E e b ic atio n

Th is B o o k is a ec tio natel y
fi ded ic ated to th e mem o ry o
f
my fath er,

R ev . M . S . Weiss , Ph D . LL D .

w h o instil l ed in m e l o v e o
f stu d
y and
p atien c e in researc h
 C O NTE NTS

I NTR OD U CTI O N ,
C HA P T E R

I . SI G NI F I C ANT E V E N TS IN TH E L I FE OF R OB E R T

HO UD I N ,

II . TH E O R A N G E -
TR E E TR I C K ,

III . TH E WR I TI NG A ND D R A WI NG FI G UR E ,

IV . TH E PA STR Y COO K O F TH E PA L AI S R O YAL ,

TH E — —
OB E D I E NT CAR D S TH E CAB AL I S TI C CL OCK TH E

TR A PE Z E AU TO MATO N,

VI . TH E I N E XH A US TI B L E B O TTL E ,

VI I . SE CON D SI G H T,

VIII . TH E SU S PE NSI O N TR I C K ,

TH E D I SAP PE A R I NG HAND K E R CH I E F ,

X R OB E R T HO UD I N
.
-
’
S I G NOR ANC E OF MAG I C AS BE
TR A YE D B Y HI S OWN PE N ,

XI TH E NAR R OWNE SS
. OF R OB E R T HOUD I N
-
’
S ME MOI R S ,
2 95

[5]
 I NTR O D UCTI O N

f \H b oo k i h n t u r l r e sul t Of th e m o u l d in

I
I S s t e a a g ,

do mi n at i n g in flue n c e w h i c h th e sp i ri t and wri

ting s o f Ro be rt Ho u d i n h ave exe rt ed o ver my

-

rofessi o n al c ar ee r M y i nt e rest i n c o n u r
p .
j
i n g and magic and my enthu si asm fo r Ro bert Ho u d i n -

c ame in to ex i st en c e si m ul t aneo u sl y Fro m th e mo me nt .

that I began to st u dy th e art h e bec am e my gui de and hero

,
.

I acc ep t e d h is wri t i n g s as my t e xt bo o k and my go sp e l

—
.

What B l ac kst o ne is to th e struggli n g l aw yer Hardee s

“
’
,

”
Tac t ic s to th e w o ul d b e o ffi c er o r B i sm ar c k s li fe and
-
,
’

w ri t i ng s to th e c o m i n g st at esm an R o bert Ho u din s b oo k s

’
-

w ere to me .

To my u n so p hi st ic at e d m i nd h is Me m o i rs gave to
,

th e p ro fessi o n a d i gn i ty w o rth att ai n i n g at th e c o st of

e arn est ,
li fe lo n g e ffo rt When i t bec ame n ec essary fo r
-
.

m e to t ake a st age n am e and a fe ll o w pl aye r p o ssessi n g

-

,
-

“
a v e n ee r of cul t u re t o l d m e th at i f I w o ul d add th e l e tt e r
,
”
i to Ho u din s n ame i t w o ul d mean i n th e Fren c h
’

,
“ ”
,

l angu age li ke Ho u d i n I ad o pt ed th e suggest i o n w i th

,
,

“
e nth u si asm . I aske d n o th i ng m o re O f li fe th an to be c o m e
”
i n my pro fessi o n li ke R o bert Ho u di n -
.

By thi s t i me I h ad re read h is w o rk s u nt il I c o ul d re
—

ci t e p assage aft er passage fro m me mo ry The n w hen .

,

F at e t u rn ed k i nd and th e go l d e n p ath w ay of succ ess

l ed m e in to b ro ad e r aven ue s of w o rk I d e t e rm i n e d th at ,

my fir st t o u r abro ad sho u l d b e d ed ic at ed to add i ng new

[ 7]
 I NTR O D UCTI O N

l au rel s to th e fame o f R o b e rt H o u d i n By researc h and -

.

st u dy I w o ul d u n e arth h i st o ry ye t u n w r i tt e n and rec o rd ,

un su ng triu m p h s of thi s great i n vent o r and art i st e Th e .

p e n O f h is m o st d e vo t e d st u d e nt and fo ll o w e r w o ul d

aw ake n ne w i nt erest i n h is h i st o ry .

Alas fo r my go l d en dreams ! My i n ve st i gat i o n s b ro ug ht

fo rth o nl y bi tt ere st dis
app o i ntm e nt and sad

d e st O f d i sillu si o nm ent .

S trippe d of h is se l f
w o ve n ve il of ro m an c e ,

R o be rt Ho u d i n st o o d -

fo rth i n th e u nc o m ,

pro m i si n g li ght Of c o l d
hi st o r ic al fac t s a m e re ,

pret e nd er a man w h o ,

w ax e d gre at on th e
brai n w o rk O f o thers a ,

me c h an ici an w h o h ad
bo l dl y fi l c h ed th e in
v e ntio ns of th e m ast e r

c raft sm en amo n g h is
p red ec esso rs
“
.

Me mo i rs of R o be rt
Ho u d i n A m b assad o r , ,

R b t H udi n in h i p im
o er -
o imm di sAu tho r and C o nj u re r
r e, e ,
at l y
e aft hi
er ti m nt s F m th Wri tt en by Hi m sel f ”
re re e . ro e
H a y H udini C ll ti n
rr o o ec o . ,

pro ved to have bee n

th e p enw o rk of a b r illi ant P ar i si an j o u rn ali st em ,

“
plo yed by Ro be rt Ho u d i n to w r i t e h is so c alled au t o
— -

”
bi o grap hy I n th e c o u rse of h is Memo i rs R o bert
.
,

[ ]
8
 I NTR O D UCTI O N

Ho u d i n o ver h is o wn si gn at u re cl ai m ed c red i t fo r th e
, ,

i n vent io n of many tr ic ks and au t o mat a w hic h may b e

sai d to have m arke d th e go l d e n ag e i n m ag ic My in .

v e stig atio ns d i sp ro ve d e ac h cl ai m i n o rd e r He h ad .

ann o u n c ed h i mse l f as ,th e fir st m ag ici an to appear in

r egul at i o n e ve n i n g cl o thes d i sc ard i ng fl

,
ow ing sl ee ves and
heavil y draped st age apparat u s Th e c red i t fo r thi s revo
.

l u tio n i n co nj u r i n g belo nged to Wil j al b a F rikel l Ro be rt .

Ho u din s ex pl an at i o n o f tric k s p erfo rm ed b y o ther

’

m agici an s and no t i n clu ded i n h is repert o i re p ro ved so ,

i n c o rrec t and i n accu rat e as to brand h i m an i gno ram u s

i n c ert ai n li n es O f c o nj u r i n g Yet to th e great ch arm o f
.

h is d ic t i o n and th e ro m ant ic d e velo p m ent of h is pe rso n al

re m i n i sc en ces lat e r w r i t ers have y i el d ed u n qu est i o n i n gly
and h ave b uil t up o n th e h i st o r ic all y w eak fo u nd at i o n s o f

h is st at e m ent s al l th e l at e r so c all e d h i st o r i es of m ag ic
—
.

F o r a t i m e th e d i sapp o i ntm ent k ill ed al l c reat i ve .

po w e r Wi th no lau rel w reath to c arve my t o o l s l ay i dle

.
, .

Th e spi ri t of i n ve st i gat i o n l an gui she d The n c ame th e

.

reac t i o n There w as w o rk to b e do n e Tho se wh o h ad

. .

w ro u ght ho n est l y d e se rved th e c re d i t th at h ad bee n t ake n

fro m them I n j u st ice to th e li v i ng as well as th e dead
.

th e h i st o ry of th e m ag ic m u st b e revi se d Th e bo o k .
,

acc e p t ed fo r m o re th an h al f a c e nt u ry as an au tho r i ty

o n o u r c raft m u st st and fo rth fo r w hat i t is a clever

, ,

ro m an ce a w ell w r i tt en vo lu me of fic t i o n
,
-
.

Th at is w h y to day I o ff er to th e p ro fessi o n o f m ag ic
-

to th e w o rl d of l aym en r ead e r s to w h o m its h i st o ry h as

al w ays app eal e d and to th e li t e rary savant s w h o d ip i nt o
,

i t as a recreat i o n th e resul t s of my i n vest i gat i o n s Th ese

,
.
,

I be li eve w ill sh o w Ro bert Ho u din s t ru e pl ace in th e

’
-

[9]
 I NTR O DUCTI O N

hi sto ry o f m ag ic and g i ve to his p redece sso rs i n a p ro ,

fe ssio n w hic h i n eac h ge n e rat io n be c o m es mo re se ri o u s

and m o re d i g n i fie d th e c re d i t t he y d e se rve
,
.

My i n vest i gat i o ns c o ver nearly t went y years of a b u sy

H u oc s Po c u
s, d Ed iti 1635 n f th
Sec o n o n, , o e o l i
e e ar e st
on m ag i c . F ro m th e Ha y H ud ini C l l ti
rr o o ec on .

p ro fessi o n al c areer E very ho u r w hic h I c o ul d sp ar e

.

fro m my pr o fe ssio n al w o rk w as g i ven o ver to st u dy in

li brari es to i nt ervi ew s w i th ret i red m ag ici an s and c o l
.

l ec t o rs and to bro wsi ng i n o l d bo o k st o res and ant iq u e

,
 I NTR O DUCTI ON

h ps w here rare c o l l e c t i o n s of p ro g ram s new sp apers

s o , ,

and p r i nt s m i ght b e fo u nd .

I n o rd e r to c o nd uc t my re searc he s i nt elli ge nt l y I w as ,

c o mpell ed to pic k up a smatte ri ng of th e l anguage of

Jo h n B pti t P
a s o rta, p i i
th e Ne a o l tan w r te r n m ag i
o c . F ro m an o l d w o o d ut
c

in th e Harry oH u di i C ll ti
n o ec on .

ea ch c o u ntry i n w hic h I pl ayed Th e ave rage c o ll ec t o r

.

o r p ro p r i e t o r o f an o l d b o o k sh o p is a c anny su spici o u s ,

i nd i vi d u al w h o m u st acc e p t yo u as a fri end be fo re h e

'

w ill u n c o ve r h is c h o ic e st tr easu res .

As au th o r i t i e s bo o k s o n m agic and k i ndre d arts are

,

p rac t ic all y w o rthl ess Th e earli est bo o k s li ke th e magi

.
,

c ian st o r i e s w r i tt e n b y Si r Joh n M and ev ill e i n I 35 6 read ,

li ke pro t o types o f to d ay s d i me n o vel s They are thril l

-
’
.

[ I I
 I NTR O D UCTI O N

ing t al es o f trave lle rs w h o w i tn essed m agic al

pe rfo rm anc e s ,

bu t they are no t au thent ic re c o rd s of p e r fo rm e rs an d

thei r w o rk .

One o f th e o l d e st bo o k s i n my c o ll ec t i o n is Nat u ral

and Unn at u r al Mag ic
”
by G antz io ny dated 1489 I t ,
.

is th e au th o r s sc r ip t e xqui si t e i n its G erm an c h i ro grap h y

’
, ,

art i st ic i n its illu m i n at e d illu strat i o n s b u t w o rthl ess as an ,

h i sto ric al rec o rd tho u gh m any of th e w r i t e r s desc rip t i o n s

,
’

and e x pl an at i o n s of O l d t i m e tr ic k s are m o st int e rest i ng

“
-
.

E arl y i n th e sevent e enth c e nt u ry appe are d Ho c u s

”
Po cu s th e m o st w i d el y c o pi ed b oo k i n th e li t e rat u re o f
,

m agic Th e se c o nd ed i t i o n d at ed 16 35 I h ave i n m y
.
, ,

li brary I h av e n e ve r be e n abl e to fi nd a co p y of th e
.

first ed i t i o n o r to asc e rt ai n th e d at e at w hic h i t w as

pu bli shed .

A few years l at e r i n 16 5 8 c am e a ve ry i m po rt ant c o n

trib u tio n to th e h i st o ry of m ag ic i n
,
“ ,

Nat u ral Mag ic k in

”
XX Bo o k e s
. by J o h n Bapt i st Po rt a a Neapo li t an
, , .

Th i s h as bee n tr an sl at e d i nt o n earl y e ve ry l an g u age .

I t w as th e first re all y i m p o rt ant and ex h au st i ve w o rk o n

th e su bj ec t b u t u n fo rt u nat e l y i t g i ve s th e e x pl an at i o n
, , ,

o f tr ic ks rather th an an au th ent ic rec o rd of thei r in

,

v entio n .

In 16 8 2Si m o n Witg eest of Am st erd am Ho ll an d

, , ,

w ro t e an adm i rabl e w o rk w h o se t i t l e read s Boo k O f

,
”
Nat u ral M ag ic Th i s w o rk w as tran sl at ed i nt o G erm an
.
,

ran thro u gh m any an e d i t i o n and h ad an e n o rm o u s sal e ,

i n bo th Ho ll and and G erm any .

I n 1 715 J oh n Wh i t e an E ngli shm an pu bli sh e d a

w o rk e nt i t l ed
“ , ,

A rt s Treasu ry and Ho cu s Po cu s ; o r a
’
,

”
Ric h C ab i n et of L egerd em ai n Cu ri o si t i es Thi s is .

[ 12
]
 I NTR ODUCTI ON

F nti pi fro m Simo n Witg ee st s Bo o k o f Nat ral u M g i ( 1682 )

’
ro s ec e a c

h w ing th
s o e u h
e arl y D tc pi ui
co nce t o n o f c o nj r ng . F
ro m th e Ha y H ud in
rr o i
C ll t n
o ec io .

[ I
3]
 INTR O D UCTI O N

full y as reli abl e a b oo k as th e e arli e r Ho cu s Po c u s

bo o ks bu t i t is no t so ge n e rall y kn o w n
,
.

Ric hard Ne ve w h o w as a po pul ar E n gli sh c o nj u re r

,

j u st be fo re th e t i m e of F aw kes pu bli sh ed a b oo k o n ,

so m ew h at si m il ar li n e s i n 17 15 .

G erm any c o ntr i b u t ed th e n ext n o t abl e w o rk s o n mag ic .

F i rst c am e J o h ann S am u e l Hall e s Mag ic o r th e Mag i c al

’

”
Po w e r o f Nat u re p ri nt ed i n Be rli n i n 1784 One o f
, ,
.

h is c o m p atr i o t s J o h an n Chr i st i an Wieg l c b w ro t e e i ghte e n

“ ,

bo o k s o n Th e Nat u ral Magic and w h il e I sh al l

,

al w ays c o nt e nd th at th e G e rm an b o o k s are th e m o st

c o m pl e t e ye t th ey c ann o t b e acc ept ed as au th o ri t i es sav e

,

that i n d esc r i bi ng e arl y tric k s th e y pro ve th e exi st e nc e

, ,

o f i n vent i o n s and w o rki ng me th o d s cl ai m ed l at e r as

o r i g i n al b y m e n li k e R o be rt Ho u d i n -
,

E n gli sh bo o ks o n m ag ic w e re no t acc ept e d se r io u sl y

u nt il th e earl y p art of th e n i ne t ee nth c e nt u ry I n Vo l
“
. .

I I I of J o hn Be c km an n s
. Hi st o ry of I n vent i o n s an d
’

”
and D i sc o v er i e s pu bli she d i n 1 79 7 w ill b e fo u nd a
“ ”
,

c hap t er o n J u ggl er s w hic h p resent s i nt ere st i n g matt e r

,

regard i n g m ag ici an s and myst er i o u s ent ert ai ne rs I .

qu o t e fro m th i s b oo k i n d i spro v i ng R o bert Ho u din s -

’

cl ai m s to th e i n vent i o n of aut o m at a and sec o nd sight -

.

Abo u t 1840 J H A nd er so n a p o pul ar m ag ici an

,
. .
, ,

bro ught o u t a se r ie s of i n expen si ve p aper bo u nd vo l

“ ” “
-

u m es ent i t led A S h il li ng s Wo rth o f Mag ic

,
’
Parl o r ,
”
Mag ic etc w h ic h are valu abl e o nl y as g i v ing a gli m p se
,
.
,

o f th e tr ic ks c o nt em po rary w i th h is pe rso n al succ esses

“
.

”
I n 185 9 c am e R o bert Ho u din s M em o i rs m ag ic s ’ ’
-

,
.

cl assic Si gno r B li tz i n 18 72 pu bli shed h is reminis

, ,

cen c es Fi fty Years i n th e M agic Ci rcle bu t here

,

[ I 4 ]
 I NTR O DUCTI O N

J O HN WH I T E
,
A f
u tho r o

AR T S Treafury, and Ho c us
’

Po c us ; or a R ic h Cabinet qf
L g
e erd em ain C u ri o fi ties .

J oh n Wh te an E ng l s w r te r o n m ag c and n re arts in th e e ar y art

i , ih i i ki d d l p
h
o f th e e ig tee nt h
ce ntury l p i
O n y o rtra t in e xiste nc e and
. s e publi h d
fo r th e
i i ud
irst time s nc e h is bo o k w as ss e in 17 15 ro m th e F H
n Co l H udi i
{ i
.arry o
e et o n .

[ 5
1
]
 I NTR O D UCTI O N

g i n we h ave a pu re l y lo c al and pe rso n al h i st o ry w ith o u t

a a ,

gen e ral valu e .

Tho m as F ro st w ro t e thre e bo o k s rel at i n g to th e h ist o ry

of m agic c o mm en ci n g abo u t 18 70 Th i s li st i n c l u d ed
“ ” “
.
,

Ci rcu s L i fe and Ci rcu s C el e bri t i e s Th e Ol d Sh o w

m e n and th e O l d L o nd o n Fai rs
”
and
“ Li ves o f th e ,
,

C o nj u rers Th ese w e re th e be st b oo k s o f th e i r k i nd u p
.

to th e t i m e o f th e i r pu blic at i o n bu t th e y are m arke d b y ,

gl ar i n g e rro rs sh o w i ng th at Fro st c o m pil ed rathe r th an

,

i n v e st i gat ed o r m o re p ro pe rl y spe aki n g th at h is in

, , ,

ve stig atio ns n e ve r w e nt m uc h fu rth e r th an Mo rl e y s ’

“ Me mo i rs o f Barth o l o m e w Fai r
Ch arl e s Be rtram w h o w ro t e I sn t i t Wo nd e rfu l ?
’

cl o sed th e ni ne t e e nth c e nt u r y li st o f En g li sh w r i t e rs o n
-

m agic bu t h is w o r k is m arred b y nus st at e me nt s w h ic h

,
-

e v e n th e h u m b l e st o f m ag i c i ans c o ul d re fu t e and li ke , ,

F ro st h e dre w h e av il y o n w ri t e r s w h o p re c ed e d h im
,
.

SO far in th e t w e nt i e th c e nt u ry th e m o st n o t ab le c o n
, ,

trib u tio n to th e li t e r at u re o f m ag ic is He nry Ri d g e l y

E van s
’ “ Th e O l d and th e Ne w Mag i c bu t M r E v an s ,
.

fall s i nt o th e e rro r o f h is p re d e c esso rs i n acce p t i ng as

au th o r i t at i v e th e h i st o ry o f m ag ic and m agici an s f u r

nish e d by R o be rt Ho u d i n He h as m ad e no efi o rt
-
.

w h at e ve r to ve ri fy o r re fu t e th e st at e m e nt s m ad e b y
R o be rt Ho u d i n bu t h as m e rel y c o m pil e d and re w ri tt e n
-
,
—

the m to sui t h is t w e nt i eth cent u ry re ad e rs -

.

Th e tru e h i st o r i an d o es no t c o m pil e He d el ve s fo r .

fac t s and p ro o fs and h av i ng fo u nd th e se h e arrays h is

,

i nd i spu t abl e fac t s h is u n c o ntro ve rt i bl e p ro o fs to refu t e

, ,

th e st at e m e nt s of th o se w h o h ave m e rel y c o m pil e d Th at .

is w h at I h ave d o ne to p ro ve my c ase agai n st Ro be rt

[ 16 ]
 I NTR O DUC TI O N

Ho u d i n I h ave no t bo rro wed fro m th e bo o ks o f o t h e r

.

w r i t e rs o n m ag ic I h ave go n e to th e ve ry fo u nt ai n h e ad
.

o f i nfo rm at i o n re c o rd s o f c o nt e m p o rary li t e rat u re n e w s

, ,

p apers pro g rammes and ad vert i se me nt s o f m agici an s w h o

,

i
S g no r Anto n o i B li
tz a t o r
, uh of Fi fty Years in th e M g i Ci l
a c rc e
”

i i
Orig nal neg at ve o f t is h ph t g ph
o o ra
.

is I n th e Harr
y H u
o d i ni Coll e c tio n .

p rec ed ed R o be rt H o u d i n so met i m e s by a c e nt u ry I t
-
, .

w o ul d c o st full y a m illi o n d o ll ars to fo rg o th e c o ll e c t i o n

o f eviden ce no w in my h and s Men w h o li ved a h u ndred
.

years b efo re Ro b ert Ho u d i n was bo rn d i d no t in ve n t

-

[ 18 ]
 I NTR O D UCT I ON

po st e rs o r w r i t e ad ve rt i se me nt s i n o rde r to re fu t e th e
clai m s Of th o se w h o w ere to fo ll o w i n th e p ro fe ssi o n Of
m ag ic Th ese p ro gramm es ad ve rt i se me nt s n ew sp ape r
.
, ,

n o t ic es and c ru d e cu t s trac e th e tru e h i st o ry o f m ag ic as

.

f ab by A l an K w Jay
'
.
If 6 9 ?

hil ip A tl y E q
P s e , s .
, an hi i l i“
sto r c a u di t a
c rc s re c o r. fam o u s c ha a t
r c er o f
Ba th l m w F i day
r o o e a r s, an d a uth f Natu al Mag i
or o r c F m
ro th e
Ha y H udini C ll ti
rr o o ec on .

no ro m an c er no h i st o r i an o f a si n gl e gen e rat io n po ssi bl y

,

c o ul d The y are th e gh o st s o f d ead and go ne m ag ici an s

.
,

ri si ng i n th i s c ent u ry of researc h and p ro gress to cl ai m

th e c red i t du e the m .

[ I 9 ]
 I NTR O D UCTI O N

O ften w h e n th e bo o k sh o p s and auc t i o n sales did no t

y ie l d frui t w o rth pluc k i n g I h ad th e go o d fo rt u ne to
,

mee t a p r i vat e c o ll e c t o r o r a re t i re d perfo rm er w h o se

assi st anc e p ro ve d i n valu ab l e and th e h i st o ri e s
, of

Ch “
l B t am (J m B a
ar e s er r a es ) th e E ng
sse tt l i h uth
s a o r and c o n ju
re r, w ho
t it W d f ul ?
,

w t
ro eI sn
’
B o n er o rn 185 3, e di d F b 28th
e .
, 1907 . F ro m th e

H y H udini C ll ti n
arr o o ec o .

the se meet i n gs read al mo st li ke ro m an c es so sk il full y ,

d i d th e Fat es seem to j u ggl e wi th my e ffo rt s to secu re

c red i ble pro o f .

To th e l at e Henry E van s E v anio n I am i nd eb t ed fo r

[ 20
]
 I NTR O D UCTI ON

many o f th e mo st i m po rt ant add i t i o n s to my c o ll ec t i o n

o f c o nj u r i ng cu r i o s and my li b rary o f m ag ic r ec o g ,

niz ed b y fell o w art i st e s and li tte rat e u r s as th e mo st

-

c o m pl et e i n th e wo rl d .

E v anio n w as an E ngli shm an b y p ro fe ssi o n a p arl o r ,

m ag ici an b y c ho ice and habi t a c o ll ec t o r and savant

,
.

He w as an e nt e rt ai n er fro m 1849 to th e year o f his d eath .

F o r fifty ye ar s h e spe nt e ve ry sp are h o u r at th e Br i t i sh

Mu se u m c o ll ec t i n g d at a be ar ing o n h is marvell o u s c o l
le c t i o n and h is i nt e rest i n th e h i st o ry o f m agic was shared
,

b y h is e xc ell e nt w i fe w h o c o nd uct ed a sw eet sho p

n ear o ne o f L o nd o n s pu blic sc ho o l s ’
.

Wh il e pl ay i n g at th e L o ndo n Hippo dro me i n 190 4 I

w as c o nfin e d to my ro o m b y o rd e rs o f my p hysici an .

D u r i n g th i s ill n e ss I w as i nt erv i ew e d by a repo rt e r w h o ,

no t ici n g th e clippi ng s and b ill s w i th w h ic h my r o o m w as

str ew n , made so m e re feren c e to my c o llec t i o n i n th e

c o u rse o f h is art icle Th e very day o n w h ic h thi s i nt er
.

v i ew appe ared I rec ei ved fro m Henry E v anio n a m ere

,

sc raw l st at i n g th at h e to o c o ll e c t ed p ro gramm es b ill s

, , , ,

e tc.
, i n w hic h I m ight b e i nt erest ed .

I w ro t e at o n c e aski n g hi m to c all at o ne o cl o c k th e ’

n ext aft ern o o n b u t as th e h o u r p assed and h e d i d no t

,

app ear I d eci d e d th at li ke m any o th er s w h o ask e d fo r

, ,

i nt ervi ew s h e h ad fel t bu t a passi ng whim That after

,
.

no o n abo u t fo u r o cl o c k my physici an suggest ed that as

’
,

th e day w as m il d I w al k o n c e aro u nd th e bl o c k
, As I .

st eppe d fro m th e li ft th e ho t el p o rt e r i n f o rme d m e th at

,

si n c e o ne O cl o c k an o l d m an h ad b e e n w ai t i ng to se e
’

me b u t so shabby w as his appearan c e th ey h ad no t d ared

, ,

send h i m up to my ro o m He p o i nt ed to a bent figu re

.
,

[ 21 ]
 La t psh o to g raph o fH . u
e nry E vans E v anio n co nj re r and c o ll
ec to r.take n
p i l ly f
e s ec a or th i s d p
b o ok in w h ioh h e w as ee l y I nte re stedDe . id Junc 17th,

1905 . Fro m t he H arry H udi C l

o ni o l ec tio n .

[ 2 2
]
 I NTR O D UCTI O N

cl ad i n ru sty rai ment Wh en I app ro ac hed th e o l d man

.

h e ro se and i n fo rm ed me th at h e h ad b ro u ght so m e
clippi n gs bill s etc fo r m e to see I asked hi m to be
, ,
.
,
.

as e x p e d i t i o u s as p o ssi bl e fo r I w as to o w eak to st and

,

l o ng and my head was a w hi rl fro m th e effe ct s o f -

l a gr ipp e .

Wi th so m e hesi t an c y o f speec h bu t th e l o v i ng t o uc h o f
“
a c o ll e c t o r h e o p e n e d h is p arc el .

I h av e b ro u ght yo u sir o n l y a few o f my treasu re s

, , ,

sir b u t i f yo u w ill c all

,

I heard no m o re I re m em be r o nl y rai si n g my hand s

.

b e fo re my e yes as i f I h ad bee n d azzl ed by a sudd e n

,
'

sh o w e r o f d i am o nd s I n h is trem bli n g hand s l ay p ric e

.

l e ss treasu re s fo r w h ic h I h ad so ught i n vai n o ri gi n al — “

p ro gramme s and bill s o f R o bert Ho u di n Phillippe A nd er -

, ,

so n Bre sl aw Pine tti K atte rfe l to

, , ,
B o az i n fac t al l th e, ,

co nj u r i n g cel eb ri t i es o f th e ei ght ee nth ce nt u ry t o gether ,

w i th li tho grap h s l o n g c o n si d e re d u n o b t ai n ab l e and n ew s ,

p ap e rs to b e fo u nd o n l y in th e fil e s Of n at i o n al li b rar i es .

I fel t as i f th e K i n g o f E ngl and st o o d befo re me and I

m u st do hi m h o m age .

Physici an o r no physici an I m ade an engagement ,

w i th hi m fo r th e n e xt m o rn i ng w h en I w as bu nd l ed i nt o
,

a c ab and w ent as fast as th e dr i v er c o ul d u rge h is h o r se

to E v anio n s h o m e a m u sty ro o m i n th e b a se m e nt o f
’
,

No 12 M e th le y S treet K e n ni n gt o n P ark Ro ad SE
.
, ,
.

I n th e p resen c e o f h is c o lle c t i o n I l o st al l trac k o f

t i me Occ asi o n all y w e p au sed i n o u r w o rk to dri nk tea
.

w h ic h h e m ad e fo r u s o n h is p ath e t ic all y sm all st o v e .

Th e dro p s o f th e fir st te a w h ic h w e drank t o gether c an

y et b e fo u nd o n c e rt ai n p ap e r s i n my c o ll e c t i o n ” Hi s

[ 23
]
 I NTR O D I C TI O N
'

Ve ry rare an d e xtrao rd i narily l ine

l ith g p h t Il di w hi h h o ra o f Ro l x ‘
r - ou n . c e

g av e on l y t h oi f i
s nd I
ret d pi t
s h i
.m m g h i ll
e d i nv
c s ti H i a on s so -c a e en o ns . s

so n, Em il di g
e, o n d ig ht i b hi d h im Th w iti g d d w i g
se c o n s , s e n . e r n an ra n
fig u rei s on h i l ft
s O h i ig h t
e . d th h kw k i d w i g w hi h
n s r un er e c x
-
or s a ra n c ,

o n l
c o se e x mi ti n f th
a na o ig i l h w th u p n i n t i k F m th
o e or na , s o s e s s e s o rc . ro e
Ha y H u di C ll ti n
rr o ni o ec o .
 I NTR O DUCTI O N

l egac y , w hic h is no w th e

c entral j e w el i n my c o l
l ec t i o n E v anio n d i e d
mmm m PAM
.

anon sa
te n d ay s l at er Ju n e 1 7th
, ,

or i n vu rn
‘
n m u "tram !
and w i th i n a sh o rt t i m e

M l L l l l A ' ‘
h is go o d w i fe fo ll o w e d
hi m i nt o th e G reat U n
kno w n .

E ve n mo re dram ati c
w as mv m ee t i ng w i th t h e
wido w of F rik el l th e
,

gre at G e rm an c o nj u re r .

I h ad h e ard th at F rik e l l
and no t R o be rt Ho u d i n -

S O I R E ES MYS I‘E R I B l ’ '

S ES i
w as th e first m ag i c i an
to d i sc ard cu m be r so m e ,

drape d st age apparatu s ,

and to d o n e ve n i n g
cl o t h es and I w as m o st
,

anx i o u s to v e ri f y t h i s
ru mo r as w ell as to in
,

terv ie w h i m re gard i n g
e qu all y i m po rt ant d at a
P R OG R A M ME B X T R A O R D I N A I R P.
beari n g o n th e h i st o ry O f
m M cu a u u ue M - u n m m m m
magic Havi n g h e ard
“
c u n .
mm r m h u m m m mm HW Y- u .

-
er r n u n. TN r-
Ou
Q di l -m
a u (b i n ds -Pu
Afll l d ' S h it : M d m o o- nto
‘ '
lt u

The ' M W e b Ud al d flu itd

n u ts
th at h e li ve d i n K o tc h e n
0M in th o n u c na
-
Reyn a tub a
of the m
nm
the ‘ ondn
-
m
“
. or a N ovel
-
art up
Col t uni l u pin of
and
Th e Ba um
““ 1“
p in -l i
l o Tow -
4 15 111
H
bro d a a su bu rb O f D re s
,

de n I w ro t e to h i m f ro m
Cl \ A
’

C o lo gn e ask i ng fo r an
,

i nt e rv i ew I re c e iv e d
.

Po ster u d se by Jm S a es avre n F ro m
th He arr y H u d i ni
o C ll o e c tio n .
i n repl y a cu rt no te
[ 26 ]
 I NTR OD UCTI O N

Herr ve rrei st mean i ng Th e m ast er is o n t o u r

, .

Th i s I kn ew fro m h is a
, , g e c o ul d n o t b e,
tru e s o ,

I t o o k a w ee k Off fo r perso nal i n vest i gat i o n I ar .

r i ve d at K Otc h e nb rOda o n th e mo rn i ng o f Apr il 8th ,

190 3 at 4 O cl o c k and w as d i re c t e d to h is h o me kn o w n
’
, , ,
”
as Vill a F rikel l Hav i n g fo u nd my be ari ngs and
.

st u d i e d w ell th e e xt er i o r o f th e h o u se I re t u rn e d to th e ,

d ep o t to aw ai t d ayli ght At . I reappeared at h is

d o o r and w as t o l d by h is w i fe th at He rr F rikel l h ad
,

g o n e a w ay .

I the n so u ght th e po lice d e p artm ent fro m wh ic h I

se cu re d th e fo ll o w i ng i nfo rm at i o n : D r Wil j al b a F rikel l
”
.

w as i nd ee d th e ret i red m ag ici an w h o m I w as so anxi o u s

to m ee t . He w as ei ghty seven ye ars O ld and i n 1884 h ad
—
,

c elebrat ed h is go ld en ann i versary as a c o nj u rer Li vi n g i n .

th e sam e t o w n w as an ad o pt ed d au ght e r bu t sh e c o ul d no t ,

o r w o ul d no t assi st me Th e ve n erabl e m ag ici an h ad su f

.

fet ed fro m d o mest ic d i sappo i ntment s and h ad m ade a vo w

th at h e w o ul d see no o ne I n fac t h e w as l e adi n g a
.

h e rm i t li ke li fe
-
.

A rm ed w i th th i s i nfo rm at i o n I em pl o yed a p ho t o g ,

rap h e r gi v i ng hi m i n struc t i o n s to p o st h i m sel f O pp o si t e

,

th e h o u se and m ake a sn ap sh o t o f th e m ag ici an sh o u l d ,

h e app e ar i n th e d o o r way B u t I h ad c o u nt ed w i tho u t

.

my ho st All m o rn i ng th e p ho t o grapher l o u nged ac ro ss

.

th e stree t and al l m o rn i ng I st o o d b are h ead ed b e fo re

th e do o r O f He rr F rik el l pl e ad i n g w i th h is w i fe w h o le an e d
,

fro m th e w i nd o w o verhead Wi th that peculi ar fe rven c y

.

w h ic h c o m e s o n l y w hen th e h eart s d esi re is at st ake I

’
,

begged that th e past master o f m agic wo uld lend a help

ing hand to o ne ready to sit at h is fee t and l earn I u rged .

[ 2 7]
 I NTR O D UCTI O N

th e deb t wh ic h h e o wed to th e li t e rat u re o f magic and

w h ic h h e c o ul d p ay by g i v i n g m e suc h d i re c t i nfo rm at i o n
as I n e e d e d fo r my b o o k .

F rau F rikel l h e ard my pl ead i n g s w i th t e ars ru nn i n g

d o w n h er c heek s and l at er I l earn ed th at Herr Frikel l
,

al so li st e n e d to th e m l v ing g r i m l y o n th e o th e r si d e o f
,
,

th e sh u tt e red w i nd o w .

A t le ngth yi el d i n g to p hysic al exhau st i o n I w ent aw ay

, , ,

bu t I w as st ill u nd au nt e d I c o nt i n u ed to bo m bard Herr

.

F rikel l w i th l e tt e rs p re ss clippi n g s regard i n g my w o rk

, ,

e tc .and finall y i n Ru ssi a I re c e i ve d a l e tt e r fro m h i m

,
.

I m i ght send hi m a pac k age co nt ai n i n g a cert ai n brand

Of Ru ssi an tea o f w hic h h e w as part icu l arl y fo nd Yo u .

m ay b e su re I l o st no t i m e i n shippi n g th e li tt l e gi ft and ,

sh o rt l y I w as re w ard e d b y th e l ett e r fo r w h ic h I l o n ge d .

H av i n g de ci d e d th at I c ared m o re fo r h i m th an d i d so me
Of h is rel at i ves h e w o ul d rec ei ve me w he n n e xt I pl ayed
,

n ear K Otc h enb ro da .

Wi th thi s i nterv i ew i n p ro spec t I m ad e th e earli est ,

e n g age m e nt o b t ai n ab l e i n D re sd e n i nt end i n g to gi ve ,

e v e ry p o ssi bl e m o m e nt to my h ard l y w o n acqu ai nt an c e -

.

B u t F at e i nt e rfe red One bu si n e ss p ro bl em aft er ano ther

.

ar o se c o n c e rn i n g my fo rth c o mi n g e n gagem e nt in E ng
,

l and and I h ad to po stpo n e my v i si t to Herr F rikel l

,

u nt il th e l att er part o f th e w eek I n th e m ean t i m e h e .

,

h ad ag ree d to v i si t a D resd e n p h o t o g r ap h e r as I w ant ed ,

an u p to d at e p h o t o g rap h o f h i m and h e h ad o n l y pic t u res

- -

t aken i n h is m o r e yo u thful d ays O n th e day w hen h e .

c am e to D resden fo r his si tt i n g h e c all ed at th e theatre , ,

b u t th e attac h es w i th o u t i n fo rm i n g m e refu se d to g i ve
, ,

him th e n ame o f th e h o t el w h ere I w as st o ppi n g .

[ 29 ]
 I NTR O DUCTI O N

A ft er p e rfo rm an c e I dro pped i nt o th e Ko n i g K atie

th e
and w as m uc h ann o ye d b y th e st ar i n g and ge st icul at i o n s

o f an el d e rl y c o upl e at a d i st ant t abl e I t w as F rikel l .

w i t h his w i fe bu t I d i d no t re c o gn i ze the m and no t be i ng

, ,

ce rt ai n o n h is si de h e failed to m ake h i m sel f kno w n

,
.

That w as m i d week and fo r S at u rd ay w h ic h fe ll o n

-
, ,

O c t o be r 8th 190 3 I h ad an e n gage me nt to c all at th e

, ,

V ill a Frikel l On Thu rsd ay th e C entral Theatre bei ng

.
,

so l d o u t to Cl e o de M e ro d e w h o w as pl ay i n g sp eci al
,

e ngage m e nt s i n G e rm any w i th h er o w n c o m p any I ,

mad e a fly ing b u si n ess tr ip to Be rli n and o n my ret u rn I ,

p assed thro u gh K Otc h enb ro da As th e trai n pull e d i nt o .

th e st at i o n I h e si t at ed S ho uld I dro p o ff and see He rr

'

F rikel l o r w ai t fo r my app o i ntm e nt o n th e m o rro w ?

,

F at e t u rn e d th e w h eel by a m ere thre ad and I we nt o n to

D resde n SO d o e s Sh e o ft en d ash o u r fo nd e st ho p e s !
.

M y appo i ntment fo r S at u rd ay w as at 2 P M and as my . .

,

trai n landed me i n KOtc h enb ro da a tr i fle to o earl y I

w al ked sl o w l y fro m th e d e p o t to th e Vill a F rikel l no t ,

w i shing to d i st u rb my age d h o st by arr i v i n g ah e ad o f t i m e .

I rang th e be ll I t ec ho ed thro u gh th e ho u se w i th p e
.

c u l iar shr ill n ess Th e air see m ed c h arged w i th a qu ali ty

.

w h ic h I p re su m e d w as th e i nt e nse pl e asu re o f reali zi ng

m y lo ng c h eri shed h o pe o f m e eti n g th e gre at m ag ici an .

A lady O pened th e d o o r and greet ed me w i th th e w o rd s

“ Yo u are be i n g w ai t ed fo r .

I e nt ered He w as waiting sfo r me i nd eed th i s man

.
,

w h o h ad c o n sent ed to m ee t m e aft e r vo w i n g th at h e w o ul d
,

ne ve r agai n l o o k i nt o th e fac e o f a str an ge r A nd F at e .

h ad fo rc e d him to kee p th at v o w Wil j al b a F rikel l w as

.

d ead Th e bo dy cl ad i n th e be st h is wardro be affo rded

.
, ,

[3 ]1
 I NTR O D UCTI O N

al l of w h ic h h ad
bee n d o nn ed i n h o n o r o f h is e x pe c t e d
gu est w as no t yet c o l d Heart failu re h ad c o m e su dd e nl y
,
.

and u n ann o u n c e d Th e d ay be fo re h e h ad cl e an e d u p h is
.

so u v e n i r s i n re ad i n e ss fo r my c o m i n g and arran ge d a q u an

t i ty o f d at a fo r me O n th e w all abo ve th e sil e nt fo r m

.

wer e al l o f h is go l d m ed al s p h o t o g rap h s t ak e n at v ari o u s

,

st age s o f h is l ife o rd e rs p re se nt e d to h i m b y ro y al t
, y
al l th e o u t w ard and v i si bl e si g n s o f a v i go ro u s ac t i v e , ,

and succ e ssful li fe th e li fe o f w h ic h h e w o ul d h av e t o l d

,

me h ad I arr i ve d ah e ad o f D e ath And w h e n al l t h e se

,
.

w e re arran ge d h e h ad fo rgo tt e n h is m o rb i d d i sli k e o f

,

stran g e r s Th e o l d i n st i n c t s o f h o spi t ali ty t u gge d at his

.

heart stri n gs and h is w i fe sai d h e w as al mo st yo u n g and

,

happ y o n c e m o re w h e n su dd e n l y h e graspe d at h is h e art

“ ,

c ry i ng My h eart ! Wh at is th e m att e r w i th my he art ?

,
,

O Th at w as al l !
The re w e st o o d t o geth e r th e w o m an w h o h ad l o v e d
,

th e d e ar o l d w i z ard fo r ye ar s and th e yo u n g m ag ici an w h o

w o ul d h av e b e e n so w illi n g to l o v e h i m h ad h e bee n al l o w e d
to kn o w h i m His fac e w as st ill w e t fro m th e c o l o g n e S h e
.

h ad thro w n o ve r h i m I n v ai n h o p e o f re v i v i n g th e fad in g
so ul . O n th e fl o o r l ay th e cl o th s u se d so i n e ffe c t u al l y
,

to b ath e th e pul se l e ss fac e an d no w l au gh i n g m o c kin g l y

,

at o ne w h o saw h i m se l f d e fe at e d aft e r w e ary m o n t h s

o f w r i t i n g and pl ead i n g fo r th e m uc h d esi re d m e e t i ng -

.

I feel su re th at th e p e r so n al n o t e struc k i n th ese re m i

nisc e nc es w ill b e fo rg i v e n I n no o th e r w ay c o ul d I
.

pro ve th e au tho r i t at i ven ess o f my c o ll ec t i o n th e th o ro u g h ,

n ess o f my researc h and th e i n c o ntro ve rt i bili ty o f th e fac ts

,

w h ic h I d e si r e to set fo rth i n th i s vo lu m e .

[ 32
]
 THE UNMAS KI NG OF R OBER T HOUD I N -

t nt st at eme nt s regardi ng h is li fe Suc h disc re p anc ies

sis e .

ar i se as th e m e nt i o n o f t h ree c h i l d ren i n o ne c h ap te r and

fo u r i n an o the r wh il e h e d o s no t g ive th e names o f e ith er

,
e

Jean-E ug e ne H din
R o be rt- ou . Ph t g ap h tak n ab ut 1868 F
o o r e o . ro m th e
Harry H udi ni C ll ti n
o o ec o .

Wi fe , tho u gh h e ad mi t s h is o bli gat i o n to bo t h g o o d

wo m en .

Acc o rd i ng to h is au t o bi o graphy J ean Eu ge n e R o b e rt ,

-

w as sent to c o ll ege at O rl ean s at th e t e nd e r ag e o f el e v e n ,

and rem ai n ed th ere u nt il h e w as e i ght ee n He was t he n .

pl ac ed i n a n o t ary s o ffi c e to st u dy l aw bu t h is mec hanic al

’
,

[ 34 ]
 E VE NTS I N THE L I FE OF R O BE R T HO UD I N-

t ast es l ed hi m bac k to his father s trade w at c hmaki ng ’

,
.

While w o rki ng fo r his co u si n at B lo i s h e vi si ted a bo o k

sho p i n sear c h o f B e rth o u d s Treat i se o n Cl o c km ak i ng
’ “ ,

bu t by m i st ake h e w as g i ven several vo lu mes o f an o l d

ed i a o ne o f w hic h c o nt ai n e d a d i ssert at i o n o n
e n c y cl o p a ,
”
Scient i fi c A m u sement s o r an expo si t i o n o f magic
, .

Th i s si m pl e i n ci d ent h e assert s c h ange d th e e nt i re

, ,

cu rre nt o f h is li fe A t ei ght een h e first t u rned h is att en

.
,

t io n to m ag ic A t fo rty h e mad e h is first appearanc e

.
,

as an i nd ep e nd e nt m ag ician o r pu b lic pe rfo rm e r .

”
On p age 44 o f h is Me m o i rs Am er ic an ed i t i o n R o bert , ,

Ho u d i n refers to th i s bo o k as an en c yclo p aed i a b u t several

“
t i mes l at er h e c all s i t Wh i t e M agic I n al l pro babili ty
”
.
,

i t w as th e famo u s wo rk by He nr i Dec remp s i n fi ve vo l

,
“
u mes kn o wn as L a Mag ic B an che D é vo ilée o r Whi t e ” “ ,

Magic E xpo sed Th i s w as w r i tt en b y D ec remp s to

.

i nj u re Pinetti and i t expo sed al l th e l att er s tr ic ks in

,
’
,

clu d i ng th e o range tree th e vaul t i ng trape ze au t o m at o n

, ,

and i n fac t th e m aj o r i ty o f th e tr ic k s l at e r cl ai m e d b y

Ro be rt Ho u d i n as his o w n i n ve nt i o n s
-
.

I n 18 2 8 while w o rki ng fo r M No ri e t a w at chmaker i n

,
.
,

To u rs Jean Euge n e Ro bert w as p o i so n e d b y i mp ro pe rl y

,
-

p rep ared fo o d and i n h is d eli r iu m st art e d fo r h is o l d ho me

,

i n B l o i s He w as pic ke d up o n th e ro ad si de by To rri n i
.
,

a tr avelli ng m ag ici an w h o n u r sed h i m bac k to he al t h

,

i n h is p o rt abl e theatre J u st as yo u ng Jean rec o ve re d

.

