♦
■
«
T H E SECRET OUT.
T H E
SECRET OITT; OR,
ONE THOUSAND THICKS W IT H CARDS,
M
ntjjer Xlurentintis,
ILLUSTRATED W ITH OVER TH REE HUNDRED ENGRAVINGS.
A N D C O N T A IN IN G
CLEAR A N D COM PREHENSIVE E XPLA N A TIO N S IIOW TO PERFORM W IT H EASE, ALL THE CURIOUS CARD DECEPTIONS, AND SLEIGHT OF HAND TRICKS E X T A N T . W IT H AN ENDLESS V A R IE T Y OF E N T E R TA IN IN G E XPERIM EN TS IN DRAW IN G-ROOM OR W H ITE MAGIC, IN CLU DIN G THE CELEBRATED SCIENCE OF SECOND SIGHT. TOGETHER W IT H A CHOICE COLLECTION OF IN TRICATE AN D PU ZZLIN G QUESTIONS, AM USE MENTS IN CHANCE, N A T U R A L MAGIC, E tc., E tc., E tc.
By the Author of '‘ THE SOCIABLE; OR, ONE THOUSAND AND ONE HOME AMUSEMENTS,” “ THE M AGICIAN’S OWN BOOK,” ETC, ETC.
NEW YORK: DICK & FITZGERALD, PUBLISHERS. No .
18 A N N
STREET.
Entered, according to Act o f Congress, in the year 1859, by D IC K & F ITZG E E A LD , in the Clerk's Office o f the District Court o f the United States for the Southern District of New York.
PREFACE.
T iie author has no apology to make for the publication of this interesting volume.
The reason will be apparent upon the slightest inspection of the
table of contents.
It is one o f those peculiarly useful works which none,
however critical, can fail to appreciate. social circle.
It is a perfect desideratum for the
The writer fortunate enough to secure material so valuable to
every household as a source of never-ending and innocent amusement, would be unscrupulous indeed could he selfishly withhold it irom the public enjoy ment.
It is his duty, and it should be his delight, as an honest caterer for
the popular appetite, to exclude, if possible, more indifferent productions from convenient reach, by introducing at a proper pause in the literary ban quet some wholesome as well as attractive novelty.
A volume like this, cal
culated to carry merriment to every fireside, may surely lay claim to just such a character.
Then what is he but a public benefactor, who originates
it ? and what prouder reputation could integrity desire as a reward for its taste, its research, and its industrjr ? It may be said that cards are looked upon with considerable distrust by the circumspect members of society; but does not the objection exclusively apply, less to the pictured paper itself, which, for want of a better title, we call a “ card,” than its employment by unprincipled men in games of hazard and cupidity?
This book repudiates all such immoral associations.
designed for professional use, nor yet for illicit instruction.
It is not
A thorough scru
tiny will demonstrate, even to the satisfaction of the prejudiced, that it is not available for such purposes.
The primary object o f its preparation has been
to expand the narrow limit of unexceptionable family entertainment, and in cidentally to furnish both the cottage and the villa, the saloon o f the affluent and the sitting-room of the otherwise, with the means o f creating many a
VI
PREFACE.
joyous laugh at the expense o f anything but what is serious or reverent. Those, therefore, who very property contemplate a proficiency in games of cards as a somewhat apocryphal recommendation, can certainty discover nothing to reprehend in our rules for the clever performance o f simple tricks adapted only to parlor space and parlor resources. The author frankly owns his partial indebtedness in the composition of the present volume to the popular work entitled “ T h e S o c ia b l e ; sand
and
O n e A m u s e m e n t s .”
or,
O ne T h o u
lie also acknowledges that he has freely
availed himself, when necessary, of the pages o f “ T h e M a g ic i a n ’ s O w n B o o k ,” and many other works of similar character and value.
But he dis
tinctly claims three eminent qualities for T h e S e c r e t O u t , viz. : First.— That the greater portion of it is entirety original. Secondly.— That it is without a parallel in the world of books as a complete revelation of the rudiments and principle's o f “ Sleight of Hand,” as well as a thorough analysis.of the theory and practice of “ White Magic.” Thirdly.— That it is thoroughly unique in its lucid intelligibility, its choice variety of exercises, and its amplitude as a fund of harmless, domestic amusements. The language used to familiarize the reader with the voluminous list of recreations collected in this volume, is studiously plain, and the explanations are exceedingly minute. as innumerable.
The illustrations are singularly appropriate, as well
The most unlearned, therefore, may confidently count upon
performing with ease every feat indicated, provided he pay sufficient attention to the details of each, and acquire by habit the necessary dexterity.
The
common complaint o f amateurs that they are too vaguely instructed will not apply to T h e S e c r e t O u t .
It is especially practical.
The impatient, who
seek to accomplish too much at once, and the heedless who persist in deviating from the clearest instructions, are never remarkable for their triumphs in any quarter; but T h e S e c r e t O u t embraces no trick whatever— whether it be a Trick with Cards, or a Sleight of Hand Trick, a Trick with Appara tus, a Trick with Dominoes, a Trick in White Magic, or in Natural Magic, etc — which can be unsuccessfully attempted by ordinary intelligence, and with ordinary assiduity.
What more could be desired by the most exacting?
