CONTENTS.

Jt

Jt

1.

Introduction.

2.

Tables A L a E xquisite.

3.

W ooden Tables.

4.

tr o p ic Bamboo Stan d .

5.

F la t Tables.

0.

K e y Card.

7.

Easj' Pickings.

8.

S u p e rio r A ee Effect.

9.

M a tte r o f F orce Deck.

10 .

Unique Card L ocator.

11.

The E g yptian D ivination.

12 .

A double P red iction.

jl

13 .

Sim ple Force.

14.

Novel Change fo r a deck.

15.

C ards and hand kerchiefs from anyw here.

16.

Ink thru H at.

17 .

U seful exchanging bag.

18 .

A D eceptive Dodge.

19.

S p irit W atch .

20.

T w entieth C entury M agical T ransform ation .

21.

Im proved R ising Rope and hoop.

22.

M ammoth F lo w e r P roduction.

23.

The Dove o f Peace.

24.

The Human Sm oke Stack .

(S e v e ra l methods.)

25.

O vettes M odern M iracles.

26.

The human A irop lane.

27.

H ot spots.

M A G IC A L OVETTE

The State Library of Victoria

A L M A C O N JU R IN G C O L L E C T IO N

INTRODUCTION.
In writing this book, it is not my in tu itio n to treat conjuring in a ll its
technical d e ta ils; but m erely record some o f the results o f m y life study of
the fascinating' urt o f M ag ic;; and which I hope, w ill prove, i f not in s tru c t
ive, at least in terestin g to the m any who eith er dabble in Mag'ic fo r a liv lihood o r pi-stime.
W hen I w rote T ric k y -T ric k s I confidently intended it should be my
last book. B ut Circum stances A lte r O ases. The great success o f m y two
books: The M agicians New F ie ld and T ric k y -T ric k s was a v e ry g ra t
ify in g su rp rise to me, as the sales of these hooks ran fa r beyond m y fo n d
est expectations. Since then I have been besieged w ith inquiries, especial
ly during the last two m onths, as to when I was going to w rite anoth er
book.
O f course, it is encouraging (o know that y o u r w ork is appreciated, but
m v tim e was pre-occupied w ith my finessing In stitu te . Besides my a s
p ira tio n s were soaring w ithin the lo fty realm o f a New-M ore P e rfe c t and
more w onderful type o f Magic than the w orld has ever known b e fo re!
Now, since the birth o f New Era M ag ic we have a new condition
A condition which demands New Mcgic L ite ra tu re ; and as a s ta rte r A d
vanced M ag ic is the first answ er to the call.
A n ticip atin g y o u r in terro gation as to what Now E ra M ag ic is, I
w ill b rie fly state th at the d istinctive principle, and p rin cip le distinction
between the old and the new class or higher type o f Mitgic, is the obvious
fa irn e ss and open-and-n.bove-board m anner o f presentation o f the la tte r. In
oth er w o rd s; in the New Magic, m aterialization s are not ob viou sly smug
gled in, n o r are the envanishm ents obvious sm uggling out, as is g en erally
the case w ith our aged a rt. E specially is th is ,tru e w ith the big trick s I l
lusions.
lie who thinks this prin ciple is o f little im portance does not know'
whrit it is th a t re a lly makes an effect S u rp risin g and S ta rtlin g . The de
gree in which y o u r effect is S u rp risin g or S ta rtlin g depends upon liow p e r
fe c tly you have adhered to and applied the said principle.
W ith in the advent o f New Era M agic ou r beloved
A r t now enters
upon a New Epoch. A re- you, d ea r
rea d er, going to
keep
pace th erew ith ,
o r are you one o f those who think that any old tiling is good enough os
long as you can get, aw ay w ith it ? U nless you decide quickly, no choice
w ill be le ft you. The Magic A r t is now in a state o f tran sitio n and is r a p
id ly undergoing a com plete revo lu tion. There w ill be only one type o f
M agic in the fu tu re ; th at w ill be. the
New E na.
I have no axe to g rin d ; nor have T an y apology to m ake
fo r the ap p ear
ance o f this book. Advanced M ag ic is sim ply a re p ly to the numerous
urgent requests o f m y frien d s, m any o f whom I have met p erson ally, be
fo re and since leaving the road, th a t 1 put in book form more o f the fru its
o f m y experience and observations.
I f this w ork should prove helpful to a t least one S tru g g lin g B ro th er, I
will fs e l am ply rew arded fo r m y efforts.
Sin c e re ly yours,
M agical O vette,

cADVANCED
M AGIC

ILLUSTRATED

PART ONE
lI lA l l l A l t f A t l t A f ir A t r A f y A m A m A f I?A w A f l r A n A t l f r

TABLES.
Tables A La Exquisite
Wooden Tables
Tropic Bamboo Stands
Flat Tables

A D V A N C E D M AGIC.
T A B L E S A L A EX Q U ISIT E
Tables are an alm ost indispensible adjunct to a con ju ring p erform ers

equipment.

M any C onjurers do not c a rry a table and w ill p erform with

the aid o f any old piece o f fu rn itu re that can be borrowed.

an im prom pt effect.

This m ay have

But to an New E ra M ag ician , im provised or m ake

sh ift ta b les; as w ell as conventional sty le stands th a t are used by most ev

e ry con ju rer, seems incongruous.
The New E ra M agician w ill not be caught c a rry in g around 8-10 lb.
stands, no r tables that consume much time in settin g up.

The fo llow ing

tables which I am about to describe, and which I have used in my act fu lly

10 yea rs, I can sincerely vouch fo r as being up to the m ark.

I t was in the y e a r o f 1010 while at W h ite C ity P a rk , Chicago, doing
Magic and Illusions, that 1 fo r the first time realized the true valu e o f iry
table, although I had used the same tables several y e a rs before.
D uring m y engagement at W h ite C ity, I had the pleasure o f m eeting
tnany o f the boys, and each and eve ry one o f whom, pronounced my tables
the best they had e v e r seen, and ju st the thing fo r a m agician.

H ere are

the main fea tu res o f my ta b le s :P o rta b ility , N eatness, S ta b ility and L ig h t

n essweighing but two pounds.

No screw ing or tightening o f base o r le^s.

Only J/2 m inute to set up, and less to take a p a rt: and capable o f holding '26
lbs.

But every good thing has its im itators, and Tables E xquisite a>c no

exception.
In fa ll, 1910, they w ere put upon the m arket by other p arties one o f
whom called upon me w hile I was p laying at the Olympi.i Thentre, Brook
ly n ,came back o f the stage to get-a good view o f my stands a t close an^e;
and la te r w rote me requesting that I bring one o f m y stands to his residence
so that he could study same a t his le isu re N erve ( ? ) .

ADVANCED MAGIC.

A glance a t P la te 1 , w ill, I tru st, help to m ake clear the explanation

w hich I am about to undertake.
G et a w ood-turn er to tu rn out a fo rm sim ila r in shape to a 3 -le a f C lov
e r 2x2l//2 in. as depicted in Fig. 1 , which we w ill call a Screw J o in t.
A lso have him d rill a % in. hole in the center o f each S c allop or le a f, and
a % inch hole in the center. Now tak e this model to a brass fo u n d ry and
have as m any o f these Screw J o in t s made as you wish to use.
F o r the legs, get 3 pieces o f
brass tubing 2 1 inches long, % in. th ic k ;
have them threaded and bent in
shape o f the le tte r S See F ig u re 2, and
screw to S crew J o i n t ; and you w ill find th a t they w ill fo ld flat together
ae F ig . 3.
A lso get a piece o f tubing known as rope or tw isted tubing 17 inches
long and % inch thick outside.
Then
get Va inch nipple w ith flange
(m ay be bought a t any plum ber
shop) and solder it to the end o f the 17
inch tube. Next g et a piece o f tubing 2'/2 inch in length and w ith % inch
bore, and solder to Screw J o in t .. H ave S crew J o in t hole tapped.
TO SET U P TABLE
Open out the leg sIn sert tw isted rod in sh ort tube, screw top on and
table is set. To take A p a r t : U nscrew top and l i f t out tw isted tu b eand
the legs w ith the Screw J o in t, you fo ld together.
I f you w ish the table to present a little m ore fa n c y appearanceget
1/2 dozen Caps, or bulbs, such as the posts o f Bed S tead s are fre q u e n tly dec
orated w ith , and place one o f these globe-shaped nobs over each o f the
holes in S crew Jo in t, and one on fo o t end o f each leg.
P la te 2 : Illu s tra te s an oth er S tan d , quite novel but a little h eavier than
the one we have described above.
G et 3 legs fro m an old Coffee U rn (these have holes n e a r to p ). N ext
get a w ood-turner to tu rn you an 8 inch disc fro m any
inch lum ber and
bore 3 holes n ea r edge 'and at equal distance a p a rt. Now get three 2 inch
bolts w ith w ing-nuts. P ut bolts through holes in circu lar wood and tighten
nuts v e ry tig h t into the wood. Next a d ju st legs, allow ing bolts to pass
through holes in legs and tighten wing-nuts.
On top, fa ste n flange w ith 2 inch nipple and couple. P ad a ll around
nipple w ith cotton b attin g and cover w ith v e lve t o f a bright color.
Next gel a piece o f gas pipe threaded a t each end and screw one end
to couple. Table top having a flange you screw on to gas-pipe, and you
have anoth er table.
I have not given any size pipe fo r you can use any size not o ver %
inch in diam eter.

10

ADVANCED MAGIC.

WOODEN T A B L E S
A g ain you mList go to a w ood-turner, though ii' you are handy w ith a
aw it m ay not be necessary.
G et some 3 ply veneer wood and cut out two fo rm s as plate 3 Fig. 1.
These w ill nest as Fig. 2 by m ortising out top center o f one as A and
bottom center o f the oth er as B Fig. 1, so that they w ill tit w ithin each
other.
The p illa r shown Fig. 3 is ve ry sim ple but a more ornam ental a rran g e
ment can easily be designed, i f preferab le.
Top end o f p illa r must be m ortised leaving it square, so as to fit the
top. T his is im portant, fo r i f le ft a round table top would revolve.
Now you can have some nice scroll w ork as in Fig. 4. This w ill be
found v e ry useful doing aw ay with the need o f d ra p e ry ; and yet, you can
conceal sm all objects such as coins, hakfs., etc. etc. by having space in
S cro ll fitted w ith tin tubes with springs. These tubes w ill not be noticed
a few fe e t aw ay as it w ill a ll look dark.
TROPIC BAMBOO STAND
H ere is a simple, yet useful stand fo r an orien tal w orker.
Get 3 Bamboo canes or a fishing pole and cut three 35 inch lengths.
B oth ends o f each must be cut a little on the slant. (See Fig. 1 l late 3).
In one end o f each glue a little plugallow ing % inch sticking out.
Now, w ith so ft brass w ire, tie two canes together 1 1 inches from top,
then tie the third cane to one o f the two which are tied. (Note Be sure
not to tie ..ny low er than 11 inches fro m top. This, when spread, w ill give
space fo r a 1 4 inch top).
In setting u p : A ll th at is necessary is to open out legs and place on the
top. Table top must have holes in exact place. Best w ay is to cut plugs
on slant a fte r top is on. Now a coat o f bronzeand there you a re !

ADVANCED MAGIC.

11

F L A T T A B L E S.
A n o th er stand th a t I have used in la te ye a rs in my o rien tal A c t is the
fo llo w in g : Cut out tw o fo rm s as in F ig. 1 & 2 P la te 4. A n incision is
made in each fo rm but in opposite directions, i. e., fro m top o f one and
fro m bottom o f other, so that they w ill fit w ith in each oth er as in F ig. 4.
Then give it a coat o f dull paint and finish. D ecorate to suit. I glue the
D ragons cut from colored tinsel paper fo r decorations.
L ittle fu rth e r in structio ns a re necessary. The size is up to you. M ine
a re 35 inches high, 15 inches wide. A s lit is made in each corn er o f top so
as to fit snuggly over, protuberances le ft on the 4 corners o f stand.

I
* g
k
*0

JJ

CARDS.
K ey Card
Easy Picking
Superior Ace Effect
Matter of Force Deck
Unique Card Location
The Egyptian Devination
Simple Force
Novel Change for Pack of Cards
Cards and Handkerchief from
Anywhere.

ADVANCED MAGIC.

13

CARD T R IC K S
Once again the w rite r lias the p leasu re o f presenting to the M agical
F ra te rn ity a m odest a rra y o f m iscellaneous id ea s: Som e are original, some
m erely im provem entsbut a t any ra te a ll w orth trying .
I have endeavored to make the explanations as clear as possible w ith
out useless rep etitio n o f general prin ciples, w ith which the re a d e r I fake
fo r granted is a lrea d y fa m iliar.
1 have thoroughly tested out these orig inal ideas, suggestions and im
provem ents, and can h e a rtily recommend them to p erfo rm ers as applauscg etters, when capably presented.
K E Y CARD .
P re p a ra tio n : Cut out a portion, the size o f thumb tip from the m id
dle o f one end o f any card, and place this K e y -C a rd som ewhere near
the center o f pack.
Now i f you ru ffle the cards at the end, y o u r finger w ill stop a t torn
card. So locating chosen card, tr y th is : Oct K ey-C a rd a t bottom , lay
pack on table, have someone cut the cards. Note card at the cut, torn or
key card is now ju s t above selected card. Now ru ffle cards and .your r u f
fle w ill h e s ita te at K ey-C ard. The card ju st below it is the chosen one.
(See Goldstons E xclusive M agical S ecrets Iagc 54 gives s evera l Novel
M ethods).
E A S Y P IC K IN G
F o u r cards are selected, returned and shuffled in deck. C ards a re d i
vided into two equal portions, on e-half being placed in one pocket and the
rem ainder in tlie other pocket. Now perform er draw s out selected cards.
The effect o f producing cords from the pocket is p re tty w ell know n;
and as f a r as the public is concerned, it form s a fittin g sequel to any card
trick which can he concluded by the p e rfo rm e r taking a chosen card from
his pocket. To P e rfo rm : H ave fo u r cards selected and Returned. M ake
the p ass; bringing the fo u r cards to the top. I f you cannot m ake the pass,
use the K ey-C a rd as fo llo w s:
H ave torn card on bottom o f pack. H ave two o f the selected cards
placed on top. Now have someone cut the c a rd s ; this w ill brinpr the two
cards to center or w h erever cut was made. R uffle cards and hold p a rt,
open at Ivey-Card to receive the, o th er tw o selected cards. S q uare cards
up, and again ruffle them to get location o f K e y -C a rd , w here you divide
pack into tw o portions and do the do ve-tail shuffle le av in g the fo u r select
ed cards on top, and which you palm off. (N ote: In palm ing selected cards
it is not necessary to palm ju st the rig ht cards, i. e . : Y ou can palm along
a few more w ith them. This saves tim e and is much easier and enables you
to w ork the moves sm oother.) A ft e r cards are shuffled, palm ed cards are
replaced on top. U nder cover o f d ivid in g pack, slip two o f the selected
cards to bottom . Now place one portion o f pack in each o f two pockets.
This is sim ple, fo r you get a glance o f bottom two cards as you place in
y o u r pocket. O f course, you w ill know them as the, oth er two cards a re on
top o f oth er portions, so you can a t once pick them oul. A l the finish yon
can include the B rookes A n y Card from the P o c k et.
T have a lw ays thought that this trick o f any card taken from the pock
et is most effective when it is presented in the w ay I have described fo r,
before they are aw are o f it, the tric k is on them, so to speak,

14

ADVANCED MAGIC.
ANOTHER SU PE R IO R A C E EFFECT.

F o u r A c e Tricks alw ays seem to have an attrac tio n fo r magicians

as w ell as the la y man. W h y not add a good 4 ace tric k to you r re p e r
toire ?
P r o c e d u r e H a v e the fo u r aces rem oved from the deck and cards ex
amined. Now have 4 aces return ed ( A s in Easy P ic k in g ). A ces are
brought to the top. P e rfo rm e r ask No. 1 to mention num ber between 1 and
1 2 Number called does not m atter. P e rfo rm e r counts the required num ber
from the bottom and passes them to the top. C ards are then counted out on
table un til the required num ber is reached, which proves to be the Ace.
You now have someone in the audience to call a num ber. W e w ill say
15 is called. Now you proceed to count that number slow ly from the top
o f pack, throw ing the cards down on the table one on to]) o f the other.
Now picking up the cards ju s t as they arc. you drop them into you r le ft
hand, then (suddenly) as though you heard someone speak you look up
sayin g : W h a t is i t ? D uring this b rie f interlud e you slip the bottom
Ace, which rests on y o u r palm to the top. You can now turn it over and
show an ace.
I t w ill be remembered th at in the original position, the 4 A ces were
on top o f the pack. And it w ill be understood th a t the rem aining two
cards a re at the bottom o f the 15 just counted from the top. These 1 5 cards
are now replaced on top o f the pack (little finger secretly m aking the d i
visio n ), and p erfo rm er forces the bottom card o f the upper portion (3rd
A ce) on someone, and have him call out the card, which is an Ace. In
the meantim e you bring to the top the last Ace, and slip an extra card over
it, so ace is next to top.
Now a fte r showing top and bottom (c are le ssly ), you place pack in a n y
o n es pocket and call fo r another number, and pull cards out from pocket
un til number is read ied , when you pull out the A ce!
I have found the above A ce Effect v e ry m ystifyin g and have been com
plim ented by a ll who have seen me w ork it.
F o r a change, in the finish, you can have last A ce pen etrate handker
chief, etc.
M ATTER O F FORCE.
(Im proved F orcing Deck.)
The fo llow ing is another method o f F o rcin g 3 cards by using M at
te r o f F orce D eck.
Shuffle the pack and in v ite anyone to in sert the blade o f a k n ife in
deck, and you can allow him to choose one card above the k n ife blade and
two below it, or two above tlie k n ife and one below, or a ll three above, or all
three below. It makes no difference to you which o f these he chooses ow
ing to the clever arrangem ent o f deck.
M O D U S: O P E R A N D !
The pack is arranged in groups o f three alike, and repeated in dupli
cate throughout the pack.
I t w ill, th erefore, be noted th at w h atever th eir choice, they w ill alw ays
be the three cards.
I have been selling this deck, un der the above name fo r sometime.