To rr i n i w as i nj u r e d i n an acci d ent and h is er st w h il e ,

pat i ent remai ned to n u rse h is be n efac t o r and l at er to help

To rrini s assi st ant p resent th e p ro gramm e o f m ag ic b y
’

w h ic h they m ad e the i r li vi ng His first pu blic appe aran ce

.

as th e re p rese nt at i ve o f To rr i n i w as m ad e at Au b u sso n .

[ 3s ]
THE UNMAS KI NG O F R O BERT HO UD I N
-
«
Ito -
c h ap. Whammy 31
q . 3 . 18 45 .

f irst R epresentation

tit he f antast it b utt ers

9
R eba t 10mm,
e-

A u t o m at a, Sl e ig h t - o i H an d,
-
Mag ic .

T h e Pe rfo r m anc e w il l be co m p o se d o f e nt ir e l y
no ve l E x p e rim e n t s inv e nt e d by

M . R O B E R T H O UD I N,
-

A m o ng t he m b e i ng

T h e C ab al istic C l o c k O b e die nt C ards

A u r io l and D e b u re au
T h e O rang e Tre e -
T h e My st e r io u s Bo q u e t
Pie rro t in th e E g g
Th e M irac u l o u s F ish
Th e F asc inating O w l
Th e Past ryc o o k o f th e
Pal ais R o yal

an (treatment s at (right o cl ock.

’

5 01405 1
31 1: 0pm at inattepast 9 mm .

Price o f P l ac es : Upp er Box e s, 1 f r 5 0 c . .

; Stal l s, 3 f r ; .

Box es, 4 f r Dress Circ l e, 5

.
f r .

Pro g ra p i
mme fo r th e o e n ng o f R o ber t Ho u din s th eatre in Pari s
-
’
. Re p ro
d
du ced fro m th e Ameri c an e itio n o f his M
e mo irs
”
.

[ 37 ]
 THE UNMASKI NG OF R O BER T HOUD I N
-

To rr i n i w as an I t ali an
real name w as C o unt w ho se
Edm o nd de G r isy He was a c o nte m po rary o f Pine tti
. .

I n al l p ro babili ty d u r i n g th e l o ng su mme r o f t h e i r int i

'

mate c o m p an i o n sh ip To rr i n i no t o n l y i n i t i at ed h is fas
,

c inated yo u n g g u est i nt o h is o w n m e t ho d s o f pe rfo rming

R o be rt-Ho udi f v it l ith g p h f ad v ti i g p m

’
ra er s n Used on
ig i l d i ti f hi q m
n 3 a or e o or u se s
.

F ro m
‘
d
‘
th e m aj o rit o f h is th
Hudi ipC ll ti
t o s e rs an In e or na e on o s I e OIrs.

th e H arry o n o ec on .

tr ic ks bu t al so i nt o th e sec ret s o f Pinetti s tr ic ks I n

“
’
.
,
”
h is M e m o i rs Ro be rt Ho u d i n m akes no sec ret o f th e
,
-

fac t t hat bo th C o m u s and Pinetti t o gether w i t h t h e i r ,

tr ic ks w e re to pic s o f c o n ve rsat i o n b et w ee n hi m sel f an d

,

To rr i ni .

When To rrini was abl e to resu m e h is pe rfo rm anc e s ,

[ 38 ]
 E VE NTS I N THE LI FE OF R O BE R T HO UD I N -

l am n
u " ma ”m a y a

18 ! g o n n a,
an ne w . mo ussss w e Panic : a u nt .

an R o u t. m a s s e s : n u : o c c u r s: o r x s s r.
.

8 8 3 R OYA L “
m m no u n ato assssss w e o t s a o uc nsss o r a ssi st an t
18 5 5 5 11
10 1
0.

18 0 003 8 5 3 0 ?
p

A G R A ND

MORNW
NG PETE,
A CONCERT e DANCING .

9 at c an m an n ers to: ti) ! l abouring c l asses”

-
-
we c e nt s re m se e m s, w a nn e wne s s.

ou WE DNESDAY JUL Y m : , 1911,

a n w aa a o v ma m a, s e a me n .
W M J A t f t u Wan t » Esq . .

m ua m m g m u m w d w u em m

T IR E? (C O N C E R T
”up .”
w ax ( M m 0: a to m M an at m tau-
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Ol m l writ ““ I n u it
.

-
am

au nm m om c ast nu n s .

m o l d-
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no. m o. a
t . no o n . 8 10 . 7 1 36 8 m a 810
. . u nn e at .

OO N DUO PO R
‘
ma n o co n e.

A TE) ? WILL BE ERECI ED I N THE GROUNDS .

no nnm u o o o - m .

5 06 8
0 m a sse s 7 23 6 17 53 8 7 18 0 3 .

m m m u m cm ou o c io ca c o m
- mas .

TI OR I TB 1 03 TE ! 1 8 13 ,

Can out, be proc e ed o n th e pre sent atio n o i V ouc h er. fro m the l o tto-
l ag

ocea n
01m
o r t e n an t
-
.
M 3 308
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PA? £ 3321273 13
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“
09 R ic u n i

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M u m M u m or u m . h ” ( an n u n.

or n -
ou n o n. sc am Om a n i .

( ow n ) : o r Dun n .

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i m am 4» h u m Cor n an «m

“
.

t au n t " .

c u s to m 09 Daw n l D;
L. "
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“
.
.

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’

67 119 20 M £2 21
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fl ml

“
Famil y . l

“
l lama !Tul m arried So n and 00 1.9 l f : W o.
j
.
o
l e, or

m
g-
0. V o n: b on i n c at an . ast r o n au tst o ”!14 m . 33. O M
on In . Ian . on In JUL Y .

A ve ra e , and
r ibl y th nl y p amm in xi t
p o ss h ni l in e o ro r e e s e nce , c ro c
fi t pp a n b f g
,

R o bert o u dI n s
’
rs a Vi t i July 19th 1848
e ra c e e o re u ee n c o r a, , .

h
T e o w in th Har y H ndini C ll ti n w a p Jam
'

l no
, e nt d t r o O ec o , s re se e o es
Savren y R 0 H udin o .

[ 39 ]
 THE UNMASK I NG OF R O BE R T HO UD I N
-

Jean Eu ge ne re t u rned to h is fam il y i n B l o i s D u ring

-
.

th e n e xt few years h e m i x ed am at e u r ac t i ng w i th h is
d ail y l abo r l ean i n g m o re and mo re t o w ard th e p ro fe s
,

si o n o f pu blic e nt e rt ai n e r B u t h is am bi t i o n s al o ng th i s
.

li n e w e re n i p pe d i n th e b u d b y
im a m -
r u m ran m arri ag e Mad e mo i se lle H o u d i n .
,

w h o se fath e r w as a c e l e b ra t e d
w at c hm ak e r i n P ari s v i si t ed O l d
I nfi tiiifi a
'

il hl n .
,

fri en d s i n Bl o i s thei r n at i ve t o w n , ,

and b e c am e th e fi anc é e o f y o u n g
0

l l ‘ ‘
l l Q O I D LNA I '

R o b e rt As th e ne w so n in l aw .
- -

w as to sh are th e e l d e r Ho u d in s
’

bu si n e ss and n at u rall y w i she d to

se cu re suc h b e n e fit s as mig h t ac

c ru e f ro m so c el e brat ed a fam il y
o f w at c h and cl o c k m ake rs he
“
“ “
,
m m
appli e d to th e c o u n cil o f stat e
v. t o. u p

mu mu n .

and se cu re d th e rI g h t to
“
an n e x
DAY PERF ORMANCE ”
m y g um y m H m n m J n
.

o u d to h I S a e e a ,
m u

E u g e n e R o be rt and thereaft e r w as ,

kn o w n o nl y as R o bert Ho u d in -
.

His li fe be t w ee n 1838 and 1 8 44

Hgfiig df g g g gg
‘ t

m
br n
gg; w a fl
s d i v i d e d be t w ee n re ad i n g e v e ry
n

ga gg fi imf fi ds ; w o rk o bt ai n abl e o n m ag ic and h is

e
,
n
F m th H y H udi i d u t ies n h is father in l aw s sh o p
ro e arr o n - - -
’
,
C ll t
o ec I o n
w h e re h e no t o n l y m ad e an d re
.

pai red cl o c k s bu t buil t and re pai red au t o mat a o f vario u s

,

so rt s . His fam il y shar e d w i th h im m any fin an ci al v ic issi

t u d es and abo u t 184 2 43 h is fir st w i fe d i e d l eav i ng h im
“
—
, ,

w i th three yo u n g c h il dre n to r ai se E arli er i n h is Me m .

o i rs h e sp eak s o f h av i n g fo u r c h il dre n so i t is m o re ,

[ 49
]
 THE UNMASK I NG OF R O BER T HOUD I N
-

the i r w ay to h is w o rksho p and ai de d h im in his stu d y of

ro fe ssn w h ic h h e t ill ho p d to fo llo w D u ring these

a
on s
p
e
.

dI sc o urag ing t i me s h e w as o ft en assi sted fi nanc ial l y b y

Po ste r u d in 1848 in L nd by l be r H udin F m th e Ha Ho u dini

gfi
se o on t- o . ro rry

c w h om

o ne Mo n si eu r G w h o e i the r ad van c e d m o n ey o n
1113 au t o m at a o r bo u ght the m o u tr i g ht I n th e same .

year 1844 h e ret i red to a su bu r b o f Par i s and th e re

, , , ,

[ 42 ]
 E VE NTS I N THE LI FE OF R O BE R T HO UD I N -

he asse rt s,
he buil t h is fam o u s wri t i n g and draw i ng
figu re .

Th e next year 1845 h e w as assi st ed by C o u nt de

, ,

L E sc al o p ier a d e vo t ee o f c o nj u r i ng and au t o m at a w h o
’
, ,

ad van c e d th e m o n e y to fit up ‘

ST JAMES S THEATR E
’

and fu rn i sh a sm all theatre .

i n th e Palai s Ro yal Ro bert .

H o u d i n w ent abo u t th e w o rk
ll

“
o f d e c o rat i ng and fu rn i sh i ng t h i s
m N or S E ASO .

the atre wi th a v iew to secu ri ng NE F I

th e m o st dram at ic and br illiant B l l IH i
e ffe c t s su rr o u nd i ng h is si m pl e R OB ER T

II MJ
,

tr ic k s w i th a sett i ng that made

the m vast l y d i fferent fro m th e IDIN
sam e o ffe r i ngs b y h is re de c e s
p
so rs . He w as w hat is c alled to
day an o r i gin al p ro d uce r o f o l d
i d eas On J u n e 2 5 th 1845 h e
.
, ,

gave h is first p r i vat e pe rfo rm nb mm e so a r ac s s x r u o ao ar

.

an c e be fo re a fe w fr i e nd s On .

J ul y 3d o f th e same ye ar h is m M - u u n t

theatre o f m agic w as o pene d

fo rm all y to th e pu blic Th e .

P t f th Em il H u d i n o s er or e e- o
p ro gramm e o f this perfo rm an c e b n fit at St J m Th e e . a
’
es s ea

is sho wn o n p age 37 t in 1848 F m t h H a y re . ro e rr

.

H udini C ll ti n o o ec o .

It w ill b e n o t ed that th e fam o u s

w r i t i ng and draw i ng figu re w as no t t he n i n clu d e d i n Ro be rt
B o u d i n s rep erto ire no r d o es i t e ve r appear o n any o f his
’
,

p ro gramm es He exhi bi t ed i t at th e qui nq uenn i al ex hib i

.

t i o n i n 1844 received a sil ver med al fo r i t and very so o n

, ,

so l d i t to th e l at e P T B arnu m w h o expo rt e d i t to A me rica

. .
, .

[ 43 ]
 THE UNMASK I NG OF R O BE R T HOUD I N
-

Thi s quest i o n nat u rall y arise s : I f Ro be rt Ho u d in b uil t -

th e o ri g i nal w r i t i n g and d raw i n g figu re w h y c o ul d h e no t

,

m ake a d u plic at e and i nclu d e i t in h is pro gramm e ? Su re l y

Po ste r u H u di p d
b y R o be rt- o
sed dl l
n w h en h e l aye at Sa e r s We l s
’

hi ii u
in 185 3 He ne ve r refe rs to t s e ng ag e me nt m his w r t ng s be ca se h e w as
.

ud h
no t p ro pp d
of avin g a d l h
e are hil
in a se c o n c ass t eatre w e his riv al Ande rso n
-
. , ,

h ld
e hi bl u di
th e fas o na e a h b udi
e nce s at th e St J
. am e s s w e re R o e rt Ho
’
,
-
n h ad
l F H
w o rn o u t his w e c o me . udi i C l i
ro m th e arry Ho n o l ec t o n .

it w as o ne o f th e mo st remarkable o f th e au to m at a w hic h
he cl ai ms as th e c reat i o n s o f h is brai n and hands .

[ 44 ]
 E VE NTS I N THE LI FE OF R O BE R T HO UD I N
-

In 1846 he
cl ai m s to have i n vented seco nd sight and ,

at th e o p en i ng o f th e seaso n i n 184 7 h e p re se nt e d as h is

o w n c re at i o n th e su sp e n si o n tr ic k D u r i ng th e i nt eri m .

h e pl aye d an e ngage ment i n Br u sse l s w hic h was a fi nan

c ial fa ilu re .

I n 1848 th e Re vo lu t i o n clo sed th e d o o rs o f Par i si an

t heatres Ro bert Ho u din s am o ng th e rest and h e re
,
-
’
,

t u rned to clo c km ak i ng and au to m at a buil d i ng u nt il h e ,

re ce i ved fro m J o h n Mi t chell wh o h ad met w i th g reat ,

succ e ss i n m an ag i ng Lu d w i g D obl e r and P h illippe an ,

o ffe r to app ear i n L o nd o n at th e S t J am e s s The atre

’
. .

This e ngage me nt w as a br illi ant succ ess and fo r th e first

t i m e i n h is c areer Ro bert Ho u d i n reaped big finan ci al
-

ret u rn s .

L at er Ro be rt Ho u d i n t o u red th e E ngli sh pro v i n ces

-

u nder his o w n m an age me nt and m ade ret u rn trips to

L o nd o n bu t his t o u r u nd e r Mi t c hell w as th e m o st no t abl e
,

e ngage m ent o f h is c aree r .

I n 18 5 0 w hile play i ng i n Pari s h e d e ci ded to ret i re

, , ,

and to t u rn o ver h is t he atre and tr ic k s to o ne Ham il t o n .

A c o nt e m p o rary clippi ng t ake n fro m an E ngli sh n ew s

,

paper o f 1848 go e s to pro ve t hat Hamil t o n was an

,

E ngli shm an wh o e nt e red Ro be rt Ho u din s em pl o y Ham

’
-
.

il t o n si gned a d u al co ntrac t agreei ng to pro d uce Ro bert,

Ho u din s tric k s as his ac kn o w l edged successo r and to

’

marry Ro bert Ho u din s si st er thu s keepi ng th e tric ks

-
’
,

and th e t heatre i n th e fam il y D u r i ng th e n ext tw o years

.

Ro be rt Ho u d i n spe nt part o f h is t i me i n struc t i ng h is

-

bro ther in l aw i n al l th e myst er i es o f h is art I n July

- -
.
,

18 5 2 h e pl aye d a few e ngage me nt s i n G erm any i n clu d i ng

, ,

B erl in and vari o u s bat hing reso rt s and t hen fo rm ally ,

[ 45 ]
 THE UNMAS KI NG OF R O BE R T HOUD I N -

ret i red to h is ho m e at S t G e rvai s Here h e c o n tin u ed

. .

to w o rk a l o ng m e c h an ic al and e l e c tr ic al li n e s and in 1 8 55 ,

h e agai n c am e i nt o pu blic n o t ic e w i nn i ng aw ard s at th e ,

E xhi bi t i o n fo r ele c tric al po we r as applied to me ch anic al

u ses I n 185 6 acco rd i ng to h is au t o bi o graphy h e w as
.
, ,

b
R o e rt-Ho u din s g rave in th e c e me te ry at
’

Bl i F rance F ro m a. h o to
g
, o s , .

p h ta e k
n b y t h e a t ho r u
e s e c a
, y f o p i ll
r t s w o r hi k ,
and no w in th e l am
o u dini C ll i
o ec t o n .

su mm o n ed fro m h is ret i re ment by th e G o ve rnme n t to

m ake a trip to Alger i a and the re i nt i m i d at e revo l tin g
A rab s by th e exh i bi t i o n o f h is sl ei ght o f h and tr ic ks Th e se
— -
.

w e re g reat l y supe r i o r to th e w o rk o f th e M arabo u t s o r

Arabi an m ag ici an s w ho se i nflue n c e w as o ft en hel d t e
,

sp o n si b l e fo r re v o l t s What Ro be rt Ho u d i n recei ved f o r

.
-

[ 46 ]
 E VE NTS I N THE LI FE OF R O BE R T HOUD I N -

perfo rm i ng t hi s service is no t set fo rt h i n any o f h is wo rks .

He sp e nt th e fall o f 185 6 i n Algeri a .

F ro m th e d at e o f his re t u rn to S t G ervai s to th e t i me .

o f his d e ath J u n e 13th 18 71 Ro bert Ho u d i n devo t ed

, , ,
-

h is e n e rg i es to i m p ro v i ng h is i n ve nt i o n s and w r i t i ng his

on R bert H o udin
o - to m bt s o ne . F ro m a ph o to ra
p h ta k
en b
y th e
uh p i ly f
a t o r, e s ec al or hi
t s k
wo r , and no w in th e Ha rry o udini C l
o l e c ti o n.

bo o ks t ho u gh as stat ed be fo re i t was gen erall y beli eved

, , ,

b y c o nt e mp o rary m agici an s that i n th e l att er t ask h e

e ntru st e d m o st o f th e re al wo rk to a P ar i si an j o u rn ali st

w ho se name was n ever kn o w n .

He was su rv i ved b y a w i fe a so n n am e d E m il e and , ,

a st e p d au gh t er E m ile Ho u d i n man aged h is fathe r s ’

-
.

theatre u nt il his deat h i n 1883 w he n th e theatre w as ,

[ 47 ]
 THE UNMASKI NG OF R OBERT HOUD I N -

l d fo r 3 fran c s Th e hi st o ric temple o f m ag ic

“
so .

”
st ill st and s u nd e r th e t i t l e o f Theatre Ro be rt Ho u din -
,

u nd er th e m an age m e nt o f M Melie s a make r o f m o .

,

t i o n pic t u re fil ms .

D u r i ng my i n ve st i gat i o n s i n Pari s I sho c k ed to ,

Th e l ast ph o to g ra ph t k f R b t H “
a en o ud i o er -
o n and u d th f nti p i
se as e ro s e se fo r
th e or ig ina l F h diti n f hi M
re ne e o o s e mo i
rs, publ i h d in 1868
”
s e .

find li tt l e th e memo ry o f Ro be rt Ho u d i n w as rev e re d

ho w -

and h o w li tt l e w as kn o w n o f F r an c e s g re at est m ag i c ian

’
.

I n fac t I was mo re than o n c e i nfo rmed th at R o b e rt

,

Ho u d i n w as st ill ali ve and gi v i ng perfo rm an c es at th e

t heatre w hic h bears his n ame .

[ 48 ]
 THE UNMASKI NG OF R OBE R T HOUDIN
-

Pastry C o o k o f th e Pal ai s Ro yal Th e Vaul t i ng Trap e z e

,

Au to m at o n and th e Wri t i ng and D raw i ng F i gu re

,
.

His fam e w h ic h h as been su ng by w ri t e rs o f m ag i c

,

w i t ho u t n u m be r si n c e h is d e ath re st s p rin cipal l y o n th e

,

i n vent i o n o f sec o nd si ght su spe n si o n and th e w ri t i ng and

, ,

draw i ng au to m ato n I t is my i nt ent i o n to trace th e tru e

.

h i st o ry o f eac h o f the se tric k s and o f al l o the rs to w hic h

h e l ai d cl ai m as i n ve nt o r and sh o w j u st h o w sm all a
,

pro po rt i o n o f th e c red i t w as du e to R o be rt Ho u d i n an d
-

h o w m uc h h e o w ed to m agici an s w h o p rece d e d
and w ho se b rai n w o rk h e cl ai m e d as h is o w n
-
.

[ so ]
 CHAPTER I I

THE OR ANGE TR EE TRI CK -

H O UD I N o n p age 179 o f th e Am
O B ER T
“ eric an
-
,
”
e d i t i o n o f his Memo i rs t hu s desc ri bes th e
,

o range tree tr ic k w h ic h h e cl ai m s as his inv en

-
,

t io n : Th e n ext w as a my st er io u s o range tree -

,

o n Wh ic h flo we rs and frui t b u rst i nt o li fe at th e re qu e st o f

th e l ad i e s . As th e final e a handke rc h ie f I bo rro w ed

,

w as c o n veye d i nt o an o range pu rp o se l y l e ft o n th e tree .

T hi s o pe n ed and d i spl aye d th e handke rc h i e f w hic h tw o ,

b u tterfl ies to o k by th e c o rn ers and u nfo l d e d be fo re th e

”
spe c t at o r s .

On p age 2 4 5 o f th e sam e vo lu m e h e p resent s th e

p ro gramm e g i ven at th e first pu blic perfo rm an ce i n th e
Theatre Ro be rt Ho u d i n st at i ng :
“
-
,

Th e p erfo rm an c e w ill b e c o m p o sed o f e nt i rel y n o vel

E xp eriment s invent ed by M Ro be rt Ho u d i n A mo ng
.
-
.

”
t hem b ei ng Th e Orange Tree etc -
,
.

No w to re trac e o u r st ep s i n th e hi sto ry o f m agic as set

fo rt h i n hand bill s and ad vert i se ment s o f earli er and c o n
t e m po ran eo u s n ew sp aper clippi ngs desc ri bi ng their in
v e ntio ns
.

Under th e ti tl e ofApple Tree t h i s mec hanical

Th e -

tr ic k appeared o n a F aw kes pro gramme d at ed 1730 Th i s .

w as 115 years b e fo re Ro be rt Ho u d i n cl ai med i t as his

-

invent io n I n 1732 j u st be fo re Pi n c h bec k s deat h i t

’
.
, ,

[ 5 1 ]
 THE UNMASKI NG OF R O BER T HO UD I N -

ap p e are d o n a pr o g r a m m e u se d b y C hr i st o p h er
Sr and th e
.
,
y o u n g e r F a w k e s I n 1 8
7 4 i t w a s .

i
“
th e ré p rto irc o f t h
e
e I t a li a n c o nj u re r F i n e tt , ,
”
“
of L e Bo uqu e t ph il o so p h iqu e I n
- 18 2 2 .

r
t ic k b u t t
,
h i s t i m e c a ll e d A n E n c h an te d
was fe at u re d b y M .

wh o ap p e ared
pupil and succ
Th e tr i
i n pu blic
c rem p s i n 1784
e x p o se o f Fi n e tt i w

u nde r th e t i t le o f
B l an c h e D é vo ilée ,

8 7 bo th H all e and
po se d th e
th e i r re sp e

rc
a
D iag am f
t i k f m ,

N tu l M g i ra
r
ro
o

a
“
c,
th e
i

”
o r ang e -tre e

ie g l e h
’

p u bl i h d
s
s
“Th e
e in
”94
hi st o ry and tri th e
°

is p ro ve n b y h is o w n wo rd s fo r i n C hap t er VI
“ ”
Mem o i rs h e d e vo t ed fo u rtee n pages to Fi netti
,

l att er s rel at i o n s w i th To rri ni

’
.

No w to p ro ve t hat th e tree tric ks o ff ered by

Pi n c h be c k Fi n ett i Co rnil l o t and Ro be rt Ho u
, , ,
-

prac t ic al l y o ne and th e sam e and to

th e hist o ry o f th e fo u r m ag ici an s w h o featu red th e trick
be fo re Ro be rt Ho u d i n h ad be e n heard o f :
-

Un qu est i o n abl y th e real i n vent o r o f th e myste rio us,

tree was C hri st o p he r Pi nc h be ck wh o was E ng l and s

’
,

[ 5 2 ]
sto i h
h e r P nc bec k Sr T hi is th e o
s ld t es and rare st a uth ti m zz ti t in th
en c e o n
gp
, . e
o r] ii
erta n ng to th e hi i F
sto ry o f m ag c . ro m th e Ha y H udini C l l ti n
rr o o ec o .

[ 53]
 THE UNMASKI NG OF R O BE R T HOUD I N
-

l ead i ng mec hanic al geniu s at th e clo se o f th e se v e ntee nth

ce nt u ry and th e beg i nn i ng o f th e ei ght eenth He w as a .

man o f hi gh repu t e w ho se h i st o ry is no t that o f th e

,

c harl atan c o m pil ed l argel y fro m t rad i t i o n b u t it

, be ,

Cl ipp ing d
fro m th e L o n o n Dail y Po st o f No ve mb er 30th , 17 28 .

Ch risto p h er h
Pinc bec k befo re h e j o ine d Fawk es. F ro m th e arryH Ho u d ini
Co l l ee ti o n
.

co rro bo r at ed by co u rt rec o rd s bi o grap hical w o rk s and

, ,

e n c y cl o p e d i as as well as b y c o nt em po ran eo u s n ew sp ap e r
,

clippi ngs .

Acco rd i ng to Vo l XL V o f th e Dic t i o n ary o f Natio nal

. .

”
B i o grap hy ed i t ed by Si dn ey L ee and pu bli shed in 189 6
,

by S m i th Eld er 81 Co 15 Wat erlo o Pl ace Lo ndo n :

,
.
, ,

C hri sto pher Pi nc hbec k w as bo rn abo u t 16 70 po ssibl y ,

[ 54 ]
 THE OR ANG E TR E E TR I CK
-

in Cl erke nw el l Lo ndo n He w as a clo c kmaker and

,
.

i n vento r o f th e co ppe r and z i n c allo y called aft er h is n ame .

He i n vent ed and m ade th e famo u s astro no m ic o m u sic al -

clo c k I n Appleby s Weekl y Jou rnal o f J ul y 8th 172 1

.
’
, ,

d i d
A vert seme nt fro m th e L o n o n Dail y Po st du i
r ng 1780 s
, h w ing th
o e o ra

tree as o fferedb th e se n o ri F k
aw e s Jst , u p iu
re v o s to h is d ath F
e . ro m t e
H arry oH ud i
in o l l ec tio n
.

it w as ann o u n c ed that C hr i st o p her Pi n c hbec k i n vent o r,

and m ake r o f th e astro n o m ic o m u sic al cl o c k is re m o v e d

-
, ,

fro m S t G eo rge s C o u rt (no w Al bi o n Pl ac e) to th e si gn

’

o f th e A stro n o m ic o Mu sic al Clo c k i n Fleet S tree t n ear

-
”
,

th e L eg Tave rn He m aketh and se ll e th w at c h es o f al l

.

so rt s and cl o c k s as w e ll fo r th e e x ac t i nd ic at i o n o f th e

[ 55 ]
 THE I NMAS K I NG OF R O BER T I I O UD I N
'

t i me o nl v as astro n o m ic al fo r sho w i ng th e v ario u s ,

m o t i o ns and ph e n o me n a o f p l ane ts and

'

Ment i o n is al so m ad e o f m u sic al au t o m at a in i
si ng i ng b i rd s and barre l o rgan s fo r c h u rc he s ,

Pi n c h b e c k s m anu fac t u re s
’

“
.

Pi n c h b e c k w as i n th e h ab i t o f exh i bi t i ng
o f h is au t o m at a at fai rs so m e t i m e s i n c o nj u n c t ,

j u gg le r name d F aw ke s and h e e nt i t l e d h is ,

Te mpl e o f th e Mu se s G ran d Th e atre

’ ‘
,

or
‘
Mul t u m i n I ar vo Th e D ail y Jan
’
.
’

2 th
7 ,
1 72 9 a nn o u n c e d th at th e Pr i n c e an
,

Wale s w e nt to th e Barth o l o m e w Fai r to see

and th e re w e re b r i e f ad ve rti se me nts i n The

Ju n e 12 th 172 9 and th e D ail y Jo urnal o f A

, ,

and 2 3d 1 72 9 ,
Th e re is still a l arg e b ro ad si
.

Br i t i sh Mu seu m ( 18 5 0 c 10 17) h e ad e d l \
— .
‘

Parvo re l at i n g to l inc h b e c k s e x h i bi t i o n w it
,
’ ’ ’

le ft fo r pl ac e and d at e e v ide ntl v i nt e nd ed fo r u se ,

po st er I l e ( l i e d No v e m b e r 18th 1732 ; w as bu ried

.
, ‘

v e mb e r 2 i st in St D e ni so n s Ch u r c h F l ee t S tree t
’

“
.
,
.
,

I n a c o p y o f th e ( l mzl l c men s Mag az ine p ri nt ed 1

’

p age 10 83 t h e re is an e ng rave d p o rtrai t by

,

aft e r a p ai nt i n g by I saac Wo o d a re p ro d uc t i o n ,

app e ar s i n Bri tt en s C l o c k and Wat c h Mak e r p age 1 2 2

‘ ’ ’
, .

His w il l d at e d N o ve mber ro th 1732 w as pro ved in

, , ,

L o nd o n o n No vem be r i 8th .

D u ri ng o ne o f h is e ngage m e nt s at th e B art ho lo m e w
F ai r Pi nc h be c k p ro babl y m e t F aw ke s th e cle ve re st
, ,

sl e i ght o f h and p e r fo r me r th at m ag ic h as e v e r kno w n

— —
,

and th e tw o j o i n e d fo rc e s Pi n c h be c k m ad e al l th e au to
.

mat a and apparat u s the re aft e r u sed by F aw kes and in , ,

[ 5 6 ]
 THE UNMASKI NG OF R O BER T HOUD I N -

so l d fo r fran c s Th e h i st o ric te m ple o f m ag ic

.

”
st ill st and s u nd e r th e t i t l e o f Th eatre R o b e rt H o u d in -
,

u nde r th e m an agem ent o f M Meli es a maker o f m o .

,

t i o n pic t u re fil m s .

D u r i ng my i n ve st i gat i o n s i n P ar i s I w as sho c k ed to ,

Th e l ast ph ph k
o to g ra R b H u di
ta e n o f
“ o e t
r -
o n and u d th f ti p i
se as e ro n s ese fo r
ig i l F h diti f h i M publ i h d in 1868
”
th e or na re nc e on o s e m o irs, s e .

fi nd h o w li tt le th e me m o ry o f Ro be rt Ho u d i n w as re ve re d -

and h o w li tt l e w as kn o w n o f F ran c e s g re at e st m ag i c i an
’
.

I n fac t I w as m o r e th an o n c e i n fo rm e d th at Ro b e rt
,

H o u d i n w as st ill ali ve and g i v i ng perfo rman c es at th e

t heatre w hic h bears h is n ame .

[ 48 ]
 E VE NTS I N THE LI FE OF R O BE R T HOUDIN-

C o nt e m po rary mag ician s o f Ro bert Ho u d i n and men -

o f h i g h r epu t e i n o th er w al k s o f li fe se e m to agre e th at

R o bert Ho u d i n w as an e nt ert ai n er o f o n l y average m er i t

-
.

A mo n g th e men w h o ad van c ed thi s t heo ry w ere th e lat e

Henry Ev anio n o f w ho se d eep i nt erest i n m ag ic I w ro t e
i n th e i ntro d uc t i o n Si r Willi am Clayt o n w h o w as Ro bert
,

Ho u din s p erso n al fr i e nd i n L o nd o n E rn e st B asc h w h o

’
,

—
saw R o b ert H o u d i n i n B erli n and T B o li n o f Mo sc o w ,
.
,

Ru ssi a w h o bo ught al l h is tr ic ks i n Par i s and there saw

,

Ro be rt Ho u d i n and st ud i ed h is w o rk as a c o nj u rer
-
.

Ro be rt Ho u din s c o ntri bu t i o n s to li t erat u re al l o f

-
’
,

w hic h are e ul o g i st ic o f his o w n t al e nt s are as fo ll o w s ,

C o nfid en c e et Rév él at i o n s pu bli shed i n Pari s i n

,

18 5 8 and tr an sl at e d i nt o E n gli sh b y L asc e ll e s Wr axall

,

w i th an i ntro d uc t i o n b y R S he l t o n Mac ke nzi e

“
. .

L es Tric heri es de s G re c s ( C a rd S h arpi n g -

E x p o s e d ) ,

pu bli shed i n Pari s i n 186 1

“
.

S ec ret s de l a Prest i d i g i t at i o n (S e c ret s o f Mag ic ) ,

“
pu bli shed in Par i s i n 1868 .

”
L e P r i e u ré (T h e P r i o ry b e i n g ,
a n acc o u nt o f h is

“
e l e c tr ic all y e quipp ed h o u se pu b li h e d i n P ar i s i n 186
) ,
s 7 .

”
L es R ad i at io n s Lu m i n eu ses pu bli shed i n B lo i s i n
,

1869 .

E x plo rat i o n de l a Ret i n u e pu bli shed i n B lo i s 1869

, ,
.

”
Mag ic et Physiqu e A m u sant e (oeu v re po sth u m e ) ,

pu bl ished i n P ari s i n 18 77 six years aft er Ro be rt Ho u din s

,
— ’

d eath .

I n his au t o b i o grap hy R o b ert Ho u d i n m akes sp e ci fic

,
-

cl ai m to th e ho n o r o f h av i ng i n vented th e fo llo w i n g
tr ic k s : Th e Oran ge Tree S e c o nd Si ght Su spen si o n
, , ,

Th e C abali st ic Clo c k Th e I n e xhau st i bl e B o tt l e Th e

.
,

4 [ 49 ]
 THE UNMASKING OF R O BE R T HOUDI N
-

Pastry C o o k o f th e Pal ai s Ro yal Th e Vaul t i ng Trap e z e

,

Au t o m ato n and th e Wri t i ng and D raw in g F i gu re

,
.

His fame w h ic h h as be e n su ng by wr i t ers o f m ag ic

,

w i t ho u t n u m b e r si n c e h is d eath re st s p ri n cip all y o n th e

,

i n vent i o n o f se c o nd si ght su spe n si o n and th e w ri t ing and

, ,

draw i n g au to m at o n I t is my i nt ent i o n to trace th e tru e

.

h i sto ry o f eac h o f the se tric k s and o f al l o the rs to w h ic h

h e l ai d cl ai m as i n ve nt o r and sh o w j u st h o w sm al l a
,

p ro po rt i o n o f th e c re d i t w as d u e to Ro be rt Ho u d i n and
-

h o w m uc h h e o w e d to m agici an s w h o p rec e ded

and w h o se b rai n w o rk h e cl ai m e d as h is o w n
-
.

[ so ]
 CHAPTER II

THE OR ANGE TR E E TR I K
-
C

O B ERT HOUD IN o n page 179 o f th e Am

“
-
,
eric an
”
ed i t i o n o f h is Mem o i rs t hu s d esc ri bes th e
,

o ran ge tree tr ic k w h ic h h e cl ai m s as his inv en

-
,

t i o n : Th e n ext w as a myst er io u s o range tree -

,

o n Wh ic h flo w er s and frui t b u r st i nt o li fe at th e requ est o f

th e l ad i e s . As th e final e a handk erc hief I bo rro w ed

,

w as co n veyed i nt o an o ran ge pu rp o sel y l eft o n th e tree .

This o p en ed and d i splayed th e handkerc h i ef w h ic h two ,

b u tt erfl ies t o o k by th e c o rn ers and u nfo l ded befo re th e

”
sp e c t at o rs .

On page 2 45 o f th e sam e vo lu m e h e p resent s th e

p ro gramm e g iven at th e first pu blic perfo rm an ce in th e

“
Th eatre Ro be rt Ho u d i n st at i n g :
-
,

Th e perfo rm an c e w i l l b e c o m p o sed o f e nt i rel y n o ve l

E xperiment s in vented b y M Ro bert Ho u d i n A mo ng .
-
.

”
t hem be i ng Th e Orange Tree etc -
,
.

No w to retrac e o u r st ep s i n th e h i st o ry o f m agic as set

fo rt h i n hand bill s and ad vert i sement s o f earli e r and c o n
t e mpo raneo u s new spaper clippi ngs d esc ri bi ng t heir in

“
v entio ns .

”
Under th e ti tle oApple Tree t h i s mechanic al
f Th e -

tric k ap peared o n a Faw kes p ro gramme d at ed 1730 Thi s .

w as 115 years b efo re R o bert Ho u d i n clai med i t as h is

-

inventio n I n 1732 j u st befo re Pi n c hbec k s deat h i t

.
,
’
,

[5 ]1
Sr , . and th e yo u n g e r F aw ke s . In 1784 it was
P i i
“
th e r e p e rt o ir e o f th e I t ali a n c o nj u re r ,
ne tt ,
”
“
of L e B o uqu et p h il o so p h iq u c
- I n 182 2
.

tric k b u t t h is ti m e c al l e d A n E n c h an ted
,

was feat u red b y M .

wh o appe ared

p upil and

Th e
tr i
in pu blic
c rem p s i n
ex p ose o f Pinetti w
u nd e r th e t i t le o f
B l an c he D é vo ilée ,

8 7 bo th Hall e and

Natural Ll ag i b e d in
1794 .

is p ro ve n by his o wn wo rd s fo r in C hap t ,
”
‘
Mem o i rs h e d evo t ed fo u rteen p ages to P
l att e r s re l at i o n s w i th To rri n i
’
.

No w to p ro ve t hat th e tree tr ic ks 0
Pi n c hbec k Pinetti Co rnill o t and R o
, , ,

p rac t ic al l y o ne and th e sam e and to

th e hi st o ry o f th e fo u r m agici an s w h o
befo re Ro bert H o u d i n h ad been heard o f
-

Un qu est i o n abl y th e real i n vent o r o f th e

,

tree was C hr i st o pher Pi n c h bec k w h o w as , Eng l and

[ 5 2 ]
C h i t h e r P inc h
b ec k Sr T hi s is th e old t and rare st a uth ti m z ti t in th
en n
s
r s o , . es c ez o e
w o rl p e rtat m ng to th e h is
.

to ry o f m i F
ag c . ro m th e Ha y H udini C l l ti n
rr o o ec o .

[ 53]
l ead i ng mec hanic alge ni u s at th e c l o se o f th e se v en tee nth
ce nt u ry and th e beg i nni ng o f th e e i ght ee nth He w as a .

man o f hi gh re pu t e w ho se hi sto ry is no t th at o f th e
,

c harlatan c o mpiled l argel y fro m t radi tio n b u t it c an be

, ,

Clipp ing d
fro m th e L o n o n Dail y Po st of No ve m be r 8oth 17 28 , .

Ch i t p h
rs o er Pinc e chb k b e fo re h e j o ne i d Fawk es. F ro m th e Ha rry Ho u d l m
C ll t n
o ec io .

co rro bo rat ed by c o urt reco rd s bi o grap h ical w o rk s and

, ,

enc yc l o p a dias as w e ll as by c o nt em p o ran eo u s new sp ap er

,

clippi ngs .

Acco rd i n g to Vo l XL V o f th e Dict i o n ary o f Natio nal

. .

”
B i o g raphy ed i t ed by Si dn ey L ee and pu bli shed in 1896
,

by S m i t h Eld er ,
Co 1
5 W at e r
.l o o Pl ac e
,
L o n d o n : ,

C h rist o pher Pi n chbec k w as bo rn abo u t 16 70 po ssibl y ,

[ 54 ]
 THE I NM AS K I NG OF R O BE R T HOUD I N
'

t i me o n l y as astro n o m ic al fo r sho w ing ,

m o t i o n s and phe n o me n a o f p l ane ts and

'

Me nt i o n is al so m ade o f m u sic al au t o mata in

Pi nc h b e c k ’
s m an u fac t u re s .

of h is u t o m at a at fai rs so me ti me s i n c o n
a ,

j u gg l e r n am e d F aw ke s and h e e nt i tl ed .

Te m p l e o f th e Mu se s G rand Th e atre 0
’ ‘
,

or
‘
Mul t u m i n l ar vo Th e D ail y Jo zm
’
.
’

2 th a n n o u n c e d th at th e P r i nc e an
7 , 7
1 29 ,

Wal e s w ent to th e Barth o l o me w Fai r to see

and th e re w e re b ri e f ad ve r ti se m e nt s i n Th e

Ju n e 12 th 1 72 9 and th e D ail y Jo urnal o f

, ,

and 2 3d 1 72 9 ,
Th e re is stil l a l arg e b ro ad
.

Br i t i sh Mu se u m ( 18 5 0 c 10 1 7) h ead ed
—
.

P arvo re l at i ng to l inc h b e c k s e x h i bi t i o n
,
’ ’ ’

le ft fo r pl ac e and dat e e v ide ntl v int e nd ed ,

p o st er He di e d No ve m be r 18th 1732 ; w a
.
, ‘

v e m b e r 2 1st in St D e ni so n s Ch u rc h F l ee t
“
’

.
, ,

I n a c o p y o f th e Gc nl l c mc n s l l ag asine ’

l
,

p age 10 83 t h e re is an e ng rav ed p o rtrai t

,

aft e r a p ai nt i ng by I saac Wo o d a re p ro d u c ,

His w ill ,d at ed No vem ber ro th 1732 w as , ,

L o nd o n o n No vem ber 18th .

D u ri n g o ne o f h is e n g age m e nt s at th e B art ho l o m e w
F ai r Pi nc h b e c k p ro b abl y m et F aw k e s th e cle v e re st
, ,

sl ei ght o f h and p e r fo rm e r th at m ag ic h as e ve r kn o w n
— —
,

and th e tw o j o i n e d fo rc e s Pi nc h bec k m ad e al l th e au to.

mat a and apparat u s thereaft er u sed b y F aw kes and in , ,

[ 5 6 ]
 zz i
A ve ry rare me o t nt o f Ch i p h i h
r sto bi i
e r P nc be c k J .r ,co m n th e w o rk
Cu nmn h am the g re ate st e sig ne r and W l am H m re y
,

, d , il i u ph , e g re ate st
trait e tc e r o f h is d ay
. F H
ro m th e H u di i C l i
arry o n o l ect on .

[ 5 7]
 THE UNMASKI NG OF R O BE RT HOUD I N
-

Faw kes, h e h ad m aster pro d uc er o f h is tric ks Ch risto

a -
.

pher Pi n c hbec k never appeared o n th e p ro gram u se d by

Faw kes save as th e mak e r o f th e au to m ata o r ap p aratu s
, ,

b u t d i rec t l y aft er th e d eat h o f th e el der Faw k es and ,

a few m o nt h s be fo re h is o wn th e e l d er Pinc h b ec k ap
,

red w i t h th e so n o f h is d e c ease d partner and w as

“
p e a ,

ad ve rt i se d as d o i n g th e Dext er i ty o f H and perfo rm anc e .

This i nd ic at es th at h e w as i nd uct i ng yo u ng Faw k e s into

al l th e my st er i e s o f th e p r o fe ssi o n at wh ic h th e tw o e l d e r

men as fr i end s and bu si n ess part ne rs h ad do ne so We l l

, , .

C hr i st o pher Pi n c h bec k w as su rv i ved b y tw o so ns ,

E d w ard and C hr i st o p her Jr E d w ard th e eld er su c

,
.
, ,

c eede d to h is fath e r s sh o p and reg ul ar b u si n ess

’
He w as .

bo rn abo u t 170 3 and w as w e ll al o ng i n years w he n h e

,

e nt e re d i nt o h is p atr i m o ny w h ic h h e ad vert i sed in Th e

‘
,

D ail y P o st o f No vem ber 2 7th 1732 as fo llo ws , , Th e “

t o ys made o f th e l at e Mr Pi n c h bec k s cu r io u s me tal are
.
’

no w so l d o n l y b y h is so n and so l e ex e cu t o r Mr E d w ard ,
.

”
Pi n c hbec k .

Th i s ann o u n c e m ent se tt l e s fo rever th e o ft disp u ted -

qu est i o n as to w hether th e all o y o f c o ppe r and z i nc w h ic h

bears th e n ame o f Pi nc h bec k w as i n vent ed by C hri sto p h er
Pi n ch bec k S r o r by h is so n C hri st o ph er Jr
,
.
, ,
.

All n ew spaper and m agaz i n e d esc rip t i o n s o f th e au to

m at a i n vent ed b y th e el de r Pi n c h bec k i nd icate th at h is
hand w as as cu nn i ng as h is brai n was i n vent i ve fo r th e y ,

sh o w ed th e m o st d elic at e m ec h an i sm and i n clu d ed e ntire

,

l and sc apes w i th figu res o f rare grac e i n m o t i o n .

C hri st o p her th e sec o nd so n o f C h ri st o p her Pinc h

”
,

be c k th e el de r co nt i n ues th e bi o graph ic al sket ch

,
w as ,
“
bo rn abo u t 1710 and po ssessed great mec han ical i ngenu i ty .

[ 5 8 l
 THE O R AN G E -
TR E E TR I CK

While th e e ld er so n Ed ward w as m ade execu t o r and

, ,

c o nt i n u ed h is father s trad e i n a qui et c o n servat i ve

’
,

fash i o n th e yo u nger so n struc k o u t alo ng new li n es and

,

Th e best I saac Fawk es i

in e x ste nc e . Th e ig i l n w i th
or na , o n e

on , is su p o se d so hav be ee n e ng v d b y Sutt
ra e on

id that th
sa ere is o
.

y o ne mo re of th e se e ng vi g xta t
ra n s e n .

b ec ame v m o re fam o u s
e en as an i n vent o r than h is brill
iant father h ad bee n .

[ 59 ]
 THE UNMASK I NG OF R O BE R T HOUD I N
-

He me m be r and at o ne t i me presi dent o f th e

w as a
Sme ato nian S o ci e ty th e p re cu rso r o f th e I n st i t u ti o n o f
,
.