With this straightforward pledge o f his sincerity, the work is left to speak for itself with never-failing eloquence of entertainment and ability, by T he A uthor.
SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS,
In order to simplify the SECRET OUT, w e have ■classified the Tricks in the following ord er: P A R T I. T r ic k s w it h C a r d s p e r f o r m e d b y S k il f u l M a n ip u l a t i o n a n d S l e ig h t of H a n d .
P A R T II. T r ic k s p e r f o r m e d b y t h e a i d o f M e m o r y , M e n t a l C a l c u l a t io n , a n d r nE P e c u l i a r A r r a n g e m e n t o f t h e C a r d s .
PA R T III. T r ic k s w it h C a r d s p e r f o r m e d b y t h e a i d of C o n f e d e r a c y a n d s h e e r A u d a c it y .
P A R T IV. T r ic k s p e r f o r m e d b y t h e a id o f I n g e n io u s A p p a r a t u s , a n d P r e p a r e d Ca r d s
PA R T V. T r ic k s of L e g e r d e m a in , C o n ju r in g , S l e ig h t P a n c ie s , c o m m o n l y c a l l e d W h it e M a g ic .
of
H and, and
oth er
PA R T V I. T r ic k s in W h it e M a g ic , p e r f o r m e d b y t h e a id o f I n g e n io u s C o n t r i v a n c e , a n d S im p l e A p p a r a t u s .
PA R T V II. N a t u r a l M a g ic , o r R e c r e a t io n s in S c ie n c e , E m b r a c in g C u r io u s A m u s e m e n t s in M a g n e t is m , M e c h a n ic s , A c o u s t ic s , C h e m is t r y , H y d r a u l ic s , a n d O p t ic s .
PA R T V III. Miscellaneous Tricks. A
C u r io u s C o l l e c t io n o f E n t e r t a in in g E x p e r im e n t s , A m u s in g P u z Q u e e r S l e ig h t s . I n c l u d in g t h e C e l e b r a t e d S c ie n c e of S e co n d S ig h t , R e c r e a t io n s in A r it h m e t ic , a n d F ir e s id e G a m e s f o r F a m i l y P a s t im e .
zles,
'
I
N
D
PAGE
E
X
.
PAGE
one which the Audience shall freely 5 E le c t,.................................................... 38 7 To foresee a Person’ s thoughts; shown 9 by putting into the Pack a Card 15 chosen beforehand at Hazard, in the place and at the number that one of the Company may desire a moment PA R T I. afterwards,...........................................39 To have a Card drawn, shuffle it with the others, and after having shown bricks foiilj Carbs bg Sleight of that it is neither at the Top nor the Bottom, make it remain alone in the lanb. left Hand, all the others being pre cipitated on the Table by a blow from the right H a n d ,........................ 41 On the Origin of C a rd s,....................... 17 To make the Pass with both hands, . 19 To make the four Kings appear in the middle of the Pack, although they To make the Pass with one hand, . . 22 have been placed in different parts, . 43 The False Double Shuffle, or Four Me To Prove the Imprudence of Playing thods o f shuffling Cards in such a at Triumph with Persons of Ques manner as always to keep one cer tionable Character,............................ 45 tain Card at the Top or Bottom o f the To Guess a Card Thought of, . . . . 45 Pack.......................................................24 To Exchange a C a r d ,.................................. 27 The Shifting C ard ,....................................... 48 To Slip a C a r d ,............................................ 23 To find, in a Pack put into the Pocket, several Cards which have been freely To Carry off a C a r d ,...................................29 selected by the Audience, . . . . 48 To Place a Card............................................. 30 The Magical S l i p , ....................................... 49 How to Force a Card,............................ 31 50 Explanation of the Long Cardj . . . 32 To Knock a Card through a Table, . . To make a Card disappear in an in Four Good Methods of Ending a Card stant, ...........................................................52 T ric k ,................................................... 33 The Card under a Handkerchief disco The Surprise,.......................................... 33 vered by the Sense of Touch. An The Devolution, or Turn Up, . . . . 33 other M e t h o d , ....................................... 54 The Nailed C a r d , .................................34 The Four Transformed Kings, . . . 55 The A m a z e m e n t,................................ 34 The Erratic C a r d ,........................................56 To tell beforehand the Card which any The Four Confederate Cards, . . . . 57 one may ch o o s e ,................................ 35 The Magical T r i o , ....................................... 57 When a Card has been drawn at Hazard, To Transform a Card which has been and mixed in with the others by one Seen into a Different One, . . . . 5S of the Spectators, to cause it to be Another Method to Name what Card a found on the Top or in the Middle of Person has Drawn from a Pack, . . 59 the Pack, as may be desired by the 36 To Find in the Pack, and through a A u d ie n c e ,...................................... Handkerchief, whatever Card a Per To have a Card Drawn at Hazard ; and son has D r a w n ,....................................... 59 having Divided the Pack into Four The Magical Metamorphosis, . . . . 25f Parts, to have it Discovered in that
P reface,.................................................... Synopsis of Contents,........................... I n d e x , ..................................................... General Eules for Amateurs, . . . .
IN D E X .
X
PA R T II.
