessor proved 
to be a member of the church militant, and vigorously defended 
himself. Cagliostro's attempt proved futile. This anecdote was 
related by S. A. S. the Prince Bernard of Saxe- Weimar to the 
French masonic historian, Thory (Ada Latamorum, I, 68). 
The Prince declared it to be authentic. 

Soon after the above-mentioned event, the Pontifical Gov- 
ernment ordered Cagliostro to be conducted in the night time to 



76 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

the Fortress of San Leon, in the Duchy of Urbino. Here in a 
subterranean dungeon, it is said, he was literally swallowed up 
alive, like the victims of mediaeval days in the stone in pace. 
From this epoch we lose all traces of the great necromancer. 
It is said that he died in the month of August, 1795, the rigor 
of his punishment having somewhat abated. The following item 
will prove of interest : "News comes from Rome that the fam- 
ous Cagliostro is dead in the fortress of San Leon." (Moniteur 
universel, 6 Octobre, 1795. Correspondence dated from Genoa, 
August 25th.) Everything concerning that death is shrouded 
in mystery. The stone walls of San Leon have told no tales. 
No one knows where the magician is buried. In all likelihood 
in some ignoble prison grave. One can readily picture the obse- 
quies : A flash of flambeaux in the night ; a coarse winding-sheet ; 
a wooden coffin; an indifferent priest to mumble a few Latin 
prayers; the callous grave diggers with their spades — and all 
is over ! No masonic honors here ; no arches of steel ; no mystic 
lights and regalia. Farewell forever, Balsamo! I confess a 
weakness for you, despite your charlatanry. Doubtless you werQ 
welcomed with open arms to the Shades by your brethren — the 
Chaldeans, the sorcerers and the soothsayers. 

Alfred de Caston, in his Marchands de Miracles, Paris 1864, 
remarks that Cagliostro "rendered up his soul to God'' just 
one hundred years after the death of his predecessor in the art 
magiquCy the brilliant charlatan Joseph Francis Borri of Milan, 
who was condemned to perpetual imprisonment in the Castle of 
St. Angelo by the Holy Inquisition, as a heretic, alchemist, and 
sorcerer. A curious coincidence, says Castro. 

The beautiful "Flower of Vesuvius,'' Lorenza Feliciani, 
escaped severe punishment by immuring herself in the convent 
of St. Appolonia at Rome, where she died in 1794. She was 
more sinned against than sinning. 

There lived in 1858, an old woman known by the name 
of Madeline, who inhabited a miserable attic in Paris, the ceiling 
of which was covered with cabalistic and astrological emblems. 
She pretended to divine the future and tell fortunes. She was 
the daughter of Cagliostro and a Jewess of Lyons. {Le Figaro^ 
13 mai, 1858.) 



CAGLIOSTRO ! A STUDY IN CHARLATANISM 77 

In the Inquisition biography some curious letters to Cagli- 
ostro from his masonic correspondents in France are published. 
They evidence the profound respect, one might almost say blind 
worship, with which he was regarded by his disciples. 

The masonic lodge at Rome was disrupted shortly after 
Cagliostro's arrest. The Sbirri of the Holy Office ix)unced down 
upon it, but the birds had flown, taking with them their most 
important papers. Father Marcellus says that among the mem- 
bers of this Roman lodge were an Englishman and an American. 

And so endeth the career of Cagliostro, one of the most 
romantic of history. His condemnation as a sorcerer and free- 
mason has invested him with "the halo of a religious martyr, 
of which perhaps no one was less deserving." 

Among his effects the Inquisition found a peculiar seal, upon 
which the mysterious letters **L. P. D.'' were engraved. These 
letters were supposed to stand for the Latin sentence, Lilia pcdi- 
btis destrue, which rendered into the vulgar tcjngue signifies, 
"Tread the lilies under foot." The fleur-de-lys was the heraldic 
device of the Bourbon Kings of France, hence this trampling 
upon the lily alluded to the stamping out of the French mon- 
archy by the freemasons. However, it is more than probable 
that the initials, arranged as follows, L. D. P., stood for Liberie 
de Penser — "Freedom of thought" — which is a motto of Sc(jt- 
tish Rite Masonry. This was the opinion of General Albert 
Pike, 33d degree, than whom no greater masonic student ever 
lived. 

Many theosophical writers have placed implicit l>elief in the 
mission of Cagliostro. They have regarded him as a genuine 
adept in magic and alchemy, and not a chevalier d'industrie 
preying upon a credulous world. Totally ignoring the evidence 
contained in the police archives* of Paris and the numerous 
brochures by eminent men and women who ])trh^m<i\]y knew 
Cagliostro, they point to the Inquisition biography as a mass 
of false evidence compiled by religious bigots, and cr^nse^juently 
unreliable, as if no other testimony regarding Cagliostro's char- 
acter existed. Father Marcellus had an ecclesiastical axe to grind, 

♦See Documents manuscrits m the Frendi archrrcs at Paris <^ Cartons: 
X2 B 1417— F7, 4445 B— Y. 11514— V, 13125J 



78 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

it IS true, to prove Cagliostro a freemason and heretic (heinous 
crimes in the eyes of the Roman Church, but absurd charges 
in the eyes of all tolerant men), nevertheless he showed con- 
clusively that Joseph Balsamo of Palermo, the man of many 
aliases, was also a charlatan, impostor and evil liver. All impar- 
tial contemporary biographers corroborate the facts adduced 
by the Inquisition in this respect. The Cardinal de Rohan is 
not a competent witness for Cagliostro, for he was blinded by 
his superstitious belief in magic and alchemy. Populus vult 
decipi, dccipiatur — people who wish to be deceived are deceived. 

Some writers have asserted that Cagliostro was the agent 
of the Templars, and therefore wrote to the freemasons of 
London that the time had arrived to begin the work of rebuild- 
ing the Temple of the Eternal. With the heads of the Order he 
had vowed to overturn the Throne and the Altar upon the tomb 
of the martyred Grand Master of Templars, Jacques de Molai. 
Learned in the esoteric doctrines of the Orient, the Knights 
Templars, or Poor Fellow Soldiery of the Holy House of the 
Temple, were accused of sorcery and witchcraft, hence their per- 
secution by the Church, and Philippe le Bel of France. De Molai, 
before he was burned to death in Paris, organized and insti- 
tuted what afterwards became in the eighteenth century occult, 
hermetic or Scottish Masonry. And thus the freemasons 
traced their order to the Templars of the Middle Ages, from 
whom they inherited the theosophical doctrines of Egypt and 
India. Such is the romantic but improbable legend. Color is 
lent to the story by Cagliostro himself. Among other Mun- 
chausen tales related by him to his Inquisitors, he told how 
he had visited the Illuminati of Frankfurt, when on his way to 
Strasburg. In an underground cavern the secret Grand Master 
of Templars "showed him his signature under a horrible form of 
oath, traced in blood, and pledged him to destroy all despots, 
especially in Rome." 

Taking this idea for a theme, Alexander the Great — he of 
the pen, not of the sword — has built up a series of improbable 
though highly romantic novels about the personality of Cagli- 
ostro, entitled The Memoirs of a Physician and The Diamond 
Necklace. He makes him the Grand Kophta of a Society of 



CAGLIOSTRO: A STUDY IN CHARLATANISM /Q 

Illunrinati, or exalted freemasons, which extends throughout 
the world. Pledged to the propagation of liberty, equality, and 
fraternity among men, the mystic brotherhood seeks to over- 
throw the thrones of Europe and the Papacy, symbols of oppres- 
sion and persecution. 

The Memoirs of a Physician opens with a remarkable pro- 
logue, descriptive of a solemn conclave of the secret superiors 
of the Order. The meeting takes place at night in a ruined cha- 
teau located in a mountainous region near the old city of Stras- 
burg. Cagliostro reveals his identity as the Arch-master of the 
Fraternity, the Grand Kophta, who is in possession of the secrets 
of the pyramids. He takes upon himself the important task of 
**treading the lilies under foot" and bringing about the destruc- 
tion of the monarchy in France, the storm-centre of Europe. He 
departs on his mission. Like Torrini, the conjurer, he has a 
miniature house on wheels drawn by two Flemish horses. One 
part of the vehicle is fitted up as an alchemical laboratory, 
wherein the sage Althotas makes researches for the elixir of life. 
Arriving at the chateau of a nobleman of the ancien regime, 
Cagliostro meets the young dauphiness Marie Antoinette, on her 
way to Paris, accompanied by a brilliant cortege. He causes 
her to see in a carafe of water her death by the guillotine. Aided 
by the freemasons of Paris, Cagliostro sets to work to encom- 
pass the ruin of the throne and to bring on the great Revolution. 
Dumas in this remarkable series of novels passes in review before 
us Jean Jacques Rousseau, Cardinal de Rohan, Louis XV and 
XVI, Marie Antoinette, Countess du Barry, Madame de la 
Motte, Danton, Marat, and a host of people famous in the annals 
of history. Cagliostro is exalted from a charlatan into an apostle 
of liberty, endowed with many noble qualities. He is repre- 
sented as possessmg occult powers, and his seances are depicted 
as realities. Dumas himself was a firm believer in spiritualism, 
and hobnobbed with the American medium Daniel D. Home. 



VII. 

Cagliostro's house in the Marais quarter, Paris, still remains 
—a memorial in stone of its former master. In the summer 



8o 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



of 1899 the Courrier dcs Etats-Unu, New York, contained an 
interesting; article on this mansion. I quote as follows : 

*'Cag:lio strops house still stands in Paris. Few alterations have been 
made hi it since the days of its glories and mysteries; and one may easily 
imagine the effect which it produced in the night upon those who gazed upon 
its strange pavilions and wide terraces when the lurid lights of the alchemist's 
furnaces streamed through the outer window blinds. The building preserves 
its noble lines in spite of modern additions and at the same lime has a weird 
appearance which produces an almost depressing effL^ct. But this doubtless 
comes from the imagination, because the liousc was not built by Cjigliostro; 



-'; 



COUTJTVARD OF CagUOSTRO's HoUSE IN PaRIS (PRESENT CONDITION )» 

he simply rented it. When he took up his quarters m it, it was the property 
of the Marquise d'Orvillers. Cagliostro made no changes in it, except per- 
haps a few temporary interior additions for the machines which he used in 
his seances in magic. 

"The plan of the building may wtH be said to be abnormah The outer 
gate opens upon the Kue Saint Claude at the angle of the Boulevard Beau- 
marchais. The courtyard has a morose and solemn aspect. At the end 
under a flagged porch there is a stone staircase worn by time, but it still 
preserves its old iron railing. On looking at that staircase, one cannot help 
thinking of the hosts of beautiful women, attracted by curiosity to the den 
of the sorcerer, and terrified at what they imagined they were about to see, 
who placed their trembling hands upon that old railing. Here we can evolcc 



CAGUOSTRO: A STUDY IN CHARLATANISM 8l 

the shade of Mme. de la Motte running up the steps, with her head covered 
with a cloak, and the ghosts of the valets of Cardinal de Rohan sleeping in the 
driver's seat of the carriage with a lantern at their feet, while their master, in 
company with the Great Kophta, is occupied with necromanc>', metallurg>', 
cabala, or oneirocritics. which, as ever>-body knows, constitute the four ele- 
mentary divisions of Cagliostro's art. 

*'A secret stairway now walled up ran near the large one to the second 
stoo'f where its traces are found : and a third stairway, narrow and tortuous, 
still exists at the other end of the building on the boulevard side. It is in the 
center of the wall, in complete darkness, and leads to the old salons now cut 
into apartmems. the windows of which look out upon a terrace. Below, with 
their mouldering doors, are the carriage house and the stable. — the stable 
of Djerid, the splendid black horse of Lorenza Feliciani.*' 

To verify the above statement. I wrote to M. Alfred de 
Ricaudy i an authority on archaeological matters and editor of 
L'Echo du Public, Paris), who responded as f«.llows. Jan. 13^ 
1900: 

"The house still exift- --jst a? it was in the time <-,{ Cagliostro [the ex- 
terior]. Upon the b-juIevar'-L c:r.t:guoiis to the man^ior.. there was formerly 
the shop of one CanierMr.gue. a bookseller, now rxrcupied by an upholsterer. 
On January 30. 1785. Cag'i-ostro t-xk up h:s residence in this quaint old house 
It was then Xo. jo Rue 5t. Caude, at the corner of the Boulevard Saint 
Antoine, afterwards the B-juIevard Beaumarchais. The Marq-jfse d'Or\-i!ler3 
was the on-ner of the premi-es '-.^cupied by the thaunrat-jr^i-t of the eighteenth 
century. Her father. M. de Chavigr.y. captain in the roya* navy, had built 
this house on ground acquired in 1719 from Mme. de Harlay. who had inher- 
ited it from her father. !e Oieva'ier Boucherat. < See Lefeuve. Old Houses 
of Paris, Vol. IV.. issue 51. page 24, published by Achille Faure. Paris. 1863.;" 

Cagliostro's house is now Xo. i. the numbering of the street 
having been ahered during the reign of Lx^uis Philippe. Says 
M. de Ricaudy: 

■"The numbering originally began at the Rue Saint I>;uis. now Rue de 
Turcnne, in which is situated the church of Saint Den:-; du Sacrement. 
\\'hen the houses were re-num^^^red -aith reference to the direction of the 
current or iii^ Seine 1 under Louis Phi'ippe*. the nun^b^rs of the Rue .St 
Gande. whidi is para" el to the river, btgan at the o-^rner of the V^u^evard, 
and in that way the former number jo became num.ber :." 

The sombre old mansion has had a peculiar history. Cagli- 
ostro locked the doors of the laboratories and seance-chambre 
some time in Jime, 1786, on the occasion of his exile from P'rance. 
AD during the great Re\-oIut:on the house remained dosed and in- 
tact Twenty-four years of undisturbed repose passed away. The 



82 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

dust settled thick upon everything; spiders built their webs upon 

the gilded ceilings of the salons. Finally, in the Napoleonic 

year 1810, the doors of the temple of magic and mystery were 

unfastened, and the furniture and rare curios, the retorts and 

crucibles, belonging to the dead conjurer, were auctioned off. 

An idle crowd of curious quid mines gathered to witness the sale 

and pry about. Says Ricaudy: 

"The household furniture, belongings, etc., of the illustrious adventurer 
were not sold until five years after his death. The sale took place in the 
apartment which he had occupied, and was by order of the municipal govern- 
ment. An examination revealed many curious acoustical and optical arrange- 
ments constructed in the building by Cagliostro. By the aid of these contriv- 
ances and that of well-trained confederates, he perpetrated many supposedly 
magical efiFects, summoned the shades of the dead," etc. (See Dictionnaire 
de la France. By A. G. de St. Fargeau, Vol. III., page 245. Paris, 1851.) 

Says Lenotre: 

"Since the auctioning of Cagliostro's efiFects the gloomy house of the Rue 
St. Claude has had no history. Ah, but I am mistaken. In 1855 some repairs 
were made. The old carriage door was removed, and the one that took its 
place was taken from the ruins of the Temple. There it stands today with 
its great bolts and immense locks. The door of the prison of Louis XVI. 
closes the house of Cagliostro." 

M. de Ricaudy verifies this statement about the door of the 
mansion. The student of Parisian archaeology will do well to 
consult M. de Ricaudy, as well as M. Labreton, 93 Boulevard 
Beaumarchais, who possesses forty volumes relating to the his- 
tory of the Marais Quarter. Last but not least is the indefati- 
gable student of ancient landmarks of Paris, M. G. Lenotre, 
author of Paris revohitionnairc, vicilles maisons, vieux papiers, 
ire serie. 

My friend, M. Felicien Trewey, who visited the place in the 
summer of 1901, at my request, reported to me that it had been 
converted into a commercial establishment. The salons were 
cut up into small apartments. The laboratories and the chambre 
egyptienne where the great sorcerer held his seances were no 
more. A grocer, a feather curler, and a manufacturer of card- 
board boxes occupied the building, oblivious of the fact that the 
world-renowned Cagliostro once lived there, plying his trade 
of sorcerer, mesmerist, physician, and mason, like a true cheva- 
lier d'industrie, Alas! the history of these old mansions! They 



CAGLIOSTRO: A STUDY IK CHARLATANISM 83 

have their daj-s of splendid prosperity, followed by shabby gentil- 
ity and finally by sordid decay, — ^battered, blear-eyed, and repul- 
sive looking. 

According to Henri d'Almeras (Cagliosfro, cf ia franc- 
tnaconncrie ct Voccultismc au XJ^IIIc siccic), Cagliostro's apart- 
ment on the second floor of the house was occupied in the year 
1904 by a watchmaker. Two famous watchmakers became con- 
jurers, one after having read an old book on natural magic, the 
other after having seen a performance of the Davenport Brothers. 
I allude to Robert-Houdin and Jno. Xevil Maskelyne. Watch- 
making leads naturally to the construction of automata and mag- 
ical illusions. The young horologist of the Rue Saint Claude has 
every excuse to become a prestidigitateur. He works in an 
atmosphere of necromancy in that old Ikhisc haunted by its mem- 
ories of the past. If this does not influence him to enter the 
magic circle, nothing else will. 

People pass and repass this ghost-liouse (^f the Rue Saint 
Claude every day, but not one in a lumdred knows that tlie great 
enchanter once resided there and held high court. If those dumb 
walls could but speak, what fascinating stories of superstition 
and folly they might unfold to our wondering ears ! Yes, in this 
ancient house, dating back to pre-Revolutionary Paris, to the 
old regime, the great necromancer known as Cagliostro lived 
in the zenith of his fame. In these golden years of liis life, was 
hie never haunted by disturbing visions of the dungeons of the 
Holy Inquisition, yawning to receive him? Ah, who can tell? 
Thanks to the gossipy memoir writers of the period, I am able 
to give a pen portrait, composite, if you will, of some of the 
scenes that were enacted in the antiquated mansion. 

It is night. The lanterns swung in the streets of old Paris 
glimmer fitfully. Silence broods over the city with shadowy 
wings. No sound is heard save the clank of the patrol on its 
rounds. The Rue Saint Claude, however, is all bustle and confu- 
sion. A grand "soiree magique" is being held at the house of 
Monsieur le Comte de Cagliostro. Heavy old-fashioned car 
riages stand in front of the door, with coachmen lolling sleepily 
on the boxes, and linkboys playing rude games with each other 
in the kennel. A rumble in the street — ha, there, lackeys ! out of 



84 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

the way! Here comes the coach of my Lord Cardinal, Prince 
Louis de Rohan. There is a flash of torches. Servants in gor- 
geous Hveries of red and gold, with powdered wigs, open the 
door of the vehicle, and let down the steps with a crash. Mon- 
seigneur le Cardinal, celebrant of the mass in the royal palace 
at Versailles, man of pleasure and alchemist, descends. He is 
enveloped in a dark cloak, as if to court disguise, but it is only 
a polite pretense. He enters the mansion of his bosom friend, 
Cagliostro the magician. Within, all is a blaze of light. A life- 
size bust of the divine Cagliostro ornaments the foyer. Visitors 
are received in a handsomely furnished apartment on the second 
floor. Beyond that is the seance-room, a mysterious chamber 
hung with somber drapery. Wax candles in tall silver sconces, 
arranged about the place in mystic pentagons and triangles, 
illuminate the scene. 

In the center of the room is a table with a black cloth, on 
which are embroidered in red the symbols of the highest degree 
of the Rosicrucians. Upon this strange shekinah is placed the 
cabalistic apparatus of the necromancer — odd little Egyptian 
figures of Isis, Osiris, vials of lustral waters, and a large globe 
full of clarified water. It is all very uncanny. Presently the 
guests are seated in a circle about the altar, and form a magnetic 
chain. As the old chroniclers phrase it, to them enters Cagli- 
ostro, the Grand Kophta, the man who has lived thousands of 
years, habited in gorgeous robes like the arch-hierophant of an 
ancient Egyptian temple. The clairvoyant is now brought in, 
a child of angelic purity, who was born under a certain constella- 
tion, of delicate nerves, great sensitiveness, and, withal, blue 
eyes. She is bidden to kneel before the globe, and relate what 
she sees therein. Cagliostro makes passes over her, and com- 
mands the genii to enter the water. The very soul of the seeress 
is penetrated with the magnetic aura emanating from the magi- 
cian. She becomes convufeed, and declares that she sees events 
taking place that very moment at the court of Versailles, at 
Vienna, at Rome. 

Every one present is transported with joy. Monseigneur le 
Cardinal de Rohan is charmed, delighted, and lauds the necro- 
mancer to the skies. How weird and wonderful! Albertus 



CAGLIOSTRO : A STUDY IN CHARLATANISM 85 

Magnus, Nostradamus and Appolonius of Tyana are not to be 
compared with the all-powerful Cagliostro. Truly he is the 
descendant of the Egyptian thaumaturgists. 

The seance is followed by a banquet. Rose-leaves are show- 
ered over the guests from the gilded ceiling, perfumed water 
plashes in the fountains, and a hidden orchestra of violins, flutes 
and harps plays soft melodies. The scene reminds one of the 
splendid feasts of the Roman voluptuaries in the decadent 
days of the empire. The lovely Lorenza Feliciani, wife 
of the enchanter, discourses learnedly of sylphs, salamanders 
and gnomes, in the jargon of the Rosicrucians. The Cardinal, 
his veins on fire with love and champagne, gazes amorously 
at her. But he is thinking all the while of the aristocratic 
Marie Antoinette, who treats him with such cruel disdain. But 
Cagliostro has promised to win the Queen for him, to melt her 
icy heart with love-philters and magical talismans. Let him but 
possess his soul in patience a little while. All will be well. Aye, 
indeed, well enough to land the haughty prelate in the Bastille, 
and start the magician on that downward path to the Inquisition 
at Rome. 

The night wanes. Tlie lights of the banqueting-hall burn 
lower and lower. Finally the grandcs dames and the seigneurs 
take their departure. When the last carriage has rolled away 
into the darkness, Cagliostro and his wife yawn wearily, and 
retire to their respective sleeping-apartments. The augurs of 
Rome, says a Latin poet, could not look at each other without 
laughing. Cagliostro and Lorenza in bidding each other good- 
night exchange smiles of incalculable cunning. The sphinx 
masks have dropped from their faces, and they know each other 
to be — charlatans and impostors, preying upon a superstitious 
society. The magician is alone. He places his wax light upon 
an escritoire, and throws himself into an arm-chair before the 
great fireplace, carved and gilded with many a grotesque image. 
The flames of the blazing logs weave all sorts of fantastic forms 
on floor and ceiling. The wind without howls in the chimney 
like a lost spirit. The figures embroidered on the tapestry assume 
monstrous shapes of evil portent — alguazils, cowled inquisitors, 
and jailers with rusty keys and chains. 



86 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

But the magician sees nothing of it all, hears not the warning 
cry of the wind: he is thinking of his newly hatched lodges of 
Egyptian occultism, and the golden louis d'or to be conjured 
out of the strong-boxes of his Parisian dupes. 



GHOST-MAKING EXTRAORDINARY. 

"Stay illusion ! 
If thou hast any sound, or use of voice, 
Speak to me." — Shakespeare : Hamlet 



The French Revolution drew crowds of adventurers to Paris, 
their brains buzzing with the wildest schemes — ^political, social, 
and scientific— which they endeavored to exploit. Among the 
inventors was a Belgian optician, Etienne-Gaspard Robertson, 
bom at Liege, in 1763, where for many years he had been a 
professor of physics. He addressed a memorial in the year 1794 
to the Government proposing to construct gigantic burning 
glasses a la Archimedes, to set fire to the English fleets, at that 
period blockading the French seaports. A commission composed 
of Monge, Lefevre, Gineau and Guyton de Morveau was ap- 
pointed to investigate the matter, but nothing came of it. 

Failing to accomplish his scheme, Robertson turned his atten- 
tion to other methods of money-making. Four years passed away. 
Having a decided penchant for magic illusions, etc., he set about 
constructing a ghost-making apparatus. The "Red Terror" was 
a thing of the past, and people had begun to pluck up courage 
and seek amusements. Rid to a great extent, of his rival. La 
Guillotine — the most famous of "ghost-making machines" — Rob- 
ertson set up his phantasmagoria at the Pavilion de TEchiquier, 
and flooded the city with circulars describing his exhibition. 
Poultier, a journalist and one of the Representatives of the 
People, wrote an amusing account of the entertainment in the 
L'Ami des Lois, 1798.* He says : 

*Du 8 germinal au VI-— 28 Mars, 1798. 



88 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



"A decemvir of the Republic lias said that the dead rettirn 
no more, but go to Robertson's exhibition and you will soon 
be convinced of the contrary, for you will see the dead retumingf 
to life in crowds. Robertson calls forth phantoms, and com- 
mands legions of spectres. In a well-lighted apartment in the 
Pavilion I'Echiquier I fomid myself seated a few evenings since, 
with sixty or seventy people. At se\^en o'clock a pale, thin man 
entered the room where we were sitting, and having extinguished 
the candles he said: ^Citizens, I am not one of those adventurers 






Robertson" s Ghost Show. 



and impudent swindlers who promise more than they can per- 
form. I have assured the public in the Jounia! de Paris that I 
can bring the dead to life, and I shall do so. Those of the com- 
pany w4io desire to see the apparitions of those who w^ere dear 
to them, but who have passed away from this life by sickness or 
otherwise, have only to speak; and I shall obey their commands/ 
There was a moment's silence, and a haggard-looking man, with 
dishevelled hair and sorrowful eyes, rose in the midst of the 
assemblage and exclaimed, *As I have been unable in an oflficial 
journal to re-establish the worship of Marat, I should at least 
be glad to see his shadow/ Robertson immediately threw upon 




GHOSt-MAKiNG fexf RAORBtKARY 



Sq 



a brazier containing lighted coals, two glasses of blood, a bottle 
of vitriol, a few drops of aquafortis, and two numbers of the 
Journal des Hommes Litres, and there instantly appeared in the 
itiidst of the smoke caused by the burning of these substances, a 
hideous livid phantom armed with a dagger and wearing a red 




Robertson's Illusion on a Small Scale. 
(From a French Print.) 

cap of liberty. The man at whose wish the phantom had been 
evoked seemed to recognize Marat, and rushed forward to em- 
brace the vision, but the ghost made a frightful grimace and 
disappeared. A young man next asked to see the phantom of a 
young lady whom he had tenderly loved, and whose portrait he 



go THE OUD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

showed to the worker of all these marvels. Robertson threw 
upon the brazier a few sparrow's feathers, a grain or two of 
phosphorus, and a dozen butterflies. A beautiful woman with 
her bosom uncovered and her hair floating about her, soon 
appeared, and smiled on the young man with most tender regard 
and sorrow. A grave looking individual sitting close by me 
suddenly exclaimed, 'Heavens! it's my wife come to life again,' 
and he rushed from the room, apparently fearing that what he 
saw was not a phantom.'' 

One evening one of the audience, avowing himself to be a 
Royalist, called for the shade of the martyred king, Louis XVI. 
Here was a dilemma for citizen Robertson. Had he complied 
with the request and evoked the royal ghost, prison and possibly 
the guillotine would have been his fate. 

But the magician was foxy. He suspected a trap on the part 
of a police agent in disguise, who had a spite against him. He 
replied as follows : "Citizens, I once had a recipe for bringing 
dead kings to life, but that was before the i8th Fructidor, when 
the Republic declared royalty abolished forever. On that glor- 
ious day I lost my magic formula, and fear that I shall never 
recover it again." 

In spite of Robertson's clever retort, the affair created such 
a sensation that on the following day, the police prohibited the 
exhibitions, and placed seals on the optician's boxes and papers. 
However, the ban was soon lifted, and the performances allowed 
to continue. Lucky Robertson! The advertisement filled his 
coffers to overflowing. People struggled to gain admission to 
the wonderful phantasmagoria. 

Finding the Pavilion too small to accommodate the crowds, 
the magician moved his show to an abandoned chapel of the 
Capuchin Convent, near the Place Vendome. This ancient place 
of worship was located in the middle of a vast cloister crowded 
with tombs and funeral tablets. 

A more gruesome spot could not have been selected. The 
Chapel was draped in black. From the ceiling was suspended a 
sepulchral lamp, in which alcohol and salt were burned, giving 
forth a ghastly light which made the faces of the spectators 



GHOST-MAKING EXTRAORDINARY QI 

resemble those of corpses. Robertson, habited in black, made 
his appearance, and harangued his audience on ghosts, witches, 
sorcery, and magic. Finally the lamp was extinguished and the 
apartment plunged in Plutonian darkness. A storm of wind and 
rain, thunder and lightning, interspersed with the tolling of a 
church bell, followed, and after this the solemn strains of a far- 
off organ were heard. At the evocation of the conjurer, phan- 
toms of Voltaire, Mirabeau, Jean- Jacques Rousseau, Robespierre, 
Danton, and Marat appeared and faded away again "into thin 
air." The ghost of Robespierre was shown rising from a tomb. 
A flash of lightning, vivid and terrible, would strike the phan- 
tom, whereupon it would sink down into the ground and vanish. 

People were often carried away fainting from the exhibition. 
It was truly awe inspiring and perfect in mise en scene. 

At the conclusion of the seance, Robertson used to remark : "I 
have shown you, citizens, every species of phantom, and there is 
but one more truly terrible spectre — the fate which is reserved 
for us all. Behold !'' In an instant there stood in the center of 
the room a skeleton armed with a scythe. It grew to a colossal 
height and gradually faded away.* 

Sir David Brewster, in his work on natural magic, has the 
following to say about concave mirrors and the art of phantas- 
magoria : "Concave mirrors are distinguished by their property 
of forming in front of them, and in the air, inverted images of 
erect objects, or erect images of inverted objects, placed at some 
distance beyond their principal focus. If a fine transparent cloud 
of blue smoke is raised, by means of a chafing dish, around the 
focus of a large concave mirror, the image of any highly illumin- 
ated object will be depicted in the middle of it, with great beauty. 
A skull concealed from the observer is sometimes used to sur- 
prise the ignorant; and when a dish of fruit has been depicted 
in a similar manner, a spectator, stretching out his hand to seize 
it, is met with the image of a drawn dagger which has been 
quickly substituted for the fruit at the other conjugate focus of 
the mirror." 

♦For a romance embracing the subject of phantasmagoria see the poet 
ScWller's Ghost-Scfr. (Bohn Library.) 



92 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

Thoroughly conversant with the science of optics, it is more 
than probable that Robertson made use of large concave mirrors 
to project inverted phantoms of living persons in the air, with 
convex lenses to restore the ghosts to an upright position. If 
he merely used painted images, which is the more likely, then he 
had resort to the phantasmagoric magic lantern, rolling upon 
a small track. Pushing this contrivance backwards and forwards 
caused the images to lessen or increase, to recede or advance. 

Robertson realized quite a snug fortune out of his ghost exhi- 
bition and other inventions. His automaton speaking figure, 
called le phonorganoUj uttered two hundred words of the French 
language. Another interesting piece of mechanism was his 
Trumpeter. These two machines formed part of a beautiful 
Cabinet de Physique, in his house, the Hotel d' Yorck, Boulevard 
Montmartre, No. 12 Paris. He has left some entertaining 
memoirs, tniiWtd M emoires recreatifs et anecdotifs (1830-1834), 
copies of which are exceedingly rare. He was a great aeronaut 
and invented the parachute which has been wrongly attributed 
to Garnerin. 

Robertson, as Commandant des Aerosticrs, served in the 
French army, and rendered valuable service with his balloons in 
observing the movements of the enemy in the campaigns in 
Belgium and Holland, under General Jourdain. In the year i8q4 
he wrote a treatise on ballooning, entitled, La Minerve, vaisseau 
Aerien destine anx decouvertes, et propose, a toiites les Acad- 
emies de VEnrope, published at Vienna. He died at Batignolles 
(Paris) in 1837. 

In his memoirs, Robertson describes a species of optical toy 
called the Phantascope, for producing illusions on a small scale. 
This may give a clue to his spectres of the Capuchin Convent. He 
also offers an explanation of Nostradamus' famous feat of con- 
juring up the likeness of Francis I. in a magic mirror, for the 
edification of the beautiful Marie de Medici. 

II. 

We now come to the greatest of all ghost-shows, that of the 
Polytechnic Institute, London. In the year 1863 letters patent 



GHOST-MAKIXG EXTRAORDINARY 93 

were granted to Professor John Henry repi>er, professor of 
chemistr}' in the London Polytechnic Institute, and Henry Dircks» 
civil engineer, for a device "for projecting images of living per- 
sons in the air." Here were no concave mirrors, no magic lan- 
terns, simply a large sheet of unsilvered glass. The effect is 
founded on a well-known optical illusion. "In the evening carry 
a lighted candle to the window and you will see reflected in the 
pane, not only the image of the candle, hut that of your hand 
and face as well. A sheet of glass, inclined at a certain angle, 
is placed on a stage between the actors and spectators. Beneath 
the stage and just in front of the glass, is a person robed in a 
white shroud, and illuminated by the brilliant rays of the electric 
or the oxy-hydrogen light. The image of the actor who plays 
the part of spectre, being reflected by the glass, becomes visible 
to the spectators, and stands, apparently, just as far beliind the 
glass as its prototype is placed in front of it. This image is only 
visible to the audience. The actor who is on the stage sees 
nothing of it, and in order that he may not strike at random in 
his attacks on the spectre, it is necessary to mark beforehand on 
the boards the particular spot at which, to the eyes of the audience, 
the phantom will appear. Care must be taken to have the theatre 
darkened and the stage very dimly lighted.'' 

At the Polytechnic Institute the ghost was admirably pro- 
duced. The stage represented the room of a merliaeval .sturlent 
who was engaged in burning the midnight oil. I>ooking up 
from his black-letter tome he beheld the apparition of a .skeleton. 
Resenting the intrusion he arose from his chair, seizert a sword 
which was ready to his hand, and aimed a blow at the figure, 
which vanished, only to return again and again. 

The assistant who manipulated the sf)ectre wore a rover of 
black velvet. He held the real skeleton in his arms, and made 
the fleshless bones assume the most grotesque attitudes. I f e had 
evidently studied Holtein's "Dance of Death.'' The lower f;art 
of the dceleton, from the pelvis downward, was dresse^l in white 
linen, presumably a shroud. To the audience the figure seemed 
to vanish and reappear through the floor. 



94 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

This ghost-making apparatus has been used with splendid 
success in the dramatizations of Dickens' Christmas Carol and 
Haunted Man; Buhver's Strange Story; and Alexander Dumas' 
Corsican Brothers. 

"In the course of the same year ( 1863)," says Robert-Houdin 
in his Les Secrets de la prestidigitation et de la magie, "M. 
Hostein, manager of the Imperial Chatelet Theatre, purchased* 
from M. Pepper the secret of the 'Ghost/ in order to introduce 
it into a drama entitled Le Secret de Miss Aurore [a French 
adaptation of "Aurora Floyd"]. M. Hostein spared no expense 
in order to ensure the success of the illusion. Three enormous 
sheets of unsilvered glass, each five yards square, were placed side 
by side, and presented an ample surface for the reflection of the 
ghost-actor and his movements. Two Drummond lights (oxy- 
hydrogen) were used for the purpose of the trick. 

"But before the trick was in working order at its new des- 
tination, several of the Parisian theatres, in the face of letters 
patent duly granted to M. Pepper, had already advertised per- 
formances wherein it was included. 

"M. Hostein had no means of preventing the piracy ; unluck- 
ily for himself, and still more so for the inventor, the plagia- 
rists had discovered among the French official records a patent 
taken out, ten years before, by a person named Seguin for a 
toy called the Polyoscope, which was founded on the same prin- 
ciple as the ghost illusion." 

Professor Pepper claims to have been totally unaware of 
the existence of M. Seguin's Polyoscope. In his True History 
of the Ghost, Pepper describes the toy as follows : 

"It consisted of a box with a small sheet of glass placed at 
an angle of forty-five degrees, and it reflected a concealed table, 
with plastic figures, the spectres of which appeared behind the 
glass, and which young people who possessed the toy invited 
their companions to take out of the box, when they melted away, 
as it were, in their hands and disappeared." 

In France, at that time, all improvements on a patent fell 
to the original patentee, and Pepper found himself out-of-court. 

♦He paid 20,000 francs for the invention, 



GHOST-MAKING EXTRAORDINARY 95 

The conjurer Robin claims, on very good authority, to have 
been the original inventor of the ghost illusion. He writes 
as follows: 

"I first had the idea of producing the apparitions in 1845. 
Meeting innumerable difficulties in carrying out my invention I 
was obliged to wait until 1847 before reaching a satisfactory 
result. In that year I was able to exhibit the ^spectres' to the 
public in the theatres of Lyons and Saint Etienne under the name 
of *The living phantasmagoria/ To my great astonishment I 
produced little effect. The apparitions still were in want of 
certain improvements which I have since added. After sup- 
ceeding in perfecting them I met with great success in exhibiting 
them in Venice, Rome, Munich, Vienna and Brussels, but as my 
experiments were very costly I was obliged to lay them aside 
for some time.'' 

He further declares that M. Seguin, who had been employed 
by him to paint phantasmagoric figures, had based his toy, the 
Polyoscope, upon the principle of his (Robin's) spectres. Robin 
was one of the managers who brought out the illusion in Paris, 
despite the protests of M. Hostein. He opposed Hostein with 
the patent of the Polyoscope and some of his old theatre posters 
of the year 1847, advertising the "living phantasmagoria." 

Houdin is rather severe on M. Robin when he classes him 
among the plagiarists and pirates. But the two conjurers were 
great rivals. M. Caroly, editor of the Ilhisiofiiste, in an article 
on Robin, suggests that perhaps Pepper had seen and examined 
a Polyoscope, and built upon it the theatrical illusion of the ghost. 
My personal belief is that Professor Pepper was ignorant of 
the existence of the toy as well as of Robin's former exhibitions 
of phantasmagoria, and independently thought out the ghost 
illusion. This frequently happens among inventors, as every 
one knows, who has dealings with the U. S. Patent Office. 

In the year 1868, there was exhibited in Paris, at the Ambigu 
Theatre, the melodrama of "La Czarine," founded on Robert- 
Houdin's story of Kempelen's Automaton Chess Player. In this 
play was a remarkable use of the "ghost illusion," arranged by 
Houdin, as well as a chess-playing automaton, I quote as fol- 



g6 tttE OLD AXD tHE XEW MA<^IC 

lows from Houdin's Lcs Secrets de la l>restidigitation et de la 
magie, Chapter \\: "My collaborators, Messrs. Adenis and 
Gastineau, had asked me to arrange a *ghost effect' for the last 
act. I had recourse to the 'ghost illusion', but I presented it 
in such guise as to g^ve it a completely novel character, as the 
reader will be enabled to judge from the following description : 
The scene is laid in Russia, in the reign of Catherine II. In 
the last act, an individual named Pougatchcff, who, on the 
strength of a personal likeness to Peter III. attempts to pass 
himself off as the deceased monarch, is endeavoring to incite the 
Russian populace to dethrone Catherine. A learned man, M. de 
Kempelen, who is devoted to the Czarina, succeeds, by the aid of 
scientific expedients, in neutralizing the villainous designs of the 
sham prince. 

"The scene is a savage glen, behind which is seen a back- 
ground of rugged rocks. Pougatcheff appears, surrounded by a 
crowd of noisy adherents. M. de Kempelen comes forward, de- 
nounces the impostor, and declares that, to complete his confusion, 
he will call up the spirit of the genuine Peter III. At his com- 
mand a sarcophagus appears from the solid rock; it stands 
upright on end. The lid opens, and exhibits a corpse covered 
with a winding sheet. The tomb falls to the ground, but the 
phantom remains erect. The sham Czar, though a good deal 
frightened, makes a pretence of defying the apparition, which 
he treats as a mere illusion. But the upper part of the winding 
sheet falls aside, and reveals the livid and moulding features of 
the late sovereign. Pougatcheff, thinking that he can hardly 
be worsted in a fight with a corpse, draws his sword, and with 
one blow cuts off its head, which falls noisily to the ground; 
but at the very same moment the living head of Peter III 
appears on the ghostly shoulders. Pougatcheff, driven to frenzy 
by these successive apparitions, makes at the figure, seizes it 
by its garments, and thrusts it violently back into the tomb. But 
the head remains suspended in space, rolling its eyes in a threat- 
ening manner, and appearing to offer defiance to its persecutor. 
The frenzy of Pougatcheff reaches its culminating point. Grasp- 
ing his sword with both hands, he tries to cleave in twain the 



GHOST-MAKING EXTRAORDINARY 97 

head of his mysterious adversary; but his blade only passes 
through a shadowy being, who laughs to scorn his impotent 
rage. Again he raises his sword, but at the same moment the 
body of Peter III, in full imperial costume, and' adorned with 
all the insignia of his rank, becomes visible beneath the head. 
The re-animate Czar hurls the impostor violently back, exclaim- 
ing, in a voice of thunder. 'Hold sacrilegious wretch !' Pougat - 
cheff, terror-stricken, and overwhelmed with confusion, confesses 
his imposture, and the phantom vanishes. 

^ ^ "The stage arrangements to produce these effects are; as 
follows: .An actor, robed in the brilliant costume of liefer III, 
r€5:lihes against the sloped support beneath the stage. ^ His body 
*is^ covered with a wrapper of black velvet, which is designed to 
"prevent,*' until the proper moment, any reflection in the gJass. 
ISis-heid alone is uncovered, and ready to be 'reflected iii -tTie 
gl^s^. so* soon as the rays of the electric light shall Ge directed 

Mfoh it. ;■ ^, .• • 

' ." *^'TIJe"phantom which originally comes out of the sarcophagus 
!.is a dui^biy, whose head is modeled from that of the actor'^who 
plays the^gart of Czar. This head is made readily detachable 
*fxom the body. / . ;^: ^ : ". j^ 

' '^. ^Everything is placed and arranged in such manner that the 
.durhmy image of Peter III shall precisely correspond in position 
vi^tfr the person of the actor who plays the part of ghost. '- 
*:: J* At the same moment that the head of tlie former falls to 
the ground, the electric light is gradually made to shine on the 
head of the actor who plays the part of Peter III, which being 
reflected in the glass, appears to shape itself on the body of the 
dummy ghost. After this latter is hurled to the ground, the veil 
which hides the body of the actor Czar is quickly and completely 
drawn away, and the sudden flood of the electric light reflects 
his whole body where his head alone was previously visible." 

As a clever producer of the living and impalpable spectres, 
Robin had no equal. I will describe two of his effects. The 
curtain rose, showing a cemetery with tombstones and cenotaphs. 
'It was midnight. A lover entered and stood weeping over the 
tomb of his dead fiancee. Suddenly she appeared before him 



98 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



arrayed in a winding slieet which she threw aside, reveal ing^ her- 
self in the dress of a bride. He endeavored to embrace her. 
His arms passed imimpeded through the spectre. Gradually 
the vision melted away, leaving him grieving and desolate. 

The impression produced by this illusion was profound and 
terrifying. Amid cries of astonishment and fright resounding 
through the hall, many women fainted or made their escape. 



Robin's Ghost- Illusiun. 



Robin devised another scene which he called **The Deinon 
of Paganini/' An actor made up to resemble the famous violin 
virtuoso, Paganini, tall, gaunt, with flowing locks, and dressed in 
shabby black, was seen reclining upon a couch. A devil, habited 
in green and red, and armed with a violin, made its appearance 
and clambered upon the sleeper, installing himself comfortably 
on the violinist's stomach. Then the demon gave himself up 
to a violin solo which was not in the least interrupted by the 
frantic gestures of the nightmare ridden sufferer, whose hands 
attempted in vain to seize the weird violin and bow. The demon, 



GHOST-MAKING EXTRAORDINARY 



99 



sometimes sitting, sometimes kneeling on the body of his vic- 
tim, continued his musical selection. 

The Demon of Paganini was mounted on a special support 
by which he could be elevated and depressed at pleasure. The 
violinist, who was the real player, stood below the stage, but in 
the shade, at one side of the electric lamp which illuminated the 
demon. The sound issued from the opening in front of the glass. 




EXPLAXATION' OF ROBlX'h GHOiT-IlXVSiOX. 



The glass used by Robin measured 5 by 4 meters, in a single 
piece It was placerl with great care, for the je:ast ^W/'v^ivm w^/uH 
be followed by a displacement of the iniage. 

It should be remarks! that Rol/in'* ^u^liv/rmn} o-zmpri^ 
only a sloping parterre iurnr^r.^ie^: hy a rarjj(*r of ^rrja" V/xe^„ 
There was no galjerj'. The rpectavvr-. c^nserjuently, v.-^^ not 
elevated sufl&ncm-y to percdve the ^/pening in th^ ^tag*:. 

WTien, in 1866- Ro4/:r/- Spectres were takerj to a 'arge rht>Art 
m Paris, the Chatelet. be v.as obliged t<^ ^e-.ivt a 'Jiff^rent 
arrangemenL for the -j^ectator- fn the ga'!*rr5^, aV^.*: v.<^*: ab!« 



ICX) THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

to see, at the same time, both the actor and his reflection. Robin 
had been obliged to place his aaor on a lower level because he 
had no room at the side of his little stage. At the Chatelet, how- 
ever, space permitted a much more convenient arrangement, for 
it allowed the actor, who furnished the reflection, to move about 
freely on a horizontal plane. The glass \^-as placed vertically 
and formed, on the plane, an angle of about 45** \nth the longi- 
tudinal axis of the theatre. The actor was hidden behind a 
wing; his reflection appeared in the center of the stage toward 
the back-drop; visible, nevertheless, to all the spectators. His 
field of movement, necessarily restricted, was marked out in 
advance upon the floor. 

Robin was able to preserve for a considerable time the secret 
of the ghost illusion; just enough to pique the curiosity of the 
public It was guessed at last that he made use of unsilvcred 
glass. The fact became known and several wags proved the 
presence of the glass by throwing inoffensive paper balls w^hich 
struck the obstacle and fell, arrested in their flight. Robin was 
greatly vexed at these occurrences but the trick was none the less 
exposed. 

m. ^ . 

Pepper eventually brought out a new illusion called "Metem- 
psychosis,'' the joint invention of himself and a Mr. Walker. It 
is a very startling optical effect, and is thus described by me in my 
American edition of Stanyon's Magic: "One of the cleverest 
illusions performed with the aid of mirrors is that known as the 
*Blue Room', which has been exhibited in this country by Kellar. 
It was patented in the United States by the inventors. The object 
of the apparatus is to render an actor, or some inanimate thing, 
such as a chair, table, suit of armor, etc., visible or invisible at 
will. 'It is also designed,' says the specification in the patent 
office, 'to substitute for an object in sight of the audience the 
image of another similar object hidden from direct vision with- 
out the audience being aware that any such substitution has been 
made.' For this purpose employ a large mirror — either an ordi- 
nary mirror or fof some purposes, by preference, a large sheet 



GHOST-MAKING EXTRAORDINARY IQI 

of plate-glass— which is transparent at one end and more and 
more densely silvered in passing from this toward the other end. 
Mount this mirror or plate so that it can, at pleasure, be placed 
diagonally across the stage or platform. As it advances, the 
glass obscures the view of the actor or object in front of which 
it passes, and substitutes the reflection of an object in front of the 
glass, but suitably concealed from the direct view of the audience. 





Fig. I. Apparatus. Fig. 2 Armor Scene 

Diagram of Blue Room. 



"When the two objects or sets of objects thus successively 
presented to the view are properly placed and sufficiently alike, 
the audience will be unaware that any change has been made. In 
some cases, in place of a single sheet of glass, two or more sheets 
may be employed." 

By consulting Fig. i, the reader will understand the construc- 
tion of the illusion, one of the best in the repertoire of the con- 



102 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

jurer. The shaded drawing in the left upper part, represents a 
portion of the mirror, designed to show its graduated opacity. 

"a is a stage. It may be in a lecture-room or theatre, bb, 
the seats for the audience in front of the stage, cc is a small 
room — eight or ten feet square and eight high will often be suffi- 
ciently large ; but it may be of any size. It may advantageously 
be raised and approached by two or three steps from the stage a. 

^'d is a vertical mirror, passing diagonally across the chamber 
c and dividing it into two parts, which are exact counterparts the 
one of the other. The mirror d is so mounted that it can be 
rapidly and noiselessly moved diagonally across the chamber in 
the path represented by the dotted line J^, and be withdrawn 
whenever desired. This can conveniently be done by running it 
in guides and upon rollers to and from a position where it is 
hidden by a screen, e, which limits the view of the audience in 
this direction. 

"In consequence of the exact correspondence of the two parts 
of the chamber c, that in front and that behind the mirror, the 
audience will observe no change in appearance when the mirror 
is passed across. 

"The front of the chamber is partially closed at ex by a shield 
or short partition-wall, either permanently or whenever required. 
This is done in order to hide from direct view any object which 
may be at or about the position c^. 

"The illusions may be performed in various ways — as, for ex- 
ample, an object may, in the sight of the audience, be passed from 
the stage to the position c^, near the rear short wall or counter- 
part shield /, diagonally opposite to and corresponding with the 
front corner shield ex, and there be changed for some other. 
This is done by providing beforehand a dummy at c\ closely 
resembling the object at c*^. Then when the object is in its place, 
the mirror is passed across without causing any apparent change. 
The object, when hidden, is changed for another object externally 
resembling the first, the mirror is withdrawn, and the audience 
may then be shown in any convenient way that the object now 
before them differs from that which their eyesight would lead 
them to suppose it to be. 



GHOST-MAKING EXTRAORDINARY IO3 

"We prefer, in many cases, not to use an ordinary mirror, 
dj but one of graduated opacity. This may be produced by remov- 
ing the silvering from the glass in lines ; or, if the glass be silvered 
by chemical deposition, causing the silver to be deposited upon it 
in lines, somewhat as represented in Fig. i . Near one side of the 
glass the lines are made fine and open, and progressively in pass- 
ing toward the other side they become bolder and closer until a 
completely-silvered surface is reached. Other means for obtain- 
ing a graduated opacity and reflecting power may be resorted to. 

"By passing such a graduated mirror between the object at c^ 
and the audience, the object may be made to fade from the sight, 
or gradually to resolve itself into another form.'' 

Hopkins in his fine work on Magic, stage illusions, etc., to 
which I contributed the Introduction and other chapters, thus 
describes one of the many effects which can be produced by the 
Blue Room apparatus. The curtain rises, showing ''the stage set 
as an artist's studio. Through the centre of the rear drop scene 
is seen a small chamber in which is a suit of armor standing up- 
right. The floor of this apartment is raised above the level of the 
stage and is approached by a short flight of steps. When the cur- 
tain is raised a servant makes his appearance and begins to dust 
and clean the apartments. He finally comes to the suit of armor, 
taking it apart, cleans and dusts it, and finally reunites it. No 
sooner is the armor perfectly articulated than the soulless mailed 
figure deals the servant a blow. The domestic, with a cry of 
fear, drops his duster, flies dowTi the steps into the large room, 
the suit of armor pursuing him, wrestling with him, and kicking 
him all over the stage. When the armor considers that it has 
punished the servant sufficiently, it returns to its original posi- 
tion in the small chamber, just as the master of the house enters, 
brought there by the noise and cries of the servant, from whom he 
demands an explanation of the commotion. Upon being told, he 
derides the servant's fear, and, to prove that he was mistaken, 
takes the suit of armor apart, throwing it piece by piece upon 
the floor." 

It is needless, perhaps, to explain that the armor which 
becomes endow^ed with life has a man inside of it. When the 



104 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

curtain rises a suit of armor is seen in the Blue Room, at H, (Fig. 
2). At 1 is a second suit, concealed behind the proscenium. It 
is the duplicate of the visible one. When the mirror is shoved 
diagonally across the room, the armor at H becomes invisible, but 
the mirror reflects the armor concealed at I, making it appear to 
the spectators that the suit at H is still in position. An actor 
dressed in armor now enters behind the mirror, removes the suit 
of armor at H, and assumes its place. When the mirror is again 
withdrawn, the armor at H becomes endowed with life. Again 
the mirror is shoved across the apartment, and the actor replaces 
the original suit of armor at H. It is this latter suit which 
the master of the house takes to pieces and casts upon the floor, 
in order to quiet the fears of the servant. This most ingenious 
apparatus is capable of many novel effects. Those who have 
witnessed Professor Kellar's performance will bear witness to 
the statement. When the illusion was first produced in England 
a sketch entitled Curried Prawns was written for it by the 
famous comic author, Burnand, editor of Punch, 

An old gentleman, after having partaken freely of a dish 
of curried prawns, washed down by copious libations of wine, 
retires to bed, and very naturally "sees things." Who would not 
under such circumstances? He has a dreadful nightmare, during 
which ghosts, goblins, vampires and witches visit him. The 
effects are produced by the mirror. 



IV. 

When I was searching among the books of the Bibliotheque 
Nationale, Paris, for material concerning Robertson and others, 
a very remarkable ghost show was all the rage in the Montmartre 
.Quarter of the city, based on the Pepper illusion. I will endeavor 
to describe it. It was held at the Cabaret du Meant, or Tavern 
of the Dead. "Anything for a new sensation" is the motto of 
the Boulevardier. Death is no laughing matter, but the gay 
Parisian is ready to mock even at the Grim Tyrant, hence the 
vogue of the Tavern of the Dead. I went to this lugubrious 
cabaret in company with a student of medicine. He seemed to 



GHOST-MAKING EXTRAORDINARY IO5 

think the whole affair a huge joke, but then he was a hair- 
brained, thoughtless young fellow. 

The Inn of Death was located in the Rue Cujas, near by 
the Rue Champollion. Over its grim black-painted portal burned 
an ashy blue and brimstone flame. It seemed like entering a char- 
nel house. My student friend led the way down a gloomy passage 
into a room hung with funeral cloth. Coffins served as tables, 
and upon each was placed a lighted taper. From the ceiling 
hung a grewsome-looking chandelier, known as "Robert Ma- 
caire's chandelier." It was formed of skulls and bones. In the 
skulls were placed lights. The waiters of the cabaret were garbed 
like croque-morts (undertaker's men). In sepulchral tones one 
of these gloomy-looking gargons, a trifle more cadaverous than 
his confreres, sidled up to us like a huge black raven and croaked 
out, "Name your poison, gentlemen. We have on tap distilled 
grave-worms, deadly microbes, the bacteria of all diseases under 
the sun,'' etc. Whatever one called for in this undertaking estab- 
lishment, the result was the same — beer of doubtful quality. 
After drinking a bock we descended a flight of grimy stairs to 
another apartment which was hung with black cloth, ornamented 
with white tears, like the decorations furnished by the Pompes 
Funebres (Undertakers' Trust) of Paris, on state occasions. 
Here we were solemnly greeted by a couple of quasi Capuchin 
monks with the words: ''Voild des Machabeesr We seated 
ourselves on a wooden bench and waited for the seance to begin. 
Among the spectators were several students and their grisettes, 
a little piou-piou (soldier), and a fat gentleman with a waxed 
moustache and imperial, who might have been a chef de cuisine 
in disguise or a member of the Academic Frangaise. A curtain 
at one end of the room was pulled aside, revealing a stage set 
to represent a mouldy crypt, in the center of which stood upright 
an empty coffin. A volunteer being called for, my medical friend 
agreed to stand in the grim box for the dead. One of the 
monks wrapped about the young man's body a winding sheet. 
A strong light was turned on him. Presently a deathly pallor 
overcame the ruddy hue of health on his cheeks. His face 
assumed the waxen color of death. His eyes resolved themselves 



I06 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

into cavernous sockets; his nose disappeared; and presently his 
visage was metamorphosed into a grinning skull. The illusion 
was perfect. During this ghastly transformation the monks in- 
toned: ''Voild Machabceus! He dies! He wastes away! Dust 
to dust ! The eternal worm awaits you all !" A church bell was 
solemnly tolled and an organ played. The scene would have 
delighted that stern genius, Hans Holbein, whose Dance of 
Death has chilled many a human heart. We looked again, and 
the skeleton in the coffin vanished. "He has risen to Heaven !" 
cried the Capuchins. 

In a little while the figure reappeared. The fleshless skull 
was merged into the face of my friend. He stepped out of the 
box, throwing aside the shroud, and greeted me with a merry 
laugh. Other people volunteered to undergo the death scene. 
After the exhibition was over one of the Capuchins passed around 
a skull for penny contributions, and we left the place. 

Now for an explanation of the illusion. 

A sheet of glass is placed obliquely across the stage in front 
of the coffin. At the side of this stage, hidden by the proscenium, 
is another coffin containing a skeleton robed in white. When 
the electric lights surrounding the first coffin are turned oflF 
and the casket containing the skeleton highly illuminated, the 
spectators see the reflection of the latter in the glass and imagine 
that it is the coffin in which the volunteer has been placed. To 
resurrect the man the lights are reversed. 



THE ROMANCE OF AUTOMATA. 

"*What!' I said to myself, 'can it be possible that the marvelous science 
which raised Vancanson's name so high — the science whose ingenious com- 
binations can animate inert matter, and impart to it a species of existence — is 
the only one without its archives ?' " — Robert-Houdin. 



I. 

Automata have played an important part in the magic of 
ancient temples, and in the seances of medireval sorcerers. Who 
has not read of the famous ^'Brazen Head," constructed by Friar 
Bacon, and the wonderful machines of Albertus Magnus? Mod- 
ern conjurers have introduced automata into their entertainments 
with great effect, as witness Pinetti's '*Wise Little Turk," Kem- 
pelen's "Chess Player," Houdin's "Pastry Cook of the Palais 
Royal," Kellar's "Hindoo Clock," Maskelyne\s "Psycho," etc. 
But these automata have been such in name only, the motive 
power usually being furnished by the conjurer's alter ego, or 
concealed assistant. 