Ci v il En g i neers I n 1702 h e d ev i sed a se l f ac t i ng pne u

.
-

m at ic b rake fo r p revent i ng acci d ent s to th e men em pl o y ed

i n w o rki ng w h eel c ran es I n Th e Gentl eme ns Mag az ine
-
.
’

fo r J u ne 176 5 p age 2 9 6 i t is re c o rd ed t hat l \I e ssrs

, , , .

Pi n c h bec k and No rt o n h ad m ad e a c o m plic at ed ast ro

An e ar ly F aw ke s adv ti er se m e nt, el i p e d fro m a Lon d on p a p

e r o f 17 25 .

F mtro he I l arrv o u d ini C ll ti

o ec on .

no mic al clo c k fo r th e
Qu n h u m f h
’
e e s o se so e o t e c al ,

c u l atio ns o f th e w h ee l h av i n g be en m ad e b y J am e s F e r

gu so n th e astro n o me r Th ere is no p ro o f that Pinc hb e c k

,
.

and No rt o n w e re e v e r i n p artn e rsh ip and th e re are no w ,

tw o cl o c k s an sw e r i n g to th e d e sc r ip t i o n at B uc kingh am
Palac e o ne by Pi n c hbe c k w i th fo u r d i als and o f a v ery
, ,

c o m plic at e d c o n struc t i o n and ano th er by No rt o n

“
.
,

Pi n c h bec k t o o k o u t three pat ent s : th e fir st (No .

grant ed 1768 w as fo r an i m p ro ved c and lest ic k with a

,

[ 60 ]
 THE O RANGE TR EE - TR I CK

Spr i ng so c ke t fo r ho l d i ng th e c and le firml y and an ,

arrange m ent w he re b y th e c and l e al w ays o ccupi ed an

up ri ght po si t i o n ho wever th e c and lest ic k m ight b e held

, .

I n 1768 (pat ent No 899) h e p atent ed h is no c t u rnal

.

remem bran cer a ser i es o f t able t s w i th n o t c hes to serve

, ,

as gu i d e s fo r w r i t i ng i n th e d ark His snu fle rs (No 1 11

9) . .

p atented 1776 co nt i n u ed to b e m ad e i n B i rming ham

,

A c l ip m th e ( I ail y Po st, L o n o n s
‘
d h w ing that Faw k m b ined
es c o

g gw l
o
fo rc e s W1 l o e , th e fam o s u B hl
art o o mew Fai pupp t man F m th
r e . ro e

Ha y H udini C ll ti
rr o o ec on .

u nt il th e l ast fo rty years o r so w hen sn u ff ers began to ,

g o o u t o f use I.n 1774 h e p r e se nt e d to th e S o ci e ty o f A rt s

a m o d el o f a pl o u gh fo r m e nd i n g ro ad s Pi n c hbe c k s ’
.

n ame fi rst app ears i n th e L o nd o n d i rec t o ry i n 1778 w hen ,

i t repl aced t hat o f Ric hard Pi n c hbe c k t o yman o f w ho m , ,

“
no t hing is re c o rd e d .

C hri sto pher Pi n c h bec k J r w as h e l d i n c o n si d erabl e

,
.
,

e st eem b y G eo rge III and h e fi gu re s i n Wil ke s L o nd o n

’
.
,

[ 61 ]
 THE UNMASKI NG OF R O BE R T HOUDI N -

—
Mu se u m (11 33) i n 1770 i n th e li st o f th e party w h o
c alled themse l ves th e K i n g s friend s He d i ed Marc h 1 7 th ,
’
.

1 783, aged 73, and w as bu r i ed i n S t

’
—
Mart i n s in th e .
-

F i el d s His w ill , w hic h w as ve ry cu r i o u s, is p rin t e d in

.

fu l l i n Th e H o ro l o g ical Jo urnal o f No vem be r 189 5 O ne ,

.

o f his d au g ht e rs m arr i e d Willi am H e bb w h o w as d e sc rib e d ,

as so n in l aw and succ e sso r o f th e l at e M r Pi nc h b e c k

‘
- -
.

at h is sh 0 p i n C o c k spu r S tr e e t (i m p r i nt ed o n Pi n c h b e c k s
’ ’

po rtrai t ) w ho se so n C hri st o phe r He n ry He bb ( 1 77 2

,

186 1
) p r ac t i se d as a su rg e o n i n W o r c e st e r T h e re is in .

e xi st en c e a po rtrai t o f C hr i st o p h e r Pi n c h be c k th e yo u ng e r ,

by Cu nn i n gham en graved by W Hu m phrey ,

. .

Th e m e zzo t i nt s o f th e Pi n c h be c ks fathe r and so n , ,

herew i th repro d uced are e xtre mel y rare and when I u n , ,

earth e d the m i n B e rli n I fe l t my sel f si ngul arl y favo re d

i n secu r i n g tw o suc h tre asu re s o f great value to th e hist o ry

o f m ag ic S Wo hl th e ant i q u ari an and d ealer fro m
. .
,

w ho m the y w e re pu rc h ased acqui re d the m d u r i ng a t o u r

,

o f o l d bo o k and p r i nt sh o p s i n E n gl and and t ho u gh t the m ,

p o rtrai t s o f o ne and th e same perso n ; bu t by st u dying th e

n ames o f th e art i st s and th e e n grave rs o n th e two p ic
t u res i t w ill b e see n that the y se t fo rth th e fe at ure s o f
,

fathe r and so n as i nd ic at ed b y th e bi o graph ic al no te s

,

qu o t ed abo ve .

O f th e e arl y h i st o ry o f F aw k e s w ho se b r illi ant stag e ,

perfo rm an c e lent to th e Pi n c h be c k au t o mat a a new lu st re ,

li tt l e is kn o w n I t is prac t ic all y i m po ssi bl e to trace h is

.

fam il y h i st o ry His C hr i st i an n ame w as n ever u sed o n

.

h is b illi ng no r pu bli shed i n p ape rs o r m agaz i n es and ,

aft e r re p e at e d failu res I w as abo u t to g i ve up th e task

o f d i sc o ve r i ng i t w he n i n 190 4 ai d e d by R B enne tt
, ,
.
,

[ 62 ]
 T E UNMASKI G OF R OB R HOUD I N
H N E T-

ment s head ed Faw kes and Po wel ”

aw k e s
“
F
and
” “
Phillips and F aw kes and Pi n c h be c k
,
”
,

Po w e l w as th e
.

famo u s puppet man P hillips a famo u s po stu re m aster

,

kn n t d y c nt rt i o n i st ) and Pi nc hbe c k w as th e
( o w o a as o o ,

greatest o f me chan ici an s Faw kes se em s to h ave p o s

.

se ssed a si n gul ar g i ft fo r pic k i ng o u t d esi rab l e partne rs .

F ro m t hi s m ass o f e v i d en c e I am p ro d uc ing

Cl ip p in d
fro m th e L o n o n P o st F u
e b r ary 7 th 172 4 in w hic h F awkes
fi
, , ,

anno u nc e i h ik
is re t re m e nt and o ffe rs to te ac h is tr c s to al l co m ers Bel o w this
.

u d i
anno nce me nt is th e a ve rt se me nt o f Cl h u
e nc , fam o s as an iniita to r and an

i u li
nstr m e nta st .

cl ippi n gs By a peculi ar co i n ci d e n c e o ne o f t he se I
.

beli eve o ffers th e m o st au th ent ic and earli est re c o rd o f

tw o a n i ght perfo rm an ce s i n E n gl and .

I n my c o ll e c t i o n are a n u mber o f o the r cli ppi ng s fro m

th e p ress o f th e sam e year i n Ap r il and May 17 2 8 b ut
“ ,
”
n o ne o f them says t w ice a n i gh t therefo re I j udge ,
, ,

[ 64 ]
 THE OR ANGE TR EE - TR I CK

th at th e cu st o m o f g i v i ng tw o perfo rm an ce s i n a n ight
w as tr i ed p re v i o u sl y to Ap r il 172 8 and th e n ab and o ne d
, , ,

o r aft e r th e first o f May .

I n th e L o nd o n Po st o f F ebru ary 7th 172 4 F aw kes , ,

an n o u n c e d an e x h i b i t i o n i n th e L o n g Ro o m o ver th e
”
p i azz a a t th e O pe ra H o u se i n th e H aym arke t A t th i s .

t i m e h e al so ad ve rt i sed th e fac t th at h e w as abo u t to ret i re

an d w as e xp o si ng al l h is tr ic k s Th e clippi ng o f that
.

d at e fro m my c o ll e c t i o n h as th e fo ll o w i ng fo o t no t e -

Li kew i se h e d esign s to fo ll o w thi s bu si ne ss no lo nge r

in d
fro m th e L o n o n D ail y P o st o f A g u u t 178 5
s h h F wk
in w ic a
pp
g
, , es
ad v ertl se i i pi
fis ad m ss o n r c e as tw el ve e nc e p . F m th
ro e Ha y H u di ni
rr o

l
Co l ec tio n .

t h an this seaso n ; So h e p ro m i se s to l earn any l ady o r

ge nt le man his fan ci es i n d ext eri ty o f hand fo r thei r o wn
”
d i ve rsi o n .

Wh en F aw kes w as no t i n p artn ership w i th so m e puppet

sh o w m an h e al w ay s ad ve rt i se d h is o w n pupp e t s as
,
A
c o u rt o f th e ric h e st and l arge st figu re s e ve r sh o wn i n
”
E ngl and bei ng as bi g as men and w o m en ! His ad
,

missi o n c harges var i ed bu t 12 pe n c e see med his favo ri t e

,

s [ 65 ]
 THE UNMASKI NG OF R O BER T HOUD I N -

figu re A bo u t six years be fo re h is deat h h e h ad h is o wn

.

theatre i n J ame s S tree t n ear th e Haym arket in w hic h

, ,

h e e x h i bi t ed fo r mo nth s at a t i me be fo re and aft e r f airs .

I rep ro d uce a clippi ng fro m my co l lec t i o n sh o w ing

Faw kes l ast p ro gram He re i t w ill be seen tha t his fi rst
’
.

tric k w as c au si n g a tree to gro w up i n a fl o w e r p o t o n th e -

t able and be ar frui t i n a m i n u t e s t i me I n Th e G entl e

,
’
.

men s Mag azine th at o ft qu o t ed and m o st reli ab le p e ri

’
,
-

o d ic al o f F e b ru ary 15 th
, 7
1 31 r e ad e r s w e
,
r e in fo,rm ed
that th e Al ge r i an A m bassad o r s w i tne ssed F aw ke s p er ’

d h i
Cl i p in fro m th e L o n o n Po st s o w ng th at yo ng awkes co l abo rate
p u F l d
g
,

ih h h
w t l mc h e c k and to e t er t e y o ffe red th e o rang e -tree tr c in 1732 F ro m ik .

th e Harry Ho udi i
n Co e c t o n l i .

fo rmanc e A t thei r requ e st h e sho w ed them a pro sp e c t

.

o f Al g i er s and rai se d up an appl e tree w h ic h bo re ri e

p
-
,

frui t i n l ess th an a m i n u te s t i me wh ic h se veral o f th e

’
,
”
c o m pany t ast ed o f .

F aw kes to o h ad a so n and th u s th e p artn e rship and

, , ,

th e fr i end sh ip w h ic h h ad e x i st ed be t w ee n th e e l d er
Faw kes and th e el d e r Pi n c h bec k were c arri e d o n b y th e
sec o nd generat i o n All o f th e marvello u s apparat u s made
.

[ 66 1
 THE OR ANG E -
TR E E TR I CK

b y Pi n chbe c k th e el d er fo r F aw kes may h ave been

, ,

be qu eathe d by th e l att er to his so n bu t i n 1732 Pi n c h , , ,

be c k th e e ld er and F aw ke s th e yo u nger w ere i n a bo o th

“
t o get her and Pi n c hbe c k w as ad ve rt i sed as d o i n g th e
,
”
d ext e r i t y o f hand perfo rm an c es A fter C hri st o p her .

Cl ipping d
fro m th e L o n o n Post, A g u st l 6th u , ung Faw k
1736 , w h e n yo es w as
p i
l ay ng al o ne ro m th e
. Farry H H udi i C ll ti
o n o ec on .

Pi n c hbec k S r d i ed yo u n g Faw ke s st art ed o u t o n h is

,
.
, ,

o w n acc o u nt I n 1746 acc o rd i ng to an ad ve rt i sem ent i n

.
,

my c o llec t io n a Faw kes and a Pi n c h bec k w e re t o geth er

,

ag ai n so th e so n o f Pi n c h be c k m u st h av e j o i n e d th e
,

yo u nger F aw ke s fo r exh i bi t i o n pu rpo ses Th e aeco m .

~

p an y ing clippi ng s fr o m c o nt em p o r ary pu b lic at i o n s tr ac e

th e hi st o ry o f yo u n g F aw ke s and p ro ve th at th e tree ,

[ 67 ]
 THE UNMASKI NG OF R O BE R T HOUD I N -

w h ic h b o re frui t in m i nu te s t i me t ill h is p ro
’
a w as s on

gramme .

Fo r m any ye ars i t w as suppo se d t hat o n l y o ne p o rtrait

o f F aw ke s w as i n e x i st e n c e bu t i t no w se e m s t h at t h ree
,

w e re m ad e I pu bli sh the m al l so m ethi n g w h ic h no o ne

.
,

h as eve r be fo re be en abl e to d o O ne w as t ak e n f ro m .

a Se tc h el s fan pu bli sh e d abo u t 1 28

7 a l th o u g h so m e ,

p du i
R e ro ct o
n of p ag e o f Ho ne s E v e ry -D ay Bo o
’
in th e
ud
Ho ini Co l l ec h o n T s is a
. hi rtr ait o f aw l -
re s e ng rave Fon a , d
Se tc h e l s in 172 1 o r 172 8. F
ans 1 e t e se w e re
'

h str te at the di ibu d

au th o r i t i es say 172 1 I t appe ared i n Ho ne s E v e ry

.
’

Day B o o k ,
p age 12 2 6 A n o the r I be li e ve w as eu
.
, ,

graved by Su tt o n Nic o l s as Ho ne m ent i o n s it in h is

,

d e sc r ip t i o n o f F aw kes I n th e fan e ngravi n g it w il l b e

.
,

no t ic ed that th ere appe ars a m an w e ari ng a star o n h is

[ 63 ]
 THE OR ANGE TR EE - TRI CK

l e ft breast I t is said t hat thi s is Si r Ro bert Walpo l e

.

w h o w as Pr i m e Mi n i st er w h il e F aw kes w as at th e he i ght
o f his succ e ss and w h o w as o ne o f th e c o nj u re r s gre at
’
’

adm i re r s. Ho garth al so plac ed F aw kes i n o ne o f t s

e ngrav i n g s as th e
“
b ro c h u re o n Tast e
fro nt i spi ece o f a m o st d i ve rt i n g
”
i n w hic h h e be li tt le s B u rli n gt o n
,

G at e . This m ake s th e thi rd p o rtrai t fro m my c o ll ee

t i o n herew i th rep ro d uc ed .

Acc o rd ing to an art icl e co ntri bu t ed b y Mo n s E R ay . .

n al y in th e I l l u sio nn iste o f J u n e 190 3 th e o ran ge tre e

, ,

n e xt appe are d in th e rep e rto ire o f a re m ark abl e pe asant

c o nj u rer w ho se bill in g Mo n s R aynal y fo u nd am o n g

“ Afl
,

ic h es de P ari s ”
.

Th i s p e rf o rm er w as b ill e d as th e
.

P easant o f No rth Ho ll and and gave ho u rl y p erfo rm an ces

,

at th e yearl y f air s at S aint G e rm ai n-

.

I t is mo re than po ssi ble th at h e pu rch ased thi s tric k

fr o m Faw ke s o r Pi n c h be ck hav i ng seen i t at th e B ar
,

th o l o me w F ai r in E ngl and .

He fe atured th e o r ange tree as fo ll o w s : He h as a

P hil o so ph ic al F lo w er Po t i n w h ic h h e c au se s to gro w o n
,

a t abl e in th e p re se n ce o f th e spe c t at o rs tree s w h ic h fl o w e r ,

and th e n th e fl o w e rs fall and f r ui t app e ar s ab so lu te l y

,
”
rip e and re ady to b e e at e n .

His p o st ers are d ated 1746 4 7 and 175 1

—
.

Th e n ext p ro gramme o n w h ic h th e myst eri o u s tree ap

p e a r s is a P ine tti h and bill d at e d i n L o nd o n 1784 w he n
, , ,

th e fo llo w ing an no u n c e me nt w as m ad e :
“ Si gn o re Pinetti w ill aft e rw ard s pre sent th e asse m bl y
w i th a Tree c all ed L e B o uqu e t ph il o so p hiqu e c o m po se d
-

o f sm all b ranc hes o f an o ran ge tre e th e l eave s app e ar i n g

-
,

green and nat ural He w ill pu t i t u nd er a bo tt l e and at

.
,

[ 69 ]
THE UNMASK I NG OF R O BE R T HOUD I N
-
 THE UNMASK I NG OF R O E R T HOUD I N
B -

in 1 8
7 3 H is f
.a m e quic k l y c arr i e d him to Paris w here ,

in 1 784 h e ap p e ar ed be fo re th e c o u rt o f Lo u i s
His a rr i val w as mo st o ppo rt u n e , fo r j u st then all P aris

A wo o d c ut
- u d b y Pi tti du i
se ne r ng H u
h is e ng ag e m e nt at amb r , G e rm any in
g ,

O t b
c o 17 9 6
er, F . ro m t h e Harry Ho udi i
n Co l l ec t1o n .

and , that matt er al l Eu ro pe h ad bee n aro u sed to a

fo r ,

new i nt e re st i n m ag ic by th e b r illi ant C agli o stro .

F ro m P ar i s h e w ent to L o nd o n pl ay i n g at th e Hay ,

m arke t and c reat i ng a se n sat i o n equ al to t hat w hi c h h e .

m ad e i n F ran c e L at er h e t o u red G e rm any playin g in

.
,

[ 7 2
]
 THE OR ANG E TR EE - TR I C K

B erli n and Ham bu rg Next h e w ent back to h is n at i ve

.

l and I t al y bu t l at er ret u rn ed to G ermany fo r a se co nd

, ,

e ngage m e nt I n 1789 h e appeared i n Ru ssi a and ne ver

.

Th e ly auth nti
on e c
p it
o rtra of Pinetti in e x iste nce , l
th e o n y kno w n co py
ex tan t b e mg in th e H arry Ho u di ni C ll i
o ec t o n
.

l e ft t hat c o u ntry The re h e m arr i ed a Ru ssi an gi rl

.
,

d au ght e r o f a c arr i age m an u fac t u re r They h ad tw o .

c hil d ren Fine tt i wo ul d h ave l e ft en o rm o u s w e al th bu t

.
,

[ 73 ]
 THE UNMASKIN G OF R O ER T HOUD I N
B -

in h islat er years h e be c ame i nte rested in bal l o o ning ,

th e se n sat i o n o f th e h o u r and spe nt his ent i re fo rtu ne

,

o n ball o o n e x pe r i m ent s He d i ed i n Bartic h o fl V o l h inie

.
, ,

aged fi fty ye ars .

Pine tti w as a man o f rare i nve nt i ve ge n ius and al m o st

h B a
flfl
‘

en e '

H ni
e r Dec re mp s th e
, F h auth w h xp
re nc or o e o se d d v
and en ea o red to i
ru n
i i
F nett , b u t s uc d d nly m imm
c ee e o o rtal zingi him .

re c o n struc t e d th e art o f c o nj u r i ng so n u mero us w e re h is ,

i n ve nt i o n s Fo r h al f a c e nt u ry aft er h is deat h h is su c
.

c e sso rs dre w up o n F i n e tt i s i n ve nt i o n s and rep e rto ire fo r

’

thei r p ro gramme s Nat u rall y suc h abili ty aro u sed bitter

.

eal o u si e s especi all y as Pinetti m ad e no att e m p t to c o n

j ,

[ 74 ]
 THE OR AN G E -
TR EE TR I CK

cili at e his c o nt em po rar i es e i t her mag ici an s o r w ri t ers o n

,

m agic He i ssued o ne bo o k w ho se t i tle page read s

.
,
-

A m u sem ent s P hysiqu es et D i ffe re ntes Ex p erienc es D i

v e rtisse m ents C o m p o sé e s et E x e c u té e s t ant aP ari s q u e
, ,

d an s l es d i ve rses C o u rt s de l Euro p e Par M Jo sep h ’

. .

Pine tti de Wil l e dal Ro m ai n C he vali er de l Ordre Mé r i t e

’
, ,

de S ai nt P hillipe P ro fe sse u r de M ath é mat iqu es et de

-

P hysiques Pro té gé p ar t o u t e l a Mai so n Ro yal e de F ran ce

, ,

Pe n si o nn ai re de l a C o u r de Pru sse etc ,

.
,

Th e w o rk ho w e v er w as no t a cl e ar and luci d ex pl an a
, ,

t i o n o f his met ho d s and tr ick s I n fac t so me o f his c o n .

t e m po rar i es cl ai med t hat h e deli be rat ely m i srep re se nt ed

h is m etho d s o f p er fo rm i n g tric k s A m o n g th ese w ri t e rs .

w as He nr i D ec remp s a br illi ant p ro fe sso r o f m ath em at ic s

,

and p hysic s i n P ar i s w h o p ro c e ed e d to e x p o se al l o f
,

“
Pinetti s tric ks i n th e bo o k re fe rred to i n th e p re ce d i n g
’

”
c hap ter L a Magi e B l an c he D évo ilée
,
This w o rk w as .

i n fi v e vo lu mes and w as so po pul ar i n its day that i t w as

tran sl at e d i nt o nearl y every mo d ern l anguage Th e fo l .

l o w i ng explan at io n o f th e tr ic k is t aken fro m p age 5 6 o f th e

”
E ngli sh tran sl at i o n e nt i t le d Th e C o nj u rer Unmasked
“ ,

Th e b ran c hes o f th e tre e m ay b e m ad e o f t i n o r

p ape r so as to be ho llo w fro m o ne end to th e o ther i n
,

o rd e r th at th e air w h ic h e nt e r s at th e b o tt o m m a find its

y
e x i t at th e to f th b r an c h T h b r an c h a
p o e ese es re.so

adj u st ed that at i nt e r val s th e re app ear t w i g s m ad e fro m

b rass w i re bu t th e w ho le so d eco rate d w i t h l eave s m ad e

,

fro m parc hment that th e en sem ble clo sel y resem bl es

“
nat u re .

Th e e nd o f eac h b ran c h is d il at ed to c o nt ai n sm all

pi e ce s o f gumm ed sil k o r very fi ne go l d beat er s ski n -
’
,

[ 75 ]
 THE UN MASK I NG OF R O BE R T HOUD I N -

w hic h are to c at c h th e fig u re s o f th e flo wers and frui t

w h e n th e l att er ex p and by th e air dr i ven t h ro u gh th e
bran c h es to w h ic h th ey we re fast ened by a sil k thre ad .

Th e tree o r n o segay is the n pl ace d o n a t abl e t h ro u gh ,

w h ic h ru n s a gl ass t u be to supply
air fro m be n eath th e st age w h e re ,

a c o n fe d e rat e w o rk s th i s e nd o f

th e tr ic k and c au se s th e tree to
,

gro w at th e p rearrange d sig

‘

”
nal .

L ate r i t w as d esc r i be d as be i ng
i
5g: ii 712 gy ac c o m pli sh e d e nt i re l y b y sp r in g s
0 ‘
1 ,
1 ar
L ib
rar y .
and re al o ranges w ere fir st st uc k

o n th e tre e b y m ean s o f pe gs o r

pi n s and th e l e ave s w ere so secu red aro u nd the m th at at

,

first appearan c e th ey c o ul d no t b e seen The n a pi st o n .

w as u se d to sp read al l th e l e ave s an o the r th at fo r c ed

,

th e bl o sso m up thro u gh th e h o ll o w br an c hes e tc , .

Pinetti s p e rso n al i ty w as al m o st as e xtrao rd inary as

’ ‘

h is t al e nt s A h and so m e m an w h o kn ew h o w to c arry
.

hi m sel f acqui ri n g th e g rac e s and th e dress o f th e n o b ility

, ,

h e be c am e rath e r h au ghty i f no t arro gant i n h is bearing

, , .

He so ant ago n i z ed h is c o nt e m po rar i e s i n th e fi el d s o f

m ag ic and li t erat u re th at h e w as ad vert i sed as m uc h by
h is bi tt e r en em i es as by h is l o v i ng fr i end s M any o f h is .

m etho d s o f attrac t i n g att ent i o n to hi m sel f w ere si ngul arly

li ke tho se em plo yed by mo d e rn p ress agent s o f theat rical
st ars . He n ever tru st ed to h is p erfo rm an c e s i n theatres
and draw i ng ro o m s to ad ve rt i se h is ab ili t i e s b u t d e m o n
-
,

strate d h is art w h e rev e r h e app e ared fro m barbe r sh o p s

,
-

to c afé s .
 THE OR ANG E TR E E TR I CK
-

Pe rhaps th e best p en pic t u res o f Pinetti and h is me t ho d s

are fu rn i she d by E .
“
G Ro be rt so n i n h is M em o i rs
.
”
.

Ro be rt so n w as a co nt em po rary o f Pinetti and li ke h i m

a pi o n eer i n ball o o n i n g .
“ ”
His Me mo i rs w ri tt en i n th e ,
, , ,

F re n c h l ang u age w ere pu bli shed i n 1831 Th e fo ll o w i ng

,
.

e xtrac t s fro m th i s i nt e rest i n g b o o k t e ll m uc h o f Pine tti s

’

li fe i n Ru ssi a and o f h is p ro fessi o n al hi st o ry as trad i

t i o n and ac t u al acqu ai nt an c e h ad p re sent ed i t to M .

R o bert so n
“ F i n ett i h ad trav ell ed a gr eat d e al and fo r a l o n g t i m e
h ad e nj o yed a gre at E u ro pe an re pu t at i o n He h ad d o ne .

e v e ryt h i n g to att ai n i t . The re w as n e ve r a man that

c arr i e d fu rthe r th e art o f th e c h arl atism e
‘
Whe n h e ’

arr i ve d i n a t o w n w h e re h e i nt e nd e d to g i ve a sh o w h e ,

t o o k go o d c are to p rep are h is pu blic by sp eec h es w hic h ,

w o ul d k ee p i t i n su sp e n se I n S t Pe t e rsb u rg great and

. .

i n c red i bl e exam pl e s o f mystifi c atio n and o f p re stidig i

tatio n w e re t o l d abo u t him
“
.

One day h e w e nt to a b arbe r sh o p to g et sh aved sat -

,

d o w n i n th e c hai r h ad th e t o w el t i e d aro u nd h is n ec k
, ,

and l ai d his head b ac k ready fo r th e l athe r Th e barbe r .

l e ft him in t his po si t i o n to g et h o t w at er and w h en h e ,

re t u rne d
,
gui d ed by fo rc e o f habi t h e appli ed th e l ather ,

w h ere th e c h i n sho ul d b e bu t h e fo u nd feet arm s h and s

, , , ,

and b o dy i n a c o at b u t no h e ad ! Suc h l am e nt at i o n s !
,

No mo ie he ad ! What c o ul d i t m ean ? He o p en ed th e
d o o r and fri ghte n ed to d eath ran aw ay Pinetti then
, , ,
.

w e nt to th e w ind o w and c all e d th e b arbe r bac k He .

h ad pu t h is head i n h is c o at i n suc h a cl e ve r w ay c o ver i n g ,

it with his handke rc h i e f that th e su rp r i se and th e fr i ght

,

o f th e b arber we re q u i t e n at u ral Of c o u rse th i s barbe r

.

[ 77 ]
 THE UNMASKI NG OF R O BER T HOUD I N-

F ro nt s i pi ece o i
f F ne tt i ’
s k
bo o , Am u se m e nts h i u
P y s q e s, ub

sh e d
li in Par s. i 1785 , o n f
e o fi u
th e rst tre as re s o f th e E v anio n C cc

ti on p u rc h ase d by th e auth o r.

7 1
8
 THE UNMASKI NG OF RO BE R T-HOUDI N

He h ad tw ole ft so h e h urr i ed bac k to o ff er t hese to

,

Pinetti .F i n ett i bo u g ht the m fro m hi m o p e n ed th em ,

and sho we d i n e ac h o ne th e go l d pi e c e w h ic h th e yo u ng ,

m an c o ul d no t find i n th e two d o zen c akes w h ic h h e h ad

sp o il t . Th e po o r b o y b i t h is lip s and l o o ke d at F inetti
w i th w o nd er i n g fri ght e n ed e ye s
, Th i s li ttl e ad v e nt ure
.

w as ad ve rt i sed h e re th e re and e ve ryw he re and w as t o ld

, , ,

i n th e clu bs and i n th e so ci ety gather i ngs and very so o n ,

th e n ame o f Pinetti g ave th e k ey to th e e n i gm a and ,

Pinetti w as i n d em and by e ve ry bo dy
“
.

Whe n Pine tti c am e o n th e st age h e h ad th e kn ac k o f,

attrac t i n g m e m b e rs o f th e n o b ili ty aro u nd h is t ab l e by ,

l ett i n g the m l earn so m e sm all sec ret s This w o u l d re nder .

them co n fed erat e s i n w o rki n g h is tr ic k s He w o ul d appear .

in ric h sui t s e m b ro i d e re d i n go l d w h ic h h e c han ged

, ,

three and fo u r t i m e s i n th e eve n i n g He wo ul d no t .

he si t at e to d ec k h i m sel f i n a qu ant i ty o f fo rei gn de c o ra

t i o n s I n B erli n i t w as t o ld h o w Pinetti w o ul d g o thro ugh
.

th e street s i n a c arr i age draw n by fo u r w h i t e ho rses

, He .

w as cl ad i n fi ne e m b ro i d e ry and d e c o rat e d w i t h m e d al s
o f al l n at i o n s S everal t i m e s i t happene d t hat as h e
.
,

p assed b y th e so ld i er s w o uld c all arm s and salu te t aki ng

, ,

hi m fo r a p ri n c e One day th e Kin g o f Pru ssi a ro de o ut

.

i n his mo d est c arri age draw n b y tw o ho rse s A head o f .

hi m dro ve th e supp o sed p ri n c e Wh en th e K i ng w i tne ssed

.

th e m i st ake m ad e by h is so l d i e rs h e m ad e i n qui r i e s as
,

to th e rank o f this m an to w ho m his m en w ere p ay ing

suc h ho n o r then gave th e C avali er Pinetti t wenty fo ur
,
-

”
ho u rs to g et beyo nd P ru ssi a s bo rd ers ’
.

Whatever may b e sai d o f F i n ett i s c harlatani sm it ’

,

mu st b e admi tte d that h e gave to th e art o f co nj uring a

 THE OR AN GE- TR EE TR I CK

g r e at i m p e t u s w hic h w as fel t fo r several generat i o n s I t .

is no t re m ark abl e the re fo re that w he n th e F re n c h m ag i

, ,

c ian Co rnil l o t appe are d in L o nd o n i n 18 2 2 h e ann o u n c e d

himsel f as th e pupil and succ e sso r o f Pinetti This was .

Ch e mical I l l ustratio ns,

M .
ru
C
m
O
u p
R- N I L L
m
O T
w oes no r . o r 111
3 u m r
m afi a - to M ot h !
Ir aq -
h in h c fl un b

E very WE D NE S D A Y,
.

At tine P aul s Head Cateal o n Street,

’

And every MONDAY , T H UR S D AY, and S ATUR D AY,

A!a. G m l l toom oa Sp riay Go rdan
‘

, .

P HI L O S O P HY A N D OB E I I S TI Y,
E ATS O F L EG E R DE MAI N
m m - a s H Hi- i c-
—
u «

;
u ; n

-
‘’
l n ma
zzm
a n a .

r
¢b a.
5: fi -u
m gr -
l b
.
.

t -m u o u w m

TH E G R A ND TR I UMP H O F F I NE TTI
m u m
i n tuco c
”tu
zg a z
v t
b
cn u u u
an a n a
00 m
- “
“- “ i
a w
an s fi n al
m u u M n n -n
.

m e m u m- o r 001108 ,
m a p s u nu
" .
eo u uw r.

AM INO PERFOR MANCE Of OAUSl NO A LI VING PERSON

du
R ep ro c tio n o f a h an il l str db di ibut d th t t e on e s ree s o f Lo n d o n 1n
“ Sep
.

b
tem er 1822 Th e o rang e tree tric k
. th bi l l u d 19 o n e n er th e name of En
c h anted G arde n
,
”
Fro m th e arry
. H H udini C l l ti n o o ec o .

wh e n R o bert Ho u d i n w as se vent een years o f ag e

-
,

tw e nty t h ree years be fo re h e m ad e h is p ro fessi o n al d é b u t

-
,

and o n Co m il l o t s p ro g ramm e w e find an o th e r v e r si o n

’

o f th e no w fam o u s and al m o st fam ili ar tree tr ic k As .

w il l be see n fro m th e acc o m p any i ng rep ro d uc t i o n o f a

Co rnil l o t hand b ill th e tree no w app e ars as A n E n
,
“
”
c h anted G arden and i f th e w o rd i ng o f th e b il l is to b e
, ,

8 1]
6 [
 THE UNMASKI NG OF RO BER T HOUDI N
-

beli e ved , Co rnill o t h ad i m p ro ved th e tr ic k and w as using

mo re than o ne tree o r pl ant .

Co rnil l o t rem ai n ed i n E ngl and fo r so me t i m e and is

cl assed amo ng th e c o nj u rers o f go o d repu t e A no ther .

b ill i n my c o ll ec t i o n sho w s that h e pl ayed at th e T h eatre

o f Var i e ty,
C atheri ne S treet S trand i n Oc t o ber 18 2 3
, , ,
.

He w as t hen assi st ed by several si n gers and d anc ers ,

i n clu d i n g th e famo u s Mi sse s Ham il t o n and Ho w e pupil s ,

o f M C o rr i
“
. . I n h is c o m pany was al so an An gl o C hinese -

j u ggl er w h o i n add i t i o n to feat s o f j u ggli ng sw allo ws

, , ,
”
an egg a sw o rd and a st o n e a l a R am o Samee
, , ,
.

To su m up th e e v i d e n ce agai n st Ro be rt Ho u d i n in -

th i s p art icul ar tric k : F o u r m ag ici an s o f high re pu t e gave

p u blic perfo rm an c e s be fo re Ro bert Ho u d i n knew and -

O pe rat ed th e o range tree tr ic k Three e mi nent w ri ters

-
.

ex po se d i t cl e arl y and accu rat el y Ro be rt Ho u d i n as

.
-
,

an i nd e fat i g abl e st u d e nt o f th e h i st o ry o f m ag ic m u st ,

h ave kn o w n o f th e tr ic k and its mo dns operandnm He .

may h ave pu rc h ased i t fro m Co rnil l o t o r as a c lever ,

mec han ici an h e h ad o n l y to rep ro d uce th e tric k i n ve nt ed

b y h is p red ec esso rs trai n h is c o n fed erat e i n its o pe rat i o n
,

and — —
b y h is cl e verl y wr i tt en au t o bi o g rap hy att empt to
est ab li sh his cl ai m to its i n v e nt i o n .

[ 82 ]
 CHAPTE R III

THE WR I TI NG AN D D R AWI NG F I G UR E

”
N h is Me mo i r s Ro be rt Ho u d i n eulo g i zes th e v ari
-

o u s au t o m at a w hic h h e cl ai m s to h ave i n ve nt ed .Th e

pic t u resque fashio n i n w h ic h h e de sc ri bes th e tre
mendo u s eff o rt pu t fo rth e re succe ss c ro w n ed h is l a
bo rs w o ul d re nder h is argu m ent s mo st c o n v i n ci n g if —

st e rn hist o r ic al fac t s d i d no t c o ntrad ic t h is e v ery st at e m e nt .

One o f th e m o st extrao rd i n ary m ec han ic al figu res

w h ic h h e expl o i t s as his i n ve nt i o n w as th e w r i t i ng and
d rawing figu re w hic h h e e xh i bi t ed at th e Qui n qu e nn i al
,

E xhi bi t io n i n 1844 bu t n ever u sed i n h is pu blic perfo rm

,

an c e s th o u gh h e asse rt s that h e pl ann ed to e xh i bi t i t

,

be tw een perfo rm an c es at h is o w n theatre Th i s au .

to m ato n h e say s l ai d th e fo u nd at i o n o f h is fin an ci al
, ,

su c c e ss and O p e n ed th e w ay to re ali z i ng h is dre am o f

ap pear i ng as a m ag ici an
“
.

”
On p age 196 o f h is Me mo i r s A m er ic an e d i t i o n h e
, ,

st art s his ro m ant ic d esc rip t i o n o f its c o n c e p t i o n and

.

m an u fac t u re Acc o rd i n g to th i s h e h ad j u st pl ann ed w h at

.

pro m i sed to be th e mo st br illi ant o f h is mec han ic al i n

v e ntio ns w hen finan ci al d i ffi cul t i e s i nt e rven e d He w as
.

o b li ge d to rai se tw o t ho u sand franc s to m ee t a p ressi n g

d e b t He appli ed to th e e ve r c o n ven i e nt Mo n si eu r G
.
—

w h o h ad bo u ght au t o m at a fro m h i m b e fo re .He de sc ri bed

th e writ i ng and draw i ng figu re m i nu t el y to h is patro n ,

[ 83 ]
 0
THE UNMASK NG o
I r RO BE R T HOUD I N
-
1

wh o i mme d i at el y agreed to ad van ce two t ho u sand fi ve

h u ndred fran c s and i f th e figu re w as c o m pl e t ed i n e i ght
,

e en m o nth s tw o th o u sand fi v e h u ndre d fran c s m o r e w e re

,

to b e p ai d fo r i t m ak i n g fi ve th o u sand f r an c s i n al l
,
If .

th e figu re w as n eve r c o m pl e t ed th e n Mo n si e u r G w as,

W i ting
r and draw i ng fig u l i m d by R b t H udin
re c a e o er -
o as his in v i
e nt o n .

F ro m M ni g R b t H udin b hu
an n
’

s o er -
o ro c re .

to rei m bu rse h i m sel f fo r th e amo u nt ad van c ed by se l ect

i n g au t o m at ic t o ys fro m R o bert Ho u din s regul ar st o c k -
’
.

A ft er liqui d at i n g h is d e bt R o bert Ho u d i n ret i re d to

,
-

B ell e v ille a su bu rb o f Par i s w here fo r e i ght ee n m o nths

, ,

h e w o rked up o n th e figu re see i n g h is fam il y o nl y t w ic e a

,

w eek and li v i n g i n th e m o st fru gal fash i o n

,
.

He e m plo yed a w o o d c arver to m ak e th e he ad b u t th e

-

re sul t w as so u n sat i sfac t o ry that i n th e end h e w as

o b li ge d no t o nl y to m ake al l th e c o m plic at e d m ac hine ry
,

whic h o pe rat ed th e figu re bu t to c arve th e head itsel f

, ,

[ 84 ]
 THE WR I TI N G AN D D R AWI NG F I GUR E

w h ic h , h e add s, in me mi raculo u s fashi o n resem bled

so ,

h i m sel f This resem bl an c e ho wever c anno t be trac ed

.
, ,

i n ex i st i ng cu t s o f th e figu re .

Th e c hap t er de vo t ed to this particul ar au t o m at o n is

so d i v e rt i ng th at I qu o t e li t e rall y fro m its p age s th u s ,

g i v i n g my read ers an o ppo rt u n i ty to t ake th e true measu re

o f th e w r i t e r and th e li t e rary styl e o f his
“ Me m o i rs ”
.

Here is his d esc r ip t i o n o f his mo m ent o f t riu m ph :

“ I h ad o n l y to pre ss a sp r i ng i n o rd er to e nj o y th e
l o ng w ai t ed fo r re sul t
- -
My heart beat v i o l ent l y and
.
,

tho u gh I w as alo n e I trem bl ed at th e m ere tho u ght o f

th i s i m po si n g tr i al I h ad j u st l ai d th e first sheet o f
.

a p r b e fo re my w r i t e r and ask ed him th i s qu e st i o n

p e
‘
Wh o is th e au tho r o f yo u r be i n g ? I pressed th e sp ri n g ’
,

and th e cl o c kw o rk st art e d — began ac t i ng I d ared h ard l y .

b reathe thro ugh fear o f d i st u rbi ng th e o pe rat i o n s Th e .

au t o m at o n bo w ed to m e and I c o u l d no t re frai n fro m

,

sm ili ng o n i t as o n my o w n so n B u t w hen I saw th e eye s

.

fi x an att e nt i ve gl an ce o n th e p ape r w h e n th e arm a

—
,

fe w se co nd s be fo re n u m b and li fel ess began to m o ve ,

and trac e my si gn at u re i n a firm h and —

th e t ear s st art ed
in my e yes and I ferv e nt l y th ank ed H eav e n fo r grant i n g
m e succ ess A nd i t w as no t alo n e th e sat i sfac t i o n I ex
.

p e ri e n c e d a s an i n v e nt o r b u t th e c e
,
rt ai nty I h ad o f
b e ing ab l e to rest o re so m e d egr ee o f c o m fo rt to my

“
fam il y t hat cau sed my d eep feeli ng o f grat i t u d e
,
.

A fte r making my S o si a repeat my si gn at u re a tho u

sand t i m es I gave i t th i s qu e st i o n :
,
What o clo c k is it ? ‘ ’ ’

T h e au t o m at o n ac t i ng i n o bed i en c e to th e cl o c k w ro t e
, , ,

‘
I t is tw o in th e m o rn i ng Th i s w as a t i m el y w arn i ng
.
’
.

”
I pro fi ted b y i t and w ent strai ght to b ed .

[ 85 ]
 THE UNMASK IN G OF R O BE R T-HOU D I N

Ro be rt Ho u d i n i nj e c t s a li tt l e h u mo r i nt o thi s c h apt er
-
,

fo r h e re l at es th at as Mo li ere and J J Ro u sseau c o n . .

su l ted th e i r se r v ant s h e d e ci d ed to do li k e w i se ; so e arly

,

th e n ext m o rni n g h e in

c f 6 6 1 l i t
;
°
a l l J ( /z o e n e v ite d h is p o rtr e ss a n d
h e r h u sb and Aug u st e a
t fl )
7

01 i
, ,

st o n e m aso n to b e p re s -

f J
,

f l f’
aC / f G c u t at th e fir st pe rfo rm
’

an c e o f th e fi gu re Th e

J a
.

CS d h m n i f c h h
’
r
“
o aso s w e o se t e

qu e st i o n What is th e ,

U l f n h f n l P f U G U e m b l e m o f fid ‘
e li ty ?
”

Th e au t o m at o n re pli ed
1 p l
“ a
U l
y
? by draw i ng a p retty li t
e

tl e gre yh o u nd l y i ng o n

“
,
S c im f p m
e ns o h p x u t d by
en ans 1 e ec e

th e ro zw i ti g t m t
r n in 17 9 6
au o a ond a T h ean S t o n e“

m ' m
iiiia iriiiratair 5 .31 7 75 m aso n w i shed to th e

A h e l g y Ca t
rc ao o , f N u h t l Sw i tz
n on o e
Wo l k s sayi n g ; I u nd er
c a e ,
‘
.

l d
e r an .
,

st and abo u t th at so rt o f

th i n g fo r I h ave al w ays gre ased th e van e o n th e c h u rch

,

”
st e e pl e and h av e e v e n t ak e n i t d o w n t w ic e
,
.

When th e w o rk w as c o m pl e t ed acc o rd i ng to page

208 of th e A m er ic an e d i t i o n o f h is
“ Mem o i r s h e
,

re t u rn ed to P ar i s c o ll ec t ed th e re m ai ni ng tw o tho u sand
,

fi v e h u ndre d fr an c s d u e h i m fro m M o n si e u r G — 7

to w h o m h e d e li ver ed th e figu r e and tw o tho u sand ,

franc s mo re o n an au t o m at ic n i ght i ngale made fo r a

r ic h m erc hant o f S t Pet ersbu rg I nci d ent all y h e me n
. .

t i o n s that d u ri n g h is absen c e h is bu si n ess h ad p ro s

pered bu t h e fail s to st at e w h o m an aged i t fo r him
, ,

and h e re is w here I beli e ve c re d i t sh o ul d b e g i ven O p re ,

[ 86 ]
 THE UNMASKI NG OF R O BER T HOUD IN -

fo r mb l em o f fid eli ty i t w o ul d inst ant l y d raw th e

an e
‘
,
’

pic t u re o f a h and so m e do g ; i f l o ve w as w ant ed a c upid ,

w as e xqui si t e l y pen cill ed Th e au t o mat o n w o ul d also

.

an sw e r m any qu e st i o n s i n wr i t i ng I t o o k t his curi o si ty .

Th e l ate P T . um th w l d g t t h wm w h
. B arn , e or
’
s re a e s s o an, o
w ri and d aw i g fig u
r n f m R b t H u di
re rond w t at l o er - o n, a ro e o
F re n
j
co n u i hi
rer ust bi gsp hay B J
o ul o
y 5 18 10
ra . o rn , .

18 9 1 . F m th H y H dim C ll ti n
ro e arr ou o ec o .

to Lo ndo n w here i t w as exh i bi t ed fo r so me t ime at th e

,

R o yal A d el ai d e G alle ry and the n I sent i t acro ss th e

,

A t lant ic to my A m er ic an Mu seu m w here i t attrac ted ,

great att ent i o n fro m th e peo pl e and th e p ress D uring .

my visi t Ho u d in was gi v i ng even ing l egerd emain p er

,

88
 THE WR I TI NG AND DR AWI NG FI GUR E

fo rm anc es, by h is p ressi n g i n v i t at i o n I frequ ent l y

and

w as p rese nt He t o o k gre at p ai n s to o to i ntro d uc e me

.
, ,

to o t her i n ve nt o rs and e xh i b i t o rs o f m o v i ng figu res ,

w h ic h I li be rall y pu rc hase d m ak i ng t hem p ro m i n e nt ,

feat u res i n th e attrac t io n s o f th e A me ric an Mu se u m ”

.

