Wiljalba Frikell

“ The ace of clubs is, therefore, drawn mechanically on the circle of refraction at six different parts of the border, and blended in with it. So with the other drawings.
THE MAGIC CUBE-BOX. An illusion is often practised at fancy fairs and bazaars, when a spectator, looking into what he supposes to be an ordinary looking-glass, sees his companion instead of himself. Of course the exhibitor endeavours to show the illusion to two persons at once; and if they are strangers to each other, and of opposite sex, a great deal of fun is made out of the trick. ”

“ MAGIC DISAPPEARANCE. Divide the pack, placing one half in the palm of the left hand, with the face of the cards downwards; then take the balance of the pack in the right hand, holding them between the thumb and three first fingers, and place the cards upright, so that the edges of the cards in your right hand will rest upon the back of those lying in the palm of the left hand perpendicularly, and forming a right angle with them, by which means you will perceive that the four fingers of the left hand touch the last card of the upright cards in your right hand. ”

“ The practiser of Sauter la Coupe, to cover the trick he is resorting to, invariably ruffles the cards, making with them a loudish noise. While the apparently simple action he thus performs, with the consequent noise, distracts attention, he slips the card, the ace, which he has hitherto concealed for the purpose, and dextrously placed on the head of the pack when passing it from one hand to another to deal, or ascertains its position in the pack by one of the many means resorted to for that purpose. Whenever the player begins to ruffle the cards, instead of dealing quietly, suspect foul play. ”

“ To stand a chance, then, the player should never on any account stake until the ball is fairly in play.
The clever way in which the partitions are restored to their proper places is worthy of notice. After the ball has fallen into the desired place, but before the wheel has ceased to revolve, the roulette man places his hand, apparently with the intention of stopping the wheel, but in reality so as to make each partition, as it passes his finger, strike up against it. Those that have been pulled out are thus driven back again. ”

“ TO BURN THE POKER IN THE CANDLE. File off an ounce from the fire-end of a poker. The iron filings produced are perfectly combustible, as may be proved by sprinkling them over the flame of a candle. As they descend into the flame they take fire, each particle burning like a star—producing, in fact, miniature fireworks. Any iron filings will burn in the same way; but a poker is the handiest means to prove that while iron, in a solid mass, will not burn, in small atoms it takes fire readily. ”

“ This is all the basest deception. The man proposing this mode of playing is a secret partner of the winner, and their design is to swindle the man still further. Both are fully apprised of the plan, and when they succeed in getting the loser to play again (they generally have cards which they know as well by the backs as by the faces) , if the winner should have a large hand, and the loser a larger one, he (the winner) will bunch his cards so closely that the one behind cannot see to give signs, and he then suffers himself to be run off. ”

“ THE CARD OF ONE COLOUR FOUND IN A PACK OF THE OTHER. Put all the red cards in one heap, and all the black cards in the other. One of these packs you conceal in your pocket. You let any person draw a card from the other pack, and while he is examining the card, substitute the pack in your pocket for the one you hold in your hand. Let him place his card in the pack you have taken from your pocket, and shuffle as much as he pleases. On receiving back the pack, you will at once recognize the card he has drawn by the difference of colour. ”

“ DEALING FROM THE BOTTOM. Is a very common practice; it is, therefore, very necessary for you to be very watchful over your adversary while he deals.
This is a device of old date, but it is easier to be performed with the small cards used at ecarté than those generally played with at whist. It consists in secreting a certain card until an opportunity presents itself of its being available when it is produced, as implied, from the palm of the hand that secretes it. ”

“ Any one not acquainted with the roulette man would almost marvel that with such immense odds in his favour, he should think it necessary to cheat; but to cheat is his delight and recreation.
The man who enters the roulette-tent on the racecourse, should he be the only bonâ fide player, may well leave all hope behind. Supposing that he commenced playing with the determination of losing a certain sum only, he would save himself trouble by paying down that sum then and there.
True, if several are playing at the same time, he does stand a chance ”

“ The two reminds me of the two Testaments; the two contrary principles struggling in man, virtue and vice. The ace reminds me of the only true God to adore, to worship, to serve; one faith to believe; one truth to practise, and one good master to serve and to obey. ”