The so-called automaton Chess Player is enveloped with a 
halo of romance. It had a remarkable history. It was con- 
structed in the year 1769 by the Baron von Kempelen, a Hun- 
garian nobleman and mechanician, and exhibited by him at the 
leading courts of Europe. The Empress Maria Theresa of Aus- 
tria played a game with it. In 1783 it was brought to Paris 
and shown at the Cafe de la Regence, the rendezvous of chess 
lovers and experts, after which it was taken to London. Kem- 
pelen died on the 26th of March, 1804, and his son sold the 
Chess Player to J. N. Maelzel, musician, inventor and mechani- 
cian, who was born at Ratisbon, Bavaria, in 1772. His father 
was a celebrated organ-builder. 



io8 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



Maelzel was the inventor of the Metronome (1815), a piece 
of mechanism known to all instructors of music : the automaton 
Trumpeter (1808), and the Pan-Harmonicum (1805). He had 
a strange career as the exhibitor of the Chess Player. After 
showing the automaton in various cities of Europe, Maelzel sold 
it to Napoleon's step-son, Eugene Beauharnais, the Viceroy of 
the Kingdom of Italy. But the old love of "adventurous travel 
with the Turbaned Turk" took possession of him, and he suc- 




The Automaton Chess Player. 



ceeded in buying back the Chess Player from its royal owner. 
He went to Paris with it in 181 7 and 181 8, afterwards to 
London, meeting everywhere with success. In 1826 he brought 
it to America. The Chess Player excited the greatest interest 
throughout the United States. Noted chess experts did their best 
to defeat it, but rarely succeeded. 

Now for a description of the automaton. 

The audience was introduced into a large room, at one end of 
which hung crimson curtains. These curtains being drawn aside, 
Maelzel rolled forward a box on castors. Behind the box or 



THE ROMANCE OF AUTOMATA lOQ 

table, which was two feet and a half high, three feet and a half 
long, and two feet wide, was seated cross-legged, the figure of a 
Turk. The chair on which the figure was affixed was perma- 
nently attached to the box. At the top of the box was a chess- 
board. The figure had its eyes fixed intently upon this board, its 
right hand and arm being extended towards the board, its left, 
which was somewhat raised, holding a long pipe. 

Four doors, two in front, and two in the rear of the box, 
were opened, and a lighted candle thrust into the cavities. Noth- 
ing was to be seen except cog wheels, levers, and intricate 
machinery. A long drawer, which contained the chessmen and 
a cushion, was pulled out. Two doors in the Turk's body were 
thrown open, and the candle held inside, to satisfy the spectators 
that nothing but machinery was contained therein. 

Maelzel wound up the automaton with a large key, took away 
the pipe, and placed the cushion under the arm of the figure. 
Curious to relate the automaton played with its left hand. In 
Von Kempelen's day, the person selected to play with the figure, 
sat at the same chess-board with it, but Maelzel altered this. A 
rope separated the machine from the audience, and the player sat 
at a small table, provided with a chess-board, some ten or twelve 
feet away from the Turk. 

The automaton invariably chose the white chess-men, and 
made the first move, its fingers opening as the hand was extended 
towards the board, and the piece picked up and removed to its 
proper square. 

When his antagonist had made his move, the automaton 
paused and appeared to study the game, before proceeding further. 
It nodded its head to indicate check to the king. If a false move 
was made by its opponent, it rapped on the table, and replaced 
the piece, claiming the move for itself. Maelzel, acting for the 
human player, repeated his move on the chess-board of the Turk, 
and when the latter moved, made the corresponding move on the 
board of the challenger. The whirring of machinery was heard 
during the progress of the game, but this was simply a blind. It 
subserved two purposes : first, to induce the" spectators to believe 
that the automaton was really operated by ingenious mechanism, 



no THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

second, to disguise the noise made by the concealed confederate 
as he shifted himself from one compartment to the other, as the 
various doors were opened and shut in succession. No machine 
could possibly be constructed to imitate the human mind when 
engaged in playing chess, or any other mental operation where 
the indeterminate enters and which requires knowledge and 
reflection. But the majority of people wlio saw the automaton 
did not realize this fact, and pronounced it a pure machine 

Signor Blitz, the conjurer, who was intimate with Maelzel, 
having frequently given entertainments in conjunction with him, 
v;as possessed of the secret of the Turk. In his memoirs, he says : 
"The Chess Player was ingeniously constructed — a perfect coun- 
terpart of a magician's trick-table with a variety of partitions 
and doors, which, while they removed every possible appearance 
of deception, only produced greater mystery, and provided more 
security to the invisible player. The drawers and closets were 
so arranged as to enable him to change his position according 
to circumstances : at one moment he would be in this compart- 
ment ; the next in that ; then in the body of the Turk." 

He says this concealed assistant was named Schlumberger. 
.This explanation is verified by Professor Allen,* who was 
very intimate with Maelzel. 

William Schlumberger was a native of Alsace, a remarkable 
chess expert and linguist. Maelzel picked him up in the Cafe de 
la Regence, Paris, where he eked out a meagre living as a teacher 
of chess. 

Occasionally, Schlumberger would over-indulge in wine, and 
as a result would be beaten, while acting as the motive power of 
the Turk. "On one occasion,'' says Professor Allen, "just as 
Maelzel was bringing the Turk out from behind the curtain, a 
strange noise was heard to proceed from his interior organiza- 
tion, something between a rattle, a cough, and a sneeze. Mael- 
zel pushed back his ally in evident alarm, but presently brought 
him forward again, and went on with the exhibition as if nothing 
had happened." 

*Fiske's Book of the First American Chess Congress, New York, 1859. 
Pp. 420-484. 



THE ROMANCE OF AUTOMATA III 

Schlumberger not only acted as confederate, but served his 
employer as secretary and clerk. 

Edgar Allen Poe, who wrote an expose of the automaton 
when it visited Richmond, remarked : "There is a man, Schlum- 
berger, who attends him (Maelzel) wherever he goes, but who 
has no ostensible occupation other than that of assisting in pack- 
ing and unpacking of the automaton. Whether he professes 
to play chess or not, we are not informed. It is quite certain, 
however, that he is never to be seen during the exhibition of the 
Chess Player, although frequently visible just before and after 
the exhibition. Moreover, some years ago Maelzel visited Rich- 
mond with his automaton. Schlumberger was suddenly taken 
ill, and during his illness there was no exhibition of the Chess 
Player. These facts are well known to many of our citizens. The 
reason assigned for the suspension of the Chess Player's per- 
formances was not the illness of Schhunbcrgcr. The inferences 
from all this we leave, without further conmient, to the reader." 

Edgar Allen Poe, the apostle of mystery, certainly hit the nail 
on the head here, and solved the problem of the automaton. 

The Chess Player had the honor of defeating Napoleon the 
Great — "the Victor in a hundred battles."^ This was in the year 
1809, when Maelzel, by virtue of his office as Mechanician to 
the Court of Austria, was occupying some portion of the Palace 
of Schonbrunn, "when Napoleon chose to make the same build- 
ing his headquarters during the Wagram campaign." A man by 
the name of Allgaier was the concealed assistant on this occasion. 
Napoleon was better versed in the art of manoeuvring human 
kings, queens, prelates and pawns on the great chess-boards of 
diplomacy and battle than moving ivory chessmen on a painted 
table-top. 

^laelzel, in addition to the Chess Player, exhibited his own 
inventions, which were really automatons, also the famous pano- 
rama, "The Burning of Moscow." After a splendid tour 
throughout the States, he went to Havana, Cuba, where poor 
Schlumberger died of yellow fever. On the return trip Maelzel 
himself died, and was buried at sea. This wris in 1R38. 

The famous Turk, with other of Maelzel's effects, was sold 



112 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

at public auction in Philadelphia. The automaton was bought by 
Dr. J. K. Mitchell, reconstructed, and privately exhibited by him 
for the amusement of his friends. Finally it was deposited in the 
Chinese Museum, where it remained for fourteen years, with the 
dust accumulating upon it. Here the Chess Player rested from 
his labors, a superannuated, broken down pensioner, dreaming, if 
automatons can dream, of his past adventures, until the year 1854. 
On July 5 of that year a great fire destroyed the Museum, and the 
Turbaned Turk was burnt to ashes. Better such a fate than rot- 
ting to pieces in the cellar of some old warehouse, forgotten and 
abandoned. 

Robert-Houdin, in his autobiography, tells a most romantic 
story about the Chess Player, the accuracy of which has been 
seriously doubted. He also makes several errors concerning its 
career and that of Maelzel. R. Shelton Mackenzie, who trans- 
lated Houdin's life (1859), calls attention to these mistakes, in 
his preface to that work. "This remarkable piece of mechanism 
was constructed in 1769, and not in 1796; it was the Empress 
Maria-Theresa of Austria who played with it, and not Catherine 
II of Russia. M. Maelzel's death was in 1838, on the voyage 
from Cuba to the United States, and not, as M. Houdin says, on 
his return to France; and the automaton, so far from being taken 
back to France, was sold at auction here [Philadelphia], where it 
was consumed in the great fire of July 5, 1854." 

I believe that the true history of the Chess Player is related 
by Prof. George Allen, of the University of Pennsylvania, in 
Fiske's Book of the first American Chess Congress, N. Y., 
1859. PP- 420-484. 



II. 

Now for Houdin's entertaining story of the Chess Player. In 
the year 1796, a revolt broke out in u half-Russian, half-Polish 
regiment stationed at Riga, capital of Livonia, Russia. At the 
head of the rebels was an officer named Worousky, a man of 
talent and energy. He was of short stature, but well built. The 
revolutionists were defeated in a pitched battle and put to flight 



THE ROMANCE OF AUTOMATA IIJ 

by the Russians. Worousky had both thighs shattered by a can- 
non ball and fell on the battle field. However, he escaped from 
the general massacre of his comrades by casting himself into a 
ditch near a hedge, not far from the house of a doctor named 
OslofF. At nightfall he dragged himself with great difficulty to 
the house, and was taken in by the benevolent physician, who 
promised to conceal him. Osloff eventually had to amputate 
both of Worousky's legs, close to the body. The operation was 
successful. During this time, the famous Baron von Kemfjelen 
came to Russia, and paid Dr. Osloff a visit. He also took a^m- 
passion upon the crippled Polish officer. It seems that Worou- 
sky was a master of the game of chess, and rqicaterlly defeaterl 
Osloff and Kempelen. Kempelen then conceived the idea of the 
automaton chess player, as a means of assisting Worousky to 
escape from Russia, and immerliately set alx>ut building it. It 
was completed in June. 1796. In order to avert suspicion Osloff 
and Kempelen determine<^I to play at several of the smaller towns 
and cities before reaching the frontier. 

The first performance was gi%en at Toula. Says Houdin : 
"I possess a copy of the original bill, v/hich v.as given me by M. 
Hessler, nephew of Dr. Osloff. v/ho alv> supplied me v.ith all 
these details. Worousky won every game he phye^l at Toula. 
and the papers were f-!! of praises of the a-:*,omatorj. Assuri^l of 
success by the bn'Iiarxy of \r.*^.r '''jz\r:\. )A. *\': Kerrii^Krti and hi*, 
companion proceeded tov.ar'^ir the :r^/r:t:er/* 

Worousk}' was co^ncca'-ec from 'Jght, '/r.,\\e, travding, in th«r 
enormous chest '.vhich he!^: 'he Coe^.-, V'.>.\^':t Wx \yf\i'\ v.^-r*' 
made in the sides of the che-^t to eriao>, hirrj ♦// breatl*^, '/ \%i"j 
arrived without acver.tt:re k.\ \"'.\^/-!/:. '/:: the x'm/\ ^o *be i^v^v&^u 
frontier, when a letter cirrj^ rvrr;r.v>r;'r.jf ♦?.*?.'. *o */>: 'tUi]f^rW:. 
palace at St. Petervrjrg. ''r^ yjrfr/r*:r',\ ^>.*?y*r;r.'r J I ]mnuy^ 
heard of the atrrr-crj^t^c/r \ ''r/Ar:v:. ^a^r;* '\*X:r^A *f, \/,>,y u y/^^s^, 
ui-ith it. The\- C5:re< r,'r. r<^v:>: *':- ^ji!i^:>,*/\ 7/'/ro;>>v /.}// 
had a price set or. h:- 'r^^:>A i^\ *>^ '/•y>^* of *'•>' *hr«'>' ;»yX 
seemed ddighiec at tr^e 'S.k^^ o' y>.y-''//^ ' *'' *'>^ h?f/;/f^/^ Af^^-r 
fifteen days travel th'e;;. r*:>^':'^/ \* /'<^^v/vr^ K^//j^>y. J^;*/! 
the atitomatc^ carr:>r^l */, tV >;%>./>: •- *'^ j^rfy: '?/».* /?, //iM.b 



.114 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

it traveled, thereby secretly conveying Worousky thither. The 
Chess Player was set up in the library, and at the appointed hour 
Catherine II, followed by a numerous suite, entered and took her 
place at the chess-board. The members of the Court took their 
places behind the Empress. Kempelen never allowed anyone to 
pass behind the automaton, and would not consent to begin the 
game till all the spectators were in front of the board. 

'The chest and the Turk's body were then examined, and 
when all were perfectly convinced they contained nothing but 
clockwork, the game began. It proceeded for some time in per- 
fect silence, but Catherine's frowning brow speedily revealed that 
the automaton was not very gallant towards her, and fully de- 
served the reputation it had gained. The skillful Mussulman 
captured a bishop and a knight, and the game was turning much 
, to the disadvantage of the lady, when the Turk, suddenly forget- 
ting his dignified gravity, gave a violent blow on his cushion, and 
pushed back a piece his adversary had just moved. 

''Catherine II had attempted to cheat; perhaps to try the skill 
of the automaton, or for some other reason. At any rate the 
haughty empress, unwilling to confess her weakness, replaced the 
piece on the same square, and regarded the automaton with an air 
of imperious authority. The result was most unexpected — the 
Turk upset all the pieces with a blow of his hand, and immedi- 
ately the clock work, which had been heard during the' whole 
game, stopped. It seemed as if the machinery had got out of 
repair. Pale and trembling, M. de Kempelen, recognizing in 
this Worousky's impetuous temper, awaited the issue of this 
conflict between the insurgent and his sovereign. 

" 'Ah, ah ! my good automaton ! your manners are rather 
rough,' the Empress said, good humoredly, not sorry to see a 
game she had small chance of winning end thus. 'Oh ! you are 
a famous player, I grant ; but you were afraid of losing the game, 
and so prudently upset the pieces. Well, I am now quite con- 
vinced of your skill and your violent character.' 

"M. de Kempelen began to breathe again, and regaining cour- 
age, tried to remove the unfavorable impression which the little 



THE ROMANCE OF AUTOMATA II5 

respect shown by the automaton must have produced. Hence he 
said, humbly: 

" 'Will your majesty allow me to offer an explanation of what 
has just happened?' 

" 'By no means, M. de Kempelen/ Catherine said, heartily, — 
*by no means ; on the contrary, I find it most amusing, and your 
automaton pleases me so much that I wish to purchase it. I shall 
thus always have near me a player, somewhat quick perhaps, but 
yet able to hold his own. You can leave it here tonight, and 
come tomorrow morning to arrange the price.' 

"There is strong reason to believe that Catherine wished to 
commit an indiscretion when she evinced a desire that the figure 
should remain at the palace till next morning. Fortunately, the 
skillful mechanician managed to baffle her feminine curiosity by 
carrying W^orousky off in the big chest. The automaton re- 
mained in the library, but the player was no longer there. 

"The next day Catherine renewed her proposition to purchase 
the Chess Player, but Kempelen made her understand that, as the 
figure could not perform without him, he could not possibly sell 
it. The empress allowed the justice of these arguments; and, 
while complimenting the mechanician on his invention, made him 
a handsome present. 

"Three months after the automaton was in England, under 
the management of Mr. Anthon, to whom Kempelen had sold it. 
I know not if Worousky was still attached to it, but I fancy so, 
owing to the immense success the Chess Player met with. Mr. 
Anthon visited the whole of Europe, always meeting with the 
same success; but, at his death, the celebrated automaton was 
purchased by Maelzel, who embarked with it for New York. It 
was then, probably, Worousky took leave of his hospitable Turk, 
for the automaton was not nearly so successful in America. 
After exhibiting his mechanical trumpeter and Chess Player for 
some time, Maelzel set out again for France, but died on the 
passage, of an attack of indigestion. His heirs sold his appa- 
ratus, and thus Cronier obtained his precious relic." The Chess 
Player caused the greatest amount of discussion in its time. At 
the solicitation of a leading theatrical manager of Paris, Houdin 



Il6 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

arranged the trick for a melodrama, in which Catherine II of 
Russia was one of the characters. 

m. 

• I now come to the celebrated inventions of Maskelyne which 
were exhibited at Egyptian Hall, London. First on the list 
comes the automaton whist player, "Psycho/' which far exceeds 




J. N. Maskelyne 

the Chess Player of Von Kempelen in ingenious construction. 
Its secret has never been divulged. 

Says the Encyclopedia Britannica: "In 1875 Maskelyne and 
Cooke produced at the Egyptian Hall, in London, an automaton 
whist player, 'Psycho,' which from the manner in which it is 
placed upon the stage, appears to be perfectly isolated from any 



THE ROMANCE OF AUTOMATA II7 

mechanical communication from without . . . The arm has 
all the complicated movements necessar}- for chess or draught 
playing; and 'Psycho' calculates any sum up to a total of 99,- 
000,000. . . . 'Psycho', an Oriental figure, sitting cross- 
legged on a box, is supported -by a single large cylinder of clear 
glass, which as originally exhibited, stood upon the carpet of the 
stage, but was aftervvards set loose upon a small stool, having 
solid wood feet; moreover, this automaton may be placed in al- 
most any number of different ways It may be men- 
tioned that in the same year in which ^Psycho' appeared, the joint 
inventors patented a method of controlling the speed of clock- 
work mechanism by compressed air or gas stored in the pedestal 
of an automaton, this compressed air acting upon a piston in a 
cylinder and also upon a rotating fan when a valve is opened by 
*an electrical or other connection worked by the foot of the per- 
former or an assistant.' But it is not known whether the prin- 
ciple obscurely described in the specification was applicable in any 
way to the invisible agency employed in Tsycho/ or whether it 
had reference to some other invention which has never been rea- 
lized." 

A very clever expose of "Psycho'' was published in an Eng- 
lish newspaper, November, 1877. That it is the correct one, I 
am by no means certain. But an ingenious mechanic by carrying 
out its provisions would be enabled to construct an excellent imi- 
tation of the Maskelyne so-called automaton. 

"In Figs. la and ib (elevation and plan), the wheels E and 
M have each a train of clockwork (left out for the sake of clear- 
ness), which would cause them to spin round if unchecked. M, 
however, has two pins, p p, which catch on a projection on the 
lever, N. E is a crown-wheel escapement — like that in a bottle 
roasting-jack — which turns A alternately to the left and right, 
thus causing the hand to traverse the thirteen cards. A little 
higher up on A will be seen a quadrant, B (see plan), near the 
edge of which are set thirteen little pins. The end of the lever, 
N, drops between any two of them, thus causing the hand to 
stop at any desired card. The lever being pivoted at r, it is 
obvious that by depressing the end, N, B " *" * "t at liberty, 



ii8 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



and the hand will move along the cards; by slightly raising it 
this motion will be arrested ; by raising it still more the pin, p, 
is released, and M commences to revolve, and by again depressing 
N this wheel will, in its turn, be stopped. Near the bottom of 
the apparatus is a bellows, O, which contains a spring tending 
to keep the lever, N, with which it is connected by a rod, X, in 




Figs. la, ib. 




Fig. 3. 



<^!jSBUIIfi^ 



Fig. 4. 



the position shown. This is connected with the tubular support, 
which may be connected by a tube through the leg of the stool, 
and another tube beneath the stage, with an assistant behind the 
scenes. By compressing or exhausting air through this tube it 
is obvious that the lever, N, will be raised or depressed, and the 
clockwork set going accordingly, a is a crank-pin set in M, and 
connected with the head by catgut, T, and with the thumb by 
S. At R and R are two pulleys connected by gut. Thus if the 



THE ROMANCE OF AUTOMATA IIQ 

hand moves round, the head appears to follow its motions, and 
when raised by pulling S, the head rises also by means of T. 
Further explanation seems almost unnecessary; / is a stop to 
prevent the elbow moving too far, and b b spiral springs, to keep 
the thumb open and the head forward respectively. When N 
is raised, M pulls T and S, the latter closing the thumb, and then 
raising the arm by pulley H. If the lever is allowed to drop, 
p will catch and keep the arm up. On again raising N, the arm 
will descend. 

"In addition to the above contrivance, we have in Figs. 2 and 
3 another and simpler arrangement, in which only one train of 
clockwork is used. On the same axle as H is fixed a lever and 
weight, W, to balance the arm, A vertical rod, X, having a 
projection, Z, slides up and down in guides, Y Y, and carries the 
catgut, S and T. The quadrant, B, has cogs cut, between which 
Z slides and stops the motion of A, which is moved, as before, 
by clockwork. The lower part of X is connected directly with 
O. When X is slightly raised, as shown, A is free to move, but 
on exhausting the air and drawing X down, Z enters the cogs 
and stops the hand over a card ; continuing to exhaust, the thumb 
closes and the card is lifted up.'' The details of the clockwork 
the originator of this solution omits to give. He says there 
should be a fan on each train to regulate the speed. The figure 
should be so placed that an assistant can see the cards in the 
semi-circular rack Fig. 4. 

One of Maskelyne's best mechanical tricks is the "Spirit Mu- 
sic-Box,'' for an expose of which I am indebted to my friend 
Mr. Henry V. A. Parsell, of New York City, a lover of the art 
of magic. The construction of this novel piece of apparatus will 
afford a clue to many alleged mediumistic performances. Pro- 
fessor Parsons, of New Haven, Conn., is the owner of the box, 
reproduced in the illustration. Says Mr. Parsell : 

"A sheet of plate glass is exhibited freely to the audience and 
proved to contain no electric wires or mechanism. This glass 
plate is then suspended horizontally in the center of the stage by 
four cords hooked to its corners. An ordinary looking music- 
box is then brought in by the assistant. It is opened, so that 



I20 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

the audience can see the usual mechanism within. The music- 
box is now placed on the glass plate and the performer comes 
down among the spectators. Notwithstanding the isolation of 
the box the command of the performer suffices to cause it to 
play, or cease, in obedience to his will. It matters not in what 
part of the room the conjurer goes — his word is enough to make 
silence or harmony issue from the box, always beginning where 
it left off and never skipping a note. The simple cause of this 
marvelous effect lies in the mechanism of the box and in its 
mode of suspension. 




Fig. 5. Fig. 6. 

The Spirit Music Box. 

"A small music box of this kind is shown in Fig. 5. The box 
is seen with its mechanism removed and resting upon it. In ad- 
dition to the usual cylinder, comb and wheel-work, there is a 
device for starting and stopping the box when it is tilted slightly 
endwise. This consists of a light shaft delicately pivoted and 
carrying at one end a lead weight (seen just in front of the 
cylinder), and at the other end an arm of light wire whose far 
end is bent down so as to engage the fly of the wheel-work. In 
Fig. 5 the mechanism is tilted so that the wire arm is raised ; the 
fly is now free to revolve and the box plays. 

"A front view of the mechanism is shown in Fig. 6. Here 
the arm is down, arresting the motion of the fly and producing 



THE ROMANCE OF AUTOMATA 121 

silence. When the box is resting on the glass plate an assistant 
behind the scenes causes the plate to tilt slightly up or down by 
raising or lowering the cords which support one end. The 
mechanism of the box is so delicately adjusted that an imper- 
ceptible motion of the plate is sufficient to control its playing." 



IV. 

John Nevil Maskelyne, a descendant of Nevil Maskelyne, the 
eminent astronomer and physicist, was born in Cheltenham, Eng- 
land, and like Houdin was apprenticed to a watchmaker. At 
an early age, he manifested a wonderful aptitude for mechanics. 
He employed most of his spare time while working at the trade 
of horology in devising and building optical and mechanical ap- 
paratus for show purposes. In this respect his career exactly 
parallels that of Robert-Houdin. He was likewise interested in 
sleight of hand tricks, but never carried the art to perfection like 
the French magician. Later in life he abandoned legerdemain 
entirely and devoted himself exclusively to the construction of 
mechanical illusions. In this line, he has no equal. Most of 
the really clever and original illusions brought out within the 
past twenty years have emanated from his fertile brain. Houdin, 
Maskelyne, and Buatier de Kolta are the three great inventors 
of magic tricks and illusions. One day the Davenport Brothers 
came to Cheltenham and gave an exhibition of their alleged 
mediumistic powers at the town hall. Young Maskelyne was 
selected as one of a committee to tie the Brothers and examine 
their mystic cabinet. The falling of a piece of drugget, used to 
exclude light from one of the windows of the hall, enabled 
Maskelyne to see Ira Davenport eject some of the musical instru- 
ments from the cabinet, and re-secure himself with the ropes. 
Delighted at discovering the trick, the young watchmaker soon 
devised an imitation of the Davenport exhibition. Aided by a 
Mr. Cooke, afterwards his partner in the show business, he gave 
an expose of the Davenport business, first at Cheltenham, and 
afterwards throughout England. Subsequently he located at St. 
James Hall, and afterwards at Egyptian Hall, London. Mr. 



122 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

Maskelyne was called as an expert witness in the trial of the 
impostor, Dr. Henry Slade, and performed in the witness-box 
all of the medium's "slate tests," to the great astonishment of the 
Court. As a consequence of these revelations, Dr. Slade was 
sentenced to three months in jail, but he escaped imprisonment 
owing to legal technicalities interposed by his attorneys, and fled 
to the Continent. Mr. Maskelyne has written a clever expose 
of gambling devices, entitled. Sharps and Flats, and various 
magazine articles on conjuring. 

In the year 1904, he and Mr. Cooke moved their show to 
St. George's Hall, having outgrown the old quarters at Egyptian 
Hall. Since that time Mr. Cooke died at an advanced age. As- 
sociated with Mr. Maskelyne and his son is David Devant, a 
good sleight of hand performer. 



ROBERT-HOUDIN— CONJURER, AUTHOR AND 
AMBASSADOR. 

"Robert-Houdin was a man of remarkable ingenuity and insight. His 
autobiography is throughout interesting and psychologically valuable, and 
his conjuring precepts abound in points of importance to the psychologist." — 
Joseph Jastrow : "Fact and Fable in Psychology." 

"To Robert-Houdin I feel I owe a double debt ; first, for the great satis- 
faction I have had in such slight skill as I have acquired in his art, and, 
secondly, for such an insight into its underlying principles as to keep me 
clear of all danger from evanescent delusions which follow one another in 
fashion." — Brander Matthews: "Books that have helped me.'* 



Nostradamus is said to have constructed a magic mirror of 
great power. In its shining surface, he conjured up many re- 
markable visions. But I know of a more wonderful wizard's 
glass than that of the French necromancer. It is the "mirror 
of the mind'' — that mystery of mysteries. I am able, at will, 
to evoke in it a phantasmagoria of the past. I need no aid from 
cabalistic spells, no burning of incense. Presto! — ^a picture ap- 
pears radiant with light and life. I see a wainscoted room in 
a quaint old mansion. Logs are ablaze on the hearthstone. A 
boy is ensconced in the deep embrasure of the window. He is 
immersed in a book, and entirely oblivious of the scene without, 
where the Snow King is busy laying a white pall upon the 
frozen earth. Snow flakes like white butterflies skim hither and 
thither. The wind rumbles mournfully in the chimneys like a 
lost spirit. It is the witching Christmas Tide, when of old the 
Magi led by the burning star (the weird pentagram of the Ini- 
tiates) came from afar to visit the lowly cradle of the Nazarene 



124 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

child. Beautiful old legend ! It still haunts these later years of 
mine, breathing joy and peace ineffable; for is it not an allegory 
of the search for, and the discovery of, the Lost Word of the 
Adepts of the Temples — the word that signifies eternal life? 

Let us take a peep over the reader's shoulder, at the volume 
in his hand. It is the autobiography of **Robert-Houdin, con- 
jurer, author, and ambassador." And the reader is myself. O 
vanished years of boyhood : you still live in the magic mirror of 
memory! And intimately associated with those years is the mys- 
tic book of Robert-Houdin. Can I ever forget the enjoyment I 
had in poring over the faded yellow leaves of that fascinating 
work? Happy the youth who early dips into its golden pages. 
The Arabian Nights forms a fitting prologue to it. I followed 
Houdin in the Conjurer's Caravan; rejoiced in his successes at 
the Palais Royal ; and in far-off Algeria, watched him exhibiting 
his magic feats before the Marabouts. 

Speaking of this autobiography, Professor Brander Matthews 
of Columbia College, New York, says: "These Confidences of 
a Prestidigitateur are worthy of comparison with all but the very 
best autobiographies — if not with Cellini's and Franklin's, at 
least with Cibber's and Goldoni's. Robert-Houdin's life of him- 
self, quite as well as any of the others, would justify Longfellow's 
assertion that 'autobiography is what biography ought to be.' " 

In my humble opinion Houdin's autobiography is worthy to 
be classed with the best, even that of Cellini and Franklin; yes, 
even with Chateaubriand's superb Memories beyond the Tomb. 
It is replete with interesting information about old time necro- 
mancers ; constructors of automata ; good stories of contemporary 
magicians; exposes of Marabout miracles; and last, but not least, 
the fascinating adventures of Houdin himself, — ^the archmaster 
of modern magic. It bears the stamp of truth on every page, 
and should be placed in the hands of all students of psychology 
and pedagogy. His Trickeries of the Greeks, an expose of 
gambling devices, is also an interesting work and should be read 
in conjunction with his Stage Magic and Conjuring and Magic, 

The Confidences end with Houdin's retirement from the stage 
to his villa at St. Gervais, near Blois. The book on Conjuring 



ROBERT-HOUDIN 125 

and Magic gives us a slight sketch of his villa and the ingenious 
contrivances arranged therein for the amusement and mystifica- 
tion of \-isitors. The curtain, alas, then rings down on the scene 
The theatre is left dark and cold. We are told nothing more 
concerning the great conjurer's life, or the manner of his death. 
All is a blank. Through my own efforts, however, and those of 
my friends made in recent years, at my instigation, I have been 
able to supply the missing data. It is very entertaining indeed. 
But let us begin at the beginning. 

n. 

On a certain day in the year 1843, ^^^ Count de TEscalopier, 
a scion of the old regime of France, and a great lover of curios, 
was strolling along the Rue de Vendome, in the Marais Quarter, 
of Paris. He stopped to look at some mechanical toys displayed 
in the window of a dark little shop, over the door of which was 
painted the following modest sign: "M. Rol>ert-Houdin, Pen- 
dules de Precision." This sign noted the fact that the proprietor 
was a watchmaker, and that his wares were rlistinguished for 
precise running. What particularly attracterl the nobleman's at- 
tention was a peculiar kx^king ckx:k of clearest crystal that ran 
apparently without works, the invention of M. Rol>ert-}lr)udin. 
The Count, who was a great lover of science amusante, r^r science 
wedded to recreation, purchased the magic ckxrk, and l>etter than 
that, made the acquaintance r^f the inventor, the ol>scure watch- 
maker, who was destined to Ixrcome a great prestidigitatciir, 
author, and ambassarlor. The Count l>ecame a frequent visitr>r 
at Houdin's shop, to watch the construction of various automata, 
which the inventor intended s^^me day to use in public i>erfonn- 
ances. Says Houdin : "A kind of intimacy having thus Inrcomc 
established between M. de TEscalopier and myself, I was natur- 
ally led to talk to him of my projects of apjKr^iring in public; anri, 
in order to justify them. I had giv^m him, on more than one 
occasion, specimens of my skill in sleight of fiand. I'rornpted 
doubtless by his friendly feelings, my sj;^:rt;ftor stf'adiiy applauded 
me, and gave me the warmest enrotinigrrn^tit to |;iit uty HchrrneH 
into actual practice. Q^unt de rfv-/:alo|;i^T, wfio wan tlu! ]f(f%- 



126 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



sessor of a considerable fortune, lived in one of those splendid 
houses which surround the square which has been called Royale, 
or des Vosges, according to the color of the flag of our masters 
of the time being. I myself lived in a humble lodging in the 
Rue de Vendome, in the Marais, but the wide disproportion in 
the style of pur respective dwelling-places did not prevent the 
nobleman and the artist from addressing each other as 'my dear 
neighbor/ or sometimes even as 'my dear friend/ 




Houdin's Magic Clock.* 

♦"The cut represents the magic clock invented by Robert-Houdin about 
sixty years ago. This very remarkable time-piece consists of a dial com- 
posed of two juxtaposed disks of glass, one of which is stationary and carries 
the hours, while the other is movable and serves for the motion of the hands. 
This latter disk is provided with a wheel or rather a toothed ring concealed 
within the metallic ring forming a dial. The glass column which constitutes 
the body of the piece is formed of two tubes which operate according to the 
principle of the dial, that is to say, one is stationary and the other movable. 
To each: of the extremities of the latter is fixed a wheel. These wheels gear 
with transmission pinions which communicate, one of them at the top with the 
movable plate of glass of the dial, and the other at the bottom with the move- 
njent placed in the wooden base which supports the glass shade covering the 
clock. All these concealed transmissions are arranged in a most skillful 
manner, and complete the illusion. The movable glass of the dial, carried 
along by the column, actuates a small dial-train mounted in the thickness of 
the stationary glass, and within an extremely narrow space in the center of 
the dial. It is covered by the small hand and is consequently invisible. The 
hands are very easily actuated by it on account of their extreme lightness 
and perfect equilibrium." — Scientific American, N. Y, 



ROBERT-HOUDIN 127 

"My neighbor then being, as I have just stated, warmly in- 
terested in my projects, was constantly talking of them ; and in 
order to g^ve me opportunities of practice in my future profes- 
sion, and to enable me to acquire that confidence in which I was 
then wanting, he frequently invited me to pass the evening in 
the company of a few friends of his own, whom I was delighted 
to amuse with my feats of dexterity. It was after a dinner given 
by M. de TEscalopier to the Archbishop of Paris, Monseigneur 
Aflfre, with whom he was on intimate terms, that I had the honor 
of being presented to the reverend prelate as a mechanician and 
future magician, and that I performed before him a selection of 
the best of my experiments. 

"At that period — I don't say it in order to gratify a retro- 
spective vanity — my skill in sleight of hand was of a high order. 
I am warranted in this belief by the fact that my numerous 
audiences exhibited the greatest wonderment at my performance, 
and that the Archbishop himself paid me, in his own handwrit- 
ing, a compliment which I can not refrain from here relating. 

"I had reserved for the last item of my programme a trick 
which, to use a familiar expression, I had at my fingers' ends. 
In effect it was shortly as follows : — After having requested the 
spectators carefully to examine a large envelope sealed on all 
sides, I handed it to the Archbishop's Grand Vicar, begging him 
to keep it in his own possession. Next, handing to the prelate 
himself a small slip of paper, I requested him to write thereon, 
secretly, a sentence, or whatever he might choose to think of; 
the paper was then folded in four, and (apparently) burnt. But 
scarcely was it consumed and the ashes scattered to the winds, 
than, handing the envelope to the Archbishop, I requested him 
to open it. The first envelope being removed a second was 
found, sealed in like manner; then another, until a dozen en- 
velopes, one inside another, had been opened, the last containing 
the scrap of paper restored intact. It was passed from hand 
to hand, and each read as follows : — 

" 'Though I do not claim to be a prophet, I venture to pre- 
dict, sir, that you will achieve brilliant success in your future 
career/ 



128 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

"I begged Monseigneur Affre's permission to keep the auto- 
graph in question, which he very graciously gave me/' 

Poor Archbishop Affre; he was killed at the barricades in 
the Revolution of 1848. Though he confessed that he was no 
prophet, yet his prediction was fulfilled to the letter. Houdin 
became the foremost conjurer of his age, of any age in fact, and 
has left to posterity more than a name : — his fascinating memoirs, 
and several works in which the psychology of deception is treated 
in a masterly manner. The slip of paper given to him by the 
Archbishop he preserved as a religious relic. "I kept it,'' he 
said, "in a secret corner of my pocket-book which I always car- 
ried about my person. During my travels in Algeria I had the 
misfortune to lose both this pocket-book and the precious object 
it contained." 

After the seance recorded above, the Count de TEscalopier 
urged Houdin continually to abandon the watchmaking and 
mechanical-toy trade and go on the stage as a prestidigitateur. 
Finally Houdin confessed his inability to do so, owing to lack 
of means, whereupon the kind-hearted nobleman exclaimed: 
"Mo7i cher ami, I have at home, at this very moment, ten thou- 
sand francs or so, which I really don't know what to do with. 
Do me the favor to borrow them for an indefinite period: you 
will be doing me an actual service." 

But Houdin would not accept the offer, for he was loth to 
risk a friend's money in a theatrical speculation. The Count in 
a state of pique left the shop and did not return for many days. 
Then he rushed excitedly into the workroom, sank upon a chair, 
and exclaimed : 

"My dear neighbor, since you are determined not to accept a 
favor from me, I have now come to beg one of you. This is the 
status of the case. For the last year my desk has been robbed 
from time to time of very considerable sums of money. In vain 
have I endeavored to ascertain the thief. I have sent away my 
servants, one after another. I have had the place watched, 
changed the locks, and placed secret fastenings on the doors, but 
none of these safeguards and precautions have foiled the cunning 
of the miscreant. This very morning a couple of thousand franc- 



ROBERT-HOUDIN I2Q 

notes disappeared. Think of the frightful position the entire 
family is placed in. Can you not come to my assistance ?" 

"Count," replied Houdin, "I fail to see how I can help you 
in the present instance. My magic power, unfortunately, ex- 
tends only to my finger tips." 

"That is true," said the Count, "but you have a mighty aid 
in mechanics." 

"Mechanics," exclaimed the magician. "Stop a bit! I re- 
member when I was a boy at school that I invented a primitive 
piece of apparatus to apprehend a rascal who was in the habit 
of stealing my boyish possessions. I will improve upon that idea. 
Come to see me in a few days." 

Houdin put on his thinking-cap and shut himself up in his 
workshop. 

From his inner consciousness he evolved a singularly in- 
genious contrivance, designed not only to discover a thief, but 
to brand him indelibly for his crime. In brief let me describe it. 
It was an apparatus to be fastened to the inside of a desk. When 
the desk was unlocked, and the lid raised ever so little, a pistol 
was discharged; at the same time a claw-like arrangement, at- 
tached to a light rod and impelled by a spring, came sharply 
down on the back of the hand which held the key. This claw 
was a tatooing instrument. It consisted of "a number of very 
short but sharp points, so arranged as to form the word Robber, 
These points were brought through a pad impregnated with ni- 
trate of silver, a portion of which was forced by the blow into 
the punctures, and made the scars indelible for life." 

When the Count saw this apparatus at work, the inventor 
using a heavily-padded glove to prevent being wounded by the 
claw, he objected to it strenuously, remarking that he had no 
right to brand a criminal. That was the province of Justice. 
He also argued that it would be wrong from a humanitarian 
standpoint. A poor wretch thus branded could only get rid of 
it by a horrible self-mutilation. If he failed in his endeavor, it 
might close the door of repentance forever against him, and 
class him permanently among the enemies of the social order. 
"Worse than that," said the Count, "suppose some member of 



130 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

my family by inadvertence, or through some fatal mistake, should 
fall a victim to our stern precautions ; and then '* 

"You are quite right!'' said Houdin. "I had not thought of 
those objections. I was carried away by my enthusiasm as an 
inventor. You are quite right! I will alter the apparatus at 
once." 

In the place of the branding contrivance, he inserted a kind 
of cat's-claw, which would make a slight scratch on the hand — 
a mere superficial wound, readily healed. The Count was sat- 
isfied with the alteration, and the apparatus was secretly fixed 
to the desk in the nobleman's bed-room. 

In order to stimulate the cupidity of the robber, the Count 
drew considerable money from his bankers. He even made a 
pretence of leaving Paris on a trip to a short distance. But the 
bait did not take. Sixteen days passed away. The Count had 
almost despaired of catching the culprit, when one morning while 
reading in his library, which was some little distance from the 
bed-room, he heard the report of a pistol. 

"Ah," he exclaimed, excitedly. "The robber at last." Pick- 
ing up the first weapon to hand, a battle axe from a stand of 
ancestral armor near by, he ran quickly to the bed-room. There 
stood his trusted valet, Bernard, who had been in his household 
for many years. 

"What are you doing here?" asked the Count. 

With great coolness and audacity, Bernard explained that 
he had been brought thither by the noise of the explosion, and 
had just seen a man making his escape down the back stairs. 
The Count rushed down the stairs only to find the door locked. 
A frightful thought overcame him: "Could Bernard be the 
thief?" He returned to the bed-room. The valet, he noticed, 
kept his right hand behind him. The Count dragged it forcibly 
in sight, and saw that it was covered with blood. 

"Infamous scoundrel!" said the nobleman, as he flung the 
man from him in disgust. 

"Mercy, mercy !" cried the criminal, falling upon his knees. 



ROBERT-HOUDIN I3I 

"How long have you been robbing me?" asked the Count, 
sternly. 

"For nearly two years." 

"And how much have you taken ?" 

"I cannot tell exactly. Perhaps 15,000 francs, or there- 
abouts." 

"We will call it 15,000 francs. You may keep the rest. 
What have you done with the money ?" 

"I have invested it in Government stock. The scrip is in my 
desk." 

The thief yielded up the securities to the amount of fifteen 
thousand francs, and wrote a confession of his guilt, which he 
signed in the presence of a witness. The kind-hearted nobleman, 
bidding the valet repent of his crime, forthwith dismissed him 
from his employ, agreeing not to prosecute him provided he led 
an honest life. One year from that date, the wretched Bernard 
died. Remorse hastened his end. 

M. de TEscalopier took the money thus recovered to Houdin, 
saying: "I do hope, my dear friend, that you will no longer 
refuse me the pleasure of lending you this sum, which I owe 
entirely to your ingenuity and mechanical skill. Take it, return 
it to me just when you like, with the understanding that it is to 
be repaid only out of the profits of your theatre." 

Overcome by emotion at the generosity of his benefactor, 
Houdin embraced the Count. "This embrace," he says, "was the 
only security which M. de TEscalopier would accept from me." 

This was the turning point of the conjurer's life. "It is an 
ill wind that blows nobody good." 

With this money Houdin without further delay built in the 
Palais Royal a little theatre. "The galleries which surround the 
garden of the Palais Royal are divided," says Houdin, "into 
successive arches, occupied by shops. Above these arches there 
are, on the first floor, spacious suites of apartments, used as 
public assembly rooms, clubs, cafes, etc. It was in the space 
occupied by one of these suites, at No. 164 of the Rue de Valois, 



132 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

that I built my theatre, which extended, in width, over three of 
the above-mentioned arches ; and in length the distance between 
the garden of the Palais Royal and the Rue de Valois, or, in 
other words, the whole depth of the building." The dimensions 
of this miniature theatre were very limited. It would not seat 
over two hundred people. Though the seats were few in number, 
their prices were tolerably high. Children were paid for as 
grown persons. 

The Palais Royal was formerly the residence of Cardinal 
Richelieu, the "Red Duke/' and afterwards became the home 
of the Orleans family. The Regent d*Orleans, in the reign of 
Louis XV, experimented with magic mirrors in this building. 
It was in the Palais Royal that the French Revolution was 
hatched. Could a more favorable place have been selected in 
which to start a revolution in conjuring? I think not. 

The following is the announcement of Houdin's first per- 
formance, which appeared on the bill-boards of Paris : 

Aujourd'hui Jeudi, 3 Juillet 1845. 

Premiere Representation 

aes 

Soirees Fantastiques 

de 

Robert-Houdin. 

"On this day,'' says Houdin, "by a strange coincidence, the 
Hippodrome and the ^Fantastic Soirees' of Robert-Houdin, the 
largest and smallest stage in Paris, were opened to the public. 
The 3d of July, 1845, ^^^^ two bills placarded on the walls of 
Paris; one enormous belonging to the Hippodrome, while the 
other of far more modest proportions, announced my perform- 
ances. Still as in the fable of the reed and the oak, the large 
theatre, in spite of the skill of the managers, has undergone 
many changes of fortune; while the smaller one has continually 
enjoyed the public favor. I have sacredly kept a proof of my 
first bill, the form and color of which have always remained the 
same since that date. I copy it word for word here, both to 



ROB£RT-HOUi»I^ 



furnish an idea of its simplicity, and lu di^pla} iln. ]>:'4 
of the experiments I then offered to the public :'* 



To-Day, Thursday, July 3, Ib^.O 


FIRST REPRESENTATION 


OP 

THE FANTASTIC SOIREES 

OF 

ROBERT-HOUDIN 


AUTOMATA, SLEIGHT OF HAND, MAGIC 


The Performance will be composed of entirely novel Experiments 
invented by M. Robert-Houdin 


AMONG THEM BEING: 


THE CABALISTIC CLOCK 


OBEDIENT CARDS 


AURIOL AND DEBUREAU 


THE MIRACULOUS FISH 


THE ORANGE-TREE 


THE FASCINATING OWL 


THE MYSTERIOUS BOUQUET 


THE PASTRYCOOK OF THE 


THE HANDKERCHIEF 


PALAIS ROYAL 


PIERROT IN THE EGG 




TO COMMENCE AT EIGHT O'CLOCK 


Box-office open at Half-past Seven 


Price of places: Upper Boxes, 1 fr. 50 c.; Stalls, Sfr.; Boxes, 
4 fr. ; Dress Circle, 5 fr. 



These fantastic evenings soon became popular. When the 
Revolution of 1848 ruined the majority of Parisian theater man- 
agers, Houdin simply locked the door of his hall, and retired 
to his little workshop to invent new tricks and automata. His 
loss was very slight, for he was under no great expense. When 
order was restored, he resumed the soirees magiques. The news- 
papers rallied to his assistance and made playful allusions to his 



134 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

being related to the family of Robert le Diable, The leading 
illustrated journals sent artists to draw pictures of his stage. 
Houdin found time, amid all his labors, to edit a little paper 
which he called Cagliostro, full of bon mots and pleasartries, to 
say nothing of cartoons. Copies of this petit journal pour rire 
were distributed among the spectators at each performance. 

As each theatrical season opened, Houdin had some new 
jnarvel to present to his audiences. His maxims were: "It is 
more difficult to support admiration than to excite it.'' "The 
fashion an artist enjoys can only last as long as his talent daily 
increases." Houdin had but few, if any, rivals in his day. His 
tricks were all new, or so improved as to appear new. He swept 
everything before him. When he went to London for a pro- 
longed engagement, Anderson, the "Wizard of the North," who 
was a great favorite with the public, retired into the Provinces 
with his antique repertoire. What had the English conjurer to 
offer alongside of such unique novelties as the Second Sight, 
Aerial Suspension, Inexhaustible Bottle, Mysterious Portfolio, 
Crystal Cash Box, Shozvcr of Gold, Light and Heavy Chest, 
Orange Tree, the Crystal Clock, and the automaton figures Auriol 
and Dcbnreau, the Past^ry Cook of the Palais Royal, etc., etc. 

III. 

Jean-Eugene Robert (Houdin) was l)orn on December 6, 
1805, in the quaint old city of Blois, the birth-place of Louis 
Xn. and of Papin, the inventor of the steam engine. Napoleon 
was at the zenith of his fame, and had just fought the bloody 
battle of Austerlitz. 

Luckily for the subject of this sketch, he was born too late 
to serve as food for powder. He lived to grow to man's estate 
and honorable old age, and became tlie verital)le Napoleon of 
necromancy. His career makes fascinating reading. Houdin's 
father was a watchmaker, and from him he inherited his remark- 
able mechanical genius. At the age of eleven, Jean-Eugene was 
sent to college at Orleans. On the completion of his studies, he 
entered a notary's office at Blois, but spent most of his time in- 
venting little mechanical toys and devices, instead of engrossing 



ROBERT-HOUDIN 1 35 

dusty parchment, so the notary advised him to abandon the idea 
of becoming a lawyer and take up a mechanical trade. Houdin 
joyfully took up his father's occupation of watchmaking, for 
which he had a decided bent. One evening the young apprentice 
went to a bookseller's shop in Blois and asked for a work on 
horology by Berthoud. The shopman by mistake handed him a 
couple of odd volumes of the Encyclopedic, which somewhat re- 
sembled Berthoud's book. Jean-Eugene went home to his attic, 
lit a candle, and prepared to devote an evening to hard study, but 
judge of his surprise to find that the supposed treatise on watch- 
making was a work on natural magic and prestidigitation, under 
the head of scientific amusem.ents. He was delighted at the 
revelations contained in the mystic volume, which told how to 
perform tricks with the cards, to cut off a pigeon's head and 
restore it again, etc., etc. Here was an introduction to the New 
Arabian Nights of enchantment. He slept with the book under 
his pillow, and possibly dreamed of African wizards, genii, and 
all sorts of incantations. This little incident brought about great 
changes in Houdin's life. He secretly vov.ed to become a pres- 
tidigitateur, — a role for which he was eminently fitted, psycholog- 
ically and physically. The principles of sleight of hand Houdin 
had to create for himself, for the mystic ^'olume, though it re- 
vealed the secrets of the tricks, gave the neophyte no adequate 
idea of the subtle passes and misdirection required to properly 
execute them. 

Though an ardent devotee of legerdemain, Houdin did not 
neglect his trade of watchmaker. When his apprenticeship was 
oVer, he went to Tours as a journeyman, in the shop of M. 
Noriet, who afterwards became a noted sculptor. While in the 
employ of M. Noriet, Houdin was poisoned by eating a ragout 
cooked in a stew pan in which there chanced to be verdigris. He 
was very ill, and his life was saved with difficulty. Possessed 
with the idea that he was soon to die, he escaped one day from 
his nurse and doctor and set out for Blois to bid adieu to his 
family before he departed from this sublunary sphere. A most 
singular adventure befell him, which reads like a romance. 
Those who believe in destiny have here a curious cxamf)le of its 



136 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

Strange workings. The jolting of the lumbering old diligence 
gave Houdin great pain. He was burning with fever and deliri- 
ous. Without any one knowing it, he opened the door of the 
rotonde, in which he happened to be the only passenger, and 
leaped out on the high road, where he lay unconscious. When 
he recovered his senses, he found himself lying in a comfortable 
bed. An unknown man with a phial of medicine in his hand 
bent over him. By the strangest luck, Houdin had fallen into 
the hands of a traveling conjurer named Torrini, who went 
about the country in a sort of house on wheels, which was drawn 
by a pair of big Norman horses. This unique vehicle which was 
six yards in length could be converted into a miniature theiatre 
twice its size by an ingenious mechanical arrangement. The body 
was telescopic and could be drawn out, the projection being sup- 
ported by trestles. Torrini early in life had been a physician and 
was able to tend his patient with intelligence and skill. Finding 
the young watchtnaker a clever mechanician, Torrini gave him 
some magical automata to repair, and Houdin was introduced for 
the first time to the little Harlequin that jumps out of a box and 
performs various feats at the mandate of the conjurer. A de- 
lightful friendship began between the watchmaker and the wizard. 
Torrini, who was an expert with cards, initiated Houdin into the 
secrets of many clever tricks performed with the pasteboards. He 
also corrected his pupil's numerous mistakes in legerdemain, into 
which all self-educated amateurs fall. It was a fascinating life 
led in this conjurer's caravan. Besides Torrini and Houdin there 
was Antonio, the assistant, and man of all work. Torrini related 
many amusing adventures to his young pupil, which the latter. has 
recorded in his admirable autobiography. It was he, the ci- 
devint, Comte de Grisy who performed the famous watch trick 
before Pius VII. and had so unique revenge upon the Chevalier 
Pinetti. 

Torrini's son was accidentally shot by a spectator in the gun 
trick during a performance at Strasburg, as has been explained 
in the chapter on the "History of Natural Magic and Prestidigi- 
tation.'' Overcome with grief at the loss of his only child and 
at the subsequent death of his wife, he abandoned the great cities 



ROBERT-HOUDIN 1 37 

and wandered about the French Provinces attended by has faith- 
ful assistant and brother-in-law, Antonio. But to return to Rob- 
ert-Houdin. 

One day at Aubusson the conjurer's caravan collided with an 
enormous hay cart. Houdin and Antonio escaped with light con- 
tusions, but the Master had a leg broken and an arm dislocated. 
The two horses were killed ; as for the carriage, only the body re- 
mained intact ; all the rest was smashed to atorris. During Tor- 
rini's illness, Houdin, assisted by Antonio, gave a conjuring per- 
formance at the town hall to replete the exchequer. Houdin suc- 
ceeded very well in his first attempt, with the exception that he 
ruined a gentleman's chapeau while performing the trick of the 
omelet in the hat. 

Soon after this Houdin bid adieu to Torrini and returned to 
his parents at Blois. He never saw Torrini again in this life. 
After following watchmaking at Blois for quite a little while, he 
proceeded to Paris, with his wife,— for he had not only taken unto 
himself a spouse, but had adopted her name, Houdin, as part of 
his own cognomen. He was now Jean-Eugene Robert-Houdin, 
master-watchmaker. His recontre with the Count de FEscalo- 
pier and the result have already been given. 

Houdin completely revolutionized the art of conjuring. Prior 
to his time, the tables used by magicians were little else than huge 
confederate boxes. Conjuring under such circumstances was 
child's play, as compared with the difificulties to be encountered 
with the apparatus of the new school. In addition, Houdin dis- 
carded the long, flowing robes of many of h!s predecessors, and 
appeared in evening dress. Since his time all first-class pres- 
tidigitateurs have followed his example, both as to dress and 
tables. 

Ploudin's center-table was a marvel of mechanical skill and 
ingenuity. Concealed in the body were 'Vertical rods, each ar- 
ranged to rise and fall in a tube, according as it was drawn down 
by a spiral spring or pulled up by a whip-cord which passed over 
a pulley at the top of the tube and so down the table-leg to the 
hiding-place of the confederate." There were "ten of these pis- 
tons, and ten cords passing under the floor of the stage, terminat- 



138 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

ing at a key-board. Various ingenious automata were actuated 
by this means of transmitting motion." 

Houdin's stage was very handsome. It was a replica in 
miniature of a salon of the Louis XV. period — all in white and 
gold— illuminated by elegant candelabra and a chandelier. The 
magic table occupied the center of the room. This piece of fur- 
niture was flanked by little gueridons. At the sides were con- 
soles, with about five inches of gold fringe hanging from them, 
and across the back of the apartment ran a broad shelf, upon 
which was displayed the various apparatus to be used in the 
seances. "The consoles were nothing more than shallow wooden 




Houdin's Trick-Table. 

boxes with openings through the side-scenes. The tops of the 
consoles were perforated with traps. Any object which the wiz- 
ard desired to work off secretly to his confederate behind the 
scenes was placed on one of these traps and covered with a sheet 
of paper, pasteboard cover or a handkerchief. Touching a spring 
caused the article to fall noiselessly through the trap upon cotton 
batting, and roll into the hand of the conjurer's concealed assist- 
ant." 

Now for a few of the tricks of this classic prestidigitateur. 
His greatest invention was the **light and heavy chest." Speak- 
ing of this remarkable experiment he wrote: "I do not think, 
modesty apart, that I ever invented anything so daringly in- 
genious," The magician came forward with a little wooden box, 



ROBERT-HOUDIN 13^ 

to the top of which was attached a metal handle. He addressed 
the audience as follows : '^Ladies and gentlemen, I have a cash- 
box which possesses strange properties. It becomes heavy or 
light at will. I place in it some banknotes for safekeeping and 
deposit it here on the *run-down' in sight of all. Will some gen- 
tleman test the lightness of the box?" 

When the volunteer had satisfied the audience that the box 
could be lifted with the little finger, Houdin executed some pre- 
tended mesmeric passes over it, and bade the gentleman lift it a 
second time. But try as lie might, the volunteer would prove un- 
equal to the task. At a sign from Houdin the l:)Ox would be re- 
stored to its pristine lightness. This trick was performed with a 
powerful electro-magnet with conducting wires reaching behind 
the scenes to a battery. At a signal from the performer an oper- 
ator turned on the electric current, and the box, which had an iron 
plate let into its bottom, covered with mahogany-colored paper, 
clung to the magnet with supernatural attraction. In •the year 
1845, the phenomena of electro-magnetism were unknown to 
the general public, hence the spirit cash-box created the 
most extraordinary sensation. When the subject of electricity 
became better known, Houdin made an addition to the feat 
which threw his spectators off the scent. After first having 
shown the trick on the "run-down," he hooked the box to one 
end of a cord which passed over a pulley attached to the ceiling 
of the hall. A spectator was requested to take hold of the other 
end of the cord and keep the chest suspended. 

"Just at present," remarked the conjurer, "the chest is ex- 
tremely light ; but as it is about to become, at my command, very 
heavy, I must ask five or six other persons to help this gentleman, 
for fear the chest should lift him off his feet." 

No sooner was this done than the chest came heavily to the 
ground, dragging along and sometimes lifting off their feet all 
the spectators who were holding the cord. The explanation is 
this : On a casual inspection of the pulley and block everything 
appears to indicate that, as usual in such cases, the cord passes 
straight over the pulley, in on one side and out on the other ; but 
such ir> not really the fact, as will be seen upon trrxing the course 



I40 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



of the dotted lines (Fig. i), which, passing through the block 
and through the ceiling, are attached on either side to a double 
pulley fixed in the room above. To any one who has the most 
elementary acquaintance with the laws of mechanics, it will be 
obvious that the strength of the person who holds the handle of 
the windlass above is multiplied tenfold, and that he can easily 
overcome even the combined resistance of five or six spectators.'* 
The "Bust of Socrates" was another favorite experiment with 
Houdin. In this illusion a living bust with the features of So- 
crates was suspended in the middle of the stage without visible 




Fig. 2. The Talking Bust. 

support. The performer, habited as an Athenian noble, addressed 
questions to the mutilated philosopher and received replies in 
stanzas of elegiac verse. The mise en scene is represented in 
Fig. 2. Houdin explains the illusion as follows : 

^^A, B, C, D, (Fig. 3) represent a section of the stage on 
which the trick is exhibited. A sheet of silvered glass, G, G, oc- 
cupying the whole width of the stage, is placed in a diagonal posi- 
tion, extending from the upper part of the stage at the rear, down 
to the footlights, so as to form an angle of forty-five degrees with 
the floon In the center of the glass is an opening through which 



ROBERT-HOUDIN 



141 



the actor passes his head and shoulders, as shown in the figure. 
It should be further mentioned that the ceiling and the two sides 
of the stage are hung with wall-paper of the same pattern, and 
are brilliantly illuminated, either by means of footlights at C, 
or by gas-jets placed behind the border A. Such being the con- 
dition of things, the eflFect is as follows: The ceiling A is 
reflected in the mirror, and its reflection appears to the spectators 
to be the paper of the wall B, D, which in reality is hidden by 
the glass. 