PAGE
in Four Rows, so that there will be in neither Row Tw o Cards of the same CLrtchs îdïîït Æarbs, J^rfornub bg Value, nor Two of the same Suit, whether counted Horizontally or Perpendicularly,................................. 90 the aib of P^m nrg, ite. PAGE The Poetical Confederates, . . . . . 92 The Mystic Courts of Zoroaster. . . . 94 To Guess a Card thought of by Anyone, The Chosen One of Forty-eight Discov and to name its Position in the Pack, CO ered, .................................................... 95 in A d v a n c e , ...................................... Permutation Table for Cards, . . . . 394 To Guess the Spots on Cards at the Bottom of Three Packets, which have 61 been made by the Drawer, . . . . To tell the Amount o f the Numbers of any two Cards drawn from a com PAR T III. 62 mon P a c k ,........................................... To tell the Amount of the Numbers of Triebs irritlj C hlòs |krformcb bg any Three Cards that a Person shall 63 draw from the Pack, ........................ ¿Uibrtciig. 64 The Charmed T w e l v e ,........................ 65 The Shuffled S e v e n ,............................. 97 65 To Call for any Card in the Pack, . . The Trick of T h ir ty -O n e ,................... To Make Another Person Draw the Like with Like, or How to Keep a Cards you call f o r , .............................97 66 H otel,.................................................... 67 To name the Cards of a Pack concealed The Queens Digging for Diamonds, under a H a n d k e r c h ie f,................... 98 63 The B u r g l a r s ,...................................... To Call the Cards out o f the Pack, . . 100 To Place Four Knaves Cards One upon A New Method to Name all the Cards Another, so that the Upper Half of in Succession without Seeing them ,. 100 69 Each Card only is visible, . . . . To Discern one or more Drawn Cards, 101 To name the Thirty-two Cards of The Knaves and Constable, . . . . 101 the Pack as used in the Game of 69 To show a Card now on the Top, and E u c r e , ................................................ now at the Bottom of the Pack, . . 102 To name all the Fifty-two Cards of a 71 To bring a Card which has been thrown P a c k ,.................................................... •out of the W indow into the Pack To make a Person believe you can Dis again. The same Trick in another 73 tinguish the Cards by their Smell, . M anner,....................................................102 A Pack of Cards being Divided into The same Trick in a still more surpris two Parts; to Discover whether the ing m a n n e r ,.......................................... 102 73 Number in each be Odd or Even, The Double C onfederates,....................... 103 To tell the Number of Spots on Several 74 The Card in the Pocket-Book, . . . 104 Cards which any Person has Chosen, Of Twenty-five Cards laid in five rows To Name the Card which Lies in Front 74 upon a Table to name the one of a Card just D ra w n ,........................ touched,....................................................104 The Best Card Trick Known, To Tell To Conjure a certain Card into your the W hole Pack of Cards with the P o c k e t ,....................................................104 Backs towards y o u ; also to sort Of Two Rows of Cards to Tell the One them, after being Cut any Number which has been Touched,....................... 105 of times, in the mere act of Dealing 74 To Produce a Required Card from your them out in a K o w ,............................ 76 Pocket, . ................................................. 105 To Name the Cards by their Weight, . 73 A New Method to tell a Card by its The Dishonest S ervant,........................ 80 W e ig h t,....................................................106 To Guess the Card thought of, . . . To Tell through a Wine-Glass what To Tell the Card thought of in a Cir Cards have been Turned,....................... 106 81 cle of T e n , ........................................... The W indow T r i c k , .................................106 To Guess which of Twenty-four Cards 82 The Card of one Color found in a Pack have been noted,................................. 83 of the o t h e r , .......................................... 107 W ho has the Best Husband? . . . . 85 To Name Several Cards which have The Card Told by the Opera Glass, . . been Drawn out of a Pack vThich has 87 The Circle of Fourteen Cards, . . . been Divided into Two Heaps, . . 107 87 To Reveal a Person’ s Thoughts, . . . To find a Certain Card after it has been To Guess the Cards which four Persons 90 Shuffled in the P a c k , ............................ 107 have fixed their Thoughts upon, . . On Entering a Room to Know of Three To place Twelve Cards in such a man Cards, placed Side by Side, Avhich ner that you can count Four in every have been Reversed; that is to say, 90 . d ir e c t i o n ,................................. : Turned Upside D o w n , ....................... 103 How to Arrange the Twelve Picture The Four K i n g s , ......................................108 Cards and the Four Aces o f a Pack
PA R T IV.