ADVAN CED MAGIC.

15

UNIQUE CARD LOCATION

L A VELLM A.
E F F E C T :A card is passed before the eyes o f a spectator. This is
repeated w ith a num ber o f cards, one at a time. S p e c ta to r is told to mem
orize a card and to tell p erfo rm e r when to stop dealing cards, a fte r a few
more are passed a fte r selection is made. P e rfo rm e r then places cards be
hind back and locates the card.
THE H O W . : One card at a time is passed before the eyes'an d a f
te r a number is done in this w ay p erfo rm er replaces the cards on top o f
deck. P lacing deck behind back, he deals off three, cards fro m the bottom
o f deck and one card from the top.
S p ecta to r is shown the fo u r cards draw n from behind back, fanned,
and asked i f his card is among those draw n.
P e rfo rm e r keeps track o f card draw n from top o f pack. W h en the
card is among those draw n, sp ectato r says so and p erfo rm er know ing it was
the card draw n from the top o f pack locates and names it in any m anner
desired.
A fa lse shuffle m ay be made a fte r selection is made keeping track o f
the cards on top o f pack and not
disarran gin g them.
THE E G Y P T IA N D IVIN ATIO N .
(A n Old Lamp fo r a New One. L a V ellm a)
E F F E C T :This is an old trick , even one o f the trick s o f our school
days yet. in a som ewhat different dress and when p ro p erly worked makes a
dee]) im pression on the m ajo rity.
Someone is handed a pack o f cards and requested to shuffle same. P e r
fo rm er takes back cards and tells spectator to think o f any number. V ic
tim is then told to in tu rn m ultiply num ber thought o f by tw o ; add a given
number, divide result by two and then subtract the original sum from the
last result and to bear this num ber in mind. C ards a re riffled and victim
is instructed to call stop at any time, l i e does and the card the pack is
cut a t is taken by victim and to his surprise the pips on card correspond
to the num ber he has in mind. Sim ple, yet baffling.
H O W T IS A C C O M P L ISH E D : Cards are re a lly shuffled by sp ec ta to r; when handed back perform er
gels a glimpse o f the bottom card. ( A ll cards equal num bers thereon and
jack , queen and king num ber respectively, 11 , 12 & 13.
S a y num ber on bottom o f pack is 5.
V ictim selects say 20 fo r the num ber.
2 tim es 20 equals 40.
Bottom card is f>. P e rfo rm e r tells V ictim at all tim es to add double
the num ber on the bottom card.
In this case 10 is added to 40 m aking 50.
D ivide the resu lt by tw o , says p erform er. V ictim divides 50 by 2,
re s u lt: 25.
Take original amount, thought o f aw ay from final sum , ord ers Ma
gician. V ictim takes 20 (orig inal num ber thought o f by victim ) from 25
leaving 5.
B efo re this the p e rfo rm er has slipped the bottom card to the 1op <f
pack. W h en resu lt is finished, and victim knows the num ber
o f same per
fo rm e r riffles cards un til told to stop, then
slips top card quickly
ontop of
pile held in le ft hand and tells victim to take the card on top. W hich vic
tim does and M r. V ictim finds th a t th a t card is the num ber he has.
Read over directions w ith a pack o f cards at y o u r side and a piece o f
paper and pencil before you and dope it out. It m ay seem com plicated on
p ap er but re a lly sim ple when tried out. This is suitable fo r club or close
w ork.

16

AD V A N CE D M AGIC,

A DOUBLE PREDICTION
E ffe c t:P e rfo rm e r borrow s a calling card, envelope and a pack o f
cards.
On tbe calling card, he p riv a te ly w rites a p red ic tio n seals same in
an envelope which he gives to a spectator to hold.
P erfo rm er now picks up deck o f borrowed cards and asks someone to
blindfold him ; a fte r which some sp ectator is requested to select from the
pack a card which is return ed to deck and the cards thoroughly shuffled.
Now, the p erfo rm er asks that the envelope be opened, and the predic
tio n re a d ; at the same tim e handing the cards to a spectator.
W e w ill say the p red ic tio n reads You w ill select the K in g o f
H e a rts which w ill be found the 1 2th card from the top.
S p ecta to r counts down ]2 cards and to his amazement find tbe selected
card as predicted.
E a sy W hen you have borrowed the calling card, envelope and pack of
card s; secretly note the bottom card o f the pack and lay pack on the table.
Y ou m ay now w rite you r P re d ic tio n using the name o f the card which
you know to be on the bottom o f the pack. Now, a fte r you are blindfolded,
pick up pack o f cards and force card on spectators. To accomplish this, we
suggest the fo llow in g m ethod:
Take the pack in the le ft hand.
H olding it w ith the fingers on one side and the thumb on the other. S e
c retly draw down the bottom card about '3 in. L et the rig ht hand approach
the pack, and w ith the first and second fingers draw down the cards, one by
one, 1/2 in., beginning w ith the top card and so 011, in v itin g you r audience
to stop you at any card they choose. This is d e a rly shown in the illu s tra
tion. The thumb o f the rig h t band has rem ained beneath the pack in con
tact w ith the bottom card. The thumb should have been previou sly m oist
ened slig h tly so as to adhere to the bottom card. W hen y o u r audience has
indicated the card at which they desire you to stop, draw all the cards so
f a r selected com pletely aw ay from the pack, draw ing with them also, un
known to the audience, the bottom card. 11 this is done quickly it is im
possible to detect that the bottom card is draw n aw ay with the upper
cards. Since, however, you know the bottom card, it
is needless to say
th at the bottom card is re a lly supposed to be the last card at which
you
stopped in going through flie pack.
Good, so fa r. Now to get the card as the 12th card from the top w ith
out counting and fu m b lin g : A little device is used which is known as a
card counting R ing , and which is worn on the third finger o f the le ft
hand and in the A c t o f shuffling slide eleven cards in to ring. See (Fig. 2 ).
B rin g the chosen card (the forced card) to the top and replace the elev
en cards from ring.
The cards can now be false-shuffled and given to a spectator who is
requested to read the P re d ic tio n and ascertain i f it is correct.
The card counter may be made by soldering a piece o f m etal to any
rin g in the m anner shown in the cut.
This m etal piece is so adjusted as to allow eleven cards to slip into it
w ithout crowding.

(I am indebted to my friend, Dr. Puncanson, for the above).

ADVANCED MAGIC.

17

SIM P L E FORCE.
Remarking' th a t you a re p ecu lia rly sen sitive to an yth in g red, you hand
a fo ld ed paper to someone. Shuffle an o rd in a ry pack and hand i t to same
p a rty , asking him to give it an ad d itio n al d o vetail shuffle. Then, w ith
pack fa c e down, he deals oil one card a t a tim e, looking a t each and stop
ping a t the first red card he comes to, which he notes and shuffles in to the
pack. On opening p ap er you handed him he finds w ritte n thereon the
name o f the card he chose. Two or more cards m ay be forced.
The deck is arran ged in a certain color scheme which c a n t he detect
ed a fte r the shuffling. S a y you wish to fo rc e the queen o f hearts. D ivide
pack in to its red and black cards. P lace fa c e down six red cards, on them
1 2 black cards, then seven more reds, the top one being the fo rc e card. On
it place any black card. A rra n g e balance o f pack face down in anoth er
heap as fo llo w s: F ir s t a black card, on it seven reds, then tw elve blacks,
then the re st o f the reds. B ridge these tw o heaps in opposite directions
and place them together, heap containing fo rc e card becoming low er h a lf
o f pack. H and p a rty p ap er w ith Queen o f H e a rts w ritte n on it. Cut
pack a t bridge and do vetail shuffle the two h a lves together, taking care
th a t the top tw o cards o f low er h a lf (black card and fo rc e card) f a ll la st
on top o f pack. I f only h a lf w ay c a re fu l w ith th is shuffle, en tire center
1 8 to 2-4 c a rd sw ill be black. A sk p a rty to give pack an additional
d o ve-tail shuffle. I f you know lie shuffles th a t w ay, d o n t sp e c ify the kind
o f shuffle. Y ou w ill perceive th a t, as he c a n t cut pack except in the
m idst o f its all-b la c k center, no re d cards can possibly f a ll above the
fo rce card when he shuffles, and the tric k is done. Two or m ore card s o f
same color can ju s t as re a d ily be forccd. They should lie d ire c tly under
the first fo rce card in orig inal arrangem ent and m ust be allow ed to fa ll
on top o f pack in yo u r shuffle. 1 a r ty then takes first tw o o r th ree reds
he comes to. Y ou can a p p a re n tly leave choice o f color to chance by means
o f this ru se w ith s tra w s : B etw een thumb and fo refin g er o f rig h t hand show
two straw s, one seem ingly longer than the other, th e ir uneven ends p ro
jectin g tow ard you. P reten d to mix th eir ord er and have one d raw n (h id
ing the inn er, uneven ends.)
S h o rt s tra w stands fo r color you w ish to
fo rce, and is alw ays draw n. Three stra w s an inch long a re used. P lace
tw o between thumb and forefing er, outer ends even .and p ro jectin g tow ard
company. Third stra w is also placed betw een thumb and fo refin g er, but
p ro jectin g tow ard you, it seem ing to be a p a rt o f one o f the fr o n t straw s.
W h ich ever stra w is draw n you im m ediately show the tw o le ft in conjunc
tion, when they appear to be the long one and y o u r color is forced.
A NOVEL CHANGE FOB, A P A C K OF C A R D S.
The tric k is p e rfo rm er w ith a long and sh o rt pack o f cards.
E m pty the rig h t hand trou sers pocket and se c retly introduce the short
pack in to the upper p a rt o f the pocket, th a t is the p a rt th a t comes next
to the w aistcoat. To keep the pack in place, catch the bottom o f the
pocket and pu ll it up and tuck along side o f cards, the side aw ay fro m
body. I t w ill now be found th a t the pocket m ay be pulled in side out w ith
out revealin g the presence o f the cards.
Thus prep ared , you hand the long pack to the audience asking six
persons to each select a card, now tak e back the rem ain d er o f the pack
holding it w ell above the head, so that audience m ay see th at you do not in
any w ay tam per w ith it.
A s k one o f the persons who drew a card to tak e note o f its value and
re tu rn it to the center o f the pack (m,ako the pass and b rin g it to the top.)
G ive the pack a good shuffle but tak in g good care not to m ove the top card.
Y ou now undertake to show how easily you can find the draw n card

18

ADVANCED MAGIC.

by touch and in ord er that you m ay not he 'accused o f looking a t the cards
you w ill place them in y o u r pocket, which you pu ll out and show empty.
Place the pack in the pocket and ask at w hat num ber you shall produce
the draw n ca rd ; suppose tiie .answer is four. Take th ree cards fro m the
bottom o f the pack and the fo u rth fro m the top which you w ill rem em ber
is the draw n card. Now take w hat the audience supposes to be the same
pack out o f the pocket, but you re a lly leave the long pack in the bottom
p art and take out the short pack from the top, when, o f course, the change
is effected w ithout exciting suspicion. The rem aining five cards a re now
collected in the short pack to be produced in any w ay you choose.
C A R D S AND H A N D K E R C H IE FS,
from A N Y W H E R E
This stunt, w ill give the wise acres a jo lt. W atch th is E ffect: P e r
fo rm er rem oves his sleevesshows his hands p e rfe c tly e m p tyfingers wide
a p art, etc. Then he gets one from bottom o f this fo ot, and one from back
o f knee, and a few more from space, and so on he continues to get cards
from anyw here and everyw here when suddenly he catches a larg e silk hand
kerchief'and then another one or two. Then some more cards, one a t a
time, m ysteriously m aterialize in his outstretched hand, and then more
silks and so on he continues to produce a lte rn a te ly cards and silks un til
over a h a lf a. hundred is produced w hile all the time showing his hand to be
p e rfectly em pty and a ll fingers wide a p art. A nd hands a ll the tim e at arm s
length from body. This is M agic!
This w onderful effect is accomplished by the aid o f a new card and
handkerchief S p id e r which we w ill now endeavor lo describe.

ADVANCED MAGIC.

19

ADVANCED MAGIC.

20

CARD AND H AN D K ER CH IEF S P ID E R .

You can make tliis spider from any tin can, as fo llo w s: Cut a piece
o f tin out o the side o f the can about
inches. Now, allow the
curve to rem ain and bend up edges from concaved side about % inch each
to about 45 deg. See Fig. 2. Now cut another piece out o f the side o f the
can 4 x 2 Vi inches. And out o f one end o f this piece cut a crescent about
Vi inches at the w id tst p a rt see B-Fig. G. Now place the concaved side
o f this piece to concaved side o f you r oth er piece and solder th e re to ; and
you w ill have an apartm ent fo r silks and which we call the bottom o r belly
o f the s p id e r (See Fig. 4 ).
Next bend two pieces o f w ire as in Fig. 7 and solder them on to bottom
edges o f fa k e , as in F ig. 1 and .'ibecause a s p id e r not a fry in g p a n must have legs. Now paint the whole thing black.

P R E P A R A T IO N AND M AN IPU LATIO N .

F ill S p id e r w ith a- fu ll pack o f ju n io r cards, and apartm ent under
neath is stuffed fu ll o f fine silk handkerchiefs. The cards a re produced one
a t a time ju s t as you would i f you had 10 or 12 cards back-palm ed.
The handkerchiefs are linked together the same as production from
ball or an egg, ete. To Back-Palm S p id e rPlace thumb against the end
and pusha t the same tim e curl fingers under it like a fist, then, as you
tu rn y o u r hand o ver straighten out y o u r fingers. The first and fo u rth
fingers a re on the sides o f spider and come against legs.
To bring S p id er to fro n t o f H and: Curl lingers in like a fist. P ress
thumb against face o f the c a rd sholding sp id er against fingers w hile the
la tte r straig hten s out. The first and fourth fingers n a tu ra lly come against
le S , by means o f them, the S p id er is held securely to the hand.

PART THREE
MISCELLANEOUS
Ink Thru Hat (Several Methods)
Useful Exchanging Bag.
A Deceptive Dodge.
Spirit Watch.
Twentieth Century Magical
T ransfor mation.
Improved Rising Rope and Hoop.
Mammoth Flower Production.
The Dove of Peace.

22

ADVANCED MAGIC.

U SE FU L HINT.
How to prepare candle w ick proper.
Cut off wick flush, break off about an inch and h a lf length o f too th
pick, (wooden) and fo rce sharp end into candle fo r fa k e wick. S p lit top
end o f fa k e wick a little . Take from w a te r a tin y grain o f phosphorous
about size o f % grain o f w heat. R oll it over on p a p er to get w a te r off of
it. Now w ith a p a ir o f pinchers or a k n ife blade, pick up phos. and fo rc e
it into s p lit at top o f fa k e wick (but b efore doing la tte r let a drop o f oil
o f turp entine fa ll on to phos.) Next m ix a little , m ake up black w ith
glycerine, and blacken tip o f w ic k ' w ith it. ' Now when (phos. is touched
w ith kerosene oil it w ill ignite.
A much b ette r method th at I have worked out is as fo llo w s: imbed a
sm all glass container into side o f candle. In to this glass fa k e, oil is fill
ed. W ick o f candle is treated as above, to light same candle rem oved from
holder w ith rig h t hand and tra n sfe rre d to le ft hand, during which m iddle
finger o f rig h t hand comes over glass fa k e and receives a drop o f oil on
m iddle finger o f rig h t hand is now' touched to wick which causes it to light.
Note. D rop o f oil is touched to phos. wick and NOT THE FIN GER as
a burn from phos. is V E R Y undesirable.
E A ST M A N SL A T E TEST.
E F F E C T : Two slates are lieing 011 y o u r table, sm all slate pencil, sponge
and a d ry rag. S itte r wiashes each slate sep a rate dryin g them w ith d ry
ra g shown clean on all sides, sm all pencil p u t betw een the slates, held by
medium and s itte r, w ritin g heard, opened by s itte r, he finds a message.

W O R K IN G : W rite a message 011 one o f the slates w hich we w ill call

slate No. 1 or message slate. No. 2 slate is un prepared. L ay No. 1 on ta
ble, message side down and No. 2 slate on top o f this. Now you are ready.
P ick them up ju s t as they lay. S lid e the top slate fo rw a rd a little , ad
vancing to sitter. Take it off and te ll him to w ash i t w ith sponge, and
d ry it good w ith the d ry rag'. Y ou in m eantim e hold No. 1 slate in you r
hand. M essage side down, so
he c a n t see it. Wtlien he
Is through tell
him to put the ra g on table. Now w atch his eyes. Take slate fro m him,
pretend to look a t it to see i f
it is good and d ry . Tell him to take slate

ADVANCED MAGIC.