. "By means of this reflection, of which he is of course 
unaware, the spectator is led to believe that he sees three sides of 




Fig 3. How THE Talking Bust was Worked. 

the Stage; and there being nothing to suggest to his mind the 
presence of the glass, he is led to believe that the bust is suspended 
in mid-air and without any support/' 

"Aerial Suspension" was one of Houdin's inventions. It has 
been a favorite trick since his time. In the original illusion Hou- 
din had one of his young sons, who was dressed as a page, stand 
on a small stool. The performer then placed a walking-stick 
under the extended right arm of the boy, near the elbow, and 
one under the left arm. First the stool was knocked away and the 
youthful assistant was suspended in the air, held up only by the 
two frail sticks, which were in themselves inedequate to sup- 
port such a weight. Then the left stick was removed, but the 
boy did not fall. To the astonishment of every one, the youth 



142 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

was placed in a horizontal position. He remained in a perfectly 
rigid attitude with his head leaning on his arm, the top of the cane 
under his elbow. 

This very ingenious trick was suggested to Houdin on reading 
stories about the alleged levitation of Hindoo fakirs. The 
walking-stick that supported the right arm of the assistant was of 
iron, painted to resemble wood. It fitted into a slot in the stage; 
its top connected with a bar concealed in the sleeve of the boy. 
This bar formed part of a strong steel framework worn under the 
assistant's clothing. Thus was the page suspended in the air. 

Houdin's trick of the **orange-tree" was a capital one. The 
tree blossomed and bore fruit at the command of the conjurer. All 
the oranges were distributed among the spectators except one on 
the topmost branch of the tree. In this orange the magician 
caused a handkerchief to appear, which had been previously bor- 
rowed. The handkerchief was made to vanish from the hands of 
the performer. ''Hey, presto!" the orange fell apart in four 
sections, whereupon two butterflies sprang out and fluttered up- 
ward with the handkerchief. The explanation of this beautiful 
trick is as follows : The tree was a clever piece of mechanism, 
so closely fashioned to resemble a plant that it was impossible to 
detect the difference. The blossoms, constructed of white silk, 
were pushed up through the hollow branches by pistons rising 
in the table and operating upon similar rods contained in the tree. 
When these pedals were relaxed the blossoms disappeared, and 
the fruit was slowly developed. Real oranges were stuck on 
iron spikes protruding from the branches of the tree, and were 
concealed from the spectators by hemispherical wire screens 
painted green. The screens w^ere also partly hidden by the arti- 
ficial foliage. By means of cords running down through the 
branches of the tree and ofif behind the scenes, an assistant caused 
the screens to make a half -turn, thereby developing the fruit. 
The borrowed handkerchief was exchanged for a dummy belong- 
ing to the conjurer, and passed to an assistant who placed jt in 
the mechanical orange. The tree was now brought forward. 
After the real fruit had been distributed, the magician called 
attention to the orange on the top (the mechanical one). By 



ROBERT-HOUDIX 143 

means of sleight of hand the handkerchief was made to vanish, 
to be discovered in the orange. The butterriies, which were fast- 
ened by wires to the stalk and fixeJ on delicate spiral springs, 
invisible at a little distance, flew out of the orange of their own 
accord, carrying with them the handkerchief, as soon as the 
fruit fell apart. 

rv. 

In the year 1846 Houdin was summoned to the Palace of 
Saint-Cloud to give a performance l:)etore Louis Philippe and his 
Court, whereupon he invented his remarkable trick of the en- 
chanted casket, which created srreat excitement in the Parisian 
journals, and gainel him no httle tame. He had six days to pre- 
pare for the sciiucc nuigiqiic. Early on tlie appointed morning 
a van from the royal stables came to convey liim and his son. 
together with the magic paraphernalia, to the palace of the king. 
A stage had been erected in one of the handsome salons of St. 
Cloud, the windows of which opened out on an orangery- linCvl 
with double rows of orange-trees. *'each growing in its square 
box on wheels. A sentry was placed at the door to see that the 
conjurer was not disturl^ed in his preparations. The King him- 
self dropped in once to ask the entertainer if he had ever^-thing 
necessar)'." 

At four o'clock in the afternoon, a brilliant company assem- 
bled in the hall to witness the perf- »rmance. The piece dc resist- 
ance of the seance was Cagliostro's casket, the effect of which 
is best described in Houdin's own words : 

"I borrowed from my noble spectators several handkerchiefs, 
which I made into a parcel, and laid on the table. Then, at my 
request, different persons wrote on blank cards the names of 
places whither they desired their handkerchiefs to be invisibly 
transported. 

**\Vhen this had been done. I begged the King to take three 
of the cards at hazard, and choose from them the place he might 
consider most suitable. 

" *Let us see,' Louis Philippe said, Svhat this one saj-s : "I 
desire the handkerchiefs to be found beneath one of the can- 



144 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

delabra on the mantelpiece." That is too easy for a sorcerer; so 
we will pass to the next card: "The handkerchiefs are to be 
transported to the dome of the Invalides." That would suit me, 
but it is much too far, not for the handkerchiefs, but for us, *Ah, 
ah!* the King added, looking at the last card, *I am afraid. 
Monsieur Robert-Houdin, I am about to embarrass you. Do 
)'0U know what this card proposes?' 

" *Will your majesty deign to inform me?' 

" 'It is desired that you should send the handkerchiefs into 
the chest of the last orange-tree on the right of the avenue.' 

" *Only that, sir? Deign to order, and I will obey.' 

" 'Very good, then; I should like to see such a magic act: I, 
therefore, choose the orange-tree chest.' 

"The king gave some orders in a low voice, and I directly 
saw several persons run to the orange-tree, in order to watch it 
and prevent any fraud. 

"I was delighted at this precaution, which must add to the 
effect of my experiment, for the trick was already arranged, and 
the precaution hence too late. 

"I had now to send the handkerchiefs on their travels, so I 
placed them beneath a bell of opaque glass, and, taking my wand, 
I ordered my invisible travelers to proceed to the spot the king 
had chosen. 

"I raised the bell ; the little parcel was no longer there, and a 
white turtle-dove had taken its place. 

"The King then walked quickly to the door, whence he looked 
in the direction of the orange-tree, to assure hiniself that the 
guards were at their post ; when this was done, he began to smile 
and shrug his shoulders. 

" *Ah ! Monsieur Houdin,' he said, somewhat ironically, *I 
much fear for the virtue of your magic staff.' Then he added, as 
he returned to the end of the room, where several servants were 
standing, Tell William to open immediately the last chest at the 
end of the avenue, and bring me carefully what he finds there — if 
he does find anything.' 

"William soon proceeded to the orange-tree, and though much 
astonished at the orders given him, he began to carry them out. 



ROBERT-HOUDIN 1 45 

"He carefully removed one of the sides of the chest, thrust 
his hand in, and almost touched the roots of the tree before he 
found anything. All at once he uttered a cry of surprise, as he 
drew out a small iron coffer eaten by rust. 

"This curious *find,' after having been cleansed of the 
mould, was brought in and placed on a small ottoman by the 
king's side. 

" 'Well, Monsieur Robert-Houdin,' Louis Philippe said to 
me, with a movement of impatient curiosity, 'here is a box ; am I 
to conclude it contains the handkerchiefs V 

" *Yes, sire,' I replie<l, with assurance, 'and they have been 
there, too, for a long period.' 

" *How can that be ? the handkerchiefs were lent you scarce 
a quarter of an hour ago.' 

" *I cannot deny it, sire ; but what would my magic powers 
avail me if I could not perform incomprehensible tricks? Your 
Majesty will doubtless be still more surprised, when I prove to 
your satisfaction that this coffer, as well as its contents, was de- 
posited in the chest of the orange-tree sixty years ago.' 

" *I should like to believe your statement,' the King replied, 
with a smile; *but that is impossible, and I must, therefore, ask 
for proofs of your assertion.' 

" 'If Your Majesty will be kind enough to open this casket 
they will be supplied.' 

" 'Certainly : but I shall require a key for that.' 

" *It only depends on yourself, sire, to have one. Deign to 
remove it from the neck of this turtle-dove, which has just 
brought it to you.' 

"Louis Philippe unfastened a ribbon that held a small rusty 
key, with which he hastened to unlock the coffer. 

"The first thing that caught the King s eye was a parchment 
on which he read the following statement : 

" This day, the 6th June. 1786, 
This iron box, containing six handkerchiefs, was placed 
among the roots of an orange-tree by me. Balsamo, Count 
of Cagliostro, to serve in performing an act of magic, 
which will be executed on the same day sixty years hence 
before Louis Philippe of Orleans and his family.' 



146 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

** *There is decidedly witchcraft about this/ the king said, 
more and more amazed. ^Nothing is wanting, for the seal and 
signature of the celebrated sorcerer are placed at the foot of this 
statement, which, Heaven pardon me, smells strongly of sulphur/ 

"At this jest the audience began to laugh. 

" *But,' the king added, taking out of the box a carefully 
sealed packet, 'can the handkerchiefs by possibility be in this?' 

** 'Indeed, sire, they are; but, before opening the parcel, I 
would request your majesty to notice that it also bears the im- 
pression of Cagliostro's seal. 

'This seal once rendered so famous by being placed on the 
celebrated alchemist's bottles of elixir and liquid gold, I had 
obtained from Torrini, who had been an old friend of Cag- 
liostro's. 

" 'It is certainly the same,' my royal spectator answered, after 
comparing the two seals. Still, in his impatience to learn the con- 
tents of the parcel, the king quickly tore open the envelope and 
soon displayed before the astonished spectators the six handker- 
chiefs which, a few moments before, were still on my table. 

"This trick gained me lively applause." 

Robert-Houdin never revealed the secret of this remarkable 
experiment in natural magic, but the acute reader, especially if he 
be a student of legerdemain, will be able to give a pretty shrewd 
guess as to the modus operandi. The best analysis of this trick 
has been lately given by Professor Brander ^Matthews. He writes 
as follows {Scribncr's Magazine, ^lay, 1903) : 

"Nothing more extraordinary was ever performed by any 
mere conjurer; indeed, this feat is quite as startling as any of 
those attributed to Cagliostro himself, and it has the advantage 
of being accurately and precisely narrated by the inventor. Not 
only is the thing done a seeming impossibility, but it stands forth 
the more impressively because of the spectacular circumstances 
of its performance, — a stately palace, a lovely garden, the assem- 
bled courtiers, and the royal family. The magician had to de- 
pend on his wits alone, for he was deprived of all advantages 
of his own theatre and of all possibility of aid from a confederate 
mingled amid the casual spectators. 



ROBERT-HOUDIN 1 47 

'*Robert-Houdin was justified in the gentle pride with which 
he told how he had thus astonished the King of the French. He 
refrained from any explanation of the means whereby he wrought 
his mystery, believing that what is unknown is ever the more 
magnificent. He did no more than drop a hint or two. telling 
the reader that he had long possessed a cast of Cagliostro's seal, 
and suggesting slyly that when the King sent messengers out 
into the garden to stand guard over the orange-tree the trick was 
already done and all precautions were then futile. 

**Yet, although the inventor chose to keep his secret, any one 
who has mastered the principles of the art of magic can venture 
an explanation. Robert-Houdin has set forth the facts hon- 
estly; and with the facts solidly established, it is possible to reason 
out the method employed to accomplish a deed which, at first 
sight, seems not only impossible but incomprehensible. 

**The first point to be emphasized is that Robert-Houdin was 
as dexterous as he was ingenious. He was truly a prestidigita- 
teur, capable of any sleight of hand. Nothing was simpler for 
so accomplished a performer than the substitution of one package 
for another, right before the eyes of all the spectators. And it 
is to be remembered that although the palace was the King's the 
apparatus on the extemporized stage was the magician's. There- 
fore, w^hen he borrowed six handkerchiefs and went up on the 
stage and made them up into a package which remained on a 
table in sight of everybody, we can grant without difficulty that 
the package which remained in sight did not then contain the 
borrowed handkerchiefs. 

"In fact, Vv'e may be sure that the borrowed handkerchiefs 
had been conveyed somehow to Robert-Houdin's son who acted 
as his assistant. When the handkerchiefs were once in the pos- 
session of the son out of sight behind the scenery or hangings of 
the stage, the father would pick up his package of blank visiting- 
cards and distribute a dozen of them or a score, moving to and 
fro in very leisurely fashion, perhaps going back to the stage to 
get pencils which he would also give out as slowly as possible, 
filling up the time with playful pleasantry, until he should again 



148 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

catch sight of his son. Then, and not until then, would he feel 
at liberty to collect the cards and take them over to the King. 
When the son had got possession of the handkerchiefs, he 
would smooth them swiftly, possibly even ironing them into their 
folds. Then he would put them into the parchment packet which 
he would seal twice with Cagliostro's seal. Laying this packet in 
the bottom of the rusty iron casket, he would put on top the other 
parchment which had already been prepared, with its adroit 
imitation of Cagliostro's handwriting. Snapping down the lid of 
the casket, the lad would slip out into the corridor and steal into 
the garden, going straight to the box of the appointed orange-tree. 
He could do this unobserved^ because no one was then suspecting 
him and because all the spectators were then engaged in thinking 
up odd places to which the handkerchiefs might be transported. 
Already, in the long morning, probably while the royal household 
was at its midday breakfast, the father or the son had loosened 
one of the staples in the back of the box in which the designated 
orange-tree was growing. The lad now removed this staple and 
thrust the casket into the already prepared hole in the center of 
the roots of the tree. Then he replaced the staple at the back of 
the box, feeling certain that whoever should open the box in front 
would find the soil undisturbed. Ihis most difficult part of the 
task once accomplished, he returned to the stage, or at least in 
some way he signified to his father that he had accomplished his 
share of the wonder, in the performance of which he was not 
supposed to have any part. 

"On seeing his son, or on receiving the signal that his son 
had returned, Robert-Houdin would feel himself at liberty to col- 
lect the cards on which various spectators had written the des- 
tinations they proposed for the package of handkerchiefs which 
was still in full sight. He gathered up the cards he had distrib- 
uted; but as he went toward the King, he substituted for those 
written by the spectators others previously prepared by himself, — 
a feat of sleight of hand quite within the reach of any ordinary 
performer. Of these cards, prepared by himself, he forced three 



ROBERT-HOUDIN I49 

on the sovereign ; and the forcing of cards upon a kindly monarch 
would present Httle difficult>^ to a prestidigitateur of Robert- 
Houdin's consummate skill. 

"When the three cards were once in the King s hands, the 
trick was done, for Robert-Houdin knew Louis Philippe to be a 
shrewd man in small matters. Therefore, it was reasonably cer- 
tain that when the King had to make a choice out of three places, 
one near and easy, a second remote and difficult, and a third 
both near and difficult, Louis Philippe would surely select the 
third which was conveniently at hand and which seemed to be at 
least as impossible as either of the others. 

"The event proved that the conjurer's analysis of the King's 
character was accurate : yet one may venture the opinion that the 
magician had taken every needed precaution to avoid failure even 
if the monarch had made another selection. Probably Robert- 
Houdin had one little parchment packet hidden in advance some- 
where in the dome of the Invalides and another tucked up out of 
sight in the base of one of the candelabra on the chimney-piece ; 
and if either of the other destinations had been chosen, the substi- 
tute packet would have been produced and the magician would 
then have offered to transport it also into the box of the orange- 
tree. And thus the startling climax of the marvel would have 
been only a little delayed. 

"When so strange a wonder can be wrought under such cir- 
cumstances by means so simple, we cannot but feel the force of 
Dr. Lodge's warning that an unwavering scepticism ought to be 
the attitude of all honest investigators toward every one who 
professes to be able to suspend the operation of a custom of 
nature. No one of the feats attributed to Home, the celebrated 
medium who plied his trade in Paris during the Second Empire, 
was more abnormal than this trick of Cagliostro's Casket, and no 
one of them is so well authenticated. It may be that certain of 
the customs of nature are not inexorable and that we shall be able 
to discover exceptions now and again. But the proof of any 
alleged exception, the evidence in favor of any alleged violation 
of the custom of nature, ought to be overwhelming." 



150 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

V. 

The greatest event of Houdin's life was his embassy to 
Algeria, "at the special request of the French Government, which 
desired to lessen the influence of the Marabouts, whose conjuring 
tricks, accepted as actual magic by the Arabs, gave them too much 
influence/' He went to play off his tricks against those of Arab 
priests, or holy men, and, by "greater marvels than they could 
show, destroy the prestige which they had acquired. He so com- 
pletely succeeded that the Arabs lost all faith in the miracles of 
the Marabouts, and thus was destroyed an influence very danger- 
ous to the French Government/' His first performance was 
given at the leading theatre of Algiers, before a great assemblage 
of Arabs, who had been summoned to witness the soiree magique, 
by the mandate of the Marshall-Governor of Algeria. Houdin's 
"Light and Heavy Chest" literally paralyzed the Arabs with 
astonishment. He altered the mise en scene, and pretended to 
be able to make the strongest man so weak that he would be 
unable to lift a small box from the floor. He says in his memoirs : 

"I advanced with my box in my hand, to the center of the 
^practicable,' communicating from the stage to the pit; then ad- 
dressing the Arabs, I said to them : 

" Trom what you have witnessed, you will attribute a super- 
natural power to me, and you are right. I will give you a new 
proof of my marvelous authority, by showing that I can deprive 
the most powerful man of his strength and restore it at my will. 
Any one who thinks himself strong enough to try the experiment 
may draw near me.' (I spoke slowly, in order to give the in- 
terpreter time to translate my words).' 

"An Arab of middle height, but well built and muscular, like 
many of the Arabs are, came to my side with sufficient assurance. 

" *Are you very strong?' I said to him, measuring him from 
head to foot. 

" 'Oh yes !' he replied carelessly. 

" 'Are you sure you will always remain so?' 

" 'Quite sure.' 

" 'You are mistaken, for in an instant I will rob you of your 
strength, and you shall become like as a little child.' 



ROBERT-HOUDIN I5I 

"The Arab smiled disdainfully, as a sign of his incredulity. 

" 'Stay/ I continued; *lift up this box/ 

"The Arab stooped, lifted up the box, and said to me, *Is this 
all?' 

"'Wait -^!' I replied. 

"Then with all possible gravity, I made an imposing gesture 
and solemnly pronounced the words : 

" 'Behold ! you are weaker than a woman ; now, try to lift 
the box.' 

"The Hercules, quite cool as to my conjuration, seized the 
box once again by the handle, and gave it a violent tug, but this 
time the box resisted, and spite of his most vigorous attacks, 
would not budge an inch. 

"The Arab vainly expended on this unlucky box a strength 
which would have raised an enormous weight, until at length 
exhausted, panting, and red with anger, he stopped, became 
thoughtful, and began to comprehend the influences of magic, 

"He was on the point of withdrawing; but that would be 
allowing his weakness, and that he, hitherto respected for his 
vigor, had become as a little child. This thought rendered him 
almost mad. 

"Deriving fresh strength from the encouragements his friends 
offered him by word and deed, he turned a glance around them, 
which seemed to say, 'You will see what a son of the desert can 
do.' 

"He bent once again over the box : his nervous hands twined 
around the handle, and his legs, placed on either side like two 
bronze columns, served as a support for the final effort. 

"But, wonder of wonders! this Hercules, a moment since so 
strong and proud, now bows his head; his arms, riveted to the 
box, undergo a violent muscular contraction; his legs give way, 
and he falls on his knees with a yell of agony. 

"An electric shock, produced by an. induction apparatus, had 
been passed, on a signal from me, from the further end of the 
stage into the handle of the box. Hence the contortions of the 
poor Arab! 

"It would have been cruelty to prolong this scene. 



152 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

"I gave a second signal, and the electric current was imme- 
diately intercepted. My athlete, disengaged from his terrible 
bondage, raised his hands over his head. 

" *Allah ! Allah' he exclaimed, full of terror ; then, wrapping 
himself up quickly in the folds of his burnous, as if to hide his 
disgrace, he rushed through the ranks of the spectators and 
gained the front entrance. 

"With the exception of the dignitaries occupying the stage 
boxes and the privileged spectators, in the body of the house, who 
seemed to take great pleasure in this great experiment, my audi- 
ence had become grave and silent, and I heard the words 'Shaitan!' 
'Djenoumf passing in a murmur round the circle of credulous 
men, who, while gazing on me, seemed astonished that I possessed 
none of the physical qualities attributed to the angel of darkness." 

The Marabout priests constantly boasted of their invulner- 
ability. They were reputed to be possessed of powerful talismans 
which caused loaded weapons to flash in the pan when fired at 
them. Houdin counteracted these claims by performing his cele- 
brated bullet-catching feat, in which a marked bullet apparently 
shot from a gun is caught by the magician in a plate or between 
his teeth. There are two ways of accomplishing this trick. One 
is by substituting a bullet of hollow wax for the real leaden bul- 
let. The explosion scatters the wax into minute fragments which 
fly in all directions and do not come in contact with the person 
shot at; provided he stands at a respectable distance from the 
individual who handles the pistol or gun. The second method is 
to insert into the barrel of the weapon a small tube open at one 
end. Into this receptacle the bullet falls^ and the tube is with- 
drawn from the gun in the act of ramming it, forming as it 
were a part of the ramrod. The performer, once in possession of 
the little tube, secretly extracts the marked bullet and produces it 
at the proper time. Houdin had recourse to both ways of per- 
forming this startling trick. Sometimes he filled the wax bullet 
with blood, extracted from his thumb. When the bullet smashed 
against a white wall it left a red splash. Houdin, after traveling 
into the interior of Algeria, visiting many prominent chieftains, 
returned to France, and settled down at St. Ger^^ais, a suburb 



ROBERT-HOUDIN I53 

of Blois.. He relinquished his theatre to his brother-in-law, 
Pierre Chocat (M. Hamilton), and devoted himself to scientific 
work, and writing his Confidences and other works on natural 
magic. 

VI. 

Houdin called his villa at St. Gervais the "Priory," a rather 
monastic title. It was a veritable palace of enchantments. Elec- 
trical devices played an important part in its construction, as 
well as automata. The Pepper ghost illusion was rigged up in 
a small pavilion on the grounds. A mechanical hermit wel- 
comed guests to a grotto: Houdin's friends jestingly called the 
place ''L'Abbaye de VAtirape (la Trappe);' or "Catch'em Ab- 
bey." The pun is almost untranslatable. ''Attrape'' is a trap, 
in French. You have a Trappist Monastery. I need say no 
more. During the Franco-Prussian \A^ar, Houdin's neighbors 
brought their valuables to him to be concealed. He had a 
hiding place built which defied detection. But the Prussians 
never bothered him. 

Says William Manning (Recollections of Robert-Houdin, 
London, 1891) : 

"Robert-Houdin's employment of electricity, not only as a 
moving power for the performance of his illusions, but for do- 
mestic purposes, was long in advance of his time. The electric 
bell, so common to us now, was in every-day use for years in 
his own house, before its value was recognized by the public. 

**He had a favorite horse, named Fanny, for which he enter- 
tained great affection, and christened her *the friend of the fam- 
ily.' She was of gentle disposition and was growing old in his 
service; so he was anxious to allow her every indulgence, espe- 
cially punctuality at meals and full allowance of fodder. 

"Such being the case, it was a matter of great surprise that 
Fanny grew daily thinner and thinner, till it was discovered that 
her groom had a great fancy for the art formerly practised by her 
master and converted her hay into five- franc pieces ! So Houdin 
dismissed the groom and secured a more honest lad, but to pro- 
vide against further contingencies and neglect of duty he had 



154 '^HE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

a clock placed in his study, which with the aid of an- electrical 
wire worked a food supply in the stable, a distance of fifty yards 
from the house. The distributing apparatus was a square funnel- 
shaped box which discharged the provender in prearranged quan- 
tities. No one could steal the oats from the horse after they had 
fallen, as the electric trigger could not act unless the stable door 
was locked. The lock was outside, and if any one entered be- 
fore the horse finished eating his oats, a bell would immediately 
ring in the house. 

*'This same clock in his study also transmitted the time to 
two large clock-faces, placed one on the top of the house, the 
other on the gardener's lodge, the former for the benefit of the 
villagers. 

*Tn his bell-tower he had a clockwork arrangement of suffi- 
cient power to lift the hammer at the proper moment. The daily 
winding of the clock was performed automatically by communi- 
cation with a swing-door in his kitchen, and the winding-up ap- 
paratus of the clock in the clock-tow^r was so arranged that the 
servants in passing backward and forward on their domestic 
duties unconsciously wound up the striking movement of the 
clock." 

The Priory is now a partial ruin. It has passed out of his 
family. Houdin died there June 13, 1871, after an illness of 
ten days. His death was caused by pneumonia. The following 
is an extract of the notice of his decease, taken from the registers 
of the civil authorities of St. Gervais : 

"June 14, 1 87 1. Notice of the death of Robert-Houdin, 
Jean-Eugene, died at St. Gervais, June 13, 1871, at 10 P. M., 
sixty-five years of age. Son of the defunct Prosper Robert and 
Marie Catherine Guillon; widower of his first wife Josephe 
Cecile Eglantine Houdin; married the second time to Frangoise 
Marguerite Olympe Naconnier; Court House of St. Gervais, 
signed— The Mayor." The signature is illegible. 

William Manning was an intimate friend of Houdin. When 
the famous conjurer went to London to exhibit, he lodged at 
the house of M?)nning's father, William was a young man at 
the time and deeply enamored with conjuring exhibitions. Hou- 



ROBERT-HOUDIN 1 55 

din showed him many favors and presented him with a numhcr 
of souvenirs, among them being a magic clock, a harlci|uiii-in- 
the-box, etc., also a photograph of himself, a copy of which Mr. 
Manning sent to me a few years ago, during the course of a 
correspondence I had with him concerning lloudin. Up to the 
time of his death the great conjurer exchanged letters with his 
friend, then a grown man. Houdin's closing years were sad- 
dened by the tragic death. of his son, Eugene, who was killed 
at Reichshoffen in the Franco-Prussian War. lie was a sub- 
lieutenant in the French army and a graduate of the military 
school at St. Cyr. He assisted his father on the stage, but 
abandoned conjuring for a military career. In a letter to Wil- 
liam Manning, dated September 11, 1870, lloudin describes the 
affair at Reichshoffen: .... *'My son was 33 years old; 
he was captain since 1866; he belonged to the ist Zouaves and 
w^as considered one of the bravest in that brave corps. You can 
judge of it by the following extract from an article in the I'i^aro, 
of Sept. 3, entitled 'An episode of Reichshoffen,' an extract from 
a private letter. This letter was undoubtedly written by a sol- 
dier in my son's company; it is signed with an X. I omit the 

harrowing incidents which preceded this sad retreat 

*The line had received orders to break up and were defeated, 
35,000 against 140,000! My company Cist Zouaves; wan 
drawn up on the battle-fieM, to l>e used as sharp-shrKHcrs, alone, 
without artiller}-; we were to resist the retreat. (Jj></n the order 
of Captain Robert-Houdin, Lieutenant Tiirard advancer! with two 
men to reconnoitre the enemy. He trx^k three stq^, and fell, 
crying: 'Do not grve up the Coucou, (71 familiar cy,]fre.%<Kum 
applied to the flag;. We CHrritf] him away and the Taj/fain 
shouted Tire I' The order to retre^ft aimt, l/iit we did not hf^^tr 
it, and continued to l^eat again-t a v/all of fire v/hi<rh illurninaf/r/1 
our ranks, So^^n fAir Capftarn fell, raying: *Te11 tyttm . , . 
that I fell facing the enem-;/ A t/ullet ha^l \f,(rrfj'A hh t/re^i^f. 
He was taken :n the <im^A:'^nce U> Ueich^h^/ffen v/hfrr^ h<^ ^I;<fyJ. 
four days later, from h:* vr^yjnd/* 

**My dear ^laimicig^ v,'otJ>I you )xikr*t it, my brare ^Atf 
mortally wotm<!ed as ht y^i, h^A the her^Ac cr/^r^t ^rrH'ht 



156 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



flying shot to take from his pocket a pencil and a card and to 
write these words: 'Dear father, / am wounded, but be re- 
assured, it is only a trifle:' He could not sign this. The card 
and the envelope are stained with his blood. This precious 
relic was sent to me from Reichshoffen after my son's death." 











'-^"ij) 



■^■M-m' 



Lithographed Invitation-Ticket Designed by Houdin. 
(The signatures are those of Houdin and Hamilton.) 

Emile, the elder son who distinguished himself in the "Sec- 
ond-Sight Trick/' as soon as his father retired from the stage, 
became a watchmaker. He published a work on horology to 
which his father wrote the following preface : 

"I have often been asked why my son did not follow the 
career I had opened for him in prestidigitation, but preferred 
instead the study of horology. My answer to the question may 
be used fitly as a preface to this pamphlet. 

"If you believe in hereditary vocations, here is a case for 
their just application. My son's maternal great-grandfather, 
Nicolas Houdin, was a watchmaker of great merit in the last 
century. J. F. Houdin, his son, has gained, as is well known, 
a prominent place among the most distinguished watchmakers of 
his time. A certain modesty, which you will understand, pre- 
vents me from praising my father as highly; I shall only say 



ROBERT-HOUDIN 1 57 

that he was a very skilful and ingenious watchmaker. Before 
devoting myself to the art of conjuring, based on mechanism, I, 






"Jn^A^ 






' ff- ■ ' (7 






^'^ 



too, was for a long time a watchmaker and achieved some suc- 
cess. 

"With such genealogy, should one not be predestined to ho- 
rology? Therefore my son was irresistibly drawn to his voca- 



158 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

tion, and he took up the art which Berthoud and Br^^et have 
made famous. It was from the latter of the two celd[>rated mas- 
ters that he learned the elements of the profession of his fore- 
fathers/' 

Emile was subsequently induced to take up the magic wand, 
and in conjunction with Professor Brannet gave many clever en- 
tertainments. During his management the old theatre* in the 
Palais Royal was abandoned, and a new theatre erected on the 
Boulevard des Italiens. He held this property until his decease 
in 1883. ^^^ theatre was partly destroyed by fire, January 30, 
1901, but was rebuilt. 

The only surviving meml:)ers of the family are Madame Emile 
Robert-Houdin, widow of the elder son, and a daughter who is 
married to M. I.emaitre Robert-Houdin, a municipal officer of 
Blois, who has adopted the name of Houdin. Robert-Houdin 
is interred in the cemetery of Blois. A handsome monument 
marks his grave. 

At the Paris Exhibition of 1844, Houdin was awarded a 
medal for the ingenious construction of automata ; at the Exhibi- 
tion of 1855 he received a gold medal for his scientific applica- 
tion of electricity to clocks. He invented an ophthalmoscope to 
enable the operator to examine the interior of his own eye. 
From important papers in the possession of M. Lemaitre it seems 
more than probable that Houdin had worked out the secret of 
the modern telephone before it had been made known to the 
world at large. 

Houdin has been considered of such importance and interest 
in France that in Didot's Nouvcllc Biographie Generale a whole 
page is given him. His personal appearance is thus described 
in Larousse\s F.ncyclopfdic: "He was a man of small stature. 
His manners were engaging and vivacious. His face was clean- 
shaven, showing a large and eloquent mouth. In his old age, 

♦Houdin's original theatre in the Galcric dc J^ahis of the Palais Royal 
has long a^o hcon swallowed up in the alterations made in tlie building 
M. Trewey, in the spring of 1905, met an old man, a former employee of the 
Palais, who rcmemlKred seei!ig Houdin perform in 1845-46, but he could not 
even locate the little theatre. How soon are the glories of the past forgotten 
' a fickle public. The theatre has been divided into two or three shops. 



ROBERT-HOUDIN 1 59 

his head was covered with snow white hair. His eyes up to the 
last retained the fire and brilHancy of a man of twenty-five/' 

On December 6, 1905, the French Society of Magicians cele- 
T^rated the hundredth anniversary of Houdin's birth. The exer- 
cises were held at the Theatre Robert-Houdin, Boulevard des 
Italiens, Paris. The little theatre was crowded with conjurers 
and their friends. Among the wielders of the mag^c staff were 
Caroly, the editor of Illusioniste, M. and Mme. de Gago, Folletto, 
M. and Mme. Talazac, and M. Raynaly. M. and Mme. Talazac, 
in their "mind-reading'' act, evoked great applause. M. Milies, 
the manager of the house, exhibited the automaton, "Antonio 
Diavolo,'' invented by Robert-Houdin. M. Renaly, the well- 
known drawing-room conjurer, read a poem in honor of the 
great master, at the close of which a bust of Robert-Houdin, 
which stood upon the stage, was crowned with a wreath of 
laurel. Strange to say, not a word of this interesting event 
was recorded in the newspapers. 

Houdin was the first conjurer to be employed in an official 
capacity by a civilized Power. The second case we have record 
of was on the occasion of the English Mission to the late Sultan 
of Morocco when Mr. Douglas Beaufort was appointed conjurer 
to the party by the British Government. The object was to sur- 
prise the Arabs with the skill of an Anglo-Saxon prestidigitateur. 
During the journey to Fez from the coast, Mr. Beaufort gave a 
number of seances. The news of his necromantic powers soon 
spread like wild-fire among the natives. When the Embassy 
reached the Arab Capital, the Sultan refused to see the "Devil 
Man," as he termed the conjurer. He imagined that the British 
proposed to cast a . spell over him. For eight weeks he held 
out, but finally curiosity got the better of him. The Grand 
Vizier was ordered to produce the Disciple of Beelzebub at the 
Royal Palace. The performance of Mr. Beaufort so delighted 
the ruler of Morocco that he presented him with a silver dagger, 
a fine Arabian steed from the royal stable, and a bag containing 
500 dollars, as a token of esteem and regard. 



SOMI^: OLD-TIME CONJURERS. 

*' \^ in Aurippa's magic glass, 
U^v lovrcl and lost arose to view." — Whittier: The Mermaid. 

\ lovt to read about the old-time conjurers, the contempo- 
u^kvv^ nf Kohert-Houdin, or his immediate successors. Litera- 
i,»,^\i MU Ihe subject is very sparse indeed. In his memoirs, Hou- 
^[\\\ ^\\TH US a few thumbnail sketches of his rivals in the mystic 
ii\\, (UhI then dismisses them with a kindly, Vale. He has some- 
ihiuy ((» say about Bosco's personal appearance and perform- 
um^'S, but makes no mention of the romantic incidents in the 
yivat magician's career. I shall try, in this chapter, to sketch the 
lives of some of these men, basing my information on rare 
bnuluirrs crjiUained in the Ellison Library, and from informa- 
tion pickerl up by Mr. Harry Houdini in Europe. The great 
cncycl<>p^*dic dictionary of Larousse — a monument of French 
erudition — contains something about Phillippe,- Robin and 
C'omte. Mr. Ellis Stanyon, a conjurer of London, and author 
(jf several valuable little treatises on magic, has kindly furnished 
nic with interesting data; the files of old newspapers in the 
British Museum, and the Library of Congress have also been 
drawn upon, also the fine collection of old programmes of Mr. 
Arthur Margery, the English magician. Let us begin with 

COMTE. 

]U>uis Apollinaire Comte was a magician of great skill, a 

muni^ and ventriloquist. He was born in Geneva, Switzerland, 

Juw M, 1788, and died at Rueil, France, November 25, 1859. 

Of^ one occasion he was denounced by some superstitious Swiss 

IMnts as a sorcerer, set upon and beaten with clubs, and was 



SOME OLD-TIME CONJURERS l6l 

about to be thrown into a lime kiln. His ventriloquial powers 
saved his life. He caused demoniacal voices to proceed from the 
kiln, whereupon his tormentors fled from the spot in affright, 
imagining that they were addressed by the Powers of Darkness. 

When summoned to appear before Louis XVIII, at the palace 
of the Tuilleries, Comte arranged a clever mystification to amuse 
his royal patron. During the course of the entertainment he 
requested the king to select a card from a pack. By his address, 
he caused the monarch to draw the king of hearts. Placing the 
card in a pistol, Comte fired it at a bouquet of flowers on a table, 
declaring that the pasteboard would appear in the bouquet. Im- 
mediately, a bust of the king was seen among the flowers. 

'*What does this mean?" said Louis XVIII, with a sarcastic 
smile. "I fancy, sir, your trick has not ended as you stated." 

"I beg your Majesty's pardon," Comte replied, with a pro- 
found bow. **I have quite kept my promise. I pledged myself 
that the king of hearts should appear in that bouquet of flowers, 
and I appeal to all Frenchmen whether that bust does not rep- 
resent the king of all hearts. 

The experiment was applauded to the echo by those present. 
The Royal Journal of the 20th of December, 1814, thus describes 
the affair. 

"The whole audience exclaimed in reply to M. Comte, *We 
recognize him — it is he — the king of all hearts! the beloved of 
the French — of the whole universe — Louis XVIII, the august 
descendant of Henri Quatre ?' 

*The king, much affected by these warm acclamations, com- 
plimented M. Comte on his skill. 

" Tt would be a pity,' he said to him, 'to order such a talented 
sorcerer to be burnt alive. You have caused us too much pleasure 
for us to cause you pain. Live many years, for yourself in the 
first place, and then for us.' " 

Comte was an adept at the art of flattery. Perhaps all the 
while, he and the fickle courtiers of the Tuilleries were secretly 
laughing at 'the poor old Bourbon king, the scion of a race that 
had all but ruined France, and were wishing back from Elba that 
Thunderbolt of War — Napoleon the Great. 



l62 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

Coirte was made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor by 
Louis Philippe. 

PHILLIPPE. 

rhillippe [Talon] was born at Alais, near Nimes (France). 
1 Ic carried on the trade of confectioner first in Paris, afterwards 
in Al>erdeen, Scotland. Failing to make a success of the sugar 
business, he adopted conjuring as a profession, and was remark- 
ably successful. He was assisted by a young Scotchman named 
^tacaiister, who on the stage appeared as a negro, *'Domingo." 
^tacaIister, a clever mechanic, invented many of the best things 
in Phillippe's repertoire. From some Chinese jugglers, Phillippe 
learned the gold-fish trick and the Chinese rings. With these 
capital experiments added to his programme, he repaired to 
Paris, in 1841, and made a great hit. Habited like a. Chinaman, 
ho performed them in a scene called ''A night in the palace of 
Pokin." The fish trick he ostentatiously named "Neptune's Ba- 
sins, and the Gold Fish." The bowls of water containing the 
lish he produced from shawls while standing on a low table. He 
InlloNved this with a production of rabbits, pigeons, ducks, and 
ohirlviMis. 

Kobert-Houdin, in his memoirs, gives a brief but pointed 
f^krlfh of Phillippe. On page 163 I reproduce one of his unique 
pro^raninies (London, March, 1846): 

ROBIN. 

Henri Robin was a Hollander by birth, his real name being 
|)nnk«?II. He was born about 1805 and died in Paris in 1874. 
AlllwHijfh he had appeared before the public many times and his 
IhU*m1h as a prestidigatateur had long been recognized, it was not 
lint it the end of 1862, when he opened his theatre in Paris, that 
llM became sl celebrity and a household word in the country of 
111** adoption. He was a man of distinguished appearance, very 
lirbune, and possessed of a sparkling wit. His handsome little 
fi^llfi lie spectacle, known as the Theatre Robin,* was situated on 

♦THta theatre was demolished at the time of the enlargement of the 
l^lnoe de Chateau d'Eau. 



NEW STRAND THEATRE 

Lessee, M. PHILLIPPS, 4 Strand Lane 

TRIUMPHANT SUCCESS 

PHILLIPPE's 

SOIREES 
MYSTERIEUSES 

The Entertainments will commence with M. PHILLIPPE's Celebrated and Unrivalled 

TOURS I>E PHYSIQUE 

AND ASTOUNDING FEATS OF 

MAOICAL DELUSION! 

Which he has exhibited in Paris, Vienna, Berlin, St. Petersburgh, and before all the Courts 

of Europe, with truly unparalleled Success. 

THE ENTERTAINMENT WILL BE mVIDED INTO TWO PARTS 

PART FIRST 

Will comprise peculiar and unequalled 

Metamorphoses and Delusions ! 

And Astonishing Deceptions t 

INCIiUDING 



The Miller of Amsterdam 

The Obedient Cards 

U DIavolo 

The Rose Tree of Granada 

The Flying Watches 



The Modem Confectioner 
The Enchanted Handkerchief 
The Grand Distribution 
The Accomplished Harlequin 
New Method of Making Coffee 



Concluding with the universally admired and elegant Tour d'Addresse, entitled 

THE NATIONAL FLAG 

There will be an interval of Fifteen Minutes between the Parts 
PART SECOND 

A NIGHT rN THE 

PALACE OF PEKINI 

In which Mons. PHILLIPPE will perform some of the most Extraordinary and Startling 
INDIAN AND CHINESE EXPERIMENTS 

Ever attempted by any European, comprising 

The Turtle Dove and the Fly- PAS DE CARACTERE 

Ing Handkerchiefs by 

La Fllle des Flenrs La FlUe des Fleurs 

Kitchen of Parapharagaramns The Inexhaustible Hat 

And concluding with the celebrated DELUSION 

Les Basslns de Neptune et les Poissons d'or 

AND THE GRAND MENAGERIE! 

Unanimoasly pronounced to be the most inexplicable and surprising Tour de Physique ever witnessed 



liH 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



the Boulevard du Temple. Porcelain medallions ornamented 
the walls, representing Archimides, Galileo, Palissy, Vaucanson, 
Franklin, Volta, Xewton, Dagiierre, Arago, Cnvier, Robertson, 
Humboldt^ Comte, and Cagliostro. Of these great men only 
Vaucanson, Roljertson, and Cagliostro could properly be classed 
as magicians. Vaucanson was a builder of ingenious automata : 



\, 



-^ 



\ 



\ 



Henri Rodin. 



Robertson the creator of optical illusions ; and Cagliostro a pre- 
tender to sorcery, who made use of hypnotism and phantasma- 
g(jria in his seances. But science has its wi2ards, in one sense 
of the word, and so Robin inckuled the great pioneers of scien- 
tific research among his galaxy of wonder-workers. 

The journal La France said in its issue of January ig, 1863 : 
"The stage is large and square in form, the curtain rises upon 



SOME OLD-TIME CONJURERS 165 

a brilliantly lighted salon showing much gilding, filled with 
strange objects, electrical apparatus of all sizes, mysterious chests, 
revolving tables, articulated animals which as far surpass the 
automatons of Vaucanson as an Everard or Pleyel piano is su- 
perior to an old fashioned spinet. There were peacocks which 
paraded up and down and could tell you the name of any city 
you might think of; drums which beat the retreat without a 
drummer; Christmas trees which shook their branches, powdered 
with snow, and covered themselves with lighted candles, bon- 
bons, flowers and toys; inexhaustible bottles, invisible bells, etc. 
Altogether it was the strange, supernatural and fantastic world 
of prestidigitation, magic and sorcery. 



"All at once, from the bottom of a magic casket, leaped out a 
harlequin about ten inches high Init so well proportioned in its 
figure, so well made, so nimble and supple, so intelligent and spir- 
itiicl, that the whole audience uttered a cry of pleasure and ad- 
miration. This pretty little manikin does everything belonging 
to its character. It dances, smokes, frisks al)out, takes off and 
puts on its mask, ])()ws to the c()m])any and plays the flageolet. 
One is tempted to say — 'it only needs si)eech to be human.' Well, 
it has speech. It talks and answers all (|uestions addressed to it 
like a real person. It even tells stories, making them up as it 
goes along.'' 

Besides the show of magic an "agioscope'' was to be seen 
which projected upon a screen the history of creation in forty- 
five pictures. Robin also performed experiments in physics and 
chemistry and an exhibition of the ghost illusion closed the en- 
tertainment. 

Robin and Robert-Houdin were at odds about the inexhaust- 
ible bottle which each claimed to have invented. Robert-Houdin 
declared that he had e;xhibited it for the first time on December 
I, 1847, while Robin produced his **Almanach of Cagliostro," 
showing the trick of the inexhaustible bottle which he declares 
he had invented and exhibited for the first time July 6, 1844, 
at the theatre Re at Milan, Nevertheless in all their lectures 



l66 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

on physics, scientific men explain to their hearers the operation 
of the Robert-Houdin bottle.* 

When the Davenport Brothers, pretended spiritualists, came 
to Paris, Robin duplicated all their tricks at his theatre. He did 
much to discredit the charlatans. About 1869 ^^ gave up his 
theatre, and became the proprietor of a hotel on the Boulevard 
Mazas. 

Robin left three works, copies of which are very rare, viz: 
L' Almanack Illustre de Cagliostro; Histoire des Spectres Vivants 
et Impalpahles ; Secret de la Physique Amusante (Paris, 1864). 
He was also the inventor of a railroad for ascending Mount Rigi 
in Switzerland. The motor in this system was a balloon which, 
by its ascentional force compelled the car to climb the ascent 
guided by four iron rails. A model of this contrivance was 
exhibited at Robin's theatre, 49 Boulevard du Temple. 

BOSCO. I 

I look again into the magic mirror of the past. Who is this 
portly figure enveloped in a befrogged military cloak? He has 
the mobile visage of an Italian. There is an air of pomposity 
about him. His eyes are bold and piercing. He has something 
of the appearance of a Russian nobleman, or general under the 
Empire. Ah, that is the renowned Bosco, the conjurer! 

Bartolomeo Bosco had an adventurous career, f He was 
born in Turin, Italy, January 11, 1793. He came of a noble 
family of Piedmont. At the age of nineteen he was one. of the 

*"It is remarkable how many of the illusions regarded as the original 
inventions of eminent conjurers have been really improvements of older 
tricks. *Hocus Pocus Junior,' the Anatomy of Legerdemain (4th edition, 
1654), gives an explanatory cut of a method of drawing different liquors out 
of a single tap in a barrel, the barrel being divided into compartments, each 
having an air-hole at the top, by means of which the liquor in any of the 
compartments was withheld or permitted to flow. Robert-Houdin applied 
the principle to a wine-bottle held in his hand, from which he could pour four 
different liquids, regulated by the unstopping of any of the four tiny air holes 
which were covered by his fingers. A large number of very small liquor 
glasses being provided on trays, and containing drops of certain flavoring 
essences, enabled him to supply imitations of various wines and liquors, 
according to the glasses with which he poured syrup from the bottle." — En- 
cyclopedia Britannica. 

fCiibinetto magico del Cavalieri Bartolomeo Bosco de Torino. Milano, 
1854. 



SOME OLD-TIME CONJURERS 



167 



victims caught in the meshes of the great military drag-net of 
Napoleon I, that fisher for men. In other words,, he became 
"food for powder" in the Russian campaign of the Emperor of 









Bosco. 

(From a Rare Engraving in the Possession of Dr. Saram R. Ellison, 
New York City.) 

France. He was a fusilier in the nth infantry of the line. At 
the battle of Borodino, in an encounter with Cossacks, Bosco 
was badly wounded in the side by a lance, and fell upon the 
ground. A son of the Cossack lancer who had wounded him, 



1 68 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

dismounted and began to rifle his pockets. Like all soldiers on 
a campaign, Bosco carried his fortune with him. It did not 
amount to very much : a watch, a keepsake from a sweetheart, a 
few gold pieces, a tobacco pouch, etc. Fearing to receive the 
coup de grace from his enemy, he pretended to be dead. But on 
realizing that if he were robbed of his money he would be left 
destitute in the world, he put his abilities as a conjurer to work 
and dexterously picked the Cossack's pocket of a well-filled purse. 
It was a case of Greek meeting Greek. The Russian, grumbling, 
perhaps, at the paucity of his ill-gotten plunder, finally mounted 
his horse and rode away after his comrades, to discover later on 
that he had been done and by a corpse. Later in the day Bosco 
was picked up from the battlefield by the Russian medical corps, 
and his wounds treated. He was sent a captive to Siberia, near 
the town of Tobolsk. His talent for escamotage served him well. 
The long winter evenings of his captivity when the snow lay deep 
upon the earth, and the wind howled about the prison walls, were 
spent by him either amusing his jailors or his fellow-soldiers. 
He sometimes gave exhibitions of his skill before the high offi- 
cials of the place, thereby picking up consi(lera])le money. He 
spent his earnings generously upon his poorer brethren. Finally, 
in April, 1814, he was released. He returned to Italy, to the 
great delight of his friends, and studied medicine. Eventually 
he abandoned the art of Esculapias for the art of Trismegistus 
and became a professional conjurer. 

Bosco was a wonderful performer of the cup-and-ball trick. 
He also possessed great skill with cards and coins. He traveled 
all over Europe. He gave an exhibition before Marie Louise, 
the widow of Napoleon I, on the 27th of April, 1836. His 
sonorous, bizarre name has become a byword in France for 
deception, whether in conjuring or politics. The statesman 
Thfers was called the "Bosco of the Trilnine.'' Many of Bar- 
tolomeo Bosco's imitators assumed his cognomen. At the pres- 
ent day there is a French magician touring the music halls of 
Europe, who calls himself Bosco. The original Bosco, like 
Alexander Herrmann, was in the habit of advertising himself 
by giving impromptu exhibitions of his skill in cafes, stage 



SOME OLD-TIME CONJURERS 1 69 

coaches, hotels, etc. He was wonderfully clever at this. A 
Parisian newspaper thus announced one of his entertainments: 
"The famous Bosco, who can conjure away a house as easily 
as a nutmeg, is about to give his performances at Paris, in which 
some miraculous tricks will be executed.'' This illusion to the 
nutmeg has reference to the magician's cup-and-ball trick; nut- 
megs frequently being used instead of cork balls. Houdin de- 
scribes Bosco's stage as follows : 

"I entered the little theatre and took my seat. According to 
the idea I had formed of a magician's laboratory, I expected to 
find myself before a curtain whose large folds, when withdrawn, 
would display before my dazzled eyes a brilliant stage ornamented 
with apparatus worthy of the celebrity announced; but my illu- 
sions on this subject soon faded away. 

"A curtain had been considered superfluous, and the stage 
was open. Before me was a long three-storied sideboard, entirely 
covered with black serge. This lugubrious buffet was adorned 
with a number of wax candles, among which glistened the ap- 
paratus. At the topmost point of this strange etagere was a 
death's-head, much surprised, I have no doubt, at finding itself 
at such a festival, and it quite produced the effect of a funeral 
service. 

*'In front of the stage, and near the spectators, was a table 
covered by a brown cloth, reaching to the ground, on which 
five brass cups were symmetrically arranged. Finally, above this 
table hung a copper ball, which strangely excited my curiosity. 

"For the life of me I could not imagine what this was for, so 
I determined to wait till Bosco came to explain it. The silvery 
sound of a small bell put an end to my reverie, and Bosco ap- 
peared upon the stage. 

"The artiste wore a little black velvet jacket, fastened round 
the waist by a leathern belt of the same color. His sleeves were 
excessively short, and displayed a handsome arm. He had on 
loose black trousers, ornamented at the bottom with a ruche of 
lace, and a large white collar round his neck. This strange attire 
bore considerable resemblance to the classical costume of the 
Scapins in our plays. 



SOME OLD-TIME CONJURERS 171 

"I, like a simpleton, scarce breathed in my expectation of some 
miraculous result, but it was only an innocent pleasantry, a 
simple introduction to the performance with the cups." 

After many wanderings Bartolomeo Bosco laid down his 
magic wand in Dresden, March 2, 1862. He lies buried in a 
cemetery on Friederichstrasse. Mr. Harry Houdini, the Amer- 
ican conjurer, located the grave on October 23, 1903. Upon the 
tombstone is carved the insignia of Bosco's profession — a cup- 
and-ball and a wand. They are encircled by a wreath of laurel. 
Says Mr. Houdini, in a letter to Mahatma: "I found the 
head of the wand missing. Looking into the tall grass near 
by I discovered the broken tip." This relic he presented to Dr. 
Sarani R. Ellison, of New York (1904). The tombstone bears 
the following inscription : Ici repose le celehre Bartolomeo Bos- 
co, . . Ne a Turin le 11 Janvier, 1793; decede a Dresden le 2 Mars, 
1862, Madame Bosco was interred in the same grave with her 
husband, but no mention of her is made on the stone. The small 
plot of ground where the grave is situated was leased for a term 
of years. That term had long expired when Mr. Houdini dis- 
covered the last resting place of Bosco. It was offered for sale. 
In the event of its purchase the remains of the conjurer and his 
wife would have been transferred to a section of the cemetery set 
apart for the neglected dead. But Houdini prevented all future 
possibility of this by buying the lot in fee. He then deeded it 
to the Society of American Magicians. 



ANDERSON. 



John Henry Anderson was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, 
July 14, 18 1 4. He began life as an actor. After witnessing a 
performance in England by Signor Blitz, his mind was struck 
with the resources of magic as a means of entertaining the pub- 
lic, and adding to his own exchequer. So he abandoned the 
histrionic stage for conjuring, though he occasionally performed 
in melodrama as a side issue. He was very fine in the title role 
of "Rob Roy,'' and as William, in "Black-eyed Susan.'' His 
professional sobriquet in his early career was that of the "Cali- 
donian Necromancer." On one occasion he gave aft exhibition 



172 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



of his skill at Abbotsford, and the genial Sir Walter Scott said 
to him. "They call me the 'Wizard of the North/ but this is 
a mistake— it is you, not I, who best Reserve the title." Mr. 
Anderson was not slow in adopting the suggestion of the Wizard 



Facsiinitt RehroducHon ef ontet Anderum't taffy IVegn 







STRAND THEATRE. 

Pttorsssoa 

iiiarDEi^soiv's 

Anail»UI&JI|p.|TSTIIimK 

Lcftttmat f Ww>gw m of ^e 'if infttB-eatli Centurl 

■E¥ yBpmuT itiJiotWf ■ wiiaciftn. imp Mism_ 



mm EiinRTMNMENT, 




of the Pen, and ever after called himself the Great Wizard of the 
North. 

He displayed a great collection of apparatus, which he de- 
scribed as "a most gorgeous and costly apparatus of solid silver, 
the mysterious mechanical construction of which is upon a secret 
principle, hitherto unknown in Europe." He claimed to have 
been the inventor of the gun trick, but this was not so, as 
Torrini and others exhibited it on the Continent in the latter 



SOME OLD-TIME CONJURERS 1 73 

part of the i8th century. All that Anderson did was to invent 
his own peculiar method of working the illusion. "The extraor- 
dinary mystery of the trick," he said, "is not effected by the 
aid of any accomplice, or by inserting a tube in the muzzle of 
the gun, or by other conceivable devices (as the public frequently, 
and in some instances, correctly imagine), but any gentleman may 
really load the gun in the usual manner, inserting, himself, a 
marked real leaden ball! The gun being then fired off at the 
Wizard, he will instantly produce and exhibit the same bullet 
in his hand." The marked leaden bullet, however, was exchanged 
for one composed of an amalgam of tinfoil and quicksilver, which 
was as heavy as lead, but was broken into bits and dispersed in 
firing. He once played a private engagement at the Winter 
Palace, St. Petersburg, before the Czar Nicholas and a brilliant 
audience of Grand Dukes and Grand Duchesses. His exhibition 
of second sight was an excellent one. He was asked by the 
Czar to describe the watch he had in his pocket. To the pro- 
found astonishment of the Emperor, Anderson announced that 
it was encircled with one hundred and twenty brilliants around 
its face, and a portrait on enamel of the Emperor Paul at the 
back. He also said that the watch carried by the Empress did 
not go, which was a fact, it being a very old one, a relic of Peter 
the Great. It was only worn as an ornament. The wizard never 
claimed supernatural powers. He undoubtedly obtained his in- 
formation about the chronometers from some member of the 
Czar's household, and worked upon the imagination and credulity 
of the spectators. 

Anderson had an indomitable spirit which no misfortune 
could daunt. He received the "bludgeonings of Fate" like a 
hero, and was "Captain of his soul" through a thousand and one 
vicissitudes of life. He built on Glasgow Green one of the largest 
theatres in Scotland, and it was burnt to the ground, three 
months after its erection. A fortune was lost in the terrible 
fire. In 185 1 he came to America and met with unbounded suc- 
cess. Returning to England in 1856, he engaged Covent Garden 
Theatre. In March of that year this great play-house was de- 
stroyed by fire, and Anderson lost his splendid and costly ap- 



174 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

paratus. On top of this disaster came the bankruptcy of the 
Royal British Bank, and that event completely swallowed up the 
remains of the wizard's fortune. But he was undaunted. Bor- 
rowing funds from his friends, he bought new paraphernalia, and 
toured the world. After an absence of five years he returned to 
England, January ii, 1863. He had traveled 235,000 miles and 
"had passed through his hands the enormous sum of £157,000 
sterling." He died at Darlington, Scotland, on Tuesday, Feb- 
ruary 3, 1874. In accordance with a wish expressed during his 
last illness, he was buried at Aberdeen, in the same grave with 
his beloved mother. No inscription on the tombstone records 
the fact that the Wizard of the North lies beneath. 

What was the secret of Anderson's success? 

He was not a great magician in the sense of the word — ^that 
is to say, an adept at legerdemain, an original creative genius like 
Houdin, Robin, and the elder Herrmann. But he was an actor 
who played the role of necromancer with great effect. He sur- 
rounded himself with costly and brilliant apparatus which daz- 
zled the eyes of the groundlings. His baggage weighed tons and 
filled many trunks a^nd boxes. He believed in heavy artillery, like 
Napoleon I. The dashing Hussar style was not his. That 
branch of conjuring belongs to Frikell and De Kolta. Strange 
to say, in spite of the revolution in the art of magic since Ander- 
son's day, we are coming back to the big paraphernalia of the 
old school. The public is tired of small tricks. A discussion 
of this subject will be found in the article on Frikell. 

