Pages from conjuring tricks with dominoes dice balls hats etc also stage tricks

HOFFMAN'S TRICKS WITH T

CONJURING TRICKS WITH

DOMINOES, DICE, BALLS, HATS, Etc. ALSO

STAGE TRICKS From "MODERN MAGIC"

BY

PROFESSOR HOFFMAN Author of "Mora Magic," "Parlor AmuMcncnlB," ate

WITH 92 ILLUSTRATIONS

PHILADELPHIA

DAVID McKAY, PUBLISHER 604-8 SOUTH WASHINGTON SQUARK

PUBLISHERS' NOTE.

T H E present issue of PROFESSOR HOFFMANN'S MODERN MAGIC (which has

now reached its Eighth Edition, and still maintains its position as the leading authority on all branches of Conjuring) is designed to meet a frequently expressed desire for a more portable form of that work, and to enable the amateur who may be interested in any particular branch of the subject to study it with greater convenience.

The various Sections are as under.

I. CARD TRICKS. II. TRICKS WITH COINS, WATCHES, RINGS, AND HANDKERCHIEFS. I I I . TRICKS WITH DOMINOES, DICE, BALLS, HATS, ETC. ; ALSO STAGE TRICKS. IV. MISCELLANEOUS TRICKS.

N. B.—The Introductory Chapter, having a general application to the whole of the last three Sections, is, for the sake of completeness, repeated in each such Section.

CONTENTS. PAGB i

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER I. TRICKS WITH DOMINOES AND

DICE.

To Arrange a Row of Dominoes face downwards on the Table, and on returning to the Room to turn up a Domino whose points shall indicate how many have been moved in your absence To Allow any Person in your absence to arrange the Dominoes in a Row, face downwards, and on your return to name blindfold, or without entering the Room, the end numbers of the Row To Change, invisibly, the Numbers shown on either Face of a Pair of Dice .

To Name, without seeing them, the Points of a Pair of Dice

5

7 8 9

CHAPTER II. T H E CUPS AND BALLS.

Introductory Remarks Principles of Sleight of hand applicable to Ball Tricks— To Palm the Ball To Reproduce the Palmed Ball at the End of the Fingers To Secretly introduce the Palmed Ball under the Cup To Simulate the Action of Placing a Ball under a Cup To Produce a Ball from the Wand To Return a Ball into the Wand To Pass one Cup through Another Burlesque Address to the Spectators Pass I. Having Placed a Ball under each Cup, to draw it out again without Lifting the Cup Pass II. To make a Ball Travel invisibly from Cup to Cup Pass III. Having placed a Ball under each of the end Cups, to make them pass successively under the Middle Cup Pass IV. Having placed two Balls under the Middle Cup, to make them pass under the two Outer Ones , , , . . . , , iii

II 13 14 15 16 16 17 17 18 19 21 22 23

iv

CONTENTS. PAGE

Pass V. To pass three Balls in succession under One Cup Pass VI. To place three Balls one after the other upon the top of one of the Cups, and to make them fall through the Cup on to the Table . . . .

Pass VII. To pass three Balls in succession upwards through the Table into one of the Cups Pass VIII. To pass two Balls in succession from one Cup to another without touching them Pass IX. To make three Balls in succession pass under the Middle Cup . . .

Pass X. The " Multiplication" Pass Pass XI. To Transform the Small Balls to Larger Ones Pass XII. T o again Transform the Balls to slill Larger Ones

23 24 25 26 26 27 28 29

C H A P T E R III. BALL TRICKS REQUIRING SPECIAL

APPARATUS.

Further principles of Sleight of hand applicable to Ball Tricks— To Palm a Large Ball . . . . • • To Vanish a Large Ball with the aid of the Table The Ball Box The Red-and-Black-Ball Vases Morison's Pill-box The Ball which changes to a Rose The Obedient Ball CHAPTER HAT

33 34 35 36 38 40 41

IV.

TRICKS.

The Cannon-balls in the Hat Multiplying Balls The " Hundred Goblets " from a Hat A Dozen Babies from a Hat The Magic Reticules The Drums from the Hat The Birdcages from the Hat The Cake (or Pudding) in the Hat The Welsh Rabbit

44 47 48 49 49 50 51 52 S3

C H A P T E R V. STAGE

The Tables in use in Stage Tricks The " P l a i n " Trap The " W r i s t " or " Pressure " Trap The " Rabbit " or " Dove " Trap " C h a n g i n g " Traps . . , , ,

TRICKS.

57 57 58 61 62

CONTENTS.

V PAGE

The "Money" Trap "Pistons" (for working mechanical apparatus) " Bellows" Tables The Rabbit Trick The Fairy Star The Card Bouquet The Demon's Head The Magic Picture Frame The Flying Watches and the Broken Plate The Magic Picture and the Chosen Cards The Magic Portfolio The Glove Column The Vanishing Pocket-handkerchief, found in a Candle The Sphinx The Cabinet of Proteus The Indian Basket Trick Electrical Tricks The Light and Heavy Chest Spirit-Rapping The Magic Bell The Crystal Cash-Box The Magic Drum The Aerial Suspension

65 67 69 72 74 77 78 83 85 87 88 89 80 91 95 97 100 103 105 106 107 112 . US

CONJURING TRICKS WITH DOMINOES, DICE, BALLS, ETC. CHAPTER I. TRICKS WITH DOMINOES AND

Diet.

TO ARRANGE A ROW OF DOMINOES FACE DOWNWARDS ON THI TABLE, AND ON RETURNING TO THE ROOM TO TURN UP A DOMINO WHOSB POINTS SHALL INDICATE HOW MANY HAVE BEEN MOVED IN TOUR ABSENCE.—This is a capital drawing-room feat. You place a

row of twenty dominoes face downwards upon the table, avoiding as far as possible the appearance of any special arrangement, but nevertheless taking care that the points of the first domino (commencing from the left) shall amount to twelve, the points of the second to eleven, and so on, each decreasing by one point till you reach the thirteenth, which will be the double-blank. The points of the remaining seven are a matter of indifference. You now propose to give the company a specimen of your powers of clairvoyance, and for that purpose leave the room, first requesting the company to remove during your absence any number of dominoes (not exceeding twelve) from the right to the left hand of the row, in other respects retaining their order. On your return you advance to the table, and address the company to the following effect: " Ladies and gentlemen, as I have already told you, I have the privilege of possessing the clairvoyant faculty, and I am about to give you a specimen of my powers.

Now it would seem at first sight sufficiently surprising that I should be able merely to tell you the number of dominoes which have been moved in my absence, but that might be easily effected by confederacy, or many other very simple expedients. I propose to do much more than this, and to show you not only that I know the number that you have just displaced, but that I can read the dominoes before you as readily ia their present position as thougb