23

pencil and put his in itia l up in corner o f slate. A s lie drops his eyes to
table, put (his No. 2 slate under No. 1, (he w ill think you placed it on top.)
Point with yo u r finger up in corn er o f this to,p slate No. 1 tellin g him to
put his in itia l there. Then slide it right off and la y it on table (message
side down) hand him the slate you still have in yo u r hand tellin g him to
wash this one also. Dry and put his in itia l up in corn er when he is through.
(In re a lity , the same one he did, wash the No. 2 slate.) Now he has his
in itia ls on both slates and he th in k s lie has exam ined and washed both o f
them. Now la y No. 2 slate on No. 1 which is on table and go through the
fo llow in g moves. Pick them both up. No. 2 is on top. No. 1 on bottom.
(Message side dow n), open them up. See fig. 2 (which shows inside o f
slates) and slide No. 2 under No. 1. T urn them over on w rist. Fig. 3, (which
shows bottom o f No. 2, turn them back again in band. No. 1 on top, No. 2
on bottom. Cut them (m eaning put No. 1 under No. 2) which leaves No. 2
on top as at fiirst. Open them again as in fig. 2, showing inside o f slates.
Slide No. 2 under No. 1, etc. These moves have the effect o f showing a ll
sides o f both slates clean (in re a lity only 3 sides.)
R epeat these moves
a few times ending w ith No. 1 on top. S lid e No. 1 off w ith rig h t hand,
toll s itte r to put slate pencil on tg>p o f No. 2 slate. Put No. 1 over it. P u t
a rub ber band around both slates, which holds them together and gives you
11 op portu nity to turn slates over so No. 1 comes on bottom. So then
when large rubber band is rem oved and slates are opened by s itte r, w'riting
appears on top o f the under slate, No. 1. Now a fte r you have rub ber band
around, hold slates w ith s itte r lengthw ise like fig. 4. Y o u r fingers are un
der slates, thumbs on to)), palm o f hands fa cin g up. A . La. K e e le r . Now'
scratch under slate w ith first finger o f rig h t hand. It w o n t show on w rist
as finger cards move on the back o f the hand. S a y Here is some one
n o w . K eep scratching along m aking dots, etc. Then tell s itte r to re
move hand and open slates up (and he finds a message).
R em em ber :
1. Hold slates lengthw ise so they c a n t see yo u r finger scratching
under slate.
2. W o rk slow. A slate test requires 20 to 30 min.
3. A slate w r it e r s moves is v e ry bold. T hat is w hat makes it de
ceiving.
4. P ractice the moveg 2 weeks b efore showing the test to anyone.

SP IR IT F A C E S ON SLATE .
Scratch a ll over in one corn er o f slate w ith pencil, then rub you r fing
ers a ll over it, and -on have a w hite EV E N spot. Cut L yd ia Pinham s p ic
ture o r some other out o f a paper. W e t the un der side o f it, la y on w h ite
spot and trace lines o f fa ce w ith pencil, take p ap er oft fro m slate, and you
have the outlines in black. W ra p a toothpick in hand kerchief, w et the end
and trace around or rub out a ll w h ite up to outlines o f face. T ry this in
place o f ju s t a message, it looks like the re a l thing.

24

ADVANCED MAGIC.
JN K THRU THE HAT
Im proved M ethods

There are m any v e ry good trick s th at have some d raw b ack s: Ink
Thru The H a t is one o f the finest effects out, but its draw back is in get
ting' the fa k e into the glass.
F o r the benefit o f those who are not fa m ilia r w ith the secret o f this
tric k I w ill here offer a b rie f description o f accessories used.
G lass p itch er contains a celluloid fa k e (See Fig. 1 ) In k is poured in
space between p itch er and celluloid fak e. A rub ber tube a t bottom o f fa k e
connects in terio r o f fa k e w ith the space betw een the fa k e and the pitcher.
A plug attached to a thread fits into the tube and thread hangs over on out
side o f the pitcher. A celluloid fa k e to back o f the table. The fa k e fo r
the glass is filled w ith ink and placed on the servante.
I w ill first describe w hat I think a much b e tte r arrangem ent fo r the
pitch er than the fa k e now in use. Instead o f the celluloid fa k e I have made
a tin disc which snuggly fits the in te rio r circum ference o f the pitcher. A t
tached to disc we have two w ire legs. Our p itch er is painted black up to
level o f disc, and disc has tw o holes thru it. W e also seal disc to pitcher
b y means o f p la ste r o f p aris mixed with ink. See Fig. 2.

W e plug up the holes in disc with wax, thread attached, and pour a
glass fu ll o f ink on the disc. Now when we pull the thread ink runs through
holes to bottom com partm ent producing same effect as w ith the celluloid
fa k e ; with the advantage th at the amount o f ink which appears to leave
the pitch er is exactly no more no le ssthan the g lassfu l which you put in
the pitch er, and which you catch into the glass under the h at, and which
can be poured back into the pitcher, as p ro o fp rovidin g only th at the space
under the disc, can accom odate only the g lassfu l that runs th ru which can
easily be arranged by p a rtly filling low er com partm ent w ith ink beforehand
leaving room only fo r a glassful.
Now, reg ard in g the glass o f in k : In the old method, a celluloid fak e
which fits inside o f the glass is filled w ith ink and placed in position on the
servante. In presentation the glass is placed on the table, and fa k e filled
w ith ink, is placed in to the glass w hile covering the la tte r w ith a hand
kerchief.
Not being in fa v o r o f this method o f g etting the ink into the glass, I
h ave devised several m ethods which I have thoroughly tested and found to
be en tirely sa tisfa c to ry . I w ill explain m y methods in the order in which
the im provem ents w ere made.

ADVANCED MAGIC.

25

In m y lirs t experim ent 1 made use o f two glasses. I would fill one w ith
ink and lo w er it in to a w e ll. The em pty glass, I would cause to drop
into a w ell w hile sh iftin g the hat.
Now, instead o f liftin g the h at to show glass o f ink under it, I would
reach un der h a t -and rem ove glass fu ll o f ink fro m w ell. O f course, I could
have arran ged an ele va to r to ra ise glass o f in k fro m w ell, hut I d id n t care
much fo r this method, so I tried an oth er m ethod as fo llo w s:
U sing tw o glasses, one fu ll o f ink and both w rapped in paper. The
one containing ink I placed on ch air S e rva n te . In reaching fo r the hat, I
would exchange the glasses. B u t s till I w a s n t satisfied. So, since then I
worked out the fo llo w in g tw o m ethods which I found to be the best. In
these m ethods 1 use goblets.
Get an 8 x 10 inch book o f about 100 pages. C ut center out o f the
pages and make a square box out o f tin to fit the cut our space w ith in the
book. Or, you m ay use m ake-up b o x o r Cold Cream Box. These have
screw tops. F o r m yself, I made one w ith sm all screw cap, ju s t larg e enough
to hold the glass o f ink. 1 d rilled tw o holes, one on eith er side o f this box,
and to one hole I soldered a v e ry sm all piece o f tubing; long enough to reach
only 1/ 10 inch th ru book-cover when fa k e is in place in book. W a x ,
w ith thread attached is used to stop up holes in fa k e and the la tte r is then
filled w ith in k and placed w ithin the box, leavin g thread outside where i t is
easy to get a hold of. B y pu lling th read in k w ill ru n out through tubing
in to glass below.
The book can be shown on both sides w ith ou t any danger o f exposing
the secret o r creating suspicion. A book is a v e ry commonplace a rtic le and
as innocent looking as any accessory the m agician could use; and passing
ink through a book appears more e x tra o rd in a ry , probably, then passing th ru
hat. Place book on em pty glass, and pitch er on the book and pull the thread
and the tric k is done. No exchanges to be made.
S T IL L AN OTHER METHOD
M ake a celluloid fa k e as fo llo w s: G rease inside o f tlip glass you intend
using and fill h a lf w ay w ith p la ster o f paris. S tic k in a clothespin o r some
thing sim ilar f o r a handle. W hen d ry, pull the fo rm out by the handle.
Cut shape, o f this fo rm out o f a piece o f p a p e rbut h a ve it about % inches
sh o rter than inside o f glass. Now, using this p a p e r as a p a tte rn , cut out a
shape fro m cellu lo id ; then with B anann a oil, stick the celluloid p a tte rn in
to shape and place it into the glass, and cem ent i t a t the bottom w ith
R eady T ransparent C em ent. Next, cu t out a celluloid disc and glue i t
to inside o f celluloid fa k e flush w ith the top. W ith th is m ethod I use a.
sm all double saucer. I t requires but a sm all w h isk ey glass fu ll o f in k to
till the fak ed glass rig h t up.
U SE F U L EX C H AN G IN G B A G .
A trick p ap er sack can be made as fo llo w s : G et a sm all box, say 5 x 9
o r la rg er according to the purpose fo r which you intend using it.
D ivid e low er p a rt o f sack into tw o com partm ents and, in ord er to gain
access to which, you should m ake some so rt o f an opening in sack on the
side, fu rtlie re s t fro m the audience. Now p u t some con fette into the box.
Now th e fo llow in g fa k e w ill be n e c essary : P aste some con fette on a slip o f
p a p er and fo rm it around on the inside o f a tum bler. N ext, fill the glass
w ith candy and place in one o f the com partm ents w ith in the sack.
To P e r f o r m S h o w em pty glass, and fill it fu ll o f con fette from the
box. Now w hile talk in g and stan ding behind the table fa c in g the audience,

26

ADVANCED MAGIC.

we low er glass w ith con fette in com partm ent and brin g up fak ed glass w ith
candy.
C over glass w ith h a n k y and P re s to . Remove hanky taking aw ay
w ith it, the shell and exposing glass o f Sw eets which we d istrib u te to the
ju ven ile portion o f the audience.
Remember this is only one o f m any uses to which this sack m ay be put
especially fo r exchange purposes.
A D E C E PTIVE DODGE
Get two pieces o f paper alike, about 4x7 inches in size. F old one edge
o\'er, several times and then w rap it up. Place this in y o u r vest pocket.
Now have card torn up and pieces w rapped up in duplicate, and place
in the same pocket, leavin g corner or edge sticking out a little bit in sight,
Now a fte r card is restored, have someone fe e l th a t the pieces are s till in
the paper. But when openedthe pieces have vanished !
I t is h ard ly necessary to add th at in rem oving slip fro m pocket you pull
out duplicate and w hat was taken fo r torn pieces, was on ly the edge o f the
p ap er which was folded over several tim esand then rapped up. T ry this
next time you w ork the torn card trick.
Good gag would be the L ightless C a rd s. See T rick y-T rick s.
SP IR IT W A T C H
Take a w atch, a hunting case one, take off c ry s ta l and bend the hour
hand (big hand) down a little so when you tu rn the hands around it w ill
ketch ju s t a little on the sm aller hand, now i f w atch is closed, by turn ing
ptem you can fe e l the hand ketch every time. D ont bend it too much
though. W o rk in g : H ave watch set about q u arter to 12. Show it to sitte r.
Close th e case up. Turn hands 4 o r 5 times (tu rn s) counting each click that
you feel. 3 clicks would bo 15 min. a fte r 4. Tell s itte r we w ill ju s t tet
w atch w hile case is closed so we c a n t tell w hat time it is . G ive w atch to
s itte r to put on 2 slates ju s t before a slate test, and when he opens slates
up he has a message and departed frie n d has also w rote time by w atch is
ju s t 15 a fte r 4 . You can also use this as Mind R ead ing effeet fo r
Second S igh t A c t. W ith a little practice you can turn hands and tell to
the m inute w hat time you have* set w atch a t w hile w atch was closed.
LIGHTED L A M P V S . R O SE B U SH & POT
OR
TW EN TIETH CEN TURY M A G IC A L TR A N SFO R M A T IO N
On M agicians T A BLE is seen a rose bush in a large flow er pot. P e r
fo rm er passes his hdkf. in fro n t o f pot and bush when the la tte r is seen
to have tran sform ed and is now a lighted L am p! No tra c e o f pot and bush
to be seen! NEXT p e rfo rm e r passes hdkf. in fro n t o f lam p and the la tte r
also vanishes!
A P P A R A T U S and SE C R E T The flow er pot has th ree sides which fa ll
flat on the table (see fig.) the branches o f rose bush fo ld u - against main
stalk o f bush. The la tte r is weighed And allow ed to slide down into table
leg see Fig. The lam p, which is only a h a lf m odel is concealed by pot and
bush. The haif-lam n is laid into a ca vity in table top which is form ed to
fit the lamp. F la t side o f lam p lies flush w ith table top and corresponds
w ith i t in co lo r; which rend ers it invisible.
So there you a r e the whole thing.
W h a t m ore A pp lause could anyone w ant T

ADVANCED MAGIC.

27

IM PR O VE D R ISIN G ROPE AND HOOP.

E ffect: P e rfo rm e r shows a length o f s o ft rop e about 6 to 7 f t . in length
which he curls up on floor he m akes passes, rope s ta rts to rise, when n ea rly
a ll is up, he places a solid wooden hoop o ver the top, this even knocks the
wise ones off th eir guard th a t threads ai-e used.
The p a rt th at puzzles the wise ones is the passing o f th e solid hoop
ovwr the top o f rope, they w ill argue, i f a thread is used how in 1 can he
place the solid hoop, over top o f rope. ? S tu d y out the draw ings and you
w ill notice th a t 2 threads are used, l - l - l - l - l is fa ste n to end o f rope a ll
the tim e, it is first rufo up above stage through 2 screw eyes, end th a t goes
down stage is first ru n through the sm all wooden hoop on table, and now
the end is fasten ed to end o f the so ft rope, the rop e should be placed on
floor, n ea r table so it w ill not tangle, end o f rope w here thread is fastened
has sm all w ire hook. 2'-2 - 2 -2-2 is an oth er thread which is rum across stage
a little higher than y o u r head, so you can reach it w ith ease, th is th read is
on sm all hooks assistan t stands re a d y and holds the other thread which runs
above stage, the one th a t has rop e fastened to it.

ADVANCED MAGIC.

28

HOW TO PERFORM THE TRICK ON THE STAGE.

P e rfo rm e r picks up rope from lloor (care must be taken so th at there
is enough slack on this thread so as to not detach the hoop on tab le).
C urls it up, but before he places it on lloor, he reaches up and gets thread
num ber 2 and hooks end on this. Do not use weight. 1 use th read S L A C K
and let my assistan t work this so the effect is b e tte r if w orked slow in
stead Q U ICK and SUD D EN ; when it is on a L E V E L p e rfo rm e r picks up
hoop from table, at same time assistan t pulls in slack on this thread so it
i i tig h tp erfo rm er now can release hook fro m cross thread so w eight o f
rope is now on the thread above, now the hoop can be placed o ver rope (be
cause it was a lread y over the top th re a d ). HOOP is released fro m rope
fro m oth er end (below) and given fo r inspection. Rope low ered, by assis
tant thread broken, rope coiled up and throw n up in a ir, so it coines down
loose, now a ll is clear.

MAMMOTH FLOWER PRODUCTION.

E ffect: W h ile the p erfo rm e r is busy w ith some trick or p a tterin g to his
audience A large inverted sunshade o r umbrella filled to overflowing with

beautiful flowers, suddenly appears into his hand.

W hen success attends ones efforts in inventing or w orking out an or
iginal trick , the tendency to become over-enthusiastic, is, no doubt, quite
strong. But the instantaneous appearance o f this enormous bulk, -without
th e use o f foulard, flag or other such means o f cnciealment, sums, at least,
to be another justification of our claim th at New E rie M agic really does
represent a higher type o f .Magic than th at which has hitherto known to p re

vail.
True, such, or sim ilar effects have been possible in the past by means o f

Black A r t reflection and the Moving Picture Film. B ut Black A r t is

done under cover of darkness. R eflection might be classed w ith Motion
P icture Magic which is Machine Made.
Up to the present time the m agician lias not been able to duplicate the
w onderful effects Machine Made M agic ; and, although the la t te r is ve ry
p re tty and interesting , it can never s a tis fy the human in stin ct which loves
real mystery, no more than can the hand-organ take the place o f the human

virtuose.
The w ay in which the w orld is progressing these d a y s ; the M agician, if
he would save his a r t from extinction, must move up a fe w notehes occasion
ally, and be able to create real mystery. M ost o f present day M ag ic is
re a lly not magic a t all. A t least it is o f a very poor q u a lity ; in th a t the ad
vantage the p erfo rm e r takes o f his audience is too bold to obvious. It is
this condition th at is p rim a rily responsible f o r the r e fr a in : Magic is
D ead.
Of course the M agiciun must have the advantage; bu t his advantage
m ust not be obvious to his audience. A t least, not so obvious as th at o f

Machine made magic.