I doubt whether a greater advertiser than Anderson ever 
lived. Bosco cannot be compared to him. Alexander Herrmann 
depended on his social qualities and his laughable adventures in 
street cars, cafes, and clubs to boom his reputation. Anderson 
adopted the methods of the patent-medicine manufacturers. He 
would have made an excellent advance agent for a new panacea. 
He literally plastered the streets and walls of London with his ad- 
vertising devices. Some of them were highly ingenious and 
amusing and kept the public on the qui vive with excitement. 
In this line of puffing, people are willing to overlook charlatanry. 
One of his posters was a caricature imitation of the famous paint- 



SOME OLD-TIME CONJURERS 1 75 

ing, "Napoleon's Return from Elba." It was of gigantic size. 
Houdin describes it and other advertising schemes as follows : 

^In the foreground Anderson was seen affecting the attitude 
of the great man; above his head fluttered an enormous banner, 
bearing the words The Wonder of the World/ while, behind 
him, and somewhat lost in the shade, the Emperor of Russia and 
several other monarchs stood in a respectful posture. As in the 
original picture, the fanatic admirers of the Wizard embraced his 
knees, while an immense crowd received him triumphantly. In 
the distance could be seen the equestrian statue of the Iron Duke, 
who, hat in hand, bowed before him, the Great Wizard; and, 
lastly, the very dome of St. Paul's bent towards him most humbly. 

"At the bottom was the inscription, 

'return of the napoleon of necromancy.^ 

"Regarded seriously, this picture would be found a puff in 
very bad taste ; but, as a caricature, it is excessively comic. Be- 
sides, it had the double result of making the London public laugh, 
and bringing a great number of shillings into the skillful puffer's 
pockets. 

"When Anderson is about to leave a town where he has ex- 
hausted all his resources, and has nothing more to hope, he still 
contrives to make one more enormous haul. 

"He orders from the first jeweller in the town a silver vase, 
worth. twenty or twenty-five pounds; he hires, for one evening 
only, the largest theatre or room in the town, and announces that 
in the Wizard's parting performance the spectators will compete 
to make the best pun. 

"The silver vase is to be the prize of the victor. 

"A jury is chosen among the chief people of the town to de- 
cide with the public on the merits of each pun. 

"It is agreed that they will applaud if they think a pun good ; 
they will say nothing to a passable one, but groan at a bad one. 

"The room is always crowded, for people come less to see the 
performance, which they know by heart, than to display their wit 
publicly. Each makes his jest, and receives a greeting more or 
less favorable; and, lastly, the vase is decreed to the cleverest 
among them. 



176 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

**Any other than Anderson would be satisfied with the enor- 
mous receipts his performance produces ; but the Great Wizard of 
the North has not finished yet. Before the audience leaves the 
house he states that a short-hand writer has been hired by him to 
take down all the puns, and that they will be published as a Mis- 
cellany. 

**As each spectator who has made a joke likes to see it in print, 
he purchases a copy of the book for a shilling. An idea of the 
number of these copies may be formed from the number of puns 
they contain. I have one of these books in my possession, printed 
in Glasgow in 1850, in which there are 1091 of these facetiae." 

Here is one of Anderson's typical programmes, dated 1854: 

MUSIC HALL. LEEDS 
VICTORYII 

20,139 of the inhabitants of Leeds have SURRE>JDERED to Marshal Professor 
Anderson during the past Fortnight. 

LAST 11 NIGHTS 

OF THE GREAT WIZARD 

EXCITEMENT EXTRAORDINARY! 

ALL LEEDS MORE ASTONISHED THAN THE 

RUSSIANS WERE AT SEBASTOPOL! 

Sn^e^ In order to avoid being incommoded, Visitors to the Front Seats are 
il^^ respectfully requested to secure places at the Hall during the day. 

PROFESSOR ANDERSON 

fiegs respectfully to inform the inhabitants of Leeds, that in conscqnence of 

having made arrangements to perform in St. George's Hall, Bradford, on Monday, 

October 23rd, he cannot possibly appear in Leeds after Saturday, October 21st. — 

The following will be the order of 

The Last Eleven Days of Wonders 

This Evening, MONDAY, Oct. 9th, 1854, I.AST NIGHT but 10. 
TUESDAY. OCTOBER 10th, L.AST NIGHT BUT 9. 
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11th, L.AST NIGHT BUT 8. 
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12th, LAST NIGHT BUT 7. 
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13th, LAST NIGHT BUT 6. 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14th, L.AST NIGHT BUT 5. 
MONDAY, OCTOBER 16th, LAST NLGHT BUT 4. 
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17th, LAST NIGHT BUT 3. 

(Wednesday, October 18th, Np Performance, the Hall being: pre-engaged.) 
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19th, LAST NIGHT BUT 2. 
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20th, LAST NIGHT BUT 1. 

And SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2l8t, THE LAST GRAND AND FINAL 
FAREWELL NIGHT I 



nr* RKMKMBER you cannot look upon his like again 1 

PROGRAMME 

ProfesAor Anderson begs to inform his Patrons that his performances are not 
Superhuman, as supposed, but the result of Science, applied in a new way to pro- 
duce the delusive results, in connection with his Ambideztero]of?ical Power«« 
which make the **Eyes the fools o' the other senses," and will this evenint^be 
the '*Head and front of his offending." 

THE ANNIHILATION AND RECU PlER ATION 

OB OBAND HYDRAULIC EXPERIMENT, 

THE SCRAP BOOK 

With Original and Yankee Scraps showing the Economy of Space. 

SECOND SIGHT, OR CLAIRVOYANCE 

With the Crystal Casket, vulgarly called the Devil's Box. 
THE GREAT CHEMICAL ANALYSIS with Evaporating Handkerchiefs 

OH! MY HAT! 

Great Pot Pourri of Handkerchiefs in the Magic Laundry, and 

THAT BOTTLE 

BRANDY, I SCOTCH WHISKEY, I GENEVA, 

IRISH WHISKEY, | RUM, | EWGLISH GIN, 

The Neiv CradlCt or Mesmeric Sleep, 

strongly recommended for the Nursery, where there are ''squalls." 



INTERVAL OF TEN MINUTES 

During the Interval, the Wizard's HHiiclbook of Maj^ic, price 1h.. with an ex- 

Slanationof upwards of 250 Magical Delusions, an Exposee of Gambling, Spirit 
lapping, Table Turuin^', <fcc., illustrated with upwards of 100 Diagrams, &c., 
showing the construction of the necessary Apparatus: also. The \Vi/>ar<l in Farifi, 
being Professor Anderson's Narrative of a Recent Visit to the French Capital, 
descriptive of the place, and throwing new light upon the people.- A guide for 
all who are going there, and a pleasant book for those who have been. May be 
had of Professor Anderson's Assistants. 



The Wizard will again enter his 'TSYCHOMANTEUM," and commence Part 
Two with his Great 

MECHANICAL AUTOMATON 

Or FORTUNE TELLER, in connectioii with the SPIRIT RAPPING BELL and TABLE! 

Although the Wizard is not a great Orator or Lecturer, he will deliver a few 
remarks on what is called 

SPIRITUALISM! 

Or Hnmbug of the First Water, proving that there are still greater humbugs in 

England than himself, for which he is very sorry, he thinking that he was the 

Ne Plus Ultra in that particular line of business. 

ANIMAL MAGNETISM? 

THE GREAT WATCH WONDER 

ProTing the thickness of some skulls, with the Astounding Miracle, "AndersonV 

(not Pandora's) Box. The whole of this Unparalleled Entertainment 

will conclude with the 

Magic Evaporation, or Disappearance Extraordinary 



178 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

BLITZ. 

Signer Antonio Blitz was born June 21, 1810, in a little vil- 
lage of Moravia. At an early age he picked up, unknown to any- 
one, "a few adroit tricks from certain gypsies, who visited his na- 
tive town.'' He began to exhibit these feats for the amusement 
of himself and friends. He made his professional debut at Ham- 
burg when but thirteen years of age, and was known to the pub- 
lic as the "mysterious boy." His first appearance in this country 
was at the Music Hall, Broadway, New York. He had many 
imitators. Not less than thirteen people traveled the United 
States using his name, circulating a verbatim copy of his hand- 
bill and advertisement— "not only assuming to be the origifial 
Blitz, but in many instances claiming to be a son or nephew." 
"I have been/' says Blitz, in his memoirs, Fifty Years in the 
Magic Circle, (Hartford, Conn., 1871), "in constant receipt of 
bills of their contracting, for, not content with taking my name, 
they have not even honor enough to pay their debts." The thir- 
teen impostors exhibited under the following and other names : 

Signor Blitz. 

Signor Blitz, Jr. 

Signor Blitz, The Original. 

Signor Bilitz's Son. 

Signor Blitz's Nephew. 

Signor Blitz, The Wonderful. 

Signor Blitz, The Great. 

Signor Blitz, The Unrivalled. 

Signor Blitz, The Mysterious. 

Signor Blitz, By Purchase. 

Signor Blitz, The Great Original. 

Blitz was not only a magician, but a ventriloquist and trainer 
of birds. He relates an amusing encounter with the great but 
eccentric genius, the Italian violinist, Paganini, whose romantic 
life is known to all lovers of music. The adventure took place 
in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, where Paganini was giving 
a concert. Says Blitz : "He, Paganini, was tall and awkward- 
looking, cadaverous in features, ungainly in form, with long 



SOME OLD-TIME CONJURERS 1 79 

black hair, said to be verj^ wealthy, and characterized as extremely 
penurious. No instance was ever known of his contributing 
a penny to the distressed, or to a benevolent institution. One 



Mrs. Th(ymhUl. 

te«MM^«mBDftnT«»*»uiiM.«o«tiMM«rii<n«v. ■•«■«. 

»«■■.« -^ rMMtM !• OmmI kM*» PfaMM «• lafera »ra »ai, 

SI6NOR BlilTZ, 

mm mmm , wa u itu» wonouirvi. pciiroitif ancbs <iwiu. m«m «,«.> .. 

AKalAanwtptWttMKManf. Ik Ml g* ikrMgk mm t« inakt al A H T A ll.«.r 
^tA >»»^ T***— f " fci*^ %i % immmm to tfmm n m n ■» Ifcw ».>» »« it.«i^»,, 

* •• in al a^j pMt aTMi Bo»t 

7>kc Lieented, 
P«llcry Theatre, (vwan iifif ) Haolej. 

Ob Tuesday Evening. Auc. 1 0th. 1830. 

siGNOFrSEr^ 

FROM MORAVIA 

Profttsor of 

MECHANISM & METAMORPHORISr, 

rouM TIK TWEaTKBI BOYAL. UONOOKi 

THAUAfATURGICS; 

». •• Cna»ar *• *»mltf, SIONOK BUT2. WMI rna.iil uy ArtM. I* 

Fly at the Rate of 500. Miles a Minute ! 

Tka noifOa WILL ALSO 

Perform With Theme Hands? 

f^TfMa>tik 

•^ Bushel of Rie0, Tho Magnetic Die, 

The Diving BeU: & Learned Half-Crowna. 

T««HMa*Mdw 

Qum Trick <f> #A« Dancing of five Dinner Ptatf$, 

A Dance by Miss ThornhilL 



CLARI, 

The Maid of Milan. 



Cta«i(UMllayafMllMV 



Pm[« M,. 



CUA*AC«TBa«ui rn tflMOB. 

WrtlMM Mr. ■•■Ite. r t%h«o " M» rMkar, 

M*i«w— >— Hn. WnA. VimI m ■■ Mm*. n«iMi 

Wih MwnWi^ni. Lm^ HnW*^. 

IMM Mr>*Mafllt.CnMiMi.uMnG«BMiW.UIIfMf. ■IftttoM. 

T«ta|^aiMriMi>»-aMh.rMMi*tt9 ntVovLU. 

1«B aaJM WILL ATfUD IK OMMBM. 

Play Bill. 
(From the Collection of Mr. Ellis Stanyon, London, England.) 

morning I called and found him quietly seated in his room 
alone. After conversing with him a short time 1 noticed his 
violin case lying upon the table, when suddenly the cry (^f a 
child issued from therein. 



l8o THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

" 'Who is that ?' said Paganini, quickly looking around. 

" 'It is me, with the babe/ answered a womanly voice. 

" *My God ! what is this ?' inquired the astonished violinist. 

" *You well know/ plaintively answered the woman, at the 
same time the infant again commenced crying. 

" *We know you are a bad woman/ vehemently declared the 
excited man. 

**/And did you not make me so, you old Italian fiddler?' 

''After this there was apparently a commotion in the box, 
when Paganini became alarmed and was about to leave the room 
when I unmasked myself and explained that he had been a victim 
to the vagaries of ventriloquism; which, on hearing, delighted 
him prodigiously, and grasping me by the hand he exclaimed, 
'Bravo, Signor ! — bravo !' " 

Signor Blitz retired from the stage with a fortune and set- 
tled in Philadelphia. His home was on Green street near i8th 
street. He taught magic and gave private entertainments for 
some years before his death, which took place February, 1877. 
One of his daughters was the famous opera singer, Madame 
Vanzant, who at the present writing lives in Europe. These facts 
I obtained from Mr. Thomas Yost. 

ALEXANDER. 

Alexander Heimbiirger was born December 4, 18 19, in Ger- 
many. He performed under the nom de theatre of Herr Alexan- 
der. He toured Europe, North and South America with great 
success for a number of years, and retired to his native land with 
a large fortune. He is at present residing at Munster. an old man 
of eighty-four, with snow-white hair and beard, anS bent over 
with age. He was long supposed to be dead by the fraternity of 
magicians, but Mr. Houdini, in his tour of Germany in 1903, 
discovered that he still lived, and his whereabouts. Alexander had 
many strange stories to relate of his adventures in America and 
other places. He was personally acquainted with Houdin, Frikell, 
Bosco, Anderson, Blitz, the xDriginal Bamberg of Amsterdam, etc. 
He performed several times at the White House before President 
Polk, and hobnobbed with Henry Clay, Webster and Calhoun. 



SOME OLD-TIME CONJURERS 



i8i 



With letters from Polk he visited Brazil, and was admitted into 
the most aristocratic circles. On leaving New York in 1847 '^^ 
was presented with a heavy gold medal, cast in the United States 
Mint at Washington. This medal has his portrait on one side, 
and on the reverse the following inscription : 




Alexander Heimburger. 

"Presented to Herr Alexander as a token of esteem from his 
friends. New York, 1847.'' 

Mr. Houdini writes as follows about the old magician (Ma- 

hatma, June, 1903) : "He was a welcome guest at the Palace of 

the King of Brazil. He showed me letters to him from King 

Pedro n and his wife, dated Brazil, 1850. After an absence 

vears from his native country he returned, and married. 

~ith six children, two sons and four daughters. 



1 82 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

One is in New York at the present time. While in New York, 
Alexander was approached by an illusionist named Orzini, who 
had a cabinet of mystery. He was in hard circumstances and 
came to Alexander for assistance. The genial German gave him 
ten dollars. Orzini secured an engagement at the Park Theatre, 
but alas, only played one night, as his act did not suit, so he was 
closed after his first performance. Said Alexander to me, and 
the statement caused me infinite surprise: 'This Orzini was the 
man who threw the bomb at Napoleon III in Paris, trying to kill 
the Emperor, but was himself killed; also blowing up several 
bystanders, and wounding the horses of Napoleon's carriage. 
The reporters discovered that Orzini had just arrived from 
America, and in his lodgings they found some kind of a mys- 
terious glass house, which must have been the Illusion Cabinet. 
In this affair Napoleon escaped with his life and a few 
scratches.' " 

This is a strange story. I am of the opinion that Herr Alex- 
ander is laboring under a mistake in trying to identify the illu- 
sionist Orzini with the celebrated revolutionist Orsini. In the 
first place, there is the different spelling of the names — "Orzini'* 
and "Orsini'' ; but Mr. Houdini may have incorrectly reported 
Alexander in this respect. There is no record of Orsini having 
come to the United States. Again, he was hot killed in the 
attempted assassination of Napoleon III, in the rue Lepelletier, 
Paris, January 14, 1858. He was captured and suffered impris- 
onment, and was guillotined March 13, 1858. While in prison 
he wrote his memoirs. 

Herr Alexander is the author of a work entitled Der Moderne 
Zauberer ("The Modern Magician"). 

FRIKELL. 

Wiljalba Frikell was born in Scopio, a village of Finland, 
in 181 8. His family was well-to-do and gave him advantages 
in the way of education. He graduated at the High School of 
Munich in 1840, in his twenty-second year. During his scholas- 
tic days he became interested in legerdemain, and read with 
avidity every work on the subject he could find. He attended 



SOME OLD-TIME CONJURERS 



183 



the performances of all conjurers who came to Munich. Refus- 
ing to study for one of the learned professions, greatly to the 
disappointment of his parents, he went on the stage, and visited 
the principal cities of Europe, after which he journeyed to Egypt. 
In the land of the pyramids Frikell had the honor of performing 
before Mehemit Ali, who presented him with a gold medal. 
Returning to Europe he visited Greece, Italy, and Spain. Sub- 
sequently he went to India and investigated the thaumaturgy 
of the fakirs. He made his first appearance in London in 1851, 




Prof. Wiljalba Frikell's Christmas Entertainment. 
(As Exhibited Before Queen Victoria at Windsor Ca.stle.) 

and performed before Queen Victoria and the Royal Family, 
at Windsor Castle. His broken German anrl peculiarity of man- 
ner caused him to be described by Punch as "a comic Charles 
Matthews." The same journal alsr^ comparerl him to "a monster 
raven in full dress for evening party/' His success was marked. 
The Czar of Russia presenterl Frikell with a diamond ring of 
great value, and the King of Denmark made him a Knight of 
Dannebrog. Just when this remarkable man retirerl fn^n the 
stage I have been unable to ascertain. In his old age he tjecamc 



184 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

a recluse and denied himself to visitors. In fact, it was supposed 
by the profession that he was dead, until Mr. Houdini discovered 
his whereabouts in Krotschenbroda, a few miles from Dresden, 
Germany, February, 1903, and called at his villa, but did not 
succeed in obtaining an interview. Nine months later Frikell 
died. He contemplated writing his memoirs h la Robert-Houdin, 
but, alas, death cut short the undertaking. That they would 
have been extremely entertaining and full of curious incidents 
of travel, admits of no doubt. An extract from a letter written 
by Mr. Houdini to his American friend, H. S. Thompson, of 
Chicago, will prove of interest to the reader. 

"Dresden, Oct. 20, 1903. 

"I have some news for you that may be of interest. You may remember 
that I sought *an interview last February with Dr. Wiljalba Frikell, but was 
unable to meet him. Since then we have been in correspondence, and he 
wrote me that if I ever came to Dresden he would be pleased to see me. On 
arriving in Dresden I sent him word that I would call upon him on Octo- 
ber loth last. I accordingly went to the Villa Frikell about i o'clock, and 
you can imagine with what sorrow and astonishment I learned that Dr. 
Frikell had died of heart failure three hours before. He was awaiting my 
arrival at the time. Fate willed it that I should see Herr Frikell, but that 
we should not speak to each other. 

"He was buried on October 13th. I attended the funeral and laid two 
large wreaths on his grave; one on behalf of the Society of American Magi- 
cians, and the other from myself. The S. A. M. wreath was the largest and 
handsomest there. 

"Herr Frikell was 87 years old and had made all arrangements to live 
to 100. He always claimed he would live to over 100 years and would tell 
why he expected to reach that age. Too bad we could not have held a con- 
versation ere he departed this life. 

"Sincerely yours, 

"Harry Houdini." 

Frikell was an innovator in the art of magic. He dis- 
pensed with apparatus. In his Lessons in Magic, he says : "The 
use of complicated and cumbersome apparatus, to which modern 
conjurers have become addicted, not only greatly diminishes 
the amount of astonishment they are enabled to produce, — a 
defect which is not compensated by the external splendor and 
imposing effect of such paraphernalia, — but the useful lesson, 
how fallible our senses are, by means the most ordinary and at 
everybody's command, is entirely lost. It has been my object 



SOME OLD-TIME CONJURERS 1 85 

in my performances to restore the art to its original province, 
and to extend that to a degree which it has, I beheve, never yet 
hitherto reached. I banish all such mechanical and scientific 
preparations from my own practice, confining myself for the 
most part to the objects and materials of every day life. The 
success I have met with emboldens me to believe that I have 
followed the right path." 

There is more or less truth in what Frikell says. But one 
can go to extremes in the avoidance of magic paraphernalia. 
The happy course is the middle one — a combination of sleight 
of hand and apparatus. I quote, as follows, from an article by 
Prof. Hoffmann (Mahatntu) : "The scientific school of conjur- 
ing, of which Robert-Houdin was the originator, had its draw- 
backs. It involved the use of costly and cumbersome parapher- 
nalia, which grew and grew in quantity, till we find Anderson, 
the Wizard of the North, traveling with seven tons of luggage! 
Further, a trick, which, like Robert-Houdin's automatic figures, 
obviously depends upon ingenious mechanism, palls upon the 
spectator. Such figures, at the present day, would be no more re- 
garded as magic than the Strasburg clock. Lastly his electrical 
tricks produced an extraordinary effect, because very few per- 
sons in his day were acquainted with the properties of elec- 
tricity, but now that there are electric bells in every household, 
and electrical motor cars in every street, its magical prestige 
exists no longer. 

"Hence a reaction to a severer and simpler school of con- 
juring, of which Wiljalba Frikell was the earliest exponent, the 
school which professes, so far as the public is concerned, to 
work without apparatus and which in fact reduces its apparatus 
to the smallest possible dimensions. Many high class performers 
now give what is known in England as a 'carpet bag' show, and 
will keep an audience wonder bound for a couple of hours, using 
no more apparatus than can be carried in an ordinary gripsack. 

"Broadly speaking this is undoubtedly an advance, for of two 
performers, the one who can produce by the magic of his own 
fingers the same degree of illusion for which the other needs 
elaborate apparatus, the former is surely the greater artist. But 



ST. JAMES' THEATRE 

(LONDON, 1851) 

PROFESSOR WaLJALBA FRIKELL 

Appointed Physicien to their Majesties the 
Emperor and Empress of Russia 

NEW ENTERTAINMENT OP 

PHYSICAL AND NATURAL MAGIC 

(without the aid of any apparatus) 
entitled 

TWO HOURS OF ILLUSIONS 

1. — ^The Secret Power and Wonderful Appearance 

2. — You Shall and Must Laugh 

3. — The Drunken Bracelet 

4. — Something for Everybody and the Pleasant Pastime 

5. — Time in a Fix 

INTERVAL 

1. — The Little Devil and the Secret Dispatch 

2. — Aladdin's Magic Lamp 

3. — Grand Military Manoeuvre, or the Courage of 

Prof. Frikell 
4. — Das Geheimnisz, and Flight in the Air 
5. — The Children's Delight and Christmas Presents of 

Prof. Wiljalba Frikell 



The Above is a Copy of One of Frikell's Programmes. 



SOME OLD-TIME CONJURERS 1 87 

the Striving for simplicity may be overdone. The performer 
is apt to lose his feeling for breadth of effect, and to fritter away 
his skill over illusions too minute and too soon over to make any 
permanent impression. One of the most skilful sleight of hand 
performers we have ever seen throws away half the value of 
his work by going too fast, and producing small effects, individ- 
ually brilliant, so rapidly that his audience has not time fairly 
to appreciate one before another is presented. The spectator, 
under such circumstances, takes away with him a mere blurred 
impression, rather than a clear mental photograph of what he has 
seen, and the show suffers in his estimation accordingly. 

"Another danger attending the non-apparatus school lies in 
the fact that the performer is apt, by carrying the principle 
to needless lengths, unduly to limit his methods. 

"On the whole we are inclined to think that the most suc- 
cessful magician of the future will be one who judiciously com- 
bines apparatus and non-apparatus tricks; such apparatus, how- 
ever, to be of a simple and homely kind and not made admittedly 
for the purpose of the trick. The ideal entertainment, from the 
standpoint of the spectator, will be one in which feats of dex- 
terity or supposed dexterity, are worked in conjunction with 
brilliant stage effects of a more spectacular kind, such, as are 
exhibited by Mr. Maskelyne at the Egyptian Hall, London." 

And so I ring down the curtain on the old-time conjurers. 
They played their parts in the great drama of life, and enriched 
the history of the stage with their adventures. What could be 
more romantic than the career of the incomparable Bosco? 

The prestidigitateur makes things appear and disappear to our 
great wonderment, until finally Death,- the greatest of all necro- 
mancers, waves his wand, and the mortal fades away from view, 
amid the shadows of the tomb. Tom Masson, that charming 
writer of verse de societe, says — 

We are like puppets in some conjurer's hands, 
Who smiling, easy, nonchalantly stands 
And says, amid the universal cheers : 
"You see this man — and now he disappears !"* 

♦Munsey's Magazine, August, 1905. 



THE SECRETS OF SECOND SIGHT. 

"Then second-sighted Sandy said, 
'We'll do nae good at a', Willie.' " 

—Child's Ballads, VII. 265. 



I went on one occasion to dine with Mr. Francis J. Martinka, 
and while waiting for the repast to be served, seated myself 
upon an old-fashioned sofa in his drawing-room. * 




Robert Heller's Magic Sofa. 



"Pardon me/' said my host, gaily, "while I put a bottle of 

dne on ice. I will be back in a little while. In the meantime, 

nx may amuse yourself looking over these photos of eminenr 

Qjurers. And, by the way, you are seated on the very sofa 



THE SECRETS OF SECOND SIGHT 1 89 

which Robert Heller used in his second-sight trick. Examine 
it carefully and you will see where the wires and electric battery 
were located. I came into possession of the relic after the death 
of Heller." 

So saying he went out to look after the wine. 

And so the piece of furniture I was seated on was the verita- 
ble up-to-date tripod of that High Priestess of Delphi, Miss 
Haidie Heller, who assisted Robert Heller, acting the part of 
clairvoyant. It called up a flood of memories to me. 

The magician of the Arabian Nights transported himself 
from Bagdad to Damascus upon a piece of carpet. In imagina- 
tion that old sofa carried me back thirty years into the past. I 
was seated in the gallery of the old National Theatre, Wash- 
ington, D. C, at a soiree magiqne of the famous Heller. I shall 
never forget his second-sight trick. It was the most wonder- 
provoking, the most mysterious experiment I have ever seen. 
In his hands, it was perfect. Robert Heller saw Houdin give an 
exhibition of this feat of mental magic in London. His acute 
mind divined the secret, and he set about devising a code for 
working the experiment. He added many new effects. Nothing 
seemed to puzzle him and his assistant. 

At an entertainment given in Boston, and described by 
Henry Hermon in his work on Hellerism, a coin was handed to 
Heller. He glanced at it and requested Miss Heller to name 
the object. 

"A coin," she quickly answered. 

"Here, see if you can tell the name of the country, and all 
about it?" he next asked. 

Without a moment's hesitation she replied: "It is a large 
copper coin — a coin of Africa, I think. Yes, it is of Tripoli. 
The inscriptions on it are in Arabic; one side reads 'Coined at 
Tripoli ;' the other side, *Sultan of two lands. Sultan by inherit- 
ance, and the son of a Sultan.' " 

"Very well," said Heller, "that is correct. But look, what 
is the date, now?" 

"The date is 1-2-2-0, one thousand two hundred and twenty 
of the Hegira, or Mohammedan year, which corresponds to 1805 
of the Christian year." 



igO THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

Tremendous applause greeted this feat. 

Mr. Fred Hunt, who was for a number of years Robert Hel- 
ler's assistant, revealed the secret of second sight soon after 
Heller's death. The performer has first to be initiated into a new 
alphabetical arrangement, which is as follows: 

A is H ; B is T ; C is S ; D is G ; E is F ; F is E ; G is A ; H is 
I; I is B; J is L; K is Pray; L is C; M is O; N is D; O is V; 
P is J; Q is W; R is M; S is N; T is P; U is Look; V is Y; W 
is R; X is See this; Y is Q; Z is Hurry. "Hurry up" means to 
repeat the last letter. For example, the initials or name in a ring 
is wanted. Say it is "Anna.'' By the alphabetical arrangement 
H stands for A, D for N. The exclamation "Hurry up" always 
means a repetition of the last letter, and again H will give the 
answer when put as follows : 

"Here is a name. Do you see it? Hurry up. Have you 
got it?" 

Attention is paid only to the first letter of every sentence, 
and it will be perceived that the name of Anna is spelled. 

After the alphabet we have the numbers, which are arranged 
as follows : i is Say or Speak ; 2 is Be, Look or Let ; 3 is Can or 
Can't; 4 is Do or Don't; 5 is Will or Won't; 6 is What; 7 is 
Please or Pray; 8 is Are or Ain't; 9 is Now; 10 is Tell; o is 
Hurry or Come. "Well" is to repeat the last figure. Now for 
an example: The number 1,234 is needed. The conjurer 
remarks: ^^Say the number. Look at it. Can you see it? Do 
you know?" 

Suppose the number called for is 100. 

''Tell me the number. Hurry!" 

So much, dear reader, for the spelling of proper names and 
conveying numbers to the clairvoyant on the stage. In regard 
to colors, metals, precious stones, countries, materials, fabrics, 
makers of watches, playing cards, society emblems, coins, bills, 
jewelry, wearing apparel, surgical instruments, etc., etc.. Heller 
had them arranged in sets of ten. The first question he asked 
gave the clue to the set; the second question to the number of 
the article in the set. Thus but two short questions were neces- 
sary tc elicit the proper reply from the assistant. Miscellane* 



THE SECRETS OF SECOND SIGHT IQI 



ous articles 


were 


divided into nineteen sets. I will ] 


of two: 




FIRST SET. 










What article is this? 






I. 


Handkerchief. 


6. 


Basket. 




2. 


Neckerchief. 


7- 


Beet. 




3. 


Bag. 


8. 


Comforter. 




4. 


Glove. 


9. 


Headdress. 




5. 


Purse. 

SECOND SET. 

What is this! 


10. 


Fan. 




I. 


Watch. 


6. 


Necklace. 




2. 


Bracelet. 


7. 


Ring. 




3- 


Guard. 


8. 


Rosary. 




4. 


Chain. 


9. 


Cross. 




5. 


Breastpin. 


10. 


Charm. 



Supposing a spectator handed a Rosary to the conjurer. He 
would call out to his assistant, ''What is this?" (Clue to the 
second set.) Then he would exclaim, *^Are you ready?" The 
word are would give the clue to number 8. And so on. 

The clues to the sets were worded very nearly alike, so as to 
make the spectators believe that the same questions were being 
constantly asked. 

Evoking the aid of electricity, Robert Heller was enabled 
to convey the cue words and numbers of the sets to Miss Heller 
without speaking a word. It was this wonderful effect that so 
puzzled everybody. A confederate sat among the spectators, 
near the center aisle of the theatre, and the wires of an electric 
battery were connected with his chair, the electric push button 
being under the front part of his seat. Heller gave the cue to 
the set in which the article was, its number, etc., by some natural 
movement of his body or arms; and the confederate, rapidly 
interpreting the secret signals, telegraphed them to the clair- 
voyant on the stage. The receiving instrument was attached 
to the sofa upon which Miss Heller sat. The interchangeable 
use of the two methods of conveying information — spoken and 
unspoken — during an evening, completely bewildered the specta- 
tors. It was indeed a sphinx problem. 

Robert Heller, or William Henry Palmer, was born in Can- 
terbury, England, in 1833. At the age of fourteen he won a 
scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music. In the year 1852 



192 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

he made his debut in New York City at the Chinese Assembly 
Rooms. On this occasion he wore a black wig and spoke 
with a GalHc accent, beheving that a French conjurer would be 
better received in this country than an EngHsh magician. He 
failed to make a success, and eventually drifted to Washington, 




Robert Heller. 
where he taught music for a number of years. All this time 
he was perfecting himself in legerdemain. Finally he reappeared 
in New York and won unbounded success. He visited Europe 
and India, returning to the United States in 1875. His last 
performance was given at Concert Hall, Philadelphia, on Novem- 
ber 25, 1878. He died in the same city on November 28, 1878. 
Soon after his death an absurd story went the rounds of the 



THE SECRETS OF SECOND SIGHT IQ3 

press that he had directed his executors to destroy his automata 
and magical paraphernalia. Such is not the case. Mr. Francis 
J. Martinka, of New York, possesses a number of his tricks. 
Heller was a magnificent pianist and always gave a short recital 
of his own compositions and those of the masters during his 
entertainment. He used to append the following effusion to his 
posters : 

"Shakespeare wrote well ; 
Dickens wrote Wcllcr; 
Anderson was — 
But the greatest is Heller." 

The following is one ()f Heller's programmes (Salt Lake 

City, Utah, May 23, 1867) : 

FOURTH PERFORMANCE OF THE RENOWNED 

CONJURER, ILLUSIONIST AND PIANIST 

MR. ROBERT 

HELLER! 

The selections of 

WONDERS AND MARVELS I 

For these performances will embrace many of his 
Most Famous Inventions in Magical Art! 

THE MUSICAL SELECTIONS 

Will be rendered upon ChickerinK's Grand 
Piano, attached to the Theatre. 



MR. ROBERT HELI.ER 

Will make his FOURTH Appearance 

THIS EVENING 

PART I.— Illusory. 
l.-WITH A CANDLE. 

2.— WITH A WATCH— The Watches of the Audience 
made to strike the hour. 
3.— THE CANNON BALLS. 

4.— WITH 30 PIECES. OF SILVER. 
5. — MOCHA — an utter impossibility. 
6.-A PHOTOGRAPH. 

PART II.-Music. 
1.— Caprice on Airs from " II Trovatore," including 
the famous Anvil Chorus.— HELLER. 
2.—" Home, Sweet Home."— HELLER. 
3. — " 3torm and Sunshine " — a musical story. 

PART III.— The Great Mystery of 

SECOND SIGHT! 

The Most Startling Phenomenon of this Country. 

PART IV.-FuN. 
Heller's Original and Wonderful Band of 

W^OOD MINSTRELS 

The most perfect set of Blockheads in the world, 

who will introduce their most popular 

Overtures, Choruses, &c. 



194 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

II. 

A curious exhibition of silent second sight was that of the 
SvengaH trio. The effect as described by the New York Herald, 
August II, 1904, is as follows: 

"Two persons (lady and gentleman) are on the stage, both 
with their backs toward the audience. A third one goes into the 
auditorium, with his back towards the stage, to receive the wishes 
of the audience. If the name of any international celebrity is 
whispered to him, with lightning rapidity the thought is 
transmitted. The gentleman on the stage turns round immedi- 
ately and appears in features, bearing and dress as the desired 
personage — with wonderfully startling resemblance. 

"One can likewise whisper to the gentleman in the auditorium 
the name of an international opera, operetta or international 
song. The thought flies like lightning, and the lady sings what 
is wanted, instantly accompanying herself on the piano. 

"The secret of this trick is as follows: When the curtain 
rises, the master of ceremonies walks to the front of the stage 
and in a pleasing voice begins : *Ladies and gentlemen — I have 
the pleasure of introducing to you, etc., etc. I will call your 
attention to the fact that the spectators must confine their whis- 
pered wishes to international celebrities, names of well-known 
personages, songs and operas of international fame,' etc. 

"This limitation of choice is the key -to the performance. 
They have lists of these ^international celebrities,' rulers, states- 
men, diplomats, great writers and musical composers; songs of 
world-wide reputation, popular selections from the operas, etc. 
And the secret of the evening is that all of these carefully selected 
names, titles, etc., are numbered, as in the following examples: 

STATESMEN AND RULERS. POPULAR SONGS. 

1. Bismarck. i. "Home, Sweet Home." 

2. King Humbert of Italy. 2. "Last Rose of Summer." 

3. Napoleon Bonaparte. 3. "Marseillaise." 

4. King Edward VII. 4. "The Jewel Song in Faust." 

5. Paul Kruger. 5. "Walter's Prize Song." 
120. Lincoln. loi. "Comin' Thro' the Rye." 



THE SECRETS OF SECOND SIGHT IQS 





OPERAS. 


GREAT WRITERS. 


I. 


"Faust." 


I. Thackeray. 


2. 


"Lohengrin." 


2. Victor Hugo. 


3. 


"Bohemian Girl." 


3. Dickens. 


4. 


"Lucia di Lammermoor." 


4. George Eliot. 


5- 


"Carmen." 


5. Shakespeare. 


120. 


"Trovatore." 


101. Dante. 



HOW THE SIGNALS ARE CONCEALED. 

"The manager reiterates that if only names of international 
reputation are given the responses will be correct nine hundred 
and ninety-nine times in a thousand. Then he descends from the 
stage, and, smiling right and left, inclines his ear to catch the 
whispered wishes as he moves slowly up the aisle, generally with 
his back to the stage. An auditor whispers to him, 'Bismarck.' 

"Herr Svengali, gesticulating freely but naturally, pressing 
his eyes with his fingers for an instant as if going into a momen- 
tary trance — only a second or two, just enough to impress the 
audience — then thrusts a hand into the air, wipes the moisture 
from his face with his handkerchief or leans toward a spectator, 
seeking his attention, when a voice from the stage says, 'Bis- 
marck.' 

" 'Right,' responds the man who whispered that illustrious 
name. Then there is a craning of necks and crushing of pro- 
grammes, all eyes fixed on the stage, where the impersonator, 
standing before a cabinet of costume pigeonholes, with the aid 
of an assistant has donned wig and uniform in his lightning 
change and whirls around disguised as Bismarck, while the girl 
at the piano plays 'The Watch on the Rhine.' It is all the work 
of a few seconds and makes a great impression upon the spec- 
tator. 

*'The next man calls for an opera air, 'Bohemian Girl,' and 
the piano plays 'I Dreamt That I Dwelt in Marble Halls,' etc. 
Another man suggests the magic name 'Sheridan.' It is echoed 
aloud from the stage, while the audience applauds and the girl 
plays 'The Star Spangled Banner.' 

"The few experts present pay little attention to the stage. 
Their eyes are fixed on the man Svengali in the aisle, noting 
every move he makes. It is observed that his numerous ges- 
tures, his frequent use of his handkerchief, the pressure of his 



196 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

fingers on his eyes, as if to hypnotize his assistant on the stage, 
arc natural movements, attracting no attention, yet necessary 
ti> hide the vital signals in the cipher code of the show. 

*Mn the programme and show bills it is emphasized that the 
lady and gentleman on the stage have their backs to the audi- 
cuct\ while Svengali, down in the aisle, has his back to the stage, 
making collusion apparently impossible. This makes a profound 
impression on the public. 

"a confederate behind a screen. 

**Rut not a word is said of that curious screen panel, bearing 
a double-headed eagle — the Austrian coat of arms — surmounting 
a large cabinet of costumes occupying so much space on the 
Mtage. The programme does not explain that this screen panel 
is transparent from behind and that an accomplice with a strong 
magnifying lens reads every move made by Svengali and repeats 
his signals to the pretty girl at the piano and the impersonator 
at the cabinet. 

''the systems explained. 

'*TTere is an illustration of how the figure system can be 
worked. As explained above, the famous personages, popular 
h:Migs and operas are on numbered lists. Svengali in the aisle, 
with his code of signals, has all these numbers committed to 
memory. 

**When a spectator whispers ^Dickens' Svengali knows it is 
No. 4, and he signals accordingly. 

''But how? 

'*By touching his head, chin, or breast, or that particular part 
of his body designated in the signal code of the Svengali Com- 
pany. The diagram given herewith illustrates the system of 
ct)mmunication by numbers, nine figures and a cipher (o), by 
which all the wealth of the world may be measured, and any 
number of words may be communicated without a word of 
upeech. One has but to map out a square on his face, breast or 

^ tnd number it with these nine figures, with an extra space 

phcr, to be ready for the Svengali business. That is, 

IS memorized the names and the numbers representing 



THE SECRETS OF SECOND SIGHT 



197 



"Say the human head is used for this purpose. Imagine the 
top of the head, right hand side, as No. i, the right ear as No. 2, 
the jaw as No. 3, and the neck as the cipher ; the forehead No. 4, 
the nose No. 5, the chin No. 6, the top of the head on the left Side 
as No. 7, the left ear No. 8, and the left side of the jaw No. 9. 

"Thus you have the code system by which operators can 
communicate volumes by using a codified list of numbered words 
or sentences. 




"If you label the Lord's Prayer No. 4, and the Declaration 
of Independence No. 5, you may instantly telegraph the mighty 
literature through wireless space — enough literature to save all 
Europe from anarchy — by two natural movements of the hand. 

"You can label your eyes, your movements or even your 
glances, making them take the places of the nine omnipotent 
numbers. Again : Glance upward to the right for No. i, straight 
upward for No. 2, and upward to the left for No. 3. Relocating, 
glancing horizontally for Nos. 4, 5 and 6. Repeating the same 
again, by glancing downward for Nos. 7, 8 and 9, and stroking 
your chin for the cipher (o). 

"With your back to the audience, you can telegrapli in a simi- 
lar way, using your arm and elbow to make the necessary signals. 
Let the right arm, hanging down, represent No. i ; the elbow, 
projecting from the side, No. 2; elbow raised, No. 3. Repeat 



iq8 the old and the new magic 

with the left arm for Nos. 4, 5 and 6; with either hand placed 
naturally behind you, on the small of the back, above the belt and 
over your shoulder for Nos. 7, 8 and 9, and on the back of your 
head or neck for the cipher (o)." 



III. 

It is an interesting fact to note that the Chevalier Pinetti was 
the first exhibitor of the second-sight trick. Houdin revived (or 
re-invented) it. 

On the 1 2th of December, 1846, he announced in his bill. 
"In this programme, M. Robert-Houdin's son, who is gifted with 




Second-Sight Trick. — Signaling. 

marvelous second sight, after his eyes have been covered with a 
thick bandage, will designate every object presented to him by the 
audience." In his memoirs he thus describes how he came to 
invent the trick: 

"My two children were playing one day in tlie drawing-room 
at a game they had invented for their own amusement. The 
younger had bandaged his elder brother's eyes, and made him 
guess at the objects he touched, and when the latter happened to 
guess right, they changed places. This simple game suggested 
to me the most complicated idea that ever crossed my mind. 

"Pursued by the notion, I ran and shut myself up in my work- 
room, and was fortunately in that happy state when the mind 



THE SECRETS. OF SECOND SIGHT IQQ 

follows easily the combinations traced by fancy. I rested my 
head in my hands, and, in my excitement, laid down the first 
principles of second sight/' 

Houdin never revealed his method of working the trick. 

Robert Heller's successors in mental magic are Max Berol 
and wife, and the Zancigs. Among other feats Berol is able to 
memorize over two hundred words called out by the spectators 
and written down on a slip of paper by some gentleman. Berol 
will then write these words backwards and forwards without 
hesitation and name any one of them by its number in the list. 
The Zancigs are marvels in the art of second sight. They were 
born in Copenhagen, Denmark, but are naturalized citizens of the 
United States. Clever advertisers, they lay claim to occult 
powers, as the following notice in the Washington Post, April 
30, 1905, will testify: 

"Although Prof. Zancig and Mme. Zancig, who will be at 
Chase's this week, are naturalized Americans, they come from 
Denmark. They first developed their transmission of thought 
from one mind to another — or what is known as telepathy — 
while journeying through the Orient. They found that quite 
a number of the Orientals had found it possible to control 
'thought waves' and transmit them to the minds of others, just 
as Marconi, with his wireless telegraphy, controls electric waves 
and transmits them to an objective point. Prof. Zancig discov- 
ered that Mme. Zancig was inceptive, and he could readily trans- 
mit to her mind the thoughts of his own. The tests were con- 
tinued, and became so positive and conclusive that it was decided 
to give public exhibitions. 

"While in India, Prof, and Mme. Zancig saw some astonish- 
ing telepathic exhibitions, which encouraged them to still greater 
efforts. They gave exhibitions before the Maharajah, near 
Delhi ; before the Chinese minister at Hongkong, and before the 
Japanese officials of highest grades, who took great interest in 
the mental tests. One remarkable incident occurred at Potchef- 
stroom, South Africa, where the natives are extremely supersti- 
tious. The exhibition had been extensively advertised, and the 
house was full. The entertainment created a sensation. As long 
as Prof. Zancig remained on the stage everything was all right, 



\V^ iHE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

'»;:i \\!\cu he went among the audience and read dates of coins, 
'•: .vupiioas on letters, and performed other remarkable feats, 
tlu' aiuticuc^ suddenly became panic-stricken, and there was a 
luul luxh tv>r windows, doors, or any other means of ejcit. In 
M\v Miinutes the hall was empty, and nothing could induce the 
:\\^j*lc lv> return. After concluding his tour abroad. Prof. Zancig 
^^iul his wife returned to America, and began an American tour 
whicli has been uninterruptedly successful and will extend to 
every section of the United States." 

Two clever performers of the second-sight trick are Harry 
and Mildred Rouclere. Mr. Rouclere gives a very pleasing 
magical entertainment. 

I 



THE CONFESSIONS OF AN AMATEUR CONJURER. 

"If this be magic, let it be an art." — Shakespeare. 



At the theatre not long ago, I heard the orchestra play Men- 
delssohn's exquisite "Spring Song," and immediately I was car- 
ried back in fancy to my boyhood days under the old roof-tree 
at Glen Willow, on the heights of Georgetown, D. C, where I 
spent such happy years. The rain is gently pattering upon the 
shingled roof; the distant woods are waxing green under the 
soft influences of the season ; the blackbirds are calling in the tree 
tops. O sweet springtide of youth, made more beautiful still by 
the associations of books, by the free play of the imagination 
in realms of poetry and fantasie — 

"A boy's will is the wind's will, - .. 

And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts." 

The intervening years are all blotted out. I am young again, 
and have just returned to the old home, after witnessing an 
exhibition of magic by Wyman the Wizard at the town hall. 
To a boy fresh from the delights of the Arabian Nights this is 
a wonderful treat. My mind is agitated with a thousand thoughts, 
I, too, will become a conjurer, and hold the groundlings spell- 
bound ; bring bowls of goldfish from a shawl ; cook puddings in 
a borrowed hat ; pull rabbits from old gentlemen's pockets. 

Dear old Wyman, ventriloquist as well as prestidigitateur, 
old-time showman, and the delight of my boyhood — what a 
weary pilgrimage you had of it in this world ; wandering up and 
down, never at rest, traveling thousands of miles by stagecoach, 
steamboat, and railroad, giving entertainments in little villages 



202 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



and towns all over the United States, and welcomed everywhere 
by happy children. The big cities yon left to your more ambi- 
tious brethren. But what of that? You brought thereby more 
pleasure into humble lives than all of the old conjurers put 
together. Well have you earned your rest. Though your name 
IS quite forgotten by the present generation, a few old boys and 
girls still hold you in loving remembrance. 

Wyman was boni in Albany, N. Y., and was reported to be 
sixty-five years of age at the time of his death. Just when he 



V 'I'l 



"A-^ 



Wyman, the MAciaAN. 
(From an Old Print, Ellison Collection.) 

went on the stage, I have been unable to ascertain, Mr. George^ 
Wood J who is now running a small curio shop on Filbert Street, 
Philadelphia, was for sixteen years Wyman's manager. He 
afterwards went with Pharazyn and Frederick Eugene Powell 
Thanks to my friend, Mr. C, S. Eby, who interviewed Mr. Wood 
during the summer of 1905, I have obtained a few facts con* 
cerning Wyman's career. After giving exhibitions all over the 
United States in school houses and small halls, Wyman went 
abroad and brought back with him quite an outfit of apparatus, 
most of it purchased, I presume, from Voisin*s Repository in 



THE CONFESSIONS OF AN AMATEUR CONJURER 203 

Paris. Voisin was the only manufacturer of magical novelties 
in those days. About 1850 Wyman played in New York City 
under the management of P. T. Barnum. When the magician 
Anderson sold out, Wyman bought considerable of his para- 
phernalia, such as the "Magic Cauldron" (Phillippe's old trick), 
the "Nest of Boxes,'' "Aerial Suspension,'' "Inexhaustible Bot- 
tle," and "Gun Trick." In 1867 Wyman started the "gift show" 
in connection with his magic entertainment, sometimes giving 
away building lots as a first prize. He introduced the Sphinx 
illusion in the South for the first time and made a tremendous 
hit. People would come twenty miles to see it. He had a won- 
derful memory, which he applied to a second-sight act. The 
articles were placed in a handkerchief by the boy who borrowed 
them and the professor managed to get one secret look at the col- 
lection. From his remembrance he would later describe the 
articles while they were held aloft still tied in the handkerchief. 
Another favorite illusion was the borrowing of a watch, which 
was pounded and afterwards found under one of the spectators 
(not a confederate). It was one of the duties of Wood to slip 
the borrowed watch in place while ostensibly selling magic 
books. 

Wyman retired from the stage eventually, and lived in Phila- 
delphia for several years at 612 North Eleventh Street. After- 
wards he moved to Burlington, New Jersey, where he bought 
an imposing country place. He owned considerable real estate. 
He died July 31, 188 1. A few days before his death he called 
to see his old friend Thomas W. Yost, the manufacturer of mag- 
ical apparatus, of Philadelphia. He must have had a premoni- 
tion of his demise, for he remarked to Mr. Yost, as he left the 
store : "You will not see me again. This is the last of Wyman." 
In a few days he was dead. He was buried at Fall River, Mas- 
sachusetts, the home of his wife. Wyman's show consisted of 
ventriloquism, magic, and an exhibition of Italian fantochini 
(puppets). He was one of the best entertainers of his day. 

II. 
I took to magic at an early age — not the magic of the sleight 
of hand artist, however, but the real goetic or black magic, 



204 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

as black as any old grimoire of mediaeval days could make it. 
Aye, darker in hue than any inveighed against in the famous 
Daemonologie of King James I. of Protestant memory. I 
believed firmly in witches, ghosts, goblins, voodoo spells, and 
conjure doctors. But what can you expect of a small boy sur- 
rounded by negro servants, the relics of the old regime of slav- 
ery, who still held tenaciously to the devil-lore of their ancestors 
of the African jungle? At nightfall I dared not go near the 
smoke-house for fear of the witches who held their revels there. 
One day my father brought home a book for his library. It 
was Mackey's Extraordinary Popular Delusions; or. The Mad- 
ness of Crozvds. That work of absorbing interest opened my 
eyes to the unreality of the old superstitions. I read it with 
avidity. It became a sort of Bible to me. It lies on the table 
before me, as I pen these lines ; a much-thumbed, faded, old book. 
The first amateur sleight of hand show I ever took part in, 
was given by a boy named Albert Niblack. The matinee magique 
was held in a stable attached to my father's house. The entrance 
fee was three pins, orchestra chairs ten pins. The stage was 
erected in the carriage house, and the curtain consisted of a 
couple of sheets surreptitiously borrowed from the household 
linen closet. I acted as the conjurer's assistant. The success 
of the entertainment was phenomenal. The audience consisted 
of some thirty children, with a sprinkling of negro nurses who 
came to preserve order among the smaller fry, and an old horse 
who persisted in sticking his head through a window near the 
stage, his stall being in an adjoining compartment. He occupied 
the only private box in the theatre. Among other tricks on the 
programme, young Niblack produced a small canary bird from 
an egg which had been previously examined and declared to 
be the real product of the hen by all the colored experts pres- 
ent, who tested it on their teeth. One fat old mammy, with hor 
head picturesquely done up in a red bandana handkerchief, was 
so overcome by the trick that she shouted out: "Fo de Lawd: 
sake ! Dat boy mus' be kin to de Debbil sho,' *' and regretted tbit ; 
fact that she did not have a rabbit's foot with her, to ward "^ 
the spells. Years have passed since then. Young Niblack is v 
Lieut. Commander Niblack, U. S. N., erstwhile naval att 



THE CONFESSIONS OF AN AMATEUR CONJURER 205 

of the American embassy at Berlin, etc. I wonder if he still 
practises magic. He obtained his insight into the mysteries of 
conjuring from a little book of sleights, puzzles and chemical 
experiments, a cheap affair and very crude. Like Houdin, he 
had to create the principles of legerdemain himself, for the book 
contained no real information on the subject. It was manu- 
factured to sell in two senses of the word, and to the best of my 
belief, was purchased at the circus. Among that audience were 
several children who have since become famous, to a greater or 
less extent. There was Umei Tsuda, a diminutive Japanese girl, 
sent to this country to be educated, and who now presides over 
a great normal school in Japan; Waldemar Bodisco (son of 
Count Bodisco, the Russian Minister to the United States), now 
an officer in the Czar's navy; and, if I mistake not, Agustin 
de Iturbide, the adopted son of the ill-fated Maximilian, who 
attempted to found an empire in Mexico, bolstered up by French 
bayonets. Young Iturbide's mother, after the tragic death of 
Maximilian, came to Georgetown to reside and educate her son, 
the heir to the throne of Mexico. Poor fellow, he was a prince, 
but he did not plume himself because of the fact, for he was in 
reality a "boy without a country.'' We were classmates in the 
preparatory department of Georgetown College. His career is 
one of the romances of history. He is now living an exile in an 
old country house in the District of Columbia, where he spends 
his time reading and dreaming. 

III. 

I entered upon the practise of sleight of hand in the year 
1877, after reading Hoffmann's Modern Magic. I adopted Hou- 
din's method of carrying a pack of cards and other articles in 
my pockets. On my way to school, over a long country road, 
I put in some hard practise, learning to sauter le coupe, and 
palm most any small object. While in class one day, I was 
caught in flagrante delicto, with a pack of cards in my hand, by 
the dignified old Latin professor. I was sent to the Principal 
of the Academy for punishment, which I received like a stoic, 
but vowing vengeance on the Latin pedagogue, who was a very 



MS 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



orthodox religionist, tlie principal of a Haptist Sunday school, 
and conseqnently held cards in abhorrence. I often heard him 
remark that cards were the ^^Devil's Looking Glasses/' One 
day, I shpped a €f>ui)le of packs of cards in the sleeve of tlie 
professor's overcoat, which hun^tf upun the wall back of his desk, 
and tipped the wink to the boys. They were astounded at my 
audacity. Wlien tlie class was dismissed, the scholars lingered 
around to see the fun. The professor went to put on his coat, 
whereupon the car<ls tlew about the room in a shower, l>eing 
propelled by the impact of his arm, which he thrust violently 



Glen Willow, GEciRf;ETO\vN. D. C. 

into the sleeve. The hoys, witli a great shout, began picking up 
the scattered pasteboards, W'hich they presented to the teacher, 
commiserating with him in his trouble. The old man, who was 
very angry, disclaimed ownership of the detested cards, and got 
out of the room as speedily as possible. Perhaps it is needless 
to remark that I failed miserably in the Latin examinations that 
yean But it may have been own'ng to my stupidity and not to 
any animus <in the professor's part. Let us hope so. 

After long practise in legerdemain, I determined to give an 
entertainment, and selected as my assistant, my school chum, 
Edw^ard L, Dent, a boy who possessed great mechanical genius. 
Later in life he graduated with honors as a mechanical engineer 



THE CONFESSIONS OF AN AMATEUR CONJURER 207 

from Stevens' Institute, New Jersey, and founded a great iron 
mill in Georgetown. Poor fellow, he met with business reverses 
and lost a fortune. He died some five or six years ago. Young 
Dent lived in a historical mansion on the heights of Georgetown, 
surrounded by a great park of oaks. It was the home of John 
C. Calhoun, when he was Secretary of State of the United States. 
In the great attic of the house, Judge Dent had fitted up a superb 
carpenter shop and forge for his son. 

Here my chum and I manufactured our apparatus: the 
Washerwoman's Bottle, the Nest of Boxes a la Kellar ; the Card 
Star ; the Coffee and Milk Vases ; the Sphinx Table, etc. When 
all was ready, about two hundred invitations were sent out for 
a Soiree Magiquc. The great drawing-room of the house was 
fitted up as a theatre, with a stage at one end and drop curtain. 
We fenced in the stage with rich draperies, after the style of 
Robert Heller, and our gilded tables and silver candelabra with 
wax tapers looked very fine against the crimson background. 
It was the most elaborate amateur show I ever saw. Twenty 
minutes before the curtain rang up, both magician and assistant 
were seized with stage fright. We had peeped through a hole in 
the curtain and taken in the sea of faces. We dared not con- 
front that crowd of youngsters without a mask of some kind. 
Happy thought! We decided to blacken our faces with burnt 
cork and appear as negro necromancers. The performance went 
off very well indeed, until we came to the "Card Star.'' O fatal 
Pentagram of Pythagoras! The cards were chosen from a 
pack and rammed down the mouth of a big pistol, preparatory 
to firing them at the star, on the points of which they were to 
appear. I began my patter, facing the audience. "Ladies and 
gentlemen, I will give you an exhibition of magic marksmanship. 
I will fire this pistol (laughter.) at the star on yonder table (re- 
newed laughter), and the cards" — (ironical cat calls). I turned 
around, and to my horror, the duplicate cards were already 
sticking to the star; my assistant had let off the apparatus too 
soon. The curtain fell. I shed tears of rage at the fiasco. But, 
later on, I learned to act more philosophically. Magicians are 
subject to these mistakes. I have seen Alexander Herrmann's 



208 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

calculations all upset by comical contretemps of like character 
to the above, but he smiled benignantly and went right along as 
unconcernedly as ever. Conjuring certainly gets on the nerves 
of its devotees. 



IV. 

Amateur magicians are called upon to exhibit their skill in all 
sorts of places. I once gave a performance in a Pullman car, 
going at full speed. It was on the occasion of a pilgrimage to 
the Scottish Rite temples of the Southwest, with a party of 
eminent members of the fraternity. This was in the spring of 
1904. Among those who went on the journey were the Hon. 
James Daniel Richardson, 33^, Sovereign Grand Commander of 
the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the 
Southern jurisdiction of the United States, and Admiral Win- 
field Scott Schley, 32°, the "hero of Santiago," a most genial 
traveling companion and raconteur. Mr. Richardson had jocu- 
larly appointed me Hierophant of the Mysteries, so I took along 
with me a box full of magic apparatus, to amuse the Initiates 
when time hung heavy on their hands. My first performance 
was given while speeding across the State of Kentucky. At one 
end of an observation car I arranged my table and paraphernalia. 
In honor of the Admiral, I got up an impromptu trick, which I 
called, "After the Battle of Santiago.'' Borrowing a silk hat, 
and showing it empty, I began as follows: 

"Gentlemen, stretch your imaginations, like Jules Verne, and 
let this hat represent the cruiser Brooklyn, Admiral Schley's ship. 
This oscillating Pullman car is the ocean. The great battle 
of Santiago is over. Victory has crowned the American arms. 
An order comes from the flagship to decorate the vessels of the 
fleet with bunting. The sailors of the Brooklyn dive down into 
the hold and bring up a variety of flags. (Here I produced from 
the hat the flags of all nations. ) They are not satisfactory. Roll 
them together, says the commander, and see what the composi- 
tion will make. (I rolled the flags into a bundle, which I pro- 
ceeded to throw in the air, whereupon a big silk American flag 
appeared, the smaller ensigns having disappeared.) Ah, the Star 



THE CONFESSION* OF AN AMATEUR CONJURER 209 

Spangled Banner, under whose folds the men of many nations 
live in amity as fellow citizens." 