PAGE
To let a Person draw out of one Pack the same Card which has been drawn Tricks ¡pcrformcb Iw % ¿Ub of by another Person out of another P a c k ,........................................................ 138 tBrraarcb (Ürirbs. To find a certain Card by merely cut ^ PAGE ting the Pack, . . . . . . . . 138 How to Guess a Card, and then to pro To make the King o f Hearts change duce it from your Pocket, . . . . 139 into an Ace o f Clubs, and vice versa, 109 To Show in your Hand a Card that you The Changing C a r d ,.............................110 have just thrown out of the Window, 140 To make Several People draw Cards To Pick out a Card Blindfold and in a which they will themselves replace in the Pack, and to find them again, 111 particular Order,..................................... 140 The Card in the E g g ,.................................141 To Separate the Red from the Black A Chapter Explaining Marked Cards, . 141 Cards o f a Pack by a Single Draw, . I l l Mode of Printing a Card on a Hand After having Divided a Pack into Three kerchief, ............................................... 398 Parts to Find a Card which has been Drawn in any One of the Three you C h o o s e ,.................................................... 112 The Card Thought of, with its Number in the P a c k , ...........................................113 PA R T V. The Card in the R i n g , ............................ 113 To make several Cards which have been (iridis of Conjuring, anb SIrigljt Drawn from a Pack Reappear in a Spyglass or Telescope,............................114 of |panb. To discover, at the Sword’ s point, and with Eyes bandaged, a Card which has been Drawn from a Pack, . . . 114 Preliminary Observations and Expla nations, ................................................146 The Vital C a r d s , ..................................... 115 Cup and Ball T r ic k s ,.............................147 Manner of Changing the Card in a Per The Mode of Conjuring the Ball, . . 148 son’ s Hand, while Recommending . . . . . 151 Him to Cover it C losely,....................... 119 Tricks with one Ball, To put a Ball under each Cup and with Mode of Preparing Pitch-Powder for draw i t , ................................................151 the Foregoing T r i c k , ............................ 120 The Card Changing in the Hand, . . 120 To make a Ball pass into Each of the Cups, and withdraw it again, . . . 153 To cause a Card which has been Burnt to appear in a W a tc h ,............................ 121 To Conjure a Ball through two or three C u p s,........................................................ 154 The Fifteen Thousand Livres, . . . 122 To make the same Ball pass from Cup Manner of Making a Card Pass from to C u p , ....................................................154 one Hand to A nother,............................ 123 The Cups being covered, to make the To Make a Mouse, or any similar Thing, Ball pass from one to the other, with come out o f a Pack of Cards, . . . 124 out raising t h e m , .................................155 The Torn Card R e s t o r e d ,....................... 125 The Burnt Card R e sto re d ,....................... 123 To make a Ball pass through the Table and two Cups, .................................156 To Change Five Kings into Five Queens, 129 A Trick with an Incombustible Card, . 130 To take a Ball from one Cup, and make it pass between two others, . . . . 156 To let a Person draw a Card which he 157 cannot n a m e ,.......................................... 131 Trick with a Ball and Dime, . . . . A Card Changed under a Hat, . . . . 131 To Make Two Balls, Placed under Two Cups, Pass under a Third, . . . . 157 A New and Capital Method to find out a certain Card by means o f a Die, . 131 Two Balls having been placed under one Cup, to make them pass under The Marching C a r d , ......................... 132 the other T w o , ..............................15S The Same Trick in a Neater Manner, . 132 To Guess Several Drawn Cards, . . . 133 To make three Balls pass under one C u p , ................................................. 159 Hold it F a s t,...................................... . 133 To make Two Balls pass from one Cup To prevent any one from Drawing a to another without Touching either Card which you hold up plainly be of th e m ,............................................159 fore H i m , ....................................... 134 To make Three Balls pass under one The Card Changed by W ord of Com Cup from underneaththe two others, 160 mand...................................................135 The Conjuror's Multiplication o f Balls, 161 The Whimsical C a r d s ,.................... 135 To make a Ball pass under each Cup, . 162 To Throw a Pack of Cards upon the |To Draw two Balls out of the same Floor in such a W ay that they will I C u p , .................................................162 keep together until they reach the Floor, ....................................................137 To make the same Ball pass succes sively through the three Cups, . . JOS To Guess Four Drawn Cards from a Mirror, .................................................... 137 To make the Balls placed under Two
PAGE
PAGE
Cups pass under the Third, without raising the fo r m e r ,......................... 164 To make the Three Balls pass consecu tively through each Cup, . . . . . 164 The Balls, having been replaced in the Conjuror’ s Bag, to make them return under the C u p s ,.............................. 165 To make the Balls pass through Two C u p s,................................................. 165 To Draw out Three Balls through Two C u p s,.................................................166 To make Three Balls pass, at one Stroke, through a C u p , ..............................166 To make Three Balls pass from one Cup to a n o th e r,.............................. 167 To make the Balls change Color,. . . 16S To make the Balls change Sizes, . . . 168 To make the Balls pass from One Cup to another,........................................169 To Pretend to pull a little Ball out of the end of a W and,..........................170 To make a Ball Y an ish ,.....................172 To find a Ball under a Cup which was before E m pty,..........................................173 To make the Audience think there is nothing under one of the Cups, al though there are, in fact, Several Balls under i t , ................................................... 