The Practical Magician and Ventriloquist's Guide. Anonymous

left hand must be held out, with the back of the hand toward the ground, as exhibited in the illustration. (Fig. 1.)

      Fig. 1.

       First Position of Pass 1.

      SECOND POSITION OF PASS 1.

      The left hand must appear to close over the object that is brought toward it, at the same instant that the right hand secretes and withdraws that object.

      The left hand that appeared to receive it must continue closed. The right hand, though it actually retains the object, must be allowed to hang loosely over it, so that it appears to have nothing in it.

      Fig. 2.

       Second Position of Pass 1.

      The performer then may blow upon the closed left hand, and may say, “Fly,” or “Begone,” or any similar expression, and then open his left hand, holding it forward. Of course there is nothing in it, and the object seems to have flown from it, and the spectators are much surprised.

      SECOND PASS.—Method of apparently transferring an object from the left hand to the right, while retaining it in the left hand.

      FIRST POSITION.

      Let the left hand hold up the object in its open palm. The right hand is brought toward the left hand, but only appears to grasp it.

      Fig. 3.

       First Position of Pass 2.

      SECOND POSITION.

      The left hand secretes the object in its palm, while the fingers are allowed to fall loosely down, appearing to retain nothing under them. At the very same moment the right hand must be closed, and remain in shape as if containing the object, with the second joints of the fingers pointed toward the spectators, and the back of the hand toward the ground. The performer then holding his right hand forward, may blow on it and say “Change—fly,” and opening that hand, the spectator deems the object has passed away from it, though in fact it has remained all along in the left hand.

      Fig. 4.

       Second Position of Pass 2.

      The illusion in either of these passes is, that the spectator seeing both hands move as if the object were passing from one to the other, thinks it has done so; whereas, in fact, the object always remains in the hand where it was first visible to the spectators. The BACK of that hand where the object is first displayed must afterwards be kept well toward the spectators.

      Observe, the eye of the performer must rest always on the hand or object at which he desires the spectators to look, and whatever he wishes them not to notice, he himself must refrain from looking at.

      If it is not required that the very object that has been held up in these passes be seen again by the spectators, the performer must quietly pocket it, or drop it on a handkerchief on his table, or inside a hat, or otherwise get rid of it as soon as he conveniently can.

      On the contrary, if that very object must be again produced or transferred to a person standing at some little distance, this must be effected by one of the following methods:

      Either you must take care beforehand to place adroitly in that person’s cap or pocket a double or similar object.

      Or, you must walk up to him, and putting your hand on his hair, sleeve, or pocket, quickly place there the object you have all along retained, and which you must pretend by this manœuvre to find in his possession.

      Or, lastly, you will see in the first trick subjoined, a method of substituting one object for another.

FIRST TRICK.—To command a dime to pass into the centre of a ball of Berlin wool, so that it will not be discovered till the ball is unwound to the very last of its threads.

       Table of Contents

      REQUISITE PREPARATIONS, TO BE MADE PRIVATELY.

      You will require a glass bowl or quart basin, and you must have a flattened tube of tin about four inches long. It must be just large enough to let a dime slide easily through it by its own weight. Round the end on this tube wind a ball of Berlin wool of bright color, covering about two inches of the tube, and projecting about an inch beyond the end of it. Place this ball with the tube in it in your right-hand pocket of coat tail, (or in the left breast-pocket, if that is large enough to hold it completely covered.) Lastly, place a dime concealed in the palm of your left hand.

      Commence the exhibition of the trick by requesting one of the spectators to mark a dime (or cent) of his own, so that he will be sure to know it again. Then ask him to lend you that coin. Holding it up in your right hand, you may say, “Now, ladies and gentlemen, this is the marked dime which I shall experiment with. The gentleman has accurately marked it, so that there can be no mistake about its identity when reproduced.” Then by Pass 1 pretend to transfer the marked coin to your left hand, but in reality retain it in your right hand. Next, hand with your left hand your own dime (which had been secreted in that hand) to some person, and request him to hold it. Choose for this person some one three or four yards distant from yourself, and also from the person who originally marked the coin. It is unnecessary to explain that you do so, lest the two should compare notes. Of course, the person who is asked to hold it will believe that it is the very dime that was borrowed.

      You may proceed to say: “Now we want a ball of worsted.” So, placing your right hand in your pocket, pretend to feel about for something in your pocket, and while doing so you must place the dime in the top of the tin tube, and shake it down. Then carefully draw the tube out of the ball of worsted; and leave the tube in your pocket, but draw the ball out of your pocket, pressing it together while doing so.

      Then request some one to feel the ball in order to ascertain that it has no opening towards its centre.

      You may here make some humorous remark about your having such a ball in your pocket. As for instance:

      “Ladies may think it odd that I have such a ball of Berlin wool in my pocket. It was bought to please my cousin Mary Ann, or my Aunt Tabitha. Well, it will do very fairly for our experiment.”

      Then request some one to hold the glass basin containing the woollen ball. While you retain in your hand the end of the woollen thread, address the gentleman who has consented to hold the dime, asking him to hand it to you. Take it in your right hand, pretend by Pass 1 to transfer it to your left hand, but in reality keep it concealed in your right hand.

      Holding up your closed left hand, (which in fact has nothing in it,) you may say:

      “Now, dime, pass along this woollen thread into the very centre of the woollen ball which is there held in the glass bowl or basin.”

      Blow upon your left hand, and show that the dime is gone.

      You must adroitly get rid of the dime, which has remained secreted in your right hand, by placing it in your pocket or sleeve while making some humorous remark, or while asking some lady or gentleman to draw the woollen thread till it is all unwound. It will be done the quicker by letting the ball be confined loosely in the bowl with two fingers preventing its leaping out.

      Draw attention to how completely the coin is wrapped up till you arrive at the very last circles, when it will drop into the bowl.

      Hand the dime to the owner who marked it, and let him declare whether he recognizes it as the very one he lent you. His affirmative will surprise the spectators.