More Conjuring Part 1

More Conjuring.

by Hercat.

PREFACE

The t.i.tle of this little brochure indicates its contents. _Simple Tricks_ and simple tricks only. No apparatus is required and but little sleight-of-hand is needed in the performance of any of them. They consist of a series of tricks and problems, easily acquired, suitable for gatherings round the table on winter evenings. Some of them are new and many are old; but even the oldest are new to the rising generation.

For six of the latest tricks,--"A Hindoo Swindle," "The Elusive Match,"

"A Subtle Impromptu Effect with a Coin," "A Novel Card Effect," "An Artful Card Force," and "Another Easy Card Force,"--I am indebted to my friend Mr. F. Walford Perry, a thoroughly up-to-date and original young conjurer. As I have already said, I have included no tricks which require the exercise of much sleight-of-hand; but even the most simple trick should be thoroughly practised before you present it to your friends, especially those tricks which require the a.s.sistance of a confederate. Rehea.r.s.e everything with him thoroughly beforehand. Even your "patter" should be rehea.r.s.ed. But endeavour to lead your audience to believe that, like "Mr. Wemmick's" marriage, it is all impromptu. He said, "h.e.l.lo! here's a church. Let's have a wedding." You say, "Hand me that serviette ring and I'll show you a trick." If, when the contents of this little volume have been thoroughly digested, my readers desire to make a study of more advanced legerdemain, I recommend my _Conjuring Up to Date_, _Card Tricks with and without Apparatus_, and _Latest Sleights and Illusions_ to their notice.

For tricks which require apparatus my readers cannot do better than to send to Messrs. Hamley Bros., Ltd., 35, New Oxford Street, or one of their branches, for their Magical Catalogue.

_The Daily Telegraph_, in a recent article on "Magic Fifty Years Ago,"

used these words: "Hamleys' were then, as they are now, the premier manufacturers of magical apparatus." A statement which I cordially endorse. The apparatus sold by Messrs. Hamley Bros. is invariably reliable.

In conclusion I beg to offer my readers the following advice:--

Never state the nature of the trick you are about to perform.

Make it a rule never to repeat a trick the same evening unless you have acquired a different way of showing it. In fact, it is advisable to learn several methods of presenting the same trick.

Talk as much as possible and make your "patter" lively, but do not try to be funny unless you are naturally humorous; and, above all, avoid allusions to politics, religion, or any subject about which there may be a diversity of opinion among your audience.

HERCAT.

SIMPLE CARD TRICKS

AN EASY METHOD OF FINDING A SELECTED CARD

Throw the pack on the table and request some one to select a card. Then gather up the rest of the cards and request your friend to show his card to his neighbour, to avoid mistakes. While this is being done bend the pack slightly while pretending to shuffle it, and cause the card to be returned and the pack shuffled. The selected card can then be easily detected among the bent cards by its being perfectly straight. A good way to finish the trick is to bring the card to the top of the pack and cause it to project about an inch over the right side; cover the front end of the pack with your four fingers so that the edge of the projecting card is concealed, and, with your thumb at the other end, hold the pack firmly about eighteen inches above the table. Request the person who drew the card to call it by name. On this being done, drop the pack on the table, when the projecting card will be completely turned over by the air in its descent and lie perfectly square on the top of the pack. Another good finish is to bring the chosen card to the bottom of the pack, and requesting the person who selected it to hold the pack by pinching it tightly between his finger and thumb close to the corner, you give the pack a sharp rap, when all the cards will fall excepting the one chosen.

TO BRING A CHOSEN CARD FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE PACK AT ANY NUMBER REQUESTED

Ask a member of the company to take a card, look at it, and return it to the pack. Make the "pa.s.s" (_Hercat's Card Tricks_, p. 7); "palm" the card (_Card Tricks_, p. 18) and hand the pack to be shuffled. While this is being done transfer the palmed card to your left hand, and on receiving the pack back, place it over the concealed card, and tell the company you will produce the latter from the bottom of the pack at any number they may name. Supposing some one says, "Let it be the fifteenth card." You push the pack forward in your left hand, allowing the bottom card to project about an inch toward you, and proceed to draw out the cards above it with your right hand, one at a time, until the fourteenth is reached, when you push the bottom card forward and produce it as the fifteenth.

A CHOSEN CARD SHAKEN THROUGH A HANDKERCHIEF

Request a member of the company to select a card and return it to the pack, which you proceed to wrap up in a large pocket handkerchief, and on the person calling the card by name you shake the handkerchief and the selected card falls on the table.

EXPLANATION.--If you are not an adept at sleight-of-hand it is advisable to use a "forcing pack" which is composed of only three or four cards, of a kind (i.e. ten kings of hearts, ten five of spades, ten eight of diamonds, etc.) with backs to match your ordinary pack. If you can make the "pa.s.s" and can "palm" (_Hercat's Card Tricks_, pp. 7 and 18) the following is the correct _modus operandi_. On the card being returned to the pack, carry it to the top by the pa.s.s, palm it, and hand the pack back to be shuffled. Place the palmed card face upward on the left hand and cover it with a large white handkerchief, and cause the pack to be placed face down on the handkerchief exactly over the concealed card.

With your right hand throw the back hem of the handkerchief over the pack and with that hand grasp the four sides underneath. Then reverse the position of your hands, moving the right hand toward the right on top and taking the left hand away, which will leave the selected card concealed in the fold of the handkerchief (Fig. 1). Ask the person who took the card to name it and request it to leave the pack and pa.s.s through the handkerchief. When he does so shake the handkerchief gently and the card will slowly come into view. If you use a "forcing pack"

retain a duplicate of the card you intend to force; conceal it in your left hand and proceed as above described.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Fig. 1.