B arnu m the n c o nt i n u ed to d esc r i be R o be rt Ho u din s -

’

g r e atn ess an d hi s cl e ve rn e ss i n th e u s e o f e l e c tr ici ty .

Th e sho w m an w as al w ays a w elc o me gu est at th e m ag i

c 1an s ho u se and h e rel at e s h o w at lu n c heo n t i me
’
, , ,

figu f Cupid a
Th e re o s e xec uted b y th e D ro z d raw i ng fig u re Fro m th e
.

b huro c d b y th S i
re 1ssu e e oc e ty o f Histo ry a nd Arc haeo l o g y,C anto n o f Ne u
chat l Sw it l nd
e , zer a .

R o be rt Ho u din w o ul d t o uc h a kn o b and thro u gh th e

-

flo o r w o ul d r i se a t abl e l ad e n w i th i n v i t i ng vi and s These

,
.

d e t ail s i n th e B arnu m bo o k m ak e i t al l th e mo re inex

plic abl e t hat Ro be rt Ho u d i n sho uld o mi t al l ment i o n o f
-

”
th e great sho wm an s n am e i n h is M e mo i rs
’
.

J ust at this t i me th e am u sement seeki ng pu blic —

se e m e d greatl y i nt e rest ed i n au t o m at a so i t w as o n l y ,

nat u ral t h at B arn u m gre at sho w m an th at h e w as sho ul d

, ,

sc o u r E u ro pe fo r m e c h an ic al fi gu res S o o n aft er h e .

purc hased th e wri t i ng and draw i ng figu re cl ai med by

[ 89 ]
 THE UNMASKI NG OF R O B R T HOUD I N
E -

Ro be rt Ho u d i n h e bro ught to America a t al kin g fi gu re

-
,

invent ed by Pro fesso r Faber o f Vi en na to Whic h h e ,

refers mo st entertainingly
ru n s 11011 11 ,
i n hi s a d d re ss to th e p u b
A gyl l S
r t Ox f d C i W lic d at ed 18 73
t ree . or rc u s , .
'

' ” "
wfi iTh e Mu se u m dep art
tl u e m ent c o nt ai n s
cu ri o si t i e s i n cl udi ng Pro ,

fesso r F abe r s w o nd erf ul

’

t al ki ng m ac hi ne c o sti ng ,

me fo r its use

fo r six m o nths ; al so th e
Nat i o n al Po rtrai t G all e ry
o f o ne hu nd red li fe si ze -

pai nt i n gs i n clu d i ng al l
,

th e P resi d e nt s of th e
Un i t ed S t at es e tc ; J o h n ,
.

Ro gers gro ups o f histo ric

’

st at u ary ; al mo st an e nd

M
l ess var iety o f c uri o sities
Q QH I N I
,

r
m
rim snb b rtio ur
'
“ "
ii
w u pl t llmg b ut l nt o nm l by n i n clu d i n g n u m berless au
w g-
1udfi.
o r deat h
719110 11 t he ic th od o f
p ro d uc mg t he !
c ano nl 00u
1

am vimo n al umin u m

to mato n mu sic ians,m ec h

v ents, a n un al l o wed to 11 11 every

l at t ice It 1: an onl y tuterflt m‘ to the Su euul w on 1111111111; the th an

.

but to the white n m en t, ad a g a l l , to the gon g —

to
who. it eh n n tau h u1111 110 !d 1e g-
11m
1

n m rrn o mm rm .11a n , 11
1110 p, anic ians, and m o v i ng
Admission, ts Reserved Seats. 2s Chil dren. 61
1
c n e s etc etc made in
. .

s e ,
.
,
.
,

H ng adv ti i g th P f Fab ”
a er er s n
P ar i s and G e n e va
e ro e sso r er
tal ki g ma hi n x hibi t d b y P T B
.

n c e, e e . . ar
n m d u in
u 18 73 in hi m u
r m d I t c an b e i magined h o w
s se u e

par tm t enhi u t m at n w a th
s afi t o o s e rs
nd r f ul t hi tal king
.

tal ki g fig u
n F m th Ha y H u i i
re . d
ro w o e e s rr o n
C l l ti n
o ec o .

m ac hi ne m u st have b een
w he n B arn u m gave i t speci al e m p h asi s sel e c t i ng it fro m ,
“
th e h u ndred s o f cu r i o s h e h ad o n exh i bi t i o n As th is .

t al ki ng mac hi ne is pro babl y fo rgo tt en I will repro du c e ,

 THE UNMASKI NG OF R O BE R T HOUD I N -

si t s a figu re se ven i nc hes h i gh and wr i tes upo n a sheet ,

o f p ape r fix e d to a fram e w h at eve r h as bee n pl ac ed

,

be fo re hand u po n a reg ul at i ng c yli nd er A t th e end o f .

eac h li ne i t rai se s and

mo ves its hand si d ew ays ,

i n o rder to beg in a new

”
li n e .

This d o es no t an sw er th e
d esc r ip t i o n o f th e fig ure
w h ic h Ro bert Ho u d in -

cl ai m s b u t i t is i nt er
,

e st i ng as sh o wing t hat
mec han ic al geniu s ran
al o ng suc h li n e s al mo st

a h u ndred years b e fo re

R o be rt Ho u din cl ai m s to
-

have i n vent ed th e famo us

au t o m at o n .

Th e wr i t i ng and d raw
i ng figu re cl ai med by R o b
ert H o u d i n as his o ri g i n al
-

i n vent i o n c an be traced
bac k d i rec t l y to th e sho p
do o r o f S w i tze rl and s mo st ’

“
P t ait and ut g ap h f Pi
or r a o r o 1
e rre10 t i n vent o r Pi erre ,

J acqu et Dro z wh 9 w i h
t
-

r
HGHR L O‘HS l ai d
EEKiii 5 ‘

th e fo u ndatl o n of th e
famo u s S w i ss w at c h and mu sic b o x i nd u stry
-
.

I n th e l att er part o f th e ei ght eenth c ent u ry pro bab l y ,

abo u t 1770 ,
th e J acqu e t D ro z e s t u rned o u t a drawing
-
.

[ 9 2
]
 THE WRI TIN G AND D R AWIN G FI GUR E

fig ure w hic h al so i n sc r i be d a few set phrases o r t i t les o f

th e drawi ngs I n m ec han i sm appearan c e and re sul t s
.
, ,

i t t alli es al mo st exac t l y w i th th e au t o mato n cl ai med by

Ro be rt H o u d in as o rig in at i ng i n h is brai n Th e Jacquet
-
.

D ro z figu re sho wed a c hil d cl ad i n qu ai nt flo w i ng g ar ,

men ts seated at a d esk Th e Ro bert Ho u d i n figu re

,
.
-

w as m o d erni ze d and sho w e d a c o u rt yo u th i n knee

,

bree c hes and po wdered pe ruqu e seat ed at a desk Th e , .

Jacqu et D ro z figure d rew a do g a cupi d and th e head s

-
, ,

o f re i gni ng m o n arc h s Th e Ro b e rt Ho u d i n figu re m ad e

.
-
,

s e ve nty fi ve years l at e r by so m e i n e x plic abl e c o i n ci d en c e

-
,

drew a do g as th e sy mbo l o f fid eli ty a cupi d as th e em ,

b le m o f l o ve and th e head s o f rei gn i ng m o n arc h s

,
.

Th e hist o ry o f th e J acqu e t Dro z e s is w r i tt en i n th e -

annal s o f S w i tze rl and as w e ll as th e e qu all y re pu t abl e

an n al s o f sci ent i fi c i n ve nt i o n s and c ann o t b e re fu t e d ,

.

—
Pie rre Jacqu et D ro z w as bo rn Jul y 2 8th 172 1 in a , ,

sm al l v ill age L a C h au x d e Fo nd s n e ar Neu c h a

,
- -
tel S w i tz
-
, ,

e rland . Acc o rd i ng to so me au tho ri t i es h is father w as ,

a cl o c k m aker b u t th e b ro c hu re i ssu e d b y
-
,
S o cié t é
d Histo ire e t d Arc h éo l o g ie o f th e ci ty o f Neu c h a tel w h ic h
’ ’
,

h as recent l y acqui red m any o f th e J acqu e t D ro z au t o -

m ata st at es t h at h e w as th e so n o f a farm er and w as sent

,

to a theo lo g ic al se m i n ary at B asl e Here th e yo u th s .

’

“ “
natu ral t al ent fo r m e c h an ic s o ver bal an c ed h is i nt ere st
”
in i sms and o l o gi es and h e spent every spare ,

m o ment at wo rk w i th h is t o o l s On h is r et u rn to h is .

n ati ve to wn h e t u rn e d his att ent i o n se ri o u sl y to cl o c k

and w at c h making c o n struc t i n g a m arvell o u s cl o c k w i th

-
,

tw o pe cul iar h and s w h ic h i n p assi ng eac h o th er t o uc h ed

, ,

th e dial and rewo u nd th e cl o c k .

[ 93 ]
 THE UNMASKI NG OF R O BER T HOUDI N
-

A t thi s t i me his w o rk attrac t ed th e att ent i o n o f Lo rd

K e i t h Go ve rn o r o f Neuc h a
, t el t hen a pro vi nc e o f P ru ssi a , ,

w h o i nd uc e d th e yo u ng i n vent o r to vi si t th e c o u rt o f
F e rd i n and VI o f Spai n p ro vi d i ng th e nec essary i ntro
.
,

d u c tio ns Pi erre J acqu et .

D ro z rem ai ned fo r so m e t i me
i n M adri d and made a clo c k
o f m o st c o m plic at e d p att e rn .

This w as a pe rpe t u al c al en
dar F o r hand s h e u t il i zed .
,

art i fi ci al su n beam s sh o o t i ng ,

o u t fro m th e su n s fac e w hich

’

fo rme d th e d i al to d e no te ,

th e ho u rs d ays etc Wi th , ,
.

th e m o n ey rec ei ve d fro m th e

H n i L ui J n g p m
e r -
o sn
Sp a n i sh me
o n ar c h h e r et
z,
u rn e
so
d
O f Pi J a q u t ” a d th to S w i tzerl and to fi nd t hat h is
e rre c e ‘
OZ , n e
sh i f hi f th
er o r o a m
ha
s a e r as ec
p
m an B n O t 131h 175 2 d d
o . or cso n H e nri L o w s
. , h ad i nh er
, xe -

N v m b 15 th 17 9 1 F m th
, ,
o e er . ro e
J q u t D z b hu i ued by 1ted hi s remarkable mve ntl ve
,

a e - ro ro c re , ss

fi l m ty °f E mm y
$3fiféfii fig f H
’ e
g i ft s e s e nt h is b o y t o .

Nan c y to st u dy m u sic d raw ,

i ng m ec han ic s and physic s D u ri ng h is so n s abse n ce

, ,
.
’

i n al l p ro babili ty h e pro d uc ed th e first o f th e marve llo us

au t o m at a wh ic h m ad e th e J acqu e t D ro z es famo u s th e
—

m o d ern wo rld o ver n amel y th e w r i t i ng figu re , ,

.

Wi th th e ret u rn o f Henri Lo ui s Jacqu et D ro z fro m - -

c o l l ege c o mme n c ed w h at m ay b e t e rm ed th e go l d en age

o f m e c h an ic s in S w i tzerl and A sso ci at ed wit h father .

and so n w e re th e fo rm e r s pupi l s o r app rentic es J e an

’
,

F r é d é ric L esc h o t Jean D avi d Mail l ardet and Jean Pi erre

,
-
,

D ro z a bl o o d rel at i o n wh o aft erward b ec ame direc to r o f

,

[ 94 ]
 THE UNMASKI NG OF R O BER T HOUDI N -

writ i ng and draw i ng fi gu re s are made and o p e rated

fo llo w s
“
as

Th e presented a chil d o f abo u t fo ur years

w ri ter re

o f ag e si tt i ng at h is litt l e tabl e
,
pat i entl y wait in g w ith ,

th e p e n i n his h and
u nt il th e clo c kw o rk
is st art ed He th en .

se t s to w o rk and ,

aft e r l o o k ing at th e

shee t o f pape r b e fo re

him lift s his hand ,

and m o ve s it to w ard

th e i nk stan d in -
,

w hic h h e d ip s th e

p e n T h e li tt l e fe l .

l o w the n thro w s o ff
an e x c ess o f ink and

sl o w l y and cal ml y ,

li ke an indu strio u s
c hil d beg ins w riting ,

on th e pap e r th e
presc r i bed se n te n ce .

His hand w riti ng is

c a r e f u l c o n sc ie n ,
Th Ja q u t D z w iti g ut m t n
e c e - ro r n a o a o
F m th b hu i u d by th S i ty f tio u sl y d i st i ngu i shing
.

ro e ro c re ss e e oc e o
Hi t y and A h l g y C ant n f N
s or rc a
eo o o o eu
c hat l Swit l and
e , ze r .
b e t w
,
e e n h ai r s tr o k e s

and gro und stro kes ,

al w ays o b se rv i ng th e p ro pe r i nt e rval s be t wee n l etters

and w o rd s and gen eral l y sh o w i ng th e so be r and de

termined c harac t e r o f th e h an dwri t i ng u su al at th e

t i me i n th e c o u ntry o f Neu c h atel I n o rder fo r in .
,

[ 96 ]
 THE WR I TIN G AND DR AWI NG FI GUR E

stanc e, to write a T, th e w r i ter

beg ins traci ng th e
l e tt er at th e to p and after sl i ght ly li ft i ng his hand hal f
,

w ay swi ftl y trac es th e t ran sversal d ash and c o nt i n u es

, ,

“
wri ting th e o ri gin al g ro u nd st ro ke .

Ho w c o m plic ated a mec han i sm is requi red fo r insu r

ing these effec t s w ill b e in fe rred fro m th e illu strat i o n i n ,

w hic h th e au t o m at o n is sho w n w i th its bac k o pened .

I n th e fi rst pl ac e a vert ic al d i sk w ill b e n o t iced havi ng

at its c irc umferen c e as m any n o t c h es as the re are l e tt ers

and si gns .B eh ind t his w ill b e seen who le co lu mns o f

c am w heel s eac h o f a sp eci al sh ap e pl ac ed o ne abo ve
-
, ,

ano t her and al l t o ge t he r fo rm i ng a so rt o f spi n al c o l u nm

,

“
fo r th e au to m at o n .

Whenever th e l i t tl e wri ter is to wri te a gi ven letter ,

a p awl is int ro d uc ed i nt o th e c o rre spo nd ing n o t c h o f th e

d isk t hu s li ft i ng th e w heel co lu mn and tran sm i tt i ng to th e

,

h and by th e aid o f a c o m plic at e d l eve r syst e m and C ard an

,

j o ints arranged in th e el bo w th e requi si t e m o vement s fo r,

trac ing th e l ett er i n qu est i o n Th e me c han i sm c o m p ri ses

.

“
fi v e c entres o f mo t i o n c o nn ec t e d t o gether by c hai n s
I n th e D raft sm an th e m ec han i sm is li kew i se ar
‘
,
’
.

ranged in th e bo dy i t sel f as i n th e case o f th e Wri t er

,
‘
.
’

Th e bro ad chest t hu s ent ail ed al so requi red a l arge head ,

w hic h ac c o u nt s fo r th e so m ew h at bul ky appearan c e o f

th e two au to mato ns Wi th th e paper i n po si t io n and a
.

p e n c il in h and th e D r,a ft sm an
‘
at fi r st tr ac es a few
’

d ashes and the n swift l y m arks th e sh ad o w s and a do g ,

appears o n th e paper Th e li tt l e art i st kn o w i ngl y ex

.

amines his wo rk and aft er bl o w i ng away th e d u st and

,

pu tting in a few last t o uc hes st o ps a m o ment and then ,

q u i c kl y signs M o n To u t o u (M y p et do g )
,
‘
T h e m o t io n s .

7 [ 97 ]
 THE UNMASKI NG OF R O BE R T HOUD I N
-

Vi ew o f h i hi h I at
th e mec an sm w th e J i
ac u e t-D ro z w rit ‘ g a uto mato l
logy
0 r

b hu i u d by th S lii ty
c es

F th e
ro m ro c re ss e e c e of Hi t iy
s o and Arch ie o , i
Canto n t f
Neuch fitel , Sw it e l and
z r .

[9 ]
8
 THE UNMASK ING OF R O BER T HOUD I N -

I n sup p o rt o f th i s ad ve rt i sement no te w hat th e same ,

pape r says in wh at is pro babl y a cri t ici sm o f c u rrent

“
am u se ment s

Th i s ent e rtai nment c o nsi st s o f t hree c apit al m ec h an

ic al figu res and a p ast o ral sc e ne w i t h fig ures o f an i nfe ri o r ,

si z e Th e figu re o n th e l e ft hand si d e a beau ti ful b o y

.
-

as l arge as li fe wri t e s anyth i ng t hat is d ic t at ed to h im in

, ,

a ve ry fi ne h and Th e se c o nd o n th e ri ght hand o f th e

.
,

sam e si z e draw s v ari o u s l and sc apes e tc

,
etc w hic h h e ,
.
,
.
,

H ad f Ki ng G g d Qu n C h l tt x ut d in th i p
e s o eo r e an ee ar o e , e ec e e r rese nc e by
th e J q u t D z d w i g fig u in 1774 F m th b h u i
ac e - ro ra n d re . ro e ro c re ssu e b y th e
So c i ty f Hi t y nd A h l gy C t f N u h at l Swit l and
e o s or a rc aeo o . an o n o e c e , zer .

fini shes i n a mo st accu rate and mast erl y style Th e .

th i rd figu re is a beau t i ful yo u ng l ady w h o plays se veral

el egant ai rs o n th e har p sic ho rd w i t h al l th e bass ac c o m ,

p a n im e nts ; h e r h e ad g r ac e full y m o v i ng to th e tu ne a nd ,

h er bo so m d i sc o ve ri ng a d e lic at e respi rat i o n During h er .

p erfo rm an c e th e past o ral sc en e i n th e c entre d i sc o v ers

,

a var i ety o f m e c han ic al figu res adm i rabl y gro uped al l ,

o f w h ic h seem e nd u ed as i t w e re w i th an i mal l ife to

, , ,

th e adm i rat i o n o f th e sp ec t at o r Th e l ast cu r io sity is a .

c anary b i rd i n a c age whic h w h i st l es two o r t hree airs in

,
 Tfl
flflflVVI EYI TI JC} AJNI ) FTI } I HRJ
B

th e mo st n at u ral manner imagi nable Upo n th e w ho le

’

.
,

th e u ni t ed c o ll ec t i o n st rike s u s as th e m o st w o nd e rful
“
e xe rt i o n o f art whic h e ve r ro d befo re so clo se o n th e
t .

heel s o f n ature Th e ingenio ué arti st is a yo u ng man

.
‘

,
”
a n at i ve o f S wi t ze rl and .

“
Th e invent o ry o f Jacqu e t D ro z e fi d at ed 1786
'
-
z
, ,
”
qu o t es th e Piano Player as value d li vres th e ,

D raw ing F i gu re at l ivres w hil e th e , _

h ad been ced ed to hi m by his father fo r 1800 3 v in 4

,

c o n si d e rat io n o f c ert ai n i mp ro vement s and mo d ifi cation s

”

whic h Henri Lo u i s J acqu e t D ro z m ad e i n th e o r ig inal -

i n ve nt i o n Thi s sho w s that w h il e th e eld er D ro z d i d no t

.
"

die u nt il 1790 his so n c o ntro ll e d th e au to m at a p re vi o u s

,

to this d at e fo r exhib i t i o n and o t he r pu rp o ses

,
.

D u ri ng his l at er years Henri L o ui s J acqu et D ro z w as - -

ind uc ed to t ake th e au t o mat a to Spai n His t o u r w as .

under th e d i rec tio n o f an E ngli sh man ager wh o po ssi bl y , ,

fo r th e p u rpo se o f secu ri ng great er ad vert i sem ent an ,

no u nc ed th e figu res as po sse sse d o f su p e rn at u ral po we r .

This b ro u gh t t hem u nd e r th e b an o f th e I n qui si t i o n and ,

Jacqu e t D ro z was thro wn i nt o pri so n E ve nt uall y h e

-

.
.

managed to sec u re his freed o m and breat hi ng free air , ,

o n c e mo re l ike th e p ro ver bi al A rab h e sil ent l y fo l d e d

, ,

his t ent and sto l e away l eav i ng th e au t o m at a to th e i r

,

fate Henri L o u is J
. ac q u et D ro z d i ed in Napl es I t al y in
- —
, ,

1 79 1 a year aft er his fath er s d eat h

’
.
,

Th e E ngli sh man ager ho wever t arried in Sp ai n

“
.
, ,

Th e fig ures w ere tri ed and as t hey pro ved mo t io nl ess

th e c ase was dro pped Th e E ngli sh m an t hen c l aimed th e
.

au to mata as his p ro perty and so l d t hem to a F reneh

no b l eman Their o wn er d i d no t kno w h o w to Op erat e

.

[ 10 1
]
THE UNMASKI NG OF R O BE R T HOUD I N -

6 5
2 «
“8 “
n“
.

m
2

m
3
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0 :

5 5
.
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3 m:
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[ 10 2
]
 THE UNMASKI N G O F R O BE R T HOUD I N -

them th e ir g reat val u e w as never real ized by his

,
so

famil y Af ter his death d u ring a voyage to Americ a

.

“-
, ,

h au l th ey l ay negl ec ted in th e
u : ac rio r o r

c ast l e of Mattig no n nea r

P m mp srnu and M l m nn m ’ , ,
'
. s

Ro yal Museum
“
Bayo nne Af ter c hang ing .

“
FROM M N hands many t imes abo ut .
,

m 180 3 they
“ ass d into h
0p. k l av a -
3!4 M I BL Y R M ” D W TE R .
p
BR I
e
tio n.

G
tA
e
.

M ‘
F
h
0.
M fi a
RIDAY
d ~ h and fl
" C
s of an inventor named
M fi h
g
& h
M - m t n fl
"w e!

Mart in and w ere c ontrol l ed ,

by his de sc endant s for nearl y

a h u ndred years O ne of h is .

fam il y Henr i Martin of

Music al Auto mato n
, ,

D re sden G e rmany exhibit .

, ,

” TH C ed them in many l arge c ities

R B AN I C A L . ,

and ad vertised them for sal e

An Ol d Nec ro manc e r a t mark s in th e
,

Mu enc h ener Bl aetter of May

B E A UTI F UL G O L D B O X
13th 188 3 Af ter Martin s ,
.
’

THE S PANI A R D death h is w ido w s u c c eed ed ,

,

in d isp o sing of them to Herr

m
Marfel s of Berl in w h o had
I N PEAR L !

, ,

E THI OPE AN CHE NI L L E Do n them re p aired w ith su c h ,

good res u l ts that in the fall

“
A TAR A NT QLA SPI DER
Q “ W
of 190 6 he sol d them for
fran c s or abo u t ,

to the Historic al
P t d Ma h 22 nd 18 11
os e r use
Soc iety of Neu c hate l
, rc
In , ,

b y d Philip th l and Mail l a d t d

.

e s a r e ur
ing th i p tn hip
e r w h i h th
l r Ap ril 190 7 the w rit ing fi g
e rs on c e
w iting a j
,
, ,
r d Wing n
t d F m th H a H dini u r e the draw ing figu re and
u re .
y ro e rr ou , ,
C l l ti n
ec
o o .

the sp inet p l ayer w ere on

exhibit ion in L e L oc l e Ch aux de Fonds and Neuc h atel ,
- -
, .

[ 10 4
]
 THE WRITI NG AND D RAWI NG F I GURE

So far w e have trac ed o nl y the original w rit ing and

d raw ing figu re This has be en done p u rel y to sh o w
.

that even if R o be rt Hou d in had been c ap abl e of buil d ing

-

su c h an au tomaton he w o ul d not have been its real in

,

v e nto r
,
b u t w oul d merel y have c op ied the marve l l o u s
w ork of the Jac qu et D ro z es No w to trac e the figu re
-
.

w hic h in 1844 he c l aimed as h is invent ion .

With the fame of the Neu c hatel sho p sp read ing and
the demand for Sw iss w atc he s in c reasing Mail l ardet and ,

Jean Pierre D roz ap p rentic es or p erhap s p artners of

,

P ierre Jac qu et D roz and Henri L o u is J ac qu et D roz

- - -

r emoved to L ondon and there se t u p a w at c h fac to ry .

A bo u t this t im e Mail l ardet in vented a c omb in at ion

w rit ing and drawing figu re w hic h w as p rono u n c ed by
e xp erts of the day sl ight l y infer ior to the w ork of the tw o

Jac qu et Dro z es How e ver it mu st h ave been w orthy

-
.
,

o f e x hibit ion for it app eared at interv al s for the next

,

fi fty years in the amu sement w orl d p art ic u l arl y in L o n ,

d o n At first Mail l ard et w as not its exh ibitor nor w as h is

.

n ame ever ment ioned on the p rogramme s and ne w sp a p er

n ot ic es b u t l ater his name ap p eared as p art o w ner and ex

,

h ib ito r As the Sw iss w at c he s had c re ated a verit ab l e sen

.

sat ion and w ere snat c hed u p as fast as p rod u c ed it is q u ite ,

l ike l y that he had no t ime to p l ay the rol e of sho w man .

Th e figu re first app eared in L ondon in 179 6 w hen the ,

L ondon Tel eg raph of J an u ary 2 nd c arr ied th e adv er

tise me nt rep rod u c ed on the nex t p age .

Haddoc k had no p art ic u l ar stand ing in the w orl d of

m agic and it is more than l ike l y that he rented the au to
,

m ata whic h he exhibited or mere l y ac ted as showman

,

f o r the real inventors .

[ 10 5 ]
 Haddo c k advertise ment in th e L o ndo n Tel egrap h January
, , 1796 , in w hic h
h e featu res th e writing auto mato n as an andro n
de . Fro m the Ha
rry Ho udini
Co ll ec tio n
.

£ 106 3
 THE WRITIN G AND DRAWI NG FI GURE

tasm ag o ria . Th e
natu re of the inventions gro up ed u nder
t his t itl e c an b est b e j u dged from the rep ro d u c t ion of a
—
D e Phil ip sth al p rog ramme dated 180 3 0 4 and re p rod u c ed
, ,

in the c ou rse of this c hap ter Al l eviden c e goes to p rove

.
,

h o w ever that De Phil ip sth al did not c ontrol the w r it ing

,

and dra w ing figu re ex c l u sive l y b u t that it w as the jo int ,

p pro erty of himse l f and his p artner M ail l arde t O ne , .

o f the ir joint p ro g ram mes is a l so re p rod u c ed Where ver .

D e Phil ip sth al ap p e ars as an inde p e ndent enterta iner ,

the writing and draw ing fig ure is missing from his bil l ing .

L ater the writing and draw ing a u tomaton c ame into

the p ossession of a Mr L ou is wh o as it w il l b e seen from
.
, ,

the bil l ing ac ted as assistant eng ineer to De Ph il ip sth al

,

and Mail l ardet L o u is evident l y c ontrol l ed the w onderful

.

l itt l e au tomaton in the years 18 14 15 — .

Th e l ast De Philip sth al p rogramme in my p ossession is

dated Su mmer Theatre Hu l l Sep tem be r 1sth 16 th 17th
,

18 th and roth 18 2 8 w hen he advert ises on l y

, ,
“ ,

rop e dan c ers

, , ,

”
and me c hanic al p eac oc k and feat u res s p e c ial u nit ing fire
” “
and water and firew ork exp eriment s
,
”
He mu st have .

died bet w een that date and Ap ril 18 2 9 for a p rogramme , ,

dated at the l atter t ime annou n c es a benefit at the Th eatre

“
Wakefiel d for the w idow and c hil dren of De Ph il ip sth al ,

the l ate p rop rietor of the R oyal Me c hanic al and Op tic al

Mu seu m . This benefit p rogramme c ontains no al l u sion
to the w riting and draw ing fig ure w h ic h goe s to p ro ve ,

that it h ad not been h is p rop erty or it w o u l d have been ,

h anded down to his estate .

I n May 182 6 an a u tomaton was exhibited at 16 1

, ,

Strand a bil l regard ing w hic h I S rep rod u c ed

, This .

me c h anical fig ure how ever sho u l d not be c onfo u nded

, ,

[ 109 ]
 THE UNMASKI NG OF ROBERT HO U D IN -

w ith the origin al and

m m '
r wn z
genu ine w r it in g and
a
d r a w ing fi g u r e It .

W I D G W“
and
0 ! TD. 73 l l
CH I L D R E N
.
se ems to ha ve l ac ked
h ? h h flfl b h u d b u
a
:
l egit imac y and from ,

w hat I c an l ea rn from
ME C H A NI G A D PM
ne w sp ap e r c l ip p ings ,

”
w as w orked l ike Z o e ,
00 m m 00 M a

w ith a c on c e al ed c o n
federate or l ike th e
Mo u nt Ve su v iu s .
“
,

famou s Psyc ho fea ”

,

r u n T H UI L L E R I E S
tu red by Mas k el y ne it
sZ mE M
' '
,

JE l w as w orked by c o m

p ressed air T h i
.s bil l
is interest ing so l e l y b e
m m aa u u a aa fl a u f a
c a u se I be l ie ve that

a m am u n a
this fake au tom aton
S u sp e nsio n B ridg e ex hibited at 16 1 Strand
m m m m
o vn m or s s n u
was the first fig ur e of
the sort foisted o n the
'

F AI R I BS
’
MID NI G HT R E VE L ,
b lic after the B aron
p u

Von K emp l en c hess

p l ayer ,
w hic h is de

sc ribed in Hal l e s w ork ’

on magic p u bl ished in
H Y D R J F L I CS 1784
,

m rrcfi
“ mu um
.

u r nno s x rn
‘ M m a M a
In 190 1, wh il e in
G ermany , I saw a nu m
ber of these au to mato n
artists al l frau ds Th e
,
.

figure sat in a small

 THE UNMASKING OF RO BERT HO UD IN -

D u ring this interim that is bet w een 18 2 1 and 1833

, ,

the famo u s l ittl e figure seems to have been in the p osses

sion of one Sc hmidt w h o ac c ord ing to the p rog rammes
, ,

in my c o l l e c t ion exhibited it reg ul arl y

,
.

I n 1833 Sc hmidt is p rogrammed in L ondon p l ay ing ,

at the Su rrey Theatre w hen the w rit ing and dra w ing ,

figu re is one of t w enty fou r au tomat ic de v ic es A p ro -

.

gram w hic h j u dg ing from its p rint ing is of a st il l l ater

, , ,

date annou n c es Mr Sc hm idt and the famou s fig ure at

,
.

New G othic Hal l 7 Haymarket for a short p eriod p re

, ,

vions to the remo va l of the exh ibit to St Peters bu rg . .

Th e dates of other p rogrammes in my c ol l ec t ion c an be

j u dged on l y from the styl e of p rint ing w hic h c hanged
at difl ere nt p eriod s of the art s de v e l o p ment Some o f
’
.

these ind ic ate that th e w rit ing and draw ing figu re was
on exhibit ion d u ring the earl y 4o s in L ondon at Pau l s ’ ’

Head Assemb l y R ooms Argyl e R oom s R egent Street , , ,

e tc .

I t is more than ac c ord ing to R o bert Ho u din s

l ikel y , -
’

o wn admission regard ing h is st u dy of a u tomata and his

op p ort u nit ies to rep air tho se l eft at h is shop that at some ,

t ime the w rit ing and drawing figu re w as brou ght to

Paris to be exh ibited needed re p airing and thu s reac hed
, ,

his shop Whether it w as bou ght by Monsieu r G

.

w h o se interest in a u tomata is fe at u red in R o bert Ho u din s

“
‘

-
’

Memoirs and brou ght to R o bert Hou d in to rep air or

”
,
-

w hether R obert Ho u d in bo u ght it for a song and rep aired

-

it to se l l to advantage to his w eal thy p atron c annot b e ,

stated b u t I am moral l y c ertain that R o bert Hou d in never

,
—

c onstru c ted in e ighteen months a c omp l ic ated me c h

, ,

anism on wh ic h the Ja c qu et D ro z es sp ent six ye ars o f -

[ 112 ]
 WRITING AND D RAWING F I GURE

R E DUC E D .
“ m k fi t;
' i

“
l fll l l l l l l l l ' . l l 0.

-
By Pero t io n o f th e R igh t Wo u h l p fal th e Mayo r
“
.

I haNobib ty Oa tm e al
‘ ‘
. m
fi i fis W vu m, no t

ME CHANI CAL AND

Mag ic al m ( R ON Til l
Th
oo r c NAIL . IIAYI AI KET. LONDON.)
'
e atre ,
“
I S NOW OPE N E VE R Y D A Y AND E VE NING,
mu ”I “
m m
AI D . n il ". A I . O NL Y,

y r TH E S AL OON,

Til l AUTO HAI A

'
Tl l ‘ I O M
‘
WINO auatw ra.

Th e Ju v e n il e A r t ist 1
r u n 310 3 10 4 1. L A D Y ,

“m an :
m W
a c e.
M g i
fiu
r
, aul tab
um
.
b a n a n a-
am
aaal auaaa
m .ou
, Poo h ac the m. “
THE MAG ICI AN,

WAL K I NG F I G UR E

m o s ro e rut: t u m o r Nt ro uso x ’

A mm fi mflll amm 3 0 313) l Q I ZNP IB N JO .

'

TWO S I B E R I AN MI CIl -AH E G Y PT I AN L I Z AR D ‘ u

.

JR E th iop ian Caterp il l ar fl Tarantu l a Sp ider

.
. .

A B E AUTI FUL HUMMI NG B I R D !

S E L F -A C T NG P A NO F O R T E . I I
i n: an al : n u ro tt nu t c n w m . c o mme nc e WI TII
Ra ma s a u n as ,

Th e E nc h anted D u tc h Cq fl H
'

“ ee - o ut e ,

“
t n attau u ai r aM
t at t i. o ut a)

THE CA BI NE I S A F ETY ,
' ‘

0a “ N ot h u
Q"
-
r t 0 th al l aau v atad ttm
A O RO B A & Q
" -
t c a tin t
"
taal da t ho ll v r aa a u to -au !t
t t

“ a."

AN EXTR AO R D I NA R Y G L AS S P I L L AR ,

J‘ M JM -b fl ll d k h' yc a Ca ne- M t th m q Ou w- b t
'

“ An entertaining Ex periment with Two E l ec trical Vaaea;

M M IM W N VQ Q N kingdom 'to h d q a Cn p ot l al l al l a u ad m h‘ n
‘

l u tha n -a m

”
mg - mm d b M S h midt n 18 2 7 w h n h h ad io n of th e
C
g
r c t e e
a o use y
i
r . ,

writing and draw ng fi g ure Fro m th e Harry Ho u dini .

8 [ 1 13 ]
 THE UNMASK IN G O F R O BERT HO U D I N -

the ir invent ive gen iu s and eff orts Modern me c han ic ians .

agree t h at su c h a p e rforman c e w o u l d ha v e be en a p hy sic al

im p os sib il ity e ve n had R o be rt Ho u d in been the exp ert

,
-

mec h an ic ia n h e p ic t u red himsel f .

To su m u p the e v iden c e : Th e w r it ing and draw ing

and
-m
-
Unainc l
-
” E x h ibitio n 1
( Pa aQ t m ta b t d b h m
The Nobil ity and Publ ic are ro q tectfo ny inioen ed fi tat
A MOST MAGNI FI CENT AND COSTL Y COLLEC T ON 0 ? I

I S NOW EXHI BI TI NO AT THE

Ne w fi n th ic fla l l , 7 , H a y mark e t,
ADJOI t G THE LITTLE THEATRE .

ca m DISPL AY 0 ?
m m u m u m
m mw M I
Al co a y ou t
a e H A N o r ru n . M -
i ltu On e
:
Worh l nafi fl
a
; th e tao at ex q uiat te a ,
Th e " OL I M -
the aat l am n aal M m m h fi m lv

THE MECHANI CAL rm

INDIE a m mu m u m :

QN
ho w
a ah n l y -
m a n k a- at ria ' t Ol G M‘ a vane t at
au a o f th a t ca M
l a m a u, tal k -
n o n
m a I; th a t-
fw u d u h I
a
e

. er
n an n y aata l a w
M a Th e t a-n h u m
W M h m am
.

h y th a hnII-t to a h at hu fl
ane
M
« h h- M
m v tth h am v
. i

.
“
“
t g t c

m ot M u d -
.

h a fi v h ieh m r

The R o pe Dancer !
M
Att
u m-
‘
tatg ram
h cep to ”
cu m in
m
-l a th e ru e
W a n n a-
d th a l m m am h h
ry
d th a

Moo SI DE !
.

uel l ed Go l d
a
-
“
II O US E ' s t v t th Fre d a a
. .

—
Th c TERRANTUL A R S PI DE l l l A baa H al l l Ul I ‘ th e Bl l l l ) ‘ th at w hl .
m
‘ C I TE KPI L U II ‘ o l h e», 5
-
‘

—
f
” Ind ie o Att E G YPTI AN U l AII D ‘ o l e x q utatta uoeh maaah :1p tl t h ue Go l d h e
’

“
(I , t
. . .

THE V II O I S B XR I BITI NG h e. ex ac t I n tattoaa o f ARI II ATE D NATURE. the n o t earn.

tow -
o f II ECl l ANI C AL An

”
t to n v el l ha
a m um “ tohe h al o
m s Que u e-m
th e m
m m
w h en
t, w
rated I
. sm e
m ‘ l i ta
i
h fi
at t g
Seu a t el l Tea t a t he S w ag hrtl l taal b M

“
05 L l ew nl l f en . uni fi
—
.

ADII ITTANC E. 2 a C l l ILD l l EN I a TI CKEI S I OR TII E SEASON. Gs

‘

-
.

O b i t at" th e m . um m ~ s . m
m M a t t y m am ! h is ' ahrh n k } .

ll h' l l-
‘

I. and Can h iat u s Nat ” Ne w

. Gat ed-attach

Po ster u se d h v Mr Sc h m idt m ad v ertising th e w riting and drawing fi g u re

.

in L o ndo n j ust be fo re his dep artu re fo r St Pe tersb urg R ussia Fro m the .
,
.

Harry Ho u di ni Co l l ec tio n .

figu re as t u rned o u t by the Ja c qu et D ro z es w as kno w n -

al l over E u ro p e I t is not p ossib l e that a man so w e l l

.

read and p osted in magic and au tomata as R obe rt Ho ud in -

[ 1 14
]
 CHAPTE R I V

TH E PASTR Y COOK o r THE PAL AI S R OYAL

ONCE R NI N G this tric k w hic h R o bert Hou din ,

-

c l a ims as h is in vent ion he w r ites on p age 79 of

“
his Memo irs
” “
Americ an ed ition : Th e fir st
,
,

w as a sma ll p ast ry c ook issu ing from h is sho p ,

door at the w ord of c ommand and bringing ac c ording , ,

to the sp e c tator s re qu e st p att ies and refreshm ents of

’
,

every desc r ip t ion At the side of the shop assistant

.
,

astry c ooks m igh t be seen ro l l ing p aste and p u tt ing it

p
”
in the o ven .

By means of handbil l s p rogrammes and new sp ap e r , ,

not ic es of mag ic al and me c han ic al p erforman c es this ,

tric k in variou s gu ise s c an be trac ed ba c k as far as 1796 .

Nine re p u t abl e mag ic ian s o ffe red it as p art of the ir re p e r

to ire and at t ime s tw o men p re sented it sim u l taneou sl y
, ,

show ing that more than one su c h au tomaton ex isted .

Th e date s of the most notab l e p rogrammes or hand bil l s

sel e c ted from my c ol l e c t ion are as fol l ow s :
1
,
Haddo c k 179 7 2 G arnerin 18 15
,
.
, 3 G y nge l l ,
.
, ,

18 16 and 18 2 3 4 Bo
. l ogna ,
18 2 0 5 Henry 18,
2 2 6 .
, ,
.
,

Sc hmidt 18 2 7
, 7
. R overe 18 2 8
,
8 Char l es
,
18 2 9
9 .
, ,
.
,

Ph il l ip p e 184 1
,
.

I n 18 2 7 Sc hmidt and G yngel l jo ined forc es, yet bo th

before and after this date eac h p erformer had the wond er
fu l l ittl e p ie c e of mec han ism on his p rogramme I n 184 1 .
,

[ 116 ]
 THE PASTR Y CO O K O F THE PAL AIS ROYAL

fo ur years be fore R o bert Hou d in ap p eared as a p u bl ic

-

r f ormer Ph il l i e reated a sensat ion i Par is

“
p e , pp c n p re ,
”
se nting among other au tomata L e Co nfi seu r G al ant
“
.

I n 1845 w hen R o be rt Ho u d in in c l u ded

,
-
Th e Pastry
”
Cook of the Pal ais R oyal in h is in it ial p rogramme at h is
o wn theatre in Paris Phil l ip p e w as p resent ing p re c isel y
,

the same tric k at the St James Theatre L ondon .

,
.

Of this good l y c omp any ho w e ver R o v ere and Phil l ip p e

, ,

deserve more than p ass ing not ic e as both w ere the c o n ,

temp oraries of R o be rt Hou d in and R o vere w as his

-
,

p e rsona l friend Both . a l s o a pp ear in R obert H o u d in s -

’

Memoirs ”
.

Th e tric k a pp ears first not as a c onfec t ioner s sho p

’
,

w ith smal l fig u res at w ork b u t as a fru itery then again

, ,

as a D u t c h Coffee Ho u se and a R u ssian I nn from w h ic h

-
,

ten so rts of liqu or are served F inal l y in 18 2 3 it is feat

.
, ,

u red u nder the name that l ater made it famou s the ,

Confe c t ioner s Shop

’
.

Haddoc k the E ngl ishman wh o had the writ ing and

,

draw ing figu re in his p os se ssion for some t ime featu red ,

th e fru itery on h is p rogrammes dated 1796 One of h is .

advertisements from the L ondon Tel eg raph is rep rod u c ed

o n p age 10 6 in c onne c t ion w ith the h istory of the w r it ing
,

and draw ing figu re b u t for c on ven ienc e I am qu ot ing

,

h ere Hadd o c k s o wn de sc rip t ion of the fru itery tric k

’
,

w hic h was even more c om p l ic ated than the famo u s Pastry

“
Co o k of the Pal ais R oyal :
A model of the neat ru ral mansion and c ontains the ,

fo l l owing figures : First the p orter w hic h stand s at the

, ,

g a te, and on b e ing addressed r ings the b,

e l l w hen the ,

d o o r o p ens th e fru iteress c omes o u t and any l ady or

, ,

[ 117 ]
 THE UNMASK NG O
I F R O BER T HOUD IN
-

gent l eman may c al l for whatever fru it they p l ease and ,

th e fi g u re w il l ret u rn and bring the kind re q u ired w hich ,

may be re p eated and the fru it varied as often as the

c om p any orders : it w il l l ike w ise re c e ive flo w ers or any ,

fli n t

H ie G rand Mec hanical and A wa rd

I ON !
E XH I B I T “ Wh ich h as far m y Ya n k " M O

AND S ANCTI O NED B Y TH E L O R D C B AI D I . M H.

Ia b l bc Min a‘
n ; i" ba l l
v
m m “
fi ‘me
“
c u tt c av e , a bm ia n Tm h at a a.
Ifl
a Ju Bar n u m or a ro tte n " u m wa tt ha tatrad ac o‘ tu n u i wand rat -
- m -
m
‘

- st'

l Cw
w
.

‘ataral " l atel y To th ti t t

cl e
‘ "
.

m 3m
uo

a- r tstt tx M 11 sno o n uc .

“
t tt e tttz

“t “
.

H G HI DANC E K w ith the B UI OUEOI}.

'
w l
‘
.

W
l -A l C AL it " E - G RI NDE B. wil l S
PART I l l a The h al e W
can . wi h a a l
l
M o rk s !
“
A rt ifi c al i on ec h anic al i t e - F
( u n d at ed ia aa c
l avc t mo tt al one“ “
E l eg mtt Teap l e ia a G ardea S cc w .
au c h A

“ M
name ab l e urea. an Q u a n to
Do or-aw {
-
M W it « Second Sea r l o. 0.
al u a ti
.

va ca nt TAY
V o n . T o y PM u »

A BO] na p o ste r o f 18 2 0 w hic h feature s an au to matic distil l er wh o draws e ig ht

erc u t li q u o rs fro m o ne c ask F ro m th e Harry Ho u dini Co ll ec tio n
. .

smal l art ic l e c arry them tn and p rod u c e them again as

, ,

c al l ed for As the fru its are b rou ght o u t they w il l be

.
,

given in c harge of a w at c h dog w h ic h sits in front of the -

,

h ou se and on any p erson taking or tou c hing them wil l

,

[ 118
]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BE R T HO UD I N -

bal l oo ning to have been the inventor of the

, and h e is said
p ara c h u te T h e a sc e n .

sion of the noc t u rnal

bal l oon al so sc hed u l ed ,

on this p rogram m e is ,

an imitat ion of the one

w hic h G arne rin arranged
in honor of Bonap arte s ’

c oronat ion in 180 5 On .

that oc c asion the ba l l oon

started at Par is and de

sc ended in R ome a d is ,

F o r th e B ene fi t o f th e tanc e of five hu n dred

G en e ra l H o sp ita l m il es whic h was c o v ered
T TU h is p re se nt E S D AY , Oc to b e r 10. 18 15
in tw enty tw o ho u rs
.

