CLEVER NEW HANDKERCHIEF TRICKS PRICE ONE DOLLAR
ILLUSTRATED
PUBLISHED BY
COLLINS PENTZ MINNEAPOLIS, MINN., U. S. A.
CLEVER NEW HANDKERCHIEF TRICKS CONTAINING
TWENTY HANDKERCHIEF TRICKS
TAKEN FROM
THE EAGLE MAGICIAN
SIXTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS
PUBLISHED BY
COLLINS PENTZ MINNEAPOLIS, MINN., U. S. A.
FIRST EDITION COPYRIGHT 1935 BY
COLLINS PENTZ
PREFACE
Hand almost any magician a pack of cards, a coin or a cigarette and he will kindly oblige you with a few tricks with either item. Now we come to a horse of another color. Very few magicians will be able to show you a trick if you hand him a silk handkerchief. Why is this true of magicians? There is a reason. Card, coin and cigarette tricks have predominated in recent magic books and magazines, while the magician's old friend, the silk handkerchief has been almost forgotten. For this reason this book is being offered to magicians with the hope they will help put the handkerchief back in the magicians box of tricks. I can look back and remember how the old timers puzzled their audience with the production of bushels of beautiful silks. How many of us older magicians remember Harry Kellar and his beautiful silk productions? Feeling that this is an opportune time to give the magicians a book of practical handkerchief tricks I set about compiling this book from the best effects published in The Eagle Magician. I have selected 20 of the best tricks with 16 drawings to offer in this valuable book and I hope the readers will derive as much pleasure in receiving the book as I have in selecting the tricks you will find within its pages. I have tried to cover as large a field as possible of tricks for the parlor and stage that are really practical. All but one has been presented with much success by the inventors of the tricks. The book was advertised as containing but 18 tricks, but I have added two more. The Monoplanic Candle Trick was included as a good trick to work out, as I feel the idea is a good one. Vly only wish in closing is that the readers will welcome tiese tricks as an addition to handkerchief magic. Magically yours, COLLINS PENTZ
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CONCERNING SILKWORMS I read in a popular magazine that "Silkworms are not being produced in America that can spin threads of any desired hue, the coloring matter being inserted into the Silkworm's food." A number of more pertinent readers may be inclined to think to themselves, "Well, what about it!" "What if they can?" So to them I say, "Do you not think that this fact " ? " (you will note the query) would form a very suitable patter theme for an effect where the production of silk handkerchiefs take place?" Personally I think it does. In fact I really think it is worth an original effect, so here goes for an attempt. In my fancied effect I would have about seven or eight small bottles of colored powder resting in a row on a small stand. I would also have a small box, containing several Silkworms. (Not real ones, but artificial ones, made out of tissue paper.) One of the Silkworms would be taken out of the box and placed on a small square of glass. After pattering about the special food that it is necessary to feed these insects upon, the magician would ask what color they would like the worm to spin, and upon being notified the magician would pick up the bottle containing the selected color of powder and sprinkle the worm with it. Replacing the bottle the worm would be picked up and rolled between the hands, when it would gradually turn into a small handkerchief of the desired color. This could be repeated with one or two other colors to show the result of feeding them on the different colored powders. I spoke a little while ago about an original effect. I must apologize for I have just remembered that this effect and the method of its production is but another dressing to an effect of Burling Hull's, which is described under the heading of "The Spool Production Trick" in his "Modern Handkerchief Act." Looking at the drawing on the opposite page it will be seen that a faked bottle of powder is responsible for the production of the handkerchief. In reality the powder only occupies the top of the bottle and the bottle, which is bottomless with an inserted false bottom half way up, has a label right around the bottom half to mask this fact. A handkerchief, of the same color as contents in the top of the bottle,
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is rolled up and bound around the center with a piece of thread. On to this is tied a loop of fine catgut, just large enough for the little finger to slip through easy. All the bottles used are treated in this way, so that any color of silk called for may be produced. In working, one of the paper silkworms is taken out and placed on a square of glass. After having the color selected the bottle is picked up in the right hand, the little finger being slipped through the catgut loop, which projects, and underneath the bottle so that the handkerchief will not fall out. After pouring a little of the powder onto the silkworm, the bottle is taken with the left hand and placed back on the stand. This move leaves the performer with the selected handkerchief in his right hand as it is pulled out by the catgut loop attached to the little finger. It is now a simple matter for the magician to pick up the "silkworm" and develope the silk handkerchief by breaking the thread which keeps it bound. WONDERING HANDKERCHIEF In this trick a silk handkerchief is required, (preferably one of liberty silk) also two sheets of paper 9x12 (newspaper will do). Handkerchief is rolled between the palms into a small ball, then pretend to place it in the left, but it is palmed in the right. Left is now opened and shown empty, and then one of the pieces of paper is picked up and formed into a cone, leaving the handkerchief on the inside. Handkerchief is now shaken out as in the flower trick. Handkerchief is then placed back into the cone, and the cone rolled up into a ball and the whole vanished by a false palm as done before with the handkerchief. Picking up the other piece of paper, a cone is made and the ball of paper containing the handkerchief is left inside, and the top of the cone folded over, thus closing it completely. A hole is now torn through both papers (there appearing to be but one) and the handkerchief slowly pulled out. Paper is rolled up and thrown aside, taking care not to throw it near anyone for examination. This trick should be performed with moderate speed.