“ Wagers on colour are made during the play, and decided by the colour of the last card in the winning series.
Thus: if black wins, and the last card of that series be clubs or spades, colour wins; but if hearts or diamonds has been turned up last, colour loses.
The bank has, in the long run, advantages enough to defeat all players. The advantage at Rouge-et-Noir is called the refait (drawn game) , which happens when there is a tie between the two series, and both count the same number between 32 and 40. ”

“ Certain fair cards are taken out of the original stamped cover, without injury to it, and in their stead either concave, convex, or pricked ones, or reflectors, are placed. The stamp being stuck on the cover by means of gum, which the application of warm water dissolves, or deprives of 314its tenacity: a kettle of hot water and a sponge are the only things requisite. The exchange being completed, the unfair pack finds its way into societies of a certain description, where it is contrived to be placed on the card-tables unobserved. Plunder is the inevitable result. ”

“ Then ask the person who has the cards in his hand what card he has at the bottom of the pack (the faces being down) ; he answers, giving the name of the bottom card; then you can answer positively, by calling the card one less in value. For example, the nine of clubs is at the bottom, the eight of diamonds will be upon the top, the second will be the seven of spades, the third the six of hearts, the fourth the ace of clubs, the fifth the king of diamonds, and thus you will find them completely arranged throughout the pack. ”

“ Hanky Panky displays to the audience a little fragment of a Tuscan temple, being a slab of marble, at the ends of which stand two black marble columns, two feet high, eight inches apart. Two glass tubes, almost as fine as capillary ones, cross the intervening space, in a direction inclined to the horizon.
A coloured liquid is distinctly seen running upwards through the lower tube from one column to the other, and thence back again by the upper tube. The colour is pleasing to the eye, and the regularity of the flow well illustrates the theory of the circulation of the blood. ”

“ The dealer continually calls out, “Faites votre jeu” (Make your play) , and when he sees that all the stakes are down on the table, he adds, “Le jeu est fait” (The game is made) , closing, as he begins to deal out the cards, “Rien ne va plus” (no more stakes can be received) .
All bets are then rejected, and all stakes pushed back.
Mode of playing.—The game is played with six packs of cards, the court cards counting ten each, and all the others according to the number of spots upon their faces. They are shuffled and held face down, and laid on the cloth face up in two rows or series. ”

“ THE POTATO MANNIKIN. For an impromptu puppet to answer questions about cards, concealed watches, and so forth, cut a hole in a 228potato at one end for a forefinger to enter. Scoop out for eyes, nose, and mouth; put on a horsehair wig and beard. Drape the hand in a handkerchief to represent the cloaked body, while the thumb and middle finger play the part of arms, and you have such an improvised Talking Hand as Edmund Kean employed to hold Byron spellbound for hours, and as is described of more elaborate manufacture in the “Art of Amusing.” ”

“ If you throw on the screen a circle of light, coloured by passing the rays from the electric lamp through chloride of chromium, the disc will then consist chiefly of red rays mixed with the rays which are absorbed by the yellow spot. If the observers in the darkened theatre look at the disc and wink slowly, they will see, with more or less distinctness, an illusion like red clouds floating over the disc, in consequence of most of the rays other than the red being absorbed by the yellow spots in their eyes. ”

“ When you can make the pass in a dextrous manner, it is preferable, on many occasions, to the long card, which obliges you to change the pack frequently; for otherwise it would be observed that the same card is always drawn, and doubtless suspicion arise.
288 TO TELL THE CARDS BY THEIR WEIGHT. Ask a person to cut the pack as often as he likes, undertaking by weighing each card for a moment on your finger, not only to tell the colour, but the suit and number of spots, and, if a court card, whether it is king, queen, or knave. ”

“ MAGIC LAMP. Put some granulated zinc in an ordinary wine-bottle, and pour in a mixture of water and sulphuric acid, four parts of the former to one of the acid; through a 179hole in the cork run a glass tube, and cork the bottle. The decomposition of the water will send up some hydrogen gas, which will drive out the common air, and then the touch of a light to the tip of the tube will inflame the gas as it rises, and produce a faint light, scarcely visible by day. The heat, however, is so intense that it will melt metal and make platinum white hot. ”

“ Hardly has he drawn it two or three times over and around the cage, than the pitying faces are seen beaming with wonderment and joy, for the inanimate birds have been resuscitated, and are flying and chirping within the gilded bars. ”