A SELECTED CARD FOUND IN A LIGHTED CIGARETTE

Roll a card, say the seven of hearts, in a cigarette paper and stuff a small piece of tobacco in each end. Have this in one of your pockets, where it will not get crushed, ready for palming. Previously arrange with a friend to act as your confederate, and request him when you ask him to select a card to take the duplicate of the one in the cigarette.

When ready to present the trick, hand the pack to your friend and ask him to shuffle it, select any card he likes, show it to his neighbour, replace it in the pack, and again shuffle the latter thoroughly. While this is in progress produce some tobacco and a cigarette paper and roll a cigarette, which subst.i.tute for the one prepared. If you are not an adept at palming I would suggest the following easy method: Lay your handkerchief across your knees, and on it place the prepared cigarette.

While reaching for a match, drop the cigarette you have just made on your lap, as if by accident, and pick up the one containing the card.

You can afterwards pick up your handkerchief and put it and the genuine cigarette in your pocket. You then light the prepared cigarette and ask your friend to hand you the pack and name his card; when he does so, tell him you will produce the card in any place he may name.

By previous arrangement he must say, "In the cigarette you are smoking."

You then pick up the pack and "ruffle" it over the cigarette; take the latter from your mouth, extinguish the fire, and tearing the paper in the centre, produce the seven of hearts from it.

A STICKING CARD

Obtain a short "drawing-pin" with a small head, and having painted the head black, stick it through the centre of the ace of clubs. Put this in your pocket and "force" another ace upon a member of the company. Hand the pack to the person upon whom you have forced the card, request him to replace it and shuffle the pack. Then take the pack from him, and as you turn your back slip the card with the pin through it on the top of the pack. Holding the pack in your right hand with its face toward the palm, ask your friend to name his card. When he does so throw the pack sharply against the door. The top card will be held there by the pin and the rest of the pack will fall on the floor.

This trick was shown by a conjurer before the late King Edward a few years ago, and His Majesty was reported in the daily papers to have expressed "great surprise."

TWO SELECTED CARDS CAUGHT IN THE AIR

Two cards are selected and returned to the pack, which you then make a pretence of shuffling, taking care not to lose sight of the chosen cards; "slip" (_Hercat's Card Tricks_, p. 10) one of the latter to the top of the pack and the others to the bottom face upward. Have a small piece of wax on your right finger and thumb and press the pack between them. Obtain the names of the selected cards, and then throw the pack in the air, moving your hand away quickly, with, of course, the selected cards sticking to your thumb and finger. As the cards descend thrust your hand in among them, and then, separating your thumb and finger, show the cards adhering to them, which you will appear to have caught.

AN EASY BUT PUZZLING TRICK

Any card may be drawn--not "forced"--and returned to the pack. In pretending to shuffle the cards, bring the selected card to the bottom of the pack, and then slip another card in front of it. Show your friend this card at the bottom and ask him if it is his. Of course he will say "No." Lower the pack, and with the fingers of your left hand draw the bottom card back about half an inch, and with your right hand draw out the next card--which is the one chosen--and place it face down on the table. Shuffle the pack and again show the bottom card, "Is this your card?" "No." "Then I will place this one on the table"--which you do.

Repeat this, and place a third card from the bottom of the pack on the table. Then say, "I am sure your card must be one of the three. No? Look and see for yourself." He turns the three cards over, and of course finds his card is one of them.

TRAVELLING CARDS

Give the pack to a member of the company, and request him to count off between twenty and forty cards, place the pack on the table, and hand the cards he has counted to you. You then hand the pile to a second person and request him to count off about one-third of the number, lay them in a pile on the table, and hand you the remainder, which you give to the first person, requesting him to place them in his pocket. Taking up the second pile, you request the second person to place it in his pocket. We will suppose the first person selected thirty and the second person abstracted ten cards from them, which should leave twenty now in the pocket of the former. Then announce your intention of causing a certain number of cards to leave the pocket of person number one and travel invisibly into the pocket of person number two. Open a pocket-handkerchief, and covering number one's pocket, flick it in the direction of person number two, exclaiming, "They have gone!" On the two piles being produced and counted, those from the pocket of number one person will number only fifteen, and the same number will be found in the second pile.

EXPLANATION.--When you receive the thirty cards from the first person, you palm off five or six cards (the number is immaterial) and retain them concealed in your hand, handing the remainder to the second person.

When he has counted off ten and placed them on the table, you take those that are left from him and hand them to person number one. When picking up the pile of ten from the table, while pretending to square it, you add the palmed cards and hand the pile thus increased to person number two. You must be careful not to allow the two persons to count the cards after the changes have been made. If you see they are inclined to do so, take the piles from them and place them in their pockets yourself.

TO NAME ALL THE CARDS IN THE PACK

Ask some one to shuffle the pack, and, on receiving it back, glance at the bottom card. Put the pack behind your back, and then turn the top card round with its face toward you; bring the pack in front of you, the bottom card facing the audience and the turned card facing you. Having already glanced at the bottom card, you can tell them its name, and you now know the card on top. Put the pack behind you again, and move the top card to the front, and turn the one now on top round. Again hold the pack up and name the front card, at the same time noting the card facing you. By repeating this process you can name all the cards in the pack.

Take care to have all your audience in front of you, or the turned card will be seen.

A NEW METHOD

Here is an absolutely new method of performing the same trick blindfolded, but with the aid of a confederate. You tell your friends that by placing your hands on a person's head you can see with his eyes.