The p o in t which I wish to emphasize here is that, it is the Obvious
ness o f the m agicians advantage th at discounts his m ystery and dis
qualifies his M agic w hether Machine-made or Hand-made.
MAMMOTH PRODUCTION OF FLOWERS.
Construction:
Secret.
( 1 ) P ro cu re a larg e Self-Opening Sunshade or Umbrella. ( 2 j Cut out
a Disc fro m a V era-colored, figured piece o f silk. ( 3 ) Open urab. and in
v e rt it. (4) S titc h edge o f disc to inside o f umb. A ll around or a! in terv als
so th at it w ill form a false bottom to Umbra. A bout two inches below edge
of Umbra. See F ig . 1 (5) Cut from 3 inch ribbon several pieces as long
as *4 o f diam eter o f false-Bottom. ( 6 ) P a rtly close Umb. and find lowest
point o f fo ld in false-bottom (See Fig-. 2 ), and sew one end o f each of
the ribbon cuts at in te rv a ls a ll around. ( 7 ) Punch holes through stems of

ADVANCED MAGIC.

29

flow ers and thread them tieing a knot on each side o f each to lim it their
freedom . P u t about 10 flowers on first s trin g 20 on n e x t35 next and 50
o r more on the fo u rth strin g according as you find the capacity w ill allow .
( 8 ) Now, while assistan t holds ends o f strin g (See Fig. 3) place hands at
each end o f strin g o f flow ers. B rin g hands together closing flowers; and
place smallest bunch a t bottom point o f the (now ) doubled false-bottom. On
top o f this place the next la rg e r bunch and so on to the top. Now bring
up ribbon and fa ste n w ith button or hook and eye to hold flow ers in place
and to keep them from opening out w hile loading.
( 9 ) Now cut 4 or 5 lengths (m ore) o f y o u r 3 in. ribbon about 18 in.
long, and sew one end o f them, at in terv a ls, to false-bottom about 3 or 4 in.
from its edge. Next strin g a lot o f flow ersloop up the strin g and fasten
to form permanent bouquets, and fasten one o f these boquets to the fre e end
o f each 18 in. ribbon. Now close flow ers into a packet and ro ll it up into
ribbon and tuck the ro ll between the tie rs o f flow ers w ith in the closed Umba.
(10 )
W h ile a ssistan t holds rib s o f closed Umbau n fasten the buttoned
ribbon th a t holds flow ers in place and put a s trip o f paper around top of
U m brella and fasten w ith paste. (See fig. 4 and 5.)
(11) Now to pocket the 'load. In sert the point o f Umba. into
pants, cuff behind and a piece o f black tape around or p a rtly around body
w ill hold handle secure (see fig. 4.) Now th is is a.ll you need i f the handle
o f Umb. is a straight one, i f not, you w ill need some oth er kind o f a holder.
A ve ry good one is illu stra te d by Fig. 5.
(12) Now wdth a needle and double thread take a stitch or 3 into seat of
trousers, then pass needle and thread un der the paper band and again stitch
to pants.
Now, to produce flow ers, a ll p e rfo rm e r has to do is to take hold o f han
dle and Straighten Out his A rm !

30

ADVANCED MAGIC.
HOW TO PRODUCE

P e rfo rm e r stands a t le ft o f his table facin g the rig h t hand (to him) por
Now a little misdirection. P e rfo rm e r has a ball
concealed in his hand. B ut shows hand em pty by m eans o f the Change
over palm. E xtending his rig h t, closed handhe pulls up rig ht sleeve, etc.
and fin ally produces ball which he lays on table. Now he extends le ft hand
(rig h t hand rests on h ip n a tu ra l position) fo r a m om ent; then pulls up le ft
sleeve (and returns to hip) w hile le ft hand pretends to conceal something
fin ally low ers hand and makes a toss into the a ir ; and while, the audience
is w atching the assendancy and det'endancy o f the im agin ary b a llp e rfo rm
er suddenly whirls around TO THE RIGHT and faces le ft hand portion of
his audienceholding the inverted Umbrella filled to overflowing with flow

tion o f his audience.

ers in his outstretched hand!

Now, o f course, the p e rfo rm e r w ill use his own sort o f misdirection. It
is plain and evident that the production can be made at any unexpected time
w hile, and during the perform ance o f any oth er trick or while p a tte rin g
to the audience.
This production w ill make the little fo lk s say Ow! and make the grown
fo lk s think Ow! i f anythin g w ill, fo r it is re a lly a stupendous surprise which
leaves no room fo r solution by the L a y .
A nd y e t : I t is all so nicely and cleverly arranged, th at fa ilu re is im

possible.
I t s sure fire. Y ou see the flowers are all read y and only need the room
which the opening o f the lim b, gives them and there they are and the Bou
quets roll off and fa ll overboard and unroll themselvesbecause they
can't help it!

ADVANCED

MAGl6.

31

THE DOVE OF P E A C E
E F FE C T S.

W ITH A Copy o f "VO GUE Saturday Evening P ost or oth er sim

ila r magazine rolled up in his hand, the p e rfo rm e r comes fo rw a rd allow ing
the leaves o f the M agazine to slip slow ly fro m his thumb and fa ll down in
fro n t so th at the audience m ay see the size o f the leaves, and th a t leaves
only w ith the prin ted m a tter and pictures alone make up the copy which the
p erfo rm er exhibits. See Fig. 1 and 2.
A FT E R a ll the leaves have fa lle n down p erfo rm e r takes the M agazine
in his le ft hand and spins out the leaves again, but the reverse o f the w ay in
which they w ere allow ed to fa ll the first time.
NOW , as i f this is n t enough, p e rfo rm e r next grabs a few leaves in each

32

ADVANCED MAGIC.

hand and gives magazine a shake.

See Figs. 3 and 4.

N E X T ,' p erfo rm er holds magazine on le ft hand in position to read

slo w ly tu rn ing the leaves w ith his rig ht hand. W ith o u t w arn in g a live Dove
flies out o f the Magazine! A nd out over the heads o f the audience. There
are three long stream ers attached to the D oves ta il m aking a ve ry p re tty , as
w ell as surp risin g spectacle B u tNow w ait a minute.
PERFORjUER has no Dove o r Pigeonnor Chicken concealed about bis
person o r his clothes. P e rfo rm er rem oves his sleeves before entering. There
is no body work. There are no mirrors, traps, no assistan t, no confederate.
There are no tables or chairs on the stage. The Dove is re a lly and tru ly alive
and was never made into a Pigeon Pie.

SECRET and WORKING.

GET A Copy o f VOGUE or, say the Saturday Evening P ost or
some sim ilar magazine. Take a p a ir o f w ire cutters and rem ove the three
w ires th at the binders use to fasten leaves together. (See F ig. 5.) ^
N EXT, take a sm all screw d riv e r and a ham m er, put the P e rio d ic a l
on something solid and d rive the screw -d river th ru a ll o f the leaves, just
inside of where the book was w ire d See Fig. 5. Now draw a short ptece
of w h ite ribbon thru each o f the three holes which you have made and tie on
outside. See Illu strate d at Fig. 5.
N EXT, GET a piece o f good s tiff w ire about 8 inches long and bend the
ends as in Fig. 6 .
NOW open magazine a t the m iddle and honk the ends o f the w ire on to
ribbon the two near, the ends. See F ig. 7.
N EXT push a piece o f so ft cloth under the w ire. See F ig. 8 .
Now, before we go any fu rth e r, I m going to put you on to a p ecu liar
w rin k le concerning bird s and chickens. Y ou may, o r m ay not a lre a d y be
wise to the game. H owever, it is worth the powder.
I f you p u t a chickens head under its wing and la y the chicken down
on the same sidethe chick w ill sleep indefinitely and never move. The
same is true o f birds.
NOW , re tu rn in g to where we le ft o ff: Y ou la v a Dove in the cen ter o f
C lothFig. 8 B ut we h a rd ly think it necessary to put its head under the
wing, fo r, instead, w e tiring the cloth tip around the chicken and baste
the two edges together w ith a double thread ra th e r snugly around (lie bird.
See Fig. 9.
N O W the next thin g w e ll do is fo take tw o leaves fro m another copy,
or we can fe a r out two leaves from the eopy we are using as there are a
superabundance o f le av e s; besides we a re going to re in se rt them anyw ay,
into the copy we are p rep arin g in the fo llow in g m anner:
P lace one o f the leaves (we w ill call these two extra leaves ) on
cith er side o f bird and paste to cloth See Fig. 30. N EXT, paste the two
extra leaves together a t the to p See C F ig. 10.
N EXT, cut a notch about one inch in top center o f tw o e x tra le av es
See F ig. 10. A lso cut a corresponding notch into top center o f the next three
leavesSee F ig. 10.
BU T H O W IN THE H - 1 Now w ait a m inu te!
Y ou see the notches are ve ry important as th ey do the tric k , you
m ight say. H ere is where they come in L iste n ! The leaves are slipping
liv e ly from un der p erform ers thumb, but when it comes to the notched
leaves, tbe thumb can exercise no resistance, the re s u lt is th a t the 5 notched
leaves all go a t onceP ractically together and, like a flash! Y ou can stand
close to a m irro r when you t r y th is ; and no m a tte r how a le rt you w atch,
y o u ll not be able to catch the faintest glimpse o f an yth in g suspicious. A s
M a rtin k a s B ro th er would say, They cant see Nuddings ! And a tria l

w ill convince you!

ADVANCED MAGIC.

33

Now, stick the needle in the w aistband o f y o u r trou sers or in y o u r vest.

Double up magazine lo o se lylik e a r o lland you are re a d y fo r rehearsal.
P E R F O R M A N C E : Y ou a re holding down the leaves w ith y o u r thumb
and allow ing them the le a v e s to escape slow ly fro m under the thumb and
fa ll out and down to w ard audience. Now when you shall have gone all thru
the magazine, you can change to le ft hand and spin out the leaves a g a in ;
and i f you think th at is n 't enough dem onstration, you can show magazine
as Illu stra ted in Figs. 3 & 4. (See Effects.)
N EXT, p erfo rm er holds m agazine on le ft hand in position to read, and
w hile he slo w ly tu rn s the leaves w ith his rig h t hand, his le ft hand is ex
tended M oving m agazine from body. This au tom atically pulls out the
thread and releases Dove, which flies out o ver audience!
N O TE: I f the Dove should happen to over-sleep its e lf, or, in oth er words
f a il to arouse when re le a se d ; p e rfo rm e r can in se rt rig h t hand betw een the
tw o E xtra leaves, at the bottom and push Dovie Out and then h e ll hay*
to Sw im !

PART FOUR

MAGIC RAG
CHEWING
By A. NUT

ADVANCED MAGIC.

35

MAGIC BA G CHEWING
B y A . Nut.
N ote: This treatise is intended as an answ er to a num ber o f stock
questions which I had fired a t mo b efore and since le av in g the stage by
magic F ans, A m ateurs and even some o f the profession.
L et it be understood that the opinions here expressed are m erely I n
dividual. The view s o f others concerning any phase o f M agic,, w ill alw ays
be welcomed by me, to the end th a t m utual and general benefit m ay resu lt.
O VETTE

THE PROFESSIONAL OFTEN TIMES PUTS A DAM PER ON MAGIC.

Some time ago I had a ta lk with a p ro fe ssio n a l. I m et the chap a f
te r the sh ow ; and during our conversation I asked him i f he had seen cer
ta in effects described in a m agazine. W ith a ra th e r haughty a ir he re p lie d :
S a y , I m a P ro fessio n al M agician and d o n t have to look o ver books or
m agazines. . I ve been doing this A c t o f mine fo r five yea rs, and I m g etting
aw ay w ith i t ! (Y e p ! J u s t like th a t! W e get th a t w a y a ft e r a w h ile !)
T here you a r e : F iv e ye a rs doing the same a c tn e v e r changing it, be
cause he managed to get aw ay w ith it. Can you beat it 1 Can you figure it
o u t?
No, they d o n t w ea r th e ir old s tra w bat, during the w in ter, n o r the sam
style su it a ll the tim ebut th e ir p ro fessio n w ell, th e ir profession can go
h a n g !and s till they call them selves dow n-to-the-m inute professional ma
gical e n te rta in e rs !!
Y es, the P ro fe ssio n a ls m any o f them a re doing th e ir h it to put
M agic on the b lin k ask an y M anager. A sk La V ellm a (D avid J . L ustig who
is now m anaging a th ea tre and who did an act fo r some y e a rs). W h en the m a
gicians o f this cou ntry begin to show the en terp rise th a t ch aracterize our
B ro th er con ju rers across the pond, then and not un til then, w ill the bookings
o f M agic A cts here ta lly w ith those o f foreign countries, where you g en era lly
find at least one. M agic A ct on overv vau d eville program m e. O ver T h ere
the audiences appreciate a real magic turn because they a re educated to give
a good magician a rousing welcome because the actor doing magic, fo rces them
to believe in mind his act and combines m ystery and n o ve lty th a t demand
attention .
O ver here too m any m agicians have the same effects, and, w o rst o f all
reta in them on th e ir program m e y ea r a fte r y e a r ; when th ey m ust, and do
lose th e ir n o velty and charm , which is the life and w in ning propensities o f
M agic perform ances.

THE COMMON OBJECT THEORY

I t is common notion th at g reat expense must be indulged in, in ord er to
im prove an A ct. This is not n ecessarily so. F o r in s ta n c e :The prin ciple
o f adopting Common A rtic le s to the requirem ents o f trick s and Illusions,
m ay be a good idea w ith which to experim ent. (Such articles as are handled
e ve ry d ay b y the A udience.) The th eo ry is th a t w here u n fa m ilia r pieces o f
a p p a ra tu s are em ployed; th ere exists in the mind o f the thoughtfu l onlooker
a doubt th at such ap p aratu s is fre e fro m tric k e ry . The re su lt being th at
the s p e c ta to rs c re d u lity is shattered and he loses in te re st in the trick .

I -would advise, as genera] Tule, not to use the same device in succeeding

36

ADVANCED MAGIC.

tricks, nor the second tim e in the same trick.

In the execution o f a series o f processes leading to a final resu lt or e f
fe c t there, should be evid en t reasons fo r y o u r mode o f procedure, so that
each step you take w ill ap p ear logical and n a tu ra l. (G ive this lots of
thought.)
I am a b eliever in p re tty stage settin g sbut think it unadvisablc to
crowd the tables too much or have a lot o f ju n k lyin g around. H ave each
piece o f apparatus brought out as you need it.
It is g en erally an advantage to select such trick s as fa c ilita te s the
greatest accomplishment w ith the least apparatus.

A TEST OF A M AGICIANS SK IL L
I t is g en erally conceded th at one o f the best tests o f a c o n ju re rs skill
is his a b ility to get out o f a difficu lty and tu rn a m ishap to an advantage.
I f you s k illfu lly lead the audience to believe th a t the e rro r was in ten tional
and a c tu a lly a p a rt o f the act, v e ry few are lik e ly to notice the m ishap at
all. F o r instance, and fo r exam ple, read the fo llow ing rem iniscences:
"While I was doing the han d k erch ief pedestal stunt, I dropped the bot
tom less glass. Y on can im agine m y feelings. The glass smashed and m y
feelings reg istered S . 0 . S .
W h ile I was pushing the pieces o f glass aside w ith m y foot:, an idea came
to m y m ind; I ordered a glass and upon receivin g same, placed it, mouth
down on pedestal and covered it w ith a handkerchief. A t the same tim e I
pushed han d kerch ief into mouth o f glass and finished the t r i c k . ' I h a v e n t
used bottom less glass since th a t time. W h a t s the useone gets the same
effect w ith an y glass as I have exp lain ed so w hy b o th er w ith c a rry in g the
specially prepared a rtic le ?
W h ile doing several card effects a t a s ta g a ffa ir I was challenged to
use one- o f the Clubs decks fo r my next experim ent, which happened to be
m y la s t card experim ent, known as The Torn Card T ric k . '
W h ile they w ere getting dock T got a plain envelope and made a slit on
face o f it T had a card selected and corn er torn off. N ext. T showed envel
ope to be em pty and placed it, flap upperm ost, on top o f deck, so th a t s lit
came n ear the edge. B y holding pack o f cards tog ether in one hand, I pushed
selected card through s lit and on top o f deck. E nvelope sealed, and burned,
deck shuffled and card found in ppeket. Card w as easy to locate ow ing to
m issing co rn era fte r the trick was o v er I breathed w ith re lie f.
A n o th er time w hile w orking torn and restored p a p er stu n t; ju s t as I
had pulled the whole s trip out o f the fa k e thum bI dropped the fak e. C al
a m ity !!
W e ll, w h ile T w as preten ding to squeeze the pieces together I happened >
to think o f concealing the pieces in m y month. S o w hile slo w ly pu lling out
the long strip , T made s e ve ra l pretenses o f m oistening tip s o f fingers in the
mouth w here T succeeded in concealing the torn pieces under cover of this
m aneuver. I w as then enabled to complete the surprise in the usual w a y by
show ing hands em pty. This happened some 32 y e a rs ago. Since, then I have
n ev er used fa k e fo r the p a p erte a rin g trick . I put the secret on the m a r
ket and there are m any who w ill rem em ber if, and a num ber who have made
it one o f th eir fe a tu re experim ents.
It a ll goes to show th a t there is alw ays a w a y outi f you retain yonr
presence of mind and d o n t get ra ttle d . He who takes an interest in his
w ork, w ill find it easy to overcom e any obstacle, and, besides you improve
the Art as well as your work.

ADVANCED MAGIC.

31

A WORD ABOUT OUR M AG IC LIT E R A T U R E .