174 To make Two Cups pass the one into the o t h e r , ...............................................175 To make the Balls which were under a Cup Disappear without Touching th e m ,........................................................ 176 To find a Large Ball or an Orange under a Cup,........................................................177 To make believe that there is Nothing under the Cups, although there is a Large Ball under E a c h , ....................... 178 To Metamorphose Large Balls into Sponges, Wigs, and Night Caps, . .- 179 How to Palm C o i n , ................................ 179 The Magic Coin,..........................................180 To Untie a Double Knot without Touching i t , ..........................................181 Knocking’ the Head against a Door, . 182 To bring Two Separate Coins under one H and,........................................................ 1S3 The Dancing Quarter, or a Ballet in a VTin e -G la s s ,.......................................... 1S4 The Invisible C o i n , ................................ 185 The Magic H a n d k e rch ie f,.......................1S6 How to make a Coin stick against the W a ll,........................................................ 189 The Knife in the Decanter. An Amus ing Manner of Passing the Time be tween Dinner and Dessert, . . . . 189 The Dancing E g g , ..................................... 190 The Disappearing Dim e,............................192 The Melting C o in ,..................................... 193 The Coin in the Wine-Glass, . . . . 195 A Wonderful Excuse that m aybe of fered for a piece o f Awkwardness. The Balls passing under a Plate, . . 196 The Coffee C u p s , ..................................... 193 The Dice, or a Pleasant Manner of Put-
ting an End to a Game of Backgam mon, ........................................................ 199 The Blindfold Sorcerer, a Trick with D i c e ,.........................................................202 Blindman’ s Buff with Dominoes, . . 203 The Domino O r a c le ,.................................204 Dominoes Seen and Counted through all O bstacles,.......................................... 205 Extremes, or how to Guess the Two Ends o f a Line o f Dominoes, . . . 207 A Droll Drawing-Eoom Scene, . . . 208 The Needle and Thread Trick, . . . 208 The Thumb and String Tri ck, . . . . 209 To Pull a String through your ButtonHole, ............................." ....................210 To cause a Dime to Disappear in a G lass,................................................. 211 The String and the S t i c k , ................ 212 How to Strike the Knuckles without Hurting Them, . . . . . . . . 213 Deceptive V i s i o n ,.............................. 214 The Magic Band................................... 214 To Swallow a Barber’ s Pole, . . . . 216 The Hat and Quarter Trick, . . . . 217 Conjuring a B i n g ,...............................218 Magic M o n e y , ................................... 219 The Vanishing D im e,................................. 220 The String and C o r a l s ,............................220 The “ Twenty Cent” T rick,....................... 222 The Book and Key O racle,....................... 223 To make a Dime pass through a Table, 224 The Restored R i b b o n , .....................225 To Remove a K ey from a Double String which is held in a Person's two Hands, without his being able to pre vent i t , .............................................225 To eat a Peck of Paper Shavings, and convert them into a Ribbon, . . . 227 To make a Dime V a n i s h , ................ 228 The Wonderful I l a t , .................................229 The Magnetized C a n e , ............................ 229 An Amusing Trick for the DrawingRoom, and a Good Subject for a W a g e r ,.............................................230 To Lift three Matches with o n e ,. . . 231 The Old lilan and the Pound of Can dles...................................................... 231 The Interlaced F in g e rs,............................ 236 The Confederate C o i n , ............................ 238 The Disentangled Scissors,....................... 238 How to Drop a Tumbler on the Floor without Breaking i t , ..................... 239 The String and Nose Tricks,. . . . 240 The Magical Knot................................ 241 The Dagger Sleight, or how to make Three Wafers Yanish and Reappear again ,................................................. 242 The Mysterious R e l e a s e , ....................... 243 The Separated Corks................................... 245 The Ribbon R e l e a s e d ,............................ 247 The H a n d cu ffs,.......................................... 24S The Vanished Pencil...................................250 IIow to Pass a Thread through the Eye of a Needle several Times, . . . . 251 The Post and String T rick.,. . . . 253
PAGE
PACE
Wards Oppressed by Cruel GuarThe Pirate and the Yankee Sailors, a dians, ................................................804 Nautical T r i c k , ............................. 253 Fishing, with a Net, on a Table, . . . 307 The Thumb S t r i n g , ........................ 256 The Magical Metamorphosis,. . . . 25T The Miraculous Post; or, W inged E x presses, ............................................... 309 The Double Half Hitch Trick, . . . 258 A Trick by which we learn that it is less difficult to make Pure Wine than to drink i t , ...............................................810 A Trick by which wo show that a PA R T VI. Watch is to be Ground in a Mortar, 311 Bice, Coffee, and Dried Peas, . . . . 313 (Zürichs et formet! bg fije of A Die which will pass anywhere, . . 315 Useless Precautions ; or, the Enchanted Box............................................................. 317 The Feather Turned Confectioner, . . 318 The Pepper-box Trick, . . . . . . 261 A Musician in a Dollar Piece, . . . . 320 The Celebrated Nut Trick, . . . . • 262 Droll Result of an Unfortunate Blun The Bag of E g g s , .............................• 264 der. The Ball and the Handker A Handkerchief Marked, Torn, and chief, ........................................................ 