I waved the flag in the air, amid the plaudits of the specta- 
tors. Just then the car gave a terrific lurch, while rounding a 
curve; I lost my balance and was precipitated head first like a 
battering ram against the capacious stomach of an old gentleman, 
seated in the front row. He doubled up with pain. 

"Say, what kind of a trick do you call that ?'' he gasped out. 

"That," said I, "is a representation of a sailor on board of 
the Brooklyn falling overboard." 

"I call it a monkey trick," he groaned. His dignity and di- 
gestive apparatus had been sadly upset. From that time on, he 
eyed me with suspicion whenever I gave a show, and always took 
a chair in the back row of seats. 

"Speaking of monkey tricks," said Admiral Schley, "reminds 
me of an incident that occurred when I was a midshipman on 
board of the steam frigate Niagara, in i860. A monkey was the 
prestidigitateur. We were conveying back to their native land 
the Japanese embassy that had visited the United States in return 
for the visit made to their country by Commodore Perry some 
years before. One of the embassy bought a monkey at Anger 
Point, Africa, during a stoppage at that place. He (the monkey, 
not the Ambassador) proved to be a most mischievous brute, 
and was continually picking and stealing eatables from the cook's 
galley. Worse than that, so far as the sailors were concerned, 
the 'missing link' of Darwin took a special delight in upsetting 
pots and pans of grease on the deck, which the seamen had to 
clean up. When chased by some irate Jack Tar with a rope's 
end, the monkey would take refuge in the rigging, where he 
would hang by his tail from a spar, and grin with delight at his 
enemies. We all hated the beast, but respect for our Japanese 
guests forbade revenge. Finally an old sailor caught the monkey 
and greased his tail. Soon after, the simian committed one of 
his daily depredations and hied himself, as usual, up the rigging, 
where he attempted to swing from a yardarm by his greased ta;l. 
But, alas, he fell overboard and was drowned. The verdict ren- 
dered was that he had committed suicide. His only mourners 
were the Mikado's ambassadors." 



2IO THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

V. 

The study of natural magic is wonderfully fascinating. It 
possesses, too, a decided pedagogic value, which eminent scholars 
have not teen slow to recognize. Those who obtain an insight 
into its principles are preserved against infection from the many 
psychical epidemics of the age. The subject is of interest to 
scientists. Dr. G. Stanley Hall, at one time professor of experi- 
mental psychology at the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, 
Md., at present president of Clarke University, Worcester, Mas- 
sachusetts, used to exhibit conjuring tricks to his classes, to illus- 
trate the illusions of the senses. An eminent German scientist, 
Dr. Max Dessoir, has written learnedly on the psychology of 
legerdemain. Prof. Joseph Jastrow, of the University of Wis- 
consin, subjected the conjurers, Herrmann and Kellar, to a 
series of careful tests, to ascertain their **tactile sensibility, sensi- 
tiveness to textures, accuracy of visual perception, quickness of 
movement, rpental processes," etc. The results of these tests were 
printed in Science, Vol. IH, page 685-689, under the title of 
"Psychological Notes upon Sleight-of-hand Experts." 

The literature of natural magic is not extensive. Thirty 
years ago, first-class works in English on legerdemain were rare. 
Houdin's Secrets de la Prestidigitation et de la Magie, which 
was published in 1868, was out of print, and, says Prof. Hoffmann, 
"the possession of a copy was regarded among professors of 
magic as a boon of the highest possible value." Hoffmann picked 
up an old second-hand copy of the work in Paris, and translated 
it in the year 1877. To-day, books on sleight of hand have been 
multiplying rapidly. Every professor of the art thinks it incum- 
bent upon him to publish a treatise on magic. Strange to say, 
the good works on the subject have been written by amateurs. 
Prof. Hoffmann (Angelo Lewis), a member of the London bar, 
has written the best book, following him have come Edwin Sachs 
and C. Lang Neill. The autobiography of that arch-master of 
magic, Robert-Houdin, was translated, in 1859, by Dr. R. Shel- 
ton Mackenzie, of Philadelphia. Thomas Frost, in 1881, pro- 
duced an interesting work on the Lives of the Conjurers, but it 
is now quite out of date. I know of no really scholarly treatide 
extant to-day on the history of prestidigitation. 



212 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

in his collection of books, many rare volumes picked up in Europe 
and elsewhere. At the present writing his library contains nearly 
one thousand two hundred titles, among them being rare copies 
of Decremps (1789-1793), Pinetti (1785), Breslaw (1812), 
Porta (1658), Kosmann (1817), Witgeest (1773), Naudeus 
(1657), etc., etc. In the year 1902, Kellar visited the Ellison 
library. He endeavored to purchase the collection for $2,000. 
Dr. Ellison refused to part with his beloved books. In his will 
he has left the collection to Columbia University, New York 
City. One of the doctor's fads is the collection of wands of 
famous magicians. He possesses over sixty rods of the modem 
magi, and has often contemplated sending an expedition to 
Egypt to discover the wands used by Moses and Aaron. Among 
his collection are wands formerly wielded by Carl, Leon, Alex- 
ander and Mme. Herrmann (four representatives of one family), 
Willmann, Anderson, Blitz, de Kolta, Hoffmann, Groldin, Mas- 
kelyne, Powell, McAllister, Robinson, Kellar, Fox, etc. EaeK 
of the wands is accompanied by a story, which will be published 
in the near future. 

VI. 

When the citizen-king, Louis Philippe, ruled over the desti- 
nies of la belle France, there resided in Paris an old man, by the 
name of M. Roujol, familiarly known among his confreres as 
"Father'' Roujol. He kept a modest shop in the Rue Richelieu 
for the manufacture and sale of magical apparatus. The profes- 
sional and amateur conjurers of the French capital made Rou- 

joFs their meeting place. "The Due de M ," says Robert- 

Hqudin, "did not disdain to visit the humble emporium of the 
mystic art, and remain for hours conversing with Roujol and his- 
associates.'' It was here that Houdin became acquainted with 
Jules de Rovere, of noble birth, a conjurer who abandoned the 
title of cscamoteur, as beneath his aristocratic dignity, and coined 
for himself the pompous cognomen, prcstidigitateur, from presti 
digiti (activity of the fingers). The French Academy sanc- 
tioned the formation of this word, thus handing it down to pos- 
terity. Jules de Rovere also called himself Physicien du RoL 
Old Father Roujol is dust long ago. We have replicas of his 



THE CONFESSIONS OF AN AMATEUR CONJURER 213 

quaint place in New York, Chicago, Boston and Plii!a<lel]>liia. 
On Sixth Avenue, not far from Thirtieth Street, New \'ijrk City, 
is the shop of the jMartinka Brothers. It is located on the ground 
floor of a dingy old buihhng. In front is a tiny window, with 
a variety of magical apparatus displayed therein, Alx:>ve the 
door, in tarnished gold letters, is the sign, "Palace of Magic," 
The second floor is occupied by a Chinese restaurant. The Occi- 
dent and Orient exist here cheek-by- jowl The Chinaman con- 
cocts mysterious dishes to tickle the jaded palates of the hifulc- 




I 



Bijou Theatre ok the iMaktinka Bros., New York. 

vardiers; tlie proprietors of the Aladdin Palace of Up-to-Date 
Enchantments invent ingenious tricks and illusions to astound 
the eyes of their patrons. Here I met Robinson, de Kolta, Kel- 
lar, and many other C4)njurers of note. The Society of American 
Magicians holds its meetings at Martinka s. 

This society owes its fonndatioti to two practising physicians 
of New York, Dr. W* Golden Mortimer, an ex-con jm-er, and 
Dr. Saram R. Ellison, the collector of magic literature. Ellison 
suggested the name, Mortimer wrote the ritual of the order, and 





214 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

the two of them called the meeting for the formation of the 
society. The first idea of such a fraternity of magicians was 
formulated by the writer of this book, who endeavored to found 
a society called the "Sphinx," but it proved abortive. The lead- 
ing conjurers of the United States and Europe are .enrolled 
among the members of the S. A. M. The meetings are held 
once a month, at Martinka's, usually followed by exhibitions of 
skill on the stage of the Bijou Theatre, attached to the place. 
Robert-Houdin, in the closing chapter of his Secrets of Con- 
juring and Magic, remarks that it would be a superb sight to 
witness a performance by magicians, where each would show his 
chef d'oeuvre in the art. At Martinka's this is realized. Here 
you may see the very perfection of digital dexterity, mental 
magic, and the like. Mr. Francis J. Martinka possesses many 
interesting relics of celebrated performers: Alexander Herr- 
mann's wand, Robert Heller's orange tree, and photographs 
galore of magicians, living and dead. Some of the most impor- 
tant illusions of the day have been built in the shop of the Mar- 
tinka Brothers. Other manufacturers in New York City are 
Witmark & Sons, and Mr. Beadle, a veteran mechanic and erst- 
while assistant to Robert Heller. 

In Boston we have the magic emporiums of W. D. LeRoy 
and C. Milton Chase; and in Chicago, that of A. Roterberg. 
Both LeRoy and Roterberg are fine sleight-of-hand performers. 
Mr. Roterberg is the author of a clever work on card conjuring, 
which ranks very high in the estimation of the profession, also 
several little brochures on up-to-date legerdemain. In Phila- 
delphia, Mr. Thomas Yost, a veteran manufacturer of magical 
apparatus, holds forth. He has built many fine illusions and 
tricks. In London, we have the well-known firm of Hamley & 
Co. ; in Paris, Caroly and De Vere. There is no dearth of period- 
icals devoted to the art of magic. Among the leading ones are : 
Mahatma, Brooklyn, New York ; The Sphinx, Kansas City, Mis- 
souri; Magic and The Wizard, London; The Magician, Liver- 
pool ; Ulllusioniste, Paris ; and Der Zauberspiegel, Berlin. 



A DAY WITH ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 

"Come, bring thy wand, whose magic power 
Can wake the troubled spirits of the deep." 

Hemans: Address to Fancy. 



They come back to me, those old days in the newspaper office 
in Baltimore. I can shut my eyes and see the long, dingy room 
with its ink-splattered tables and flaring gas jets. The printers' 
devils rushing in and out with wet proof-sheets. Reporters come 
and go. Look! There is Joe Kelly, Lefevre, Jarrett and John 
Monroe. And here comes Ludlam, familiarly known as "Lud," 
the prince of Bohemian newsgatherers ; a cross between Dickens' 
Alfred Jingle and Murger's Rodolph. He is always "down on 
his luck,'' but nothing can phase his natural gaiety and bon- 
homie. He snaps his fingers at Fate, and mocks at the world. 
On his death bed he made bon mots. Poor old Ludlam, he is 
forever associated with my introduction to Alexander the Great. 

I look back across the years that separate me from my jour- 
nalistic experiences, and see myself seated at a reporter's table, 
on a certain morning in January, waiting for an assignment from 
the city editor; a fire, a murder, political interview, I knew not 
what, and therein lies the ineffable charm of newspaper reporting. 
Enter Ludlam, jaunty and debonaire. The snow encrusts his 
faded coat with powdery flakes. He strikes a theatrical attitude, 
and exclaims : "Philosophers say that the Devil is dead ! Gen- 
tlemen, don't you believe them. I have just had an interview 
with His Satanic Majesty, and he is very much alive. He was 
beautifully perfumed with sulphur (or was it cigarette smoke?) ; 
and wore a fur-lined overcoat. Coming from a tropical climate, 



2l6 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



he finds this cold weather very disagreeable. He turned my 
watch into a turnip and back again. He took a roll of green- 
backs from my coat pocket. That was sure enough witchcraft. 
I defy any other person than Beelzebub to get money from my 
clothes. He extracted a hard-boiled tgg from my nose, and a 
rabbit from my hat. But seeing is believing. Here he is now !" 
With that he threw open the green baize door with a crash, 
and in walked Alexander Herrmann, the magician, smiling and 




Alexander Herrmann. 



bowing. This little comedy had been arranged by the irrepres- 
sible Ludlam. He was a great practical joker. We shouted 
with laughter. This was my first introduction to Alexander 
the Great, who was making his periodical visit to the newspaper 
offices, and he came to the News first, because it was an afternoon 
journal. He was to play that night at Ford's Opera House. He 
performed a number of capital tricks for us with watches, coins, 
handkerchiefs and rings, and was pronounced a royal good fellow 
by the entire outfit — editors, reporters, typesetters and devils. 
Being the only amateur magician on the paper, I was detailed 
to accompany the famous conjurer on his "swing around the 



A DAY WITH ALEXANDER THE GREAT ^Ij 

mag^c circle." I was delighted with my assignment. We tra- 
versed the markets ; visited the Stock Exchange, where a howling 
mob of brokers danced a carmagnole about us; and the police 
stations. Herrmann was received everywhere with acclama- 
tions. His impromptu feats of magic evoked shouts of laughter. 
On one of the street cars the following scene took place, which 
I hugely enjoyed: 

The conductor, a cadaverous, solemn looking man, who took 
the world and himself seriously, came around to collect the fares. 
He accosted the conjurer first. 

"Fare,'' exclaimed Herrmann, with an expressive shrug of 
the shoulder^. "Why, I paid mine long agOo" 

"No such thing!'' snapped the conductor. 

"But, my dear fellow—!" 

"You can't come that game on me !" said the conductor. "I 
demand your fare, at once, or off you go." 

"Nonsense, man, I gave you a five-dollar gold piece, but you 
did not return the change. You said, Wait until' — . But here 
is the gold coin sticking in your scarf." So saying, the conjurer 
proceeded to extract a coin from the muffler which the conductor 
wore about his neck. "And worse than that, you've robbed me." 
Then seizing hold of the coat of the dumbfounded man, he took 
from his breast pocket a large bundle of what seemed to be green- 
backs. These, Herrmann scattered about the car. On each note 
was printed his portrait and an advertisement of his show. At 
a trifling distance these advertisements resembled greenbacks. 
They were more or less facsimiles of U. S. Treasury certificates. 
The occupants of the car picked them up, and laughed heartily 
at the mystification. Herrmann then paid his fare, presented the 
conductor and driver with passes to the theater, and in a little 
while we got off at Barnum's hotel, where we had luncheon 
The negro waiters of the establishment eyed him with fear and 
trembling, for he had played many practical jokes, on them, and 
they never knew when he would break out in a new spot. He had 
a capital trick of raising a glass of wine to his lips as if about 
to partake of it, when with a dash of the hand upwards the glass 
would vanish, wine and all, only to be reproduced a minute later 
from somebody's coat tail 



2l8 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

11. 

The following is a charming anecdote related by Herrmann 
in the North American Rin'iczv, some years ago: 

'*In Marcli, 1885^ wliile in Madrid, I appeared at the Sasuella 
Theatre €|Liite successfully, for the house was filled every evening 
with hidalg"os and noble senoras, and King Alphonso XII. was 
kind enough to view my performance from a box. He was so 



Alexakdej* Herrmann at the Age of 23. 

pleased that I was asked to the palace, and knowing him to be a 
great sportsman, I presented him with a silver-mounted saddle 
which I had brought with me from Buenos Ayres. He was 
exceedingly kind, and after I had performed a mathematical trick 
with cards, which pleased him greatly, he kept asking me contin- 
ually if he could not be of some service to me* At first I did not 
accept, but a little while afterwards I thought it would be a great 



A DAY WITH ALEXANDER THE GREAT 219 

thing if I could make the King of Spain my confederate in a trick. 
He consented, laughingly, and it was so arranged that from the 
stage I was to ask one of the audience to write a number, when 
the King was to get up and say, 'I will write it,' and do it. Of 
course, with such a confederate, the trick was accomplished with 
the greatest effect. The first thing I did in beginning the second 
part of my performance was to take a blank piece of paper. This 
I handed to the King, asking him to sign it at the bottom. He 
did so readily, and the paper was passed from hand to hand and 
given to me. I conjured up all the spirits that have been or will 
be, and lo and behold! the paper was closely written from the 
top to the place where His Majesty's signature was affixed. It 
was handed back to him, and, while he laughed very heartily, 
he said, *I will not deny my signature to this document, which 
appoints Alexander Herrmann prestidigitateur to the King of 
Spain, and, as the spirits have done so, I heartily acquiesce.' " 

Those who are acquainted with the peculiar properties of 
sympathetic inks will readily understand the modus operandi 
of the above trick. For example : Copper sulphate in very dilute 
solution will produce an invisible handwriting, which will turn 
light blue when subjected to the vapor of ammonia. Again, 
write with a weak solution of sulphuric acid and the chirography 
will appear in black letters when the paper is submitted to a 
strong heat. To obtain the requisite heat, all you have to do 
is to lay the sheet of paper on a small table which has a top of 
thin sheet iron or ti^. Beneath this top, concealed in the body of 
the table, is a spirit lamp — not a lamp run by spooks, but "spirits 
of wine.'' Ample time for the chemical operation to take place 
is afforded by the patter of the conjurer. 

Another clever trick, bordering on the supernatural, was 
Herrmann's "Thibetan Mail," the effect of which was as follows: 
Handing a sheet of note paper to various persons in the audi- 
ence, Hermann requested them to write sentences upon it, one 
under the other. When this was accomplished, he tore the paper 
into halves, and requested some gentleman to retain one half. 
The other half the magician thrust into the flame of a candle 
and burned it to ashes. Flinging the ashes in the air, he cried : 
**I send this message to the mighty Mahatma who dwells in the 



220 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

great temple of Lhassa. Let him restore the paper intact and 
return it to me by spiritual post/' No sooner said than done. 
Immediately a District Messenger boy rushed into the theatre, 
down the center aisle, waving in his hand a sealed letter. Hand- 
ing this to some one in the audience, Herrmann requested him to 
break the seal and examine the contents of the envelope. Inside 
of the envelope he found a second one, and within that a third 
and fourth, etc. In the last envelope the half sheet of paper was 
revealed perfectly restored. Its identity was proved by matching 
it with the half-sheet of writing retained by the first spectator, 
whereupon they were found to fit exactly, and the writing to 
correspond. The modus operandi of this astounding feat, like 
all good things in magic, is very simple, but it requires adroit- 
ness on the part of the performer to execute properly. The con- 
jurer does not burn the piece of paper which contains the writ- 
ing, but exchanges it for a dummy which he thrusts into the 
flame of the candle. The original half-sheet of paper is secretly 
transferred to an assistant, usually in the following manner : The 
magician calls for a candle and matches, which the assistant 
brings in upon a salver. The slip of paper is "worked off" to 
the assistant in the act of taking the candle and matches from the 
tray. The confederate then goes behind the scenes, slips the 
paper into a "nest of envelopes,'* seals them simultaneously, 
and gives the package to a stage hand habited as a messenger 
boy, who runs to the front part of the house to await the cue 
from the conjurer. This trick was intended as a burlesque on 
Madame Blavatsky's Indian Mail feat. 

I remember very well performing this experiment at an 
amateur show at the home of Mr. O — H — , of Baltimore, some 
eighteen years ago, before a company of interested spectators, 
among whom was the charming daughter of the house. Miss 
Alice, now the Countess Andrezzi Bernini, of Rome, Italy. My 
stage was situated in an alcove at one end of the splendid draw- 
ing room, and it had a window opening on a side street. My 
District Messenger boy, hired for the occasion, and privately 
instructed how to act, was stationed beneath this window, and 
threatened with all the penalties of Dante's Inferno if he went 
asleep at his post. My brother, Walter Dorsey Evans, after* 



A DAY WITH ALEXANDER THE GREAT 221 

wards a skillful amateur prestidigitateur, acted as my assistant, 
and adroitly threw the sealed note out of the window to the boy. 
Great was the surprise of my audience when the door bell rang 
and the stately butler of the establishment brought into the parlor 
the messenger boy with his sealed letter. 

"Where did you get this?'' asked the host, as he doubtfully 
fingered the envelope and examined the address, which read, "To 
Sahib O— H— , Baltimore, Md.'' 

"Please, sir, an old man dressed in a yellow robe came into 
the office, and asked that the letter be delivered at once." 

"A Mahatma, I presume!'' said the lawyer, ironically. 

"He had no hat on, sir, only a turbot wrapped round his 
head." 

"A turban, I suppose you mean." 

"That's it, sir — a turbing like the Turks wear." 

"That will do, young man. You may go." 

The boy left. May he be forgiven the lies uttered in my 
behalf. But all is fair in love, war, and conjuring. He was 
well tutored what to say in the event of his being questioned, 
but he performed his part so naturally and lied so artistically and 
with such a front of brass as to have deceived the most incredu- 
lous. I have often speculated upon the subsequent career of that 
lad. Possibly today he is representing his country abroad in an 
important diplomatic post, or manufacturing sensational news 
for the yellow press. Had I been a professional conjurer, I 
would have hired him on the spot as an assistant. 

III. 

Alexander Herrmann was born in Paris, February ii, 1844. 
Information concerning his family is somewhat meagre. His 
father, Samuel Herrmann, was a German Jew, a physician, who 
had come to France to reside, and there married a Breton lady. 
Sixteen children were born of this union, of whom Carl was the 
oldest of the eight boys and Alexander the youngest. Samuel 
Herrmann was an accomplished conjurer, but rarely performed 
in public. He gave private seances before Napoleon I, who 
presented him with a superb watch. This timepiece descended 
to Alexander^ and is in possession of his widow, 



222 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

Carl Herrmann \yas born in Hanover, Germany, January 23, 
1 816. Despite parental opposition he became a sleight-of-hand 
artist, and was known as the "First Professor of Magic in the 
World/' In 1848 he made his first bow to the English people, 
at the Adelphi Theatre, London, where he produced the second- 
sight trick, which he copied from Houdin in France. Early in 
the sixties he made a tour of America, with great success. At his 
farewell performance in New York City, he introduced his 
brother Alexander as his legitimate successor. Carl then retired 
with a fortune to Vienna, where he spent the remainder of his 
days in collecting rare antiquities. His death occurred at Carls- 
bad, June, 1887, at the age of seventy-two. He was a great 
favorite with Czar Nicholas and the Sultan of Turkey and fre- 
quently performed at their palaces. 

Here is one of Carl Herrmann's German programmes : 

Teplitzer Stadttheater 

Dienstag den 8 Juni 1886 

Zweite und letzte Gastvorstellung 

des beriihinten Prestidigitateur 

Prof. C. Herrmann 

aus Wien 

unter der Direction des Herrn A, MORINI 

PROGRAMM 
I. Abtheilung II. Abtheilung 

1. Wo wiinschen Sie ea? 1. Der Sack 

2. Die Billard-Kugel 2. Die Plantation 

3. Das Schlangentuch 3. Die Tasche 

4. Die fliegenden Gegenstande 4. Der Kegel 

5. Der Banquier 5. Der Ring in Gefahr 

6. DerFischfangunddasGegenstiick 6. Eine Improvisation 

A He oben ausgefilhrten Experimente sind Erfindungen des Herrn 

Prof. Herrmann und warden ohne jedweden Apparat und sonstige 

Hilfsmittel ausgefiihrt. 

The following is one of Carl's characteristic English pro- 
grammes, I consider it of great interest to the profession ; 



THEATRE ROYAL, HAY-MARKET. 

Mr. B. WEBSTER, Sole Lessee and Manager, Old Brompton. 

MORNING PERFORMANCES. 

MATINEES 

MAGIQUE 

Commencing at Two o'clock. 

THE WONDER OF THE WORLD! 

This Momingr, Wednesday May 3rd, 1848, 

And during the week, 

M* Herrmann 

(OP HANOVER), PREMIER PRBSTIDIGITATEUR OP FRANCE, AND THE 
ACKNOWLEDGED FIRST PROFESSOR OP MAGIC IN THE WORLD, 

Respectfully announces to the Nobility, Gentry and the Public in general 
that he will give 

FOUR FAREWELL PERFORMANCES, 

Previous to his departure to the Provinces, and will introduce 

SIX NEW EXTRAORDINARY TRICKS, 

NEVER BEFORE EXHIBITEDI 
L' Album Hanoverien ; The Hanoverian Albam. 
Les Chapeaux Diaboliques ; The Diabolical Hats. 
LeCoffreinfemale; The Infernal Chest. 
Le Vase d'Armide; ou, I'horlogerie de Geneve; Armlda's Vase; or 

The Geneva Clockwork. 
La Multiplication des Indes ; Indian Moltiplication. 
Les Mysteres de Paris ; The Mysteries of Paris. 

MAD^ HERRMANN 

Will also exhibit her extraordinary powers of 

SECOND SrCHT; OR ANTI-MAGNETISM, 

By divining, with Closed Eyes, any objects that may be submitted to this 
proof, which has astonished the most scientific. 

PROGRAMME 

Le Vola^ des Cartes ; Illusions with Cards. 

Le Miroir des Dames ; the Lady's Looking: Glass. 

LABOUTEILLE INEPUISABLE; THE INEXHAUSTIBLE BOTTLE 

Robin le Sorcier (piece mecanique) ; Bobiu the Sorcerer. 

La Poche Marveilleuse ; The Marrelloas Pooket* 

Le Noces de Canaes ; The Nuptials of Cana. 

Satanet son Mouchoir; Satan and his Kerchief. 

Les Colombes Sympathetiques ; The Sympathetic Doves. 

LECADRAN MATHEMATICIEN ; THE MATHEMATICAL CLOCK. 

Le Timbre Isole (piece mecanique) ; The Isolated Clock Bell. 

Le pain de sucre Magique; The Magric Sweetcake. 

Plusieurs tours de Cartes nouveaux et de magie blanche ; New Illasions 

with Cards and White Maggie. 
La naissance des Poissons rouges, execute en habit de ville ; The Birth 

of Gold Fish; performed In an Evening: Dress. 

GRAND NEW ILLUSIONS FROM INDIA, 

Le SUSPENSION ETHEREENNE By Ether 
LE DOUBLE VUE ! or, SECOND SIGHT, 

By MADAMB HBRRMAIVir, with Yftiions new 

ILLUSIONS WITH CARDS AND MAGIE BLANCHE i 
And a Concert in Imitation of Various Birds, 

By M. HBRRMANN. 



224 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

Alexander was destined by his father to the practice of medi- 
cine, but fate willed otherwise. 

When quite a boy, he ran away and joined Carl, acting as 
his assistant. He remained with his brother six years, when his 
parents placed him in college at Vienna. He did not complete 
his scholastic studies, but went to Spain in 1859 and began his 
career as a magician. He appeared in America in 1861, but 
returned a year later to Europe, and made an extended tour. 
He played an engagement of 1,000 consecutive nights at Egyp- 
tian Hall, London. In 1875 he married Adelaide Scarsez, a 
beautiful and clever danseuse, who assisted him in his soirees 
magiques, Herrmann became a naturalized citizen of the United 
States in 1876. He died of heart failure in his private car, 
December 11, 1896, while traveling from Rochester, N. Y., to 
Bradford, Penn., and was buried with Masonic honors in Wood- 
lawn cemetery, just outside of New York City. He made and 
lost several fortunes. Unsuccessful theatrical speculations were 
largely responsible for his losses. He aspired in vain to be the 
manager and proprietor of a chain of theatres. He introduced 
the celebrated Trewey, the French fantaisiste, to the American 
public. Herrmann was an extraordinary linguist, a raconteur 
and wit. Several chivalric orders were conferred upon him by 
European potentates. He usually billed himself as the Cheva- 
lier Alexander Herrmann. His mephistophelean aspect, his for- 
eign accent, and histrionic powers, coupled with his wonderful 
sleight of hand, made him indeed the king of conjurers. He had 
a wrist of steel and a palm of velvet. He performed tricks 
wherever he went, in the street cars, cafes, clubs, hotels, news- 
paper offices, and markets, imitating in this respect the renowned 
Bosco. These impromptu entertainments widely advertised his 
art. He rarely changed his repertoire, but old tricks in his hands 
were invested with the charm of newness. I can remember as 
a boy with what emotion I beheld the rising of the cut tain, in 
his fantastic soirees, and saw him appear, in full court costume, 
smiling and bowing. Hey, presto ! I expected every moment to 
see him metamorphosed into the Mephisto of Goethe's "Faust," 
habited in the traditional red costume, with red cock's feather 
in his pointed cap, and clanking rapier by his side; sardonic, 



A DAY WITH ALEXANDER THE GREAT 22e 

and full of subtleties. He looked the part to perfection. He was 
Mephisto in evening dress. When he performed the trick of the 
inexhaustible bottle, which gave forth any liquor called for by 
the spectators, I thouglit of him as Mephisto in that famous 
drinking scene in Auerbach's cellar, boring boles in an old 
table, and extracting from them various sparkhng liquors as well 



ADELAiim Here MANN. 

as flames. In his nervous hanrls articles vanished and reappeared 
with surprising rapidity. Everything material, under the spell 
of his flexible fingers, seemed to be resolved into a fluidic state, 
as elusive as pellets of quicksilven He was indeed the Alexander 
the Great of ilagic, who had conquered all worlds with his 
necromancer "s wand— theatrical worlds ; and he sighed because 
there were no more to dominate with his legerdemain. One of 
his posters always fascinated my boyish imagination, It was 



226 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

night in the desert. The Sphinx loomed up majestically under 
the black canopy of the Egyptian sky. In front of the giant 
figure stood Herrmann, in the center of a magic circle of skulls 
and cabalistic figures. Incense from a brazier ascended and cir- 
cled about the head of the Sphinx. Herrmann was depicted in 
the act of producing rabbits and bowls of gold fish from a shawl, 
while Mephisto, the guardian of the weird secene, stood near by, 
dressed all in red, and pointing approvingly at his disciple in the 
black art. In this picture were symbolized Egyptian mystery 
and necromancy, mediaeval magic, and the sorcery of science and 
prestidigitation. ^ 



IV. 

When Herrmann came to Baltimore, he always put up at 
Barnum's Hotel, a quaint, old caravansary that had sheltered 
beneath its hospitable roof such notables as Charles Dickens, 
Thackeray and Jenny Lind. Alas, the historic hostelry was torn 
down years ago to make room for improvements. It stood on 
the southwest corner of Calvert and Fayette streets, within a 
stone's throw of the Battle Monument. I spent some happy 
hours with Herrmann in this ancient hotel, listening to his rich 
store of anecdotes. I received from him many valuable hints 
in conjuring. There was something exotic about his tastes. He 
loved to surround himself with Oriental luxuries, rare curios 
picked up in the bazaars of Constantinople, Cairo, and Damas- 
cus; nargilehs, swords of exquisite workmanship; carved ivory 
boxes; richly embroidered hangings, and the like. His private 
yacht, "Fra Diavolo,'' and his Pullman car were fitted up regard- 
less of expense. Habited in a Turkish dressing gown which 
glowed with all the colors of the rainbow ; his feet thrust into 
red Morocco slippers; the inevitable cigarette in his mouth, 
Herrmann resembled a pasha of the East. He was inordinately 
fond of pets and carried with him on his travels a Mexican dog, 
a Persian cat, cages full of canaries, a parrot and a monkey. His 
rooms looked like a small zoo. He seemed to enjoy the noises 
made by his pets. His opinions concerning his art were inter- 
esting. 



A DAY WITH ALEXANDER THE GREAT 227 

"A magician is born, not made!" was his favorite apothegm. 
"He must possess not only digital dexterity, but be an actor as 
well." 

"What is the greatest illusion in the repertoire of the con- 
jurer?" I asked him. 

"The Vanishing Lady of M. Buatier de Kolta," was the 
unhesitating reply. 

"Why so?" I inquired. 

"Because of its simplicity. The great things of magic are 
always the simple things. The 'Vanishing Lady' trick has the 
most transcendant effect when properly produced, but, ajas, the 
secret is now too well known. Its great success proved its ruin. 
Irresponsible bunglers took it up and made a fiasco of it. In the 
hands of De Kolta it was perfection itself. There was nothing 
wanting in artistic finish/' 

Herrmann related to me some amusing episodes of his varied 
career. In the year 1863 he was playing an engagement in 
Constantinople. He received a summons to appear before the 
Sultan and his court. At the appointed hour tliere came to the 
hotel where he was staying a Turkish officer, who drove him in 
a handsome equipage to a palace overlooking the gleaming 
waters of the Golden Horn, where "ships that fly the flags of half 
the world" ride at anchor. It was a lovely aftern^x>n in April. 
Herrmann was ushered into a luxuriously furnislied apartmenc 
and invited to be seated on a divan. The officer then withdrew. 
Presently a couple of tall Arabs entered. One carried a lighted 
chibouk; the other a salver, upon which was a goklcn pot full of 
steaming hot Mocha coffee, and a tiny cup and saucer of cxfjuisite 
porcelain. The slaves knelt at his feet and presented the tray 
and pipe to him. 

"A faint suspicion," said Herrmann, "crossed my mind that 
perhaps the tobacco and coffee were drugged with a pinch or two 
of hasheesh — that opiate of the East, celebrated by Monte Cristo ; 
the drug that brings forgetfulness and elevates its votaries to 
the seventh heaven of spiritual ecstasy. I thought, Svhat if the 
Sultan were tr}^ing some of his sleight-of-hand tricks on me for 
the amusement of the thing. Sultans have l>een known to df) 
such things.' Now I wanted to keep cool and have all of my wits 



228 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

about me. My reputation as a prestidigitateur was at stake. 
It was very silly, I suppose, to entertain such ideas. But once 
possessed of this absurd obsession I could not get rid of it. So 
I waved off the attendants politely and signified by gestures that 
I did not desire to indulge in coffee or tobacco. But they per- 
sisted, and I saw that I could not rid myself of them without an 
effort. Happy thought ! I just took a whiff of the pipe and a sip 
of the coffee, when, hey, presto! — I made the chibouk and cup 
vanish by my sleight of hand and caused a couple of small snakes, 
which I carried upon my person for use in impromptu tricks, to 
appear in my hands. The astonishment on the faces of those two 
Arabs was something indescribable. They gazed up at the gilded 
ceiling and down at the carpet, puzzled to find out where the 
articles had gone, but finding no solution to the problem and 
beholding the writhing serpents in my hands, fled incontinently 
from the room. These simple sons of the desert evidently thought 
that I had .just stepped out of the Arabian Nights Entertain- 
ments. At this juncture a chamberlain entered and in French 
bade me welcome, informing me that His Imperial Majesty was 
ready to receive me. He conducted me to a superb salon with 
a platform at one end. I looked around me, but saw only one 
person, a black-bearded gentleman, who sat in an armchair in 
the middle of the apartment. I recognized in him the famous 
*Sick Man of Europe.' I bowed low to the Sultan Abdul Aziz. 

** *Well, monsieur, begin,' he said in French. 

"And so this was my audience. No array of brilliantly 
garbed courtiers and attendants; no music. Only a fat gentle- 
man, languidly polite, waiting to be amused. How was it possi- 
ble to perform with any elan under such depressing conditions ? 
It takes a large and enthusiastic audience to inspire a performer. 
I began my tricks. As I progressed with my programme, how- 
ever, I became aware of the presence of other persons in the 
room besides the ruler of the Ottoman Empire. The laughter 
of women rippled out from behind the gilded lattice work and 
silken curtains that surrounded the salon. The harem was pres- 
ent though invisible to me. I felt like another being and executed 
my tricks with more than usual effect. The Sultan was charmed 
and paid me many compliments. A couple of weeks after the 



A DAY WITH ALEXANDER THE GREAT 229* 

seance, I was invited to accompany him on a short cruise in the 
royal yacht. On this occasion I created a profound sensation 
by borrowing the SuUan's watch, which I (apparently) threw 
overboard. His face fairly blazed with anger ; his hand involun- 
tarily sought the handle of his jeweled sword. Never before had 
the Commander of the Faithful been treated so cavalierly. See- 
ing his agitation, I hastened to explain. 'Don't be alarmed, your 
Majesty, for the safety of your timepiece. It will be restored 
to you intact. I pledge my honor as a magician.' He sneered 
incredulously, but vouchsafed no reply. Termit me to throw 
overboard this hook and line and indulge in a little fishing.' So 
saying, I cast into the sea the line, and after a little while brought 
up a good sized fish. Cutting it open, I produced from its body 
the missing watch. This feat, bordering so closely on the sorcery 
of the Arabian Nights, made a wonderful impression on the 
spectators. I was the lion of the hour. Constantinople soon 
rang with my fame. In the cafes and bazaars the ignorant popu- 
lace discussed my marvelous powers with bated breath. The 
watch trick, however, proved my undoing. One morning I was 
sitting in my room at my hotel, idly smoking a cigarette and 
building palaces as unsubstantial as those erected by the Genii in 
the story of 'Aladdin and his wonderful lamp,' when a messenger 
from his Imperial Majesty was announced. He made a low 
obeisance and humbly laid at my feet a bag containing 5,000 
piastres, after which he handed me an envelope inscribed with 
Turkish characters and sealed with large seals. 

" *Ah,' I said to myself, *the Sultan is going to confer upon 
me the coveted order of the Medjidie. My heart swelled with 
pride. I was like the foolish Alnaschar, who, while indulging in 
day dreams of greatness, unconsciously overturned his stock of 
glassware in the market, thereby ruining himself. I prolonged 
opening the envelope in order to indulge my extravagant fancies. 
Finally I broke the seals and read the enclosed letter, which was 
written in French : 

" *It would be better for you to leave Constantinople at 
once.' 

"My budding hopes were crushed. I left the city that after- 
noon in a British steamer bound for a Grecian port. Either 



230 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

watch tricks were unpopular in the Orient, or I was encroaching 
upon the preserves of the Dervishes — a close corporation for the 
working of pious frauds. But things have changed in Turkey 
since then." 

V. 

Madame Herrmann, on the death of her husband, sent to 
Europe for her nephew-in-Iaw, Leon Herrmann, and they con- 
tinued the entertainments of magic throughout the country, 
meeting with success. Some curious and amusing adventures 
were encountered on their travels. One of Alexander Herr- 
mann's favorite tricks was the production of a mass of colored 
paper ribbon from a cocoanut shell, and from the paper a live 
duck. This clever feat always evoked tremendous applause. 
The stupid look of the duck as it waddled around the stage was 
very laughable. On one occasion, when I was present at the 
soiree niagique, the duck seemed to find difficulty in reaching the 
exit and went around quacking in loud distress, thereby inter- 
rupting the conjurer in his patter. Quick as a flash, Herrmann 
remarked to his assistant, "Kindly remove the comedian." 
Shouts of laughter greeted the sally. Herrmann was very felici- 
tous in this species of impromptu by-play. He was indeed, as 
he described himself, the necromantic comedian. Leon, follow- 
ing irrajhe footsteps of his illustrious uncle, also performed the 
cocoanut shell trick. He had as assistant a stalwart Ethiopian, 
who had been with the elder Herrmann, and rejoiced in the 
stage name of **Boumski." One day in the city of Detroit, Mich., 
Madame Herrmann missed from her dressing room at the theatre 
a valuable diamond ring. Suspicion fell upon the negro, who 
had attained some proficiency in the black art, so far as making 
things disappear was concerned, though he was not so apt when 
it came to producing them. Boumski stoutly asseverated that he 
had seen the duck swallow the ring. The fowl was accordingly 
slain, and its stomach searched, but without result. The loss 
of the duck caused considerable grief in the conjuring menage. 
It was quite a pet, and trained to perform its part in the magic 
tricks. Suspicion again fell upon Boumski. Finally, the dusky 
necromancer confessed that he was the thief and that the poor 



I 



-]^' 



A DAY WITH ALEXANDER THE GREAT- 



231 



duck was innocent. The ring was recovered in a pawnbroker's 
shop. Boumski went to jail. To revenge himself he exposed the 
whole repertoire of tricks of the Herrmann company to the 
newspapers. 

After playing together for a season or two, aunt and nephew 
separated. Today they are performing with great success in 
vaudeville. Madame Herrmann calls her act "A Night in 
Japan." It is an exhibition of silent magic — en pantomime. 




Alexander Herrmann's Magic Table. 
(In the Possession of Francis J. Martinka.) 

She was ever a graceful woman, and her exhibitions of legerde- 
main are most pleasing. Beautiful scenery adds to the effect. 
Leon Herrmann, who resembles his great uncle in personal 
appearance, is fast becoming a favorite with the American public. 



VI. 



Let us now pass in review some of Alexander Herrmann's 
tricks. His gun illusion was perhaps his most sensational feat. 



232 



THE OLD AXD THE NEW MAGIC 



I am indebted to the late Frederick Bancroft for the correct 
explanation of the startling trick. A squad of soldiers, under 
the command of a sergeant, comprised the firing party. The 
guns were apparently loaded with genuine cartridges, the bullets 
of which had been previously marked for identification by various 
spectators. The soldiers stood upon a platform erected in the 
centre of the theatre, and Herrmann stationed himself upon 
the stage. The gims were fired at him, and he caught the balls 
upon a plate. Upon examination the balls were found to be still 
warm from the effects of the explosion, and the marks were 
identified upon them. The substitution of the sham cartridges. 




Magical Cabinet Constructed by Carl Herrmann. 

The magician places a card in one of the little drawers of 
the cabinet, and it reappears in any other drawer the onlooker 
may suggest. (Now in the possession of Mr. Martinka, New 
York City.) 

which were loaded into the gun, for the genuine ones was very 
subtly executed by means of a trick salver having a small well 
let into its centre to hold the cartridges. Into this well the 
marked cartridges were deposited by the spectators. In the 
interior of the salver was a second compartment loaded with the 
blank cartridges. The sergeant who collected the bullets shifted 
the compartments by means of a peg underneath the salver, as 
he walked from the audience to the stage. The sham cartridges 



234 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

the Ball." A large pier glass, which was elevated some two feei 
above the stage, was brought forward by the magician, and the 
glass shown to be solid, back and front. Mme. Herrmann, 
dressed in a handsome ball costume, was now introduced to the 
audience. By the aid of a small ladder, she climbed up and 
stood upon a glass shelf immediately in front of the mirror. A 
narrow screen was then placed about her, so as not to hide from 
the spectators the sides of the mirror. 

"Ladies and gentlemen," said Herrmann, "Madame Vanity 
Fair, who is now gazing at her pretty features in the mirror, has 
only to pronounce a certain mystic formula known to the Cabal- 
ists, and she will be instantly transported to the grand ball at the 
Opera House. This is a decided improvement on horses and car- 
riages." He fired a pistol, and the screen was pulled away. The 
lady was found to have completely vanished. But how? Not 
into the mirror, into that land of adumbration, celebrated in 
Alice's Adventures in a Looking Glass, No, the glass was 
apparently of solid crystal, and too thin to conceal anyone. This 
is the modus operandi of the trick: The mirror in reality was 
composed of two sections. The glass shelf, upon which the lady 
stood, concealed the top of the lower section. The upper section 
was placed to the rear of the lower mirror, so that its lo>Aier end 
slid down behind it. This upper glass worked like a window 
sash. When it was pushed up, its upper end was hidden in the 
wide panel of the frame. The lower part of this large glass had 
a piece cut out. Through this opening the lady was drawn by an 
assistant across an improvised bridge — a plank shoved through 
the back scene, as shown in the illustration. When she had 
escaped, the counterpoised, mirror was again pushed down 
into its proper place, and the plank withdrawn. The fact 
that some of the mirror was in view during the exhibition allayed 
suspicion on the part of the audience. The effect was further 
enhanced by turning the back of the mirror to the spectators to 
show them that the lady was not there. It was one of the most 
novel and effective illusions of Herrmann's repertoire, particu- 
larly because of the fact that he was assisted by his pretty and 
graceful wife, who looked charming in her elegant ball dress, 
and acted her part to perfection. 




Herrmann I, II, III. 



•V 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

The following is one of Alexander Herrmann's programmes : 

The Necromantic Comedian 

HERRMANN, the Great 

Aided by MME. HERRMANN, in his incomparable entertainment of 

MAGIC, MIRTH AND MYSTERY 

PART I. 

THIRTY MINUTES WITH HERRMANN, 

All Nature's laws set aside. Laughter born of bewilderment and wonder. 
Concludingr with Herrmann's latest and most startling illusion, entitled : 

AFTER THE BALL. 

By MHE. HERRMANN. 
INTERMISSION. 

PART II. 

HERRMANN'S NEW MARVELLOUS SPIRIT SEANCE. 

(During the Seance no one will be allowed to enter or leave the auditorium.) 
INTERMISSION. 

PART III. 

Herrmann's latest thrilling sensational illusion, 

THE ESCAPE FROM SING SING, 

Founded on the recent escape of the notorious convicts, Pallister 
and Roehl, from the famous prison. 

INTERMISSION. 

PART IV.— FINALE. 



HERRMANN, 



With a bouquet of mystic novelties. ^^ The closer you watch the less you see.*' 
Ck>ncluding with Herrmann's mystifying masterpiece, 

THE MYSTERIOUS SWING. 

-REI THEREI NOWHEREI 



A TWENTIETH CENTURY THAUMATURGIST. 

"I have, since I was three years old, conversed with a magician, most 
profound in his art, and yet not damnable." — Shakespeare; As You Like It. — 
V. 2, 68. 



The leading exponent of the magic art in the United States 
today is the famous Harry Kellar. He makes a speciahy of 
pseudo-clairvoyance, second sight, feats of levitation, spirit cab- 
inets, and mechanical illusions. Seizing upon the craze for 
Hindoo necromancy, mahatma miracles and the like, he presents 
many of his tricks and illusions as examples of Eastern thau- 
maturgy. Unlike Herrmann, who bubbled over with wit and 
humor and acted the comedian, Kellar assumes a Sphinx-like 
demeanor and envelopes himself in a mantle of mystery. Herr- 
mann was the tricksy Mephistopheles of Goethe's Faust. Kellar 
is the Arbaces of Bulwer's Last Days of Pompeii — the Egyptian 
sorcerer and initiate into the rites of Isis and Osiris; or, better 
still, the Brahmin adept of Crawford's Mr. Isaacs. Kellar's 
entertainments appeal to the scholarly inclined. To see him at 
work, one is transported in imagination to a Hindoo temple 
where mahatmas exhibit their miracles. His patter is mor^ 
or less based on Oriental ideas. For example, *'The Yoge's 
Lamp," which is a very fine trick, invented by a (German con- 
jurer, Herr Conradi, of Berlin. The effect is as follows: On 
a pedestal stands a lighted lamp. Enveloping this lamp with a 
foulard, the magician carries it across the stage and places it upcjn 
a small gueridon with a glass top. A portion of the chimney 
of the lamp is in view all the time, and within the silken folds 
of the foulard the light may be seen shining through with sub- 
dued effect. Kellar now fires a pistol. The foulard diups ujjtui 



238 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

the table, and the big lamp vanishes with hghtning rapidity. It 
seems to melt away. It is a seemingly impossible feat, because 
the glass-topped table has no possible place of concealment about 
it. The foulard is afterwards passed to the spectators for exam- 
ination. I am not at liberty to reveal the secret of this surprising 
trick. I must preserve a discreet silence, in deference to the 
wishes of Mr. Kellar. As originally invented by Herr Conradi, 
the lamp reappears in a frame hanging in the center of the stage. 
But Kellar's method I consider more artistic, and in better 
keeping with the mise en scene. Without patter this feat of 
magic would fall comparatively flat. In Kellar's hands it is 
invested with a halo of supernaturalism which is very effective. 
The following is a brief resume of the story of the lamp : "Ladies 
and gentlemen, I have here on this pedestal a copper lamp of 
antique pattern which was loaned to me by a celebrated Brahmin 
who presides over a shrine in the Holy City of Benares, India. 
I have his permission to use it in my thaumaturgic seances, but 
I must return it to him at a certain hour every evening, as it is 
needed in the ceremonial rites of the temple at Benares. That 
hour has now arrived. (A bell strikes the hour, slowly and sol- 
emnly. He zvraps the foulard about the lamp, which he places 
on the table,) I shall count three — the mystic nutnber 
of Brahmin theosophy — and fire this pistol. Instantaneously the 
atoms composing the lamp will be disintegrated by the force of 
my will and fly through the fourth dimension of space to India, 
where they will reassemble and materialize in their former shape, 
and the lamp will appear upon the altar of the temple as of 
old." 

Of course no one credits this rhodomontade, but the con- 
jurer's purpose is accomplished. The trick is given a mystical 
setting and a certain kind of pseudo-scientific explanation. And 
all things are possible in nature, for have we not the x-rays, 
radio-activity, wireless telegraphy, and forces undreamed of a 
few years ago by the physicists? 

II. 

Kellar was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1849 — ^he famous 
year of the California Argonauts. When quite a young lad he 




Harry Kellar 



240 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

was apprenticed to the drug business. In this respect he resem- 
bles the great CagHostro. One day while experimenting on his 
own account, during the absence of his master, he charged a 
copper vessel with soda and sulphuric acid, the result being a ter- 
rific explosion which tore a hole in the office floor overhead. 
Thus he began life by making a great noise in the world, and has 
resolutely kept it up. After the fiasco with the chemicals, he was 
dismissed by his employer, whereupon he boarded a freight train 
and went to New York City, where he became a newsboy. His 
energy and winning manners attracted the attention of Rev. 
Robert Harcourt, an English clergyman, who adopted him, and 
gave him a good education. The reverend gentleman intended 
preparing young Kellar for the church, but such was not to be. 
Seeing an advertisement in a Buffalo paper that the renowned 
*Takir of Ava'' wanted a boy to travel with him and learn the 
trade of magician, Kellar determined to apply for the place. 
He set out for Buffalo and went to the Fakir's bungalow, a 
quaint old house in the environs of the city. "When he entered 
the yard, the Fakir's little black-and-tan dog jumped at him in 
a friendly way, and showed great delight at the meeting. The 
Fakir soon appeared, and after he had talked with the boy for a 
short time, said : *I have had about one hundred and fifty appli- 
cations for the place, but that little dog has shown great animos- 
ity to every boy who entered the gate until you came. You are 
the first one he has rnade friends with. I will give you a trial.' "* 
The result was that Kellar became acolyte or familiar to the 
Fakir of Ava, and all because of a dog. This was reversing the 
old proverb, **Love me, love my dog" to that of "Whom my dog 
loves, I love." The reader will remember that Mephisiopheles 
first appears to Faust in the shape of a dog. Perhaps the Fakir's 
canine was possessed with the Devil, and recognized a future 
master of the black art in Kellar. 

■ After traveling several seasons with the good old Fakir, 
Kellar started out on his own account. It was an uphill fight. 
He met the Davenport Brothers and Fay, alleged spirit mediums 
but in reality clever conjurers, and joined them, first as assistant, 
then as agent, and afterwards as business manager. He traveled 
*A Magical Tour. Chicago, 1886. 



A TWENTIETH CENTURY THAUMATURGIST 24 1 

with them over the greater part of the United States (including 
CaHfornia) and Canada, over the Continent of Europe, through 
Russia, via Riga, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nijni-Novgorod and 
Odessa ; thence back again to the United States. In the summer 
of 1 87 1 he piloted them through Texas. They traveled all over 
that State in wagons. There was no railroad beyond Hearne 
then, and their route was from Galveston to Houston, Columbus, 
San Antonio, Austin, Lampasas Springs, Dallas, and Shreve- 
port, and thence by boat down the river to New Orleans. 

In the spring of 1873, he left the Davenports, from whom he 
learned the secrets of rope-tying and the cabinet act, and formed 
a combination called Fay and Kellar. Eventually he went 
into partnership with two Chinese magicians. This company 
was known as the Royal Illusionists. After touring Australia, 
India and China, Kellar dissolved partnership and came to the 
United States. During his stay at Calcutta, India, the Asian of 
Jan. 3, 1882, printed the following effusion, a paraphrase on 
Robert Heller's verse about himself and Anderson: 

"For many a day, 
We have heard people say 
That a wondrous magician was Heller; 
Change the H into K, 
And the E into A, 
And you have his superior in Kellar." 

Kellar has written several monographs on his art — mainly 
contributions to magazines; all highly suggestive and enter- 
taining. He says: "There are six qualifications which are 
the essence of the successful magician, prestidigitateur, necro- 
mancer — call him what you may. They are : The will, manual 
dexterity, physical strength, the capacity to perform things auto- 
matically, an accurate, perfectly ordered and practically auto- 
matic memory, and a knowledge of a number of languages, the 
more the better." 

Speaking of his experiences as stage helper, or chela^ to the 
so-called Fakir of Ava, he says (Independent, May 28, 1903) : 
'The 'face' of many a prestidigitateur has been saved and his 
defeat turned into a glorious victory by the merest chance. One 
of my first adventures with the Fakir of Ava affords a capital 



242 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

illustration. We were doing the watch trick — taking a time- 
piece from some one in the audience, passing it upon the stage in 
a platter, destroying both platter and timepiece in plain view of 
the spectators, loading the fragments into a pistol, firing the 
weapon at a target and bringing the watch — whole and sound — 
to life again upon the face of the mark, in plain sight of the 
audience. But on that particular day the target concluded not 
to do its share of the performance. No watch would it produce ; 
the machinery was out of order. We had to work hard to *save 
face.' 

^'Disguised as an usher of the house, I went down into the 
audience with the timepiece, hoping to be able to slip it unob- 
served into the pocket of the owner. He was sitting at a distance 
from the aisle ; I found it impossible. I did the next best thing — 
slipped the watch into the waistcoat pocket of the man who sat 
next to the aisle on the same row with the owner. Then I 
returned to the stage. 

"The Fakir in the meantime was discussing learnedly upon 
some other subject. When I returned, the question of the where- 
abouts of the watch was called up and a bell on the stage was 
summoned to answer questions ; one ring for *yes,' two for *no.' 

" Ts the watch on the stage?' 

" *No,' replied the obedient bell. 

" *Is it in the audience?' 

" ^Yes.' 

'' Is it on the first row?' 

" ^No.' 

"The second— the third, the fourth, the fifth?' 

"To each question came a *no.' 

" Ts it on the sixth row?' 

" ^Yes.' 

" Ts it the first man on the row?' 

" ^Yes.' 

"The eyes of the audience focused upon the unfortunate 
occupant of the seat. 

" 'Look in your pocket, sir,' said the Fakir of Ava, in his 
politest, most persuasive tones. 



A TWENTIETH CENTURY THAUMATURGIST 



243 



" *Go on with your show there and let me alone/ shouted the 
enraged seat holder. 

" *But I pray you, look in your pocket/ said the Fakir. 

"The man obeyed and produced the watch. The trick, called 
in stage vernacular a 'life saver,' made a hit vastly more impres- 
sive than the one originally planned but spoiled by the perverse- 
ness of the target." 

Kellar's greatest and most sensational illusion is his "levita- 
tion" — raising a person and leaving him suspended in mid-air 
without any apparent means of support, seemingly defying the 




Fig. I.— The Celebrated "Levitation" Mystery. 

law of gravitation. An explanation of this surprising feat is 
thus described by a writer in the Strand Magazine (London) : 

"An assistant is introduced, laid upon an ottoman, and then 
sent off into a hypnotic trance (?). The performer takes an 
ordinary fan and fans the body Avhile it rises slowly about four 
feet in the air, where it mysteriously remains for any length of 
time desired. A large solid steel hoop is given for examination, 
and after the audience is satisfied as to its genuineness it is passed 
over the body from head to feet, behind the body and over it 
again, at once dispelling the idea of wires or any other tangible 
support being used, the body, as it were, journeying through the 
hoop each time. The suspended assistant is now fanned from 



244 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



above and gently descends to the ottoman as slowly and grace- 
fully as he rose from, it. He is then brought back to his normal 
state out of the trance, and walks off none the worse for his aerial 
pose. 

"This seeming impossibility is performed by the aid of a 
cranked bar (Fig. 2 and A, Fig. 3) and a pulley to raise it, the 
bar being pushed through from the back at the moment when the 
performer is 'hypnotizing' the subject, and in the act of placing a 
light covering over him he guides a clamp (B, Fig. 3) and fixes 
it to the top of the ottoman upon which the subject rests, and 




L 



B. Opening .- 

C- Telescopic ^land 
^ PuUa.y ArrarvQ^tni eat* 



Fig. 2. — "Levitation" — Hypnotism or Mechanism? — Which? 

which rises, unseen, with him, the edges being obscured by the 
covering. The bar being the same color as the back scene cannot 
be noticed, and resting upon a stand (C, Figs. 2 and 3) behind 
the scenes the same height as the ottoman it is kept firm by the 
aid of strong supports. Being also double the width (D, Fig. 3) 
at this part greater leverage is obtained to hold the board upon 
which the subject rests secure from tilting either way. By means 
of a pulley arrangement (E, Fig. 2) the assistant behind' raises 
and lowers the body, looking through a small hole in the scene 
and timing the performer's movements with exactness. Fig. i 
shows the illusion as it appears. Fig. 2 — a side view — shows the 



A TWENTIETH CENTURY THAUMATURGIST 



245 



means of suspension and the pulley for raising the bar and tele- 
scopic stand. Fig. 3 almost explains itself. It shows the method 
of passing the ring over the body. By putting it on at ( i ) and 
passing it as far as the center of the bar (A) it can be brought 
around and off the body at (2), apparently having passed right 
over it, although not free from the crank; it is then passed behind 
the body as far as (3), when it can again be placed over the end 
( I ) and drawn across once more, this time being, of course, quite 
free, having made an apparent circle right around and across the 
body. It seems evident to the audience that the subject is so 
raised and suspended by the performer's magic power alone. 




Fic. 3. — "Levitation" How the Hoop is Passed Over the Body. 

The sleeping subject is now lowered, and in the act of being 
*dehypnotized' the performer slips the crank off, which is imme- 
diately drawn in from behind, the subject and performer sharing 
the applause. It is almost needless to explain that the 'hypno- 
tism' is mere sham to heighten the effect and admit of an 
excuse to stoop in order to fix the cranked bar." 

So far, so good. The above method was undoubtedly the one 
used in Mr. Kellar's original presentation of the illusion. But 
he has since made numerous improvements in it which have 
puzzled not only the public but the conjurers as well. 