Up to tbe present tim e we have had books fro m m any authors. M any
o f them o f the d rea m order. T reating p rin c ip a lly im practicable, theories
or w hat you m ight call im agin ary M ag ic stu ff th a t looks good in p rin t
but im possible to perform .
R e fe r to our periodical m agazines o f M agic; here we have it ram pant.
Someone o r anoth er is explaining some new trick . F re q u e n tly it is m erely
an honest enthusiast running aw ay w ith h im se lf; and his m istakes can n ever
be fo rg o tten , fo r his explanation deceives m any including him self. He be
lieves th at which he w rite s to be w orkable. Y e t when a p ra c tic a l test dis
closes the e rro r, he lacks the courage to adm it his blunder. Then we have the
Id io to ria l N ecrom ancer and P resto H igh-D iver, who w rite s learnedly' o f
th at which he does not com prehend and which he is incom petent to analyze.
W o rst o f all, how ever, is the p a rty who w rites books f o r no oth er ob
je c t than the g reatest possible sale, who has h a rd ly m astered the A , B, C, o f
Magic and who m ay one day experience m agical O stracism by w ritin g books
filled w ith th a t which exists only in D ream landIm p ractical theories th at
vanish before they M a te ria liz e ! Books explaining effects th at his S ata n ic
M a jesty him self could not p erform are p le n tifu l and several o f this v a rie ty
lie b efore me as I w rite. P re tty covers, odd p rin tin g and a batch o f abso
lu te ly useless so-called tric k s th a t make one w onder w h ether the authors
hit the pipe, use the needle or sniff the stuff. Books o f this so rt a re use
less w aste and such authors, who would have one and a ll believe them to be
the g reatest m agical creators in the w o rld (H eaven save the m a r k !!) should
be ousted fro m the a rt that the re a l m agical student follow s.
Look over y o u r bookcase, Mr. W and W ie ld e r, and you w ill find a num
ber o f dandy, im pressive looking volum es on M agic and its kindred a rts but
how m any o f these books have aided you in y o u r m agical stu d ies? I know
you who can use tbe brains the ru le r o f a ll h ave given you w ill re a d ily agree
w ith me.
O f course, there is some good in the w orse o f books but a ft e r reading the
so-ealled L ater D ay M ira c le s w ritte n in high sounding language w ith m is
leading descriptions and draw in g swe a rriv e a t but one conclusion; the w ork
was w ritte n by some hashish or cocaine fo llo w er who lives w ith his head
above the clouds and dream s, dream s im press none but the dream er him self.

PART FIVE

ILLUSIONS.
The Human Smoke Stack.
Ovettes Modern Miracles.
Etherta.
The Human Aeroplane.

ADVANCED MAGIC.

30

THE HUMAN SM OKE-STACK.

A head-lin er and a ra re N ovelty consisting o f scientific experim en ts o f
a rem arkab le character.
E ffe c t:P e rfo rm e r exhibits a p re tty c ro w n which is e n tire ly fre e
fro m tric k e ry , being sim ply a m etal band, perforated' a ll around (see A
in F ig. 4) and which he places upon his ladies a ssista n ts head.
P e rfo rm e r now state s his inten tion to tre a t the audience to a cup o f
coffee; but explains th a t th e ir coffee-pot got smashed enroute and th ere fo re
m ust make th is coffee in the tea-k ettle, but, assures his audience th a t the k e t
tle is p e rfe c tly clean.
Now, w hile, talk in g, the p erfo rm e r puts some ground coffee in to the k e t
tle and, visib ly pours in about a qu art o f w ater. Now the p e rfo rm e r pu ts on
the lid and places k e ttle on the crown on the ladies head as B in fig u re:
M eanwhile the lad y, being fond o f refreshm en ts, eats some fir e ! (S e e M agi
cians New F ie ld fo r novel m ethods o f E a tin g fire ). A n d p resen tly
volum es o f smoke is seen to stra in through the ladies hair, and through
the p erfo ra tio n s in the crown.
Now sh o rtly the k ettle begins to sin g and soon it is boiling a t a f u r
ious ra te . The steam fo rc in g its w ay from the spout in a convincing m an
n er and causing the lid to dance.
P e rfo rm e r now feels lik e taking a smoke and having no m atch, he ligh ts
his cig arette in the steam o f the k e ttle ! N ext, p e rfo rm er rem oves th e k ettle
fro m ladies h ead ; pours out the steam ing hot coffee, which he passes out to
the audience fo r th e ir delectation.
(N o te ):I f on an y occasion, it should become desirous to lengthen this
A c t; m any novel, stran g e and sensational F ire trick s w ill be found in The
M agicians New F ie ld ).

ADVANCED MAGIC.

40

A p p ara tu s fo r Sm oke effect consists as fo llo w s:

Two glass containers joined together and held in a m etal easeing, which
in turn is enclosed w ithin a easeing o f cloth which is secured under the g a r
ments w ith s a fe ty pins n ea r w aist line at the back (see P ig. 2 ).
Now, one o f these glass tubes, (containers) holds Am m onia and the oth
er contains H ydrochloric A cid. A rub ber tube connects w ith am m onia con
tain er. F ree end o f tube is attached to a double-bulb a ir pump, which when
squeezed fo rces a ir in to Am m onia C ham ber; and fo rces A m m onia fum es into
the A cid Chamber. The action o f the chem icals fo rm s a vap o r resem bling
smoke. Now, attached to A cid Cham ber, is anoth er rub ber tubing which
leads up under clothing to top o f ladies head w here the smoke finds an ou tlet
through branch m etal tubes w ith holes d rilled along the sides, so as to dis
trib u te smoke, w ith the aid o f the h a ir which is made up over them. A ll
o ver the top o f ladies head. W hen lad y leans back in chair, a ir bulb gets a
squeeze. This forces the aid up through tubing and chemical Chambers.

SECRET OF THE BOILING KETTLE.

Inside o f the K e ttle we have a little coffee -pot w ith a long snout which
reaches w ell up into the spout o f the k ettle. F irs t you make the coffee
stra in it and put the coffee (liquid) into the little pot inside o f the kettle.
Next, p u t 3 or fo u r lumps o f hard, unslacked lim e, about the size o f a goose
egg, into the kettle. The am ount best suited can be ascertained by ex p eri
ment.
To P e rfo rm :F irs t put a few tablespoonfuls o f ground coffee into the
kettle. F ill a Ching Foo C a n w ith w arm w a te r and visib ly pour into
kettle (by th is means you only pour in the amount you re q u ire the re s t r e
m ains w ithin the can, though to the audience you seemed to have poured in
all the can contained about a qu art.)
Now, in a fe w m inutes, a chem ical action takes place, w ithin the k ettle
and an intense heat is generated, w ith the re su lt as p rev io u sly described to
the un in itiated this effect appears most e x tra o rd in a ry . A charm ing perp lex
ity so re a l and yet so absurd as to provoke h e a rty laughter.
The cig arette is a tin tube the size o f an o rd in a ry cig arette. F ill tube
w ith tobacco and paste a cig arette paper around the fa k e. Now, in one end
is embedded a tin y lum p o f m etalic Potassim . The potassim can be fasten ed
w ith m agicians wax. This end should be m arked so th at y o u ll know which

md is to be lighted.

ADVANCED MAGIC.

41

OVETTES MODERN- M IRACLES

A HEADLINE ILLUSION ACT
B y Magical Ovette
Som etim e ago discovering the fa c t that m agical e n terta in ers did not ap
p reciate the possibilities o f th e ir fa scin a tin g a r t so to in s till enthusiasm T
created a Guessing In stitu te which aroused considerable in terest. A d e ta il
ed synopsis o f the act which was to he given fo llo w the modus opcrandi, o f
course is not given due to the fa c t I have turned the G uessing C ontest over
to another. B u t a magician w ith ideas can form an act o f this so rt using his
own original methods.

SYNOPSIS.
A B B R E V IA T IO N S.
M .M usic. M. S . M usic stops. M. C.M usic continues. SI. M .S lo w
music. TV.P olice w histle. B anc;!R eport o f police shot. B a n g ! B a n g !
Two shots, etc.
F E A T U R E NO. 1 -E L E M E N T OF P U R G A T O R Y C u rtain R ise s: M.
P e rfo rm e r enters, and as he advances toward fo o t-lig h ts he passes a sm all
stand, from which w ith out stopping, he picks up a sheet o f p a p er about 6x9
inches in size. N ear the fo ot-lig hts he shows his hands and slip o f p a p er on
a ll sides and fingers wide ap art. (M. S.) P A P E R B U R ST S INTO A F L A M E !
FE A T U R E NO. 2 -B T R T I I OF OLD G L O R Y -B e fo r e the audience has r e
covered fro m th eir surprise another su rp rise is th ru st upon them. (M. S ta r
Spangled B a n n er ). BLAZIN G P A P E R
STT>DENLY CH AN GE S TO A
LA R G E STLK F L A G ! The lo w er end o f flag FLO AT IN G T O W A R D OR
CH E STR A. The la tte r, nor anyone w ithin three feet o f P e rfo rm e r could not
possibly see from whence the flag ca m e ras they d id n t see it, com ebut i t s
th e re just as though you r eyes w ere closed and you had suddenly opened
them. Its appearance is as sudden and m ysterious as the flame th a t consum
ed the slip o f paper.
NOTE TITESE P O I N T S - ( A V P a p e r NOT prep ared b efore h a n d - j u s t
o rd in ary p a p erN ew spaper w ill do.and U N PR E PA R E D is laid on the ta
ble re a d v fo r the p erfo rm er to pick up as lie passes the table W ITH O UT
STOPPIN G.
(B ). There is no fa k e s Potash and S u g a r: Acid tubes, no r chem icals,
concealed in p e rfo rm e rs hands. N othing to get rid o f except the p ap er and
the F L A M E attends to th at.
(C ). P e rfo rm e rs hands n ever approach his bodv from the tim e he en
ters u n til flag ap p ea rsand NOT E V E N THEN. A rm s m ay be bared.
F E A T U R E NO. 3 - T H E M Y ST E R IO U S
A N G E L -( M . C .L P e r
fo rm e r advances n earer fo o tlig h ts: then low ers flag u n til lo w e r end touch
es the floor. W h en IM M E D IA T E L Y his hands a re seen th rn st ont a t Vne
side o f flag. Then his head. Follow ed b v em erging o f his en tire b o d v
BUT. THE F L A G R E M A IN S SU SPE N D ED as thousrh the p e rfo rm e r was
S T IL L BEHIND THE F L A G HOLDING IT U P ! (M. S .) B A N G ! P e r
fo rm e r pu lls flag aw av and a B E A U T IF U L L A D Y IN T IG H TS ANT)
W IT H W IN G S TS SE E N !
NOTE TITESE PO IN T SNo stage tra p s, No m irro rs. No cabinets, No
p ro xim ity to side w ings, back drops, flies or cu rta in s; and NO obstruction
to CLE AR V I E W O F ST A G E FLOOR, excenf, flag which p e rfo rm e r low
ers as stated , and which the p e rfo rm e r HELD A B O V E H IS FE E T AND
A N K L E S A S H E AD V A N CE D . No Chinese n o r A n cien t M agicians
gowns. P e rfo rm e r w ears usual evening dress suit or M ephisto G arb. A
rem a rk ab ly Clean cut, S tran g e, Novel and C harm ing production. C o n trast
th is w ith the usual inode p f producing a grow n person and the conception

42

ADVANCED MAGIC.

o f w h at MODERN M AG IC SHOULD BE W IL L D A W N UPON YOU IN

IT S TRUE LIGHT.
FE A T U R E NO. 4 ' - THE E X E C U T IO N -P e rfo rm e r
(addressing the
M ysterious A ngel) : W h e re did you come fro m ?
(The M ysterious W inged L ad y shakes h e r head) W h ere 's y o u r
clothes? (Angel again shakes h e r head).
(H ere, A ssista n t hands P e rfo rm e r a square o f pleated w h ite c l o t h pure w hite, excepting borders at the two sides, which are black. (W e w ill
call this a R ohe ). P e rfo rm e r hands R obe to A ngel commanding
H ere, put this around y o u ! (L ad v makes several attem pts to don the
R O B E w ith comical effect, as h er wings are in the w a y ).
P e rfo rm e r (A ddressing A ssista n t) Remove the A E R O P L A N E S .
(A ssistan t rem oves the Ansrels w ings). P e rfo rm e r (P lacin g Robe around
A n g e ls shoulders) Now, Y ou m ay g o.
(L ady shakes h er head). Come
now, get back .to the G A R D E N A dam w ill be uneasy. (L ady again
shakes h er head). ( W ). (A ssista n t rushes in ). (P e rfo rm e r and A s sis t
a n t escort the M ysterious A n g e l to a larg e screen n e a r center o f stage.
NOW , W ITHOUT' FOR ONE IN STAN T L E A V IN G THE SIG H T OF
AITDTENCElad y is induced w ith the assistance o f the tw o men to mount
a step which extends across the fro n t o f the m iddle panel a t the bottom
o f the screen. W ith h er back against the screen, the lad y is bound th ere
to a t h er w aist line w ith black belts.
N O W , savs the P erfo rm er, A d d ressing the Audience as he w alks
tow ard the footligh ts, F e llers, I ll show you how to git rid o f em .
(B an g ! B an g !)
P e rfo rm e r (w ithout looking tow ard s screen) There, Y ou see; S h e s
GONE! (Audience S n ick ers).
P erfo rm er tu rn s and looks tow ard screen and is surprised and em barassed). A dd ressing the prisoner, who is still tied to screen, O h! A re you
still th ere? N o, say s the p rison er try in g to get loose, I m still
h ere. )
O h, (ejaculates the P erfo rm e r) W e ve fo rg o tten
some
th in g , (W .) (A ssistan t rushes in.) A black bag is now shown and plac
ed over la d y s head and neck. A rope low ered fro m flies is tied tig h t
around the p ris o n e rs neck over black ba<r.
H E A V Y ROAR OF T T T FN D E R -Follow ed b v (B ang ! B a n - ! B a n g !)
- T h e M Y ST E R IO U S AN G EL .V A N IS H E S
LTKE A
SN U FFE D OUT
F L A M E OF A CAN D LEim m ediately follow ed by fa ll o f screen to floor.
P ro vin g to the Audience that the lad y could not have passed through the
screen as she could not have made h e r get-a-w av and escaped the sigh t o f
audience. . The scrcen being isolated, aw ay from and w ith ou t pro xim ity
fo any hiding place.
M agicians w ill adm it that this is a v e ry p re tty van ish . L ad y R obed
in WHTTE, tied asrainst a B L A C K SC R E E N V an ish es w ith such S T A R T
LING and IN D E SC R IB A B L E Q U IC K N E SS. This fe a tu re alone, and o f
its e lf is T R U L Y A M A R V E L , which f a i r lv takes the breath , giving the
nervous and m ental fa c u ltie s a surprise alm ost equaling an ELECTRIC
SH O CK. She G o e s A L L A T ONCE
A n d nothing first
J u s t lik e bubbles do
W h en they b u rs t.
YO U CAN NO MORE SEE H ER GO TH AN YO U CAN SE E THE
FLIG H T O F A R IF L E B A L L .
No doubt that this is the first success a t the evanishm ent o f a grown
person w ith out previous covering or concealm ent by means o f cabinets, cur
tains, boxes, sheets, screen, etc., such as m agicians have been accustomed to

ADVANCED MAGIC.

43

using: up to the present tim e. W e place the L A D Y in FRONT o f S c re e n ;

and NOT the SCREEN in FRONT o f the L A D Y . QUITE A D IFFER EN CE,
is n 't i t ?
This V an ish is not only N E W Tt is PR E T T Y , SE N SA T IO N A L ,
ST A R T L IN G , PIC T U R E SQ U E ; and in effect, the Cleanest and b y f a r the
fa ire s t and MOST B A F F L IN G V A N IS H E V E R W IT N E SSE D .
In the in terest o f the A R T, 1 w ill give. not only the S ecret o f this IIlu sio n EX E C U T IO N - b u t also the EN TIRE $500 CH ALLEN GE I L
L U SIO N SK E T C H THE M Y ST E R IO U S A N G E L E N T IR E LY F R E E !
and w ith out any CON SIDERATION or OBLIGATION to AN YON E W H O
W IL L CREATE IT S EQUAL.- A nd leave it to Dr. W ilso n to decide all
points.
P . S .The Screen is T w elve (121 feet long, S ix (G) feet high and
stands ten ( 1 0 ) inches clear o f the floor.
S ecrets o f the ENTIRE F IV E FE A T U R E D N E W ILLU SIO N A C T THE M Y ST E R IO U S AN G EL w ith draw ings and fu ll in stru c tio n s; Only
$500.
F E A T U R E NO. 5 R E IN C ARN ATIO N (SL . M .) A ll this excitem ent
seems to be too much fo r the p erfo rm e r who ffoes into a trance, sinks into a
chair, and from his .iestures seems to sec th in g s when suddenly his eyes
a re directed a lo ft where the G H O ST o f the M ysterious A ngel is seen
g ently flapping her w ines in decent.
W h en the G H O ST A lig h ts, the p e rfo rm e r rushes fo rw a rd ; and
cautiou sly picks up the "WINGED ROBE, fo r th a t is a ll it proves to be.
P e rfo rm e r smiles, and two assistan ts take Robe and place it around p e r
fo rm e rs shoulders.
The P e rfo rm e r seems to enjoy the joke, although lie m akes a v e ry com
ical looking A n g e l as Robe comes on ly just, below the knees. Tn this
out-landish m ake-up p e rfo rm e r strid es boldly fo rw a rd , n ea r fo otligh ts, A s
sistan ts rem ove the Robe which the p erfo rm er takes and w ithin the fo ld s oT
which, R EPRO D UCES the M Y ST E R IO U S A N G E L ! ! ! L ad y Sm iles.
P e rfo rm e r takes h er b y the hand and they how them selves off.
P e rfo rm e r retu rn s, and by this time. Audience which was dum founded,
su fficien tly recovers to realize th at it is the p e rfo rm e r th ey owe fo r the ab
sorbing, exciting and all around w onderful entertainm en t, and th ey a re not
slow in showing th e ir enthusiasm , A P P R O V A L AND A PP R E C IA T IO N .
NOTE TH ESE P O IN T S -N o M irro rs. No S tag e T raps. The R E IN
C A R N AT IO N takes place n ea r fo otlig h ts in C enter o f B R IL L IA N T L Y
LIGHTED ST AG E .
No doubt this is the cleanest and most su rp risin g M A T E R IA L IZ A T IO N
E V E R AT T E M PT E D B A R R IN G NONE.