-
.

E X H I BI T I ON G arne rin w as a c o n

W O ND E R S O F temp orary of both Pine tti

A rt a n d N a tu re , and R obertson and w as
M G A R NE R I N .
w ith them in R u ssia ,

A N D M D E L A R O CH E
“
S HAK E S P E R E T A V E R N
w hen F inett i d issip ated
I N THE G R EAT R OO 1
A
. AT T HE

.
.

iM M h i s fort u ne in ba l l oon ex
n
—TW UL U U O B E A TI F L FIG R E S,

riments I n the ir
p e c o r .

m m
— m bu
3 .
res p onden
!!
Tl |
c e b o
d
th
ne m F in ett
m. a w ax u i
C D MR Y FIG L R I'Z. ,

and R
m obert son sp oke
m m
l.m o
“
r ” a M
il e " fl sev e n. M m b M M b An o

“ -— “ —
. Vonety o l l
‘ '

A i nf N t n l B ll n
sc ens o sl ight ingl y
o of
a G a rnerin
oc u r a a oo
z g m“
,

“
m - ! a m m k ,
za M om 3
h i t h h h

“
an ta u n
'm u

u t the F ren c hm an s ro
m mz
b
V AAIOUS u rn on ’
;
o

— { M 74 1 f l at/ H l p
D I SCO VE R S d o TH O UG
— w - a m a rur. co
l ib - -h a d
n
c M
ar
d or
fi n
b"

grammes al l indic ate that

vid Am ount
lcu
Ac ne
.
pa
Gu
0 . sx mm n ou or

— n
o
1 du
A Dore
he w a so
not on l y a s u c c ess
al l
”
Ho ver.
d a ”

fu l aeronau t b u t a ma
A Ga n in p t f 18 15 ad
r er ti ing o s er o , ve r s ,
.

A D t h C ff H wh t m ti
’’
u c o
g ic ian w
ee
h o c o u l d
o u se ,
p re se n t a o se au o a c

h t f h m nt t
o s ess se rve s re res m mand e s a co .

F m th Ha y H dini C l l ti n
ro e d ivert ing entertainmw t
rr ou o ec o .
.

[ 12 0
]
 THE PASTR Y COO K O F THE PAL AI S R O YAL

In the el der G yngel l feat u red the tric k on h is

18 16

p rogra m mes as T h e
”
R u ssian I nn and in
,

“
18 2 3 he c hanged it to
Cath e r in e S treet .
T h e C o n f e c t io n e r s
’

Sh o p . T h e s e p ro
gramm es are rep rodu c ed
M P t l h day F b y 15 th 18 16 reoen
‘ ‘
ura ruar
as the most c onvin c ing , e . .

eviden c e against the

c l aims of R obert Ho u d in -
A P EDES T AL CL OCK
. .

Th e G ynge l l famil y is
one of the most interest
ing in the history of
mag ic .Th e Christian
name of the founder of “ m - w 1. Gu a v " o n. G O P
! tu n eu o ut M a
an u l.t o On o nea

the famil y I have n ever N T S ,

be en abl e to asc ertain ,

thou gh p rogra mmes g ive

the initial as G He was .
THE L E AR NE D D OG S
c e l e b rated as a Bartho l

o mew F a ir c onj u rer His m .

m l - l } l . o ew . t ill pai r o n in an i a ‘ s cot for 8m w h en , d Too .

c aree r s t a r t e d abou t
1788 and,
h is c ontem p o M M -fl - 9 dO bN E
q h n q ifi .

raries were L ane Boaz

m s w am J
fl
, ,
a, 1 . . an.

B al l Jonas Bresl aw and Th e E ng l ish E q i rist l l l

, , ,
£ |

F l o c to n At one t ime
.

Th e fi io ro c o sm
“
.
.

G y n g e l l and Fl o c to n
-
w m am u " V
w orked tog ether and ,
m m YOUNG o o u u.

bo o k ,
“
Th o mas F rost in his
Th e L ives of R
A G yng l l p t

ki d
i I
f l iq
w ith
f 18 16 f at ing th
i
F m th
f i
Ha y
u ss an
n s o
e
nn,
o s er o

uo r
se rv ce
ro
, e
o
ur

e
v ar o u s
rr
e

”
.

Co nj urers c l aims that

,
H dini C l l ti n ou o ec o .

[ 12 1
]
T I I E UNMAS KI NG O F R O BE R T HO UD IN
-

[ 12 2 ]
 THE UNMASKI NG O F R OBER T-HO UDI N

DOVE R , Feb ru ary ro th , 1867 .

MR E V ANI O N
—
.

DE AR SI R Yo u rs o f th e sth inst I rec eived j ust as I was .

l eav ing Fo l k esto wn , and it w as fo rwarded fro m G uil fo rd .

I am so rry I h ave no t o ne o f my o l d b il l s with m e , neither

d o I th ink any o f my famil y c o u l d fi nd o ne at h o me I may
'

have so me amo ng my o l d c o nj u ring things, and w h en I t etum

to G u il fo rd I w il l l o o k th e m o ver and se nd yo u w h at I can
fi nd . I w as so rry I w as no t at h o me w h en yo u we re in Guil
fo rd , fo r I feel mu c h p l easu re in mee ting a respo nsib l e p ro tes
sio nal I am no t c e rtain w h e n I sh al l retu rn, b u t mo st l ik el y
.

no t fo r six w ee ks .I w il l k ee p yo u r add ress ; so sh o u l d yo u

c hang e yo u r resid enc e , w rite to m e ab o u t t h at time .

I w as l o o king o v e r so me o l d p ap ers so me time l as t sum

m e r, and fo u nd a b il l o f my fath e r s, nearl y 60 years ag o , wh en
’

his g reat tric k w as c u tting o fi th e c o c k s h ead and resto ring

’

it to l if e ag ain .And a g reat wo nd er it w as c o nsid ered and

b ro u g h t c ro w d ed ro o ms .

I w as Maste r Gy ng el l , th e w o nd erfu l p e rfo rmer o n th e sl ac k

w ire ; and no w in my 7rst y e ar I am l ec tu rer, py ro tec h nist , and
h ig h ro p e w al k er, fo r I d id th at l ast summer
-
My l if e has .

b ee n a simp l e o ne o f u p s and d o w ns .

I am , d e ar sir, yo u rs tru l y ,
D G G YNG E L L J
. . . .

”
Th e signat u re of t his l etter J D G G yngel l c l ears
,
. . .
,

u p c onsiderab l e u n c erta inty regardin

g t h e n am es o f t h e

tw o G ynge l l sons At t imes the c l ever yo ung tig h t ro pe

.
-

p erformer has been s p o k en of as Jos e p h an d a t o t h er s ,

as G el l ini I t is quite p ro ba bl e that th e two names were

.

real l y p art of one and the ful l bap tismal name was
“ Jose p h D G el l ini
.
”
,

I t was as G el l ini Gyngel l th at h e

.

met Henry Evanio n at Deal Fe bru ary 2 o th 186 2 w hen

, , ,

the l atter was perfo rming as a magic ian at th e Deal and

Wal mer I nst it u te whil e Gell ini G yngell gave an ex h ibi
,

tion of fire works and a mag ic l ante rn displ ay o n the -

[ 12 4 ]
 THE PASTR Y CO OK O F THE PAL AI S R OYAL

So u th E sp l anade fine notic e of both p erformanc es . A

was p u bl ished in the D ea l
Tel eg ram of Fe bru ary 2 3d
“ m
w hen the hop e was ex
,

p ressed that G y gn e l l s c o l
’

B ern d y S q uare o u oe
l e c t ion ta ken among those
.

,
fl m fl
-m i
fi h fi fi l

“
g u n u.
”
E I ONDAY B N N
0
w h o enjoyed
d n
hi s o u tdoor . I B I GS.
31 m m nd I: al u
. a

erforman e re a i d h im
1 .

p c p ,

G Y NG E L L , S e n 8 for h is admirabl e enter

’

m A, u vn
t a in m e nt G y n g e
c a nl n
l l w a
.
s .

l a nd l ord of the Bow l ing

MR G Y NG E L L . ,

G reen Tavern at this

t ime and trave l l ed as an ,
I ATHM T CAL PH I H L A UN HM N
. I LOSO P ICA . CO O .

E x p e rcm e n ts, enterta i ner on l y at inter

val s .

T h
a CON F
“z m rzw
E 0 1 I O J
V E R S S H OE e next a p p earan c e of
‘ ’

n o fl fi t in .

the tr ic k is in a boo k p u b
’

A TUR K I S H P I L L AR .

l ish ed by M Hen ry a ven .

,

tril o q u ist w h o p l ayed L o n ,

GN R O“
"

A UTOS I AF PEk rr m don and the rov in es from

'
'
” p c .

“
M
g -L

r—
D
n

W
a
S 1 8 to
ON f l i t
2 0 18 2 8 u r i ng an POP] . .

m - t - fl
f
T h e Mu snc al G l asse s
fi l z u n c d i q d n

engagement at the Adel

p hi a T heatre L ondon , ,

w hic h a c c ord ing to the p ro

m m
-
m
o n.
fi
gramme was a bou t 18 2 2
‘fi
e
l
u : a
fl fl
en.
d ,

Hen ry p u bl ished a boo k

M fl w M H m o ent itl ed
o
'

Conversaz ione ;
- r.

or Mirth and Marvel s ”

, ,

in w hic h he intersp ersed

witty c onversat ion with
desc rip tions of his variou s
 THE UNMASKI NG O F R O B ER T-HO UDI N

tr ic ks O n p age 11 h e th u s desc r ibes th e a u tomaton nu

.

“
der c ons iderat ion
I l l u sion Third A c u riou s me c han ic al tric k ; an inn
.
,

R e p ro d u c tio n o f a rare o l d c o l o redl ith rap h

re p resents Gynge l l . Fro m th e an y Ho udini Co ll ec tio n

.

from w hic h issues th e hostess for orders up o n rec eiving ,

w hic h she ret u rns into the inn and brings o ut th e vario u s
,

l iq u ors as c al l ed for by the a u dien c e and at l ast waiting ,

[ 12 6
]
 THE UNMASKI NG O F R O BE R T-HO UD I N

c hanted Du t c h Co fi ee Hou se an el egant l ittl e bu il d ing -

,
.

On th e trave l l er ring ing the be l l the door o p ens the host , ,

ess attends and p rovides

VE NTR I L OQUI SM
him w ith any l iqu o r he
.

”
may c al l for .

n o n no nn
m N Sc hm idt seem s to h ave
un ICAL SC IE CES.
an

F I RST VE NT R I L OQUIST c onfined his e x hibit ions ,

fi C on the o ntinent
m m ” n
ms MAJESTY THE KI NG o r PR USSI A
( an 111
to L ondon and the p rov ay n o n ou : 09

a
A dD k f M
an “
fk b g S h-
smegma t w ain:
mi :n
in c e and
u e o
s w a s often con
cc n ur c n
.

J-
m M M nec ted w ith other m agi
Th u .
th e un g o o d» o f u ry . P and l en t. u

M WI GL EY S L AR G E R OOM
.

’
u. .

-
IiiH
S NG G D NS
c ia n s in
PR I
c l u d ing G yn ge l l AR E .
,

and B u c k Th e l atter .

was an E ngl ish c onj u rer ,

best know n as the man

w h o w as horr ibl y inj u red

m m ng s u n t s a f l i Sm “ w hen
ru p resent i ng T h
wel le . o l ow n
g
“
-“
,

M m - I The - m a tic op i n g or t
” Du h gu bet l d
T
eon t' o

D l
en

“ G e s ion hi s
. .

ll Dial og ue h ave M n‘
Wt u
eh n no , u
i n h y m n ». 7 and b ru nt k
.

m m
.
"
m 15 . l en i e nt . Sen n a m e. m il h . a,

“
. ,

IV A Dial o g ue fu l
.

th e w ee i t n - - c on isted
Windo w
s of hav ing
w it h n pen o n a
a l l !nearer
,
a
n th e St reet ; wh ih v indo
11m ex pe rt en: w il l app ear n ot int n t
h
e
.

THE V E NT M
OQUIS l be p re c e d ed b y m e tal ver m usin P015
w il
y g
u l l et shot at the
M
f o rmanc e . and ec hnmc nl
wh ic h wi l l b e
MECHANI L A
.

N S ENT
m marked CA
b A D CI
-
and Sc ue o tl fi c C o nte s ti n l i l
g y I nteresti ng ;

C C LOC K IFI
'

l .

W
h
.

t.
m
ii ¥ i i
Th e R um m l

mm !
n
n
p erformer
nn. o ut o f
m w g hic h
o c a u ght co n e: 0 l ittl e ow and b an ; ( b.
g
,
m
m bnu xeereo t bod:u
>
3 r 0. to a n o nto . mi n
i
. ,

M
a b l e w nne r
-
4 A most wo nderfu l
.
.

it betw een h is teeth o n

ed ina el l Ch est o f Dri vers.

fi g r a qé
.

9 c un o n ve T ru k ln
m m
.

m o n e. "Inch m l l
6 .

Afi
rec l ec o nico

a p l ate or on the p o int

m e n t to u rs d u ld tu l e
'
.
enial ! 8 .

,
m WW ” m by Ru th e ni u co m , 3md
-

of a need l e or knife
. . .

A Ch a l t d t d b t 1 8 29 in a e a ou
i c reant l oad ed
r es o s er
p S ome m s
w h i h th R i c I d it b d i nt
e u ss an n n an s o e e
l ittl fi ef at d F m th
u re
the u n w
are
ith meta l after
e u re ro e
g
.

Ha y dini C l l ti n
rr ou o ec o .

B u c k had it p rep ared fo r

the tric k and the unfort u nate p erformer s right c h ee k w as
,
’

l iteral l y shot aw ay .

I n 18 2 8 J u l es de R overe a F ren c h c onj u rer wh o se , ,

fame rests p rinc ip al l y on the fac t that he c oined th e ne w

“
t it l e p rest id ig itator ap p eared at the Haymarket Th ea ,

[ 12 8
]
 THE PAS TR Y CO O K O F THE PAL AI S R O YAL

tre ,
L ondon , and al so to u red the E ngl ish p ro vin c es A .

c l ip p ing from the O xford H eral d of that year in c l u des

th is desc rip t ion of h is au tomaton : One of the c l owns

v an ishes from the box and instant l y at the to p of the
,

ha l l a l itt l e l ady in a l ittl e hotel bril l iantl y il l u minated

, ,

g iv es o ut w ines and l iqu ors to them w h o ask for them ,

w itho u t any app arent c omm u n ic at ion w ith the art iste ,
”
and yet the l ady is onl y six in c hes high .

I n the l ate go s R o vere made his head q u arters in

’

P aris and there he and R o bert Ho u d in met

,
Th e l atter
-

refers to this meet ing on p age 15 3 of h is Memo irs ”

,

w hen w rit ing of the m isfort u ne s w hic h had o v ertaken

F ather R o uj o l w hose sho p had on c e been head qu arters
fo r c onj u rers :
,
“St il l I had the l u c k to form here the
ac qu aintan c e of J u l es de R o v ere the first to em p l o y a ,

”
t itl e no w general l y given to fash ionabl e c onj u rers .

And after R overe Ph il l ip p e w h o is by far the most

, ,

im p o rtant p resenter of the Pa stry Cook of the Pal ais

R oyal as bearing u p on R obert Ho u din s c l a ims
’
-
,
.

F o r Phil l ipp e s earl y history w e m u st de p end l arge l y

’

u p o n R o be rt Ho u din s
-
“Memoirs ’”
Ac c ord ing to these .
,

P hil l ip p e started l ife as a c onfe c t ioner or maker of sw eet s ,

and h is real name w as Ph il l ip p e Tal on Ac c ord ing to .

an artic l e p u bl ished in L I l l u sio nniste in j an u ary 190 2

’
, ,

h e was born in Al ias near Nime s D e c ember 2 5 th 180 2

, , , ,

and d ied in Bo k hara Tu rkey j u ne 2 7th 18 78

, , ,
.

L ike many a gen iu s and su c c essfu l man h is earl y ,

h istory w as w ritten in a m inor key Ac c ord ing to R obert .

Ho u din his sweets did not c at c h the Parisian fan c y and ,

h e wen t to L ondon w here at th at t ime F ren c h bonbons

,

w ere in hig h favor Bu t for some reason he fa il ed in

.

9 [ 12 9 ]
 THE UN MAS K I N( I O F R O BE R T I I OU D I N -

L ondon and went on to Abe rdeen Sc ot l and w here he

, , ,

w as ve ry soon red u c ed to sore stra its I n h is h o u r of .

R ep ro d u c tio n o f p astel mrtrait o f l l l il l i p e

’
. O nl y k no w n l ikeness o f th e
c o nj u re r in e x iste nce
. Ma e fo r h im by a ie nna artist Orig inal no w in th e
.

Harry Ho u dini Co l l e c tio n .

extremity h is c l everness saved the day I n Aberdeen at .

the same t ime w as a c om p any of ac tors al most as u nfo rtu

nate as h imsel f Th ey w ere p resent ing a p antomime
.
h o w Ph il l ip p e
sta rted h is c areer as a p astry c ook in the
ho u sehol d of one L ord Panm u re and I qu ote this l itera l l y ,

from the Anderson book be c a u se I be l ieve it to be tru th ,

STR AND
a . ul . g o
’
.‘o
r
m‘
nv n
.Co

fg
i
' er ' “ o

PHI L L IP ? S
MODERN MIRAGLES
““
.

M A G I C A L“ D E L US I ONS
I EI A
IORPHOSBS Al l) TWINE! DECBPTWNS .

“ “
A . l nl o r o nl or t o . I l c c to o b e en no h
. o o P un

mu n n mw B A L I. n e v n n vn o o n sl l w

R I CHE D AMOUR
.

’
.

I n ch eq u e/ cl e u . M k ie b oducrd
ann m . l m m O P L 0 0 1. x v .
M Rl l l l —rHB EXT! { UR O LW

A M E R I CA N B R OTH E R S
0m m cu m s; or AGILII Y.
'
'

A“a l l
“
HI GH! I N " I5 5 A5 Ac 5 05 5 Kl l l .
5H
N
I I‘h l l sp p. u II pot fonu d M

E I
. eou o

A
u

INDIAN A DCHINES !
’ ‘
E F S
“
“
2 ea
:
m
0
-
15 t
:
“
-
l “
: : “
”
—“
“
“m
m“
im m
"w
to d On “Ad
l

““
i;
s
a
h o
m msg e/ Mca non sat
l s

h o Coo i m
Sup L o af s o d
ha n” ful l Co el o
m
q f ee n m r e m u
l
‘

m
l y e‘ l l
n o n
h ad n ‘t
4h n
m
dem o !h u
-
t u
poo o J ut
oo d l be
.eg -
l o oo o l l
‘
no
b e d.

“1
g m uu of Oo o d l io nu eo - E
‘
l oo
=: $ or, T
a ; l o u o oud
Ib o or
wo o l ou ec o nd Pied? an 00 ;

asnssm sntmm as 105 3s win

a
“-
th e m , pro m te d b
d
' ‘
l
bo
M b m l

Po ste r u sed by Phil lipp e du ring h is e ng a e me nt at th e Strand Th eatre L o ndo n

,
—
,

1845 46 Fro m th e Harry

. o u dini Co l l ec tio n .

ful ,as material gathered from Anderson l iterature h as

p roved to be :
 THE PAS TR Y CO O K O F THE PAL AI S R O YAL

I t was at this t ime that he c ame in c ontac t w ith a

p e rson w h o afte rw ard u nder the des
,
ignat ion of M .

Phil l ip p e be c ame c e l e b rated in F ran c e as a magic ian

,
.

Ph il l ip ee (fo r so w as he named in Sc ot l and ) w as origi

nal l y a c ook in the se rv ic e s of the l ate L ord Panmu re .

L ea v ing that emp l oyment he se ttl ed dow n and rema ined ,

for a n u m ber of years in Aberdeen He heard of the .

fame of the youthf ul mag ic ian w as ind u c ed to v isit h is ,

‘
tem p l e and w as stru c k w ith h is p erforman c es ; and
,
’

ha ving made th e a c qu aintan c e of Mr Anderson he .

,

so l ic ited from h im and obta ined an ins ight into his p ro

fe ssio n and fac simil e s of h is the n h u mbl e a p p arat u s

,
-
.

Phil l ipp e im p ro ved to s u c h a d egre e u p on the kno wl edge

he th u s ac qu ired that l ea v ing E ngl and for F ran c e he
, ,

earned the re p u tat ion of be ing one of the most a ec om

”
p l ish e d mag ic ians e v er se e n in the c o u ntry .

Th e date of his init ial p erforman c e is not kno w n b u t ,

he mu st ha ve remained in Sc ot l and p erfe c t ing his ac t , ,

for the earl iest Phil l ip p e p rogra m me in my c ol l e c t ion is

dated Fe bru ary 3d 1837 wh en he op ened at Waterl oo
, ,

R ooms Ed in bu rgh and an no u n c ed

“ , ,

Th e high c hara c ter w h ic h Mons Phil l ip p e has o b .

taine d from the Aberdeen G l as g ow G re eno c k and Pa isl ey

, ,

Press be ing the onl y fo u r to w ns in Britain w here he has

,

made his ap p earan c e is a su ffi c ient gu arantee to p ro c u re

,

h im a visit from the inhabitant s of th is en l ighte ned

Metro p ol is w here tal ent had al ways been su pp orted w hen
,

ac tu al l y de served .

E videntl y how e ver Phil l ip p e made rap id p rogress for

, , ,

a p rogramme dated Sat u rday Ap ril z rst 1838 sho w s that , , ,

h is l ast daytime or matinee p erforman c e in Waterl oo

[ 133
]
 THE UNM SK I NG
A O F R O BER T-H
O UD I N

R oom s w as g iven u nder the p atronage of su c h me m be rs

of the nob il ity as the R ig ht Ho nora bl e L ady G ifi o rd the ,

R ig ht Honorabl e L ady H St u art F orbes etc. I n an ,

.

Phill ipp e and h is Sc o tc h assistant Do ming o

, . Th e l atter b ec ame famo u s
as a m l e ian u nde r th e name o f Mac al l iste r intro d u c in in Americ a Phil
,
g .

l ip p e s g ) t sh o w Fro m a l ith o g rap h in th e Harry Ho udini Co l l ec tio n

’
. .

[ 134 3
 THE UNMASK I N G O F R O BE R T HO UD I N -

PAR T I I I .

An u nex p e c ted p re sent at on c e gratu ito u s and l a u gh

abl e ,
c om p o sed of t w e l v e p r ize s n ine l u c ky and three
,

”
u nfort u n ate in w h ic h the general p u b l ic w il l art i i ate
, p c p .

He al so c ont in u ed to d istrib u te bonbon s from an in

exh au st ibl e so u rc e p robabl y a c orn u c o p ia c al l in g this
“ ,

tr ic k a new system of mak ing sw eetmeat s or L e

,

Co nfi se u r Moderne
”
.

D u r ing h is first engagement in Vienna he had p ainted

for ad vert ising p u rp o se s a p a st e l p ortra it sho w ing h im ,

c l ad in h is mag ic ian s robe s at the fin al e of the go l dfish

’

tr ic k F rom this p ic t u re h is l ater c u t s w ere made By

. .
‘

some m ist ake he l eft the or ig in al p a ste l in Vienna w here ,

I bo u ght it at a sp e c ial sal e for m y c ol l e c t ion I t re .

ma ins an exqu isite p ie c e of c ol or w ork e ven at this day , .

So far it is the on l y real l ikene ss of Ph il l ip p e I h ave

been abl e to u ne arth .

—
I n 1845 46 he w as at the he ight of his p o p u l arity in
L ondon w here he h ad a tremendo u s ru n
,
I n Ju ne 1845 .
, ,

w e find him p l ay ing at th e St J ame s Theatre u nd e . r ,

Mit c hel l s d ire c t ion and on Se p tember 2 9th u nder his

’
, ,

o w n m an agement ,
he mo ve s to the Strand w here he is ,

st il l fo u nd in Jan u ary of 1846 D u r ing al l this t ime he

.

feat u red Th e Pastry Cook of the Pa l ais R oyal u nder the

t it l e of L e Co nfi se u r G al ant .

As p roofs that Ph il l ip p e u sed the p astry c ook tric k both -

before and d u ring R obert Ho u din s c areer as a magic ian

-
’
,

I o ffer se vera l p rogrammes c ont ain ing ac c u rate desc rip

t ions of the au tomaton and al so a p age il l u stratio n from
,

a c u rrent p u bl ic at ion d ated Paris 1843 w hic h sh o ws th e , ,

[ 136
]
 THE PASTR Y CO O K O F THE PAL AI S R O YAL

confe c t ioner or p astry c ook stand ing in the doorway of

-

h is ho u se w h il e the key exp l ain ing the vario u s tric ks

,

e ds : No
r a .
9 . L e Co nfi seu r gal ant et l e L iq u oriste
”
im p romp tu .

[ 137
]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BE R T HO UD I N -

R obert Ho u d in
-
de votes nearl y an entire c h a p ter to th e
h istory of Ph il l ipp e and a desc rip t ion of h is tric ks and
au tom at a ye t c u r io u sl y forget s to ment ion the p astry
,

c ook w h ic h he l ater c l a ims as h is o w n in v ent ion

,
.

E rne st Basc h formerl y of Basc h Brothers c onj u rers

, , ,

and the ric h e st manu fac t u rer of il l u sion s in the w orl d ,

c l aim s that the or ig in al tric k is no w in h is p osses sio n .

Herr Basc h is l o c at ed in Hano ver G ermany w here h e , ,

bu il d s l arge il l u sion s on l y Th e w onderfu l mec hanic al

.

ho u se p assed to Basc h by a beq u est on the death o f

B aron von Sandh o v el a w eal thy re sident of Amsterdam
, ,

Hol l and . Von Sandh o v el h ad bo u ght the tric k from

the heirs of R obert Hou d in on th e death of the l atter
-

be c au se he bel ie ve d it to b e the brain and hand w ork of

Op re a D u t c h m e c h an ic ian of gre at tal ent
,
E rnest Ba sc h .

sh are s th is b e l ie f and w ith other w e l l read c onj u rers

,
-

th ink s that Op re w as R ob e rt Ho u din s assistant and bu il t

-
’

mo st of h is au tomat a in c l u d ing Th e Pastry Coo k of th e

,

Pal ais R oyal Th e W indm il l or D u t c h I nn Au riel and

, ,

D eb u rea u Th e F re n c h G ymn ast s Th e Harl e qu in and

, , ,

Th e Cha u sse u r .

Op re was a m an of abil ity b u t l ac ked p resen c e and ,

p er son a l ity ro
p p er l y to p re sent h is invent ions S o far .

I h av e fou nd h is n ame in three p l ac e s onl y : On the

front isp iec e of a D u t c h book on magic p u bl ished in ,

“
Am sterd am ; in E rne st Basc h s c orresp onden c e ab o u t
’

c onj u rers ; and on p age 77 of R obert Ho u din s Me m -

’

”
o irs w hen he sp e ak s of Op re as the maker of th e
,

Harl eq u in figu re w hic h Torr ini asked R o be rt Hou d in -

to rep air d u ring the ir tra vel s .

With su c h c on vin c ing p roof some of whic h was c o n ,

[ 138
]
 THE UNMASKI NG OF R O BER T HO UD I N -

thro u gh that em inent famil y of c onj u rers known as the

Bam bergs of Hol l and At this wr iting Pap a (D a vid )
.
”
,
“
Bamberg of the fo urth generation is p rom inent on the
,
,

Du ct h sta e and h is son T o bi as D a v id kno w n a s O ki to

g , , ,

o f the fifth generat ion is a ,

c osmo p ol itan mag ic ian p re ,

senting a Chinese ac t .

Ac c ording to the fa mil y

history trac eabl e by m eans ,

of handbil l s p rog ram m es , ,

and p ersonal c orre sp ond

en c e the original Bam berg
,

E l i zar) h ad a vau l t ing fi g

( a

u re in h is c o l l e c t ion of au

tomat a in 1790 fifty years ,

before R obert Hou din b e -

c ame a p rofessio nal enter

tainer This figu re w as

.

made b y Op re to w h om ’
D a id L nd t Bamb er f th er o e

f th Il am b g
v ee
al l c onj u rers of that t u ne
.

nd g n ti
‘
se c o e e ra on o e er

f mil y B n 17 86 ; di d 1869 Th
a or e e
I d
. .

ab dag
o ve t w
u e rroa p n t dst oo
re se efor oa u tomata and
55 5 5 5 .
a p p arat u s D av id L eaa d a rt .

Bambe rg of the sec ond g en ,

e ratio n w h o a l so h ad the va u l t ing fi u re w a s the i nt i

, g ,

mate fr iend and c onfidant of Op re and was au thority

for the st atement that Op re s son sol d in Paris the ’

vario u s au tom ata made by h is father w hic h l ater R o be rt ,

Hou d in c l aimed as h is o wn invent ion I t may be no ted .

that R obert Hou d in ne ver invented a singl e au tomat o n

-

after he w ent on the stage in 1845 and as Op re d ied in ,

1846 the c o in c iden c e is nothing if not sig n ific ant

, .
 CHAPTE R V

TE E OBE D IE NT CAR D S THE CAB AL I STI C CL OCK TH E

TR A PE Z E AUTOMA TON

Th e Obedient Cards .

O trac e here the h istory of three very c o m

mon tric ks c l aimed by R obert Hou d in as h is-

o w n in v ent ions w o u l d be sheer w aste of t ime ,

if the exp osu re d id not p ro v e beyond do u bt

that in annou n c ing the variou s tr ic k s of h is rép ert0 1re as
the ou tp u t of his o wn brain he w as not onl y flagrant and
u nsc ru p u l o u s b u t he did not e v en g iv e h is re aders c red it
,

for enou gh intel l igen c e to rec ogn ize tric k s p erformed re

p e a te dl y by his p rede c es sors w hom they h ad seen N o
. t
satisfied with p u rl oining tric k s so im p ortant th at one or
tw o wo u l d have been s u ffi c ient to e st ab l ish the re p u tat ion
of any c onj u rer or inventor he m u st need s l ay c l aim to
,

h avin g invented tric ks l ong the p ro p erty of mo u ntebank s

.

as w e l l as re p u tabl e m ag ic ians .

Th e tric ks referred to are the obed ient c ard the ,

c a b al ist ic c l o c k
,
and the au tomaton kno w n as D iavol o
Antonio or L e Vo l t ige u r au Trap eze .

Th e o bed ient c ard tric k ment ioned on p age 2 45 of

“
-
,

the Americ an ed it ion of h is Memoirs as a no ve l ex

”
,

rime nt invented by M R obert Ho u d in

”
p e .
-
c an be fo
,
u nd
o n the p ro g ramme of every mag ic ian w h o ever l aid c l a im

to d exterity o f h and Whether they a c c omp l ished the eff e c t

.

[ 14 1
]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R OBE R T HO UD I N -

by c l oc k w ork or w ith a bl ac k sil k thread or a h u m an

-

h air the re su l t w as one and the same I t h as al so b een

,
.

w orked by u sing a fine thread w ith a p ie c e of w ax at the

end Th e w ax is fa stened to the c ard and the thread dra w s
.
,

it u p . Th e simp l est method of al l is to p l ac e th e th read

Card tric k as fe atu re d by And in 1836 37

e rso n — Fro m a t in th e Harry
.
p o s e r
Ho u dini Co l l ec tio n .

o ver and u nder the c ard s w e av ing it in and o u t asit w ere

, ,

and then by p u l l ing the thread to bring the difi ere nt

, ,

c ards se l e c t e d into V ie w .

So c ommon w as the tr ic k that its desc rip tion w as

w ritten in e v ery w ork on m ag ic p u bl ishe d fro m 1784 to
'

the date of R obert B ou d in s first ap p earan c e and in at

-
’
,

l east one vo l u me p rinted as earl y as 1635 Th e maj o rity .

[ 142 ]
 THE UN M
ASKI NG O F R OBE R T HO UD I N -

C O N JU R ER UN M A S K E D

R ep ro duc tio n o f fro ntisp iece in Bresl aw s b o o k o n mag ic

’
, Th e L ast 1m
p ubl ish e d in 17.82 O rig inal in th e H ar ry Ho u dini Co ll ec ti
.o n

[ 144
]
 THE O BE D I E NT CAR D S

Ast l ey ,the c irc u s man and Hoo p e r s R e c reations in

,
’
,

fou r vol u mes pu bl ished in 1784 exp o se the same tric k

, ,
.

As to magic ians w h o p erformed the tric k the ir names ,

are l egion and onl y a few of the most p rominent c onj u rers
,

wil l b e ment ioned in t his c onne c t ion .

Th e man wh o o btained the best e ff e c t s w ith th is tric k

was John Henry Anderson w h o start l ed the w orl d of ,

magic and amu sements by his au da c ity in 1836 nine , ,

J H Anderso n s b irth p l ace

. .
’
draw n b y h im fro m me mo ry
as Th e fo l l o w .

ing is w ritte n u nde r th e ske tc h in h is o w n h andw riting : A ro u g h ske tc h o f

the f arm h o u se c all ed Red Stane s o n th e e state o f Craig my l e Parish o f
‘ ’
, ,

Kinc ardine O Ne il , Abe rdee nsh ire Th e h o u se w as b u il t b y my g randf ath e r

’
.
,

Jo h n R o be rtso n, in th e ye ar 179 6 a”nd in it I w as b o rn o n th e 15 th

,

Ju l 18 14 Jo h n He nry Ande rso n

. Ph o to g rap h e d f ro m th e o rig in
.

in e p o sse fi io n o f Mrs L e o na A Ande rso n b y th e au th o r

. .
, .

years befo re R o bert Hou d in trod the stage as a p ro

-

fe ssio nal entert ainer .

Ande rso n was bo rn in Kin c ard ine Sc otl and in 18 14 , , ,

and started his p rofessional c areer as an a c tor He mu st .

h ave been a very p oor one too for he states that he , ,

w as on c e c omp l imented by a manager for h av ing bro u ght

b ad ac ting to the he ight of p erfe c t ion .

And erso n was fi rst kno wn as the Cal edon ian magic ian ,

then assumed th e t itl e of the Wizard of the North w hic h ,

10 I 4S
 THE UNMASKI NG OF R O B E R T-HOUD I N

Jo h n He nr Ande rso n w ife and so n , f ro m a

g
,

1847 o r 1848. aid to b e an e sp e c ial l y g o o d l ik e ne ss

o nl y o ne e x tant Ph o to g ra h l o ane d b y Mrs L e o na A [Ande rso n, daug h te fl
n .

l aw o f th e Wi ard o f th e o rth
. . .

z .
”

[ 146 ]
 THE O BE D I E NT CAR D S

ci ty o f th e w orl d and w hen so in c l ined bu il t h is o wn

, , ,

theatres He sol d books on magic d u ring h is o wn p er

.

fo rmanc es and w ou l d se l l any tr ic k he p resented for a

,

no min al su m His mo st u n iqu e ad vert ising dodge w as

.

to o fi er $5 00 in gol d as p rize s for the be st c on u ndru ms

written by sp e c tators d u ring h is p erforman c es To .

mak e t his sc heme more e ffe c t ive he c arr ied w ith h im his
,

o wn p rint ing p re ss and se t it u p ba c k of the s c enes

-
.

Wh il e the p erforman c e w as u nder w ay the c onu ndru ms ,

hand ed in by the sp ec tators w ere p rinted and after the , ,

p e rfo rm an c e,
any one m ight b u y a sheet of the q u est ions

and p u ns at the door As e ve ry one nat u ral l y w anted to

.

see h is c onu ndru m in p r int Ander son so l d m il l ions of these

,

bit s of p ap er I n 18 5 2 w h il e p l aying at Metrop ol itan

.
,

Hal l New York City he ad vert ised h is c on u ndru m c o n

, ,

test and sol d his b ook of tric ks etc and su c h notabl e s as

,
.
,

Jenny L ind and G enera l K o ssu th entered c on u ndru m s .

He was among the first p erform ers to e x p o se the D aven

p o rt B rothers w hose
,
s p ir it u a l ist ic tr ic ks and ro p e ty ing -

had astonish ed Americ a D ire c t l y on w itnes sing a p e r

.

fo rmanc e and sol v ing the ir method s Anderson h u rried ,

bac k to E ngl and and ex p o sed the tric ks .

To su m u p his history he st and s u n iq u e in th e a nna l s

,

o f mag ic as a doer of dar ing th ing s He ru sh ed into p rint

.

o n th e sl ightest p retext w as a h ard fight e r w ith h is r iv a l s

,

and aired his q u arre l s in the p ress and h e w as a game ,

l o ser wh en tro u bl e c ame h is w ay No t a br il l iant ac tor.

o r p erfo rmer he yet had the g ift of se c u r in ex e l l nt

, g c e

eff ec t s in his mise en sc éizc He made and l o st se veral

.

fo rtun es genera l l y re c o u p ing as qu ic k l y as he l o st

, He .

was bu rned o u t several t ime s the mo st notab l e fi re b eing

,

[ 149
]
 THE O BE D IE NT CAR D S

al l . I ARNARDO EAGLE. THE ROYAL WIZ ARD OF THE SOUTH.

Fro ntisp iec e fro m Eag l e s bo o k in w h ic h h e e x Ande rso n s g u n de

’ ’

, o se s

sio n
n . Said by He nry Ev anio n, w h o knew Bag e, to be a fi ne l ike ne ss .

to m the Harry Ho u dini Co l l ec tio n .

[ 53 ]
1
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O ER T HO UD I N
B -

You ng s name h as be en handed dow n in history b e

’

c a u se he made money on Anderson s re p u tat ion by th e

’
,

bo l de st of im itations assu ming the t it l e of Wiz ard of th e,

North w ith h is o w n name in smal l typ e One of his b il l s .

is al so re p rod u c ed
Bam e do or Bar
“ .

”
ney E agl e is the ma n
of the trio of the im i e

tato rs w h o deserve s
more than p assing no
t ic e He bec ame Arr .

d erso n s bitterest en er
’

my and their rival ry ,

made money for th e

p rinters .

B E H O L D TB
I !B

1
11111 111 111113 1
1 111111 1or 1 1101 1111 11 E ag l e c o u l d n e ithe r

read nor write b u t h av ,

ing a q u ic k b rain h e
hired a c l ever writer to
ind ite h is sp eec he s and
d u p l ic ated Anderson s ’

m
h
B A R NE Y

t ee to
a
op
h
n l
m d h (E I ) dt y
l , m l m l
w
rm z
m
e n vve

i
ng e
”
v
fl‘ ast
u:
yo n c
ng s o
sho
e
w so
u
c l
e
ose
y n
o ne
l y
de rso n sp ride w as h u rt
p o c tio n .
that e
A
“
n yo
’

h l
S ou d 8 1m m 5 hh a m
ac eep t t ' u s e,
11111 m
1 » c n an w x c u nsm a
u He therefore dec ided .

An And n t
e rso p i n g B a n
o s e r, ex
y
to e x
osp o se E ag l e a
r e n d ,
Eag l t i k nl y b il l f thi tm
’
e s t o s so r e x is
il l
r c s

e n ce F m th H
. ro y H
.

d ie i C l l
arr ti tho u
ou
sands n
of b o
s c
ec
o n on . ,

stitu tin a v ir l ent

g u

attac k u p on h is imitator w ere d istribu ted One of these ,

.

is re p rod u c ed I t is so rare that I do u b t w hether another

.

is in ex isten c e .

As E agl e had advert ised that he w as p atro nized by

[ 1 54 ]
 THE UNMASKI NG O F R O BER T-HO UD I N

F OR THE B ENE FI T O F
Dwm fla g l o
S ty
tric k is nothing short of far
.

c ic al
L ast Nig h t f Mo E ng ag eme n t !
.
o

Th e Cabal zstzc Obedient

’ ’

or

Cl o c k

There might be Sa id to exist

O n F R I D A Y E s e ning a very reasonabl e do u b t as to . No v 9 th .
” W1II ho Me i 11
10 P9 110 Co med y o f the

the exa c t date at w hic h R o b

G re e n E y e d -

M ert Ho u d in p rod u c ed the c aba

o n s te r . l istic c l oc k w hic h he in c l u ded
-

“ among h is other do u b tful

At t Il l t l l

S ig n io r B e r na rd o E ag l e
c l aims to invent ions
nm x u ms
iD
1o . at ’
.

G R A ND DI S P L A Y O F l I SI ONI

““ “ On p age 2 50 of the A meri

.

1 1 1 r 1 s
Th, PM — — f unk The r m 0! 011111111 o o TI1' u
.
v o l at h 41110100 by

M ”
c

“ Th D l ki g C d ed i t ion f hi e m o i rs
’
a n
“ o s
c
e a n ar s,
-
"0 0 1 pl at o al ’ l r h A l l ”d u g 111 1' ]
1111 1111
13 0 4 01011 y Pe n-
11
11111111
1 1

M masmw fl hk h- ‘ M 11 114 1 11 4 11 h m flh c hru k u 01 m m o p ui

ifi
o 11 " 101 o

he has the C a b al i st ic Cl o c k on
0 11b

Th e E n c h a n l e d O r a ng e .

h is op en ing p rogramm e for

l l . . AO IO WI N E DO‘I' I'L R
W E EXTRAORDINAR Y OOI L S T O? l AOCHU.
ANONANT‘O WAT
WITH YNC

H I
T E VIS IBL E AND I NVIS BL E PIG.

W -1" rho
" II topm
7 111 :
1 114 1111
o 11
11111
11
J u l y 3d
, 1111111
111 m as o n h l r 51,
A111!o n 11
-
184
1 be fo re 11
1

5 b u
1 t ) 0 01 11
t
1
in the
A041o n»
a p
.

, ,
01111111119 o] L p1r. 1¢t n1 0111 0 any Gentl e 11111 1
;
0
1 1011111 11110 e " 11!C01. 0] 1 : 1 111111111
”“
A L A! I l l A\ DK l k ( fll El o 1II ho 1
p e
0 111
n d ix of the F ren c h ed it ion
14 c om f y- d «o ut d o L ESIO ‘ .

TH E C H E ST
O F DOCTOR MIC MA PL
he states that the c l oc k first
h O‘i TR ADA‘I I 8 . Til t I R E‘K H
. WIZ QRD

A G d C H I NE E E X P E R I M E NT S
ran
made its ap p earanc e at the .

op en ing of the season of 1847 .

P A R T S EC ND O

“ m
.

ll “
il l
3
I.
W RM
M I n , Tm
near l y a l l
0 10 3 3hi s state
0 0001111111 1
ents O
W 11:moo d mbe m uc h
1k
;
h7
2
.t y 0 1 .
th e . c PIL BAL D
101 60 U8 1. A LI \ .

T H E E NC H A NT E D EG G S
he is e qu al l y inac c u rate .

“ “
J
No 8 1: anw h o!8 111 Am the. chm
.

n
ll co n ‘ 0 10 11 1 ngo
11
I 1

fi
a 11

-“
1
.

lm WHI N ‘
II IC E
z
vL

t “
A l L
JI M CROW

Th e mysterio u s c l oc k might
"0 t il l I1hoo t . l h c m d 1h o du ct
m
,

Ca n cu n Mo nr "than Ind. on. who .l

pl ay o n ,
M y Ind. "who v ath the I .

M T N N AR OF G AR DE I G

“
- -
.

i l
l n c l o m 'u md m n M u w ‘w Io . t l e M
l il o

Ho ml l hm
’
r -
-
-
-
b
Pu d c y u
e termed the
w hd u n h o Cyfl o h ho Ad s nee
o u y o l l n ‘ m u f fl e 1111 1
1
o b ed
Jo h n n a M ad m
ent
a n.
c ock -
1

,
. w
ho b d n thn m n d n u y p nd t m as tic p a, t ho m m

-
m
Il a - m
““
ty f m h “
S u p p er f o r wi l l
m - “ t
for u
the ‘
tr
a hu
ic k c onsists in c a u s
w ao n‘ d b ell
,
an hu h .

m - ing the hand or hands to o bey

Tho I nd i a

TH E G U N T R I C K
“ xh - m “ t
-
I. o h kh ho ( hal lo goo - fl
fi the O w il l
" e muof the c onj u rer
111 or
. tho Tu
t h e ‘ o Pu l iq
f v.

“
N o -
b h ua u n n h n h fi ‘. ha i !d u h tht
l um hb l
‘ ‘

A Ba n y Eag l p t n w ishes of the au d ienc e

r e e o s er o .

wh i h th
“ b di nt dt i k f a e -c ar r c 1
s e
c e o e
t d a
u re T h W al kin g C
s d T h e ehands w il l p o in t t o ar s .
”

F m th Ha y H dini C l l
u re move with rap idit
e rr ou o ec

ti n
ro

o .
a fig y , ,

[ 15 6
]
 THE CABAL I STI C C L O CK

o r as sl owl y as p ossibl e or in t ime to mu sic I n fac t the

,
.

erfo r mer has fu l l c ontro l of the hands — h an make

p e c

them do his every bidd ing .

Th e mysterio u s c l oc k is a tric k as o l d as the obed ient

'

c ard tric k if not ol der

,
.
I t w as exp l ained ac c o rd ing
.

to variou s methods in books before R obe rt Ho u din s -

’

ap p earan c e on the stage I n fa c t the majority of o l d

.
,

t ime c onj u ring books exp l ain mysterio u s c l oc ks c arefu l l y .

Before el e c tric ity w as introd u c ed magnet s w ere em ,

p l oyed ,
b u t the ear l iest method w as to make u se of thread
w o u nd abo u t the sp ind l e of the c l o c k hand and that ,

m ethod is st il l the very best u sed to day ow ing to its -

,

sim p l ic ity .Th e c l o c k on be ing p resented to the au d ien c e

, ,

m ay be hu ng or p l ac ed in the p osit ion be st su ited to the

”
p a r t ic u l ar method b y w h ic h it is be ing w orked .