322 M ended,....................................................266 The Box of Hot C o ffe e ,............................324 A Watch Pounded in a Mortar, . . . 26T An Omelette in a H a t , ............................827 The Box of Eggs or B a l l s ,....................... 268 Another Method o f Performing the Last The Parlor B oom eran g,............................ 269 Trick. An Omelette Cooked in a Hat The Quarter Changed to a Cent, . . . 2T0 over the Flame of a Candle, . . . 328 To Pierce the Arm with a Knife, with The Mysterious Disappearance of Mr. out injuring One's s e l f , ....................... 271 B on b on ,....................................................330 The Magic B o x e s ,......................................272 The Boxes of M i l l e t ,.................................273 The Manner of making a Bing change Hands, and pass on to any Finger PART V II. you please of the opposite H and,. . 275 A Pass Trick with Dice and Coun ters, .........................................................276 ïlninral Üïagic; or, ^creations iti To Pass Six Cents through a Table, . 279 Sciente. Mysterious Coin, or how to make Cents Pass through a Wine-Glass, a China Fireside M esm erism ,.......................... 331 Plate, a Table, and Fall into the H a n d , .................................................... 281 Hearing with the T e e t h , ................ 832 To Baise Fire by Command, . . . . 333 The Glass of Claret Changed into a Shower of Bose L e a v e s ,....................... 2S2 To Light a Candle without Touching the W i c k , ........................................ 334 The Cone, or Skittle; a Secret for amus To Place a Glass o f Water in such a ing a great many people with a Pa Position that no one can Bemove it per H o r n , ............................................... 283 without Upsetting i t , ..................... 334 Pile or Cone: a much more amusing Game than that of Heads or Tails, . 2S5 The Hat D e c e p t io n ,..........................335 The Magic S a lv e r,......................................286 Fire upon I c e , ....................................336 How Two and Two make Eight, . . 286 To set a Combustible body on Fire by the Contact o f Cold Water, . . . . 336 To Change a Dime to a Quarter, . . . 288 The Bing and the Handkerchief, . . 2S9 To make W ine or Spirits Float on W a t e r , ............................................ 336 The Miniature Taglioni,...................... 290 The Magic E g g ,................................... 337 The Pigeon’ s N e s t , ........................... 291 Which is the Boiled E g g ? ................ 337 The Inseparable Sticks, or the Cut String R estored,......................................293 Musical Flame, . • ......................... 338 The Feather Trick Explained, . . . 295 To Balance a Stick upon the edge of a Glass o f W i n e , ...............................339 To .make a String appear Black and White A lternately,.................................296 To Stand an Egg U p rig h t,................ 340 The Doubled Coin,.............................. 340 To Pass a Quarter into a Ball of W o r s t e d , ............................................... 296 To burn a Poker in the Candle, . . . 340 What a Glassful of Water will Hold, . 341 The Eatable Candle E n d s ,................. 297 The Burned Handkerchief Bestored, . 298 To Baise up a Heavy Metal Mortar, or the like, with a W ine Glass, . . . 342 The Wizard’ s Chain...............................299 The Gold Fish in a Vase of Ink, . . . 300 Magic M i l k , ........................................343 The Inverted Glass of W ater,. . . . 344 A Garden and an Arsenal contained in a H a t , ....................................................302 The Balanced C o i n , ......................... 345 The Magic Coffee P o t , .....................346 A Trick Intended for the Service of
Simple apparatus.
X IV
IN D E X . VAGE
The Gong P o k e r ,......................................347 To place Water in a Drinking-Glass upside d o w n ,..........................................348 The Revolving I m a g e , ............................849 Fire by P e r c u s s io n ,................................ 350 To put a Lighted Candle under Water without Extinguishing it, . . . . 351 The Immovable C a r d , ............................352 An Amusing R e c r e a t io n ,....................... 352 Inexplicable Motion and Sound, . . . 352 Curious Effects of Oil upon Water, and Water upon O i l ,..................................... 353 Another Curious Experiment with Oil and W ater,............................................... 354 The Mechanical Bucephalus, . . . . 354 Solid Steel will Float upon Water, . . 856 A Mariner’s Compass made on a Lady’ s T h i m b l e , ............................................... 356 Magical In c r e a s e ,......................................357 The Balanced T u r k , .................................857 The Real W ill-o’-the-Wisp, . . . . 358 Curious M o t i o n s ,..................................... 359 The Man in the M o o n , ............................ 360 The Mimic Vesuvius,.................................360 The Revolving S yph on,............................ 362 The Mimic Gas H o u s e ,............................ 863 A Flying T o y , .......................................... 364 The Revolving Serpent,............................365 The Ring Suspended by a Burnt T h r e a d ,................................................... 366 The Spanish D a n c e r,................................ 366 The Funny F u n n e l , .................................367 Manner of Melting Steel and Seeing it L iq u ify ,....................................................368 A Trick by Means o f which you Change the Color of the Plumage of a Bird, or the Petal of a F low er,....................... 369 A Magic Picture, representing alter nately Summer and Winter, . . . 369 A Color which you can cause to Appear and D isa p p e a r ,..................................... 370 The Magic P o r t r a it ,................................ 370 To Draw Two Figures with Charcoal on a Wall, so that one will Light a Taper, and the other Extinguish i t , ............................................................. 371 A Vessel that will let Water out at the Bottom, as soon as the Mouth is un corked, ................................................... 371
PA R T V III.