1.

Feature No. 1 ELEMENT OF PURGATORY

P e rfo rm e r enters, and as he advanced tow ard fo o tlig h ts, he passes a

sm all table fro m which, w ith out stopping, he picks up a sm all sheet o f un
p rep ared paper.

2.

Feature No. 1-E L E M E N T OF PURGATORY

N ear fo otlig h ts he shows bis hands and slip o f p ap er on all sides. He

does this fre e ly , as his hands re a lly conceal nothing. Y e t p ap er suddenly

hursts into a flame!

This tric k is fu lly 9 9% perfect.

There is not one such tric k in a. thou

sand. I challenge d en ial w ith proof.

3.

Feature No. 2 -B IR T H OF OLD GLORY

S u d d en ly one end o f a large silk flag appears between performer s
The other end o f flag floating at full length toward audience. This

hands.

44

ADVANCED MAGIC.

is the first you see of flag, so it must come from flam e o f p ap er o r from
what appears to a ll o f us an empty space. Impossible? W e ll, p e rfo rm e rs
hands n ever approach his body up to this tim e and his arms are bare to
elbow. B u t The flag is there!
4.

Feature No. 3THE MYSTERIOUS ANGEL

P erfo rm er advances s till n earer fo otlig h ts and allow s low er end o f flag
to touch the floor. W h en suddenly he ducks his head behind flag and
th ru sts his hands out a t one side o f flag, then his head, and follow ed by
his entire body. The flag seems mesmerized, as it remains standing.

5.

Feature No. 3 THE MYSTERIOUS ANGEL

B a n g ! B a n g !! P e rfo rm e rs pistol shots rings out, when he pu lls flag

away and a beautiful lady in tights and with wings is seen, and is none oth
er than The Mysterious A n g el!
6. Feature No. 4-T H E EXECUTION
A s the im m aculate m odesty o f m agicians is so w ell known, I w ill m ere

ly state, w ith out comment, th at The Mysterious A ngel w as handed a

W hite Robe and p o lite ly told to go and join the re st o f her tribe, w here the
w earing o f clothes has nothing to do w ith the high cost o f living. B u t evi
d en tly the strange visito r p re fe rre d to linger. P erhaps she was stage
struck. A t least, th a t is where she struck. B ut it takes a magician to
find a way. A ccordingly, the stubborn young M iss is chained to the center
o f a large screen and the Black Cap and noose adjusted. E vid en tly w ith
cold-blooded attempt to k ill! But! The A ngel knows some magic tric k

ADVANCED MAGIC.

45

herself. In fa c t, M ysterious is her nam e! A n yw a y , she gets the p er

fo rm e rs goat and escapes! No doubt she is in league w ith His M ajesty
Mephistophiles!
7.

Feature No. 5 -REIN CARN ATIO N

Sudd enly a ll eyes a re a ttra c te d tow ard the flie s, w h ere the ghost
o f the M ysterious A ng el is seen g ently Happing h er w ings in descent.
A s soon as the g h o st alights, p e rfo rm er cautiou sly raises fr o n t part
o f ghost, which p roves to be, and is, nothing but an empty shell covered
w ith the w h ite robe.

8.

Feature No. 5-REIN CARN ATIO N

A f t e r exposing to view a ll p arts o f shell-robe and tu rn in g it upside

down, tw o assistan ts pitch the em pty shell-robe. over p e rfo rm e rs head
and bring corners o f robe around his shoulders and fasten ed in fro n t.
The two Police Officers (assistan ts) have 1o hold th eir sides a t the com
ic a lity o f the p ro fe s so rs m ake-up and pose. A stran ge looking Angel Ghost
indeed, as robe comes scarcely to his knees. B u t'th e p erfo rm e r strid es oldlv fo rw a rd to footligh ts, where the shell-robe is rem oved and handed to p er
fo rm er who, w ithin the fo ld s o f which, reproduces The Mysterious A ngel.
This is a most p erfect illusion, a befitting fin^l and a charming cli
max to a most perfect and powerful m ystery sketch, destined to become one

of V audevilles Greatest Feature A ttractions!

46

ADVANCED MAGIC.
TERMS, CONDITIONS and OTHER INFORMATION CONCERNING
OVETTES MAGIC GUESSING INSTITUTE
A S MENTONED ELSEWHERE.

M y New Illusion A c t THE M Y ST E R IO U S A N G E L , consists o f

five fea tu res. I t is F e a tu re No. 4 The Execution, which 1 subm it fo r p h y chological recreation , a n alysis aud solution. This illusion is o f the same
higher typ e and magnificanee as the other fe a tu re s o f the act but being a
little m ore E laborate Sen satio n al and E xciting, we call it the M ain F e a
ture o f the A c t .
I sin cerely'b elieve th at E xecu tion w ill p ro ve the m ost b ea u tifu l and
charm ing magic effect, as w ell as the m ost rem arkab le and astounding va n
ish ever w itn essed! N othing like it has e v e r been seen on the A m erican
S tag e. H ow ever, you m ust judge fo r y o u rse lf. I f you w ill tu rn y o u r judg e
ment loose, give is fu ll pow er to act, and com pare E xecu tion w ith any
v a n ish you have ever seen, 1 w ill be p e rfe c tly satisfied w ith y o u r deci
sion. The follow ing , in b rief, is the e ffect:
L ad y, The M ysterious A n g e l, n o t a m ere fo rm , shell o r dummy, but
a L ivin g Being, robed in w hite, and, w ith out fo r one in sta n t leavin g the
sight o f audience, is placed in fr o n t o f a large black screen and chained
thereto a t w aist-line, a bag is d raw n over h e r head and neck and tied tight
around neck w ith end o f rope which dangles fro m the flies. Not w ith stan d
ing this cumbrance and secu rity the L ad y V anishes like a bursting bubble
o r an extinguished candle ilame, leavin g only the dangling rope and bag.
The screen is 1 2 fe e t in length, (j fe e t in height and stands 10 inches clear
o f the floor fo r its fu ll length. Im m ediately the vanish takes place two as
sistan ts push screen over tow ard fo otlig h ts, so th a t i t fa lls to the floor w ith
a crash, leavin g a clear view o f the en tire stage.
This illu sion act, as a whole, is an Innovation, a M agical Trium ph,
which sets a new pace, m arks a new epoch in M agic and ra ises the a rt to a
higher plane, to the end th a t an e a rly decease o f our beloved a r t w ill be
averted by keeping ab reast o f L ivc-w ire Science which m easures ou r p ro g
ress and which is destined, fin ally, to even determ ine a social statu s in
which the w o rld s creatures w ill, fo r the first tim e in h istory, en joy a R eal
aud True C ivilization.

CONDITIONS.
This is not a Guessing C o n test where the prize is aw arded to a
S ing le W in ner. Our arrangem ent gives E very G uesser an E qual Chance to
win regard less o f how m any other Guessers m ay be successful. E v e ry guess
er who offers the correct solution o f the M y ste ry w ill receive the Complete
S ecrets and F u ll In stru ction s reg ard in g the en tire act, tog ether w ith the
num erous draw ings, a ll en tire ly fre e .

TERMS.
One G uess w ill be allow ed FR E E on a ll ord ers fro m m y lists am ount
ing to 50 cents or over. Two Guesses F re e on orders o f $1.0 0 o r over. Three
Guesses on ord ers on $1.50 or over, etc., etc., allow ing one G uess on each
50 cent value o f purchase. O rders o f $5.00 or o ver w ill be allow ed 1 2 Guess
es and one guess fo r eacli ad ditio nal value o f 50 cents or over. Twenty- five
Guesses w ill be allow ed on a ll orders o f $10 .0 0 or over, etc. etc.

ONE SECOND PRIZE OF $10 VALUE.

The person who sends in a. Guess which comes the nearest to those who
guess co rrectly w ill be entitled to select item s fro m m y lists to the value o f
$ 10 E ntirely F ree. 11 two or more persons come equally close to the ones
who send in the correct solution the secnd prize w ill be divided equally be
tw een them.

ADVANCED MAGIC.

47

YOUR MONEY BA CK.

The person sending in the F irs t C o rrect Solu tion o f E x ecu tion w ill
receive not only the New F iv e F eatu red illu sio n S k e tc h : The M ysterious
A n g e l F ree but also His M oney Back in fu ll in the fo rm o f a fre e selec
tion o f goods fro m m y lists.

DR. WILSON TO ACT A S JUDGE.

In ord er th at everyone m ay be sure o f a square deal we have asked Dr.
W ilson , e d ito r o f THE S P H IN X , i f he would serve as judge and we
take g reat pleasure in announcing that the D octor has k in d ly consented.
D r. W ilson knows m agic fro m A to Z and is capable o f weighing all
the points and com paring th e ir w o rth and significance to a fineness, so that
a ll guessers can fe e l assured o f a square deal as f a r as the doctor is con
cerned. W h a t the D octor says G oes and w ill be F in a l and I w ill have
to abide by his decision as w ell as you.

. VALU E OF MYSTERIOUS ANGEL.

M y New Illu sion A c t The M ysterious A n g e l is e a sily w o rth up in
the fo u r figures, but I have priced i t a t a v e ry con servative and nom inal
figure o f $500.00. The M ysterious A ng el is ju s t the kind o f an act the Big
Line w an ts, it should book re a d ily and solid fo r a t least $000.00 a week
and costs to build a tr iffle com p aratively insignificant. The act, th erefo re
should p ay f o r its e lf in a couple o f weeks o r so even i f the nom inal price
o f $500.00 w as paid fo r it.

A REAL $500 PRIZE FREE.

B u t you chance to secure the act fo r nothing is good. The question in
reg ard to F e a tu re No. 4. E xecu tion is ju s t th is : How is it done? W h a t
is yo u r idea as to how this rem arkab le fe a t is accom plished. W h at, in you r
opinion, is the solution o f the problem ? W h a t becomes o f the lad y and how
is such a fe a t made p ra c tic a l? I w a n t you to guess the means employed.
IIow does the lad y, such a bulk o f human llesh and blood. Change to
Nothing, D em aterialize, w hile encum bered as she is and w hile in fu ll view
and w ith such suddenness th at it th rills the hum an senses and defies any
language to describe.
There m ay be more than one w ay by which this E ffect is accom plished,
no doubt there is, but the num ber o f W a y s th a t a re p ra c tic a l a re sure
ly so few th at it would seem alm ost certain th a t out o f a fe w c a re fu lly
thought-out guesses, one o f them could h ard ly f a il to be the sam e as w e cmploy.
I t is w ell w orth y o u r while to secure as m any chances as you ean han
dle and go rig h t to w ork on them. In sending in y o u r answ ers o r guesses
be sure and w rite v e ry cle arly and on separate sheets o f p ap er w ith date
and sign y o u r name to each one- o f them. D ont bother Dr. W ilson w ith
questions, etc. about this m atter. Send a ll ord ers and guesses to :
M A G IC A L O VETTE,
BO X 72,
DUNDEE L A K E , N. J .
A ll w inners w ill be notified and the prize aw arded ( a fte r Dr. W ilson
has passed upon them) a t the close o f the period o f guessing, N ovember
15th , 3917.
Kemernber I can supply you w ith AN YTH IN G in the line o f Magic
Goods or Accessories a t the ve ry low est catalogue prices and b e tte r than
the usual term s, I can also supply you w ith a ll goods fro m the catalogues o f
T hayer, Los Angeles, Cal. M ysto, New lla v e n , Conn., or C. Pentz. M innea
polis, M inn. I G uarantee this. A ll Goods G uaranteed the B est on ?"'ie M a r
ket. W h y not le t me supply you r M agical needs and get y o u r chances at
the G R E A T $500.00 V A U D E V IL L E ILLUSIO N SK E T C H E n tire ly F re e ?
F a ir T reatm ent and a Square D eal G uaranteed to A ll. Rem em ber ! ! In
w inning this New A ll F ea tu red V au d eville A c t you w ill become possessor
of the N ewest and G reatest Magical A ttraction Existing at the Present

48

ADVANCED MAGIC.

Time, as w ell as the M ost N otable In n ovatio n al N ovelty the M agical W o rld
has experienced fo r a t le a st a H alf-a-C en tu ry. W e w an t y o u r opinion on
the M ain F e a tu re o f the A c tF e a tu re No. 4. The E xecu tion. You m ay
be the V e ry F ir s t One to h it upon the E ig h t M ethod . I t s re a lly a
Cinch. D o n t p u t this m a tte r oft'. Become one o f the G uessing Stu d en ts
NOW.

A F A IR PROPOSITION.
E v e ry M agic E ffect Has a W a y o f Its Own, which is A lw a y s Sim ple but
which is S ecret and cannot be known unless R evealed o r Exposed.
One person is as apt as another to h it upon the w a y o r h o w an
Illusion E ffect is accomplished. I f the E ffect is new, the P ro fessio n a l has
little o r No A d van tag e over the Novice in G uessingA ll H ave an E qual
Chance.

W H Y NOT TRY YOUR LU CK?

Y ou can n ev e r te ll w hat you can do u n til you tr y , I found the w a y
and so, o f course, others Can and W ill S o lve the Problem . Y ou A r e A s A p t
To Guess R igh t A s A nyone E lse and Be One o f the L ucky Ones. I t s only
a m a tte r o f g iving the subject a little thought which you can do during
spare tim e when you a re doing nothing else. G uessing closes N ovem ber 15 th ,
19 1 7 . Time soon ro lls around. D ont w a it u n til the la s t m inute. G et Y o u r
Guess in E a rly. Rem em ber the first w in n er gets not on ly the $500.00 P rize,
the G reat New Illusion A c t : The M ysterio u s A n g e l but also his M oney
Back in ad ditio nal M agical Goods fro m m y lists o f his own selection F re e .

OTHER FEATURES OF THE ACT.

F e a tu re No. 1 : ELEMENT OF PU R G A T O R Y .
This tric k rank s about 99% in P o in ts o f A d van tag e in its E xecution and
10 0 % in E ffect. In oth er w ords it is w h at can be rig h tly be called a P e r
fe c t T rick. I t s One in Thousands. N ot one tric k such as this is produced
in a G en eration ! I Cliallange D enial W ith P ro o f.
F e a tu re No. 2 : - B I R T H O F OLD G LO RY.
The M agical production o f a flag is not new , o f course. B u t when the
p erfo rm er shows H ands P e rfe c tly E m pty save a flam ing sheet o f paper, and
so larg e a flag appears as fro m now here and F lo a tin g Out A t F u ll Length
fro m Hands w hile H ands Rem ain a t A rm s Length fro m B ody and No
Sleeve W o rk ; and, i f you w ere sittin g w ith in th ree fe e t o f p e rfo rm e r and
fa ile d to see w here flag came fro m , W h at W o uld Y ou C all Such A n E f
fe c t? B u t, Supposing Y ou H appened to K n ow the S e c re t and S t ill W a s U n
able to see F la g A p p ear, But Could See I t W a s There and F ee l its F old s
S trik in g Y o u r B ody and Its M agical B reeze F an n in g Y o u r Cheeks as i f to
s a y : P lease S tan d Back and G ive Me R oom l ! How W o uld That S trik e
Y ou?
F ea tu re No. 3 : - T H E M Y ST E R IO U S AN G EL.
Did you eve r see a lad y produced under such circum stances? I f so,
W h en ! W h e re ? I f this F e a tu re is New and the effect is as stated , and it
must be, then W h a t is $200.00 f o r this S e c re t A lo n e ; being a com m odity o f
Indefinite R e-productiveness? To say N othing o f the Enhancem ent o f the
P e rfo rm e rs R e p u ta tio n ; which is, in its e lf, an Incalculable A s s e tl
F e a tu re No. 5 : RE-IN CARN ATION .
Is o f S im ila r C h aracter but even M ore P e rfe c t. B ut it Is not the value
o f the F ea tu res as Sing le Unites alone th at M ust Be Considered but also
T heir C ollective Significance, E ffectiveness and P ow er, re su lta n t o f th e ir
U nique In ter-R elation sh ip. C reating an A c t o f C h a ra c te r and an E x
ceedingly N ovel and B ew ild ering S k e tc h o f G re at R a rity , o f A bsorbing
and F ascin atin g In tere st and M agnetic A ttra c tiven e ss.
D ont miss this, Y o u r O pportunity, by which you m ay secure th is M agnificent and V aluable P rize W ith o u t R isk or Cost to You.