I t show s a transp arent c l o c k fa c e s u c h as yo u see in ,

an y je w el ry sho p . Some mag ic ians u t il ize on l y one hand ,

w h ic h p ermits the ea sy u se of e l e c tr ic ity or magnet w hil e ,

o t h ers emp l oy tw o and even three hands When more .

t h an one hand is u sed the ho u rs and m in u tes are ind ic ated

sim ul taneo u sl y and if c ards are p a sted on the c l o c k fac e
, ,

th e l argest hand is u sed to find the c hosen c ards .

Th e c l o c k may be p l ac ed on a p edestal in an u p right ,

p o s it ion ,
or h u ng i n m ida ir on tw o r ib b ons or str ings .

I t c an be h ung on a stand made exp res sl y for the p u rp ose ,

o n the styl e of a m u sic stand or it c an be sw u ng in a

,

frame . I n fa c t as stated before it is u su al l y p l ac ed so

, ,

as to fac ilitate the method of w orking .

Wh en th e c abal istic c l oc k is taken o ff the hook or the

stand on w hic h it is p l ac ed and handed to one of the
,

sp ec tato rs to h ol d the l atter p l a c es the hand on the p in

,

[ 15 7
]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BE R T HO UD I N -

in the c entre of the gl ass fa c e and re vol ves it Th e arrow

,
.

o r hand is w orked b y a c o u nterw e ight c ontrol l ed b y th e

,

M Jac o b s
.
, ,
q
mag ic ian ve ntril o u is t, and b o l d im itato r o f Jo h n He nry Anderso n .

Fro m a rare l ith o g rap h no w i n th e Harry Ho u dini Co l l ec ti o n

.

p erformer w
,
h o h as it fixed before he hands it to the in no

c ent s e c tator
p .T h e c l o c k c an be p u r c hased fro m a ny
[ 15 8 ]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BE R T-HO UD I N

Years ago w hen I introd u c ed

this tr ic k in my p e r
fo rmanc e I c al l ed a yo u ng man on my stage and asked
,

h im to p l a c e the hand on the sp ind l e I t w o u l d then re .

vol ve and sto p at any n u m ber named But first I made .

h im inform the a u d ien c e the n u m ber he had c hosen ,

Th e ab o ve diag ram ex p o se s th e m ag ic c l o c k tric k as o ffe red in the tim e o f

,

Ho frath vo n Ec k artsh au se n a G e rm an w riter o n mag ic in th e e ig h tee nth and

,

ag ainst t h e re ar w al l o
“
th e ninetee nth ce ntu rie s Fig 15 sh o w s th e c l o c k in p o sitio n fo r th e tric k , h u ng
.

r d ro
p G
.

.ail y
-
c o l o re d rib b o ns hid e thin l eath e r t ub es
thro u g h w hic h ru n tw o se ts o f sto u t sil k thread o r ca t c o nnec ting w ith
,

th e h o ur and minu te h ands Th e th read th en p asses

. ro ug h th e two iro n
ring s p and o in Fig ure s 1 7 and 19 w hic h are sc rewed to th e c eil in ; th e nc e
g
, ,

to th e hidde n co nfederate w h o m anip u l ate s th e c l o c k h ands as th e ] o ur and

,

minu te are anno u nce d b y mag ic ian o r sp ec tato r Fig 16 sh o w s th e two f ac e s

. .

o f th e c l o c k w ith th e fi ne c o nn e c ting ro d aro u nd w hic h th e

,

to m anip u l ate th e h ands . This m ec h anism is

“
w hic h e nc irc l es th e edge s o f th e tw o transp are nt Ec kartshause n s
’

”
Th e Co nj urer s Po c ket, editio n o f 179 1
’

w hic h gave me time to fix the w eight with my thu m b I .

then gave h im the hand b u t he was a skil l ed me c hanic

, ,

and p ossibl y knew the tric k I nstead of hol ding th e .

c l o c k b y the ring at the to p w hic h was there fo r th at ,

[ 160
]
 THE CABAL I STI C CL O CK

p u rp ose he grasp ed the d ial at the bottom c au sing the

, ,

n u m ber 6 instead of 12 to be on to p When the hand .

started to t u rn of c o u rse it w o ul d have sto p p ed at the

,

0 1m W ONDE R : 11110 1 1105 1 13 11 110 1 10 1 1115 1wo n .

DER S !and WONDER S !are ne w t o b e feen in a a c y

'

w arm R o o m, at No . 2 2 , Picc adil l y , Th is and eve ry d ay t hb

week, fro m e l e v n in t h e mo : ing t ill fo u r in t h e after
e
no o n, and prec ifel y at { e ve n cl o c k , e ve ry e vening th is wee k,

M R KATT E R FE L T O w il l l h o w a v arie ry
.

o f ne w fur t ifi ng E x pe rime nts in N at u ral and Ex a

rime nt al Ph il o f0 h
p y
p
a n d M a t h m 1ric s, a n d h is w h
. .
g
p
o l e r e u l ar
Co u rfe o f Ph il o l b ph ic al L Qu nes are del ive r -d in TWe e
'

diffe re nt not es, a difl L e ttu ce and Ex perim nt ev ery

'

c 1ent e

d ay, and every evening at 7 o c l oc k Hit vario u s Ex peri

'
. o

m ent s are as fo l l o w , v l z .

PHI L OSOPHIC A L , 133 1121 1 w a r i c ,

M A THEMATI C A L , 11YDx A u u c ,
O PTI C AL , ny n m o sr ar rc ,
M A G NETIC A L , 91 10 1 5 1 10 ,
E L E C T R I C A L , 31 1
5 110 0 1 1 11PHI CR
11
1
111310 1 11, BL ENCI C A L ,
C H YMI C AL , c ap m mw r rc A R T .

By h s new impro ve d SOL A R MI C R O SCO PE ,

i -

Wil l be fe en many furprifl ng infefi s in diff e re nt wate s, bee r,

'

mil k, vineg af , and b l o o d ; and Ot he r c o : to :1s o bj e zt s

. .

Mr K A I T E R F E L T O
' ‘
.

Ho w, in his tran l s k . i t-t h e t t i h tfi n y w p a2,

f g r t h e i o
s
0 00 " to t t h ibit wit h g re at appl au fe be fo re t h e Empr‘ fs Of
3 111 11 H K D
'

11. t h e
Q ee n o f u n a
g y,r th e in
g o f P ru l ii i , e n
mark , Sweden, and Po l l and, and be fo re m any Oth e r
Princes .

A nd afi er h is Leftu re, Mr K attex fe l to wil l {h o w ar d d if

.

c o vef l eve raI N E W D EC EP I I O N S , o n

' ' ‘

Dte s, C AR DS, SI L V ER and

BI L L I AR DS . TENNI S, BO XES , MEDA L S .
L ETTER S , MO NEY , P Y R A MI DI C A L G L ASES
WA TCHBSf C ASK ET i, ‘
MEC H A NI C A L C L O C K S
A dmit tance , fro nt ( c ats 3s fe cand fe at: 2 3 b ac k { 1 ats . .

19 . fo r ferv ants o nl y .

New sp ap er clip p mg o f 1782 , sh o w ing th at Katterfel to used th e c ab al istic c l o c k .

Fro m th e Harry Ho u dini Co l l ec tio n .

wrong nu m ber . managed to esc ap e hu mil iat ion b y

I
p retend ing I w as afraid he w o u l d break the c l o c k by
l etting it fal l , so too k it aw ay from him ho l d ing it mysel f ,
.

11 [ 16 1
]
 THE UNMASKI NG O F R O BER T HO UD I N -

R ep ro d u c tio n o f rare e ng raving o f J o h ann Ne.

p H o fzinser, w h o inve n ted
th e c l o c k w o rked b y a c o u nte r-w e ig h t and w h o w as o ne o f the wo rl d s g reat
’
,

e st c ard tric kste rs

. O rig inal in th e Harry Ho u dini Co l l ec tio n .

. 111 '

[ 16 2
]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BE R T-HO UD I N

I am re p rod u c ing herew ith a n u mbe r o f p rogrammes

desc ribing the e ff e c t of the tr ic k and p roving that it w as
“ ”
no no v e l ty w hen R obert Hou d in invented it I n fact
-
.

the tric k w as so c ommon that onl y the s u p reme egot ism

R ep ro du c tio n of a trip l e c o l o red

l ith o g rap h Th is sec tio n featu re s Brasl aw in
.

stag e c o stu me . Orig inal in th e Harry Ho u dini Co ll ec tio n.

of the man c an exp l ain his ha ving introdu c ed it int o th e

p ages of h is b ook as an or ig ina l tr ic k T h e myst e rio u s .

c l o c k w orked b y the c o u nterw e ight w hic h h as b ee n ,

[ 16 4
]
 THE CABAL I STI C C L O CK

d e sc ribed , is c redited as ha ving be en the in vent ion of

Johann Nep Ho fz inse r . .

I n an advertisement p u bl ished in th e L o nd o n P o st of
,

May 2 3d 1778 in c l u ded in my c ol l e c t io n this anno u n c e

, , ,

m ent among others of m u c h intere st w il l be fo u nd :

“ ,

PAR T II Bre sl aw wil l exh ibit m any of h is ne w l y

.
-
,

invented dec ep tions with a gra nd ap p arat u s and ex p eri

th e b o m bastic c o nj u re r, w h o is fam o u s fo r h av ing so l d su l p h u r

R ep ro du c ed fro m a rare c o p y o f
“
m atc h es in 1784, be fo re th e L u c ife r m atc h is su p p o sed to h av e bee n disco ve red
z
Th e E uro p e an Mag a ine , d ate d J
”
u ne ,
.

1783 , no w in the Harry Ho u dini Co l l e c tio n .

m ents and p art ic u l arl y the Magic Cl oc k Sym p ath et ic ,

”
B e l l and Pyramid ic al G l a sse s in a m anner ent ire l y new
,
.

I n 178 1 wh il e sho w ing at G re en w ood s R oo m s Hay

’
, ,

m arket L ondo n Bre sl aw hea v il y ad vert ise d Part ic u l ar l y

, , ,

an e xp eriment on a ne w l y in v ented me c han ic al c l o c k

[ 16
5 ]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O B E R T HO UD I N -

w il l be d isp l ayed u nder the d ire c t ion of Sieu r Castinia

, ,

j u st arrived from Nap l es the l ike ne ver attem p ted before ,

in th is metro p o l is .

There is e v ery re ason to bel ie v e that K atterfel to the ,

greate st of bombast ic c onj u rers u sed the el ec tric al c l o c k ,

in h is p erforman c e s as he m ade a fe at u re of the vario u s

,

l ate d isc o v erie s and in h is p rogramme of 178 2 he ad ve r

,

t ises feats and ex p eriment s in Magnet ic al E l e c tric al Op , ,

t ic al Ch ym ic al Phil o so p h ic al Mathematic al e tc e tc
, ,
”
, ,
.
,
.

Among im p l ement s and in stru ments or art ic l es men

tio ned I fo u nd Wat c he s Casket s D ic e Cards Me c han , , , ,

ic al Cl o c ks Pyram id ic al G l a sses etc etc

, ,
.
,
.

G ynge l l Sr the c e l ebrated Barthol ome w F a ir c onj u rer

,
.
, ,

w ho se c areer started abo u t 1 788 h ad on h is earl y p ro

“
grammes A Pedestal Cl o c k so singu l arl y c onstru c ted
, ,
,

”
th at it is obed ient to the w ord of c ommand O n the .

same p rogramme (Catherine Street Theatre L ondon F e b

1 th 18 16
) I find “ T h R ian I
”
Th C
,
“ ,

“
ru ar
y 5 , _
e u ss nn e o n ,
”
fec tio ner s Sho p
’
and Th e Au tomaton R o p e Va u l ter
,
.

This p rogramme is re p rod u c ed in ful l in Cha p ter I V .

Withou t de vot ing fu rther sp ac e to R obert Ho u d in s -

’

absu rd c l a im to hav ing in vented this c l o c k w e w il l ,

p ro c eed to d isc u ss h is c l aim s to the a u tomato n ro e

p
w al ker w hic h he c al l ed a trap eze p erformer
, .

Th e Trapeze Au to mato n

Tho u gh or L e Vo l tigeu r Trap ez e

D ia vo l o Anton io
w as not a s im p l e tr ic k b u t a c l e v erl y c onstru c ted an
,

to mato n w orked by a c on c e al ed c onfederate it w as a co m

, ,

mo n feat u re on p rogramme s l ong before R o bert Hou din -

166
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BER T-H
O UD I N

cl aimed it as h is in v ent ion Yet w ith the daring of one

.

w h o bel ie v e s that al l p roof h as been de stroyed he an ,

no u nc e s on p age 312 of the Amer ic an ed ition of his

“ Memoirs that he in vented Th e Trap eze Perform er
” “ ”

for h is season of 1848 I n the il l u strated ap p endix of his

.

F ren c h ed it ion he state s th at the figu re made its fi rst

ap p e aran c e at h is Paris theatre O c tober rst 1849 He , ,
.

thu s desc ribe s the a u tomaton :

“ Th e figu re is the size of an infant and I c arry the ,

l ittl e art ist on my arm in a box I p u t him on the trap e z e.

and ask h im qu est ion s w hic h he answ ers by moving his

,

head Then he bo w s grac e fu l l y to the au d ien c e t u rning

.
,

first this w ay then that ; su sp end s himse l f by his ha nds

,

and draw s h imsel f u p in time to the m u sic He al so g o e s .

throu gh the mot ion s of a strong man hangs by his he ad , ,

hand s and feet and w ith h is l egs ma king the motions of

, ,

”
aerial tel egrap hy
“
.

D ec remp s in his ex p o sé Th e Conj u rer Unmas ke d

, ,

u b l ished in 1 784 th u s desc ribes the a u tomaton and its

p
w ork
' “ ,

O u r attent ion w as next c al l ed to observe an

au tomaton figu re that v au l ted u p on a rop e p erforming
, ,

al l the p ost u re s and e v ol u t ion s of the most exp ert tu m

b l ers kee p ing exac t t ime to m u sic

,
By see ing Mr Van . .

E st in w ind u p the figu re s and be ing show n the w hee l s and

,

l e vers c ontained in the body of the au tomaton c au sed u s ,

to bel ie v e it mo ved by its o w n sp rings when Mr Van , .

E st in thu s ex p l a ined the de c e p t ion : To make a fig u re o f

‘

this kind dep end s a great deal on the p rop ortion and th e
material s w ith w h ic h it is c om p o sed : Th e l egs and thig h s
are formed o u t of hea vy wood suc h as ash or o ak ; th e ,

body of b irc h or w il l o w and made hol l ow and th e h ead

, , ,

[ 16 8
]
 THE UNMASK I NG OF R O BER T-HOUD I N

of p ap ier mac h é Th e figu re is joined by its

fo r l ightness , -
.

hand s to a bar of iron that p asses throu gh a p art it ion

, ,

and is tu rned by a c onfederate ; the arms are inflexibl e

at the el bo w s b u t mo ve freel y at the shou l ders by means
,

of a bo l t that goes thro u gh the body ; and the thighs and

Me c h anic al E x h ib ih o n,

H Yfa fi i fi }
'

l ied B W
c s
ro and ater ,
.

A Bo l o g na b il l o f 18 12 featu ring th e au to m atic ro p e danc ers

, .

Harry Ho u dini Co l l ec tio n .

l egs mo ve in the same manner at the h ip s and knees and ,

are st ayed by p iec es of l eather to p re vent them from

bend ing in the w rong w ay Th e bar is c o vered with hol l ow
.

t w isted t u bes and ornamented w ith art ifi c ial fl

, ow e rs ,

so as no p art of it c an be seen to t u rn ; the c o nfederat e

 THE UNM SK N
A I G O F R O BE R T HO UD I N
-

Tw o E L E GANT AUTOMA TA

As l a
rge natu re the one re p resenting a beau tiful
as ,

POL ONNE SE the other a l ittl e boy

“
.
,

Nothing c an su rp ass the admirabl e c on st ru c t ion of

these Pie c es Th e l arge figu re seems al most endow ed
.

w ith hu man F a c u l t ie s exhib it ing the u su al feats of a

,

R o p e D an c er in the fu l l est imitat ion of l ife

-
,
Th e smal l .

Figu re is in ve sted w ith e q u a l l y astonish ing p o w ers of

a c t ion To su c h l ad ie s as are sp e c tators it mu st be a very
.

p l eas i ng c ir c u m stan c e that these exert ions do not e xc ite

those d isagreeabl e sens at ion s w hic h arise from the sight

of Figu re s frau ght w ith l ife p erform ing feats attended ,

”
w ith so m u c h danger .

By refe rring to p age 1 13 the re ader w il l find a Sc hmidt

p rogr a m me dated
,
18 2
7 on w h ic h the figu
,
re is fe at u red
as fo l l ow s :
THE R OPE DANCE R ,

Whose su rp rising p erforman c es su rp ass in ag il ity , ,

attit u des and e vol u t ions e very Professor of the art keep
, , ,
”
ing c orre c t t ime to the m u sic of the m ac hinery .

A G ynge l l p rogramme d ated 18 2 3 w hic h is rep ro d u c ed

, ,

in the c hap ter de voted to Th e Pastry Cook of the Pal ais

R oyal
”
age 12 5 reads as fo l l o w Tw a tomatons
“
, p ,
s : o u ,

one of w hic h w il l exe c u te w onderfu l feats on the t ight

”
rop e and the other dan c e a c harac terist ic h o m p ip e
,
.

As G yngel l figu red in the am u sement w orl d from 1788

to 1844 the l itt l e figu re m u st ha ve been tol erabl y wel l
,

known to th e mag ic l o v ing p u bl ic of E ngl and by the

-

t ime R obe rt Hou d in ap p e ared in L ondon in 1848

-
.

A mag ic ian named York w h o a p p eared in L ondo n in ,

[ 1 2 7 ]
 T HE UNMASK I N G O F R OBE R T-HO UDI N

I am re p rod u c ing herew ith a n u m ber o f p rogrammes

desc ribing the e ffe c t of th e tric k and p ro ving that it w as
“ ”
no no v el ty w hen R obert Ho u d in in vented it I n fac t
-
.

th e tr ic k w as so c ommon th at on l y the su p reme egot ism

R ep ro ductio n of a trip l e c o l o red

l ith o g rap h This sec tio n featu res Bresl aw in
.

stag e c o stum e . Orig inal in th e Harry Ho u dini Co l l ec tio n

.

of the man c an exp l ain his ha v ing introd u c ed it into the

p ages of his b ook as an or ig ina l tr ic k Th e m y ste rio us .

c l o c k w orked by the c ou nterw e ight w hic h h as been ,

[ 16 4
]
 THE UNMASK I NGr O F R O BE R T-HO UD I N

w il l be d isp l ayed u nder the d irec t ion of Sieu r Castinia

, ,

j u st arrived from Nap l es the l ike never attemp ted before ,

in th is metro p o l is .

There is e very rea son to be l ieve that K atterfel to the ,

greate st of bombast ic c onj u rers u sed the el ec tric al c l oc k ,

in h is p erforman c es as he made a feat u re of the various

,

l ate d isc overie s and in h is p rogramme of 178 2 h ead ver

,

tise s feat s and ex p eriment s in Magnet ic al El ec tric al Op , ,

t ic al Ch ymic al Phil oso p h ic al Mathematic al e tc etc

, ,
”
, ,
.
,
.

Among im p l ement s and instru ments or art ic l es men

tio ned I fo u nd Wat c he s Ca skets D ic e Cards Me c han , , , ,

ic al Cl o c ks Pyram id ic al G l asses etc e tc

, ,
.
,
.

G ynge l l Sr the c e l ebrated Barthol ome w F a ir c onj u rer

,
.
, ,

w ho se c areer started abo u t 1 788 had on h is earl y p ro

“
grammes A Pedest al Cl o c k so singu l arl y c onstru c ted
, ,
,

”
that it is obed ient to the w ord of c o mmand On the .

same p rogramme (Catherine Street Theatre L ondon F eb

“ ” “
, ,

ru ary 15 th 18 16 ) I find, .
Th e R u ssian I nn Th e Co n ,
”
fec tio ne r s Sho p
’
and Th e Au tomaton R op e Vau l ter
,
.

Th is p rogramme is re p rod u c ed in ful l in Cha p ter I V .

Withou t de vot ing fu rther sp ac e to R obert Ho u din s -

’

absu rd c l aim to h av ing in vented this c l oc k w e w il l ,

p ro c eed to d isc u ss h is c l aims to the a u tomaton ro p e

w al ker w h ic h he c a l l ed a trap eze p erformer

,
.

Th e Trapeze Au to maton

Tho u gh Vol t igeu r Trap ez e

D ia vol o Anton io or Le
w as not a sim p l e tr ic k b u t a c l everl y c onstru c ted an
,

to mato n w orked by a c on c eal ed c onfederate it was a c o m

, ,

mo n feat u re on p rogramme s l ong before R o bert Ho u din -

166
 THE TR APEZ E AUTO MATO N

8 T . JA M E S S ’
T H E AT R E .

IASI THREEPERFORMANDES
' '

De l u s io ns an d E x t r ao r d inary

F A NT A S T I AT THE ABOV E THEATR E

UE S
N
I
I

TDESDAY EVENING, MARCH6,

L a st D ay P e r f o r m a n c e
WEDNESDAYMDDNING, March 7
D

F AR E WE L L R E FR E SE NTATI ON ,

EVENING, MARCH3
D OOR S OP E N A T E I G H T O CL OCK
“
’
.

M AT! ”m o u nts ? STAL LS. A ND Tl Cl m “ al l : n

sk 55 3W A E
an n

5 23 M
“ ““
J S ‘ " ° ° ’
t u up a E ‘ ‘
l ae ~ $2 1
5; an bu u s.w
m m hu h n u ml t l
u l fi o 0n
n
h u u sn
u r h~u
-
I l l COX W EI UL M -
M b p wp fl h e?

“ y o f a p o ste r us
in p ro ve s h o w
rangement o f fl o ral g arl ands
e
H
d b y R o b e rt o u din to adv e rt
- ise h is trap z p
e e e

h e d u p l ic ate d th e F ine tti fi g u re e ve n to t h e

acc urat el y
F ro m th e Harry Ho u d ini Co l l e c tio n
.
rf o rme r

.
.

ar

[ 16 7]
 THE UNMASK I NG -H
O F R O B R T O UD I N
E

cl aimed it as h is invent ion Yet with the daring o f one

.

w h o be l ieves that al l p roof has been destroyed he an ,

no u nc e s on p age 312 of the Americ an ed it ion o f his

“ Memo irs that he in vented Th e Trap e ze Performer
” ”

for h is season of 1848 I n the il l u strated ap p e nd ix of his

.

F ren c h ed it ion he states that the figu re made its fi rst

a p pe aran c e at h is Paris theatre Oc to ber rst 1849 He , ,
.

“
th u s desc ribes the a u tomaton
Th e figu re is the s ize of an infant and I c arry the ,

l itt l e art ist on my arm in a box I p u t h im on the trap eze

.

and ask h im q u e st ion s w hic h he answ ers by moving his

,

h ead . Then he bo w s grac e fu l l y to the au d ien c e t u rning ,

first th is w ay then that ; su sp ends himsel f by his hands

,

and draw s h imsel f u p in t ime to the m u sic He al so go es .

throu gh the mot ions of a strong man hangs by his head , ,

h ands and f e e t and w ith h is l egs making the mot ions of

, ,

”
aerial tel egrap hy
“
.

Dec remp s in h is ex p os é Th e Conj u rer Unmas ke d

, ,

u b l ished in 1784 th u s desc ribes the a u tomaton and its

p
w ork
“ ,

Ou r attent ion w as next c al l ed to o bse rve an

au to maton figu re th at v a u l ted u p on a rop e p e rf ormin g
, ,

al l the p ost u re s and e vo l u t ions of the most e xp e rt tu m

b l ers kee p ing ex ac t t ime to m u sic

,
By seeing Mr Van . .

E stin wind u p the figu res and be ing show n the w hee l s and
,

l e vers c ontained in the body of the au tomaton c aused u s ,

to be l ieve it moved by its o w n sp rings when Mr Van , .

E st in thu s exp l ained the de c e p t ion : To ma ke a fig ure o f

‘

th is k ind de p end s a great de al on the p rop ortion and th e

material s w ith w h ic h it is c om p o sed : Th e l egs and thig h s
are formed o u t of hea vy w ood su c h as ash or oak ; th e ,

body of birc h or w il l o w and m ade hol l ow and th e h e ad

, , ,

[ 16 8
]
 THE UNMASK I NG OF R OBE R T HOUD I N -

of p ap ier mac h é Th e figu re is jo ined b y its

fo r l ightness , -
.

hands to a bar of iron that p asses throu gh a p art it ion

, ,

and is t u rned by a c onfederate ; the arms are inflexibl e

at the el bow s b u t mo ve freel y at the shou l ders by means
,

of a bo l t that goes thro u gh the body ; and the thighs and

Me c h anic al E x h ib itio n .

“ M m

2;
‘ ‘ yd

Y ii n 4 1
7
’

H 40 5 ”
00 11
es .

A Bo l o g na b il l of 1812 , fe atu ring th e au to matic ro p e dancers . Fro m th e

Harry Ho u dini Co ll ec tio n .

l egs move in the same manner at the hip s and knees and ,

are stayed by p iec es of l eather to p revent them fro m

be nd ing in the wrong w ay Th e bar is c overed with hol l o w
.

t w isted t u bes and ornamented w ith art ifi c ial flowe rs

, ,

so as no p art of it c an be seen to t u rn ; the c o nfed erate

 THE T R APE Z E AUTO MATO N

by giving the hand l e a qu arter of a t u rn to the l eft the ,

au tomaton w hose arms are p aral l e l to the horizon l ift

, ,

themse l ves by l ittl e and l ittl e t il l they be c ome vertic al ,

and p aral l el to the rest of the body ; if in fol l ow ing the

same direc t ion the other p art of the body mo ves forward ;
,

and by w at c hing the mot ions throu gh a ho l e he se izes ,

the instant that a l eg p asse s before the bar to l ea ve the ,

a u tomaton astride ; afterw ard he bal an c es it by jerks ,

and c au ses it to take a t u rn aro u nd keep ing t ime w ith ,

the m u sic as if it w as sensibl e of harmony .

.
—
N B Th ree c irc u mstan c e s c on c u r here to fa vor the
.

ill u sion : First by the assist anc e of a w ire the c onfederate

, ,

c an se p arate the b ar from the au tomaton w h ic h fal l ing , ,

to the grou nd p ersu ades one it l o ses it se l f by re al mac hin

,

e ry. Se c ond l y in wind ing u p the l evers sh o w n in the

,

body c onfirms the sp e c tators in the idea that there is

,

n o need of a c onfederate Third l y the t u bes that are

.
,

tw isted arou nd the b ar ex c e p t w here the au tomaton is

,

joined to it seem to be the rop e itse l f and be ing w ithou t

, ,

m otion as is seen by the garl ands w h ic h su rrou nd them

, ,

it c ann ot be su sp e c ted that the bar t u rns in the inside ,

from w henc e it is c onc l u ded that the figu re mo ves by

”
its o wn mac hinery .

Ac c ording to one of de Ph il ip sth al s ad vert isements

’
,

p a ge 10 3 the tra
, p eze a u tomaton w h ic h he feat u red
w as six feet in he ight Bu t Finett i p rogrammes sho w
.

th at he had a smal l er figu re k now n as the rop e va u l ter .

This is p robabl y the tric k exp osed in D ec remp s ’

On p age be fou nd a L o u is
10 8 wil l p rogramme of
18 1 o n whic h a figu re is th u s feat u red
5 ,

[ 7
1 1
]
 THE UNMASK NG O F R O BE R T HO UD I N
I -

Tw o E L E GANT AUTOMATA

As l a
rge as nat u re the one re p resenting a beau tiful
,

POL ONNE SE the other a l itt l e boy

“
.
,

Nothing c an su rp ass the admirabl e c on st ru c t ion of

these Pie c es Th e l arge figu re seems al most endo w ed
.

w ith hu man F ac u l t ies e x h ib it ing the u s u al feats of a

,

R op e D an c er in the fu l l est imitat ion of l ife

-
,
Th e smal l .

Figu re is invested w ith e q u al l y aston ishing p o w ers of

a c t ion To su c h l ad ies as are s pe c tators it mu st be a very
.

l eas ing ir u mst an c e that these exert ions do not ex c ite

p c c

those d isag ree abl e sen sat ions w hic h arise from the sight
of Figu res fra ught w ith l ife p erforming feats attended ,

”
th so m u c h danger .

By referring to p age 113 the reader w il l find a Sc hm idt

p rogramme dated ,
18 2
7 on w h ic h the figu re
,
is feat u red
as foll ow s :
THE R OPE DANCE R ,

Who se su rp rising p erforman c es su rp a ss in agil ity , ,

att it u des and e vo l u t ion s e very Professor of the art keep

, , ,
”
ing c orre c t t ime to the m u sic of the mac hine ry .

A G ynge l l p rogramme d ated 18 2 3 w hic h is rep ro d u c ed

, ,

in the c hap ter de voted to Th e Pastry Coo k of the Pal ais

R oyal ,
”
p age 12 5 reads as fo
,
l l o w s : Tw o a u tomatons
“ ,

one of w hic h w il l exe c u te w onderfu l feats on the tight

”
rop e and the other dan c e a c harac teristic h o m p ip e
,
.

As G ynge l l figu red in the am u sement worl d from 1788

to 1844 the l ittl e figu re mu st have been tol erabl y w el l
,

know n to th e magic l o v ing p u bl ic of E ngl and by the

-

time R o bert Ho u d in a p p e ared in L ondon in 1848

-
.

A mag ic ian named York w h o ap p eared in L ondon in ,

[ 1
7
2
]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O B R T HO UD I N
E -

the year before R obert Hou d in made h is p rofess ional

“
1844, -

d é bu t feat u red u nder date of Jan u ary 2 9th tw o au to m

,

atoms one of w h ic h w il l exe c u te w onderfu l feats on the

,

Tight R o p e and the other dan c e a c harac terist ic Ho rn

,

i
p p e.

Bo l ogna anno u n c ed for h is p erformanc e at the Sans

Pareil Theatre Strand L ondon u nder date of Marc h
18th ,
18 12
“ , ,

Th e Tw o Au tomaton R o p e D an c ers fro m

,
,

St Petersb u rg w ho se F eat s of Ag il ity w ere never

.
,

e qu al l ed and c annot be s u rp assed w il l p erform together

, ,
”
in a styl e of E x c e l l en c e h ithe rto u nkno w n in this c o u ntry .

De Ph il ip sth al al so feat u red a p air of a u tomat ic t ight

rop e p erformers from 180 4 u nt il h is death ; and in the
earl y 3o s the figu re s w ere exhibited by h is w ido w By
’
.

referring to Chap ter I I I a De Ph il ip sth al p rog ramme of

.
-

180 6 is re rod u c ed as e v id en c e
p .

F rom 18 2 5 to 18 5 5 J F Th io do n p l ayed L ondon and

. .

the p ro vin c e s ad vert ising on h is p rogrammes :

“ F OUR TH PI E CE —
,

Th e Wonderfu l and Unrival l ed Au

to m ato n on the F l y ing R o p e Th e on l y one of t h is c o n
.

stru c t ion in the K ingdom ; and forms a more extraord inary

No ve l ty from the c irc u mst an c es of its not be ing fastened
on the R o p e by th e Hands l ike others hitherto exhibited
, .

Th e R o p e w il l be in c ont in u al Mot ion and the Figu re ,

w il l sit p erfe c t l y easy and in a grac efu l att it u de w hil e on

the Swing and p erform the most surp rising E vol u t ions
, ,

sc arc e l y to be d ist ingu ished from a L iving Performer ,

as it mo ves w ith the u tmost Corre c tness witho u t any ,

app arent Mac hinery ”

.

F rom th is o verw he l m ing e v iden c e it c an b e argu ed

beyond dou bt that if R obert Ho ud in even c onstru c ted the
-

[ 174
]
 THE TR APE Z E AUTO MATO N

au tomaton he merel y c o p ied figu res p resented by both

h is p rede c essors and his c ontemp oraries and he w as
,

ful l y aw are of the existen c e of several su c h au tomata

when he ad vert ised his as an origina l invent ion .They
were made by many me c han ic ians .

I n the il l u strated app end ix of the F ren c h ed it ion of h is

Memoirs he goes fu rther ; he de l iberate l y misrep re
”

sents the me c han ism of the figu re and in sin u ate s that the
au tomaton is a sel f w ork ing one This is not tru e as it
-
.
,

was w orked by a c on c eal ed c onfederate as des c r ibed

,

abo v e by D ec remp s .

R o be rt Ho u d in e v en u sed the garl ands of flow ers to

-

hide the mo ving b ars as F inett i and other s of h is p red

ecesso rs had done . Th e tru th w as not in h im .

[ 5
17
]
 CHAPTE R VI

THE I NE XHA USTI BL E B OTTL E

HIL E R obert Ho u d in c l aims to have invented

“
-

”
Th e I nexh au st ibl e
Bottl e for a sp e c ial
p rogramme des igned to c reate a sensat ion
at the o p en ing of h is season of 1848 in ,

the il l u strated ap p end ix of the original F ren c h edi

“
tion of h is Memo irs he state s that it had its p remier
”

p resent a t ion D e c ember 1st 184

7 ,
T hese . d is c re p an c ies
o c c u r w ith su c h fre q u en c y that it is d iffi c u l t to refu te
h is c l aims in c hrono l ogic al order Perhap s he ado p ted
.

this method intent ional l y to c onfu se fu t u re historians of

,

magic p art ic u l arl y c on c erning h is o wn ac hievements

,
.

I n order to em p ha size the bril l ian c y of this tric k ,

R obert Ho u d in t u rned boa stfu l in desc ribing it On p age

“
-
.

34 8 of the A mer ic an ed it ion of h is M emo irs he state

,
s

that the tric k h ad c reated su c h a sensat ion and w as so

mu c h exp l o ited in the L ondon ne w sp ap ers that the fame
of his inexhau st ibl e bott l e sp read to the p rovin c es and ,

on h is ap p earan c e in Man c he ster w ith the bo ttl e in his

hand the w orkmen w h o m ade u p the au dien c e nearl y
mobbed h im I n fac t the desc rip tion of this sc ene is th e
.
,

”
most dramat ic p en p ic t u re in h is Memoirs
-
.

Th e tru th sad to state is that the bott l e tric k did not

, ,

c reate the sensat ion he c l a im s for it in L ondon nor did

”

the p ress e ul ogize it I t w as c l assed w ith other ordinary

.

[ 176
4
 THE UNMASKI NG O F R O BE R T HO UD I N -

ne l w h ic h h as a t ap er ing nozzl e made sp e c ial l y for this

p p
u r o se .

Th e tr ic k is ge neral l y st arted by p ro v ing to the au d ien c e

that th e bott l e is em p ty I t is then fi l l ed w ith w ater w h ic l
‘

f l
,
.

i i l
is mmed ate l y p o u red o u t again a this t ime the vl fi ,
é f i

p inho l es be ing c o v ered t ight l y w ith the hand or

w h ic h are ho l d in g the bott l e Wh en a l iq u or is c al l ed for p
.

the p erformer ra ses the finger o ver the air hol e ab o vef
i 3 - r

that p art ic u l ar l iqu o r and the l iqu or w il l fl

,
o w o ut Wh er .

”
a l arge n u mber of l iq u o r s m ay be c al l ed for the p erforme r ,

h as one c om p artm ent fil l ed w ith a p erfe c t l y c o l orl e ss

l iq u or w hic h he p o u r s into gl asse s p revio u sl y flavored
,

w ith strong e ssen c e s Cert ain g in s and c ord ial s c an be

.

sim u l ated in th is fash ion .

Variou s imp ro vem ent s have been made in this bottl e

tric k F o r in stan c e aft er the bott l e h as yie l ded its vario us
.
,

sort s of l iqu ors it is broken and from the bottl e the p er

, ,

fo rmer p rodu c es some borrow ed art ic l e w hic h has be en

“ ”
v an ished in a p re v io u s tric k and then ap p arent l y for
gotten Th is m ay ha ve been a ring gl o ve or h and ker
.
, ,

c h ief w h ic h w il l be d isc o v ered t ied aro u nd the ne c k o f a

,

smal l gu inea p ig or do ve t aken from the broken bo ttl e

-
.

This is ac c om p l ished by h av ing the bot tl e esp e c ial l y

c on str u c ted . I ts c om p artment s end a few in c hes a bo ve
the bottom of the bottl e and the p ort ion be l ow having
a w a vy o r c rac ked ap p e aran c e is made to sl ip on and o fi , .

Th e c onj u rer goe s thro u gh the mot ions of ac tu al l y b reak

ing the bott l e by t ap p ing it near the bottom with a smal l
ha mmer or w and and the ap p earan c e of the gu inea p ig
,
-

or l o st art ic l e c au se s su rp rise so that the p retended break

,

ing of the b ott l e p asse s u nnot ic ed .

r v h 0 1
 THE I NE XHAUSTI BL E B O TTL E

Aga in , t his bo ttl e c an be gen u ine w ith no l oose bo ttom

,

at al l and a sm al l art ic l e c an be inserted b u t th is make s

, ,

a great deal of tro u bl e and the e ff ec t is not greatl y in

,

c reased . I n doing the tric k th u s I w as al w ays c o m

,

p e l l e d to have an o p t ic ian c u t the bottom from the bott l e ,

and then at t imes even he w o u l d break it

To ex p l ain fu rther h o w the art ic l e is l oaded into

the bo ttl e the p erformer borrow s se veral art ic l e s for
, ,

exam p l e a ring and tw o w at c he s He w il l p l a c e the r ing

.

and w at c hes into a fu nne l at the end of a l arge horse

p i sto ,
l and shoot them at the target T h e tw o w at c hes
.

ap p ear on the target or in a frame or any p l a c e that he

may c hoose . I n obta in ing the art ic l e s he may have ,

wrap p ed them u p in a handker c h ief w h ic h he h as h idden

in the front of h is v e st Al exander Herrmann w as ex c ep
.

tio nal l y c l ever in making th is ex c hange h is iron nerv e ,

and p e rp et u al sm il e be ing great a id s in the tric k .

Th e p erformer no w p l a c e s the d u p l ic ate h andkerc h ie f

on the t abl e in fu l l v ie w of the au d ien c e and w a l ks to ,

another tabl e for a g u n . Wh il e rea c hing for this g u n he ,

pl a c es the o rig ina l art i c l e s w h ic h he borro w ed be hi nd

his tab l e on a servante so th at h is h idden a ssistant may
reac h for them
p
,
l a c e the
,

tw o w at c hes on the “ t u rn abo u t -

”
target tie the ring on the n ec k of the gu inea p ig sho ve
,
-

h im into the bott l e and insert the fal se bottom

,
Th e .

tri ck is then ready in its ent irety .

Th e magic ian c al l s for something to u se as a target ,

a n d the assistant res onds w ith the re v o l v ing target or

p
f r a me . When the c onj u rer shoot s the tw o w at c hes ,

a D ear on the tar et or in the frame

~
I p g T h
. i s p art of
fi l e tric k is ac c om l ish ed by h av ing the c entre of the
p
[ 179
]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BER T-HO UD I N

target re vol ve or if the f rame is u sed by h av ing a bl ac k

, , ,

vel vet c u rtain p u l l ed u p by rap id sp rings or stro ng

ru bbers .

Whil e al l this is going on some one has brou ght on the ,

stage the l oaded bott l e and as no attent ion is c al l ed to

,

th is by the t ime the w at c he s ha v e been restored to the

,

ow ners the c onj u rer introd u c e s the bott l e tric k p o u rs ,

o u t the v ario u s l iq u ors and e v ent u al l y b rea k s the bott l e

,

and re p rod u c es the borrow ed art ic l e t ied a bo u t the ne c k

of the g u inea p ig or do ve -
.

Many names ha ve been given to this tric k Th e o l d .

time magic ians w h o rem ained for months in one theatre

had to c hange their p rogrammes frequ entl y so for one ,

n ight they w ou l d p resent the bott l e w itho u t brea king it ,

and on the next they w o u l d brea k the bottl e so as to ,

vary the tric k .

Th is bott l e tric k orig inated in Th e I nexhau stibl e

”
Th e first tra c e that I c an find of this w onder
“
Barrel .

fu l barre l is in Ho c u s Po c u s J
r Th e Anatomie of ,
.
,
”
L egerdemain wr itten by Henry D ean in 1635 (Se c ond
,

E d it ion ) On p age 2 1 is de sc ribed a barre l with a singl e

.

sp o u t from w hic h c an be draw n three difl

, ere nt kinds of

l iqu ors This w as w orked p re c ise l y on the same p rin c ip l e

.

as w as the ine xha u st ibl e bott l e tric k c entu ries l ater by ,

sh u tt ing u p the air hol es of c omp artments from w hic h

-

l iqu ors w ere not fl o wing .

I ts first p u bl ic app earan c e a c c ord ing to th e data in my ,

“
c o l l e c t ion c l ip p ed from L o ndon p a p ers of 170 7 and 1 712
, ,

w as w hen the famou s w ater w ork s of the l ate ingeniou s -

Mr Henry Winstanl y w ere exhibited by h is servants

.
”

for the benefit of h is w idow ; and the e xhibition inc l u ded

[ 180
]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BE T HO UD I N
R -

tory of that au tomaton . Th e p rogramme p u bl ished in

that hap ter is dated
c

“ m
F OR
u n -n u n
8 1! NI G HTS ONL Y ,
18 2 7 and does not in
Mr
,
S c h midt s B E NE F I T,
'

m “
“ el u de the famo u s bott l e
.
a u t um n u m a n -
r m n -
h c o u ,
a cu m en . 4 ; o w ne r . TH E A TR E
be c au se it w as no l onger a
A t th e M ad e - H al l ,
A l bu m- novel ty in Herr Sc hm idt s ’

“
S tree t, L e eds
“
.

m mam
W “ m m
”
ar
M
m
I‘

7
.

M “
1 M
.
. re erto ire ; b u t the
p a d
m
07 . at
a.
v e rtisement re p rod u c ed
h u b . l 0 ? THES I R HANDS. AND Il n l
W m" "N OE L V ‘! WI "! TII E MACHI NER Y AG AI N

h erew ith dated 18 2 1

, ,

sc hed u l es the bottl e tric k

th u s “ Th e Bottl e of
Sobriety and I nebr iety ,

p rov ing the i n u t il ity of a

set of dec anters w hen ,

m
Wufi l ; h fi l l -
R A M O S AM M E E ,
Il tl h N o n -11 1m l , Inl
b . Guel ph" Wal l y and
it C -
t zaa t ”p agan
y (in Th e
et —
“ Nun
h
’ ’

‘
variou s l iqu ors c an be
”
fl
er

T
o

rod u c ed b y one h us
,

T h e D u tc h Co b e l i e, m p .

n a g-
am m u u - u rm um l u n dm o pn o—
M H-
a
N

S c h m id t a n t e d a t e d
c o
”n

“
m
mm o m m xm flil o
o

1
1 M ll
m
OIP ll
m a
u g M u . co
Ho u din s o ff ering of the
’

N “-
THE HBCII ANICAL Tl ! C ADe
N b l ? AR I u b
r
é
.
In I.
tric k by more than a
AN E XTI AOI D I NA II Y G L ASS P I L L AB , q u arter of a c ent u ry .

-
,

M N

“
' u ts "I
E X P E R I M E NTS I N E L E CT R I C I T Y Next the bottl e t u rned
m
.
1‘ M C nn-c u b s M
a
e d
rw l fll Tw o a w fi c an V
“
. o
-
t ammo n rw u
.

A! un
a. a
I N ON. U!
q
07 3. m
v
an l y - lb w
a‘ g
u p in 1835 in L ondon ,

w here it w as p resented by
a G erman wh o styl ed h im
sel f F al ek of Koen igs
berg ,
Pu p il of the
c e l e b rated Cheval ier Pin
”
netty and wh o intro
,

duc ed the p ro gram me

A Sc h midt p ro ram e o f 182 1 featur
g
ing th e Bo ttl e 0 So b riety and I ne brie ty
” m ,

.
with w hic h Dobl er m ade
Fro m th e Harry Ho udim Co l l ec tio n . suc h a sensat io n in 1842 .

[ 18 2
]
 THE I NE X HAUSTI B L E BOTTL E

Mr F al ek op ened at the Qu een s Bazaar Oxford

.
’
,

St r eet L ondon Novem be r 8 th 1835

, ,
Before op en ing ,
.
,

h o w e v er he gave a p rivate p e rforman c e for the p re ss

, ,

an d re c e ived qu ite a n u mber of not ic es A hal f c ol u mn .

-

c l i p p ing in my c o l l e c t ion dated Novem b er 4th 1835

, , ,

N A TU R A L

Of Ka np u r- Pupil o f the c el ebrated Ch evalier Pio ett h e.

5
j u t arrived in gl and, and wil l ex h ibit hie surprising dec e tioue. g
HOW UNRIVALLED
I N NA TUR AL MA G I C ,

Al ‘ ’
I'l l

AII ONG THE NUMER OUS F E ATS EXHI BI TED

WI LL B E FOUND THE FOL L OWI NG :

“— m
The Enchanted B reed —Th e Wel k in
R ice P 51 a To w n —
7 7 —
m
( Th e Enc h anted E Th e C cul atie o o h o u ey Th e
per
L oot 3 —
Wine Th e Enc h anted Dic e The —
—
Ex eh uu o
—
—
Curd l o
Du n n
[ro c k et Th e reeent. o r G ift o f Fl o re Th e Wine and
headen Surp rising Dec e p tio n. with Cat tl e, t e t e . .

ADUI TTANCE ONE SHI L L l NG —CHI L DR EN S IXPENCE .