“ Panky shakes the handkerchief out as one snaps a whip, and proceeds to find a rabbit or bottle of wine in the folds.
THE HANDKERCHIEF AND EGG TRICK. This is a modification of the above.
An egg is passed round for free examination. A handkerchief is held up in the performer’s hands by any two of its corners, and flourished to and fro to prove its innocency. It is then spread out on the table, the egg laid in its centre, and the handkerchief taken by its four ends, so that the audience cannot doubt that the “hen-fruit” is really in the middle. ”

“ The largest drinking-glass holds but half a pint, so that your diving light soon goes out for the want of air. A burning candle consumes as much air as a man, and he requires nearly a gallon of air every minute, so that, according to the size of the glass over the flame, you can calculate how many seconds it will remain alight, a large flame requiring more air than a small one. A quart bell-glass is very useful. A substitute is easily made from a green glass pickle bottle, with the bottom cut off. ”

“ In an instant a light more extreme than the sight can sustain, is produced and the bottle will seem to be full of light. Pure oxygen would probably cause the jar to be burst by its heat, so its weakening by one-quarter of its bulk by air will be advisable.
3rd. Fasten a point of charcoal on the end of a coil of soft iron wire, which is hung from the cork of the jar of oxygen, and on lighting the charcoal the flame will catch the wire and throw out a brilliant light. The sparks will be formed by the union of the metal and gas forming oxide of iron. ”

“ The caddies are made with a copper flap, which has a hinge at the bottom, open against the front, where it catches under the bolt of the lock, so as when the lid is shut and locked, the flap will fall down upon the bottom; the performer places two cards that he intends to be chosen between the flap and the front, which being lined with green cloth, may be handled without any suspicion; he then desires the first person to put his card into one of the caddies, taking care it be that which contains the contrary card from the one that he chose, and the second into the other ”

“ After a little private practice, you will readily and rapidly call, as the case may be, from the four cards in your hand:—the six of clubs, two of hearts, ten of diamonds, nine of spades, three of clubs, king of hearts, eight of diamonds, four of spades, ace of clubs, knave of hearts, seven of diamonds, five of spades, queen of clubs—and so on to the last card in the pack. ”

“ The gambler from the beginning played somewhat carelessly, supposing that it needed no science to beat the stranger; but the gambler lost, and commenced playing as scientifically as he could. He still lost, and finally lost nearly all he had before he left off; and after quitting, they went to 318the buffet to drink. The gambler said to his antagonist, “You beat any man for luck I ever played with. I’ve lost my money with you, but it makes no difference: I will be honest with you; you did not know it, but I played six cards all the time, and your luck beat it.” ”

“ Panky’s machine, he had filled the two columns, which were hollow, with hot sand, which produced the same effect as the heat of the hand. The sand will not cool for about half an hour, nowhere near which time need the apparatus be kept before the audience.
There could be, with larger columns, small spirit-lamps or gas introduced. Let a tube in the column fit into an orifice in your table, and ignite the gas thus admitted by a spark of frictional electricity. The heat would be continuous during many hours. ”

“ And if you should have one or two pairs (which he will know by the backs) , and he should get the same, though a little larger, he will then permit the man to give signs that he has only one or two pairs, as the case may be, and all that he can entice the loser to bet, he will win from him.
The gambler will only bet on small worthless cards when his hand is better than his opponent’s; and, frequently, by such contrivances as we explain, will deal the latter three aces and a pair of kings to his own four tens or knaves. ”

“ SHUFFLING OR WEAVING. Much fraud is practised by the help of dextrously shuffling, by which the power to place cards in certain parts of the pack is under the control of the sharper, when become an adept in the art. The preparatory step is a strict observance of the tricks taken up on both sides, and their contents, when those rich in trumps or court cards are selected to be operated upon by the shuffler, when it is his turn to deal. ”

“ I have known men who would give signs, that were perfectly intelligible, by the different manner in which they would blow their cigar smoke. In even such simple and imperative acts as holding the cards a gambler can give intelligence to his partner. ”

“ Is a card slightly curved. By introducing it carelessly into the pack, and shuffling them, it can be cut at pleasure. The trick of the “Old Gentleman” consists in merely introducing into the pack a card of thicker substance than the rest, which can likewise be cut at pleasure, by being properly placed by the shuffler.
SKINNING. It is by this operation that unfair cards are introduced, and too often without creating suspicion, by the ingenuity with which it is performed. ”