M AGICAL OVETTE,

BOX 72

DUNDEE LA K E , N. J ,

ADVANCED MAGIC.

49

(NOTEI t should be born in mind tlia t new Era Magic Is in its Infancy
th erefore the num ber o f trick s and Illusions o f the "H igher ty p e - o f magic
is up to the present tim e, quite lim ited, which accounts fo r the com p arative
ly sm all num ber o f this class appearing in this book. H ow ever, as fa s t as
tric k s and Illusions o f the higher class, (New E ra M agic), are created, they
w ill be promptly announced.)

ETHERTA
OR
THE HUMAN AEROPLANE.
E F F E C T :P e rfo rm e r mesm erizes his lad y assistan t,places her on a
D ivan, from which, obedient to mesmeric passes, she rises into the A i r ; p e r
fo rm e r continues his hypnotic influence causing the lad y to float out over
the heads o f the Audience, pass th ru hoops, re tu rn to stage, and fin ally set
tlin g on two ch a irs: (head on one and fe e t on the o th e r ) ; body s till rig id and
in plain view o f the Audience. P e rfo rm e r now lifts subject, pu ts h e r on
her fe e t and brings her to o , i. e., restores her to animation and her senses!
( E theria smiles.)

CONSTRUCTION OF PROPS
G et thin sheet ru b b er or Oiled S ilk , and fit p a tte rn s o f it o ver a fo rm ,
(wooden or H um an), size o f lad y assistan t, and gum them tog ether, form ing
a closed bag or balloon, shape o f Human body. There m ust be a hole in bal
loon fitted w ith tap, w ith which to connect gas tube. There m ust also be
a co llar gummed on fo r the purpose o f attach ing a head.
Head m ay be carved out o f cork or a larg e sponge; or a bunch o f sm all
sponges glued together and covered w ith sheet ru b b er or oiled silk. F ace
should be a mask resem bling fe a tu re s o f E theria and painted to match
E theria s make-up.
In filling the gas bag; make it a point to g et n e a rly a balance between
gravity and buoyancy, w ith the la tte r only slig h tly in the assendancy. No
doubt the s k irt, hood, etc., w ill be w eighty enough; i f not, more w eight iS-in
be used, o r some o f th e gas let out and a ir pumped in its place to get the
gentle buoyancy required.

50

ADVANCED MAGIC.

W hen introduced, lady assistan t appears in spangeled tights. A gown,

a ll bunched up, is handed her, thru hole in center o f which she th ru sts h er
head and allow s gown to fa ll ahout h e r enveloping body (see A fig. 2 ).
Gown has i. collar attached, which is brought up o ver head and fastened un
der chin fo rm ing a hood (see C Fig. 2 ).
Male ;.ssistant takes hold o f sk irt and stretches it out fu ll w idth (see
B Fig, 2 ). S t ill holding skirt., assistan t w alks around lad y, w inding
sk irt snugly around her and fasten s same. P oint D (see F ig. 2 ), is a l
lowed to hang loose.
I t should be h a rd ly necessary to m ention th a t the gas bag should be
sk irted and hooded etc., to rep resen t an exact duplicate of th e heroine of
the p la y and then fastened to re vo lv in g pannel o f Divan.

ADVANCED MAGIC.

51

W e w ill now take a look a t the D ivans o f which we have tw o ; occupy

ing; opposite sides o f tem p o rary stngirig erected six fe e t above stage proper.
(See Fig. 1 ). The seats o f these D ivans are constructed ex actly the sam e;
having a pannel in center o f seat which revolves. (See P lan o f D IV A N seat
F ig. 3 which gives fu ll d eta ils).
Our stageing has an extension 18 in wide, p ro jectin g out in parquet over
heads o f audience.
This extention enables the p e rfo rm e r to accom pany his subject so as to
m aintain fu ll pow er over h er by his w o n d erfu l H ypnotic influence ( ? ) (N OW
K E E P Q uiet a m in u te )! Then we have on each side o f extention, tw o ropes
1 8 in. a p a rt w ith canvas between them, stretched fro m top o f r e a r ra ilin g
o f stageing to flag-staff at end o f extention. (W e w ill call these Canvas
s h a d e s). The R ailing o f extention is 4 ft. high. Canvas shades are two
ft . from ra ilin g and 1 f t . higher.

a x e u

A thread is attached to hood o f inflated fa k e travices along un der can

vas shadethru the hoops a t end o f e x te n tio n and hack to Divan No. 2 and
then back to assistan t behind curtain. T hread tends to stabelize the D IR
IG IB LE fa k e and m ake it run more stead ily, and obviate the p o ssib ility o f
it accidently slipping aw ay and getting beyond the reach o f the M esm erist.
P e rfo rm e r can cause fa k e to move to the rig h t o r l e f t up or down, by sim
p ly pressing hand or wand against thread. N orm ally, fa k e run s along about
six in. below canvas shade. M ovem ents or D irigible fa k e seem to be alto
g eth er a t the w ill o f the perform er.
Now I believe we have everyth in g re a d y ; l e t s tr y it and see how she
works.

REHEARSAL
P e rfo rm e r appears and w ith w ell feigned solem nity,
s in c e rity ; delivers him self som ething as fo llo w s:

earnestness and

52

ADVANCED MAGIC.

Ladies and G entlem en: I am about to undertake an experim ent o f a

v e ry unusual c h a ra c ter and I re sp e ctfu lly requ est th a t you k in d ly rem ain as
quiet as possible, as the success o f the experim ent and possibly the life of a
Human Being depends upon profound stillness. I am sure, fo r w h at you w ill
w itness, you w ill fe e l am ply rew ard ed fo r com plying w ith m y humble r e
q u est.
E T H E R IA is now introduced and dons h e r gown as p reviou sly ex
plained, Hood is adjusted o ver her head, and gown rapped around h er as
herein before directed.
Two assistan ts m ove D ivan (A ) slig h tly fo rw a rd and rem ain standing
behind it.
P e rfo rm e r puts E th e ria into an H ypnotic state and places h er upon
D ivan A from which, under the influences o f his m esm eric passes, she
arises into the A i r ! S till obedient to p erform ers hypnotic passes she floats
g ra c e fu lly out over heads o f the audience, accompanied by p erfo rm er who
w alks out on the extention.
A T end o f the extention, lad y passes th ru the hoops and re tu rn s to
stageing and settles upon D ivan B , fro m w hich she again ris e s floats
across th e stageing and fin ally alights on tw o chairs (head" on one and fe et
on the o th er), fro m w here she is lifte d by p erfo rm e r and assistan t, stood
upon h e r fe e t and restored to consciousness and anim ation ! ( E th e ria
sm iles) (audience applauds).
W e ll! I t was a grand success w a s n t i t ? B u t I see you are m ystified
y o u rs e lf! W h a t you need is more light. A ll rig h t, here it i s :
You see, w hile the p e rfo rm e r is w ith his fake E theria out above the
audience, the real Etheria makes her escape, thru re a r o f D ivan and thru
re a r ra ilin g o f stageing and cu rtain , and enters D ivan No. 2 (B ) th ru re a r
tra p , and, layin g fa ce down, attaches h e rse lf to underside o f tra p which
has been p revio u sly set.
I wo invisib le w ires w ith loops a t th e ir ends <ire slipped on under head
and the oth er under fe e t o f E theria and m anipulated from above, caus
in g ' E theria to float over to the chairs and settle thereon.
A strong net is stretched a ll along the route o f the floating lad y, and
some distance below the extention. This is v e ry im p o rta n tfo r Effect this
act is especially adapted as a leading attrac tio n fo r a CIRC U S.

PART SIX

BETWEEN SHOWS

o r

HOT SPOTS.

54

ADVANCED MAGIC.
BETWEEN SH O W S
(OR HOT SPOT S )

l a reg ard to H ot S p o ts or the V icissitudes o f M agicians, the fo llo w

ing incident appealed to nie as a dem onstration o f quick thought a t a c ritic a l
moment.
A w ell known M agician w as p laying a t a th e a tre in Je rs e y C ity , a few
seasons ago. In the p a rt o f his program m e where the G lass T ru n k is us
ed, he had the tru n k rolled out to the center o f the stage, calling the a tte n
tion o f the audience that the trun k was p e rfe c tly em pty. He dropped down
the fro n t o f the .trunk, but instead o f it being em pty, a young lad y could be
seen, v e ry com fortably reclining w ithin. (Som ething was su rely w ro n g ).
D elib erately closing fro n t o f trunk, the e n te rta in e r w alked to fo o tlig h ts to
offer an explanation to the audience aud addressed them som ewhat as fo llo w s:
Ladies and G entlem en: A moment ago I allow ed you a b rie f glim pse o f
a p a rt o f m y secret methods. You no doubt believed when looking at the
tru n k you saw a young lad y w ithin. You did, and did not, but in re a lity ,
w hat you did see, was but a reflection o f a young lad y. V ery fe w people
are aw are th at a M agician while p erform ing an illu sion, ve ry often relies on
the assistance o f m irro rs .
M irro rs can be arranged so as to reflect to the center o f the stage, a
person standing quite a distance aw ay, such as behind a w ing or a screen,
th erefore when tbe in te rio r o f the tru n k was exposed the young lad y was
standing behind a wing, in a d irect line o f reflection, m aking it ap p ear as
i f she w ere in the trunk. Now th at she has re tire d and out o f vision, I w ill
open tru n k once m ore to convince you it is p e rfe c tly em pty. ( l i e showed
tru n k em pty) and then continued his usual ro u tin e .
The foregoing appealed to me as an object lesson. A s f a r as th e audi
ence was concerned, it was divided as to opinions, some believed in w h at wTas
told them, others had their doubts, but as his audience was a v e ry refined
one, there w ere no comments.
I adm ired the quick w it and self-con trol o f the M agician, under the
circum stances.
The Illusionist has a m ighty difficult proposition to contend with. W hen
he w alk s out on the stage, clothed in the dignity o f his position, little does
the audience realize (o r care) w hat a resp on sib ility th ere is hidden beneath
his s ta te ly pose, when w ith a w ave o f his hand o r wand o r the re p o rt o f his
gun, creates a w onderful tran sform ation . H is assistan ts a re the re a l M agi
cians, upon them depend the success o f the Illusions. E fficiency in selecting
assistan ts fo r a M agical A c t should be the fu ndam ental prin ciple. G reat
care should be exercised in the m a tte r o f speed and accuracy.
H aving had the pleasu re (o r m isfortu n e) to sam ple th e life o f the C ir
cus, Museum, T heater, S to re Show , C ountry f a i r , C a rn ival and Club w ork,
m y schooling has been quite proficient. A s a trapeze p e rfo rm er, I had my
ups and downs. A s a lire e a te r 1 enjoyed m any a hot tim e. D uring my
Museum C arreer I enjoyed a d elig h tfu l w arm lunch fro m 7 to 12 times a
day and i f the old adage is true, th a t p ractice makies p e rfe c t, I should
have been the K in g o f Human Salam anders.
A f t e r the experience o f several fires, w hereas the fire-departm ent was
the ch ief actors and I was the best loser, I decided to bu y up a few tin box
es, some hand kerchiefs, a deck o f cards and a magic wand and became a
M agician. H aving since paid some r e a l m oney fo r m agical apparatus, I
have found it more pleasant to be stung th an to be burnt b y fire. In the
e a rly days m y class o f magic w as v e ry often used as a supper-chaser, and
to exem plify my a b ility to an em pty house three times a day rath er grat

ADVANCED MAGIC.

55

ed on m y sen sitive nature, th e re fo re I decided to e a ter to local w ork. In

this class o f w ork I found m y past experience o f g reat benefit. To accept
an hour and a h a lf engagement to e n te rta in an audience o f about 3 o r 4
hundred in a sm all H all, w ith a little p la tfo rm stuck up against the w a ll
fo r a stage and a gripsack fu ll o f nothing, requires g re a t showm anship,
especially when you have been ad vertised as an illu sio n ist and they send
an express wagon to the depot to get y o u r trunks. (T ry this and make
good). B u t d o n t blame me fo r the headaches you w ill get.)
D uring the holidays, the M agician is in g reat demand fo r children en
tertainm ents, giving them fro m one to one and a h a lf hours o f M agic. On
one occasion 1 was entertain in g some children in the aftern o on . A t night,
I w as to en terta in a t anoth er place. Thinking th a t I would h ave an oth er
audience o f children I carried the same bag o f trick s w ith me, but, when
I a rriv e d a t m y night job, I found it to be a S m o k e r, given by a Uept.
Club, held in th e ir Club House (a p riv a te house used as a Club House
show room, was the fro n t p a rlo r). There was room fo r about 10 0 but 00
managed to get in. A p artitio n about 6 fe e t wide divided the fr o n t p a rlo r
fro m the back p a rlo r, a doorw ay on both sides o f th is p a rtitio n connecting
the both rooms.
In fro n t o f this p a rtitio n was a large floor m irro r reaching to the ceil
ing, a 4x6 p la tfo rm , a fo o t high set n icely against this m irror. The place
w as so crowded, th at those in the fro n t row had to brace th eir fe e t against
the p la tfo rm in ord er to keep from pushing the actors off the stage, also
the doorw ays leading into the re a r room w ere so congested th a t a fte r you
got out on the stage, you cou ld nt get off again. Conditions did not look
v e ry fa v o ra b le fo r the " M a n o f M y s te ry . To add to the pleasure, this
kind o f audience w ill not stand fo r Sund ay School stuff. Such trick s that
I could have used un der o rd in a ry conditions, w ere out o f the question to
present b efore a m irror. Then again two o f th e ir S t a r A cts w ere late, and
I was to k ill time. A special requ est was made fo r the C igar, C ig arette
and Card trick . B y chance 1 happened to have a prepared c ig arette load
ed w ith the card, as it was necessary to fo rce a duplicate card, I found I
had no cards to m atch the prepared one, and the only cards in the house
w ere o f a different back. M y card was o f a ilesh colored back, (th e ir
cards being a ll blue backs,) so 1 forced an 8 o f H earts (w hich was the
c-ard I was using) and then tore it up, letting one o f the audience hold a
sm all corner. From a borrowed C igar I produced the card restored. A g ain
tearin g the card again, 1 produced it from a borrowed cigarette.
I do n o t think that anyone detected th at the card I was producing
had a llesli colored back. 1 w as taking big chances, but luck was w ith me.
The fo llo w in g was a ve ry in terestin g a ffa ir. This date was in N ewark.
I w as to go to the residence o f Mr. A ., be there a t 7 1*. M. A r r iv in g a t the
appointed hour, M r, A . met me a t the door. He apologized fo r g ettin g me
th ere a t such an e arly hour, explaining th a t i t was his b irth d a y and as a
member o f a card club, the club w as to meet at his house to p la y cards,
a fte r which I was to be introduced as a surprise. Conducting me to th e
top floor, he le ft me w ith fo llow ing instructions. I was lo keep out o f
sight u n til called fo r, some cigars and a deeautor would be sent up to keep
me company. W e ll, to make a long sto ry short, 1 received one cig ar and
a glass o f wine. I read fo r a w hile and smoked a w hile, the little clock
on the m antle ticked aw ay the m inutes. I counted one hour, then tw o and
then three. A s the room was v e ry cosey and com fortable, I began to fe e l
v e ry nvueh a t home. Suddenly my com fort w as in terru p ted by the b u tler
g en tly shaking me, a t the same tim e try in g to explain th a t the guests had
gone home. In quirin g as to the w hereabouts o f M r. A . I was in form ed he
bad been carried up to his room a fe w hours previous.

66

ADVANCED MAGIC.