Goo Nic h o l e Printer Earl ’ s Co urt, Cn ubo urn Street, So h o

. . . .

Ato
l

4 4 1 04
,
71
2
T
1 /0

P Q ster used by Fal c k o f K o e nig sbe r in 1835 fe atu ring th e tric k o f ex c h ang e
F
,

o f wine Fro m th e l arry Ho u dini Co ll ec tio n

. .

vv ll ric h I thin k is from Th e Ch ro nicl e or Th e Gl o be

c ut
“ ,

“
l fi
l entio ns th e tric k among other e ffe c ts l ike F l ora s
’

Q ift
r Th e Card in the Po c ket etc and add s that ,
.
,

t h e exc h an e of wine was so that if on c e in Mr F al c k s ’

g .

Q o m an w h o l d not w i h to ex hange it for he o red

p y e s ,
u s c p u ,

[ 183
]
 THE UNMASKI NG OF R O BE R T HOUD I N -

three sorts of w ine Port , ,

Sherry and C ham

“
,

agne o u t of one bo tt l e
p ,
.

Sp l e nd id , B ril l l ant and F ash io nabl e

Then he p u t them to
DA Y F a rr o w
W M“ I L L TAKE P ON gether and from s u c h a
,

S A T U R D A Y um AP R I L l o ss.
,
m ixt u re p rod u c ed sher
9 A T n o l A G I. o I '
ry in one gl as s and p ort ,
THE R IG HT HONOUR A BL E
”
in another
L AD Y G I F F O R D , .

m e " o ur m oo n -
u From this notic e it
L ad y 11 S tu art F o rb e s, w il l be seen that F a l c k
“
.

3 fi d 13
. e. an

h ad Th e I nexh au st ibl e
o n w a t e r!

Mo ns "
. P HI L L I P P E
mu sew e r
”
Bottl e and had some
,

met h od of ret u rn ing al l

.

Th e b o ot I NTE R E S TI NG , ATTR AC TI V E and

S UR P R I S I I G TI L T . the l iqu ors not dru n k

H O ! III! EXTENSIVE STOCE O?

neonol mm o m , m . am n ion .
bac k into the bott l e
u m -h w a um u mm a -u p i
and then p o u ring o u t
tw o difl erent kinds of
l in e man" .

" I ”0 0"
8 .

0 00 08 0 .
l iqu o r .

l e m ue
g q OPER A TI OI .

Perhap s he reso rted

' . o ne

A “ n o: s e e z e n no .

winc e AG QI N‘T ‘W II EE LS
Tt ' 8. . ‘ A ' O
0 . Tu .
I
to c hemic al s b u t one ,

a a l l " !« thing is evident the —

. y n o
W n o!
o o m mme
“ -““
ae
N
oo
a

CI A OOI OI ’ H!
e
m
fl bottl e w as u sed for six
difl
CAP.

erent kinds of l iq u ors

88.

1 0? a 0 n e w . ru ne :

at one and the sam e

tM e
t h a t 888 .

“ “ mCIM M M -
-n l o J n.
0! fi v u .

. m u a O ’ l fl
m u n u ou -e n m -
nu e n d q n q
o
M M -
l t n o u ns !

“
G U I N II N I N A G RC RA N. Phil l ip p e from 18 36 to
O N M O ND A Y A P R I I ‘ QS N I 1838 feat u red An I n
n o u n P ta k e s i ts B E N E F I T
“
fernal Bo ttl e tric k al so
.
.
,

l l ipp e during h is Th e I n e x h a u s t i b l e
“
Edinb urg h e
Th e I nf e rna
e me nt in 1
o ttl e
838 featu ring
Fro m th e Harry
.
,
Bottl e tric k Th e tric k
.

Ho udini Co l l ec tio n .
al so w as seen o n p ro
 THE UNMASKI NG O F R O BE R T HO UD I N -

R ep ro duc tio n o f a p o l itical c arto o n in Pu nc h u b l ish ed ( 1 Ande rso n s

’
,
p
L o ndo n e ng ag e me nt, Ap ril 1843 p ro vi o th at th e I nex h au stibl e o ttl e Tric k
‘ ”
, ,

use d derso n be fo re R o be rt o ndin w as a p ro fessio nal e nte rtaine r:

i
'

Fro m the l arry Ho u dini Co ll ec tio n .

[ 186 ]
 THE I NE X HAUSTIBL E BO TTL E

min ister of the K ing s mansions

ntal iset, He al so
’
.

rms his fr iend that he exp e c t s to visit Paris the next

1

o n and b u il d h is o wn theatre
s He state s a fac t most
.

resting to al l magic ians namel y that he h as rented

, ,

u dw ig
. D o bl e r in his p rime take n ab o u t 1839
, . Th e o ri inal o f this rare
re w as disc o v e re d b
y th e a u th o r in a sm all p rint sh o p in o sco,w R us sia
.

no w a p art o f h is Co l l ec tio n

James Theatre in L ondon for two tho u sand

St .

108 a night or more than,

rent for one
k
s Dobl er dre w su c h b ig a u d ien c es and made so
.

ch money that he refu sed to g ive p r ivate p e rfo manc e s ,

[ 18 7 ]
 THE UNMASKI NG OF R OBE R T HOUD I N -

on l y brea king this rul e when p resent ing his show be fore
H M Qu een Vic toria and the Prin c e Consort
. . .

He p l ayed the p rovin c es then w ent over to D u bl in , ,

w here al tho u gh u nabl e to sp ea k E ngl ish he w as a ver

, ,

itab l e sensat ion I n 1844 .

D obl er p l ayed a retu rn

date at the St James .

Theatre L ondon and

m
, m , ,

this time he had Ander

“ “ m
B L
- “ u
E m
Bn m , d son as a‘m
r iva l at the T h e
atre R oyal Adel p hia .

Dobl er amassed a for

t u ne very rap idl y ; in fac t
he retired in 1847 and ,

f i l l i l l l l l l Pl l f l l l l l l l never aga in a p p eared on

.

the st age He al w ays ex .

“
p l a ined h is ear l y ret ire
ment by saying : Th e
p u b l ic l oves me and I ,

w ant it to al ways l ove me .

I may ret u rn and be a

fail u re so it is best to ,

A D ob l know j u st When to Stop ”

er p g amm f m th E a
ro r e ro e v .

i
n o n co l l ti n dat d 1842 n w in th
ec o e o e
H
, ,

p i
o sse ss o n f
o th a th e u or e d 1ed m a h ttl e v rl l ag e
near Tu nitz on Ap ril ,

“
17th 1864 w hen one of G od s no bl emen was l aid to rest
’
, , .

”
Th e Trave l l ing Bottl e al l u ded to by Dobl er in his
p gro ramme s w a s noth i ng more or l ess than T h e I nex
“
”
h au stib l e Bott l e . Th e fol l ow ing exc erp t from the
L ondon Ch ronicl e d u ring D obl er s engagemen t at the ’

St James Theatre Ap ril 1842 is il l u minating :

.
, , ,

[ 188 ]
 THE UNMASKI N G OF R OBE R T HO UD I N -

ano na s o rr rs
'
.

KERR DOBL E R

L u dw i D obl e r in h is p rime , o ffe ring h is m o st p o u l ar tric k

, Th e Creatio n
”
of l o wers
. Fro m a rare l ith o g rap h in th e arry Ho udini Co l l ec tio n
.

[ 190
]
 THE I NEXHAUSTI BL E BO TTL E

together in one re c e p tac l e and he fil l s o u t first a gl ass

,

of sherry then one of p ort then one of c hamp ag ne and

, , ,
”
so on .

Th e c ritic then desc ribe s h o w the bottl e was broken and ,

the borrow ed hand kerc hief was fou nd inside the bottl e .

Pro b abl y bec au se of the p rominen c e w hic h Herr D 6

D Obl er p ro g ram me with il l ustratio ns o f h is tric ks u sed du ri

, h is e ng ag e me nt
at th e st J. ames Th eatre L o nd o n
, . Fro m th e Harry Ho u ini Co l l ec tio n
.

b l er g ave to this tric k it attrac ted more attention w hen

A nde rso n p resented it d u ring h is L ondon ru n of 1843
“
.

H e ann o unc e d it as Water vs . Wine or, Changing Water

L 19 1 ]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BE R T-HOUD I N

into Difl
erent L iqu ids
— She rry , Port , Cham p ag ne , G in,
Mil k ,
R um, and Water .
”

Th e L ondon S u n of

“
Ap ril 18th 1843 says
, ,

Mr Anderson b e
.
,

sides the feats by w h ic h

h is re p u tat ion w as e s
tab l ish ed in his former
“
W “
“ sm mfi m
exhibitions in the metro
“M
Jo hn ufi
d ia fi '

!
e n ot u

M m h n fl trib me . Ol ‘. T
m T-
e pb d t n n e k i t ten

W AM Z E D TH OUS A ND S
p o l i
,
s p erformed w ith p e r
I
‘
en o f E ig h ty W o rd s and L ittl e De eds ?
feet ease and su c c ess
m some of g reater d iffic u l ty
$hi; s m: to tread
.

: in where Angel s .

than those by whic h Herr

Dobl er astonished the
Il l uminatetheInterior of theTheatre w orl d su c h as serving
,

several kinds of wines

”
G R E AT G UN P E A .
”
TI or W TA L A WmJTE L L .
from the same bottl e .

Th e Morning Aduer
M

tiser (L ondon ) of the

same date said :
With the u tmost c ase
he p rod uc ed from an
emp ty bottl e wine w ater , ,

ort sherry and c ham

p , ,

p agne and
,
immed iate l y
afterward u nder a bl a z e
,

Pro g ramme u sed b y Mac al l ister at th e of wax and gas he b ro k e ,

Bo we ry Th eatre Aug u st 11th 185 2 d uring
, , ,
the same bottl e and p ro
Featu ring th e
“
h is se c o nd e ng a me nt in New Yo rk Cit
ug ie Bo ttl e fro m wh io
.

du c ed from it h al f a
’ ’

tw e nty -tw o kinds o f l i u o r co ul d b e q

aw n Careful re ading w il l u ne arth
. dozen c ambric h andk er
Mac all ister s il l -w ill to w ard Anderso n
’

c h iefs w hic h h ad p re
.

Fro m th e Harry Ho u dini Co l l ec tio n .

,
 THE I NEXHAUSTI BL E BOTTL E

New Yo rk, h o w ev er . I n D e c ember ,

and Jan u ary 1848 , ,

1849 h e p l ayed at the same theatre and anno u n c ed that

, ,

h e h ad j ust c o n c l u ded a su c c essful engagement at the

G rand Th eatre Tac on Havana Cu ba , ,
.

Al th o ug h Mac al l ister c l aims to ha ve in vented Th e

”
I nex h austibl e Bottl e tric k it is more l ik e l y that ha ving
, ,

b een co nnec ted so l ong with P hil l ip p e h e kne w the se c ret ,

several years be fore R o bert Hou d in ap p eared in p u bl ic

-
.

But as Mac al l ister al so c l a imed to ha ve in vented the

p eac o c k an d the har l e q u in au tomata both of whic h are ,

rec o g nized as th e invent ions of h is p rede c essor s h is c l aim ,

c anno t b e given seriou s c onsiderat ion .

He ad vertised to p rod u c e t w enty tw o kind s of l iqu ors-

fro m o ne bo ttl e and therefore he mu st ha v e u t il ized the

,

essence g l asses in c onne c t ion w ith the bott l e .

Wh at mu st have been R obert Ho u din s feel ing w hen -

’
,

o u arriving in L ondon in 1848 he fo u nd another magic ian

-

, ,

Co mWrs Herrmann heavil y ad vert ised at the Thea

, tre
R o yal and al ready off ering eac h and e very tric k in c l u de d
,

by th e Frenc hm an in h is rep e rto ire E ven the m u c h .

vau nted b o ttl e w as in Herrmann s l ist of tric k s No one

’
.

seems abl e to te l l w here Co m p ars Herrmann obta ined

th e tricks h e u sed b u t he m u st be given c red it for ne v er

,

advertising them as his o w n in v ent ion s His re c ord in .

this resp ec t w as c l ean thro u gho u t h is l ife as a mysteriou s

Th e p ro g ramme p resented by Herrmann at the The atre

R o yal during R o bert Ho u din s op en ing w eek at the St
’
-
.

James Th eatre is herew ith rep rod u c ed Herrmann re .

mained some time in L ondon p l aying at the Ade l p hia ,

,

th en at the R oyal Prin c e ss, and fin al l y at the Su rrey

 THE UNMASK I NG OF R O BER T HO UDI N -

Theatre b il l u sed by Herrmann at the Pr in c e ss is

. A
rep rod u c ed on p age 2 32 I t e videntl y p ro ved sat isfac tory to .

the p u bl ic and he u sed it w itho u t c hang e for many years .

Probabl y the most notabl e w arfare w aged o ver the

H A Y -M A R R I ED 3 mmn .

“ “
.

u m un m m ; 1. M M m

M O R NI N G ZT
ZZ ZI ZZ Z
Z

M J N CE
. .

P E R F OR .
“ d i l l -u h M m u d b
m
w u l m m m

me n sw e ar GM NE N" I L L UC I O N B

“
[

It SUSPENSl ONl il l l ll EENN

' '

-n E
5 at N oc l o e k
-n
'
Co n o o .

a t l i t

wom m[IFTHEwnnu n
u .

n
u m s mo n ument
'
.
M
S AT UR DA Y , ay 0 t h , 18 4 8 ,

M-IIEIIIIMA“
NN .
-u
.

“ “
( O? I A I OV
I'l l Il l ”I QTIDIOITATEUR OF M l .

" HI T PR O ! 0 , H A C I O II r an m :

M mo r n i ng P e rf o r m anc e .
”I “ -

“i
" l l b ” am e o .
C w il l n

Six New Ex traerll inar Trick

q xfl fi n
e ro u n
m
-
a m un i
,
0"

M D11111:
n

e m f-T
i ara ? “ ILLUSIONS wrm c ARos
13 8 8 0 4 n o T A G !
E nd -d I ‘ l l -AI . o

s ee m s .

m . ru mi n ant .

N
A“ TI-M A Q NEWS M
“
e

-
.I - “-
VI Inc . w l t b C l u 'e c l l m
z ;z n zm:
eu i
‘
:tl l l t
N
" W e O Ncl l u l l Oo n o c

Bil l ing u se d b y Co mp ars He rrm ann w h e n h e p l a ed m o p p o sitio n to R o b e rt

Ho u din o n th e l atte r 3 arriv al in L o ndo n Th l s s o w s th at Herrmann d u p l i
’
. y
c ate d al l o f R o b e rt Ho u din s tric k s Fro m th e Harry Ho u dini Co l l ec tio n
’
. .

[ 1
9 6 ]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BE R T HO UD I N -

a bo u t —
1839 40 , w hen he tou red the Cont inent He w as .

o u l ar in L ondon Par is and both the E ngl ish and F ren c h

p p , ,

ro v in e A o l i hed man famo u s for the e l egan c e of

p c s
.
p s ,

his sp ee c h and manners he c ond u c ted his p erforman c e

,

He nri R o b in , g e ne ral l y c o nce d ed to h av e bee n th e mo st p o l ish ed

in th e histo ry of mag ic . Fro m th e Harry Ho u dini Co l l ec tio n .

and al l h is bu sine ss in a qu iet c onservat ive fashion I n ,

.

both Paris and L ondon he h ad p l ayho u ses named tem

,

p o raril y in h is honor Sa l l e de R ob
,
in and at one t ime in ,

[ 9 ]
18
 THE I NE XHAUSTI BL E BO TT L E

L ondon he al so ap p eared at the E gyp t ian Hal l He .

p u bl ished his o w n magaz ine L A l m c mac h d Cag l io stro

,
’ ’
,

an il l u strated p e r iod ic al w h ic h w as q u ite p retent io u s .

R o bin p resented al l the tric ks and a u tomata that

R o bert Ho u d in c l aimed as his orig inal in v ent ions and in
-
,

the famou s c ontroversy R obert Ho u d in c ame o u t se c ond

,
-

b est R obin p roved that he had u sed the bott l e tric k

.

b efore R o be rt Ho u d in did by sho w ing ba c k n u mbers of

-
,

h is magazine w hose il l u strat ion s p ic t u red R o bin p erform

,

ing the tric k at h is the atre in Mil an I tal y J u l y oth 1844 , , , ,

o r three years before R obe rt Ho u d in p re sented it in Par is

-
.

R o bin how ever ne ver w rote an a u to biogra p hy nor

, ,

any exhau st ive w ork deal ing w ith the h istory of mag ic ,

W hil e R o be rt Ho u d in did Th e l atter se t forth h is c l aims

-
.

o ver other mag ic ians so sk il fu l l y that for more than ha l f

a c ent u ry the inte l l igent and tho u ghtfu l read ing p u bl ic

h as been de c e ived and h as a c c e p ted h is statements as

au thoritat ive Ac c ord ing to an art ic l e p u bl ished in
.

sc ient ists to th is day in ex p l ain ing the ,

l aw of p hysic s as op erated by the u se of air hol e s in the -

inexhau st ibl e bott l e refer to it as the

,
R obert Ho u d in -

”
b ott l e w hen in real ity the honor of its in vent ion be l ongs
,

t o some o b sc u re me c han ic or mag ic ian w h o se name m u st

re main fo rever u nsu ng by w r iters on mag ic .

[ 1
99 ]
 CHAPTE R VI I

SE CON D SI G H T

VI D E NTL Y se c ond sight w as the fo u ndat ion

stone of R o bert Ho u d in s su c c e ss R ead ing b e
-
’
.

t w een the l ine s of h is a u tob iograp hy one finds ,

that th is w as th e tric k w hic h c arried him into the

sa l ons of fa sh ion and royal ty Before he introd u c ed
.

se c ond sight into h is rep e rto ire h is tric k s w ere so c o m

,

m o np l ac e that they d id not aro u se the interest of the c o u rt

c irc l e
,
w ho se a pp ro val fu rn ished the seal of su c c ess .

Th is tr ic k of se c ond sight he c l aims body and so u l ,

as the favorite c hil d of h is brain He e ven goes as far .

as to re l ate a story to p ro ve that the tric k c ame to h im

in the form of an in sp irat ion I q u ote d ire c t l y from the

“
.

Americ an ed it ion of h is Memo irs p age 2 5 5 :

”
,

My two c h il dren w ere p l aying one day in the drawing

room at a game they had in vented for their o wn amu se
ment ; the yo u nger had bandaged his el der brother s eyes ’

and made h im g ue ss the objec t s that he tou c hed and ,

w hen the l atter ha pp ened to gu es s right they c han g ed

p l a c e s
. T h is sim p l e game su gge sted to me the m o st
c om p l ic ated idea that e v er c ro ssed my mind Pu rsu e d
.

by the not ion I ran and sh u t mysel f in my worksho p

, ,

and w as fort u natel y in that ha p p y state w hen the min d

fol l o w s ea sil y th e c ombinat ion s trac ed by fanc y I rest e d .

my head in my hand s and in my exc itement l aid d ow n

,

”
th e fir st p r in c ip l e s of se c ond sight .

[ zo o
]
 SE CO ND SI GHT

Memoirs of sp end ing hou rs w ith h is son in p oring

o v er an enormo u s c o l l e c t ion of c o in s medal s e tc w hic h , ,
.
,

s evere l esso n hel p ed them both in fu t u re p erforman c e s .

T o th e c o nj u rer this tal e is farc ic al

,
No t on l y w as there .

n o need o f forc ing the boy to be c ome a c o in e x p ert b u t ,

t h e tas k w as one w hic h c o u l d not be ac c om p l ished in the

b rie f time w hic h R o bert Ho u d in al l o w ed himse l f for
-

e rfe c t ing the tric k

p .

Th e o nl y know l edge re qu ired a bo u t c oins is to re c og n ize

a c oin w hen yo u see it Some one may hand a c oin of
.

e c ul iar stam p and the o p erator m u st signa l to h is med iu m

p ,

th e metal and al l he kno w s abo u t it Of c o u rse if both .

,

know the variou s c oin s then they c an u nderstand eac h

,

o t h er w ith l ess sig nal ing than if the c o in s w ere u nfamil iar

to either .

I nau di the F ren c h c al c u l ator c an l ook at a bl ac kboard

, ,

fi ll ed w ith nu m bers for a few se c ond s then t u rn h is ba c k ,

u p on them and add the ent ire amo u nt that he has j u st

se e n and memorized Bu t l et the reader u nderstand that

.

I nau di is p ec u l iarl y g ifted by nat u re w hil e se c ond sight ,

is a tric k in w hic h the p erson on the stage know n as

th e med iu m is assisted by w ord s s ign s p rearranged , ,

m ovements or art ic l es or fig ure s in rotat ion w h ic h to

, ,

th e l ayman have the ap p earan c e of be ing u n p re p ared .

At a famil iar c u e howe ver the op erator to uc he s art ic l e s

, ,

that have be en memorized a ring a w at c h a sc arf p in , , ,

-
,

a l ady s fan an o p era gl a ss al l in rotat ion At a sna p

’
,
.
,

o f the fingers the med iu m w il l know that the art ic l es are

to be named in c on se c u t iv e order and on l y after the sna p ,

o f the fingers or another c u e agreed u p on .

R o bert Ho u d in p resented the tr ic k for the first t im e

-

[ 20
3]
 SE CO ND SI GHT

the sign al bu tton so that it c ou l d be easil y reac hed on the

arm or front p art of the seat Th e re c e iv ing instru ment
.

w as attac hed to the sofa on w hic h the med iu m w as

seated Th e l atter w ou l d be sil entl y informed as to w hat
.

w as be ing shown and w ou l d answ er al l q u est ions As .

p roof that these statement s are not mere hearsay the ,

He l l er sofa c an no w be seen in the p o ssession of Mr .

F ran c is J Mart inka of New York ; and D r W G ol den

“
. . .
,

Mort imer wh o on c e p resented Mort imer s Mysteries

,
” ’
,

a show on the styl e of Hel l er s p erformanc e fu rnishes ’

,

the information that w hen Hel l er d ied in Phil adel p hia ,

N ovember 2 8th 18 78 he engaged the dead mag ic ian s

’
, ,

c hief assistant an exp ert el ec tric ian named E J D al e

,
. .
,

w h o had a c ted as se c ret c onfederate assist ing the med iu m ,

.

Af ter travel l ing with Mort imer some t ime D al e ev entu ,

al l y retu rned to E ngl and and retired from the p rofe ssion
,
.

He o p ened a l arge sho p in L ondon u nder the firm name

of H . E J D al e Man u fa c tu ring E l e c tric ian s 4 L itt l e
. .
, ,

B ritain E ,
. Oc tober 188 2 ,
.

I t w as the easiest t hing imaginabl e for R obert Hou d in -

to have h is theatre arranged w ith sec ret c onfederates

and w ires bac k of th e sc enes w here a man w ith p o w erfu l ,

op era gl asses c ou l d stand Th e p l ac e being smal l he

-
.
,

c o ul d l oo k al l over the room and see the m in u test art ic l e .

When not making u se of the tal king c ode ; the sim p l est
method emp l oyed by se c ond sight art ists is to ha ve a c o n -

federate in the au d ien c e w ith eith er an el e c tric al p u sh b u t

,

to n o r a p neu mat ic bu l b w h o giv es the med iu m the s ignal

,
.

This is rec e ived by a min iat u re p iston w hic h re qu ires ,

onl y a small hol e in the stage w hil e the med iu m has a ,

mat c hing h ol e in the so l e of h is shoe This al l ow s th e .

[ 2 07 ]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BE R T HO UD I N -

p iston to tou c h the sol e of the foot w hene ver the c o n

federate p re sse s the bu l b or p u shes the bu tton .

F rom th is array of fac ts it w il l be seen that se c ond sight .

is and al w ays has been a matter of w e l l dr il l ed p hra ses -

or signal s p rearranged rotat ion of art ic l es w el l b u il t

, ,
-

Th e au th o r at th e l o ng -
neg l e c ted g av e
r of R o be rt He l l e r in Mt Mo riah
, .

Ce m ete ry Phil adel p hia U S A

, , . . . Fro m a p h o to g rap h in t h e H arry Ho u dini
Co ll ec tio n .

ap p arat u s or w el l trained c onfederates b u t never a fe at

-

of ac t u al tho u ght transferrenc e -

.

Some of R o b ert Ho u din s ardent su p p orters in sist th at

’
-

in c l a im ing the invent ion or d isc overy of sec ond sigh t ,

th e F ren c h c onj u rer w as mere l y an un c onsc iou s p l ag iarist ,

[ 2 08
]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BE R T HO UD I N -

al most sixt y tw o years be fore R o bert Ho u d in p re se nted

- -

it as h is orig inal invent ion .

Th e L ondon Morning P o st and D ail y Adv ertiser o f

H A V R K EE - MA
ABM L MN,
,

a y rt h e L O R D CH
!
S1g no r and S ig no ra P I N E T I s
M o r
t g rand,
l ail o u ilh in‘ anti inim f ah l e
Ne w E x n t fis L T JO N, -

T th e Theat re -R o yal , in th e Hay -Mmket , ' '

TO MO R R O W De c ember
o
, 2,
S g u o r PIN ET l l , Knig h t o f t h e Order o f Mer it o f St
'

Ph il ip , &e k c w it h al l du e de fe re nce ip fo t ms th e p ub l ic
. .
'

t h at h e is j u ft re turned fro m th at h e w il l , by
t h e abo v e pe rmil l io n, o p en ag nin t h isTh eat re o n Th urtda
' ’

y
n u t , and w ith h is Co nfo rt sv il h ex h ib it mo fi w nt l erl ul ,
a .

( l up endc us, and ab to l u tel y inimitab l e , mech anic al , p h yfi :al

'

and p h il o l o p h ieal p iec e s, w h ic h h is re c e nt dee l em t iny in

’ '

p
th o fe fe ic nees and zil l i duo u s ex ert ions h av e e n
.
hah l ed h int t o
ingént and eo nfi ru ét r amo ng wh geh Sig no r; Pinetti w il l
h ave t h e i anh o no ur and l u isfaQi0 11 o f ex h ibiting vari .

Ons ex p en mei tt of ne w tl ifc p t ery, no l eis t urio ns th an

‘
t
' '

l eeming l y inc red ibl e , partic u l arl y t hat o f h er be ing feare d

‘

in o ne o f th e fro nt b o x e s w ith on h andkerc h ief o v er h e;

and guefq nt e very th ing ima ined and m efed t
g . p
an 1 i th e c o t-
rfo 1 n sl ur
°
.
'

n or i netti no : o us and amb it io us o i rs

g
i t
t
o
:

reiv ing th e c o untenance and f uaaio n o f th is g reat and dif

t ertl in natio n, inahis e nd eavo urs I t th al l b e h s eo nll ant
i
'

fi nel y il l t o find o ut flow whit h mh enabl e tum to: o

-

l cnt , at intew al g mo tl c urio us, l h rp riz ing . and infl ic t 111g

' ‘

o rig inal p iece!befo re t h e p ub l ic k during h is th o rt Q t y in

t h ir kittg do m ; nev er ( p isl g , but e m pro duc ing
;
“
,

w h at it o i his m inv ent io n and tl il ro ivw . und 10 t h e

'
' ‘

m l oy of wh ic h p iec es, h av ing k en 1 a w i h

£
t 9
e
p
w ritten td timony o f h it»Brim tde Maj e y p a p robatic a,
l ‘

Signed with his own h and ( bg fi deu bei g affe ed d es t i

'

Il cates o f the l ike nat ure fro m fevers o th er Sover e ignr)

’

h u mbl y h o ee endI o l ic its f o r th e eeh t inuanee o t th at y a

' ’

ma na gement . N t h h e mo l t g rateful l y ne

“ “g “
‘

l n
Xuo to h ave al ready fo j mpztt tl sl l yf aud tunpl y ex
'

d
'

'

i m h e Bt it ifh natio n
.

y e r e n t fr o t .

in st a l l er and h umo ur ? interpret er wil l eb minue

i h h int durin h id in
g r t
;
Bo x es 5 3. k 31 irfi Gal an Upper G al nu
. . .

fl
.

ag : f o r t h e bo x es to be tak en o f Mr R ic e at a n .

Do o rs o pen at Sig, and b e g in at Se veh

’

Cl ip p ing fro m th e L o ndo n Po st, D ec e m b e r l 17 1, in w hic Fine tti

81
st,
h
F ro m th e Harry Ho u di m Co l l ec tio n
0 .

fe ature d se c o nd sig h t .
.

D e c ember rst, ontains the a bove

1784 , c dvertisement
a

rep rod u c ed from my c ol l ec t ion .

[ 2 10
]
 SE CO ND SI GHT

Th e tal k ing c ode em p l oyed by Finett i w as not or ig inal

w ith h im as it dates ba c k to the au tomaton w orked by a
,

c o n c eal ed c onfederate w h o c ontro l l ed the p iston for the

m e c han ic al figu re or p u l l ed the strings to man ip u l ate the

d a n c ing c o ins or mo v ing head I t w as no ve l on l y in its
.

a p p l ic at ion to the su p p osed tho u ght transferrenc e b y a -

h u man be ing instead of an au tomaton .

Th is c ode is de sc ribed by variou s re l iabl e au thors

“
.

”
O n p age 388 Vo l u me I I I of Hoop e r s R e c reat ions
’
.
, ,

e d it ion 178 2 it is stated that the c onfederate w orked the

,

ap p arat u s from another room By c e rtain w ords p re vi

.
,
”
o u sl y agreed on make it know n to the c onfederate is
, ,

the advic e given to w ou l d b e c onj u rers

“
-
.

Be c kman in h is History of I n v ent ion s rel ates that

he knew an exhibitor of a tal k in g fig u re w hose c o n
c eal ed c onfederate w as c u ed to answ er c erta in qu e st ions ,
.

the answ ers being g iven in the manner of p u tt ing the

qu est ion al so by different signs The se in stru c t ions w il l
,
.

be fou nd on p age 311 of Vol u me I I ed it ion of 18 17 .

,
.

D ec rem p s u ndertook to ex p ose F inett i s method of

’

w ork ing the se c ond sight tr ic k in h is famou s bo ok b u t in

-
,

this attemp t he sc ored one of the few fa il u re s w hic h

m ark ed the bitter fight he w aged against Finett i I n h is .

L a Mag ie B l an c he D é voil é e M
”
b oo k (W h ite ag ic

E xp o sed ) first ed it ion 1784 he o ff ers on p age 40

, , ,
L es
”
Cartes devin é es l e s ye u x band é s
, ( T h e D iv inat ion of
C ards w ith the E yes B l indfol ded ) I n th is feat D ec re mp s .

e x p l a ins that Finett i w o u l d al l o w c ards to be draw n then ,

a l ady (Signora Finett i) w ou l d a p p ear on the st ag e w ou l d ,

b e bl indfol ded and w ou l d name al l the c ard s that w ere

,

d rawn . Dec remp s ex p l ains the p rearranged p ac k of

 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BE R T HO UD I N -

R e p r d u c tio n o f fro nt and b ac k o f o rig inal h andb il l distribu te d o n L o ndo n

o
trtee ts m 183 1, to adve rtise Maste r M Ke an Fro m th e Harry Ho udini
‘

z
.
o

j o l l e etio n
.

[ 2 12
]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BER T HO UD I N -

Tal ented Highl anders and most ex trao rdinarv Se c ond

”
Sighted Yo u ng Highl ander s .

These l ads I be l ieve w ere three brothers one th e

, , ,

original M K ean or the l atter w orking in c onj u n c t ion

‘

w ith tw o other bo ys trained to the tr ic ks in order to

se c u re more imp ressive resu l ts Th e trio ap p eared .

Dec o ratio n onth e b ro adside u sed to ad v e rtise a yo u ng D u tc h w o man w h o

c re ate d a se nsatio n in th e earl y
p art o f th e e i h tee nth c e ntu ry
g . F ro m th e
Harry Ho u dini Co l l e c tio n .

e ight years before R obo t Hou d in be c ame a p rofessional

-

enterta iner .

Hol l and al so c ontrib u ted a su c c essfu l p erformer of

se c ond sight tric ks the med iu m in th is c ase being a
-
,

D u t c h w oman wh o c reated a p rofo u nd sen sat ion w h il e

[ 2 14
]
 SE CO ND SI G HT

tou ring G ermany in the earl y p art of the e ighteenth

c ent u ry .Th e bil l ing u sed at the yearl y fairs is an
enormou s p oster w h ic h w ou l d be u n intel l ig ibl e if red u c ed
to a s ize su itab l e for re p rod u c t ion .

I t is no w a p art of my c ol l e c t ion and read s as fo l l o w s

Th e Ho l l and Ma id Tw enty Years of Ag e from Am , ,

sterdam w hose o w ers both i n her res iden e there and

, p c ,

in al l other p l a c es to w h ic h she h as gone have ex c ited ,

n e m m u d tne

“
b The pecul iar e niremerita and fi tc nl tiea o f th is h ighl y Tal ented
Lady are al moe tl
t youd th e reac h o f dem ip tio n
'

. By eo me unkno wn

EXTRAORDINARY snoutm
e in eu ab l e l
-
m
decl are t he m o m o f artic l ea p ro duc ed b y th e c o mp any ,
to
h it tin a t a di stance o f 5 0 to 60 feet, wit h h er fac e turned fro m
g e g
Sh e wil l al ao divine t he wh isp ered wish o t any o ne.
'
t he audienc e l
al th oug h eatiafact oril y ou t o f h earing She wil l al so deac rtbc t h e dreae,
. ,

M ute, t o o f any individual wh o may wit h it . wit h an acc urac

.

t rul y 5 up on a c ard b eing sel ec ted fro m a p ac k ehe wi l

-
.

dad e ite name ; b ut an th e p erfo rmance varies and dep end. in a g reat
t h ea t re on th e p l en um o f th e co mpany, no reg ul ar ro u t ine c an be sp ec i
l ed. but o f thin th e c o mpany may rest assured th at e very c o nsiste nt
311m wil l he need to g ratify and affo rd th em aatiafac uo n .

R e p ro du c tio n o f o rig inal b il l ing m atte r u sed b y th e my ste rio u s l ad w h o

o ff ere d sec o nd sig h t in th e Unite d State s in 184 1— 42 4 3 Fro m th e Iarry . y

great aston ishment and m u c h ap p l a u se and sh e w il l ,

al so in th is p l ac e e nd eavor to obtain the same tribu te

of p u bl ic ap p l au se Sh e w il l after th e exh ib it ion p l ac e
.

hersel f before the eyes of al l the sp e c t ators on the ou ts ide

and grave l y stand thereon and at al l t ime s g ive an answ er
of assu ran c e to any one p resent to w hom her j u dgment in
al l q u est ions gives the most a c c u rate resp onse Sh e c o n .

trives al so by her ac u tene ss to d isc over and re p l y to the

[ 2 15 ]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BE R T-HO UD I N

l east thou ght not u nt il then exp l ored Sh e gu esse s the

,
.

age of every one whether they be married or not ; h o w

,

many c hil dren they have of what sex and w hether they
, ,

be l iving or dead at the p resent t ime etc Sh e d o es th e ,

.

l ike for any one ha v ing a c han c e in the l ottery as to w hat ,

is its n u m ber and w hat w il l be its share of gains

, Sh e .

R ep ro d u c tio n o f th e c u t u sed o n th e my ste rio u s l ad y s h andb il l s distrib u ted m

’ '

Americ a 111 1841 Fro m th e Harry Ho u dini Co l l ec t10

.

al so gu esses at e very one of the most d iff erent sorts o f

c o in and even at the ye ar w ith w hic h they w ere stam ed
, p .

Sh e gu esses at e very n u mber wh ic h any one shal l se c retl y

set dow n even thou gh it amo u nt to u p ward a mil l ion
, .

Sh e moreover tel l s exac tl y w hether any one b e in th e

[ 2 16
]
THE UNMASKI NG OF R O BER T-HOUD I N

[ 2 18
]
 SE CO ND SI G HT

having trained his so n s eye and memory by p at ient effort

’

so as to have a m u t u al transfe rrenc e of tho u ght I w il l ,

“
nex t show that animal s had been trained for years to do
”
tricks by se c ret s ignal s before the al l eged d isc overy of
second sight .

Two rare o l d bil l s in my c ol l e c t ion ad vert ise the mar

Vel l o ns
“ ”
mind reading p erforman c es of a goose and a
-

b l indfol ded dog resp e c t ivel y . Th e first dated 1789 , ,

a nno u n c es t h at a Mr Be c kett a tru nk maker of No 31

“
-
. .
,

Haymarket is e xhib it ing a L earned G oose j u st l atel y

, ,

“
a rrived from a broad
I t p erforms the fol l ow ing tr ic ks : p erforming u p on
c ards money and w at c hes tel l ing the t ime of the month
, , , ,

y ear,
and date al so ,
the va l u e of any p ie c e e ither E ng l ish
o r fore ign ,
distin g uishing al l sorts of c ol ors and (most
p rod ig io u sl y and c ertain l y u n be l iev ing to those w h o kn o w

the intel l ec ts of a goose) she tel l s the n u mber of l ad ies

and gent l emen in the c omp any or any p erson s thou ghts ; ’

any l ady o r gentl eman drawing a c ard o u t of the p a c k ,

tho u gh ever so se c ret the G oose bl indfol ded at the same

, ,

time w il l fi nd o u t the c ard they drew Admittan c e tw o

,
.

”
sh il l ings e ac h p erson .

Th e se c ond bil l feat u res D o n Carl o the Dou bl e ,

Sighted dog whic h gave an exh ibit ion of h is mysterio u s

,

s kil l at the Pavil l ion by sp ec ial c ommand before King ,

Wil l iam and the royal famil y on De c ember 17th 1831 ,

.

This dog was bl indfol ded and c o u l d p resent a l mo st in

du p l ic ate the se c ond sight tests offered by the Highl and
-

l ad wh o five d ays l ater gave a sim il ar exhibit ion before

the ro yal famil y at the same p l ac e .

This p ro o f regarding the u se of an imal s as med iu ms

 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BE R T HO UD I N -

is o ffered not to be l itt l e the h u man med iu m s b u t to p ro ve ,

that from start to fin ish from the day that Bre sl aw

,

o ff ered the tr ic k to the p resent moment w hen a n u m ber ,

T t
ohe Publ ic in
ge neral , and th o i
i: u f rc al Knowl ed e
g

tmic
'
et

R are p o ste r anno u nc ing th e p e rfo rmance o f th e l earned go o se , o ne o f th e

fi rst o f th e sec o nd -si h
g t annu al artists T
. rac ed fro m th e o rig inal p o ste r in th e
British Muse um b y th e au th o r .

of skil ful so c al l ed mind readers st il l myst ify th e p u bl ic

- -

so me so rt of sp ea king or signa l c ode has been u sed R o b .

~

[ 2 20
]
 CHAPTE R VIII

THE SUSPE N S I ON TR I CK

N hap ters XVI and XVII of the Americ an ed it ion

“
c . .

of h is Memoirs R o bert Ho u d in states that

,
-

he c l osed h is theatre d u ring the month s of Ju l y ,

Au gu st and Se p te m ber 184 7 and devoted h is t im e

, , ,

to p rod u c ing new tric ks for the c oming season He c hron .

ic l es as the resu l t of these l abors the fol l ow ing add it ions

to h is rép ertoire Th e Crystal Box “ ” “
Th e F antast ic
“ “
°

,
” ”
Th e Tra p eze Tu m bl er Th e G arde F ran
“
Portfol io
” “
, , ,

” ”
i T h O r ig in of F l o ers T h C rysta l Ba l l s
” “
g a se ,
e w e , ,

Th e I nexhau st ibl e Bott l e Th e E thereal Su sp ension

, ,

etc .

Had the se invent ion s real l y been original the man with
wh o c l aimed them as the re su l t of h is o wn brain w ork and -

hand ic raft three years w o u l d not have su fl

,
ic ed to b ring
them to the p erfec t ion in w hic h they w ere p resented at
that t ime I t is not al w ays the ac t u al w ork that ma kes
.

a tric k a su c c ess nor the material from w hic h it is c o n

,

stru c ted b u t it takes t ime to p l an a new tric k ; and then

,

after yo u have w orked o u t the idea it takes more time to

make it p rac t ic al Th e sam
,

e p iec e of ap p aratu s may

.

have to be made dozen s of t imes in as many shap es , ,

before it is p resentabl e Therefore w hen R obert Hou din

.
,
-

c l aims to have invented and bu il t w ith h is o w n h ands the

tr ic ks ment ioned in the l ist given above it is t ime to p rove ,

th e imp ro babil ity and fal sity of h is statements .

[ 2 22
]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BE R T-HO UD I N

I n vent ions are a matter of e vo l u tion b u t as the tric ks ,

wh ic h R o bert Ho u d in p re sented in his new ré p erto ire

-

w ere not new he w as abl e to o ffer them as the res u l t of

,

three month s w ork To the exp e rt me c han ic ian or

’
.

b uil der of c onj u ring ap p arat u s his c l aim is farc ic a l Th e .

I ““
“
fl fi
al l
m h
!
8 6!
m0
r u rr n g g rq s.
s a u nas
-
r u t n ar ro ws ;
r u eu vf j l mn u v.
'

u m ““
r u su v. Tl l Ul 8 l I AY.
_

m ace .

a; m
vt l .

q
M Il l

Po ste r u se d b y R o b e rt-Ho u din du ring his fi rst L o ndo n eng ageme nt,
featu ring su sp e nsio n F ro m th e Harry Ho u dini Co l l ec tio n
. .

majority of the tric k s ment ioned re qu ire s kil l ed h ands and

infin ite p at ien c e if they w ork in a w ay that w il l c om p l etel y
,

de c e ive the p u bl ic Part ic u l arl y is th is tru e of th e first

. .

su sp en sion a pp arat u s su c h as R obert Ho u d in mu st h ave -

u sed . Th is in c l u ded a stee l c orset or frame for the su b

and both the c orse t and the s u p p ort ing ro ds h ad to
j ec,t
[ 224
]
 THE UNMASKI NG O F R O B R T HO UD I N
E -

th is date he had u sed on l y the ordinary p l atform and

,

rod .

D u r ing the c o u rse of researc hes c overing many years ,

d u r ing w h ic h I v isited national l ibraries in vario u s c o u n

'

trie s the first trac e of th e su sp ension t ric k w as disc overed

,

in the w ritings of I an Bat u ta w h o flo u rished abou t th e,

th irteenth c ent u ry He ment ion s tw o c onj u rers wh o p e r

.

formed before th e c o u rt of the Mogu l in D el hi One of

. .

the men a ssu med the form of a c u be and rose into the air ,

w here he remained su sp ended Th e other man then t o o k

.

o ff h is shoe stru c k it aga inst a ro c k and it a l so rose and

, ,

h u ng in midair c l o se to the su sp ended c onj u rer or h u m an

,

c u be . On be ing to u c hed on th e ne c k the c u be desc en ded ,

to the gro u nd and the c onj u rer resu med his nat u ral form
,
.

Th e historic al v erity of th is tal e c annot be determined ,

and it may be c l a ssed w ith the fam il iar story whic h c r0 p s

u p p er iod ic a l l y desc r ib ing the ball of c ord throw n into
,

the air for a yo uth to c l imb into the c l o u ds On c e o u t of .

sight th e yo u th is said to dra w the c ord up after h im ;

,

then p re sentl y a l eg fal l s from the u nseen heights then ,

another fo l l o w ed by an arm a rib or tw o and so on

, , ,

u nt il the ent ire body is sc attered u p on the gro u nd the ,

head c oming l a st w ith the nec k stand ing u p w ard At .

the c ommand of the mag ic ian th e body seems to crawl

'

together so ru n s the tal e and e ventu al l y the you th stands

, ,

u p to be exam ined by the a ston ished p o u l a c e

p .

The se storie s bel ong in the very first of the travel l e rs ’

tal es I n 135 6 Sir John Mande vil l e c al l ed by some au

“
.
,
”
th o ritie s the F ather of E ngl ish Pro se after travel l ing ,

thirty fou r years p u bl ished a book detail ing so me of h is

“
-

”
marvel l ou s w itnessing s Thou gh many of h is stories
.

[ 2 26
]
 THE UNMASKI NG OF R O BER T HOUDIN -

are absol u tel y im p o ssibl e yet so p o p u l ar did h is w orks

,

be c ome that barring the Sc rip t u re s more c op ie s and

,

man u sc rip t s of the bo ok s c ontaining h is v ario u s M agi “ ,

”
c ian Stor ies have been handed dow n to p o sterity and
exist to day than any w ork s of his c ontemp orarie s
-
.

St il l Mande v il l e did not ment ion this s u sp en sion tric k

, ,

w h ic h is somet ime s attr ib u ted to the Chinese and some

t imes to the Hindoo s .

I n Co l ogne G ermany I p u rc hased an en c yc l o p aed ia

, , ,

u bl ished in 1684 from w h ic h I re rod u c e a do u b l e

p , p
p age engra v ing w h,
ic h sho w s the C h ine se mag ic ian s

doing the tr ic ks p re v io u sl y a c c red ited in the stories of ,

tra vel l ers to Hindoo c onj u rers

“
.
,
”
I n L iv es of the Conj u rers Thoma s F ro st desc r ibes
,

the su sp en sion tric k as o ffered abou t 18 2 8 or 18 2 9 at

Madra s by an o l d Brahm in w ith no better ap p arat u s than
a p ie c e of p l ank w ith fo u r l egs This he had formed int o .

a stool and u p on it in a l ittl e brass so c ket he p l ac ed a

, , ,

ho l l o w bamboo st ic k in a p erp endic u l ar p osit ion Pro .