pisccllanrons Erichs. PAGE
The Magic P u r s e ,......................................872 To Place Seven Counters upon an Eight-pointed S ta r,................................ 373 The Twelve-cornered Arithmetical S t a r , ........................................................ 374 The Secret of Clairvoyance or Second Sight, ....................................................375 The Oval P u z z l e ,......................................380 The Magical Arrangement,....................... 381 How to Cut a Visiting Card for a Cat to Jump through i t , ............................ 382 The Board and B a l l , .................................882 To Tell a Person any Number he may privately fix o n , ..................................... 388 The Cypher P u z z l e ,................................. 3S4 The Remainder,.......................................... 884 The S p h y n x ,............................................... 585 The Crowning P u z z l e ,............................ 386 The Carpenter P u zzled ,............................ 886 The Magic Star,.......................................... 387 The Row of F ig u res,................................ 389 The Board and R i n g s , ............................ 3S9 Key, Heart, and A rrow ,............................ 390 The Perplexed C arpenter,................... 392 . Scraps for the C u r io u s ,............................ 892 To find Six times Thirteen in Twelve, 393 A very Pretty, and Hitherto Unknown, Game at Cards, called T ontine, with which a large Party may be Amused, 393 To make a Straw Cross Turn, by Pouring on it Two or Three Drops of W a t e r , ....................................................394 Permutation T a b l e , .................................394 An Extremely Amusing Trick, . . . 395 Peculiar Properties of the Numbers 37 and 7 3 , ................................................ 395 Two Dice being thrown on the Table, to find out the Spots on them with out Seeing them ,..................................... 396 To Show some Worms in a Bottle after having put into it Earth and W a t e r , ....................................................396 Piquet on Horseback,.................................397 Mode o f Printing a Card on a White Handkerchief,.......................................... 898
TH E SECRET OUT; O R,
ONE THOUSAND TRICKS W IT H CARDS, 2 lutr otljcr
Uccrcations.
General Rules for Amateurs.
I. Never give any warning of the trick you are about to perform; lest the spectator, prepared for the effect which you desire to produce, should have sufficient time to guess the cause. II. Whenever it is possible to do so, be prepared with several means of performing the same trick ; so that if any of the spec足 tators should chance to guess one, you may be able to employ another and totally different method of arriving at the same conclusion, thus leading the audience to believe that no discovery had really been made. III. Never do the same trick twice over; in doing so you violate the first and leading rule for success : since the spectators will be prepared for the effect you desire to produce. IV. If you are requested to repeat a trick, never refuse pointblank to do so ; as this would excite a suspicion of the slenderness of your resources : but tell the audience you will exhibit it in another form, which will, of course, prevent them from insisting further. You will then perform one which has some direct or indirect connexion with it. You may then say that it is the same trick, performed by the same means, but exhibited under a different aspect. This artifice rarely fails of producing an effect. Y . If you continually perform only sleight-of-hand tricks, which depend entirely for their success on the nimbleness of the fingers,
the spectators, continuing to see the same gestures, may be enabled, at last, to comprehend your movements. Perform them in suc cession, sleight-of-hand tricks, tricks with apparatus, and in natural magic, so that the spectator may be puzzled by seeing constantly the same effects, though produced by different causes. VI. Whatever means you may choose to employ, to produce any given effect, manage, by some artifice, to induce the spectators to fancy, naturally, and without apparent effort on your part, that you are employing some other. If, for instance, it is a trick with apparatus that you are showing, endeavor to make them believe that it is possible to effect it by dexterity only. If, on the other hand, it is a sleight-of-hand trick, it must be your aim to appear awkward and clumsy. VII. If you are performing before a small circle composed of people too indolent to take the trouble of thinking, there will be no harm in exhibiting old tricks as well as new ones; and the simple as well as the complicated. But if you are to amuse a large party, among whom may be found, probably, many wellinformed people, you must be careful not to give, as novelties, tricks which have already been explained in books. VIII. If you are unable to invent any tricks, at least endeavor to discover novel modes of performing them ; so as to give to even old and well known tricks an appearance of freshness, from the new aspects under which they are exhibited. IX . However wonderful may be your performances, be careful to avoid arrogating to yourself any marvellous or supernatural powers. That which is extraordinary, however, in accordance with the laws of nature, will be quite as amusing to people of education and sense, as the miraculous would be to the illiterate. X . Never do a trick without being prepared with replies to any rational objections that may be made to it. X I. Avail yourself adroitly of every chance, and of the different degrees of credulity that will— so to speak— come beneath your fingers. Opportunities for success occur constantly in the career of a conjuror, as in every other in life; but it is only people of sense and tact who know how to profit by them.
P
T
I .
TRICKS W IT H CARDS PERFORMED B Y SKILFUL MANIPULATION, OR SLEIGHT OF HAND. On the Origin of Cards.