The poor fellow had forgotten his surprise, but got it when he receiv
ed my bill fo r services. I waited from 7 P. M. to 2 A . M. to play the date.
I t was too bad they awoke me.
A su rp rise on me was a t an engagement up town N. Y . C ity. M y in
struction s w ere, C h ild ren s p a rty , A fte rn o o n . A rriv in g a t the residence,
1 w as given the use o f the bath room , to p re p are m y lay o u t. W hen the
tim e came f o r my appearance, 1 was escorted to the reception room . A s I
w alked in sm iling, it struck me a little odd, not seeing any o f the children.
There w ere only fo u r people in the room, the m aid, butler, a m iddle aged
wom an and a v e ry eld erly lady.
I fu ssed about m y table fo r a w hile, thinking som eone'had gone down
s ta irs to send the children up. A ft e r a w hile one o f the ladies inform ed
me I could proceed w ith the entertainm en t as soon as I w as re a d y . I w as
not asleep th is tim e hut wide aw a k e. M y audience consisted o f the fo u r
people and no children. I t seemed the v e ry old lad y w as a siste r to a lad y
whom I had done quite some w ork fo r, and havin g previous en tertain ed her
g irls sewing cla s s , she thought it would be a tre a t to have me entertain
h er v e ry old s is te r who w as v e ry deaf. F o r one hour, I w as doing
tricks, th a t is doing a trick , and then y ellin g to the top o f m y voice in the
old la d y s ear, try in g to te ll h er w hat I w as doing.
On anoth er occasion my audience consisted o f six children, ranging
fro m 3 to G y e a rs o f age. Im agine six little chairs in a row , a little boy
o r g irl on each chair, and then five women seated a t a table ju s t behind
them sipping tea and talk in g to beat the band. F o r alm ost an hour I
was on m y knees in fro n t o f the six little chairs try in g to b ark like a dog,
o r try in g to do som ething fu n n y to m ake the children laugh. I n ever
knew I could te a r up so much paper and m ake so m any d ifferen t things.
I was g etting along ve ry nicely un til one o f the little fe llo w s fe ll asleep
and was carried up to bed fo r his aftern o o n nap. 'The poor little fellow
missed the grand finale. A t the opening o f m y program m e I produced a
bowl o f gold fish swim m ing in re a l w ater, placing it on a ped estal it m ade
a v e ry p re tty ornam ent (so the ladies said ). A t the end o f m y program m e
I produced a large flag, so when the children arose to salute the flag one
sweet little dear, pushed o ver the pedestal. Needless to sa y also the bowl,
fish and w ater. So a fte r the storm , some o f us had w et fe e t.
The lady o f the house, told me it had done no harm and as th e w a te r
was clean, it had not ruined anythin g and she thought I was v e ry in te r
esting, but as I had to buy anoth er fish bowl and some m ore fish, I d id n t
have the same thoughts. (B u t how m any m inds a re th e re w ith b u t a
single thought) 1
I re c a ll an engagement one aftern o o n in an uptow n A p a rtm en t House.
The L ad y w anted a M agician w ith a lo t o f live stoek, I did not know o f
th is a t the time. I w as using a t this time a ra b b it and a. chicken. She
w anted me to produce birds, ra b b its and ducks out o f the variou s articles
around the room, such as a vase, lam p o r the M usic Box. The p a rt o f the
room I selected w as in fro n t o f the F ire-p lace, as it gave me a v e ry good
back ground, I also used a large le ath e r ch air to hide m y tw o grips. D ur
ing my program e I produced the poor little ra b b it a t three different tim es
and the chicken had to ap p ear twice. The Lady could not understand
w here in the w orld they a ll came fro m . W hen I w as packing up the L ad y
wanted to know w here a ll o f the anim als w ere, as she could on ly see a
chicken and a rab b it. I tried to convince her they w ere like the M u ltip ly
ing B illa rd B all, you s ta rt w ith one and then they m ultiply. She wanted
me to show h e r how th ey became invisible. The m an o f the house w as
very nice he told me it would be a good idea to tie a different colored rib :

ADVANCED MAGIC.

57

bon on the rabbits so th ey could tell them a p a rt. He gave me a c ig ar and

said it was a good trick .
Speaking about w orking in fro n t o f a fireplace, it rem inds me o f a
sto ry told by a b ro th er M agician. ITe was en tertain in g a t a p riv a te house,
stan ding in fro n t o f- the fireplace to do his tricks. l i e produced finite a
num ber o f silk flowers, paper g arlands, tlow er-balls and a lo t o f oth er
things th a t was pleasing to the eye. A ft e r the perform ance the M agician
was invited to partak e o f a cold bottle (o f which he was v e ry fo n d ). S o
g ath ering up his paper (lowers, etc., and placing them in the fireplace fo r
safe keeping, there being no fire at the tim e e ve ryth in g would be sa fe and
out o f the w ay o f the children. So he w ent down s ta irs to fill up. The
children w ere in another room enjoyin g a feed, as it was about the tim e o f
the y e a r when ,the days were w arm and the nights w ere cool, the L ady
told the b u tler to light a low fire just to take the chill out o f the room.
(He did so) using the m agician's paper, flow ers, etc., which no doubt made
a good starter.
I t was not v e ry pleasant at the tim e, but w h y do these M agicians
make people think th at a ll those p re tty things come out o f the a ir?
On another occasion I was engaged to entertain a p riv a te p a rtv o f
nine people at the A p artm en ts o f a Russian Colonal. T was to be there
a t 10 P. M. I was supposed to be one o f the guests and not a re a l M agician.
O f the nine people three could speak a little broken English. I started to
w ork about 1 0 :4 5 and tried to entertain them till ve ry n e a r 1 A . M. I
noticed every once in a while one o f the men would say som ething in R us
sian to the others and they would laugh, a( the time I thought; they w ere
laughing at som ething T had done, but a fte rw a rd s 1 found out they werp
laughing at my frien d who was somewhat o f a M agician him self, and he
was tellin g the rest how some o f mv trick s were done. This is what we.
gel by doing tricks that other people know. 1 w as treated ro y a lly , but i f
any one thinks it is .pleasant to en tertain a p a r ly o f nine fo r tw o hours
and not understand a word they w ere saving, they a re welcome to think so.
W h a t would a M agician do when he a rriv e s at Hie show place and
finds it to be a big dancing
pavilion, space to
seal about 1000 people w ith
a six fo ot high p latform in
tlie cen ter o f the floor to be used fo r Boxing
Bouts. I come along w ith m y little bag o f trick s, w hat a p leasant tim e I
was going to have, you had to climb a lad der to get upon this p la tfo rm
and a fte r you w ere there you w ere in the cen ter o f about 800 men out
fo r a good time. (T am not tellin g what I did) enough to say I got, my
money and a rrive d home safe.
A t a F a ir held a t the W a ld ro f-A s to ria fo r the B aby Fold. A trained
dog and a M erry W izard were on exhibition at 25 cents adm ission. I was
the W iza rd , the trained dog was at an oth er p a rt o f .the balcony. W hen
business was slow the Lady in charge wanted us to lean over the ra ilin g
o f the balcony and make a noise like a dog.
I inform ed h er that T was there to do trick s and not to do an anim al
act.
A B ro th er p erfo rm er tells me a fu n n y sto ry o f a M agician and him
self, p layin g an engagement on Long Island. They had played a show
fo r some Club, and in this Town one o f the S ta te L unatic A sylum s w ere
situated. A ft e r the show was o v er and it being a v e ry pleasant evening
they decided to w alk to the S tatio n , on Hie road they fe ll in w ith anoth er
gentlem an who said he had been to the show and enjoyed th e ir e n te rta in
ment v e ry much, and as lie was a member o f a local Club he would like to
engage them fo r th e ir a ffa ir which was to be held at a n ea r date. A s the
B o y s'h a d this p a rtic u la r date open they booked it at a good figure. So

58

ADVANCED MAGIC.

bidding the B oys good night, the gentlem an lo ft them w ith a prom ise to
send fu rth e r instructions. The S tatio n Agent had seen tlie hoys speaking
w ith the man so inquired what he had said, on tellin g him the sto ry the
A gent laughed and told them th at the C ent was an inm ate o f the A sylum .
So the Boys did not p la y the date.
Such conditions as the fo llow ing take a ll the pleasure out o f M agic:
You go to a place w ith the understanding you a re to show a t the L y
ceum, when you get there it is too w arm to show indoors, so they w alk you
about a m ile out in the woods to a Picnic G round and stand you upon' one
o f the tables to do you r act requ iring the assistance o f tw o o r three boys
to hold down y o u r stuff to prevent the wind from blow ing y o u r act up in
the trees.
Then again you go to a B oat House, the night is so hot they c a n t hold
the entertainm en t inside so you are put out on the veran d a w ith a h a lf a
dozen Jap an ese lan tern s hanging around fo r light, the ceiling is so low
the Ju g g ler has to get down on his knees to do his act.
I w ant to say one w ord in closing,
a fte r von have had these exp eri
ences o r those sim ilar, I can s a fe ly say you are able to stand up against
an yth in g in the line o f doing trick s fo r the public.
L a te r I got busy doping out some new effects and staged a Chinese
magic act th a t took the house w h erever I played. A gents and m anagers
throughout the cou ntry got to know my act but eve ry season I changed a
num ber o f item s in m y program so I could p lay re tu rn dates a t a num ber
o f the th eatres w here m y act w ent big. W hich again fo rces me to state
th a t the magician who keeps his act up to date can make good on not only
any bill but can p lay retu rn dates successfully.

FINIS.

ADVANCED MAGIC.

59

DADDIES
GRAND OLD ARM CHAIR
OR
THE TRIPPLE M YSTERY
EFFECTS
A hand truck loaded w ith w h at looks to be picces o f fu rn itu re , and
which is in re a lity p a rts o f one a rtic le o f fu rn itu re , n a m e ly : A n U p h o lster
ed Chair, is wheeled on the stage. The load consists o f five pieces o r p a rts
which, when assembled, fo rm s a large easy arm -chair, complete.
Now, as the p e rfo rm er and bis assistan t unloads the truck, they a s
semble the five p a rts, fo rm in g the ch air com plete, in fu ll view o f the audi
ence. .The fo llow in g is the mode o f procedure in d e ta il:
F irs t, the legs arc placed on tlie stage. Next the cushion seat is shown,
also, the reve rse 'sid e o f which is turn ed to the audience th a t th ey m ay see
the underside contains only springs and springs only. P e rfo rm e r th ru sts
his wand in among the springs to prove only em pty space there. The cu
shion is then placed, fo rm in g the seat.
N EXT, the back is ad ju ste d then the arm s are put in place. The
chair, which is on casters, is now w hirled around, so th a t the audience can
get a good view o f re a r side o f chair.
(The chair-back is made w ith a door th a t opens giving fu ll view of
in te rio r o f chair-back.) P e rfo rm e r states th a t bis F a th e r w as v e ry w ealth y
and when he died he w illed him his Old A rm -C hair. This gave occasion
f o r my relatio n and others, to sm icker and laugh and poke fu n at me be
cause M y G ran d fa th e r le ft me nothing but The Old A rm -C hair !
B ut, sh o rtly T turned the laugh on them , says the .perform er, when
one day I discovered a sec ret I discovered th a t the C h air had a door
opening into its in te r io r !
S u itin g action to bis w ords, the p erfo rm e r opens th e door o f the
Chair-back; thus giving audience fu ll view o f in te rio r o f Chair-back, which
contains springs and springs only.
P e rfo rm e r pokes his wand a ll among the springs which proves the
statement true. P e rfo rm e r fu rth e r states th a t it was in the secret enclos
ure th at be found Eight hundred thousand dollars ($800,000) in gold and
legal tender! B u t, savs the p erform er, the closet is i s emptynow!
The door o f the Chair-back is now closed and the ch air is turned h a lf
w ay around again leaving chair facin g audience.
N ext, an o rd in ary looking wooden boxsoap boxis shown on all
sides and placed on the C hair S e a t where fro n t side, hinged as a door is
opened giving fu ll v ie w -o f in te rio r o f the box. P e rfo rm e r taps with his
wand a ll around on inside o f box to show a ll to be ju s t as it look sP erfectly

Em pty!
M YSTERY NO. 1.
P e rfo rm e r closes door o f b o x C ra ck ! C ra ck ! The re p o rt o f pistol
shot rings out and in sta n tly a huge howl, 30 inches in diam eter appears
upon the box. (N o te :Box measures 20 in, across eith er w ay, w hile the
bowl is 30 inches in diam eter!)
NOTE these points: There are no m irrors used. No stage traps. There
is no other fu rn itu re on the stage. The m aterialization takes place in full
view ,and without any c o ve rin g .. and in the center of a b rillia n tly lighted
stage. No Black A r t W in gs, D rops, Screens, etc. etc. have nothing to
do w ith this scheme. The view underneath the C hair remains p erfectly
clear all the time. Unadulterated New E ra M agic , B affles the most
A stu te and analetycal intellects. Most wonderful magic the world has ev

er known!

ADVANCED MAGIC.

60

M YSTERY NO. 2.
No sooner than the huge bowl appears. A stream o f B lo o d sp irts
from center o f bowl several fe e t up into the a ir where it makes a g raceful
curve and fa lls back into the bowl which soon becomes fu ll to overflowing.
NOTE THE PO IN T SNo connection w ith w a te r w orks or slau g h ter
house. P erfo rm er does not go n ear the bowl.

M YSTERY NO. 3.
Thunders ro a r te rrib le detonation and confusion, (lik e a th ird act in
a m elo-dram a) and suddenly on the surface o f the blood in the bowl ap
pears a bewilderingly strange and most w onderful sightA sight fa re ly
staggering in its Amazing Effect!
A n Allegorical W onder which, thruout the ages, has only existed in
the imagination but which now appears real and alive! Yes, very much alive!
This strangest o f all freaks is known as a MermaidA F ISH WITH

A HUMAN H E A D !!!

A HUMAN HEAD OF THE FEM ALE S P E C IE S !!!

W h ile the Audience is w atching the p la y o f the fountain of blood

ta il o f a m onster fish is suddenly seen to appear flapping about in the
b o w l! This would seem the lim itbut w hat stage o f consternation do
you suppose the m ental fa c u lties o f the audience is throw n into when the

head o f the fish appears and rests its chin over the rim o f the bo-wl?
A ft e r an in terestin g and am using conversation between the p erfo rm er
and the Mermaid wherein comedy plays the leading p a rt the act closes
w ith a song by the MERMAID accompanied by the O rchestra.
D ear P ro fe sso r: Do you aspire to fame and a com petence1? W e ll, you
can easily achieve both. Get the above Illusion and stage i t th a ts all!
You have been calling y o u rse lf G reat fo r some time, now h a v e n t
yon p ro fesso r? V e ry w ell, now w hy not change things around and let
yo u r audiences daub you G reat, they w ill do it, i f you take our advise.
The above Illusion

GRAND DADDIES
OLD ARM CHAIR
OR
THE TRIPPLE MYSTERY
is, an Illusion o f the H igher order. The N ew E ra Q u ality and makes a
vaud eville act complete. W ill book yon across the continent and back as
a H ead-Liner, w ith as m any re tu rn dates as you w ant, and w ith in a y e a r
you w ill be g ettin g offers from G re at B rita in and oth er E uropean Coun
tries. So you w ill have no more tim e to hang around Booking Offices w a it
ing' fo r some vaud eville artists, to get sick and the tune th at magic is
d ea d , w ill sound to you like a comic song. M an uscript w ith p a tte r and
blue p rin t sketches w ill be furnished fo r $25.00. (A R E YTOU W I S E ? )

M AGICAL OVETTE, DUNDEE LA K E , NEW JE R SE Y .

W , S. S. Accepted,

W ATCH FOR THE FIRST R EAL BOOK ON AND ENTITLED

VAUDEVILLE MAGIC
By Magical Ovette,
and

D. J. Lustig (La Velma)

THE ONLY BOOK OF ITS KIND EVER WRITTEN.
A work fo r the Professional and Am ateur Magical Entertainer.
CHAPTERS-DEVOTED-TO-VAUDEVILLE

M AGIC;

SPIRITU ALISTIC-

EFFECTS and LATER D AY MENTAL-TELEPATHY.

A book th at w ill contain many tricks and cffects, each worth many tim es
the price of the work.
Address fo r particulars.
M AGICAL OVETTE, BOX 72, DUNDEE LAKE, N. J .

D. J. LUSTIG, (L A VELLM A), 207 MAIN ST., BRIDGEPORT, CONN.

 The House
Which Answers To The Call For
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BOOKS I D FACTS!

F I WARNING!

Owing to tlie b risk sale o f M agical O ve tte s new books THE M AGI
CIANS NEW FIELD and T R IC K E R Y T R IC K S - t h e firs t allotm ent
is now n ea rly sold o u t; and, owing to the u n w arran ted advance o f p ap er
stock, a raise in the price o f the books m ay be necessary in the n e a r fu tu re .
Y ou w ill w ant these books, and by ordering now you g et THE M A G I
C IA N S N E W F IE L D fo r $1.00 and T R IC K E R Y T R IC K S a t $.35, as
they s till go a t these prices as long as the present p rin t holds out.
Books a re the m ost economical means o f enriching y o u r store o f know
ledge. One item alone is often w orth more than the p rice o f a book. B u t w ith
O vettes bookswhich are not padded and which a re c h a ra c te ristica lly d if
fe r e n t there are v e ry few items indeed th a t are not w orth m ore than the
books cost. Subscribers are unstinted w ith th e ir p ra ise f o r O ve tte s books.
F o r in stan ce:
M r. T. Nelson w rite s : I have ju s t finished read in g y o u r bookfine,
d ifferen t; New F ie ld is right. S a y , do you know th a t T ellapathy
C a rd s on page 10 is im m ense?
Nemens w rite s : M agicians New F ie ld to hand and i t s ju s t the book
I ve been looking f o r .
M r, F. M. H adsell w rite s : I know o f nothing in which I could have
invested such a sm all sum and get such valuable retu rn s. " The M agicians
New F ie ld and T rick ery T ric k s are a monument to our beloved a r t, 'which
can develop such genius and o rig in a lity .
Louis C. H aley, A u th o r o f D ram atic A r t o f M agic, w rite s : R e e d
books; I was interested in several o f yo u r ideas. Noted card using 3 cards
is a dandy. R abbit fro m new spaper is 0 . K . fo r sim plicity, bowl to lan tern ,
a fine Hash effect, H unters Dream is a novel idea f o r hiding th e loads. H id
ing the birds in the feed holders is a splendid id ea and y o u r A e ria l M agic
as w ell.
! 1 1 114
D r. W ilson, Quod, A lpigeni, M oore, Hagen w r ite : The g reatest books
ever put on the m a rk e t.
(These a re f a i r sam ples o f the m any le tte rs received p ra isin g th e booka).
iltM A C r "

O V E T T E ,
D

u n d e e

L
*

a k e

^
N .J.