III. 



Kellar has been an extensive Oriental traveler. He has 
hob-nobbed with Hindoo Rajahs, smoked nargilehs with the 



246 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

turbaned Turk, and penetrated into darkest Africa. In India 
he witnessed many exhibitions of thaumaturgy. Concerning 
the high-caste magic, such as hypnotic feats and experiments 
in apparent death, he speaks with respect, but the magic of the 
strolhng Fakirs he characterizes as inferior to that of our West- 
ern conjurers, with, perhaps, the exception of the Hindoo Basket 
Trick, which is a clever illusion. When we contemplate the 
fact that this startling trick is always performed in the open 
air, amid a circle of spectators, we must give due credit to the 
histrionic ability of the native conjurers and their powers of 
misdirection. Robert-Houdin and Col. Stodare introduced this 
experiment to European theatre-goers, but they were aided by 
all the accessories of the modern stage and the audience sat 
at a respectable distance. Let us hear Kellar's explanation of 
the feat (A Magicians Tour, Chicago, 1886). 

"At Allahabad I saw a juggler who made a specialty of this 
trick. Having explained to the spectators what he proposed 
to do, he allowed them to select a spot on the turf in the open 
air where the trick should be performed. Here he stationed 
himself with a basket with a hinged lid at his feet, a little boy at 
his side, and a sharp sword in one hand. He wore nothing 
but a breech clout. The company surrounded the conjurer in 
a circle so close that there was no possibility for any person 
to pass it without detection. The juggler placed the child in 
the basket, closed the lid, and began muttering a seeming incan- 
tation. While still praying he wound a large white cloth about 
his arm, and suddenly threw it over the basket, binding one end. 
He then drew the cloth towards him, brought it up around his 
waist and tucked the end in his clout, leaving a portion to hang 
down in front in graceful folds. This much done, he plunged 
the sword through the basket. As the child's agonizing cries 
were heard, the man drew back the sword all dripping with 
blood. Again and again was the sword thrust into the basket, 
the child's heart-rending screams growing fainter and fainter 
until they ceased altogether. The Fakir asked that the basket 
be examined. It was opened and found to be empty. A gleeful 
shout was heard. The spectators looked in the direction from 
whence it came, and there sat the child on the limb of a small 



A TWENTIETH CENTURY THAUMATURGIST 



247 



tree, waving his arms and seeming as happy as a bird. I paid 
the thaumaturgist two rupees (one dollar) and the secret of the 
trick was explained to me. I marveled at first that the man 
was wilHng to reveal the mystery for so small a sum, but I 
soon discovered that only those who wore the Indian juggler's 
costume, the breech clout, could perform it. The trick is done 
in this way: When the cloth is spread the boy slips out of 




p^- 



the basket under the friendly cover of the linen, and crawls 
under the Fakir. Grasping a strap abf>iit the man's waist, he 
draws himself up between the juggler's legs. The cloth when 
brought about the Fakir^s waist hides the little fellow, who, 
from his unexpected retreat, utters the piercing shrieks of the 
dying child. With a sponge saturated with a red liquid the 
conjurer produces the blocxi stains. When the people rush 
forward to look into the ba^sket, the boy slips from his place 
of concealment and makes his presence manifest wherever he 
has been directed to go." 



248 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

Herr Willmann describes practically the same trick under the 
title "Spirit box/' designed to prove the permeability of matter. 
A medium is placed in the box, and after some hocus-pocus the 
manager reopens it and declares it to be empty ; for the purpose 
of proving his assertion he turns it over toward the public, and 
when the lid is opened, the medium, who remains all the while in 
his place, has become invisible, because he is hidden by the in- 
terior part of the double wall, which now seems to be the bottom 
of the box. The box stands upon a podium, in order to show 
that the medium could not have escaped through the floor. The 
adjoined illustration reveals the secret of the trick, the explana- 
tion of which is as simple as the effect is surprising. 

On stages which allow the prestidigitateur to use traps, a 
trunk is placed so as to allow the prisoner to escape through 
the floor. The movable wall of the trunk in such a case swings 
round an axis which lies parallel with the rope that is after- 
wards fastened around the trunk. The movable wall in the 
trunk connects with a trap in the floor, and while visitors from 
the audience closely watch the fastening, the enclosed person 
makes his escape with the greatest ease. 

Kellar is an expert in the rope-tying business, which the 
notorious Davenport Brothers exploited under the guise of 
spiritism. When I first saw Kellar at Ford's Opera House, 
Washington, D. C, in February, 1879, his cabinet act, a bur- 
lesque on the Davenport seance, was a feature of his entertain- 
ment. After playing a disastrous engagement in Philadelphia, 
he came to Washington, where his business proved no better, 
and being "flat broke," as he expressed it, he advertised in 
sheer desperation a Sunday night lecture on Spiritualism, to be 
delivered at the old National Theatre. The theatre and adver- 
tising were furnished by Mr. Ford, who took half of the -gross 
receipts. I was present on the occasion and recall the excite- 
ment. Everything passed off without special incident, until 
the magician came to the Davenport cabinet test. At this 
juncture a venerable gentleman arose in the audience and chal- 
lenged Kellar to permit him to do the tying in the same manner 
that he had tied the Davenports years before. The gentleman 
was very much in earnest and remarked: **If you fail to get 



250 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

people in the theatre cried, *'Shame.'' Having completed his 
job, he turned to the spectators with a self-satisfied look on his 
face, as much as to say, "I have trapped the fox.'' But he 
reckoned without his host. No sooner was his back turned 
to the magician than the latter slipped one hand from its lash- 
ings and tapped the skeptic on the shoulder. "If you have 
two of my hands tied behind my back," said Kellar, "I must 
have been royally endowed by Nature with a third hand." 

Thunders of applause greeted the scene.. Even ladies rose 
from their seats and cheered. "Bravo, Kellar!" was heard on 
all sides. The old gentleman joined in the demonstration, and 
acknowledged himself beaten. This episode caused so great 
a sensation in Washington that two more Sunday evening 
lectures were given to crowded houses, and Kellar was enabled 
to pay his debts and get out of town. 

It is now pretty well known to conjurers that the Davenports 
accomplished their feats by secretly taking up slack in the rope 
while it was being tied, thereby getting a loop hole in the bonds 
through which to work one hand loose. Frequently they cut 
the cords with knives secreted up their sleeves, and after the 
alleged spirit manifestations were gone through with, exchanged 
the cut ropes for genuine ones, and came out of the cabinet 
with these, making the spectators believe that some occult agency 
had freed them from the knots. 

There is a conjurer named Joad Heteb who claims to have 
dropped from the eye of the Sphinx in the form of a tear, and 
was immediately metamorphosed into the Wizard of the Pyra- 
mids. According to his account the spirits of the sorcerers 
and soothsayers of the olden Pharaohs left their rock-cut tombs 
and painted mummy-cases to be present at the event. Joad 
Heteb has a clever press-agent.. If Joad fell from the. Sphinx's 
eye in the shape of a tear, Kellar must have dropped from 
the fabled monster's mouth in the form of a zvord, and that 
word "Mystery." Kellar is ably assisted by Herr Valadon, 
an Anglo-German professor of legerdemain, formerly of Egyp- 
tian Hall, London. Valadon, upon his entrance on the stage, 
takes ofif his gloves, vanishes them, by apparently throwing 



A TWENTIETH CENTURY THAUMATURGIST 



251 



them in the air, whereupon a white dove flutters upwards. It 
is a very pretty effect. 




X-Ray Photograph of Kellar's Hand. 
(In Possession of Mr. Francis J. Martinka, New York.) 



252 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

I give one of Kellar's programmes (Proctor's Theatre, New 
York City, September, 1904) : 

KELLAR 

THE PEERLESS MAGICIAN. 
Special Engagement of 

PAUL VALADON 

From England's Home of Mystery, the Egyptian Hall, London. 
Tour under the management of Dudley McAdow. 



FIRST PART. 

KELLAR 

In a series of original experiments in pure sleight of hand, 
thoroughly up to date. A display of marvelous digital dexterity, 
surpassing anything heretofore achieved in the field of magic. 
Novel, unique, original, including: 

OLD GLORY, 
THE DYEING ENIGMA, 

AND THE GREAT HYPNOTIC SCENE, 

The Levitation of Princess Karnac 

The most daring and bewildering illusion, and by far the most 
difficult achievement Mr. Kellar ever attempted. Absolutely new 
in principle. The dream in midair of the dainty Princess of 
Karnac surpasses the fabled feats of the ancient Egyptian sor- 
cerers, nor can anything more magical be found in the pages of 
The Thousand and One Nights, and it lends a resemblance to 
the miraculous tales of levitation that come out of India. This 



A TWENTIETH CENTURY THAUMATURGIST 253 

illusion is acknowledged by critics and historians of the goetic 
art to be the profoundest achievement in either ancient or modern 
magic. Its perfection represents fifteen years of patient research 
and abstruse study, and the expenditure of as many thousands 
of dollars. The result of these labors is a veritable masterpiece 
of magic, the sensational marvel of the twentieth century and 
the crowning achievement of Mr. Kellar's long and brilliant 
career. 



PART SECOND. 

By Herr VALADON 

The most accomplished exponent of pure sleight of hand ever 
seen in this or any other age, introducing his entirely new and 
original mystery, entitled : 

A Drum That Can't Be Beaten 

—AND- 

Well I'm !!! 

PART THIRD. 

KELLAR 

THE YOGE'S LAMP, 

MIND POWER, 

THE SIMLA SEANCE, 
FLY TO, OR THE PRINCESS OF KARNAC, 

An astonishing illusion, exploiting the theosophic theory of pro- 
jection of astral bodies through the air. An original conception 
so startling in effect and so nearly approaching the supernatural 
as to seem miraculous. Affinity with an unseen power seems 
plausible, and scientific minds marvel at the production. 



A GENTLEMAN OF THIBET. 

"I could not remember any more than that the hero [Cagliostro] had 
spoken of heaven, of the stars, of the Great Secret, of Memphis, of the High 
Priest, of transcendental chemistry, of giants and monstrous beasts, of a city 
ten times as large as Paris, in the middle of Africa, where he had correspond- 
ents." — Count Beugnot: Memoirs, 



When Madame Blavatsky, High Priestess of Isis, died, 
there followed a long interregnum during which magic lan- 
guished. Finally there appeared in the East a star of great 
magnitude — the five-pointed star of the Gnostics and the Ori- 
ental Mahatmas, heralding the coming of another mystic. 
Madame Blavatsky had set the fashion for Thibetan adepts, 
and had turned the current of modern occultism towards the 
Land of the Lamas, so it was quite natural that the new thau- 
maturgist should hail from the Holy City of Llassa. His 
name was Monsieur le Docteur Albert de Sarak, Comte de 
Das, who claimed to be "the son of a Rajah of Thibet and a 
French Marchioness,'' and to have been born in the land of 
marvels. 

Monsieur le Comte, in his circulars, described himself as 
"General Inspector of the Supreme Council of Thibet." He 
carried about with him a voluminous portfolio of papers con- 
taining "the numerous diplomas which he possessed as member 
of several orders of knighthood and of scientific and humani- 
tarian associations.'' He also exhibited a Masonic diploma of 
the Thirty-third degree, which bore the endorsement of all the 
Supreme Councils of the Rite to which he belonged in the 
countries through which he had traveled. But he was not a 



A GENTLEMAN OF THIBET ^55 

Fellow of the Theosophical Society. On the contrary, he 
claimed to have been persecuted by the members of that Broth- 
erhood ; to have^ been frequently arrested and denounced by 
them as a pretender to the occult, as a false magician, etc., etc. 

The Count made his debut in Washington, D. C, in the 
year 1902, where he founded one of his esoteric centers, de- 
scribed as follows in the organ of his cult. The Radiant Truth, 
of which he was editor-in-chief: 

"Oriental Esoteric Head Centre of the United States of 
America, under obedience to the Supreme Esoteric Council of 
the Initiates of Thibet. Social object: To form a chain of 
universal fraternity, based upon the purest Altruism, without 
hatred of sect, caste or color; in which reign tolerance, order, 
discipline, liberty, compassion and true love. To study the 
Occult Sciences of the Orient and to seek, by meditation, con- 
centration and by a special line of conduct, to develop those 
psychic powers which are in man and his environment." 

The Count also gave private seances, as we see by his adver- 
tisement in the above-named journal: 

"Science of Occultism, Double Vision, Telepathy, Astrology, 
Horoscopy, etc. Doctor Albert de Sarak, Count de Das, General 
Inspector of the Supreme Council of Thibet. 

"Office hours : 3 to 5 p. m. 

"Address, 1443 Corcoran Street, Washington, D. C." 

Dr. Sarak's first public exhibition of his alleged psychic 
powers is thus described in the Washington Post (March 16, 
1902) : 

"Dr. A. de Sarak, occultist and adept, a professor of the 
mystic and the sixth sense, gave a demonstration last night 
before a Washington audience. Several hundred persons gath- 
ered in the beautiful assembly hall of the House of the Temple 
of the Supreme Council, Southern Jurisdiction, 433 Third street, 
last evening, to witness his weird exhibition of occult powers. 
After three hours spent in the presence of the East Indian, 
the audience filed out with apparently something to think about 
and ponder. 

"Professor Sarak, while master of fourteen languages, does 
not speak fluently the English language. Last evening he spoke 



256 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

in French, and a very charming young woman, also an adept, 
but of English birth, acted as his interpreter. The Easterner, 
a man of medium height, was attired in a gorgeous gown of 
white silk, across the breast of which hung certain mystic em- 
blems of gold and silver. A loose, pale-yellow robe covered this 
garment during most of the evening. He wore a white turban. 
The adept wears a pointed black beard, which, with large, 
languid brown eyes, gave fully the effect that one expects in a 
student of the mystic schools of Thibet. 

"The interpreter stated that Professor de Sarak was born in 
Thibet and was descended from a noble French family. He 
had devoted his life, she said, to the study of the occult, first 
in the Thibetan schools and later with the ascetics hidden in the 
mountains. He had visited almost every country on the globe, 
spreading the occult science, which, she declared, some time 
would bring a rich harvest to all mankind. 

"As the professor finished his rapidly spoken French sen- 
tences the young woman translated them to the hearers. Dr. 
de Sarak described the sixth sense in man, saying that it was 
second-sight, a latent and undeveloped force. He said he merely 
wished to present the facts of his religion. He explained the 
wonderful fluid force that existed. He said it is the force that 
raised the huge stones in building the pyramids and is the 
same force that brings the bird from the egg, the force which 
gives man the power of rising as if filled with a buoyant 
gas, a power which can be concentrated in a tube. He stated 
that occultism was absolutely nothing but the powers of the will. 

" *It is nothing supernatural,' the doctor said, 'but is merely 
the hastening of nature's work.' 

"A small table stood by a leather chair, and on this burned 
a tiny candle from the mouth of a brazen asp. The professor 
stood over the table and busied himself with a pungent incense 
in an odd burner. A glass plate, with a number of fish eggs, 
was shown and examined. A large glass bowl was filled with 
water, and one of the members of the audience was told to 
carefully brush the eggs into the water. In the meantime three 
men from the audience had with strong ropes securely bound 



A GENTLEMAN OF THIBET 257 

the hands of the adept behind his back as he sat in the chair. 
Broad, clean, white cloths were wrapped about the seated figure, 
leaving the head free, and the three men selected held the cloths 
in place. Music rolled from a deep organ, and the head of the 
adept sank back and a strange light appeared to cross his face. 
According to the directions of the interpreter the bowl of water 
containing the fish eggs was placed by one of the three beneath 
the cloths on the lap of the adept. 

"After a period of straining and soft moaning from the 
white-wrapped figure, for perhaps ten minutes, the cloths were 
removed, and from the lap of the apparently insensible man was 
lifted the bowl of water, but instead of the eggs which it con- 
tained a few moments before there swam about a dozen of tiny, 
new-born fish.* 

"Dr. Sarak was then blindfolded with a half-dozen ban- 
dages pressing against absorbent cotton, which rested before 
the eyes. For a while he remained in his chair, while the vibrat- 
ing tones of an organ filled the room. Then the adept suddenly 
arose and walked surely and steadily down the room, turning 
into narrow aisles through the audience as safely as a man might 
who had his sight. This experiment was to demonstrate double 
vision at a distance and through opaque bodies. A blank canvas 
stood on an easel near the adept. Apparenty in a trance, he 
walked to the easel, mixed colors, and in ten minutes a finished 
picture was the result. A game of dominoes was played with 
a member of the audience, and previous to the beginning of the 
game the doctor wrote something on a bit of card and his assist- 
ant handed it to someone in the audience to keep. Blindfolded 
and standing, the adept played the game perfectly, and at the 
conclusion the card was found to contain the numbers of the 
last two dominoes played by both the adept and his opponent. 

"Experiments were given at the close in the disintegration 
and restoration of matter, of psychic perception, in which he 
aroused the wondering admiration of the audience.'' 

♦This reminds one of the experiments of Prof. Jacques Loeb, of the Uni- 
* Chicago, with the unfertilized eggs of the sea urchin. There was 
however, in the professor's researches. 



258 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

n. 

Not many months after this exhibition the Esoteric Centre 
was founded, and the following extraordinary circular sent out 
to prominent people in Washington: 

DIRECTING COMMISSION OF THE ORIENTAL ESOTERIC 
CENTRE OF WASHINGTON. 

Under Obedience to the Supreme Esoteric Council of the Initiates of 

Thiret. 

We address ourselves to those who truly desire to read — to those who 
truly wish to understand ! 

For those whose time has not yet come, this page has little value — it 
will but be scorned and rejected. 

But we and our work go onward, with few or with many — Forward, 
ever forwara. 

We will, then, be brief, but logical and clear! 

THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE ADEPTS OR MAHATMAS 
RESIDES * * * WHERE IT DESIRES! * * * since it possesses powers 
still unknown in the West; but it has, in fact, its centre of action in a 
region not yet ( !) explored, in the North of Thibet. 

This Council, composed of Masters who watch that the Law of the Lotus 
be not revealed to the vulgar, has its General itispectors in the West as 
in the East, who, invested with the necessary powers to demonstrate the 
truth of that which they teach and propagate, have different missions, which 
they must fulfill strictly; and although misunderstood and insulted by those 
who do not understand them, yet they continue to work actively to serve 
worthily the Holy Cause of True, Veritable Fraternity, having ever before 
their eyes this device : "Forward, ever forward !" 

They may suffer all manner of pain and torments, but none of these — 
no, nothing can touch them; for the Occult Hand sustains, saves and pro- 
tects them! 

The Supreme Council of the Mahatmas of Thibet has, then, given 
powers to its Representatives, that they may use them, not to enrich them- 
selves, but to call the attention of every man or woman of high ideals who 
desires "To go forward, ever forward, and ever higher!" 

We care little for their names or their nationality, tor names and nations 
disappear — the Work alone remains ! 

We have seen some! * * * appear like a shooting star, light up space, 
and disappear * * * almost without being noticed. 

We have read and we have seen many things! * * * calumnies, suffer- 
ings, noble deeds, etc. ! * * * 

We have read that the wicked took them for speculators or sorcerers; 
and we have seen them continue their good works and remain almost 
poor! * * * 

We have read that men tried to destroy them, casting the stones of 
calumny and vengeance; and we have seen them, even though weeping in- 
wardly, gather up the stones, asking pardon for those who threw them I 



A GENTLEMAN OF THIBET 259 

We have, in short, read lies, and we have seen them present the 
Truth! * * * 

Therefore, this Commission, animated by the most sincere and reasoned 
faith, strong in the Right which supports it, for Truth and for Justice, makes 
an appeal to all those who know that to Think is to Create, to Create is to 
Love, and that to Love is to Live; — to unite themselves with us in a truly 
fraternal chain, not formed of links of iron which can be broken, but woven 
of flowers of the soul — a chain which knows neither hatred nor deceit ! 

From those who come to us we will ask no sacrifices but sincerity and 
good faith, which we will put to the test; we respect all creeds and cus- 
toms, but we banish hypocrisy and slander! 

Strong in our Right, invested lifith the powers bequeathed to us by 
Him who had the power to give them, we initiate here in the Capital of the 
United States, in the heat of the fire of our enemies, this movement of true 
progress, destined to perpetuate the work of the Adept who has just left us! 

They, our enemies, have insulted him, calumniated him, have abandoned 
him, because he was an obstacle to them; for the Centres which radiate 
artificial light are afraid of the Radiant Centre of Truth! 

"The Radiant Truth" shall be our device, and with it we will go, with 
our Venerated Master, "Forward, ever forward!" 

Therefore let those who truly desire to learn and to elevate their spirit, 
without fear and without care, and they will find Brothers, true Brothers! 

Let those who have betrayed and insulted our Master, whom we will now 
name, 

OUR BROTHER, DR. SARAK, 

know : that we have in our ranks persons who, having belonged to Theo- 
sophical Societies, have torn up their diplomas, not caring to appear in the 
list of those who, under pretext of justice and under the false name of Fra- 
ternity, defame, calumniate and insult those whose mission is sublime. 

Let those, in short, who wish to know * * * many other things, come 
to us! * * * and we will prove to them both the Supreme Council and the 
Radiant Truth, and, lastly, also our powers ! 

We make, then, an appeal, in view of the preceding considerations, to 
all those who, even if belonging to other organizations, wish to unite with 
us frankly and sincerely, and we can assure them that later they will thank 
us with all their hearts. 

This will aflFord them the most conclusive proof of the protection and 
aid of those Masters or Guides who direct us. 

Our Order will publish an official Review, which will have so much 
success and be so well received that we shall be compelled to reprint it twice. 

In this Review, whose propaganda name will be The Radiant Truth, 
will be found all that the most eager student of Occult Truth can desire, 
for, aside from the Esoteric work, which we have in reserve, we possess 
documents of inestimable value, which will be published. 

Only the members of our Order will have the right to our studies and 
Esoteric demonstrations of a more advanced degree. 

A Convention will be held at Washington at a convenient time, and a 
Commission of delegates and members of the Order will be sent to the 



26o THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

East to receive instructions and orders from those who direct the spiritual 
future of the Race of Evolution — ^this in spite of all Theosophical or sec- 
tarian societies and of those who do not desire the Light. 

Those, then, who ^ish to make part of our Order, as Active or Mili- 
tant Members, or as Correspondents or Delegates, should send in their appli- 
cations to the General Secretary of the Commission, * * * * 
1443 Corcoran Street, Washington, D. C. 

All the Members of our Head Centre in the United States have the 
right to receive gratuitously all the publications and work of the Centre. 

For further particulars write to the General Secretary at Washington 
and to the General Delegates abroad. 

May Peace be with all Beings ! 

Viewed and found in conformity with Superior Orders. 
The General Secretary of Gen. Inspection : 

A. E. MARSLAND. 

(m. E. S.) 

Given at our Headquarters this 15th day of June, 1902. 

The above circular was also signed by the President of the 
Directing Commission, the Secretary General and the seven Eso- 
teric Members of the Council of the Order at Washington, the 
majority of them being women. I suppress their names. Pos- 
sibly by this time they have repudiated Sarak and hjs absurd 
pretensions. 

III. 

I consulted with my friend, Mr. J. Elfreth Watkins, a clever 
journalist and interested inquirer into the methods of spiritists 
and occultists, and we decided to investigate Dr. Albert de Sarak. 
the Thibetan adept. Mr. Watkins was to go first and have an 
interview with him, with the idea of exploiting the Count in a 
newspaper article on modern magic and theosophy; eventually 
we were to attend one of the mystic's seances together. I shall 
let Mr. Watkins tell the story in his own words: 

"I addressed a letter to Dr. Sarak by post requesting an 
appointment. I received a prompt response in the form of a 
courteous note, headed 'Oriental Esoteric Center of Washing- 
ton,' and which commenced : 'Your letter, which I have received, 
reveals to me a man of noble sentiments.' An hour was named 
and the letter bore the signature, *Dr. A. Count de Sarak/ 
beneath which were inscribed several Oriental characters. 



A GENTLEMAN OF THIBET 26 1 

"I found Monsieur le Comte's house in Corcoran street, late 
in the appointed afternoon. It was a two-story cottage of yel- 
low brick with English basement, and surmounting the door was 
an oval medallion repeating the inscription of Monsieur's letter- 
head. A young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes responded 
to my ring. I was invited upstairs, she following. Before me 
was the mind picture of a Lama with yellowed and wrinkled 
visage, vested in folds of dingy red, with iron pencase at his 
side and counting the beads of a wooden rosary; a Yoge of the 
great hills; who should say to me, 'Just is the wheel,' or *Thou 
hast acquired merit.' 

'*I was directed to the door of the rear parlor on the main 
floor, and as I opened it there sat before me, at a modern roller- 
top desk, a man of slender build and medium height, but with 
one of the most striking physiognomies I have ever beheld. 

"The face was that of a sheik of the desert. The hair was 
of the blackest and so was the beard, sparse at the side but rather 
full in front and not long. The eyes were huge, languid and 
dreamy; the forehead, bared by the training of the hair straight 
back, was high and bisected by a vein falling vertically between 
prominences over the brows. The nose was strongly aquiline, 
and the complexion was more that of the Oriental than of the 
Latin. The man wore a long, black frock-coat of the mode 
and faultless in fit; his trousers and waistcoat were of a rough 
gray .cloth. 

"Monsieur le Comte rose. The hand which grasped mine 
was small and soft. He bowed, pointed to a seat and apolo- 
gized for his crude English, explaining that he preferred to talk 
to me through an interpreter. The young woman who had 
ushered me into the presence of Monsieur seated herself at his 
side and explained that, although *the doctor' had mastered four- * 
teen tongues, the English had been the most difficult of all for 
him to fathom. After a pause. Monsieur addressed me in 
French. The interpreter rolled her blue eyes slightly upward 
and assumed the gaze of one seeing far away into the sky, 
through the wall before her — an expression which she seldom 
changed during the entire interview. 



262 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

" 'Through my power of second sight was revealed to me 
your mission before you arrived/ was the interpretation. 'And 
now that you come, a good spirit seems to attend you, and I 
know that you come as a friend. I assure you also that I wel- 
come you as a friend.' The translations were made a sentence 
at a time. 

"I assured Monsieur that this was deeply appreciated. 

"I asked him if it might be my good fortune to witness 
some of his esoteric manifestations, such as I had heard of his 
performing. 

" *In the beginning,' he continued, *I gave some public tests. 
But now I am engaged in the serious work of teaching, and my 
time is devoted entirely to the work. If Monsieur pleases, we 
would welcome his presence as an honorary member of our 
center. The diploma will cost him nothing. It is a rule of the 
center that none may attend except members. His diploma will 
entitle him to attend all our meetings as a spectator. We meet 
every Wednesday night.' 

" *A11 that we will require of Monsieur is that he endeavor 
to learn, and to describe what he sees with absolute truth.' 

" *I would ask M. le Docteur if he be a Buddhist,' I said. 
The question was suggested by a picture of Buddha upon the 
wall before me. 

" 'Yes, Monsieur, I am a Buddhist, as are my masters in 
Thibet. Understand, however, that this is not a religion which 
I am here to teach, but a science — the science of the soul — 
which does not conflict with any religion. I simply demonstrate 
to them the powers which I have learned from my masters.' 

" 'What is your opinion of Mme. Blavatsky?' was asked. 

" 'She was a good person — what shall I say? — was good- 
hearted. She endeavored to enter Thibet, but was unsuccessful. 
None of the Theosophists have ever learned from my masters. 
While Mme. Blavatsky lived, however, the Theosophical Society 
seems to have worked in harmony. Now that she is dead, they 
are divided by hatred and ill-feeling. 

" 'Once when I was in Paris, the Theosophists, hearing that 
I was from Thibet, asked me to become an honorary mem 
. of their society, just as I invite you, Monsieur. I ai 



A GENTLEMAN OF THIBET 263 

their diploma, as courtesy demanded. I attended a congress 
in Paris. One speaker mounted the tribune and stated that 
there was a gentleman from Thibet present who could vouch 
for their connection with the masters. I was a young man then 
— let me see — it was about seventeen years ago, but now the 
weight of fifty years hangs on my shoulders. My young blood 
boiled and I rushed to the tribune and denounced the statement 
as false. The Theosophists expelled me from their society — 
which I had never sought to enter,' and here he shrugged his 
shoulders, *and since then, they have waged against me a relent- 
less campaign of calumny. In Europe, in South America — 
everywhere — follows me a trail of circulars and letters published 
by base calumniators. But still I have gone on with my work, 
founding centers over the world. I have founded many in 
South America, but this is the first in this country.' 

"I ventured to console the count with words to the effect 
that all great causes had grown out of persecution. When the 
interpreter translated these sentiments. Monsieur, who sat at his 
desk, assumed an expression of extreme pain and half closing 
his eyes fixed his gaze upon a strange instrument reposing upon 
the window sill. It was a piece of colored glass with a pebbled 
surface held upright by a metal support. The interpretation 
of my words was repeated, but Monsieur raised one finger, 
continuing his stare of mixed concentration and suffering. 

" *He is now receiving an interpretation from his masters,' 
the interpreter told me in a low voice. I did not notice it and 
interrupted him. The doctor maintained his weird stare for 
a few minutes, during which I heard from his corner of the 
room a vibrating sound such as is produced by a Faradic bat- 
tery. Monsieur rose from his reverie with a sigh and hastily 
wrote something upon a sheet of paper upon his desk. Then 
he resumed the conversation. 

" Tortuntely I have preserved extracts from all of the jour- 
nals which have been friendly to me,' he said. I was shown a 
shelf full of scrap-books and the translations of numerous clip- 
pings from foreign journals. One of these, credited to the Paris 
M-ribed experiments in 'Magnetism and Fas- 
^r. de Sarak before a committee of 



264 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

scientists and journalists, during which he hypnotized a cage 
full of live lions. There were many such accounts, including 
a description of demonstrations made before the Queen of 
Spain in 1888; another before the King of Portugal the same 
year. An article credited to La Revue des Sciences de Paris, 
November 7, 1885, stated that in the Grand Salle de la Sorbonne, 
Count Sarak de Das, in the presence of the Prince of Larignans 
and 1,400 people, caused his body to rise in the air about two 
meters and to be there suspended by levitation. 

"It was agreed that my name should be presented to the 
council as suggested, and two days later I received a letter noti- 
fying me of my election as honorary member of the center, 
congratulating me thereupon and inviting me to be present at 
the next meeting. I was given the privilege of bringing a friend 
with me. I informed Mr. Evans, and we agreed to attend the 
next seance, and make careful mental notes of the events of the 
evening.'' 

IV. 

Mr. Watkins and I went together on the appointed evening 
to the house of the Mage, located in quaint little Corcoran street. 
It was a stormy night, late in November ; just the sort of evening 
for a gathering of modern witches and wizards, in an up-to-date 
Walpurgis Nacht, We were admitted by the interpreter and 
secretary, whom I afterwards learned was Miss Agnes E. Mars- 
land, graduate of the University of Cambridge, England. 

In the back parlor upstairs we were greeted by the Doctor, 
who wore a sort of Masonic collar of gold braid, upon which 
was embroidered a triangle. He presented us to his wife and 
child, who were conspicuously foreign in appearance, the latter 
about five years old. We were then introduced to an elderly 
woman, stout and with gray hair, who, we were told, was the 
president of the center. She wore a cordon similar to Dr. 
Sarak's, and soon after our arrival she rapped with a small 
gavel upon a table, located in the bay window of the front draw- 
ing-room. 

When she called the meeting to order the Doctor seated him- 
self upon her right, and at her left — all behind the table — ^were 



A GENTLEMAN OF THIBET 265 

placed two other women, wearing large gold badges. The 
interpreter seated herself against the wall beside the Count. 
Shortly a fifth woman appeared. The Count's wife and child 
sat quietly upon a sofa in the corner behind him. In the seats 
arranged along the walls for the audience sat only myself, Mr. 
Watkins, and a reporter for the Washington Times, 

The mise en scene was well calculated to impress the spec- 
tators with a sense of the occult and the mysterious. The table 
was draped with a yellow cloth, upon which were embroidered 
various cabalistic symbols. Upon it stood an antique brazier 
for burning incense, and a bronze candelabra with wax lights 
arranged to form a triangle. Against the wall, just back of the 
presiding Mistress of Ceremonies and the little French Mage, 
was a niche containing a large gilt image of the Buddha, who 
smiled placidly and benignly at the strange gathering. The 
walls of the drawing-room were draped with rich Oriental rugs 
and hung with allegorical paintfngs. The faint aroma of incense 
soon permeated the atmosphere; there was a moment of pro- 
found silence while the thaumaturgist meditatively consulted a 
big volume in front of him — a work on mysticism by either 
Papus or Baraduc, I forget which. I closed my eyes drowsily. 
In imagination I was transported back into that dead past of the 
Eighteenth century. I was in Paris, at a certain gloomy man- 
sion in the Rue St. Claude. I saw before me a table covered 
with a black cloth, embroidered with Masonic and Rosicrucian 
symbols; upon it stood a vase of water; lights burned in silver 
sconces; incense rose from an antique brazier. And behold — 
Cagliostro, necromancer and Egyptian Freemason, at his incan- 
tations. The phantasmagoria fades away. I am back again in 
Washington, and Sarak is speaking rapidly in French. I shall 
quote as follows from Mr. Watkins' note-book : 

"The Doctor spoke of a membership of forty-two persons 
and his disappointment that only six were present. He then 
commenced in French a long discourse, citing the alleged experi- 
ments of Baraduc on the souFs light, and mentioning the 
psychic researches of Flammarion. He stated that Marconi 
had made partial progress in the science of transmitting intelli- 
gence without wires, but that his masters had long known of a 



266 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

more simple method. He described the failures of foreigners 
to penetrate into Thibet, stating that his masters there were able 
to place a fluidic wall before any man or beast.* The women 
watched their hierophant with intense fascination, save the inter- 
preter, who maintained her saintly gaze up into space, and the 
wife, who sat by in sublime nonchalance. 

"The Doctor then passed into a rear room, donned a long 
robe of light blue material and returned with the piece of col- 
ored glass which I had seen during my previous visit. It was 
still flitted to the metal support, and with it he brought a bar 
magnet. He placed the glass upon the table before him, making 
many passes over it with his fingers, sometimes rubbing them 
upon his gown as if they were burned. He explained that he had 
sensitized the glass with a secret fluid which remained thereon 
as a fllm. He drew a sort of tripod upon paper and placed the 
glass and magnet alongside. 

" 'I demonstrated at the last meeting how this power — 
which I called *yud' — could be exerted against human beings. 
You remember that I caused the man to fall from his bicycle. 
Tonight I will exert the power against an animal,' said the 
fantaisiste. 

"He stated that the lights would all be extinguished; that 
those present would be stationed at the front windows; that at 
a given signal he would cause a horse passing the street to halt 
and remain motionless, to the amazement of the driver. Turn- 
ing to me, he asked, *Would Monsieur prefer that the horse be 
passing eastward or westward?' 'Eastward,' I said. 

"Then the lights were put out, but previously his wife had 
retired, ostensibly to put to bed the boy, who had grown sleepy. 
All of the members present and the young man — a stranger, 
evidently a reporter — were posted at the front windows. My 
companion and I were stationed at two windows within a small 
hall room adjoining. We were all asked to maintain absolute 
silence. Vines covered both windows of our room and a street 
lamp burned before the house to our right. The wait was long, 

♦Since Dr. Sarak's seance, Col. Younghusband and a column of British 
soldiers have penetrated into the holy city of Llassa without difficulty. The 
fluidic walls of the masters have not impeded the progress of the British in 
the least degree. 



A GENTLEMAN OF THIBET 267 

probably twenty minutes, before the first vehicle ventured 
through the block. 

"It was a buggy, drawn by a single horse, but, alas ! it pro- 
ceeded westward. In it were seated two figures, whom I could 
not see — both enshrouded in darkness. 

"My impatience was now well nigh unbearable. In a few 
minutes, however, I heard the clatter of hoofs from the opposite 
direction — eastward. 

"A buggy with a single horse came into view. One figure 
wore a white fascinator or shawl about the head. The other 
was a man. The horse slowed into a walk just before reaching 
the house. It halted directly in front of us, then backed a few 
feet and the rear wheel went upon the sidewalk opposite. 

" *What's de mattah wid dat boss?' said a negro voice. 
*Nebber seen him act dat way befo' !' The horse stood still for 
a minute; then the driver clucked him up and he proceeded on 
his way. It was too dark to see the positions of the reins or the 
features of either occupant of the vehicle. Soon afterward 
Madame de Sarak returned with the child and pointed toward 
him, as if to say: *See, he has recovered from his sleepy spell!* 

"At this point the Doctor retired and returned gowned in 
white. He passed to us a canvas such as is commonly used by 
painters in oil. He placed this upon an easel. At his right was 
a table bearing brushes and two glasses filled, one with dark 
blue and the other with white paint. He then distributed large 
napkins among those present and handed to me two balls of 
absorbent cotton. These I was told to place over his eyes, and 
as I did so the two other men and several of the women bound 
the napkins over the cotton. They were tied very tightly and two 
were crossed. We inspected the bandages and pronounced them 
secure. Then the white-robed figure, in this grotesque head- 
gear, asked me to lead him to an arm-chair in the far end of 
the rear apartment, which I did. Seated in the chair, his chin 
hanging down upon his breast, he remained for some time, until 
suddenly he arose and walked straightway to his wife and child, 
who were sitting behind the table in the front room, upon the 
sofa as previously. He knelt before them, kissed the little one, 
his back being toward us the while. Then he walked directly 



268 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

to my companion and took the latter's watch from his pocket 
without fumbling. He now proceeded to the easel, and, selecting 
a brush from the table, dipped into the blue paint and printed 
across the top of the canvas 'Fifteen Minutes/ I looked at my 
companion's watch and it registered half past lo. Evidently the 
words denoted the time in which the picture was to be painted. 
One of the women present requested that a moonlight scene in 
Thibet be reproduced. Sudden movemerlts of two brushes, 
dipped in the two colors, transformed the letters into a clouded 
sky through which a moon was bursting. Below was outlined 
a sort of tower, to the left of which was painted a tree. After 
some detail in the picture was outlined in blue, for example, 
the white paint would be applied in lines exactly parallel to the 
first, and many such touches of the brushes indicated that the 
painting was not made as the result of memory alone. Near 
the end of the painting the Doctor again approached his wife 
and child, leading the latter to the easel and placing him upon 
a chair before it. 

"The child was given a brush and dabbed paint upon various 
parts of the picture. Sometimes he seemed to be guiding his 
father's hand, but during this operation the latter was not doing 
difficult work. All the while the adept was chanting something 
which the child repeated. The picture was signed with Oriental 
symbols placed in one corner. Then the painter made a gesture 
of great fatigue, sighed very audibly and staggered into the 
rear room. He fell upon a sofa near the door and motioned to 
have the bandages removed. I removed some, assisted by his 
wife, who brought him a glass of water. The cotton was in its 
[)lace as far as I could see. His eyes remained closed after they 
were uncovered, and his attitude was that of a man who had 
fainted. His wife held the water to his lips, and then, Hfting 
each of his eyelids, blew into them. Then the Mage arose and, 
complaining of fatigue, resumed his seat behind the table. 
Shading his eyes with his hand, he looked toward the canvas, 
saying: *Behold the house in Thibet where I was initiated into 
the mysteries of the Mahatmas/ 

"After the exhibition of 'double vision' De Sarak performed 
the cigarette paper test. 



A GENTLEMAN OF THIBET 269 

"He concluded the seance with a brief speech, in which he 
stated that it was customary to take up a collection for charity 
at each meeting. A small cloth bag was passed by one of the 
women. The secretary announced that $1.62 had been realized. 
Then the president pounded with her gavel and adjourned the 
meeting. The secretary ushered us to the door, and we went 
out into the darkness. 

"Such were the miracles of the adept Albert de Sarak, Comte 
de Das, and such was his propaganda." 



Is it not strange that people can take such performances seri- 
ously? The cigarette test — an old one — and familiar to every 
schoolboy who dabbles in legerdemain, was a mere trick, de- 
pendent upon clever substitution and palming. The absurd 
splatterdash which the Mage painted while blindfolded had 
nothing of Thibetan architecture about it, but resembled a 
ruined castle on the Rhine. That he was able to peep beneath 
his bandages at one stage of the proceedings seems to me evi- 
dent. He perhaps arranged this while kissing and fondling the 
little child. Long practice, however, would enable him to paint 
roughly while his eyes were bandaged. The horse episode was 
of course a pre-arranged affair, yet I admit it was very well 
worked up and gave one a creepy feeling — thanks to the misc 
en scene. But the Comte de Sarak has other occult phenomena 
up his sleeve, which I have not yet witnessed — among them l>cinf; 
the shattering of a pane of glass by pronouncing the word.H, 
"Forward, ever forward" ; the instantaneous production of veg- 
etation from the seed; and the immediate development r;f finU 
from spawn. He doubtless owes much of his notor'wAy i(t i\u* 
newspapers, which herald his allegerl feats of magir in M!ip»a 
tional style. 

A few months after my seance at the adqH's Iioiih<*, flii! 
Washington papers announced the fact that the O/unt dfi 
the famous magician, was projecting a iXTS^^nally ca» 
to the Orient for the members of his cult and all tboi 



^7^ THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

interested in occultism. The pilgrims were to visit the inaccessi- 
ble shrines, pagodas, crypts, and lamaseries of the East, under 
the ciceronage of the Count, who doubtless was to break down 
for them by sheer force of will the fluidic barriers that surround 
Lhassa, Thibet, where dwell the Mahatmas, in order that the 
tourists might penetrate into the sacred city. 

I never heard of anybody leaving Washington to go on this 
expedition, except the Count — and he, I understand, got no 
tarther than New York City, where the French table d'hote 
abounds, and magic and mystery are chiefly to be studied in the 
recipes of French chefs de cuisine. 



MAGICIANS I HAVE MET. 

"To succeed as a conjurer, three things are essential — first, dexterity ; 
second, dexterity; and third, dexterity." — Robert-Houdin. 



• Imro Fox, "the comic conjurer/' was born May 21, 185 j, 
in Bromberg, Germany. He came to the United States in 1874, 
and after serving as a chef de cuisine in several New York hotels, 
finally came to Washington, where he presided over the kitchen 
of the old Hotel Lawrence, a famous resort for vaudeville 
people. When not engaged in his culinary duties, he practised 
sleight of hand tricks. In the year 1880, a strolling company 
came to the city, having as its bright, particular star a magician. 
The man of mystery, alas, was addicted to the flowing bowl, 
and went on a spree after the first night's performance. T\\c 
manager of the troupe, who was staying at the Lawrence, was in 
despair. He told his woes to the proprietor of the hotel, who 
informed him that the chef of the establishment was a conjurer. 
Descending to the "lower regions'' (a capital place, by the way, 
in which to seek a disciple of the black art), the theatrical man 
discovered the genial Imro studying a big volume. Near by 
a black cat sat blinking at him. Upon the stove was a huge 
caldron. The mise en scene of the place was decidedly that 
of a wizard's studio. But things are seldom what they seem. 

The book which Fox was so industriously conning proved 
to be a dictionary of the French language, not a black-letter tome 
on sorcery. The chef was engaged in making up a menu card, 
in other words, giving French names to good old Anglo-Saxon 
dishes. The caldron contained soup. The cat was the regular 
feline habitue of the kitchen, not an imp or familiar demon, 



272 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

"The chef, I believe/' said the manager, politely. 

"I am/' said Fox. 

"You are an amateur conjurer?" 

"I amuse myself with legerdemain occasionally." 

"You're the man I'm looking for. I am the proprietor of 

a vaudeville company playing at The gentleman who 

does the magic turn for me has disappeared; gone on a pro- 
longed debauch. ..." 

"Ah, I see," interrupted Imro, "a devotee of the Snexhausti- 
ble bottle' trick." 

"I want you to take his place," said the manager, "and fill 
out the week's engagement. I will arrange matters with the 
hotel proprietor for you." 

''Donner und Blit:::en!'' cried Fox. "Why, I never was on 
a stage before in my life. I'd die with fright. Face an audience? 
rd rather face a battery of cannons." 

"Nonsense," answered the theatrical man. "Do help me like 
a good fellow. It will be money in your pocket." 

After considerable persuasion, Fox consented. The culinary 
department was turned over to an assistant. That night Imro 
appeared on the stage, habited in a hired dress suit that did not 
fit him like the proverbial "paper on the wall." With fear and 
trembling he made his bow, and broke the ice by the following 
allusion to his very bald pate: "Ladies and gentlemen, why is 
my head like Heaven ? . . . . You give it up ! Good ! Because 
there is no parting there!" Amid the shout of laughter occa- 
sioned by this conundrum, Fox began his card tricks. In the 
argot of the stage, he "made good." 

This event decided him; he abandoned cooking for con- 
juring; menu cards for the making of programmes. 

His entertainment is quite original. The curtain rises on 
a gloomy cavern. In the middle is a boiling caldron, fed by 
witches a la Macbeth. An aged necromancer, dressed in a long 
robe with a pointed cap on his head, enters. He begins his 
incantations, whereupon hosts of demons appear, who dance 
about the caldron. Suddenly amid the crash of thunder and 
a blinding flash of light, the wizard's cave is metamorphosed 
into a twentieth century drawing-room, fitted up for a con- 



MAGICIANS I HAVE MET 273 

juring seance. The decrepit sorcerer is changed into a gentle- 
man in evening dress — Mr. Fox — who begins his up-to-date 
entertainment of modern magic. Is not this cleverly conceived ? 

I n. 

A few thumbnail sketches of some of the local magicians of 
New York City will not come amiss. First, there is Elmer P. 
Ransom, familiarly known as "Pop." He was born in old New 
York, not far from Boss Tweed's house. He still lives in that 
quaint part of the city. He knows New York like a book. Once 
he guided me through the Jewish ghetto, the Italian and Chinese 
quarters. It was a rare treat. Ransom is a good all around 
magician, who believes in the old school of apparatus combined 
with sleight of hand. And so do I. 

Next we have Adrian Plate, who was born in Utrecht, Hol- 
land, in 1844. His rooms in upper New York are the Mecca of 
all visiting magicians. He has a fine collection of books on 
magic, and a scrap-book par excellence. Thanks to this clever 
conjurer, I have secured translations of rare and curious Dutch 
works on necromancy. Plate has always something new up his 
sleeve. 

T. Francis Fritz (Frank Ducrot) edits Mahatma, a magazine 
for magicians, and is a good conjurer. 

Sargent, the "Merry Wizard," and second president of the 
S. A. M., is an adept in the psychology of deception and a recog- 
nized authority on the subject of patter. His articles on magic, 
published in Mahatma, are very interesting. He wields a facile 
pen as well as a wand, and like Silas Wegg occasionally drops 
Jnto poetry. His poetical effusion, "In Martinka's Little Back 
Shop," brought out some years ago in Mahatma, has been widely 
copied. 

Henry V. A. Parsell, for a number of years the archivist of 
the S. A. M., is a devotee of magic and freemasonry ; a student 
of the occult; and a mechanical engineer by profession. He is 
especially fond of electrical tricks. He signs himself Paracelsus, 
not that he has any special love for the Bombast of Hohenheim, 
but because the name is a euphonic paraphrase of his own cog- 
nomen, and redolent of sorcery. 



274 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

Dr. Golden Mortimer, first president of the S. A. M., is a 
gentleman of culture. He was born in New York City, Decem- 
ber 2y, 1854. He began life as a magician, and was a pupil of 
Robinson, the Fakir of Vishnu. He eventually toured the coun- 
try with an entertainment of the Heller order, known as "Mor- 
timer's Mysteries,'' and was very successful. Graduating finally 
as a physician, he abandoned the art magiquc as a profession. 

Krieger, the arch-master of cup-and-ball conjuring, the suc- 
cessor of Bosco, often drops into Martinka's. He is of Jewish 
birth. With his little family he travels about, giving exhibitions 
of his skill, at summer hotels, seaside resorts, clubs, lyceums, 
etc. The errant propensities of the Krieger menage gained for 
it the sobriquet of the "Wandering Few," a paraphrase of the 
title of Eugene Sue's weird novel, The Wandering Jeiv. To 
listen to Krieger's funny accent; to see him shake his bushy locks; 
to watch his deft fingers manipulate the little cork balls, is to 
enjoy a rare treat. When the small balls grow to large ones and 
finally change into onions, potatoes, lemons, and apples you are 
quite ready to acknowledge that Krieger's art is the acme of 
legerdemain. 

But the prince of Hanky Panky is undoubtedly Nate Leip- 
ziger. For close work with cards, coins, watches, handkerchiefs, 
and the like he is pre-eminent in this country, perhaps in any 
country. His great forte is amusing after-dinner parties. His 
art is extremely subtle and indetectable, even to those acquainted 
with the mysteries of magic. He is the inventor of many new 
sleights and conjuring artifices. 

Leipziger was born in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1873, ^^^ 
was apprenticed at an early age to an optical instrument maker. . 
Grinding and polishing lenses is his trade, but he abandoned 
it for conjuring when he came to the United States. It is a 
curious fact that the majority of great magicians have been 
recruited from among watchmakers, optical instrument manu- 
facturers, chemists, and physicians. Hundreds of them have 
been doctors. Among our American Indians medicine and magic 
are synonymous terms. The "medicine man" is the High Priest, 
the Mage, of the tribe. As every student of psychology knows, 
there is a good deal of humbug about the practice of medicine. 



MAGICIANS I HAVE MET 2/5 

Suggestion aided by deception in the way of bread pills and 
harmless philtres effect as many cures as potent drugs. Surgery 
is an exact science, medicine is experimental. The medico takes 
naturally to magic, for he is already an adept in the art of sug- 
gestion. Apropos of this let me quote a sentence from an article 
by Joseph Jastrow (Psychological Rcz'iczi', Vol. 7, p. 617) : "A 
dominant principle, most frequently illustrated, is the kinship 
of conjuring to suggestion ; for it is the suggestion of things 
not done quite as much as the concealment of those that are 
done that determines the success of modern conjuring.'' 

III. 

Horace Goldin is known as the "Whirlwind Wizard,'' so 
called because of the rapidity of his work. His tricks and illu- 
sions follow each other with kaleidoscopic effect. Goldin can 
compress more magic feats in a twenty-minute turn, than the 
average conjurer can execute jn an hour. But his act is a silent 
one; he uses no patter whatever. As a general rule this is to 
be condemned. Amateurs are warned against it. Says Pro- 
fessor Jastrow, the psychologist: "The 'patter,' or setting of a 
trick, often constitutes the real art of its execution, because it 
directs, or rather misdirects, the attention." More than that, 
artfully worded patter weaves about a conjuring experiment an 
atmosphere of plausibility; people are often convinced that red 
is black, etc. Consider the dramatic setting of Houdin's magic 
chest and aerial suspension. Without patter these charming 
tricks would have degenerated to the commonplace. But Goldin 
is a law unto himself, and must not be judged by any standards 
other than those laid down by himself. He is a genius. 

Goldin, who is of Jewish descent, was born in Wilana, 
Russia, December 17, 1874. He began life as a traveling sales- 
man. He took to conjuring to amuse himself and his friends. 
Afterwards he went on the stage. He has played before Edward 
Vn of England and William H of Germany. While playing an 
engagement in New York City, at Hammerstein's Theatre, 
August, 1904, he went about the city in an automobile known 
as the "red devil." Some of his facetious friends described him 
as a "little white devil" in a "big red devil." Among the numer- 



276 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

ous clever illusions performed by him is the "Invisible Flight," 
an expose of which was published in the Strand, as follows: 

"A pedestal about seven feet high is seen in the centre of 
the stage. The performer introduces a liveried assistant and 
entirely envelops him in a black cloak and hood, and puts a pistol 
in his right hand. He then fetches a ladder, places it against the 
pedestal, walks up, and steps from it on to the top of the pedestal, 
behind a curtain, which is hung in front, just reaching to his feet. 
The assistant puts the ladder back and fires the pistol, when 
immediately the curtain rises and a great surprise meets the 
gaze of the audience, for there on the pedestal, where the per- 
former stepped only a moment previously, stands the liveried 
servant; but the climax is reached when the supposed assistant 
pulls off the cloak and hood, showing him to be none other than 
the performer himself. 

"To perform this illusion it is necessary to have two assistants 
as near alike as possible and of similar stature to the performer 
himself, the rest being quite simple but requiring much exactness 
in execution. The performer cloaks assistant No. i and hands 
him the pistol, then goes to fetch the ladder, part of which is 
showing between the wings, the other part being held by assist- 
ant No. 2, who is made to look, at a quick glance, exactly like the 
performer. The performer catches hold of the ladder and steps 
between the wings, leaving one leg showing; the assistant (No. 
2) steps out backwards with the ladder, covering the performer 
momentarily, who then steps right in between the wings. The 
natural movement of the assistant in stepping back at the right 
moment looks as if it is still the performer; indeed, he is never 
.suspected to be otherwise. Assistant No. 2 places the ladder 
against the pedestal, walks up, and, stepping behind the curtain, 
unhooks a duplicate livery from it, quickly puts it on, pockets wig 
and mustache, or any other make-up which went to match the 
magician's appearance, and stands ready for the curtain to be 
raised, at the sound of the pistol, by a string leading inside to one 
of the stage hands. During this time assistant No. i has taken 
the ladder back to its original place, and the performer, who 
has meanwhile quickly donned a cloak and hood exactly as worn 
by assistant No. i, reverses his previous action, stepping back 



MAGICIANS I HAVE MET 



277 



with a pistol in his right hand, this again being so natural as not 
to excite suspicion. He then fires, when assistant No. 2 is seen 
upon the pedestal, believed by the audience to be assistant No. i, 
the idea of a duplicate never occurring to them, as they have not 
seen the change take place. The performer then takes oflf his 
cloak and hood, bowing smilingly to the bewildered audience." 



IV. 

One of the most entertaining men in the profession is Fred- 
erick Eugene Powell. He is a man of scholarly attainments. 
Powell was born in Philadelphia, and was attracted to magic 



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The Invisible Flight. 



after having witnessed a performance by good old Signor Blitz. 
He became quite an expert at the art and gave entertainments 
for the amusement of his fellow students at the Pennsylvania 
Military Academy, at Chester, from which institution he gradu- 
ated in 1877 ^^^h the degree of Civil Engineer and the rank 
of Lieutenant. After a short career on the stage as a magician, 
be entered into mercantile life. Eventually he returned to his 
old love, magic, and began a series of entertainments at Wood's 
Theatre, comer of Ninth and Arch Streets, Philadelphia. His 
**second-sight trick," in which he was assisted by his brother 



2jS THE OLI> AND THE NEW MAGIC 

Edwin, was one of his strong cards. Robert Heller had just 
died, and there was no one to continue the art of second sight 
but Powell. After touring the United States and Spanish 
America he left the stage to take the intermediate chair of mathe- 
matics at the Pennsylvania Military Academy, which post he 
held for three years. The sedentary life affected his health, and 
he returned to the stage. Powell has played several long engage- 
ments at the Eden Musee, one of them lasting for six months. 
In the year 1892, he produced at this theatre for the first time 
to a Xew York audience the illusion "She." In 1902 he visited 
the Sandwich and Samoa Islands, and played in the principal 
cities of Australia. Powell was the first conjurer to introduce 
the improved "coin ladder" in this country. 

Howard Thurston, the American illusionist, w^as educated 
for the ministry, but abandoned theology for conjuring. He 
prjssesses great skill with cards, and is an inventor of many novel 
feats of spectacular magic. 

His stage represents an Oriental scene. Enter Thurston 
dressed somewhat after the fashion of a Tartar chieftain: loose 
trousers, short jacket, turban and high boots. He introduces his 
act with card manipulation, after which he produces from a shawl 
thrown (n-er his arm a lx)wl from which bursts a flame, then 
another Ixnvl from which spurts a jet of water like a fountain. 
He stands on a small stool of glass and produces a great quantity 
of water from a large tin can, by dropping into it the half of a 
cocoanut shell. Enough water wells up from the can to fill 
several receptacles. The thaumaturgist then defies the laws of 
gravitation by suspending a large ball in the air, a la Mahomet's 
alleged coffin at Mecca, and passes a hoop about the ball. When 
he leaves the stage, the ball follows him. This feat is accom- 
plished by a stream of compressed air which plays upon the 
globe from a receptacle secreted in the sleeve of the performer. 
The conjurer walks to a stool, covers it with a shawl, and pro- 
duces a life-size statue, which undergoes various pretty trans- 
formations. The illusion suggests that of Professor Pepper. 
Finally he produces pigeons from a borrowed hat, and toy bal- 
loons which float in the air. Altogether it is a pleasing and 
curious act. 



28o THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

V. 

William G. Robinson for years acted as Alexander Herr- 
mann's stage manager and machinist. He is a devotee of the 
magic art, a collector of rare books on legerdemain, and the 
inventor of many ingenious sleights, tricks, and illusions. When 
not employed at the theatre, he spends his time haunting the 
second-hand book stores, searching for literature on his favorite 
hobby. He has found time to write a profoundly interesting 
brochure called Spirit Slate-Writing, published by the Scientific 
American Company. After reading this work, I cannot see how 
any sane person can credit the reality of "independent slate-writ- 
ing.'/ It is a mere juggling trick. 