really invented cards, and when they were invented, are, in fact, mysteries, though France claims the honor, and so does Spain. Possibly playing-cards originally came from Egypt. Some investigators adopt this notion. They assert that the colors, red and black, are typical of the two equinoxes; that the four suits answer to the four seasons; that there formerly were, and still are, in Spain, for the heart, a cup, the emblem of winter— for the spade, an acorn, the emblem of autumn— for the club, trefoil, the emblem of summer, and the diamond, a rose, the emblem of spring. The twelve court cards are supposed to refer to the twelve months, and were formerly depicted as the signs of the Zodiac. The fifty-two cards answer to the number of weeks in a year. The thirteen cards in each suit make the number of weeks in a lunar quarter. The aggregate of the pips amounts to the number of days in a year. The supposition that cards were invented for the amusement of Charles V I. of France, when he was deranged, is based, we believe, altogether on the authority of an entry in the account-book of that monarch’s treasurer, which exhibits a payment of fifty-six sols of Paris to Jacquemin Gringonneur, painter, for “ three packs of cards gilded and painted of divers colors for the diversion of his majesty.” But they might have been anv other kind of cards, and Gringonneur may never W
ho
have dreamed of being an inventor. Baron Heinekin claims the invention for Germany. He says that cards were known there as early as 1376 ; and the game of “ four kings” is mentioned by an English author in 1377. The chief argument against the great antiquity of playing-cards is drawn from the want, of proper paper for their fabrication. It was the middle of the fourteenth century before paper from linen rags was manufactured. Still, cards might have been made, originally, from some other material. It is supposed that, in playing-cards, the four suits were origi nally designed to represent the four states, or classes of men in the kingdom. By the Cæsars, hearts, are meant the Gens de Chœur, choirmen, or ecclesiastics. The Spaniards, who borrowed cards from the French, have therefore coppes or chalices, instead of hearts. The nobility, or military men of the kingdom, were represented by the ends or points of lances or pikes, and our ignorance of the resemblance induced us to call them spades. The Spaniards have swords, spados, in lieu of pikes. W e may have borrowed our name from the sound of this Spanish word. By diamonds, are designed the order of citizens, merchants, and tradesmen. The trefoil leaf, or clover grass (corruptly called clubs), alludes to the husbandmen and peasants. The Spaniards use the figure of a stave or club, lastos. The four kings were intended to represent the Jewish, Greek, Roman, and Frankish monarchies. By the queens, are intended Argine, Esther, Judith, and Pallas. Argine is an anagram for Regina. The knaves were the servants to knights. The French cards, like the German, are later importations and translations from the Italian ; we give the names in each lan guage : Coppe Spado Danari Bastoni
. . Cœur . . Piques . . Carreaux . . Trefle
. . . .
. Herz . Schippen . Schellen . Laub
. . . . . . . .
Hearts. Spades. Diamonds. Clubs.
The striking coincidence of the four divisions of the pack with the Indian castes, encourages the idea of the eastern origin of this game, an origin which probably might be referred to very distant ages.
Particular Principles. To M ake the Pass* w ith Both Hands.
To perform Card Tricks Avith neatness and dexterity, it is indis pensable to know how to “ Make the Pass.” “ Making the Pass, or Shifting the Cards,” is the technical term for shifting a card from the middle, to the top or bottom of the pack, or vice versa. This is only to be acquired by practice, as it is merely a mechani cal operation. It is very difficult to describe this movement, but by the aid of the following rules and illustrations, Ave think we have made it quite easy. 1st. To make the pass Avith both hands, you must first hold the pack in the left hand, and divide it into two equal parts, putting the forefinger and the little finger between them.
2d. Put the right hand on the pack, slightly compressing the under half, between the thumb and middle finger of this hand.
Fia. 2.
In this position the upper part of the pack will be held tightly * “ Making the pass” is what the French call Sauter la Coupe.
between the forefinger and the little fingers of the left hand, and the other two fingers of the same hand. 3rd. Thus holding the under packet with the right hand without pressing the upper division with it, try to withdraw this latter with the left hand, and slip it underneath adroitly and noiselessly. You will find some difficulty in it at first, but an hour’s daily exercise for a week ought to give you perfect facility. Observe that immediately after the pass, the cards may and ought to have taken different positions according to what you may require. 1st. They may be united and make but one packet, as in Fig. 3.
2d. They may be crossed and placed sloping, the one on the other, as in Fig. 4.
3rd. They may be separated, and one packet in each hand, as in Fig. 5.
F ig. 5.
4th. They may he separated by the forefinger of the right hand, and be both in this hand.
F ig . 6.
5th. The two packets may be united in the left hand, in such a manner that the figures of the cards in the under packet may be turned upwards. W e may suppose, also, that packet A is entirely covered by packet B (see Fig. 7), and that both are held in the left hand. It is necessary to practise all these positions in order to avail yourself of them in the manner we are about to show ; for before you attempt any of the tricks that depend on making the pass, you must perform it so dexterously and expeditiously, that the
B A
*1
♌ i F ig .
1
.
eye cannot detect the movement of the hand ; or yon may, instead of deceiving others, expose yourself. It will, perhaps, be amusing to those of our readers who may never essay to perform a trick with cards, to study this article on making the pass, as it must be g r a t i f y i n g to know the method by which sleights are performed by those persons skilled in such manœuvres, who publicly exhibit them to the astonishment of the spectator, that when they recog nise them at any of these exhibitions, their eyes may not be in danger of deceiving their judgment.
To make the Pass with one Hand.
1st. To make the pass with one hand you must first hold the cards in one hand, separating them into two packets, which you do by securing the upper packet between the joint of the thumb and that part of the palm below the lowest joint of the forefinger, holding the lower packet equally tightly between the same part of the hand and the first joints of the middle and third fingers.
2d. Pass the fore and little fingers under the lower packet, that it may be compressed between them and the two other fingers.
F i g . 9.
3rd. Keeping tlie thumb in the same position, spread out the four fingers to give the under packet the position seen in
4th. In this fourth position the cards of the under packet are reversed; that is, the figures are on the upper side; but they are still firmly held between the fore and little fingers on one part, and the middle and third fingers on the other. These latter are now underneath. 5th. Move the thumb a little, to loosen the upper packet, letting it rest on the fore and little fingers; and, at the same time, bring down the under packet over the thumb.
F i g . 11.