Robinson was born in New York City, April 2, 1861, and 
received a common school education. He started life as "a 
worker in brass and other metals," but he abandoned the profes- 
sion of Tubal Cain for conjuring. After the death of Herrmann, 
Robinson went as assistant to Leon Herrmann for several sea- 
sons, and then started out to astonish the natives on his own 
account, but without any appreciable success. Just about this 
time there came to the United States a Chinese conjurer named 
Ching Ling Foo, with a repertoire of Oriental tricks. One of 
them was the production of a huge bowl of water from a table- 
cloth, followed by live pigeons and ducks, and last but not least 
a little almond-eyed Celestial, his son. This was but a replica 
of the trick which Phillippe learned from the Chinese many years 
ago. Foo's performances drew crowds to the theatres. It was 
the novelty of the thing that caught the public fancy. In reality, 
the Mongolian's magic was not to be compared with that of 
Herrmann, Kellar, or Goldin. Beneath the folds of a Chinese 
robe one may conceal almost anything, ranging in size from a 
bedpost to a cannon ball. When Foo's manager boastfully 
advertised to forfeit $500 if any American could fathom or 
duplicate any of the Celestial's tricks, "Billy" Robinson came 
forward and accepted Ihe challenge. But nothing came of it. 
Foo's impressario "backed water," to use a boating phrase. 
Robinson was so taken with Ching Ling Foo's act that he 
decided to give similar seances, disguising himself as a China- 
man. Under the name of Chung Ling Soo he went to England, 



282 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

even had the audacity to grant interviews to newspaper reporters. 
He usually held these receptions at his lodgings, where he had 
an apartment fitted up a la Chinois; the walls hung with silken 
drapery embroidered with grotesque dragons. The place was 
dimly lit by Chinese lanterns. Propped up on silken cushions, 
the "Yankee Celestial" with his face made up like a finely painted 
mask, sipped his real oolong, and laughed in his capacious sleeves 
at the credulity of the journalistic hacks. He gave his opinion 
on the "Boxer" trouble, speaking a kind of gibberish which the 
previously tutored Chinese acrobat pretended to interpret into 
English. Gradually it leaked out in theatrical circles that Chung 
Ling Soo was a Yankee, but this information never came to the 
public ear generally. 

At the close of the "Boxer" uprising the real Ching Ling Foo 
had returned to his beloved Flowery Kingdom, loaded down 
with bags full of dollars extracted from the pockets of the "For- 
eign Devils," yclept Americans. Under his Own vine and bam- 
boo tree he proceeded to enjoy life like a regular Chinese 
gentleman; to burn joss sticks to the memory of his ancestors, 
and study the maxims of Confucius. But the longing for other 
worlds to conquer with his magic overcame him, and so in the 
year 1904 he went to England. Great was his astonishment to 
find that a pretended Mongolian had preceded him and stolen 
all of his thunder. In January, 1905, Robinson was playing at 
the Hippodrome, London, and Ching Ling Foo at the Empire. 
There was great rivalry between them. The result was that 
Foo challenged Soo to a grand trial of strength, the articles 
of which appeared in the Weekly Despatch, "I offer £1,000 
if Chung Ling Soo, now appearing at the Hippodrome, can do 
ten out of the twenty of my tricks, or if I fail to do any one of 
his feats." 

A meeting was arranged to take place at the Despatch office, 
on January 7, 1905, at 11 a. m. The challenged man, "Billy'' 
Robinson alias Chung Ling Soo, rode up to the newspaper office 
in his big red automobile, accompanied by his manager and 
assistants. He was dressed like a mandarin. The acrobat held 
over his master's head a gorgeous Chinese umbrella. Robinson 
gave an exhibition of his skill before a committee of newspaper 



MAGICIANS T HAVE MET 



men and theatrical managers, Foo came not. The next day 
arrived a letter from Ching Ling Foo's iitipressario saying that 
the Mongolian magician would only consent to compete against 
bis rival on the following condition: **That Chung Ling Soo 




first prove before members of the Chinese Legation that he is a 
Chinaman." This was whipping tlie Devil (or shall I say 
dragon?) aronnd the stump. The original challenge had made 
no condition as to the nationality of the performers. 

The Dcsl^aich said : *'The destination of the challenge money 
remains in abeyance, and the questions arise; *Did Foo foo] 
Soo? And can Soo sue Foo?* ** 




284 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

The merits of this interesting mix-up are thus summed up 
by Mr. John N. Hilliard, in an editorial published in the Sphinx, 
Kansas City, Mo., March 15, 1905: 

"While we do not take the controversy with undue serious- 
ness, there is an ethical aspect in the case, however, that invites 
discussion. In commenting disparagingly on the professional 
ability of the Chinese conjurer, in belittling his originality and 
his achievements in the magic arts, Mr. Robinson (Chung Ling 
Soo) is really throwing stones at his own crystal dwelling place. 
Despite the glowing presentments of his press agent, one single 
naked truth shines out as clearly as a frosty star in a turquoise 
sky. It is violating no confidence to assert that had it not been 
for Ching Ling Foo, the professional status of Mr. William E. 
Robinson, masquerading as a Chinaman, and adopting the 
sobriquet of *Chung Ling Soo,' would be more or less of a nega- 
tive quantity to-iJay. Ching Ling Foo, the genuine Chinaman, 
is indisputably the originator, so far as the Western hemis- 
. phere is concerned, at least, of this peculiar act, and Robinson 
is merely an imitator. Robinson is shrewd and has a *head for 
business.' He doubtless realizes, as well as his critics, that in 
the dress of the modern magician he would not be unqualifiedly 
successful, despite his skill with cards and coins and his knowl- 
edge of the art. The success of Ching Ling Foo in this country 
was his opportunity. Adopting the dress and make-up of a 
Mongolian, and appropriating the leading features of Ching's 
act, he went to Europe, where the act was a novelty, and scored 
a great success. Of course, from a utilitarian point of view, 
this success is legitimate; but in the light of what the American 
magician really owes to the great Chinese conjurer, it is ridicu- 
lous for Robinson to pose as 'the original Chinese magician,' 
and for him to say that Ching Ling Foo is *a performer of the 
streets,' while he is the *court magician to the Empress Dowager.' 
This may be good showmanship, but it is not fair play. The 
devil himself is entitled to his due; and, the question of merit 
aside, the indubitable fact remains that it is Ching Ling Foo 
who is the 'original Chinese magician/ while 'Chung Ling Soo' 
is an imitator of his act and a usurper in the Oriental kingdom. 



MAGICIANS I HAVE MET 



285 



But outside of the ethical nature of tlic Dnitniversy, \vc refuse to 
take it seriously." 

Robinson calls himself **Chung Ling Son, he <)f the One 
Button [mandarin], Rr>yal Chinese Conjurer." Chnng I Jut; 
Suo, in the vernacular of Confucius, means l)nul>le Luck, or 
extra good luck. Wherever he goes he puts on exhihilion in IIr' 



A Lo*. 



Ko or Cuvitc 



lobby of the theatre the re^plcnrlent rolic^ of hit ancetrtorf— '^si 
piece of sacrilege," sayi an EngliiJi [xa|ief, **fUi Chiftanian tlie 
world has ever known lias ficcfi guilty of ImUfte. SfHm of Hh 
exhibits are from the Impcria! palace at f 'ekin/' 11ie^ gmfg^m^ 
garments were <k]ptiUle»s p<ifdia«e4 ir - rhiriestf \mmur in 
London. Aoocmlixi^ lo a Hi>lV>iiiray , l<jAHi}^m »s» flie 

possessor of a woodterM ooikctkm ot OricntaJ (mtUrfHA^k^, 
carvingv, anixir. md MK>rdft, and fart but not l«s«e^ ^'« epl«ii4i4 



286 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

palanquin which cost the Chinese equivalent of i,ooo guineas. 
It was presented to him by the late Dowager Empress of China, 
and is constructed of solid ebony inlaid with gold and precious 
stones/' In this palanquin, Robinson comes on the stage to 
perform his bullet-catching feat, supposed to be a replica of a 
similar adventure when he was attacked by "Boxers'' in China. 
This is Herrmann's old trick, with an Oriental setting. Some 
years ago, a German- American wizard. Prof. Mingus, invented 
a method of catching live gold fish on the end of a line fixed to 
an ordinary bamboo fishing rod. The line being cast in the air, 
a gold fish appeared dangling upon the hook. The fish was then 
thrown into a bowl of water and shown to the audience. Several 
fish were caught in this manner. Robinson adopted this trick 
with great success. Pestered to death for an explanation of the 
mystery by his journalistic friends, he finally condescended to 
explain ( ?) it. He thus described it in the Nezvs of the World, 
Hollo way, England, April 9, 1905 : 

"Anyone may know how Chung does the goldfish trick, but 
it does not follow that having been told one can do it. When 
Chung Ling Soo makes casts in the air with his rod and line, 
little Suce Seen, the Celestial handmaiden, stands meekly some 
yards away, holding a glass bowl of water. The hook is a 
powerful magnet, and if one could examine the goldfish caught, 
one would detect pieces of metal attached to the bodies of the 
finny captures. The live goldfish repose in little Suce Seen's 
sleeve, and when a more than usually skillful cast brings the 
magnetic bait for a second into the interior of the girl's sleeve, 
a *catch' has at once been effected, and the fish is seen dangling 
•and wriggling in the air at the end of the line." 

It is needless to remark that this is a fish story, Chung Ling 
Soo is romancing. The gold fish are concealed in the handle of 
the rod. The fish that appears on the hook at each cast of the line 
is an imitation affair of silk, which is hidden in the hollow lead 
sinker. A substitution is made, and the real fish thrown into the 
bowl by the conjurer. The dainty little Chinese maiden (Mrs. 
Robinson) has nothing more to do with the trick than the people 
in the audience. She merely holds the bowl and looks cute. 

The follovvring is a sample of some of the nonsense published 



MAGICIANS I HAVE MET 287 

about Robinson, taken from the Weekly Despatch, April 9, 1905 : 

"Chung Ling Soo rose from the ranks, and his fame as a 
sorcerer penetrated to the Chinese Empress Dowager, who 
commanded him to court, where, after years of service, he was 
promoted to many Celestial honors, and ultimately the rank 
of Mandarin was bestowed upon him. His skin is yellow, his 
eyes are black and oblique, and his teeth are absolutely inky, as 
all true Celestials of rank should be/' Any one acquainted with 
the art of stage "make-up'' knows how easily these facial 
effects can be produced. There is even a black paste for the 
teeth. I don't doubt this much of the journalist's story — but the 
"Celestial honors" and the "rank of Mandarin" — shade of the 
illustrious Munchausen preserve us ! Poor old Ching Ling Foo, 
the original Chinaman, has doubtless devoted his ingenious rival 
and "foreign devil" to the innumerable hells of the Chinese 
Buddhists. 

So much for the Oriental ancestry of my old friend, Billy 
Robinson, the "One Button Man" of the Celestial Empire (Thea- 
tre of London, England). 

Robinson is the inventor of the clever stage illusion "Gone," 
which Herrmann exhibited, and which still forms one of the 
principal specialties of Kellar. I am indebted to my friend, 
Henry V. A. Parsell, for an accurate description of the trick, 
as at present worked by Mr. Kellar. 

"At the rise of the curtain the stage is seen to have its rear 
part concealed by a second curtain and drapery, which, being 
drawn up, discloses a substantial framework. This framework, 
at the first glance, gives one the impression that it is that horrible 
instrument of death, the guillotine. As will be seen, it consists 
simply of two uprights, with a bar across the top and another 
a little below the middle. Just below the centre bar is a windlass, 
the two ropes of which pass through two pulleys fixed to the top 
bar. The machine stands out boldly against a black background, 
the distance from which is indeterminate. 

"After the introduction of the fair maiden Svho is to be gone,' 
an ordinary looking bent wood chair is shown. The chair is 
then placed on the stage behind the framework, and by means 
of snap hooks the two ropes from the windlass are attached 



288 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



to the side of the chair. The maiden is now seated in the chair 
and her skirt adjusted that it may not hang too low. 

"A couple of assistants now work the windlass and elevate 
the chair and its occupant until they are well above the middle 




Gone/' Robinson's Illusion. 



cross bar. One assistant then retires, the other remains with one 
hand resting against the side of the framework. The performer 
fires his pistol thrice, upon which the maiden vanishes and the 



MAGICIANS I HAVE MET 289 

fragments of the chair fall to the ground. The illusion is pro- 
duced by a black curtain which lies concealed behind the middle 
cross bar. When the pistol is fired, the assistant, whose hand 
is on the frame, presses a spring which releases this black curtain 
which is instantly drawn up in front of the suspended girl. At 
this same moment the girl undoes a couple of catches which 
allow the main part of the chair to drop. She, meanwhile, being 
seated on a false chair-bottom to which the ropes are attached." 
As originally devised by Mr. Robinson, the illusion was 
based upon the Pepper ghost-show. Between the cross-bars of 
a slanting frame was a sheet of plate glass which, being invisible, 
left the lady on the chair in full view as long as the light fell 
upon her. A screen of the same color as the background was 
concealed above the curtain and placed at such an angle as to 
allow its reflection to pass out to the audience. The firing of the 
pistol was the signal for the assistant to turn a switch. The lady 
was then veiled in relative darkness while the screen was illum- 
inated and its reflection on the plate glass concealed her from 
sight. Carrying around the country a big sheet of plate glass 
is not only an expensive luxury but a risky one, so the illusion 
was simplified in the manner described by Mr. Parsell. 

VI. 

Buatier de Kolta was the greatest inventor of magic trickb 
and illusions since the days of Robert-Houdin. He was an abso- 
lutely original genius, who set at defiance Solomon's adage, 
"There is nothing new under the sun," by producing in rapid 
succession a series of brilliant feats that astounded the world 
of magic. I am indebted to my friend, Dr. W. Golden Mortimer, 
for facts concerning the career of de Kolta. 

Joseph Buatier de Kolta was born in. Lyons, France, in the 
year 1845. For centuries his father's people had inhabited the 
ancient palace of the Emperor Claudius. Each firstborn male 
of the Buatier family was given the Roman name. The subject 
of our sketch had a sister and two brothers, the latter, with him- 
self, being set apart for the priesthood. His brother Claudius 
was not given to churchly ways, but the second brother actually 
entered upon the holy orders. Joseph was at college when he 



290 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



first saw the wonders of magic as revealed by a strolling 
magician, and he became so fascinated with the possibilities of 
the art that he entered upon it at once. 

He commenced his professional career at Geneva, Italy, in 
1867, and shortly after became associated with his cousin, Julias 
Vidos de Kolta, who for fifteen years thereafter acted as his 




BUATIER DE KoLTA 

business manag^er. De Kolta was his mother's maiden name, 
adopteil by her ancestors from one of the Hungarian provinces. 
Buatier de Kolta, as the magician was now knowTi^ traveled 
through Italy, where he presented a two hours* entertainment. 
COinsisting of original sleights with a multiplicity of small pro|>- 
^ies^ In 1875 he opened in London, where a great furore was 
made with his flying cage, which he had introduced in Itabr 
socue two years earlier. Though de Kolta was not ghren to 



JIAGICIANS I HAVE MET 



291 



mishaps, on the first presentation of his trick he threw the cage 
out into the audience, an accident which has been repeated by 
other performers. 

He married Miss AHce Allen, in London, December 8, 1887. 
She afterwards traveled with him as his assistant, and acted as 
his business manager. In the year 1891, he made his first appear- 
ance in the United States by playing a four months' engage - 




BUATIER DE KoLTA's FlYING CaGE. 



ment at the Eden Musee, New York City. On that occasion 
he introduced the large vanishing cage, which he intended as a 
satire on the flying cage because of the repeated supposition that 
a bird was killed at each performance of that trick, but he never 
liked the large cage and soon abandoned it. In 1903 he returned 
to this country, and opened at the Eden Musee, on September 
15, where he played many months. Among other new tricks he 



292 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

exhibited an improvement on the "rising cards," consisting in 
the continuous and successive rising of every card in a pack from 
out a glass tumbler; and a little sketch entitled "/a danse des 
millions," in which the money-catching idea was elaborated. 
This number, delivered in Alexandrine verses with all the charm 
of a classic, was intended as a hit at the extravagance of the 
Panama Canal Company under the regime of De Lesseps and his 
associates. 

On that occasion he introduced an absolutely new illusion, 
the effect of which was as follows: The curtain rose showing 
a platform in the center of the stage. It was about four feet 
square and eighteen inches high, with four legs. The conjurer 
appeared carrying a satchel in one hand. He informed the audi- 
ence that he kept his wife in the receptacle. It was a convenient 
way of transporting her about with him. Opening the satchel, 
he took therefrom a die about six inches square, remarking that 
his consort was concealed within it. This he placed on the plat- 
form. After arranging two open fans on the back of the plat- 
form he touched a spring, whereupon the die opened to about two 
and a half feet square. Presto ! — he lifted up the die and his wife 
appeared on the platform, sitting cross-legged like a Turkish 
lady on a divan. 

The secret of this surprising illusion died with Buatier de 
Kolta. His wife refused to reveal it after his death. 

From New York de Kolta went to New Orleans to play an 
engagement at the Orpheum Theatre. In that city he died of 
acute Bright's disease on October 7, 1903. The body was taken 
to London for burial. 

Among the better known tricks and illusions invented by de 
Kolta may be mentioned the following: The flying bird cage 
<^i873) 'y the vanishing lady (1889) ; flowers from a paper cone 
<^i886) ; the cocoon and living pictures (1887) 5 ^^d his disap- 
pearance, at the top of a twenty-one-foot ladder set upright 
against a bridge, in full light ; soup plate and handkerchiefs ; the 
decanters and flying handkerchiefs; multiplying billiard balls; 
production of a large flag on a staff; new ink and water trick, 
etc. 



MAGICIANS I HAVE MET 293 

In conjunction with J. Nevil Maskelyne, he invented the 
"Black Art, or the Mahatmas Outdone." It has been exposed by 
the Strand, February, 1903, as follows: 

"It is necessary for the benefit of those who have never seen 
an act of this kind to explain that everything is performed in 
a dark chamber — either the whole stage or a chamber fitted up 
in the center of it — draped entirely in black — sides, back, floor, 
and ceiling. The hall is placed almost in darkness, the only lights 
being a set of sidelights and footlights, which are turned toward 
the audience with reflectors behind, making it impossible for 
eyes to penetrate into the darkness beyond them. Everything 
used in the chamber is white, even the performer's dress, form- 
ing a contrast necessary to the illusion. 

"The seance is usually commenced by the production of tables 
and goblets from space. In fact, everything required is mys- 
teriously obtained from apparent nothingness. The performer, 
usually dressed in an Eastern costume, all of white, enters the 
empty chamber, and, requiring a wand, raises his hand, when 
one comes floating into it. He next taps the floor at the left 
side of the chamber and a small table suddenly appears. This he 
repeats at the right side, with the same result. He now taps 
one of the -tables and a large goblet appears upon it in the same 
mysterious manner. This also he repeats at the other table, 
having now two tables several yards apart, with a goblet upon 
each.. The whole are brought forward for inspection and 
replaced within the chamber. The performer takes one of the 
goblets, raises it, turns it over and around in several ways, and 
it is seen that the other is going through exactly the same move- 
ments without anyone being near it. The performer replaces 
his goblet upon the table ; but the other remains suspended alone 
in mid-air, and the performer places a large ring over it and 
around it, showing wires or any other connection to be absent. 
He brings it forward and again hands it for examination, but on 
regaining it does not take it to the table, for by a wave of his 
hand the table comes dancing out to him and on receiving the 
goblet dances back to its original position. He next proceeds 
to borrow several watches and other articles of jewelry, which 
he • takes into the chamber and places in the goblet on the 



294 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



right. They are clearly seen to drop from his hand from several 
inches alxne; he shows his liaiids empty and immediately rushes 
across to the other goblet, brings it forward, and allows the 
audience themselves to take oiU all the jewelny^ which was placed 
in the right goblet only a moment previous. Having finished 
with these articles, they disappear as mysteriously and quickly 
as they appeared. 

**The next illusion pcrfi^rmed is the pmduction from space 
of a live lady*s bust suspended in a frame. The performer raises 
his wand and a large picture- frame suddenly hangs itself upon 



\i 



'^^. 



'v: il 



& 



"Black Art" — Some or Its Mysteries. 



0- 



it This is brought for examinahoii, then placed in the center of 
the chamber, where it remains suspended in mid-air and sets up 
a swinging motion by itself. It is then covered momentarily 
with an Eastern rng, and when removed, a lady, devoid of legs, 
whose body completely fills the frame, is seen swinging with it. 
The live picture' is covered momentarily, and when the covering 
is withdrawn a large Union Jack is seen to have taken the place 
of the lady, who has vanished. 

**The performer proceeds next with a decapitation act* in 
which a lady is beheaded in full view of the audience. At a wave 
of his hand a lady appears^ and hands to him her own gruesome 
means of execution, a large, glittering sabre, wiiich he takes, 



MAGICIANS I HAVE MET 



295 



and with one swing cuts her head clean off where she stands. 
Catching the head as it falls, he places a pair of wings at the back 
of it, when it becomes a flying cherub, and immediately soars 
all about the chamber, finally returning to his outstretched hand. 
He then removes the wings and replaces the head upon the lady's 
shoulders, restoring her to life, for which kindness she quickly 
embraces him and vanishes. Wishing to get another such share 
of her favors, the performer endeavors to bring her back by 
magic aid, but is surprised by the appearance of a grinning 
ghost, whose whole body consists of a skull, with a moving jaw, 





Invisible Attendant Producing 
THE Table. 



The Swinging Bust 
Explained. 



draped with a white sheet. He catches it, and detaching its 
skull brings it forward for a closer scrutiny, the jaw moving all 
the time and the sheet dancing about alone. He then throws 
the skull into the air and it is seen no more. 

"The seance is generally concluded by an invisible flight, 
the vanishing performer immediately reappearing amongst the 
audience. He takes the dancing sheet and entirely covers himself 
with it, standing in the center of the chamber, taking great care 
to drape himself in such a manner as to show the shape of his 
body. In a few seconds the sheet collapses, and before it has 
time to reach the ground a shout is heard in the back of the 



2Q6 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



hall; the audience ttirning around naturally are surprised to see 
the performer standing amongst them» smilingly bowing in 
acknowledgment ^)f the ai)plause which greets him. 

**As before mentioned, the whole of this takes place in dark- 
ness, obtained by the chamber being draped in Iilack velvet and 
the floor covered with black felt. Tiie Itrightness of the lights 
turned towards the aiulience, contrasting with the denseness of 
the black behind, dazzles the eye to such an extent that it can- 
not discern anything in the chamber that is nr^t white or of a 
\ery light color. The stage is all arranged before the act» and 



M 



m 



liU 



Decapitation. 

Showing the girFs head covered with a black hood — The girl acting for the 
head falhng to her knees. 

the tables are in their respective places, but cannot be seen on 
account of their being draped with black velvet. The goblets^ 
frame, lady, ghosts etc., are all placed in readiness behind a black 
screen, also draped. None of this can be seen while they are 
behind the lights, if kept covered in black, no matter how near 
to the front they are placed. But how do they float about and 
appear so mysteriously? An assistant is within the chamber, 
dressed in black velvet throughout, with black gloves and 
mask, covering all signs of white about him and making 
him perfectly invisible. He wears no boots, and the felt 



MAGICIANS I HAVE MET 297 

upon the floor deadens the sound of all his movements. He 
it is who really produces all the articles. When the performer 
stretches his hand out for the wand, the assistant brings it from 
behind the screen and hands it to him with a floating movement. 
As the performer taps the floor he immediately pulls away the 
black covering and the table instantly appears to view. The 
goblets are painted black inside, allowing him to hold them at 
the back with his fingers inside, unnoticed. After the tables are 
both produced he places the goblets upon them at the right 
moment with one hand while he pulls off the velvet with the 
other. The exposition is so quick and sudden that nothing sus- 
picious can be noticed. The turning of the goblet is also the 
work of the invisible assistant, and is quickly changed from one 
hand to another when the ring is being passed over it. The 
watches, etc., are not placed in the goblet as they appear to be, 
but dropped behind it into the assistant's hands, who takes them 
over to the other while the performer is exhibiting his empty 
bands. The picture-frame is also handed by the assistant, and 
when it is apparently placed in mid-air is really passed to the 
assistant, who quickly hangs it up. When it is covered the lady 
steps from behind the screen to the frame, and stands upon a 
swing which nearly reaches to the floor behind it, and catches 
hold of the frame sides; the assistant draws away the velvet 
which draped her, and keeps the swing in motion. The frame 
is attached to the wires of this swing. The lady is dressed in 
white to the waist, which exactly reaches the bottom of the 
frame. Below the frame she is dressed in black velvet. When 
the frame is again covered she steps back behind the screen 
while the assistant fits the Union Jack in the frame. In the 
decapitation act there are two ladies, one dressed all in white, 
the other standing behind her dressed in black, with her head 
covered by a black hood. When the performer swings the 
sabre the assistant covers the white lady's head with a black 
velvet hood, at the same time pulling the hood quickly from the 
other lady's head, who immediately falls to her knees. The 
illusion looks perfect — a body apparently standing without a 
head and the head apparently falling. When the wings are put 
on she flaps them by means of a wire and runs round the cham- 



29« 



THE OLD ASD THE XEW MAdC 



hcM', siuo|/in^ ;it intfrrvaln. v/ as to take an irregular course. The 
Ik'Ik'H'Ic^ Uuly in rcstor^yl by exactly the reverse method, and she 
(lisa|>|>cars InrliinM the s/:reen. The ghost is danced about on a 








5. 



J 






MAGICIANS 1 HAVE MET 



299 



the back of tlie hall nieanvvliile, where he waits to see the sheet 
drop. The assistant, allnwing- time for this, simply lets go the 
top of the sheetj and, of course, cannot be seen behind it. The 




performer runs in before it has time to reach the g^round, his 
invisible fligbt and immediate reapi)earance greatly astonishing 
the spectators,'* 




300 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

VII. 

Cazeneuve, better known as le commandeur Cazeneuve, the 
great card expert and magician, was born in Toulouse in 1840. 
He adopted magic, after witnessing a performance of that orig- 
inal genius, Bosco. His chivalric title (commander of the 
imperial order of Medjidie) was conferred upon him by the 
Sultan of Turkey, with whom he was a favorite. At the Court 
of Russia he and his charming wife made a great sensation 
with the second-sight trick. When the Franco-Prussian war 
broke out, Cazeneuve returned to Toulouse and raised two 
companies of soldiers, one of which was composed entirely of 
theatrical people. He served as captain of the ist regiment of 
Tirailleurs' d'Elite,' under the command of Colonel Riu, and 
fought bravely for France. After peace was declared he pre- 
pared a new programme of magic and toured Europe and the 
Americas. He has a handsome home in his native city of Tou- 
louse, where he has collected many rare curios. In the year 
1905, Cazeneuve was touring Algeria with a magic show. He 
is a member of several scientific societies, and manifests great 
interest in physics. 

I first saw Carl Hertz in Baltimore at the old vaudeville 
theatre "across the bridge,*' some twenty years ago. I remember 
him as a clever, good-looking young fellow, possessed of consid- 
erable dash, and very neat in the performance of card tricks. 
His specialty was the **bird-cage trick,'' which he did to perfec- 
tion. He was born in San Francisco, of German parents. 
His first manager was M. de Frere. Hertz has traveled exten- 
sively in the Orient. With the bird-cage trick he puzzled the 
best informed fakirs of India. In Borneo he met with a most 
romantic adventure. He is probably the only man who has had 
to offer himself as a burnt-offering to escape an amorous Princess. 
He was giving a series of magical entertainments before a Malay 
Sultan and Court, and not only succeeded in fascinating the 
yellow-skinned monarch, but his daughter as well. The young 
princess proposed marriage to the conjurer. "On Mr. Hertz 
informing the lady, through an interpreter, that he was already 
wedded, she replied that made no difference to her, as she would 
rule his other ladies. Here was a fix. However, with the con- 



MAGICIANS I HAVE MET 3OI 

nivance of the British Vice-Constil, Mr. Hertz took the place 
of his lawful spouse in the Phoenix illusion, and jumping into 
the blazing caldron waved an affectionate adieu to the aston- 
ished and dismayed Princess. Mrs. Hertz had to keep up the 
delusion by weeping copiously while her husband was being 
conveyed to the coast in a basket.'' 

In the Sandwich Islands, on one occasion, a chief leaped 
upon the stage where Hertz was performing and began wor- 
shiping him as a god. How very real must have been the effect 
of Hertz's magic upon the untutored mind of that simple native. 

In the year 1904, a troupe of Hindoo jugglers, acrobats and 
snake charmers were brought to the United States to entertain 
lovers of the marvelous at the St. Louis Exposition. Among 
them was a man with an unpronounceable name, whom the 
management dubbed "Alexander." I met the dusky necro- 
mancer at Martinka's in the summer of 1904. He went about 
the streets of New York garbed in his rich Oriental costume. 
The street gamins always followed him from his hotel to the 
Palace of Magic and stood about the doorway in crowds, await- 
ing in breathless astonishment some feat of wizardry. But the 
impassive Hindoo paid no attention to his youthful admirers, 
but went on blowing wreaths of smoke from Egyptian cigar- 
ettes, and making purchases of magical apparatus with which 
to astonish the natives of his beloved India. Taking magic 
tricks to India is like carrying coals to Newcastle. But Alex- 
ander had a very high opinion of Occidental conjuring, and 
fully realized the fact that the sorcerers of the West, aided 
by all the resources of modern science, were the superiors of 
the Hindoo fakirs, except perhaps in one particular — feats of 
hypnotism and apparent death. I saw Alexander, in Martinka's 
little back shop, support a couple of heavy iron weights, which 
were fastened at the ends of a cord, upon his eyelids. The 
cord rested on the lids, the weights dangling at the ends of 
the string. The pressure upon the eyeballs must have been 
tremendous. Alexander presented Dr. Ellison with a wand — 
the thigh-bone of a sacred simian from the famous monkey 
temple of India. The bone was inscribed with cabalistic charac- 
ters and Sanskrit sentences. The monkey is famous for playing 



302 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

tricks, and the thigh-bone of a sacred monkey consequently 
ought to make an admirable mystic wand for a conjurer. The 
doctor prizes this unique rehc very highly, and is thinking of 
building a shrine of Benares copper for its reception. In the 
future, crowds of wandering wizards will doubtless make pil- 
grimages to this slirine to gaze in ecstasy at the holy relic, just 
as crowds of East Indians visit the temple where Buddha's 
wisdom tooth is displayed for the delectation of the faithful. 



VIII. 

In the year 1894 there flashed on the theatrical horizon of 
Europe an eccentric gentleman conjurer, who performed with 
a mask on his face, advertising himself as UHomme Masque 
(the Masked Man). 

"Who is he?" inquired the quid mines of the vaudeville 
theatres. 

Nobody seemed to know. Had the Man in the Iron Mask, 
celebrated by Voltaire and Alexander Dumas, come to life again? 

"What does he wear a mask for?" asked the public. 

"To hide his aristocratic features," replied the manager of 
L'Hommc Masque. "He wishes to remain incognito." 

Eventually he permitted his name to leak out. It was Mar- 
quis d'O. "But *0' is not a name," cried the quid mines, "It 
is a letter, an exclamation of surprise or terror." "Not so fast," 
remarked the Dryasdusts. "There was a Marquis d'O who 
lived in the seventeenth century. He was a noted duelist and 
gambler, but that did not prevent him from being a favorite 
with Henri III of France. Possibly L'Homme Masque is a 
descendant of the famous nobleman of the old regime. He is 
unquestionably a Frenchman, for he speaks like a native." 

The masked man refused to further reveal his identity. In 
one respect he resembled the favorite of the Valois King. He 
was familiar with cards. After losing 800,000 francs at Monte 
Carlo, he took up magic as a profession and made his debut, 
March, 1894. I have ascertained that the Marquis is a native 
of Peru, South America. His real name I do not know. The 
"O" perhaps is a nam de theatre. Again, it may be an abbrevia- 



MAGICIANS I HAVE MET 3O3 

tion of Olivarez. Mr. Downs writes as follows in the Sphinx, 
January, 1903, concerning the mysterious marquis : 

''U Homme Masque (Marquis d'O) and myself are especially 
engaged to give a series of magical performances at the Casino 
Theatre, Spa, Belgium, Nov. 15 to Dec. 31, 1902. The Mar- 
quis is a remarkably clever magician of the non-apparatus school 
and gives an hour and thirty minutes' performance, changing 
his show each evening. He uses only cards, handkerchiefs, 
flowers, eggs and otiier small objects for his illusions. He is 
eminently original and possesses a great personality. He is 
a decided sensation in the theatrical world. His success has 
been so pronounced that he has had many imitators who have 
donned the mask and traded on his reputation. The Society 
of Magicians in Hamburg presented him with a valuable gold- 
tipped wand set with diamonds. Like Robert-Houdin, the Mar- 
quis presents his audiences with many charming souvenirs, some 
of them of considerable value, such as cigarette cases, cigars, 
bouquets, etc. He is very popular in aristocratic circles. When 
in London, he received as high as £20 for a private entertain- 
ment and was invited everywhere.'' 

To keep the public guessing is the particular business of a 
conjurer, but to keep people guessing as to your identity as 
well as your tricks, caps the climax in the art of mystery mon- 
gering. Imagine the Sphinx wearing a mask. This business 
of a wizard disguising his features with a black mask is a piece 
of sublime audacity. Vive le Marquis d'O ! Is it not a pity that 
such an act cannot be copyrighted? Think of some really orig- 
inal idea and produce it on the stage and immediately hundreds 
of imitators will spring up like mushrooms in a single night. 
Not only will they copy your act, but your patter as well. 

Two of our foremost American conjurers. Downs and 
Houdini, can testify to this fact. T. Nelson Downs, the "King 
of Coins," a native of Marshaltown, Iowa, invented a number 
of original sleights with coins, which he embodied in an act 
known as the Miser's Dream. A brilliant success was the result, 
whereupon a legion of imitators, billing themselves as Coin 
Kings, sprang up everywhere. Downs, however, remains the 
unapproachable manipulator of coins; his imitators have gone 



304 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

to the wall, one after the other. Downs' act is really unique. 
He is also a fine performer with cards. Edward VII of England, 
who has a penchant for entertainments of magic and mystery, 
had Downs give private seances for him, and was charmed 
with the American's skill. 

IX. 

A word or two here concerning that brilliant entertainer, 
Harry Houdini, whose handcuff act is the sensation of two 
continent?. 

Mr. Houdini, whose real name is Weiss, was born April 6, 
1873, in Appleton, Wisconsin. He began his career as an 
entertainer when but nine years of age, doing a contortion and 
trapeze act in Jack Hoffler's "five cent'' circus in Appleton. 
His mother took him away from the sawdust arena and appren- 
ticed him to a locksmith. Here he was initiated into the mys- 
teries of locks and keys, and laid the foundation of his great 
handcuff act. Locksmithing, despite the fact that King Louis 
XVI of France worked at it as an amateur, possessed no charms, 
for the youthful Houdini. To use his own expression, "One 
day I made a bolt for the door, and never came back to my 
employer." Again he went with a circus, where he acted as 
a conjurer, a clown and a ventriloquist. He made a specialty 
of the rope-tying business and performed occasionally with 
handcuffs, but without sensational results. Finally the circus 
landed in Rhode Island and opened up in a town where Sunday 
performances were forbidden by law, but were greatly desired 
by a large section of the population. As the fine was light, the 
proprietor ran the risk, and gave a show on the Sabbath. A 
summons followed, and each member of the troupe was fined. 
As Houdini epigrammatically put it: "The manager couldn't 
find the fine, so we all found ourselves in confinement." Houdini 
was locked up in a cell with a number of side-show freaks, the 
fat lady, the living skeleton, and the German giant. The fat 
lady was too wide for the compartment, the giant too long. 
With tears in their eyes they emplored Houdini to pick the lock 
and let them out. Finally the young conjurer consented, and 
dexterously picked the lock, whereupon he and his companions 




HAKKV HoVUiNl, IN HaND< I f'KS AND ClIAlKS 

advertised himself as a spirit medium, thereliy creating a gre 
sensatiun. But he preferred not tn play the charlatan. I a 
not personally acquainted witli his method of working the trie 
therefore I express no opinion on the subject, except to ss 
that the locks of the handcuffs are {yicked with a key of son 



MAGICIANS I HAVE MET 



307 



kind which is adroitly secreted about the person of the per- 
former; or some soft piece of iron or copper wire which can be 
converted into a skeleton key. In the event of his being stripped 
naked (as often occurs in the case of Houdini) the key is prob- 
ably hidden in the nose, ear, mouth, or bushy hair of the Hand- 
cuff King — or else slipped to him by a confederate, or concealed 
in a pocket in the drapery of the cabinet. I quote the following 
from the Strand Magazine (Sept., 1903) : 

'*For a man fettered with handcuffs, leg-irons, and chains 
to free himself in less time than it has taken to fasten him has 




Fig. I — The Performer Fastened with Six Pairs of Handcuffs. 



long been so mystifying a performance that many i>eople have 
acquired the impression that it bordered on the supernatural. 
The secret is, however, like many of the best tricks ever invented, 
in reality a surprisingly simple one. 

"In the first place, it must be remembered that handcuffs 
such as are used by Scotland Yard are constructed with spring - 
locks, which are fastened or released by means of a key, or 
some article which answers the same purpose, which pulls back 
the spring. Without the aid of such a key it is impossible for 
any human being to free himself from the regulation hand- 
cuffs employed by the police. And herein lies the whole secret 



3o8 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



— tlie performer has a key, or rather several keys. All his inge- 
nuity is exercised in cuncealing these ahoiit liis person, or inside 
the cabinet to which he retires to release liiniself after being, to 
all appearances, helplessly secured. 

"Some of these keys are concealecl in the framework of the 
cabinet^ which is generally constructed of piping, having addi- 
tional pieces which appear to be essential portions of tlie frame- 
work, hut which in reality arc <inly intended to hold the keys. 
Other keys the performer keeps disposed about his person in 



j 



Fig. 2 — The Handicerchief and Key 
Drawn Vkum the Waistcoat. 



Fig. 3 — ^Unlocking the Hanpcoffs 
WITH THE Key. 



sundry small pockets especially made for the purpose, and so 
arranged that he is able to place his hand upon some one or other 
of them in whatever position he may be. The best places for 
concealment are---hrst, a ptjcket between the knees, to permit 
the key to be reached Avhen the performer is fastened in a 
crouched position ; secondly, a pocket about six inches up inside 
the leg of the trousers; thirdly, a key carried in the hip pocket 
of the trousers, for use when pinioned with the arms behind 
the back; and finally, a small pocket inside the top of the waist- 
coat, or wlierever it may be found convenient 



MAGICIANS I HAVE MET 



309 



''Let us now turn to the photographs, whicli have heen 
especially taken for this article, and which render the whole 
prfjceeding- very clear. In Fig*, i the performer is fastened witli 
six pairs of hantlcnffs. In such a position it seems inipussible 
that he can free himself; but by putting liis hantis i>ver his head 
and down his coat c^ihar he has caught the end of a silk hand- 
kerchief thrust into the breast of his waistcoat, to which a kev 



r 



Fig 4 — ^MrrnnD or U^ing the Key when out of Reach of the Ftngebs. 

is attached. Fig. 2 shows the handkerchief and key drawn to 
the front; while V\g. 3 sliows the key inserted in the lock. 

*'Fig. 4 shows the method employed when the position is 
such that it is impossible, owing to the awkwardness of the atti- 
tude, to pull the lock back. A piece of violin string is made 
into a loop and kept inside the cabinet. When it is impos- 
sible to draw the key, and with it the lock-spring, with the 
fingers, the loop is put over the key, the heel of the boot placed 




310 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



in the other end of the loop, and the lock is then easily drawn 
back. After one pair has been opened the otliers follow as a 
matter of course. 

**Figs, 5 and 6 show another position, the key this time being 
obtainetl from the waistcoat. Fig. 7 shows one of the most diffi- 
cult positions in wliich it is possible to be placed. The silk 
handkerchief shown is just peeping from the waistcoat, and is 
brought out by the aid of the tongue, it being possible to draw 
out a good silk by licking it In Fig. 8 the performer has rolled 



Fics. 5 AND 6-- Another 



Position, the Key 

WAlSTtruAT. 



Being Obtained fkom the 



over and obtained a gootl hold of the haodkerchief. which, by 
a quick jerk of the head, he throw^s over Iiis back, and eventually 
gets hold of it with his hands, as shown in Fig. 9. If the key 
falls to the floor he rolls over and picks it up, the rattle of the 
handcuffs hiding the sound of the falling key. His next move- 
ment is to free his hands from his feet, which he does in the 
manner already described. The key for this position can also 
be obtained from the leg of the trousers. 

"Fig, 10 shows the implements of torture and the condition 
of the performer's wrists after an exhibition. The special keys 



312 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

are split with a saw about half an inch down, to allow for 
variation in the sizes of various locks (Fig. ii). It should be 
understood that an expert, when about to give a performance, 
inquires what position it is intended to place him in. He then 
causes, as an introduction, a few pairs of his own handcuffs to 
be placed on his wrists, and while freeing himself from these 



t% 






Oi 



Ftc. to — The Perfokmer and his iMruaiENTs. 
(Showing the Condition of tlie Wrisls after an Exhibition.) 

in his cabinet he arranges his keys to suit tlie position in which 
he will next be placed. Otlier iTiipleincnts besitles keys arc 
also used: a piece of bent wire is often quite sufficient Most 
experts are also conjurers, and *palm' the key. especially in the 
case of a nude test, when they are stripped and locked up m 
a cell; or they make use of a concealing key, w^hich is made tele- 
scopic, the handle being constructed to close down the side of i 



MAGICIANS I HAVE MET 



313 



the key, and the whole being fixed under the toes by a piece of 
shoemaker's wax and detached when inside the cell. 

"Although, when the secret is explained, it seems very easy 
to accomplish, it must be understood that it is necessary for 
a successful performer to possess very hard, strong wrists and 
abundance of finger strength, and to be a man of some resource. 
It is almost impossible for any person to fasten an expert 
securely unless he himself understands the secret of the method 
of escape, and even then he may not be successful. On one 
occasion a performer underwent a severe test by a person who 




Fig. II — ^Various Kinds of Keys 



understood the secret, and^ therefore did not use any keys what- 
ever, but by a very ingenious method overcame the efforts of 
the gentleman in question to fasten him. He obtained some 
very small gold-filled wire and made it into the form of a wire 
ring, which was partly covered by a broad gold one, to which 
the wire ring was attached. Thus prepared he underwent the 
test, unwrapping the wire ring when in the cabinet. Needless 
to state, in a very short time he was free. 

"Handcuffs are sometimes brought to fetter the performer 
with the locks plugged or otherwise tampered with. But it is 
the performer's own fault if he is trapped. It is a very easy 
matter to tamper with the locks — a few lead pellets dropped 



314 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

down the barrel will effectually prevent the lock from being 
drawn. This method has often been attempted, but not suc- 
cessfully. 

"Now that the methods have been explained and illustrated, 
it will be very easily perceived that there is nothing supernatural 
about the secret of handcuff manipulation.'' 

Houdini is not only a Handcuff King, but a skillful per- 
former with cards. When too many imitators shall have made 
his specialty a drug on the market, he can take to some other 
branch of conjuring. He has a very fine trunk illusion which 
he often combines with his handcuff act. For seven years past 
he has been collecting data for an extensive biographical ency- 
clopedia of magicians. In his travels on the continent of Europe 
he has visited the homes and haunts of famous conjurers of 
the past and secured valuable material for his prospective book. 
Thanks to this interesting man, photographs of the tombs of 
Robert-Houdin and Bosco have been made, and considerable 
light thrown on their careers. In a letter to me, October 9, 
1905, he says: "When in Russia, I searched in vain for the 
grave of the fascinating Pinetti — that prestidigitateur par excel- 
lence of the eighteenth century — but, alas, my labors were not 
rewarded. But in St. Petersburg I picked up an exceedingly 
rare portrait of Pinetti, which I prize highly and which will 
form the frontispiece to my book on magicians." Houdini is 
a reincarnation of Sir Walter Scott's Old Mortality, who went 
about furbishing up the tombstones of the illustrious dead of 
his faith. When at home (New York City), Harry Houdini 
lives among his books and curios. He has also a handsome farm 
in Massachusetts. Houdini's brother, under the stage name of 
Hardeen, is also a handcuff expert. 

x. 

In this review of magicians I have met, I must not fail to 
mention Charles Edwin Fields of the Royal Aquarium and 
Crystal Palace, London, England. This veteran of the wand 
was born in London, May 15, 1835, and received a good educa- 
tion at private academies in England and France. He has 
appeared before royalty and instructed hundreds of people in 



MAGICIANS I HAVE MET 315 

the mystic art. In the days when magic literature was sparse, 
Prof. Fields obtained large sums of money from wealthy ama- 
teurs for the secrets of tricks. Alas, the golden age of wizardry 
has passed. Magic is an **open secret." The Professor's occupa- 
tion is gone. 

I come now to Frangois de Villiers, the French illusionist, 
who is an excellent performer. He is able to invest the sim- 
plest parlor trick with a halo of interest, thanks to his wit and 
bonhomie. He was born in the Island of Malta, where Cagli- 
ostro went to work in the chemical laboratory of the Grand 
Commander Pinto. De Villiers when but a callow youth ran 
away from the parental home and joined a French circus which 
happened to be touring the Island of Malta. He wandered all 
over the continent of Europe with the knights of the sawdust 
circle, playing many parts, acrobat, clown and conjurer. Finally 
he took up magic as a profession. 

De Villiers next drifted to India, where he became a subject 
of the British crown. Being of an adventurous nature, he 
joined a cavalry regiment and wore the khaki of the Queen. 
When his term of enlistment had expired, he went to Spain 
and fought valiantly under the banner of Don Carlos. Cap- 
tured by the government forces, he was tried as a rebel and 
condemned to be shot, but his sentence was commuted to ban- 
ishment, thanks to the timely intervention of the British Ambas- 
sador, to whom he had appealed for aid. De Villiers is now a 
naturalized citizen of the United States and his home is in New- 
York City. 

Ziska is a magician of ability and possessed of much orig- 
inality. Assisted by Mr. King, he does an act in which magic 
is blended with comedy. It is entitled "The Magician and His 
Valet.'' The conjurer is very clever and the valet very clumsy, 
but no exposes of the tricks are made; Mr. Ziska is too much 
of an artist to permit that. 

J. Warren Keane is a clever manipulator of cards and billiard 
balls. He gives a pleasing act of magic. 

Prof. Barney Ives is possessed of great originality. Some 
of his inventions have become famous. In this respect he is a 
rival to the celebrated Henry Hardin. 



3l6 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

De Biere and Stilhvell are conjurers who are fast rising into 
prominence. Stilhvell is a handkerchief manipulator. 

Next in line we have Malini, Fred Hurd, Hal Merton and 
Maro, all of them clever magicians. Kurd's rabbit and duck 
trick has to be seen to be appreciated. ]\Iaro is not only an 
excellent illusionist, but a musician and a crayon artist. Merton, 
a favorite in the lyceum field, was at one time the editor of 
"Mahatma." Malini's forte is cards, and he devotes most of 
his time to giving drawing-room and club entertainments. Of 
late years he has made London his home. Among the clever 
amateurs I have met may be mentioned Mr. Guy L. Baker, of 
Buffalo, N. Y., and Mr. LeRoy McCafferty and Mr. John J. 
Allen, of Washington, D. C. Mr. Baker is an excellent drawing- 
room conjurer and the originator of a novel method of working 
the rising card trick a la de Kolta, by means of a clockwork 
apparatus in the body of a small table. Mr. McCafferty is good 
at hanky-panky, particularly with billiard balls; and Mr. Allen, 
an ardent student of the art of deception, bids fair to become 
a g(X)d entertainer. 

Ere I bring this chapter to a close I must not neglect to 
pay a tribute to my old-time friend, Dr. Leonard Caughey, of 
Baltimore, Md., the finest amateur conjurer, rope-tying and 
cabinet medium I have ever met. A dentist by profession, he 
devoted his leisure time to magic. He died some fifteen years 
ago in Washington, D. C. His cousin, Mr. Charles M. Caughey, 
also an amateur prestidigitateur, is at present United States 
Consul to Palermo, Sicily, the birthplace of Cagliostro. From 
Dr. Caughey I received my first scientific instruction in the art 
of palming and mediumistic marvels. I owe him a debt of 
gratitude. In my little book "Hours With the Ghosts" I have 
described some of my adventures with this admirable amateur 
necromancer, who has passed from the lesser to the Greater 
Mysteries. Long before Professor Hoffmann had written his 
great treatise on "Modern Magic,'' Dr. Caughey was thoroughly 
initiated into all branches of magic, something unusual in those 
days, and was giving splendid entertainments for churches, 
lyceums, etc. A fine mechanic, he made most of his apparatus, 
some of it of a very elaborate character. I imported Hoffmann's 



MAGICIANS I HAVE MET 317 

book from England and showed it to him. He was paralyzed 
with astonishment at the revelations contained in the volume 
and exclaimed, "The golden days of magic are over/' The 
Gdttcrddmmcrnng (Twilight of the Gods) has come! The 
world will be as full of magicians as the Jersey coast is of mos- 
quitoes. The palmy days of Herrmann, Houdin and Heller 
are ended.'' His prophecy has been more or less fulfilled. The 
vail of Isis is lifted and the mysteries of magic laid open to all 
who care to delve in its literature and inform themselves. Alas, 
unscrupulous professionals have contributed to this state of 
things by exposing tricks on the stage for the benefit of the 
public at large. This is indeed killing outright the goose that 
lays the golden eggs. Initiate the hoi polloi into the secrets of 
the cult, and magic will soon be relegated to the parlor as an 
after-dinner amusement, unless some absolutely original genius 
like Robert-Houdin or de Kolta arises and recreates the art. 
The Society of British Magicians, known as "The Magic Circle 
of Great Britain," expels a member who wilfully exposes any 
magical trick or illusion on the stage. The Society of American 
Magicians comes out strongly against the reprehensible practice 
of stage exposes, but as yet has taken no steps to expel members 
who offend against the law. But that will doubtless come in 
time. 



THE RIDDLE OF THE SPHINX. 

"Thus they placed Sphinxes before the gates of their temples, meaning 
by that to say that their theology contained all the secrets of wisdom under 
an enigmatic form." — Mariette: Voyage dans la Hautc-Egypt, Vol. II, p. 9. 



What is the meaning of this Egyptian Temple, transplanted 
from the banks of the Nile to prosaic London? The smoke 
and grime have attacked it and played sad havoc with its sand- 
stone walls, painted with many hieroglyphics. The fog envelops 
it with a spectral embrace. No Sphinxes guard its portal. Alas, 
its glories have departed ! But stop a bit ! There is a gentleman 
in evening dress, with a tall hat pushed well back from his fore- 
head, sitting in a small box-like receptacle on one side of the 
colossal entrance, his face framed in by a small window; and 
another man, similarly attired, standing at an iron wicket leading 
into the sanctum sanctorum. The temple, then, is guarded by 
two up-to-date, flesh-and-blood Sphinxes in swallow-tail coats 
and opera hats. Ah me, what a travesty on the human-headed 
monsters of the land of Mizraim. See the long line of wor- 
shipers waiting to obtain admission to the Mysteries. Has 
the cult of Isis and Osiris been revived? The devotees deposit 
coins with Sphinx No. i and receive from him yellow tickets 
in exchange, the presentation of which to Sphinx No. 2 permits 
their entrance into the temple. 

What does it all mean? 

Dear reader, this is Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly, London, and 
the people are crowding to see a conjuring exhibition by Colonel 
Stodare. His Sphinx trick is the great attraction. 

Stodare is dust long ago, and the Sphinx no longer a mys- 
terv. Its riddle has been solved. 



320 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

But let US rehearse its history. 

The Sphinx illusion, which has formed the basis of nearly 
all tricks performed by the aid of looking-glasses, was invented 
by Thomas Tobin, of the Polytechnic Institution, London. 
Colonel Stodare, the conjurer, had the honor of first introducing 
it to the world. The "London Times'' (October 19, 1865) 
describes it as follows : 

"Most intricate is the problem proposed by Colonel Stodare, when, in addi- 
tion to his admirable feats of ventriloquism and legerdemain, he presents 
to his patrons a novel illusion called the 'Sphinx/ Placing upon an un- 
covered table a chest similar in size to the cases commonly occupied by 
stuffed dogs or foxes, he removes the side facing the spectators, and reveals 
a head attired after the fashion of an Egyptian Sphinx. To avoid the sus- 
picion of ventriloquism, he retires to a distance from the figure, supposed 
to be too jgr«at for the practice of that art, taking his position on the border- 
line of the stalls and the area, while the chest is on the stage. Thus stationed, 
he calls upon the Sphinx to open its eyes, which it does — to smile, which it 
does also, though the habitual expression of its countenance is most melan- 
choly, and to make a speech, which it does also, this being the miraculous 
pitt/oi the exhibition. Not only with perspicuity, but with something like 
\elpquence, does it utter some twenty lines of verse; and while its countenance 
is animated and expressive, the movement of the lips, in which there is 
nothing mechanical, exactly corresponds to the sounds articulated. 

"This certainly is one of the most extraordinary illusions ever pre- 
sented to the public. That the 'speech is spoken by a human voice there 
is no doubt, but how is a head to be contrived which, being detached from 
anything like a body, confined in a case, which it completely fills, and placed 
on a bare-legged table, will accompany a speech, that apparently proceeds 
from its lips, with a strictly appropriate movement of the mouth, and a 
play of the countenance that is the reverse of mechanical? Eels, as we all 
know, jan wriggle about after they have been chopped into half a dozen 
pieces; but a head that, like that of the Physician Douban, in the Arabian 
tales, pursues its eloquence after it has been severed from the body, scarcely 
comes within the reach of possibilities; unless, indeed, the old-fashioned 
assertion that 'King Charles walked and talked half an hour after his head 
was cut off,' is to be received, not as an illustration of defective punctuation, 
but as a positive historical statement. 

"Davus might have solved the 'Anthropoglossus,' but Colonel Stodare 
presents us with a Sphinx that is really worthy of an Oedipus." 



II, 

Mr. Alfred Thompson, the well known theatrical manager, 
attended one of Stodare's performances at the Egyptian Hall, 
and was lucky enough to penetrate the secret of the Sphinx. In 



THE KIDDLE OF THE SPHINX 



321 



an article contributed to the Neiv York Journal^ some twenty 
years ago, lie writes : 

"I happened to rise in my seat. In a iTiDnient the whole ilhision was 
swept away, and all because of the lack of a silk handkL-rchief. As I stood 
up my eye caught, hovering hclwt^fii two of the tahle ItRs, the marks of Uvo 
lingers, such marks as may often be seen on a mirror when the light falls at a 
certain angle upon it. 



-r* S 



Colonel Stodahe. 



"Those two finger marks, though ckise to the carpet, gave me the key 
to the riddle of the Sphinx, In my mental photograph 1 saw the confederate 
kneeling behind the table, his head passing through superposed apertures, 
one in the top of the table, the other in the bottom of the box. The figure 
was concealed from view by two mirrors of pure silver-plated glass, set at 
such an angle as to reflect either side of the room (on the stage) in such 
a way that what to the eye was evidently the back of tlie same room seen 
beneath and beyond the table, was really only a reproduction of those siden 
visible in the mirrors between the legs of ibe table. 



322 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

"This Sphinx was the sensation of London for weeks following, and 
having occasion to go to Paris a few days later, I offered the secret to 
Robert-Houdin's successor, Hamilton, who, however, refused my terms until 
he knew the trick. This delay of his was much regretted by him, for some 
other speculator produced the secret some three months later and made a 
colossal sensation in Paris with his 'Decapite Parlant.* 

"In the same year I introduced the illusion for the first time on the 
stage in the celebrated spectacle of 'Babil and Bijou* at Covent Garden 
Theatre. In the ballet of The Seasons' Mile. Henriette Dor, one of the 
most poetical dancers ever seen, appeared as the White Rose, and I designed 
a large rose bud on its stalk, which, coming up through the bed of summer 
flowers, blossomed wide until from its open petals the beautiful Dor rose 
up, apparently materializing as she issued from the calix on the stalk. The 
ballet girls were so arranged in groups around three sides (not in front) 
as to aid the deception by their adjusted reflections in the mirrors. 

•'Practically it was the same trick — ^two mirrors at a right angle and a 
trap door. This curious trick was never improved on. It was added to 
and altered at the Polytechnic, where, among other adaptations of the same 
principle, was shown an animated tableau of Sir Joshua Reynolds* famous 
cherubs. Three cherubs' heads appeared in a moonlit sky, floating, and 
sang in sweet child voices the verses of an anthem. 

"Curiously enough I met the original Sphinx not three y-ears ago in 
the person of a business manager who had been Stodare's agent, and only 
three months back one of those very cherubs in Mr. Fred Solomon, the 
comedian, who was then a chorister at the Chapel Royal, and who was 
threatened with all sorts of tortures if he let the cat or the cherub out of 
the bag." 

HI. 

One of the best explanations of the Sphinx is given by Pro- 
fessor Hoffmann in his work on magic. I quote as follows from 
him: 

"For the benefit of those who have never seen this illusion presented 
upon the stage, we will describe its effect a little more minutely. The Sphinx 
is always made a separate portion of the entertainment, as it is necessary to 
lower the curtain for a few moments before and after its appearance, in 
order to arrange and remove the necessary preparations. The curtain rises, 
and reveals a round or oval table, supported upon three slender legs, and 
utterly devoid of drapery. This stands in a curtained recess of ten or twelve 
feet square, open on the side towards the audience. The performer comes 
forward bearing a cloth covered box, fifteen to twenty inches square, and 
places it upon the table already mentioned. He then unlocks the box, the 
front of which drops down, so as to give a perfect view of the interior, in 
which is seen a head of Egyptian fashion, and colored in perfect imitation 
of life. The performer now retires to a position in the very midst of the 
audience, and raising his wand, says in a tone of command, 'Sphinx, awake!* 
The Sphinx slowly opens its eyes, looking first to the front with a strong 



THE RIDDLE OF THE SPHINX 



323 



gaze; then, as if gradually gaining consciousness, to the one side and the 
other, the head moving slightly with the eyes. Questions are put by the 
performer to the head, and are answered by it, the play of the mouth and 
features being in perfect harmony with the sounds uttered. Finally, in an- 
swer to a query of the operator, the Sphinx declaims a neatly turned oracle 
in verse. This concludes the exhibition, and the performer closes the box. 
Should the audience call for an encore, the performer addresses them to the 
following or some similar effect : 

" 'Ladies and gentlemen, I am glad that the Sphinx has afforded you 
satisfaction, and I should be only too pleased to be able to indulge the desire 
which you kindly testify of seeing it again. Unfortunately, this is not pos- 
sible. The charm by which I am enabled, as you have seen, to revivify for 
a space the ashes of an ancient Egyptian, who lived and died some centuries 
ago, lasts but for fifteen minutes. That time has now expired, and the head 
which has astonished you with its mysterious eloquence has again returned 
to its original dust.' As he speaks the last words, he again opens the box, 



d- J 





Fig. I. 



Fig. 2. 



and the head is found to have disappeared, leaving in its place a handful 
of ashes. 

"This singular illusion depends upon the well-known principle, common 
to optics as to mechanics, that the 'angle of reflection is equal to the angle 
of incidence.* Thus, if a person standing at the point a, in Fig. i, look into 
a mirror placed in the position indicated by the line h c, he will see reflected, 
not himself, but whatever object may be placed at the point d. By an in- 
genious application of this principle a looking-glass may be used to conceal 
a given object behind it, while at the same time an image reflected in the 
glass may be made to represent what would be presumably seen if no glass 
were there, and thus prevent the presence of the mirror from being suspected. 
This is the secret of the Sphinx. The table, as already mentioned, has 
three legs, one in front, and one at each side. Between these legs the spec- 
tator sees apparently the curtains at the back of the recess, but really a re- 
flection of the curtains at the sides. The space between the middle leg and 
that on either side is occupied by pieces of looking-glass (see Fig. 2, which 
represents a ground plan of the arrangements), extending from a to h, and 
a to c. The glass extends quite down to the floor, which is covered with 
cloth of the same material and color as the surrounding curtains. The spec- 



324 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

tators, therefore, looking towards the table, see above it the curtains at the 
back, and below it the reflection of the curtains at the sides; which, how- 
ever, if the relative angles are properly arranged, appears to be simply the 
continuation or lower portion of the curtains at the back. The illusion is 
perfect, and the spectator, from the position assigned to him, cannot possibly 
discover, by the evidence of his senses, that he is looking at any other than 
an ordinary bare-legged table, with the background visible in the usual way. 

"The rest is a very simple matter. The person who is to represent 
the Sphinx is beforehand placed, duly attired, underneath the table. There 
is a trap in the table through which he can pass his head at the proper 
moment. This trap is a round piece of wood, covered to match the surface 
of the table, and working on a hinge on the side nearest to the audience. It 
has no spring, but is kept closed by means of a button on the opposite side, 
and when released hangs down perpendicularly. It must be large enough to 
allow the passage of the somewhat elaborate headpiece of the Sphinx, and 
would therefore leave an open space visible round the neck. This difficulty 
is met by the expedient of having a wooden collar, the upper surface of 
which is a facsimile in size and pattern of the trap. This collar is fastened 
round the neck of the representative of the Sphinx. When he lifts his head 
up through the trap, the collar exactly fills the opening, and thus shows no 
break in the surface of the table. The box is bottomless, and when brought 
forward by the performer is empty. A little caution has to be observed in 
placing it upon the table, for, if the performer were to approach the table 
from the side, his legs would be reflected in the glass, and would thereby 
betray the secret. He must therefore make his appearance from some quar- 
ter outside of the curtained recess, and advance to a position well in front 
of, and at some little distance from the table, when, by moving in a straight 
line from the audience towards the middle leg a, he prevents this incon- 
venient reflection. The placing the box upon the table, and the unlocking 
it, allow time for the representative of the Sphinx to get his head into posi- 
tion within it. This done, the box is opened, and the rest depends on the 
dramatic talent of the performer and his assistant. The performance being 
concluded, the box is again locked, and the head withdrawn, a handful of 
ashes being introduced on the trap in its stead. 

"The angle at which the two mirrors should be set cannot be determined 
absolutely, but will vary according to the distance and position of the sur- 
rounding drapery." 

The above method is generally employed in working the 

Sphinx illusion, but it differs in one respect from that used by 

Colonel Stodare. In the Colonel's presentation of the trick, 

the box was not bottomless. It had a trap in it corresponding 

with a similar trap in the top of the table. Stodare carried 

the mystic chest to the "run down'' after the lid was closed, 

and then, by his ventriloquial power, caused a muffled voice to 

issue from the receptacle, presumably that of the Sphinx. Thus 

the spectators were led to believe that the head was still in the 



THE RIDDLE OF THE SPHINX 325 

box, and that the table had nothing whatever to do with the 
trick. On opening the chest great was the surprise of everyone 
to behold the head completely vanished, the heap of ashes having 
taken its place. This was a very clever bit of mise en scene, and 
showed what an artist Stodare was. 

And now for a word or two concerning the career of the 
clever producer of the Sphinx. Colonel Stodare never smelt 
powder nor directed the manoeuvres of a regiment of red coats. 
His title was self-assumed, to bedazzle the English public. He 
never wielded any weapon save a wooden wand tipped with ivory. 
But he did that to perfection. His real name was Alfred Inglis. 
Little or nothing is known of his early life and education. His 
first appearance was at the Egyptian Hall, London, on Easter 
Monday, April 17, 1865, when he introduced, for the first time 
in England, those celebrated illusions of Hindostan, the "Mango 
Tree'* and the "Indian Basket." It was on the occasion of his 
two-hundredth consecutive representation at the aforesaid hall 
that Stodare introduced the "Sphinx'' trick, which at once at- 
tracted crowds. On Tuesday evening, November 21, 1865, he 
had the honor to appear before Queen Victoria, at Windsor 
Castle, on the occasion of the birthday of H. R. H. the Princess 
Royal, afterwards the Empress Frederick of Germany. Stodare 
died of consumption in 1866. He wrote two small treatises on 
magic: The Art of Magic (1865) and Stodare' s Fly-notes 
(1866). 

IV. 

The inventor of the Sphinx, Mr. Tobin, sold the secret to 
M. Talrich, of Paris, the proprietor of a wax-works exhibition 
on the Boulevard de la Madeline. Talrich called his collection of 
figures the Musee Francais. Impressed with the success of 
Madame Tussaud's "Chamber of Horrors," in connection with 
her wax-works exhibition in London, Talrich transformed the 
"Talking Head" into the "Decapitated Speaker." His presenta- 
tion of the illusion was calculated to strike terror in the mind of 
the observer. Underneath his museum was a damp and mouldy 
cellar, which he fitted up for the exhibition. The visitor was 
conducted down a stairway, dimly lighted by a couple of antique 



326 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

lamps suspended from the vaulted roof. When he reached the 
bottom he was suddenly confronted with a group oi wax figures 
representing a scene under the Inquisition. Every detail of a 
torture chamber was given, such as is described by Victor Hugo 
in his Notre Dame de Paris, The cowled emissaries of the Holy 
Office were depicted in the act of putting a wretched victim to 
the torture. The light from a flambeau, held by one of the 
figures, illumined the ghastly scene. In this uncertain light every- 
thing was horribly majestic. Pushing onward and turning to the 
right, **the spectator passed through a dimly-lighted corridor, 
and found himself in front of a balustrade, breast-high, which 
extended across the entrance of a narrow recess. In the middle 
of this gloomy cellar, the floor of which was carpeted with musty 
straw, was seen a table, on which rested a human head, leaning 
slightly to one side and apparently asleep. On being addressed 
by the exhibitor the head raised itself, opened its eyes, and 
related its own history,. including the details of its decapitation, 
after which it replied, in various languages, to questions put by 
those present.'' 

One day a party of young students, out for a lark, began 
shooting bread pellets at the head, in order to test whether it 
had entirely lost all sensation. The Decapitated One, in his 
wrath, abused them soundly, in language that savored more of 
modern Paris than the days of the Inquisition. This affair got 
noised abroad, and gay young boulevardiers made up regular 
parties to go and shoot pellets at the head ; this amusement they 
called "pop-gun practice.'' Some of these pellets, not so well 
"bred" (pardon the pun) as others, struck certain portions of 
the table which were apparently open, but from which they re- 
bounded, clearly indicating that the supposed vacant space was 
really a sheet of looking-glass. M. Talrich then put a close- 
meshed wire grating between the spectators and their victim, but 
alas! the secret of the Inquisition was disclosed, and the palmy 
days of the Musee Francais were over. Says Houdin : "The 
cause of M. Talrich's failure was the same that brought disaster 
to the Brothers Davenport. Too great confidence in the Parisian 
public led both parties to ofifer what, after all, were but ingenious 
conjuring tricks as supernatural phenomena." 



THE RIDDLE 



TTe sphinx 



327 



A few years ago, the eminent English novelist, H. Rider- 
Haggard, evolved from his elastic imagination a wierd and 
wonderful romance of Darkest Africa, called "She. who nnist 
be obeyed/* It was redolent of magic and mystery. The beau- 
tiful sorceress, *'She/' a damsel of Greek descent, had lived for 
centuries in the heart of Africa, ruling over generations of black 
subjects with an inm despotism, and subduing them by her 
necromantic power. She was worshiped as a goddess. Her 
immortahty upon earth was due to the rejiuenating elTects of 
the mystic fire of Kor, into which she i>lunged and renewed her 
youth at certain periods. Falling in love with a young English 



"SiiK," Fig. 1. 



"S11E-" Fig. 2. 



explorer, who had succeeded in penetrating into her realm, the 
Rosicrucian spell was broken, and the beautiful ^*She" shriveled 
up and expired in agony while attempting to bathe in the flames 
of Kor. The scene, as depicted by the novelist, is very awe- 
inspiring. The book had a great vogue in its day, and was 
dramatized with fine effect. 

"Have yon seen *She'?'' was the apparently ungrammatical 
question asked by theatre-goers. 

Finally, the conjurer, always ready to seize upon the fads 
and fancies of the day to make capital ont of them, took the 
chief 77/0/1/ of Rider-Haggard's romance, and built upon it one 



328 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

of the very best illusions in the domain of magic, called "She." I 
have understood that the inventor of "She" was the Chevalier 
Thome. In this act, a young lady, garbed as the witch of 
the Dark Continent, was cremated in full view of the audience. 
It was the Sphinx trick over again, but in a more ingenious 
shape. The lady mounted a bare-legged table, whereupon an 
asbestos canopy was lowered over her, so that she was com- 
pletely concealed from the audience. Suddenly flames and 
smoke poured forth from beneath the canopy. The shrieks of 
the victim were heard. When the cover was raised, nothing was 
to be seen except a blackened skidl and some charred bones — 
the lady was presumably cremated. In another version of the 
trick, the skull and bones were dispensed with, and the lady 
reappeared in a private box or came running down the center 
aisle of the theatre, after the canopy was lifted. 

Now for an explanation of the illusion. 

The spectators saw an innocent-looking table with four legs, 
and beneath it, supported by a central rod, four supports holding 
lighted candles, very much on the order of a chandelier. This latter 
effect seemed to preclude the idea of mirrors being used. "But 
things are seldom what they seem," in magic at least. In reality 
the table had but tzvo legs, and there were but tzvo candles burn- 
ing, the remaining legs and tapers being reflections. - How!^was 
the deception accomplished ? In the following manner : Converg- 
ing at the central standard (Fig. i) were two plane mirrors, 
fixed at an angle of ninety degrees with each other and forty- 
five degrees with the side panels of the screen which boxed, in 
the table from the rest of the stage. These mirrors reflected 
the side panels, which were of the same color as the panel at 
the back, and made the spectators believe that they saw under- 
neath the table the rear of the screen. They also reflected the 
two legs of the table and the two supports with their lighted 
candles. The triangular wooden box, upon the sides of which 
the mirrors were fastened, extended to the back panel of the 
screen. It was covered with cloth of the same color as that 
of the screen. This box was on a level with the top of the table. 

The lady got away through a trap, after having placed the 
skull and bones in position and ig^nited a lot of red fire (Fig 2). 





ing the spectatori> to believe that they see the back of the chair; 
ergo, the seat is empty. Of course, this seat is covered with 
like material as that of the back of the elaborately carved throne 
chair. The glass conceals the trap at the back, through which 
the lady sticks her head and part of her body. She wears about 
her neck a lace collar, so arranged as to rest nicely on the two 
&words, 




330 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

I first saw this interesting illusion exhibited in a cafe 
chantant in Paris. The fat, thick-necked, little Frenchman, who 
presented the trick to the audience, reminded me of one of those 
human-headed bulls carved upon the walls of Assyrian palaces 
and temples. His hair and beard were oiled and curled. He 
bellowed out the marvels of his decapitated Princess, and flirted 
the skirts of his long Prince Albert coat like an animal lashing 
flies off its flanks with its tail. According to this Chevalier 
d' Ananias, the Princess lost her charming little powdered head 
during the reign of Robespierre I; it "sneezed into the basket" 
of the guillotine one fine morning while the knitting women 
sat around the scaffold and plied their needles and tongues. 
"Down with the Aristocrats!" Thanks to an eminent surgeon, 
who begged the head from the executioner, it was restored to 
life by hypnotic power. The surgeon handed it down to his 
descendants. Finally it came into possession of the showman, 
by what means the gentleman did not relate. 

A few days after the above exhibition, I saw the poor little 
Princess eating cabbage soup in a second-class cabaret. Her 
manager was with her. Her head was on her body at the time. 



TREWEYISM. 

"Le mime-comedien Trewey est un prestidigitateur merveilleus, createur 
vraiment surprenant d'ombrcs chinoises avec I'unique secours de ses mains. 
On peut dire que Trewey est de ceux qui ont agrandi le cercle de la fantas- 
magorie et en ont fait un des astres les plus vagabonds de la fantaisie." — 
DoM Blasius: L'Intransigeant. 

I. 

My favorite character in French fiction is Alexander Dumas' 
inimitable D'Artagnan, le motisquetaire par excellence, who 
comes out of Gascony with nothing but a rusty suit of clothes 
on his back, an ancestral sword at his side, his father's blessing, 
and a bony sorrel horse under him, to seek his fortune in the 
world. Aided by his good rapier, his wonderful sang froid, 
splendid audacity and versatile talents, he elbows his way to the 
foot of a throne, to become captain of the Grand Monarque's 
bodyguard, and eventually a marshal of France. 

In the world of magic we have a similar character, not a 
mere figment, however, of the novelist's imagination, but a 
living, breathing personality. I refer to Felicien Trewey, the 
eminent French fantaisiste, whose life reads like a romance. 
M. Trewey possesses all of the qualities of heart and mind of 
Dumas' hero — audacity, versatility, tireless energy in the pursuit 
of his profession, bonhomie, and what not. Had he lived in the 
seventeenth century, he doubtless would have been a soldier of 
fortune like D'Artagnan, fought duels, made love to duchesses, 
and outwitted a cardinal, but having been born in an age of 
steam and electricity, and fully realizing the fact that science 
has reduced the art of war to mere mechanics, he sought out a 
career that promised the most romance and adventure, and 
became a mousquetaire of magic, wielding the wand instead of 



332 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 



the sword. It is a long, long w^ay froin the half-starved mounte- 
bank of a wandering caravan to an OfHcier d'Acadcjuie and 
landed proprietor hving at ease in one*s old age. But Trewey 
has accoinpHshed all this. 



n. 



One evening, when strolhng along the Boulevard, I saw 
outside of the Concert des Ambassadeurs, a billboard, with the 




I 



Trf-Wev*s Villa at AsNiiiiES Sl7h Seine. Au Clatr de la Lujteu 



following announcement: ''Le Grand Trewey! Equilibre, Jong* 
lerie, Prestidigitation, — Le Chapeau Mnlti forme ou 25 Tetes 
sous un Chapeau.— Mime.— Musiqiie. — Silhouettes et Ombres 
des Mains, etc. Amusements Scientifiques et Recreatifs/' 

My interest was at once aroused. Here was no ordinary 
artist, hut a man of versatility, T bought a ticket, and was - 
seated in the theatre. After the usual infliction of skirt-dan _ 
acrobats and eccentric singers with raspy voices, the curtain ro^ 
on M, Trewey's act, I sighed with relief. Ah, here wa> 
oasis in the vast Sahara of vaudeville claptrap and mediocr 



TREWEYISM 333 

I was not disappointed. The stage was elegantly set with gilt tables. 
The scene was boxed in with rich silk curtains a la Pinetti. 
A burst of applause (not confined to the claque either), and the 
great Trewey appeared. A long black cloak enveloped him. 

PROGRAMME 



PREMIERE PARTIE 

TRENA/EY 

Dans ses cr6ation8. 
Ouverture. — Equilibres et Jonglerics. 



DEUXIEME PARTIE 

Fantaisies. — La Valse des Assiettes. — Les Cuvettes 
tapag-euses. — Le Papier multiforme. — La Harpe 
^oiienne. — Le Tabarin moderne. 

ENTR'ACTE 
TROISIEME PARTIE 

LES OMBRES DES MAINS 

PAR 

Ouverture. 

l"*" S6rie. — LeLapin. — Les deux Oies. — LePerroquet. 

— Le Poisson. — L' Elephant. — Le Tau- 
reau. — Le Cyg-ne. — Le Predicateur. 

— Le Chat. — Le Chien. 

2*^ S6rie. — Le Batelier. — Le Pecheur. — Le Jockey. 

La Danseuse de corde. 
3« S6rie. — Les Amours du Policeman, pantomime. 
4e S^rie. — Silhouettes et Profils illustres. 
5« S^rie. — Le Clown et I'Ape savant. 
6c S^rie. — Le Buveur normand et Te Rigolo. — 

Au Revoir..., galop final. 

Le piano sera tenupar A/. Henri DEVIENNE. 

Tous les dlmanches et jeudis, a 2 heures, 
TREWEY 

MATINEE OE FAMILLE 

Throwing this off, he appeared in full court costume — a gentle- 
man of the reign of Louis XVI. I felt like asking him, "When 
did you see last the Chevalier Pinetti ?" After a very superior 
exhibition of juggling and sleight of hand with cards and coins, 



334 



THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 




he passed on to onibromanie, or band-made shadows, amoiig 
them being^ jxirtraits of Thiers, Gladstone, Czar Alexander III, 
Emile Zola, Ganibetta, Bismarck, Crispi and Lord Salisbury. 
The art uf casting silhouettes of animals, such as the dog, the 
cat, and the rabbit, upon an illuminated wall is very ancient. 
The Italian painter, Campi, was one of the first to add new 
types to the collection of figures. Trewey raised the art to tlie 
dignity of a stage performance, ami endowed it with movement 




1^ 



TkEWEV Ex H! Ill TING I'prjN A StAGE. 

and life. I shall quote as follows from an article on Trewe^^ 
contributed by me to the *'Cosmopolitan Magazine'' some years 
ago: 

'Tie stands behind a screen, which is brilliantly illuminated 
by an oxyhydrogen light, and with his hands projects the sil- 
houettes — pictures of soldiers, peasants, abbes, etc., to say noth- 
ing of animals. To form the headgear of his men and women, 
such as the grotesque bonnets of Norman bonnes, the kepis 
of the little piou-pious, and the mortar-boards of the English 
scholastics, he has recourse to small pieces of cardboard cut to 
resemble the respective cranial coverings. Trewey is not con- 
tent with the *co]d profiles,' as he calls them» of living creatures, 



TREWEYISM 



337 



in love with the servant girl) knocks at the dcx)r of the mansion, 
whereupon his fair inamorata appears at the upstairs window. 
After an exchange of compliments, she withdraws from the 
window and reappears at the door. She gives to her U)ver a 
drink from a suspicious Ix^ttle, and he, after wiping his l)eard, 
kisses her and retires. Then comes the strolling musician, play- 
ing a lugubrious melody on the clarinet. The owner of the 
house rushes to the bedroom window and motions the player 
away, but the musician derisively strikes up a lively tune. The 
irate proprietor now makes his appearance armed with a long 









Exercises for the Pincers iiy Trewey. 



broom, with which he thrashes the clarinettist. The musician 
still persisting, paterfamilias next produces the water jug, and 
from the upstairs window pours the contents upon the head of 
the luckless serenader, who (juickly makes his exit. 

"The little accessories used in this act, such as the helmet for 
the policeman, the broom, bottle, etc., are cut from pasteboard 
and, where necessary, attached to the fingers of the i)erf()rmer 
by means of india-rubber rings. The water jug, however, is an 
actual little vessel, which is filled with sand. When this is poured 
out it simulates a flow of water in the most natural manner. 

" 'The pulpit orator' is a clever silhouette. About the left 
arm of the performer is tied a small box, which rei)rcsents the 
pulpit; the bent fingers make a canopy. Between the fingers of 



338 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

the right hand is held a bit of pasteboard, cut in the shape of a 
mortar-board cap. The paraphernaHa is very simple. You see 
the learned divine ascend the pulpit, bend forward in prayer, 
then begin to exhort an imaginary congregation. He thumps 
the pulpit rail vehemently, twists himself into all sorts of gro- 
tesque positions, and wipes his perspiring brow. After having 
blessed the people, he descends from his elevated perch." 

I learned from him many interesting things about shadow- 
graphy and sleight of hand generally. To excel in the art of 
ombromanie requires long practice. The fingers have to be 
exercised continuously in certain peculiar movements, such as 
are depicted in the accompanying illustration. Dexterity is 
largely dependent upon the formation of the hand, one of the 
particular characteristics of skillfulness being *'the faculty of 
reversing the metacarpal phalanges of the fingers, so that when 
the hand is extended it is convex.'' Trewey possesses this fac 
ulty. Another peculiarity of his hands is the formation of the 
fingers; they differ very much in length. The middle finger 
exceeds the ring finger by nearly an inch. 



III. 

I met Trewey some weeks later, in London, at the Empire 
Theatre, and we struck up a great friendship which has lasted 
to this day. The story of his life is full of interest, and is 
a typical example of the folly of setting anyone to a vocation for 
which he has no particular taste. Intended at first for the priest- 
hood by his parents, and subsequently for a mechanical trade, 
Trewey followed his own inclinations — conjuring and juggling. 
I will quote again from my paper in the "Cosmopolitan Maga- 
zine'' : 

"Like most artists who have risen to eminence on the 
French stage, Trewey has known hardships and bitter poverty. 
His youth was a struggle against adverse conditions. But he 
had in him, in its truest sense, the soul of old Gaul — that joyous 
insouciance, that sardonic humor, which laughs at fortune and 
snaps its finger at the world. Natural vivacity will often keep 
a Frenchman alive, though his body is clothed in rags and his 



TREWEYISM 339 

stomach is empty. Trewey was born at Angouleme, France, 
during the Revolution of 1848. His father was an engineer in 
a paper mill. Trewey pere was ambitious for his son to enter 
the Church, so he sent him to the Seminary of the Holy Trinity 
at Marseilles to study for the priesthood. But fate had willed 
otherwise. When quite a young boy, Trewey had been taken 
to see a circus at Marseilles. Among the mountebanks was a 
conjurer, who gave a very interesting exhibition. The feats of 
magic of this strolling Merlin so fascinated the little Trewey 
that he forthwith secretly vowed to become a professional pres- 
tidigitateur as soon as he grew up. The studies pursued at the 
Jesuit college did not cure the boy of his love, for the stage. 
He divided his time between Latin verbs and juggling, mathe- 
matics and the art of palmistry. Soon he was able to give 
little exhibitions, private, of course, for the amusement of his 
comrades. The good fathers must have thought him a very 
eccentric youth, for he was continually trying to balance his 
slate on the tip of his nose. Many a well-deserved cat-o'-nine- 
tails he got for his improvised feats of equilibration. Lying 
awake at night in the silent dormitory, he invented tricks, then 
fell asleep to dream of the wild delights of the mountebank's 
life — wandering like a gipsy over the country in a caravan, and 
performing at the little French villages and towns before crowds 
of rustics. He pictured himself dressed in gorgeous raiment, 
exhibiting magic tricks for the amusement of gaping yokels — 
pulling rabbits from hats, turning omelets into doves, and pro- 
ducing bowls of goldfish from shawls. The boom, boom, of the 
bass drum, calling the spectators together, resounded in his ears. 
The boy had in him the spirit of adventure; the blood of some 
old strolling player of an ancestor ran in his veins. He longed 
to escape from under the watchful domination of the 'black 
robes,' as he designated the good priests of the seminary. Three 
years passed. One day, during the Christmas holidays, Trewey 
refused to return to his studies, so his father placed him in the 
engine room of the paper mill to learn machinery. Cog wheels 
and oil cans possessed no more fascination for him than Latin 
and Greek. One fine summer day he ran away from home in 
company with an acrobat. 



340 TUE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

"Trewey. at this i)eri<-Kl i»f his career, was not over fifteen 
years of age, and had but Httle experience of nien and manners. 
The quiet cl«jisters of a Jesuit seminary- are not conducive to 
knowledge of the world. Life now became hard for Trewey 
and his companion, the youthful tumbler. They exhibited in 
market places, cafes, and in inn \-ards. The life they led was 
next door to star\ation. Soon Trewey left the acrobat and 
obtained an engagement at one of the small music halls of 
Marseilles. The munificent sum of six francs per week (one 
dollar and twenty cents) was the salary- he received for his ser- 
vices. In addition to his juggling exhibition, given several times 
a day, he was obliged to appear in a pantomime performance 
at night. In this tniu|)e was the famous Plessis, who eventually 
became one of the foremost comedians of France, rivaling even 
the great Cofiuelin. 

"In those days it was the custom for people to throw money 
on the stage to favorite performers. Applauding with the hands 
being monopolized by a paid claque, there was no better way for 
enthusiastic spectators, in French places of amusement, to show 
their appreciation of the talents of an artist, than by showering 
upon him gold, silver or copper coins. The vaudeville artists 
did not consider it beneath their dignity to stoop and gather up 
these substantial evidences of public favor. 

"Said Trewey to me: *I saved these coins until I was able 
to purchase two fine costumes. Then I secured an engagement 
at the Alcazar at Marseilles.' 

"Other engagements followed this, and Trewey became the 
most pfjpular performer in the south of France. The desire for 
a roving life led him to become the proprietor of a traveling 
pantomime and vaudeville company. His versatility' was shown 
liere. He juggled, conjured, played Pierrot in the pantomime, 
flanced in the clorloche, and managed the finances of the troupe. 
After two years of tliis life, he got an engagement at Bordeaux. 
It was here that he invented liis ombromanie, and straightway 
became famous. From Bordeaux he migrated to Paris. His 
success was instantaneous.'' 

The journalists rallied to his aid. He became the Hon of 
the hour. LlUustraiion named his art Treweyism. His repu- 
tation was established. 



TREWEYISM 34 1 

IV. 

Trewey is a mimic par excellence. He is past master in the 
art of pantomime and facial expression. One of his particular 
acts, which has given rise to numerous imitations, is entitled, 
"Tabarin, or Twenty-five Heads Under One Chapeau." Thanks 
to a piece of black felt cloth, circular in shape, with a hole cut 
in the center, Trewey is able to manufacture in a few minutes 
all the varieties of headgear required for the Tabarin. For 
example: Napoleon — A couple of twists of the cloth, and lo! 
you have a representation of le chapeau de Marengo, the little 
cocked hat which Napoleon made famous, and about which so 
many legends cluster. With this hastily improvised hat on his 
head, Trewey assumes the Napoleonic attitude — one hand thrust 
into his vest, the other behind his back. His physiognomy is 
that of the great Emperor, as depicted by the painters of the 
Imperial regime. The likeness is perfect. And so with fat 
French priests, soldiers, bonnes, landladies, artists, diplomats, 
etc. It is a portrait gallery of French types; Gavarni lives for 
us again. And just here, let me digress a moment to explain 
the origin of the curious word Tabarin, which, as all lovers of 
French comedy know, has passed into the repertory of the 
national theatre. In the seventeenth century, that bridge of 
memories, the old Pont Neuf of Paris, was the rendezvous of 
quacksalvers and mountebanks. Booths for the sale of various 
articles lined the sides of the bridge. People flocked there to 
see the sights, to laugh, chat, make love and enjoy life as only 
Parisians can. Students and grisettes of the Quartier Latin 
elbowed ladies and gentlemen of the court. Bourgeois families 
came to study the flippant manners of their superiors. Poodle 
clippers plied their trade; jugglers amused the quid nuncs with 
feats of dexterity; traveling dentists pulled teeth and sold bal- 
sams; clowns tumbled, and last, but not least, pickpockets lifted 
purses and silk handkerchiefs with impunity. Says Augustus 
J. C. Hare (Walks in Paris) : "So central an artery is the Pont 
Neuf, that it used to be a saying with the Parisian police, that 
if, after watching three days, they did not see a man cross the 
bridge, he must have left Paris." Any popular witticism in 
verse was long known as un Pont-Neuf, One of the principal 



342 •the old and the new magic 

vendors of quack nostrums of the Pont Neuf was Montdor. He 
was aided by a buffoon named Tabarin, who made facetious 
repHes to questions asked by his master, accompanied with 
laughable grimaces and grotesque gestures. The modem ring- 
master and clown of the circus have similar scenes together, 
minus the selling of medicines. Tabarin was celebrated for his 
wit. Some of his bon mots have descended to our time. He 
performed the feat of making some ten different hats out of the 
brim of a felt hat, giving appropriate facial portraits beneath 
each, and using wigs and beards to enhance the effect. Such, in 
brief, is the story of the famous Merry Andrew whose name has 
become a by-word in France for buffoonery and broad humor. 
The biographies of such men would make interesting reading 
for the student of history. But Daijie Clio has eyes only for 
tremendous battles, diplomatic intrigues, the doings of royalty 
and great folk. The little world of everyday life, that busy 
ant hill where the human comedy is so ardently played, is be- 
neath her notice. The life and adventures of quacksalvers, minor 
poets, wandering jugglers, faugh! — that is asking too much of 
the Muse of History. Says Guizot: "History has no room for 
all those who throng about her gates without succeeding in 
getting in and leaving traces of their stay.'' 

But occasionally a man or woman rises from the dregs of 
the people and compels recognition ; and, sad to relate, nine times 
out of ten, through the commission of crimes. Have we not 
Cagliostro and Madame de la Motte, thorough-paced scoundrels 
and charlatans, but, nevertheless, very delightful folk, who have 
added a tinge of romance to history? I for one, with Thack- 
eray, confess a weakness for the tittle-tattle of court gossip and 
backstairs diplomacy. Behind the scenes with Louis XV and 
XVI, Frederick the Great and Catherine H is far more enter- 
taining than the battles of the period. Casanova gives one a 
better picture of eighteenth century morals and manners than 
any of the great historians of the time. History is the dry bones 
of an epoch ; the memoir writers are the Fzekiels who behold 
the bones clothed with flesh and thrilling with life-blood. 

Wandering one morning across the old Pont Neuf, all these 
thoughts came to my mind. Once again, as in the days of long 



344 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

ago, I saw, in my imagination, the bridge crowded with people. 
There came to me the faint rusthng of silk skirts, the clatter of 
high-heeled shoes upon the paving stones. Boom! boom! goes 
the drum. I hear the strident voice of Montdor shouting out his 
wares, and the unctuous notes of the comical Tabarin uttering a 
bon mot. 

V. 

Trewey is the inventor of many clever card sleights and 
passes; for example, a color change executed by taking cards 
from the back of the pack with the fork of the thumb and fore- 
finger and placing them on the front. The origin of this clever 
sleight is not generally known. I have seen him throw cards 
from the stage of the Alhambra Theatre, London, to the topmost 
gallery. This is a tremendous feat, as the Alhambra is one of 
the largest theatres in the world. He possesses the peculiar 
talent of writing in reverse, necessitating the use of a mirror 
in order to read it. The artistic sentiment was born in him. 
It seems to be a family characteristic. Rosa Bordas, the cele- 
brated French chanteiise patriotiqnc, is his cousin-german. A 
writer in UEcho des Jctmcs thus apostrophises him in verse : 

"Dans le monde artistique ou son etoile brille, 
Trewey ne peut que resortir, 

Vraiment, cela tient de famille, ' 

Vu que bon sang ne peut mentir." 

The most exclusive and aristocratic salons of Paris and 
Vienna have engaged his services for private seances. In Spain, 
Belgium,. Austria, Russia and England he was the sensation of 
the day. At the present time he is living in retirement at As- 
nieres, near Paris, where he has purchased a charming home 
known as the Villa Traversiere ati clair de la lime. During 
the Exposition of 1900 he was the manager of the Theatre 
Phono-Cinema. Trewey was a great friend of the French in- 
ventor, Lumiere, and was the first to introduce the cinemato- 
graphe to the public of London and Paris. At his villa he 
spends his time inventing and improving devices to be used in 
moving-picture apparatus, corresponding with his friends, medi- 
tating upon the works of his favorite authors, Confucius and 




MONS, THEWEY. 

JUOQLBR, 8HAD0W01£AFHIST> A N D— W E L Ih BVEBYIQINO. 



From "The Entr'acte/' London^ May 7, 1887, 




346 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

Epictetus, and writing songs, farces and dramatic articles. In 
the year 1903 he was made an Officicr d* Academic by the French 
Government. He married Miss Ixa, of Trocadero fame. Among 
his pupils may be mentioned the lady conjurer, Mile. Patrice. 

Trewey relates many interesting anecdotes of contemporary 
French magicians whom he has met on his travels. He is liter- 
ally a man without envy. His admiration for Buatier de Kolta 
was unbounded. They were close friends. 

He once toured the Continent with the Hungarian conjurer, 
Velle, who was the first to give exhibitions within a marked 
circle, where the audience could gather on all sides. Velle im- 
personated Mephisto to perfection. Trewey and August Las- 
saigne were once partners. Lassaigne was born in Toulouse, 
in 1819. Besides being a magician he was an aeronaut, having 
made 347 ascensions. He died in Montpellier in the year 1887. 

When Trewey first toured the United States, under the man- 
agement of Alexander Herrmann, he was very much annoyed 
by impostors, who advertised themselves as Drcivey, but their 
performances were only weak imitations of the original — the 
merest shadows of a shade. In the wake of the whale follow 
little fishes — "pikers" — who grab at the crumbs dropped by the 
monarch of the sea, being too lazy or indiflferent to find hunting 
seas of their own. 

*'Many amateurs are more skillful than professionals,'' said 
Trewey to me. "I have in mind my friend Alexandre Asso, 
who was born in Paris in the year 1828. While a student, he 
once happened to be present at a soiree where M. Comte was 
giving an exhibition. He was so fascinated that he afterwards 
took lessons in legerdemain from the professor. When he fin- 
ished his schooling, he entered the service of the Count de Nigra, 
then Ambassador to Italy, and remained with . him for forty 
years, visiting London, St. Petersburg, Vienna, and other great 
capitals. Asso often entertained the Count and his friends with 
conjuring seances. In this way he amused society at nearly all 
the Courts of Europe, besides giving many entertainments for 
the benefit of the poor. In spite of his advanced age, he still 
keeps in practice as a conjurer at his villa at Asnieres, He 



TREWEYISM 



347 



retired from an active life in 1903. We see a great deal of each 
other. 

"Then we have M. Pitau, a v^ine merchant, who studied 
legerdemain to amuse his friends and increase his custom. He 
was a capital guest at the hotel table. People loved to be seated 
near him, for he was not only skilful at hanky panky with 
glasses, plates, napkins, knives, corks, coins, etc., but he was a 



£m! 




f ftttr^i. '>-•> 



I 



^ ^^ 



0\ 




AT 










n 

%.ii^ 



,[[mp^ 




-^. ; i^M 




A Leaf from Trewey's Note Book. 

brilliant raconteur and a mimic. . His most amusing trick was 
the following: He would place his hat over his plate, which held 
perhaps a chop and potatoes. Passing his hand under the hat 
he would bring forth several five-franc pieces. Then he would 
pass it a second time beneath the chapeau and bring out five or 
six gold one-hundred- franc pieces. Now he would exclaim : 
'Ladies and gentlemen, I will give what is left on the plate for 
ten centimes/ Lifting the hat, a child's sock or an old shoe 



348 THE OLD AND THE NEW MAGIC 

would be seen, the chop and potatoes having vanished. This 
feat was always greeted with shouts of laughter. Pitau often 
gave entire performances for charitable purposes." 

Behind the scenes in an Egyptian temple would doubtless 
have revealed many curious secrets of natural magic to the 
unintiated. Like all so-called sorcerers, the priests evidently 
compiled works on the subject of their art for the benefit of 
their successors. But not one of these has come down to us. 
Hermes Trismegistus is said to have written two myriads of 
books on the occult sciences. He was the Alexander Dumas of 
the Egyptian pantheon. 

Trewey, an apt descendant of the ancient magi of the land 
of Mizraim, has compiled a ponderous folio of illusions and feats 
of juggling and legerdemain; a great manuscript volume of 
mysteries, the text of which is illustrated by pen-and-ink 
sketches by himself. Over two thousand magical experiments 
are described and explained in this tome of thaumaturgy, gath- 
ered from all sources, many of them being his own inventions, 
perhaps the majority of them. I know that this volume exists, 
for I have seen it and glanced over it. I have urged Trewey to 
publish the work. Perhaps he will some day, now that he has 
the leisure for literary labors. He is at present at work on his 
invention, the Trezveyorama, which will be exhibited soon in 
Paris. 



INDEX OF TRICKS AND ILLUSIONS 



Aerial suspension, Houdin's, 141, 142. 
Alchemy, pretended, of Cagliostro, 55. 
Altars, magic, 6-9. 
Amateur conjuring, 205-209, 346-348. 
Anderson, bullet-catching trick, 173; sec- 
ond sight, 173. 
Automata, 26, 107- 119. 

Balsamo, mask of, 42, 43. 

Basket trick, Hindoo, 246, 247. 

Bel, I riests of, and Daniel, 4. 

Bible account of Daniel and priests of 
Bel, 4. 

Bird, Pinetti's mechanical, 29. 

Black art, Buatier de Kolta's, 293-299. 

Blind man's game of piquet, 22. 

Blitz, Signor, ventriloquial experience with 
Paginini, 178-180. 

Blue room. See Metempsychosis. 

Bosco, cup-and-ball trick, 169-171; pocket- 
picking experiment, 167, 168. 

Bottle, inexhaustible, 165, 166. 

Boumski and the duck, 230, 231. 

Box, magic, 22. 

Bullet-catching trick, Anderson's, 173; 
Herrmann's, 231, 231-233; Houdin's, 152. 

Burglar-proof desk, Houdin's, 128-131. 

Bust of Socrates, Houdin's, 140, 141. 

Cabaret du Meant, 104-106, 

Cagliostro, casket, 143-149; crystal vision, 
51-53; pretended alchemy, 55; spirit 
stance, 55, 59; spirit writing, 54, 55. 

Camera, use of, in magic, 16. 

Card box, magic, 22. 

Card trick, Comte's, 161. 

Cellini, Benvenuto, experience with a sor- 
cerer, 13-16. 

Ceres, temple of, machinery for decep- 
tion, 3. 

Chambers, secret, in ancient temples, 2, 3. 

Cnapeaugraphy. See Tabarin. 

Chess player, Kempelen's automaton, 107- 
116; Maelzel's experiences with, 107-111. 

Clock, Houdin's magic, 126. 

Clever swan, Pinetti's, 26. 

Comte, card trick, z6ii ventriloquism, 160, 
x6z, 



Concave mirrors, and art of phantasma- 
goria, 2, 13, 15, 16, 91. 

Confederates, use of, 29, 30. 

Conradi, inventor of lamp trick, 237. 

Crystal vision, Cagliostro, 51-53; psychol- 
ogy of, 51, 52. 

Cup-and-ball trick, Bosco's, 169-171. 

CyDele, miraculous statue of, 9-1 1. 

Daniel, and priests of Bel, 4. 

Davenport Brothers, rope trick, 250. 

Decapitated princess, 329, 330. 

Decapitk parlant, 325, 326. 

De Grisy's watch trick, 19-21. 

De Kolta, Buatier, black art, 2g3-2gg; 
magic die, 292. 

Dessoir, Max, on psj'chology of crystal 
gazing, 51, 52 

Die, magic, 292. 

Doors, temple, opened when fire is lighted 
on altar, 6-8; trumpet blown on open- 
ing, 5, 6. 

Double vision of Dr. Sarak, 257, 267-269. 

Duck, Boumski and the, 230, 231. 

Fakir of Ava, watch trick, 241-243. 
Fish eggs, magic hatching, 256, 257. 
Fox sisters, spirit rapping, xxx. 
Frikell, lessons in magic, 184, 185. 

Ghost illusion. Pepper's, 92-94; Robert- 
son's, 87-92; Robert-Houdin's adaptation 
of. 95-97; Robin's, 95, 97-100. 

Ghosts. See under Cagliostro. 

Gibcciere, use of, 17, 18. 

(jolden head and rings, Pinetti's, 26. 

Goldfish trick, Robinson's, 286. 

Goldin, invisible flight, 27S-277. 

"Gone," Robinson's illusion, 287-289. 

Handcuff trick, Houdini's, 306-314. 

Heller, Robert, second sight, 1 88-191. 

Heron, temple tricks revealed, 5-9. 

Herrmann, Alexander, bullet catching trick, 
231-233; impromptu trick, 217; spirit- 
writing, 219; Thibetan mail, 219, 220; 
Vanity Fair illusion, 233, 234; watch 
trick, 229, 230, 



INDEX 



Hindoo basket, 246, 247. 

Hoffmann, Prof., explanation of Sphinx 

illusion, 322-324. 
Horse, alleged stopping of, by power of 

will, 266, 267. 
Houdin. See Robert-IIoudin. 
Houdini, Harry, handcuff trick, 306-314. 
Hypnotic feat of Egyptian sorcerer, i. 

Indian basket. See Hindoo basket. 
Invisible flight, Goldin's, 276, 277. 

Kellar and Fakir of Ava, 241-243; levita- 

tion mystery, 243-245; rope tricks, 248- 

250; Yoge's lamp, 237, 238. 
Kempelen, chess-playing automaton, 107- 

116. 
Kircher, Father, temple trick described, 

9-11. 

Lamp, mysterious, Pinetti, 26; Yoge's, Kel- 
lar, 237, 238. 

Levitation mystery, Kellar's, 243-245. 

Light and heavy chest, Iloudin's, 138-140, 
1 50- 1 5-2. 

Lustral water vase, magic, 11. 

Maelzel, and the chess-player, 107-1 11. 

Magic clock, Houdin's, 126. 

Magic mirror, Cagliostro's, 51-53; con- 
cave, 2, 13, 15, 16, 91. 

Magic villa, Houdin's, 153, 154. 

Magical bouquet, Pinetti's, 27. 

Mango tree, xxviii-xxx. 

Maskelyne's "Psycho," 116-119; spirit mu- 
sic-box, 119-T21. 

Matthews, Brander, explanation of Ilou- 
din's casket trick. 146-149. 

Metempsychosis. 100-104. 

Music-box, spirit, Maskelyne's. 11 9-1 21. 

Mysteries of "Yud," 266, 267. 

Mysterious lamp, Pinetti's, 26. 

Omhromanic. Sec Shadowgraphy. 
Orange tree, Houdin's, 142, 143. 

Paganini, demon of, 98, 99; experience 
with Signer Ulitz, 178-180. 

Parsell. Henry V. A., expose of spirit 
music-box, 11 9-1 21; Robinson's "Gone," 
287-289. 

Pepper, ghost illusion, 92, 93; metempsy- 
chosis. TOO- 1 04. 

Phantasmagoria, art of. 2, 13, 15, 16, 91. 

Pinetti, beheaded dove, 26, 27; clever swan, 
26; golden head and rings, 26; fettering 
and binding experiments, 27; magical 
bouquet, 27; mechanical bird, 29; mys* 
terious lamp, 26; recovered ring, 28, 29, 
38; ring and ribbons, 27; second sight, 
3S» Stage, 36; Wise little Turk, 26. 



Piquet, blind man's game of, 22. 
Pistol trick, fatal, of De Grisy, 22. 
Polyoscope, Seguin*s, 94. 
"Psycho," Maskelyne's, 116-119. 

Recovered ring, Pinetti's, 28, 29, 38. 

Ring and ribbons, Pinetti's, 27. 

Robert-IIoudin, aeriel suspension, 141, 142; 
bullet-catching, 152; burglar-proof desk, 
128-13 1 ; bust of Socrates, 140, 141; Cag- 
liostro's casket, 143-149; ghost illusion, 
97-100; history of Kempelen's chess- 
player, 112-116; light and heavy chest, 
138-140, 150-152; magic clock, 126; 
magic villa, 153, 154; orange tree, 142, 
143; stage, 138; trick table, 137. 

Robertson, ghost illusion, 87-92. 

Robin, ghost illusion, 95, 97-100; stage, 
164, 165. 

Robinson, goldfish trick, 286; illusion 
"Gone," 287-289. 

Rods turning into serpents, x. 

Rope tricks, Davenport Brothers, 250; 
Kellar's, 248-250; Pinetti's, 27. 

Falverte, description of temple tricks, 2. 

Sarak, Dr., double vision, 257, 267-269; 
hatching fish eggs by magic, 256, 257; 
stopping horse by power of will, 266, 
267. 

Second sight, Anderson's, 173; Heller's, 
188-191; invented by Pinetti, 35; silent, 
194-198; Wyman's, 203; Zancigs', 199, 
200. 

Seguin's polyoscope, 94. 

Sei)ulchre, marvellous, 5. 

Serpents, rods turning into, x. 

Senante, 18. 

Shadowgraphy, Trewey's, 33-338. 
*She," illusion, 327-328. 

Shirt trick, Pinetti's, 29-31. 

Silent second sight, Svengalis', 194-198. 

Slade, Dr., and spirit slates, xxvi. 

Slot machine, antiquity of, 11. 

Spectres. See Ghost illusion. 

Sphinx illusion, 318-326. 

Spirit music-box, Maskelyne's, 119-121. 

Spirit rapping, xxx. 

Spirit seance, Cagliostro's, 59. 

Spirit writing, Cagliostro's, 54; Herr- 
mann's, 219. 

Stage, Houdin's, 138. 

Stodare, Colonel, and Sphinx illusion, 320, 
324. 325. 

Svengalis, silent second sight, 194-198. 

Swing, magic, xx-xxiii. 

Sword trick, xxiii, xxiv. 

Tabarin, Trewey's, 341, 34s, 
Tables, conjuring, 18, 138, 
Talrich's decapiti parlant, 325, 33^ 



INDEX 



Tarsus, temple of, illusions, 

Tavern of the dead. See Cabaret du Meant. 

Temple doors. See Doors, temple. 

Ten-Ichi, thumb-tying trick, 27. 

Theurgists, deceptions of, 2. 

Thibetan mail, 219, 220. 

Thompson, Alfred, and Sphinx illusion, 
320-322. 

Thumb-tying trick, Pinetti's, 27; Ten Ichi's, 
27. 

Thurston, Howard, tricks and illusions of, 
278. 

Tobin, Thomas, inventor of Sf)hinx illu- 
sion, 318. 

Trewey, shadowgraphy, 333-338; Tabarin, 
341. 34-2. 

Trick table, Houdin's, 137, 138. 

Trunk trick, 249. 



"Vanity Fair" illusion, 233, 234. 
Ventriloquism, Blitz, 178-180; Comte, 160, 
161. 

Watch trick, De Grisy's, 19-21; Fakir of 

Ava's, 241-243; Herrmann's. 229, 230. 
Whist playing automaton. See "Psycho." 
Wine and milk trick, 12, 
Wise little Turk, Pinetti's, 26. 
Wyman, second sight, 203. 

Yoge's lamp, Kellar's, 237, 238. 
"Yud," mystery of, 266-267. 

Zancigs, second sight, 199, 200. 
Zollner's illusion, xix. 



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48. A TREATISE CONCERNING THE PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE, by 

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49. THREE DIALOGUES BETWEEN H7LAS AND FHILONOUS^ by George Berkeley. 

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Index of Titles of Books and Authors 



Page 

Acyaghosha's Discourse, T. Suzuki 9 

Ainu Group, The, Prof. Starr 11 

Anselm, St 4, 14 

Ants and Some Other Insects, Forel 14 

Attention, The Psychology of. Th. Ribot ..6, 12 

Babel and Bible, F. Delitzsch 7 

Bacteriology, Principles of, F. Hueppe 2 

Bayne, Julia Taft 10 

Beethoven, Pilgrimage to, Richard Wagner ..11 

Beha'U'llah, G. B. Kheiralla 8 

Berkeley, George 4, 14 

Biblical Love Ditties, P. Haupt 8 

Biedermann, Eduard 10 

Binet, Alfred 4, 12. .14 

Bloomfield. Maurice 10 

Bonney, Cnarles Carroll 9, 14 

Bonney , Florence Peoria 10 

Book of the Dead, Budge 6 

Brahman, The Redemption of the, Richard 

Garbe 11, 12 

Buddha, Gospel of, Paul Carus 7, 12 

Buddha, Scenes from the Life of, Ketchyu 

Yamada 10 

Buddhas, Das Evangelium, Paul Carus 7 

Buddhism and its Christian Critics, Paul 

Carus 7, 13 

Buddist Art, Portfolio of 10 

Buddist and Christian Gospels, Edmunds 8 

Budge, E. A. W 6, 7 

Calculus, Elementary Illustrations, DeMor- 

gan 3 

Calkins, Mary Whiton 15 

Candlin, George T IS 

Canon of Reason and Virtue, Paul Carus .. ..14 

Cams, Paul 4, 7, 9, 10, II, 12, 13, 14 

Cerberus, The Dog of Hades, Maurice 

Bloomfleld 10 

Chief's Daughter, The, Paul Carus 10 

Chinese Fiction, G. T. Candlin 13 

Chinese Philosophy, Paul Carus 13 

Christ. Age of, Carus 7 

Christianity and Patriotism, Count Leo 

Tolstoi 10 

Clement, Ernest W 10 

Consciousness, On Double, Alfred Binet ... .4, 12 

Conway, Moncure D 7 

Cope, E. D 2 

Cornlll, Carl Heinrich 7, 13 

Crown of Thorns, The, Paul Carus 10 

Cumont, Franz 7 

Darwin and after Darwin, G. J. Romanes ... 2 

Darwinian Theory, G. J. Romanes 2 

Dawn of a New Keligious Era, The, Paul 

Caras 9, 13 

Deane, Sidney Norton, B. A 4, 14 



Page 

Dedekind, Richard 3 

Delitzsch, F 7 

DeMorgan, Augustus 3 

Descartes, Rene 5, 14, 15 

DeSpinoza, Benedictus 5, 15 

Devil, History of the, Paul Carus 7 

Devries, Hugo 2 

Dharma, Carus 7 

Discourse on Method, Bene Descartes.. ..5,13 

Edmunds, Albert J 8 

Egypt J History of, E. A. W. Budge 6 

Egyptians, Gods of, Budge 7 

Eimer, Th 18 

English Secularism, G. J. Hol^oake 8, 13 

Enquiry Concerning the Principles of 

Morals, David Hume 5,14 

Eros and Psyche, Paul Carus 10 

Ethical Problem, The, Paul Carus 9, 13 

Euclid's Parallel Postulate, Withers 4 

Evans, Henry Ridgely 11 

Evolution, First Book on Organic, D. L. 

Shute 2 

Evolution,Mechanico*Physiological, Theory 

of, C. VonNaegli 2,13 

Evolution, Primary Factors of Organic, E. 

D. Cope 2 

Fink, Karl S 

Forel, Dr. August 14 

France, History of Modern Philosophy in, 

L. Levy-Bruhl 5 

Free Trade Struggle in England, The M. 

M.Trumbull 11, 12 

Freytag, Gustav 8, 11, 13 

Fundamental Problems, Paul Carns 4,12 

Garbe, Richard 5, 11, 13 

Genesis, Creation Story of, Radan 9 

Genesis. The Legends of, Hermann Gunkel. 8 
Geometric Exercises in Paper-Folding, T. 

Sundara Row 3 

Geometrv, Foundations of, D. Hilbert S 

Germinal Selection. A. Weismann 2, 12 

Gilbert. Grove Karl 11 

God, The Idea of, Paul Carus 9 

Godward, Carns 7 

Gospel According to JDarwin, The, Woods 

Hutchinson 9, 14 

Gunkel, Hermann 8 

Hadley Ballads, Julia Taft Bayne 10 

Haupt, Paul 8 

Hering, Ewald 5, 13 

Hilbert, D 3 

Holyoake, C^eorge Jacob 8,12 

Homilies of Science, Paul Carus 9, 13 



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Page 

Hnc, M 8 

Hueppe. Ferdinand 2 

Human Knowledge. Berkeley 4, 14 

Human U nderstanding, Hume 5, 14 

Hume, David 5, 14 

Hutchinson, Woods 9,14 

Hylan, J. P 9,14 

Hjrmnsoftiie Faith, Edmunds 8 

Ideas, Evolution of General, Th. Ribot 6 

India, Ancient, Its Languages and Relig- 
ions. H. Oldenberg 9,12 

India, Philosophy of Ancient, Richard 

Garbe 5,13 

Ingraham, Andrew 5 

Israel, History of the People of, C. H. 

Comill 7 

Israel, Geschichte des Volkes, 0. H. Cornill. 7 
Israel, The Prophets of, C. H. Comill .... 7, 13 
Israel, The Rise of the People of, C.H.Cornill. 7 

Japanese Floral Calendar, The, Ernest W. 
Clement 10 

Kant & Spencer, PaulCarus 4, 13 

Kant, Immanuel 4, 14 

Karma. Paul Carus 9, 10 

Kheiralla, George Ibrahim 8 

Lagrange, Joseph Louis 3 

Language, On The Origin of, Ludwlg 

Noire 6,12 

Language, Three Lectures on the Science of 

F.Max Mueller 6, 12 

Lao-Tze 7 

Xjeibniz 5, 14 

Levy-Bruhl, Lucien 5 

Locke's Essays Concernlnsr Human Under- 
standing, Mary W. Calkins 15 

Lost Manuscript, The, Gustav Freytag....ll, 13 

Loyson, Madame Emilie 13 

Luther, Martin, Gustav Frey tag 8, IS 

Mach, Ernst 3, 5 

Magic, The Old and The New, H. R. Evans.. .11 
Mathematical Essays and Recreations, H. 

Schubert 3, 13 

Mathematics, A Brief History of, E. Fink .... 3 
Mathematics, Lectures of Elementary, J. 

L. Lagrange 3 

Mathematics. On The Study and Difficulties 

of, A. De Morgan 3 

Mechanics, The Science of, Ernst Mach 3 

Meditations, Rene Descartes 5, 14 

Meditations, F. P. Bonney 10 

Memory, On, Ewald Hering 5, 12 

Metaphysical System of Hobbes, The, Mary 

W. Calkins 15 

Metaphysics, Leibniz 5,14 

Metaphysics. Surd of, Paul Carus 4 

Micro-Organisms, The Psychic Life of, 

Alfred Binet 4,12 

Mills, Professor Lawrence Hey worth 8 

Monism & Meliorism, PaulCarus 4 

Muller, F.Max 5, 6, 11, 12 

Mysteries of Mithra, Franz Cumont 8 

Naegeli, Carl von 2, 13 

Napoleon Myth, The U 

Nirvana, PaulCarus 10 

Noire, Ludwig 6, 12 

Numbers. Essays on the Theory of, R. 
Dedekind 3 

Oldenberg, H 9, 12 

Orthogenesis, On, Th. Eimer 13 

Personality, the Diseases of, Th. Ribot.... 6, 12 

Philosophers, Portraits of 6 

Philosophy, Our Need of, Paul Carus 4 

Popular Scientific Lectures, Ernst Mach.. 3, 12 
Portraits of Philosophers and Psychologists.. 6 



Page 
Portraits of Eminent Mathematicians, David 

Eugene Smith 3 

Post*Darwinian Questions, G.J.Romanes... 2 

Powell, J. W 6,11 

Prayer, My Little Book of, Strode 11 

Primer of Philosophy, Paul Carus 4, 12 

Principles of Philosophy, De Spinoza 5, 15 

Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysic, 

Immanuel Kant 4, 14 

Prosologium. Anselm 4,14 

Psychologists, Portraits of.. 6 

Psychology for Beginners, H. M. Stanley.. 6, 13 

Radau, Hugo 9 

Readings from Modern Mexican Authors, 

Prof. Frederick Starr 11 

Reasoning. Psychology of, Alfred Binet.. 4, 14 
Religion of Science Library.... 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 

Religion of Science, The, Paul Carus 9, 11 

Ribot, Th 6,12 

Romanes, George John 2, 10, 13 

Row, T. Sundara 3 

Ruth, J. A 10 

Sacred Tunes, Paul Carus 10 

Schiller, Friedricb, Carus 10 

Schubert, Hermann 3, IS 

Science and Faith, Paul Topinard 6 

Science a Religious Revelation, Paul Carus. 4 
Sensations, The Analysis of the, Ernest 

Mach 5 

Shute, D.Kerfoot 2 

Smith, David Eugene. 3 

Solomon and Solomonic Literature, M. D. 

Conway 7 

Soul of Man, The, PaulCarus 4,14 

Species, Varieties, Their Origin by Mutation 

DeVries 2 

Specific Energies of the Nervous System, 

Ewald Herring 5, 12 

Stanley, H. M 6, IS 

Starr, Prof. Frederick 11 

State, The Nature of the, Paul Carus.... 10, 12 

Strode. Muriel U 

Suzuki, Teitaro 9 

Swain School Lectures 5 

Tao Teh King, Lao-Tze*s, Paul Carus 7 

Tartary, Thibet and China, Travels in, M. 

Hue 8 

Theism, A Candid Examination of, G. J. 

Romanes 9 

Thoughts on Religion, G* J. Romanes .... 10, 13 
Thought, Three Introductory Lectures on 

the Science of, F. Max Muller 5, 11 

Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philon- 

ous, George Berkeley 4, 14 

Through the Land of Islam, Loyson 8 

Tolstoi, Count Leo 10 

Tool, The Philosophy of, Paul Carus 4 

Topinard, Paul 6 

Trumbull, M. M 11, 12 

Truth and Error, J.W.Powell 6 

Wagner, Richard 11 

Weismann, A 2, 12 

Weismannism, Examination of, G. J. Ro- 
manes 2,12 

What is the Bible, J. A. Ruth 10 

Wheelbarrow. M. M. Trumbull 11, 12 

Whence and Whither? Paul Carus 9, 14 

Will, The Diseases of the, Th. Ribot 6, 12 

Withers, John William, Ph. D 4 

World's Congress Addresses, C. C. Bonney .9, 14 
Worship, Public : A Study in the Psychology 
of Religion, J. P. Hylan 9, 14 

Xenions, Goethe and Schiller's 10 

Yamada, Keichyn 10 

Zarathushtrian Gathas, L . H. Mills 

Zarathushtra and the Greeks, L. H. Mills.... 



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