Je c t ing from the st ic k w as a k ind of c ru t c h c overed w it h ,

a p ie c e of c ommon hide The se p ro p ert ies he c arr ied

.

w ith h im in a bag wh ic h w as show n to al l those w h o

,

de sired to w itness h is exhibit ion Th e servants of th e .

ho u seho l d then hel d a bl anket before h im and when it , ,

w as w ithdraw n he w as d isc overed p oised in midair

,

abo u t fo u r feet from th e grou nd in a sitting p ostu re w ith , ,

the o u ter edge of one hand merel y tou c hing the c ru t c h ,

w h il e the fi nger s del iberate l y c o u nted beads and the other ,

hand and arm w ere hel d in an u p right p osit ion Th e .

bl anket w as again h el d u p before h im and the sp e c tators ,

c a u ght a gu rgl ing so u nd l ike that o c c asioned b y w in d

,

[ 2 28 ]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BE R T HO UD I N -

esc ap ing from a bl adder or t u be When the sc reen or.

bl anket was again Withdraw n the c onj u rer w as stand ing

,

on the gro u nd .

Th e mystery w as su p p osed to ha ve been sol v ed w hen

”
Sh e sh al c ommon l y kno w n as the Brahm in of the Air
, ,

exhib ited the tric k in 1832 in Madras I t w as ob ser ved .

that h is st o o l w as ornamented w ith tw o in l a id stars and ,

it w as su gge sted that one of the se m ight c on c eal a so c ket

for a steel rod p assing thro u gh the bamboo and that
, ,

another rod sc rew ed to the p erp end ic ul ar one and c o n

,

c e al e d by the p ie c e of h ide m ight be c onne c ted w ith a

,

me c han ism of the same metal p assing u p the sl ee v e and

,

do w n the ba c k and form ing a c irc u l ar seat Th is c o n

,
.

e c tu re p robab l y w as not far from the tr u th for h l e

j w i ,

F ro st is by no mean s the greate st of a u thor it ies on magic

and magic ian s in th is p art ic u l ar instan c e I bel ieve that
,

h is exp l anat ion of the tric k is c orre c t .

Th e next a u thent ic earl y informat ion I have gathered

regard ing su sp en sion c on c ern s that w onderful p erformer
w h o c al l ed h im se l f Ch ing L au L au ro Pre su mabl y he w as
.

a Chinaman and from the p rogrammes in my c ol l e c t ion

,

he evident l y ap p eared first in E ngl and in 18 2 8 w hen he , ,

w as engaged to p erform bet w een sc enes of vario u s p l ays

in c l u d ing
“ To m and Jerry ”
at the Cobu rg I rep ro
,
.
,

d u c e on p age 2 31 one of Ch ing L au L au ro s p rogrammes ’

.

Abo u t 1833 or p o ssibl y a year earl ier he c u t o u t some

, ,

of h is singing and introd u c ed the su sp ension w ith w hic h

,

he c l o sed h is p erforman c e At this t ime he gave the

.

ent ire p rogramme Ac c ord ing to h is p rogrammes in some

.
,

l a c e s he ex c l u ded the p u b l ic from the ga l l e ry so I

p ,

j ud ge that h is su sp ension w as a c c omp l ished b y th e u se

[ 2 30 ]
 Til l 1 l NSl AS KING
- "
R O BER T HOP
'

OI -

e st a in
p g fro m t u be a bl adde r or . When the
bl anke t was ag ain wit h drawn th e ,
co n u ej rr wa
o n th e g ro u nd .

The mvste rv was su

pp o se d to h ave be en so ]

S he shal , co mmo nl y k no wn as th e Brah min of

ex h ib ited the tric k Madras I t was

in 1832 in .

“
tha t h is s t l w as
oo o r n a m e n t ed w it h tw o in l a id
it a s s ugg e s te d th a t o n e o f t h e se m ig ht c o n c e a

f r
o I. s t e e l ro d p a ss in g th. ro u g h th e b a m bo o ,

d i l
“
ano t h e r ro d s c re.
w e d to t h e p p
e r e n c u a r o n e

l th e p iec e o f h ide mig h t be c o nnec tc ,

o me metal p assing up th e s
f th e sa ,

u c k and fo rming a c irc ul ar seat

l .
.

as no t far fro m th e truth ,

means th e g reat thorit ies

e st o f au

it: th is p artic u l ar inst anc e I be

ic k is c o rr c t e
.

info rmation I have

so ax ras that w onderful I
‘

‘
l‘
x x
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BE R T HO UD I N -

of the iron rod from the ba c k w hic h w o u l d ha ve been in

,

p l a in s ight from the ga l l ery T h e stage w o u l d not

.
p erm it
the su sp en sion to be w orked o u t of range of the gal l e ry god s .

When R obe rt Hou d in went to L ondon in 1848 he fo u nd

-

PRINCE EATBE
n om “
“ rn

ALI. KI NDS 0! 008 038

Th e Jug g l e r o f l be Se
Th e I
Bil
c S wa n, o r l
-. e e e
’
M
-
e tre s u
.

““
e
- e Sh ul a! Pl e y e r d
.

e rud ite
Th e Jul y (Jo l e n e; o r th e M il e Can
( Mec h a nic
.

“
.

Th e Ph l l e ni b re p l c Be ak e r .

A Ch ine Me te mo rp l l o ee .

Th e F e e l e sl l e G l ese .

P ie rre th e Me ‘ l c l e n ( Mec h e l l e )
.

Th e Me n ie g e e i Ce ne

m
“ -
m
.

m ie
flmimwm
’

er e r e o m
m - M”m
'

anifm rii
' ‘
Th e ole o f Pl o we m
f ie d

ENTERTAINING

a nem m ars as m aw m
n n 10m
. .

Wl f l
.

‘ '
l ib ex ireeee ie e I
'
l s
e e i it. e x ec u te d l e e p ie l e lie - De
n el (
7 no t b e eee e ie b e b e l l'e

A Co mp ars Herrmann p ro g ramme o f 1848 m w hic h su sp e nsio n is featured .

Fro m th e Harry Ho u dini Co l l e c tio n .

[ 2
3
2
]
 THE SUSPE NSI O N TR I CK

in the fiel d of magic a c l ever rival Co mp ars He rrm ann ; ,

a few months l ater c ame John Henry Anderso n the ,

Wizard of the North Both of these men p resented the

. .

su sp ension tric k in p rec isel y the same manner c l aimed by

R obert Hou din as h is original invent ion of 1847 Ne ither
-
.

Anderson nor Herrmann c l aimed the honor of having

invented the tric k and it is more than l ike l y that the
,

me c hanic ian wh o made their ap p arat u s for the su sp en sion

tric k made the one u sed by R obert Hou d in al so Herr -
.

mann l ike R obert Hou d in c al l ed the tric k ethere al su s

,
-
,

p ens ion Anderson

. gave it the t it l e of Chl o rifo re e ne
”
Su sp ension as the rep rod u c t ion of an Anderson l itho
,

grap h o u p age 2 34 w il l p rov e .

Du ring p re c ise l y the same p eriod of t ime a bril l iant l y

su c c essfu l G erman c onj u re r Al exander w as p re sent ing
, ,

the same tric k in Americ a w here he remained as a p ro

,

fessio nal enterta iner for te n ye ars I n my c o l l e c t ion .

,

together w ith c orro borat iv e h and bil l s and p rogramm e s ,

there w il l be fou nd this st atement from Al exander :

“Th e su sp ension w as at first p rod u c ed by me in 1845
or 1846 after read ing in an Oriental ann u al ed ited by
, ,

se veral offi c ers of the I nd ian Army the tric k of a fakir ,

wh o made a c om p an ion sit in the air by u sing a b amboo

st ic k My tric k had no su c c e ss be c au se the sitt ing w as
'

.
,

too near the gro u nd I then m ade h im stand in the air

.
,
”
and the e ff ec t w as marvel l o u s .

My meet ing w ith Al ex ander of w hic h th is c orresp ond ,

enc e w as the resu l t m arked an era in my searc h for

,

material for this vol u me Having read in a sm al l book on

.

magic dated 1896 that a man named He imbu rger wh o

, ,

h ad travel l ed in Americ a as Al exander the Conj u rer

“ ”
,

[ 2
33 ]
 THE UNMASKI N G O F R O BE R T HO UDIN -

t h at be ing p ressed for time he had entru sted t he

“
so nal l y

w rit ing of h is Memoirs

”
to a Parisian jou rnal ist .

As he w armed u p to these reminisc en c es he hel d me ,

sp el l bou nd Had he risen from the grave to tel l of h is

.

L e o na A A nderso n dau g h ter-ia-l aw

.
, of Jo h n Heurr Anderso n as
.

sh e ap p e ared w ith him in th e sus e nsio n tric k

p ab o ut 1868. Fro m th e Harry
Ho u d ini Co l l ec tio n
.

contemp oraries he c ou l d not have riveted my attent ion

,

more se c u rel y .

Here w as a man of eighty fou r whose memory q uic k

-
,

[ 2 36
]
 THE SUSPENSI ON TR I CK

e ned at the c oming of one interested in his bel oved art ,

w hose eye br ightened w ith ea c h fresh detail of a l ong

and su c c essful p rofessional l ife and w h o in fifty years of
, ,

r etirement had not onl y written a book b u t had ke p t in

, ,

t o u c h with the w orl d of magic giving me informat ion ,

ed ia c o u l d not y ie l d
w hic h the most e xhau st ive en c yc l o p a ,

ans w er ing qu est ions on to p ic s never yet d is c u ssed in

d u sty p ar c hments and fad ing sc r ip ts I t w as l ike having .

the history of magic u nrol l ed before my eager eyes in a ,

l iv ing p al p itat ing hu man sc ro l l

, ,
.

I t h ad been my intent ion to rema in b u t a few hou rs in

Miinster bu t the o l d master hel d me as if hyp notized and
,

th e hou rs fair l y drifted p ast L etter after l etter c l ip p ing

.
,

after c l ip p ing token after token he s p read before my

, ,

fasc inated eyes ; and I al l ow ed h im to sp eak withou t

q u estion or interru p t ion of any sort Earl y in o u r inter .

v iew he had remarked that he w as beg inning to feel o l d

and that onl y the imp et u s of my p resen c e w as res p onsibl e

for h is u n u su al strengt h of s p ee c h F o r o ver seventy .

years he had been c ol l e c t ing books on c onj u r ing and k in

dred topics w hic h he w as abl e to read in Engl ish F ren c h
, , ,

Sp anish and G erman

,
.

Th e d inner hou r fo u nd u s st il l engrossed in c on versa

tion and F rau He imbu rger extended a most hos p itabl e
,

and c ord ial invitat ion for me to jo in the fam il y c irc l e .

Bu t my h u nger w as p u re l y mental a nd the tr u e sa vor ,

of the meal was the rem in isc ent c hat of Herr Heimb u rger ,

w h o from his p ost at the head of h is ho u sehol d l ooked

, ,

as h a l e and hearty as if he had fo u nd the E l ix ir of L ife

whic h so many of h is c harl atan p rede c essors c l aimed to

h ave dis c overed .

[ 2 37 ]
 THE F N MASK I NG O F R O BE R T HO UD I N -

In 1 04
9 I p aid th e o l d maste r a sec ond v isit To h is .

p r o fe ssio n s o f p l e asu re at m ee t ing me on c e more , he

add ed th e g i t o f se ve al
f r rare p rogrammes no w in m v co l

Al e x ande r He im b u rg e r a v e te ran c o nj urer w h o p rese nted th e su sp e nsio n

tric k in 18 45 —
,

46 d u ring h is Ame ric an to ur . Fro m a p h o to g rap h in th e Harry

Ho u dini Co l l ec tio n
.

l ec t ion , and w hen o u r hands met in a

farewel l c l asp h e tol d
me that he had set al l th ings in order and was ready for
the c oming of the G r im R eap er Soon after th at visit .
,

[ 2 38
]
 THE UNMASKI NG O F R OBERT HOUDI N -

claims w ith m u c h j u st ic e is rated as one of the ge m s of

, ,

G erm an l iterat u re as w el l as the best book e ver w ritten

,

by a c onj u rer I t is bu il t from extrac ts from his d iary

.

and is on the styl e of Sig B l itz s book b u t is far more

.
’
,

diversified and interesting .

His s c ra p book al so to l d a most romant ic tal e of v ic issi

-

Al ex ande r He imb urg e r k no w n in c o nj uring as Al ex ander th e Co nj ure r

q
,
“
fro m a u aint il l ustratl o n m Th e No rth Americ an p u b l ish ed in Mex ic o
.
”
, .
,

t u des A hal f p age art ic l e in the New York Tribu ne

.
-
,

dated Oc tober 1845 show ed Al exander arrayed in a

, ,

Ch inese c ost u me and p rod u c ing hu ge bowl s of w ater

, ,

flo w ers and vario u s sorts of heavy art ic l es This p roves

,
.

c onc l u s ive l y that Ch ing L ing F o o was not the first c o n

 THE SUSPE NSI O N TR I CK

j u re r to o ffe r th is Ch inese tr ic k in Ame ric a as it is g e ner ,

al l y su p p o s d
e
Al exand e r added th at al l the o l d t imers
.
-

w o u l d c hange the ir p rogramme s by intro du c in g the Ch i

ne se tric ks and to verify h is statement read e rs nee d onl y to
, , ,

se e the fo l l o w ing fil es in Astor L ibrary Ne w York City : ,

Ne w York H eral d Ne w York Tribu ne and Ne w York

, ,

E v ening Gazette of No vem be r oth 1845 ,

.

He rr Al exander h ad arr iv ed in Ne w York al mo st

n n il ess after a d isastro u s to u r of oth e r Amer ic an c it ie s
p e ,
.

He tried to hire Nib l o s G arden b u t w as informed that

’
,

th e a udito riu m w as ne ver o p e n e d in w inter Thro u gh .

h e inte rc ession of Mrs Nib l o ho w e v er h e fin al l y se c u red

t .
, ,

it at a re ntal of t w enty dol l ars p e r n ight He o p ened to a .

sm al l ho u se and for t h ree n ights did no t e ve n p ay exp enses ,

b u t the fo u rth night w itne ssed a c h ange in h is fort u nes

an d for t hree months he p l ayed l iteral l y to st and ing room .

T hen bec au se he had no new tr ic k s to o ll c r and h is p ride ,

fo rbade his p resenting h is o l d rep erto ire u nt il re c e ip ts

g r e w lig hter he
,
c l osed h is N e w York se ason .

Whil e p l aying in Saratoga Al e x an de r w as app roac hed

,

b y the l ate P T Barn u m w h o w as ac c om p an ied by G en

. .
,
.

T o m Th u m b Al exand e r d e c l in ed Mr Bam u m s o ffer

’
. .

b e c a u se he tho u ght to jo in th e Barn u m st aff of ent e rt ain e rs

w o u l d inj u re h is p rofess ion al rat ing Barn u m s adm ission
’
.

fe e w as 2 5 c ent s w h il e Al e x and er c h arg e d 5 0 c ent s and 3

, 51 .

Abo u t this t ime the fam e of Al e x and e r attrac ted the

attent ion of no l e ss a p e r son age th an S F B Mor se of . . .
,

te l egra p h ic fame ; and Al ex and e r h ad o n h is p rogram m e

one t ric k w h ic h myst ified Morse w h o hone st l y bel ie ve d ,

that the c onj u rer had d isc o ve red some new l aw of natu re
that migh t be of serv ic e to sc ient ist s .

16 [ 2 41]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R OBE R T HO UD I N -

al l ed this tric k
Al exand e r c e Sp ir it Be l l an
“
Th ,
”

w orked by one method or another it h as been u sed ,

many magic ians Some emp l oy a thread and h o o

.

m
l l l l l tl llt tl l ll tl tl tttbl l tl ll t
Il l ill l l ALEXANDER
m sem en M atte o o
m e mo .

M EL SALON DE LA tra ms;LSKSRE .

H
Bil l ! Al
u n- W y m e m p b h w h dh b -fi
mm k m m -
“
wh a w m nb m n ar t risers
a n m b m m m wuh w nh m w m
nut m e g-ye
u m e m Q M n am m y-
am m . u

l l l l tttll t l tt Itl tStll ttt tl l l StSltl l ll l t] it tll l

. .

mm or 11 runcwa
01 .

n erh ael m N o mi ! “
re d we
.

E N T I Q D .‘

Al ex ande r He imbu rg er p rese ntin th e tric k during his

su sp e nsio n eng age mt
z
in Bra il . Fro m th e arry Ho udini Co ll ec tio n .

a sing the c l ap p er to strike by p ul l ing th e thread Whit

c u

ru ns th ro u gh an inno c ent l ooking ribbon on w hic h t ] -

[ 2 42
]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BE R T-HO UD I N

rod w as fitt e d into a sp e c ial p l ac e in the c orset al so in ,

the p l atform Th is me thod w as imp ro ve d first to make

.
,

it a se l f raising su sp ension then event u al l y w ith a steel

-
,

rod from th e bac k of the stage el iminat ing the u se of ,

both rods u nder the arms .

Sp e c tators and re v ie w ers c ommented on the rigid ,

al most p ainfu l c arriage of R obert Ho u din s son during

,
-
’

the p erform an c e w hic h they l aid to the efl

,
ec t of ether .

Un q u est ion ab l y R obe rt Ho u d in u sed this c ru de c orset

-

and rod met h od of w orking the tric k

-
.

Th e fu mes of ether w h ic h rea c hed the a u d ien c e he ,

adm its w ere c au sed by p o u ring a l ittl e o th er over hot

,

irons in the w ings .

Bu t w hate ver the method em p l oyed by R obert Ho udin

“
-

to se c u re the e ffec t s of su sp ension éth é ré enne he was ,

m e re l y introd u c ing a c ent u ry o l d tric k w hic h other

-
,

c ontem p orary mag ic ians w ere al so exhibit ing Th e narn e .

of the re al m aker of the ap p arat u s may never be known ,

b u t some c l e ver me c h an ic ian su p p l ied R obert Ho u din -

,

Co m p ars He rrm ann and John Henry Anderson with

,

re c i l y the same m e thod of w orking the tr ic k at p re

p se ,

c ise l y the same t ime R obert Ho u d in al one w as au dac ious

.
-

enou gh to c l a im the in vent ion as h is o wn .

 CHAPTE R I X

"
I rI E
-
D I SAPP E AR I NG HAN D K E R CH I E F

UPR E ME
l

egot ism and u tte r d isregard for the tru t h

may be trac ed in al l of R obert Ho u din s w r it ings -
’
,

b u t they rea c hed a v erit abl e c l imax w hen he ind ited

c ha p ter .
“
XVI of h is Me mo irs ”
D u ring the .

c o u rse of th is c h a ter he de sc ribed the so c al l ed in v ent ion

p
-

and first p rod u c t ion of the d isap p earing h andk erc hief tric k
“
-

Ac c ord ing to the Americ an ed it ion of h is Memo irs ,

p age 3 3
0 ,
he re c e iv ed a c ommand to a pp e ar before L o u is
Phil ip p e and h is fam il y at St Cl o u d in No vember 1846
.
,
.

D u r ing the six days inter ven ing be t w e e n th e o fl ic ial l n

v itatio n and h is a ear a n e before the roy al fam i l y he
pp c ,

arranged a tric k from w h ic h he st at e s he had e v e ry re ason

, ,

to ex p e c t ex c e l l ent re su l ts. On p ag e 30 5 he g o e s e ven

f u rther in his c l aims and anno u n c es :
Al l my tric ks w ere favorab l y rec e iv ed and the one ,

I had invented for the o c c a sion ga in ed me u nbo u nded

”
ap p l a u s e
.

He then give s the fol l o w ing d esc rip t ion of th e tric k and

“
its p e rforman c e
I bo rro w ed from my nobl e sp e c t ators se veral h andk er
c hiefs w h ic h I m ade into a p ar c e l and l aid on the t abl e
, ,
.

Then at my re qu e st d iffe rent p er son s w rote on the c ards

, ,

the names of p l ac e s w h ith e r the y de sired th eir h andker

c h iefs to be in v isibl y tr an sp ort e d
“
.

Wh en this had been done I begged the K ing to take

,

[ 2 45 ]
 THE UNMASKI NG O F R O BE R T HO UD I N -

three of the c ard s at hazard and c hoose from the m th e

,

l a c e he m ight ons ider mo st s u itabl e

p c .

L et u s see L o u is Ph il ipp e said w hat th is one says

‘ ’
, ,

I desire the handkerc h iefs to be fo u nd beneath one o f

”
the c andel abra on the mante l p iec e That is too e aS)
“
.

for a sorc erer ; so w e w il l p ass to the next c ard : Th e

handkerc hiefs are to b e transp o rted to the dome of th e
”
I nval ides That w ou l d su it me b u t it is mu c h too far
.
,

not for the handkerc h iefs b u t for u s Ah ah ! the K ing

,
.
,

added l ooking at the l ast c ard I am afraid M

, ,
‘
,

R obert Ho u d in I am a bo u t to embarras s yo u
-
,
D o yo r .

know w hat th is c ard p ro p ose s ? ’

‘
Wil l you r Maje sty de ign to inform me ? ’

I t is desired that yo u shou l d send the handkerc h iefs

into the c hest of the l a st orange tree on the right of th e -

a ven u e .
’

O nl y that Sire ? D e ign to order and I shal l obey

, ,
.
’

Very good then ; I sho u l d l ike to see su c h a magi<

,

ac t : I therefore c hoo se the orange tree c hest -

’
.
, ,

Th e K ing ga v e some orders in a l o w voic e and ,

d ire c t l y saw se veral p erson s ru n to the orange tree ir -

, .

order to w at c h it and p re vent any frau d

“
.

I w as de l ighted at th is p re c au t ion w h ic h mu st ad d ,

to the e ffec t of my exp eriment for the tric k was al read y

,

arranged and the p re c au t ion hen c e too l ate

“
.
,

I had no w to send the handkerc h iefs on their trave l s .

so I p l a c ed them beneath a bel l of op a qu e gl ass and ,

.

t ak ing m y w and I ordered my in v isibl e travel l ers to p ro

,

c o ed to the sp ot the K ing had c hosen

“
.

I ra ised the be l l ; the l itt l e p arc el w as no l onger th e re .

and a w h ite t u rt l e do ve h ad t aken its p l ac e

-
.

[ 2 46 ]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O B E R T-HO UD I N

tric ks ? Yo u r Majesty w il l do u bt l ess be st il l more su r

rised w hen I rove to yo u r s at isfac t ion that th is c o fl
p p e r

R ep ro du c tio n o f a ve ry rare as te l rtrait o

f Cag l io stro Fro m th e
fi
p o .

Harry o u dini Co l l ec tio n .

as w el l as its c ontents w as de p o sited in the c hest of the

orange tree sixty years ago
-
.
’

m
1 Sho u l d l ike to bel ie ve yo u r statement the K ing ’
,

[ 2 48 ]
 THE D I SAPPEAR I NG HAND K ER CHIE F

r eplied w ith a smil e ; b u t that is imp o ssibl e and I m u st

‘
, ,

th erefore as k for roofs of yo u r a ssert ion ’

“I i yo u r Majesty wil l be kind enough to op en this

p .
,
‘

C a sket they w il l b e s u l ied ’

“Certainl y ; bu t I shal l require a key for that

pp .

‘ ’
.

I t o nl y de p ends on yo u rse l f Sire to ha ve one , ,

.

D eign to re move it from the nec k of th is t u rt l e do ve ,

W hic h has j u st brou ght it to yo u .

’

L o uis Phil ip p e u nfastened a ribbon that he l d a smal l

r u sty ke w ith w h ic h he hastened to u n l o c k the c o ff er
y .

T h e fi rst thing that c au ght the King s eye w as a p arc h ’

“
I n e nt o n w hic h he read the fol l o w in stat ment
, g e s :
‘
Th is day the sixth of J ,
u ne 1 86
7 th is iron box , , ,

c o ntaining six handkerc hiefs w as p l a c ed among the root s ,

o f an o rang e tree b y me B al samo Co u nt of Cagl iostro

, , ,

t o serve in p e rforming an ac t of magic w h ic h w il l be exe

c u ted o n th e same day sixty ye ar s hen c e before L o u is

P hil ipp e o f Orl éans and his famil y

’
.

Th ere is dec ided l y w it c h c raft abo u t th is the K ing

’
, , ,

said more and more amazed

,
Noth ing is w ant ing fo r .
‘
,

th e seal and signat u re of the c e l ebrat ed sorc erer are p l a c ed

at the foot of this statement w h ic h Hea ven p ardon me , , ,

smel l s strongl y of sul p hu r

“
’
.

At this jest the au d ien c e began to l au gh .

Bu t the King added taking o u t of the box a c arefu l l y

’
, ,

seal ed p ac ket c an the handkerc hiefs by p o ssibil ity be

,
‘
, ,

in this ?
’

“
‘
I ndeed Sire they are ; b u t before o p en ing the
, , ,

a r e l I w o l d re q u e st yo u r Maj e sty to not ic e that it

p c ,
u ,

al s o bears the im p res sion of Cag l io stro s sea l

“
’ ’
,
.

This se al on c e rendered so famou s by be ing p l a c ed

,

[ 2 49 ]
 TII E UNMAS KI NG O F R O BE R T HO UD I N -

on th e c el ebrated al c hemist s bottl es of el ixir and l iqu id

’

gol d I h ad o btained from Torrin i w h o had been an o l d

, ,

friend of Cag l io stro s ’

.

I t is c erta in l y the same my royal sp ec tator answ ered

’
, ,

after c om p aring the tw o seal s St il l in h is imp at ien c e to

.
,

l earn the c ontents of the p arc el the King q uic kl y tore ,

o p en th e en vel o p e and soon d isp l ayed before the aston

,

ish ed sp e c tators the six handkerc hiefs whic h a fe w , ,

”
moment s before w ere st il l on my tabl e
,
.

Wh il e the u se of the Cagl iostro seal real l y formed no

p art of th e tric k it
,s p osse ssion b y R o bert H o u d in goes -

to Show h o w indefat iga bl y he c ol l ec ted c onj u ring cu rios

and h o w q u ic k he w as to u t il ize any p art of his c o l l ec tion ,

and sc ore thereby a br il l iant showing .

Cagl iostro seal s w ere by no means rare This p rin c e .

of c harl atans had seal s l ike ad vent u res in g reat varie t y ;

, ,

and in th is c onne c t ion it is not o u t of p l ac e to tel l so me

,

t hing o f Cagl iostro and thu s exp l ain w h y the p arc hme nt
bearing his seal c reated suc h a sensat ion at St Cl o u d . .

Cagl io stro has no mat c h in the annal s of mag ic No t a .

c onj u rer in th e sense of be ing a p u bl ic entertainer b e ,

yet myst ified and bew it c hed h is thou sands Something .

of a p hysic ian more of an al c hemist and al together a

, ,

c harl atan he l eft be hind h im a tra il of bril l iant c hic anery

, ,

daring advent u re and ignomin io u s fail u re and u ndoing

,

u ne qu al l ed in the history of E u ro p e .

Cagl io stro w as born Jo se p h Bal samo in Pal ermo , ,

I tal y Ju ne 8th 1743 His p arents w ere in hu m bl e c ir

, ,
.

c u m stanc e s and he started h is c areer as a novic e in the

Con vent of Benfratel l i from w h ic h he w as e xp e l l ed for

,

in c orrigibil ity. Then he p l u nged into a l ife of d issip a

 THE UNM S I G O
A K N F R B
O E R T -HO UD I N

l angu age s . These tw o

ad vent u rers trave l l ed in E gyp t ,

and w hen Al th o tas d ied Cagl io stro w ent to Nap l es and

R ome w here he marr ied a bea u t ifu l gird l e maker name d
,
-

Serap h inia F el ic iani This w oman shared bo th h is tri

.

u m p h s and h is d isg rac e I n 1776 they arr ived in L ondon

.
,

w h e re he anno u n c ed h im se l f as the Co u nt d i Cagl io stro .

Th e t it l e w as assu med the name w as borro w ed from h is

,

mother s side of the ho u se Here for the first t ime Cag

’
.

l io stro anno u n c ed h im se l f al so a w orker of m ira c l es o r

w onders .

He exhibit ed tw o myster io u s su bstan c es Mater ia ,

”
Pr ima w ith w hic h he tr an sm u ted al l baser meta l s into
,

“ ”
gol d and E gyp t ian Wine w ith w h ic h he c l aimed to
, ,

p ro l ong l ife H is w ife w h o w as j u st

.
p,ast t w enty he ,

dec l ared w as more th an sixty her yo u thfu l ap p earan c e ,

be ing du e to the u se of h is e l ix ir He fou nded a sp u rio u s .

E gyp t ian rite in c onne c t ion w ith the Mason ic ord er

w h ic h h as been re c ogn ized as a b l ot u p on Ma son ic history ,

and he c l aimed thou sa nd s of Mason ic d u p e s Al l over the .

Cont inent he and h is bea u t ifu l w ife tra ve l l ed no w heal ing ,

the p oor for noth ing no w d u p ing the ric h bu t al w ays

, ,

l iving in a mo st p ic t u re sq u e vol u p t u o u s fashion He , .

d ip p ed into sp irit u al ism and me smerism b u t w herever ,

he w ent h is c onvert s fol l o w ed after .

I n 1789 w h il e in R ome he w as se ized by that invin c ibl e

, ,

p o w er the
,
H o l y I n q u isit ion and w as c ondemned to death , .

L ater Po p e Piu s VI c hanged the senten c e to l ife imp rison

.

ment Confinement m ade h im m ore daring than ever

. .

He asked for a c onfessor and w hen a Cap u c hin mon k ,

w as p erm itted to enter h is c e l l in th is c a p a c ity Cagl iostro

endeavored to c hoke h im and e sc ap e in his ro be s Th e .

[ 2 5 2
]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BER T HO UD I N -

monk fo u ght for h is l ife so e ff e c t u al l y that it was he and ,

not Cagl io stro w h o e sc ap ed Cagl iostro w as l iteral l y

,
.

b u ried al ive in a su bterranean d u ngeon as p u n ishment ,

for h is final o ff en c e and h is w ife immu red he rse l f in a

,
‘

R oman c on vent Where sh e d ied in 1794

,
.

I n Paris p erha p s Cagl io stro enjoyed h is greate st

, ,

MO R E NE W PE R FO R MA NC ES .

Mo ns . F e l ix T esto t
:
- AM ”
-
h

-
o

0 11 T h u r day , E mi ”
“ y 3$ l
. and

M
3 E v e Inn
" Nu "
q
a 1
11 1 1 on

C ab al istic A rt
“
“ r- m“
p a“ W
(h o p "y-
-
s fl h
M m
u n
mod -
n ed
I n t
any
n t i
il l
-p d m
-
Il
M
a l ou

Il a
d

-
fl
O
.
u h
fl
b m
.
w
fi ufi
b

t
h u h eb o l u b t dc t no con .t h b
m
.
-
ad OO ‘ W I ' ba t -
”fi cu p ny y vq -
h h h a] ,

1111:
WI LL
m ax W
P m G E ONM
.

matio n o f
Bl I NTRO DUCI Til l NI AND I AOI DI NAI Y

Transf o r a BIR D .
3
I N T0 A 0H I L D !
G BOWRNG l NTO

A L A DY ”

”
Te sto t p ro g ramme featu ring Cab al istic Art
,
m 18 2 6 . Fro m th e Harry
Ho u dini Co l l ec tio n .

triu mp h s of c harl at an ism and it is not remarka bl e ,

th at the ap p e aran c e of h is seal in the midst of R obert

Ho u din s tric k shou l d seem al most u n c anny to the roya l
’

famil y .

Bu t to ret u rn to the d isap p earing handkerc h ief tr ic k

'

-
.

R obert Ho u d in did not in vent th is tric k

-
I t w as p re .

[ 2
54 ]
 THE UNMASKI NG OF R OBER T-HOUD I N

s ho w th at a p to
o have p u
a l
r t
a ic l es p r test
ass e d fr o mw as
the Adel p hia Theatre t <
m m
“
1
a 1; the g u n w hi c h w a s b e in g
w at c hed by a se nt inel .

F ebru a ry 2 2 d 1833

w mmm
, ,

M J
Run fi m
'

a fo u nd a r e e r i .

PA“ “ at the R oya l C l aren

PA
ce
a
.

T h e a t r e L iv e r p o o l ,

Street King s Cross

’
, ,

m L iv e rp oo l H e agree
c
d .
.

to m ake an artic l e fly
at the rate of five h u n
“ n o
dred m il es an hou r ,

from King s Cross to ’

H r S HA R P.
“m
.

I t. CI TY -u ral
the
.
C entre
m l Dit ph
of
v bh
G ree c e
Int itabl e Po e m
.

-d
i f T h or ig i na l B k
a nt o.

u ; 1
. N 1 1 e u
.
c
- h at h un t

featu red on h is p ro
gramme a s im il ar tr ick

A D
I M P O S S I B I L I TI E S
t f
e c an e r o P W P
o rt W w h ic h he
in e I n toc a l l ed “ T h
u re e
.

a te r.

”
5 00 M I L E S A M I N U T E L o a f T r ic k O n a b il l .

W N dated O to b er 6 h

A [ WING PIG
B O T T L E O F I E c 2 t ,

“
1840 it is anno u n c ed ,

. as fol l ow s : Wat c h in
m
cu ssc L sru rs w il l c ommand any gen a l oaf Th e magic ian .

m - - M m M M fl M QM
tl eman s w at c h to dis
op . nan 10 1 . o
’

” m - m m fl M
ai n
- W fl h u n
M
' '

app e ar I t w il l be fou nd
U h fi

M M W .
Q N~ M .
.

’
Jff i i h db il l d t d 1833 in wh i h
e er n an ,
in a l oaf at any ba ker s
a e , c
h ann
e th t ny
o u nc e s ti l w il l b m d
a a ar c e e a e
t fl
o y 5 00 m il m i t
es a
sho
nu e p in .
T o w n T h e .

.
sen ior I ngl e by c hanged
the tric k some what send ing o u t to any market for a ,

2 5 ]
6
 THE DISAPPEAR ING HANDKE R CHI E F

Sb o ul d
er of mu tton w h ic h on be ing c u t w oul d y iel d u p
, , ,

H
“
acard revio u sl y dra wn by some s e c tator th de
p p e u s
Scrl be Whol e Art of L eg erde
s l l l S tric k in his book
main
“
”
, p u bl ished in L ondon in 18 15

T R I CK F OUR .

To cut o ut of a Sho u l der of Mu tton a Card whic h one

Onl y k no wn p o rtrait o f th e c l e ve r E r l ish B uc k Fro m an e ng raving

j
H
c o n u rer, .

th Ha o u dini Co l l ec tio n.

Of th e had p reviou sl y draw n o u t of the Pac k

Comp any .

Having desired a p erson to draw a Card o u t of se veral

Wh ic h o u hol d to h im and to remember it w h ic h he
y , ,

P I nises to do yo u te l l h im it shal l be in a shou l der of

TO ,

ml l tto n w hic h yo u w il l send for

“Ac c o rdingl y yo u desire a servant to go to the b u t c h
’
er s and brin
g one When bro u ght
. it is exam ined ,

17 [ 2 57 ]
 THE UNMASKI NG O F R O BER T-HO UDI N

and then ordered to be

u t do w n to roast A ft
p er

$3
.

1! p erfor
re
m
o
i
l
ng
l e t
some
the ho
tric

l
ks,

der
M u m d m aq n W Oe M nd da y o u c c s u

of m u tton w h ic h is
,

N. W WM M V M O
.
M M
‘L¢
imm ed iate l y b ro u ght

“
hal f roast ed and after
Mr
-

. I ng l e b y ,
,

c u tt ing it for some t ime

1113 0 m m M A N I N TH E M
In 1
111 Pro fessio n.
y o u at l ength fi n d the
c ard and r o d e it
, p u c .

E xp l anat ion

M
MONDAY
Nm
.

1. Th ur d -
tu m.
I“
a m 8111111335 5.
Having forc ed a c ard
on one of the c omp any ,

r
.

“
you r c onfederate has an
“ Mr I NGL EBY . and his mm o rm l b ,
m
.

p t -
cuNl ll-m
u c I -
Ih m ag m a-2 ” op p ort u nity w hen the
,

DEXTER I TY OF HAND mu tton is sent to be

roasted of c onvey ing a
,

thin d u p lic ate o f that

c ard fo l ded into a narro w

c omp ass into the fleshy

p art near the shank ,

w hic h c an b e eas il y done

by means of a sha rp
en k i fe
“
p n .

This tric k tho u gh

S TI CKS O F F A NCY,
,

remarkabl y sim p l e h as ,

c reated u niversal aston

TI G HT R OPE DA W
N CI NG , ish ment at th e Minor
EN OM B E L I N Det
’ "

src Theatre w here it w as

,

fre qu entl y e xhibited by

I ng l eb y h andb il l dated 1808 Fro m the
Mr I ngl e by
.
,

Harry Ho u dini Co l l ec tio n . . .

 THE UNMASKI NG O F R O BER T HO UDI N -

h u mbl e travel l ing magic ian s w hose name s ha ve been

w r itten mo st faint l y in the ann al s of c onj u r ing an d the
“ ”
mu c h vau nted tric k invented by R o bert Ho u d in fo r
- -
,

the ente rtainment of his so vere ign .

Th e hal l in w h ic h the mat in é e w as g iven w as l o c ated

in Harl em Boro u gh of Manhattan Ne w York City and
, , ,

I had de c ided that the handkerc hiefs w hic h w ere to make

“ ”
the flying jou rney sho u l d be de sired by some one p res
ent to a p p ear u nder the to p ste p of the w ind ing stair c ase
in the Stat u e of L iberty w hic h is l o c ated in Ne w York
,

Harbor This meant a hal f ho u r ride from the ha l l to

.
-

the boat in a Su bw ay train ; then a ru n ac ross Ne w Yor k

Harbor to the Stat u e The se boats l eft the do c k on the
.

hou r and the hal f ho u r so I t imed my p erforman c e to

-

—
fi l l j u st hal f an ho u r start ing w ith some sl e ight o f hand -
, ,

the egg bag tric k and sw al l ow ing a p ac kage of need l e s

-

and bringing them up thre aded w hic h l atter tric k w as ,

introd u c ed into mag ic al p erforman c e s in E u ro p e by K .

K K rau s in 18 16
. .

J u st before o c l o c k I borrow ed three handkerc h iefs

’

and t ied them toge th e r for easier hand l ing I had three .

handkerc h iefs sim il arl y t ied toget her u nder my vest and
, , ,

j u st at I sw it c hed the tw o sets of handkerc hiefs ,

so th at the handkerc h ie fs fu rn ished by the sp e c tators

w ere u nder my ve st and the bogu s handker c hiefs in my
hand F irst I drop p ed the bogu s handkerc hiefs on the
.

tabl e trap p ic k ing u p the op a qu e gl a ss c over w ith whic h

-

they w ere to be hidden and by a c arefu l l y rehearsed b it

, ,

o f c arel essnes s dro pp ed and broke it

,
Then l eaving .
,

th e bogu s handkerc hiefs on the tabl e tra p I ste p p ed ,

tow ard the w ings a p p arentl y to se c u re another gl ass bell

,

[ 2 60
]
 THE D I SAPPEAR I NG HAND KE R CHIE F

or c over To al l in
.

tents and p u rp oses I ,

d id not p ass from the

v ie w of the a u d ien c e ,

for fu l l y hal f of my
b o d y w as on the stage ,

b u t as my assistant
h a nded me a new gl ass
c over ,
he deftl y ex
tra c ted the real hand
kerc hiefs from u nder
m y vest Then w hil e
.
,

I ret u rned to the stage

w ith my p atter and
d e sc rip tion of the flight
th e hand kerc hiefs w ere
ab o u t to make my as ,

sistant with the hand

,

k e rc hiefs in h is p o c ket ,

w al ked u nnot ic ed from

th e d o or and on c e o u t
, ,

o f sight ran mad l y to

,

th e Su bw ay stat ion .

T here he boarded an
e x p ress and rea c hed

t h e boat l and ing j u st

in t ime to cat c h the 4
o c l oc k boat
’
At the
.

S tat u e my brother and

,

a t insmit h w ere w a it
R ep ro du c tio n Bu c k h andbil l date d
o f a rare
ing for him Th e
,

1844 F ro m th e Harry Ho u dini Co l l e c tio n

.

. . .

[ 261
]
 THE UNMASK I NG OF R O BE R T HO UD I N -

handkerc h iefs w ere p l a c ed in the tin box sec u rel y so l ,

dered and then this box w as p l a c ed inside a se c ond iro n

,
“ ”
box w h ic h w as l oc ked Th e p l ant w as the n taken
,
. .

u p sta ir s and h idden u nder the to p ste p .

I n the m ean t ime w ith my tho u ghts fo l l o w ing my

,

a ssistant every ste p of h is trip I w as p l aying o u t my end ,

of the game Th e a ud ien c e was su p p l ied w ith bl ank

.

c ards on w h ic h they m ight w r ite the name of the p l a c e

w here the handker c hiefs sho u l d rea p p ear Th is of .

,

c o u rse took some t ime and w hen the c ard s ea c h fol ded
, , ,

to hide th e w rit ing thereon w ere c ol l e c ted in a hat I , ,

shook them u p thoro u ghl y and then t u rned them o ut ,

u p on a
p l ate deft
,
l y add ing on the to p three c ard
,
s w hic h ,

I h ad c on c ea l ed in my hand —
Th is w as sl e ight o f hand .
-

u re l y and I next p ic ked o u t tho se three

“
p ,
re
p p ared c ards on
eac h of w h ic h w as w ritten Can yo u send the h andker
”
c h ie fs u nd e r the to p ste p of the Stat u e of L ibe rty ?
E x p l ain ing th at I h ad in my h and three c ards c hosen at
hap hazard I w ish ed the final c hoic e to b e made by a
,

d isint ere sted p arty A baby w as final l y c hosen to sel e c t

.

th e c ard .Nat u ral l y I refu sed even to take the sl ip of

,

a
p p er from th e baby s hand and
’
one of the l odge mem
, b ers
read the qu e st ion .

Mu rmu rs of su rp r ise and in c red u l ity ec hoed from al l

over the hal l Th e test w as too d iffic u l t ! I then an
.

no u nc e d that if the a u d ien c e w o u l d se l e c t its o wn c o m

mittee making su re to p ic k o u t men w h o c ou l d not be

,

br ibed I w o u l d a c c om p any them and w e w ou l d su rel y

, ,

ret u rn w ith the handke rc hiefs seal ed in dou bl e boxes , ,

as fou nd u nder the fam ou s sta irw ay As an el aborate .

c o u rse l u n c heon w as to be served the c ommittee had ,

[ 2 62
]
 CHAPTE R X

MAG I C
’
R OBE R T B OUD I N S
-
I G NOR ANCE or AS B E TR AYE D

B Y HI S OWN PE N

TATE ME NTS in R obert Ho u din vario u s w orks ’

-
s

on the c onj u rer s art c orroborate my c l aim that he

’

w as not a master mag ic ian b u t a c l ever p u rl o iner

-

and adap ter of the tric ks invented and u sed by

h is p rede c essors and c ontem p orarie s Whenever in these .
,

books he attemp ts to exp l ain or exp ose a tric k w hic h w as

,

not p art of his ré p ertoire he betrays an ignoran c e w hic h ,

wo u l d be im p ossib l e in a c onj u rer versed in the finer and

more su btl e bran c hes of h is art Neither do these ex p l a .

nat ions show th at he w as c l ever enou gh as a me c hanic to

have invented the ap p arat u s w h ic h he c l aimed as his
hand iw ork He states that p rac t ic e and st il l more p rae
.

t ic e are essent ial yet no inte l l igent p erformer amate u r

, ,

or p rofessional c an st u dy my c ol l e c t ion of R obert Houd in

,
-

p rogrammes handb il l,
s and p ress not ic
,
es w itho u t r e al i z

ing that h is rep erto ire c onta ined l itt l e or no trac e of w hat
sho u l d be the fou ndat ion of s u c c essfu l c onj u ring sl e ight ,

o f hand
-
Chang ing h is fingers over the vario u s air hol es
.
-

of the inexha u st ibl e bottl e w as as near as he ever c ame

to sl e ight o f hand even when he w as in the he ight of his
- -
,

s u c c ess .

Ac c ord ing to the p ress not ic es he had a p l easing stage

p resen c e and a
,
l so dressed and set forth his tr ic k s ri c h l y ,

b ut it mu st be borne in m ind that then as often t o da y , ,

[ 2 64
]
 R O BE R T-B O UDI N S
’
I GNO RANCE OF MAGIC

the man sent by an ed itor to c rit ic ise a c onj u rer s p er ’

fo rmanc e kne w l itt l e or noth ing abo u t the art and c ou l d

not inst itu te c omp arisons bet w een d iff erent magic ians .

To day R o bert Ho u d in w o u l d shine as an exhibitor of

- —

il l u sions or me c han ic al toys A p istol shot a p u ff of

.
,

s m oke and his c onfederate or a ssistant h as done the

—

re al w ork behind the sc enes .

His l ac k of finesse as a sl e ight o f hand p erformer is - -

n o w here more c l earl y sho w n than in h is o w n w rit ings .

“
O n p age 37 of h is F ren c h exp osé of the se c rets of magic ,
”
e n t it l ed Comment on D evient Sorc ier (p age 5 1 of the
E n gl ish transl at ion by Professor Ho ffmann
“Th e Se c rets ,

o f Conj u ring and he th u s na ivel y desc ribes

h is masterp ie c e of c o in p al ming
“
-

I myse l f p ra c t ised p al m ing l ong and p erseveringl y

an d a c q u ired thereat a very c onsiderab l e degree of skil l .

I u sed to be abl e to p a l m tw o fi v e fran c p ie c es at on c e the

-
,

h and neverthel ess remain ing as free l y o p e n as tho u gh

, ,
”
it hel d nothing w hatever .

An amate u r of h is o w n day w ou l d ha v e bl u shed to

a d m it that he c o u l d p al m b u t tw o c o in s Me n l ike T
“
. .

”
N el son D ow ns ,
Th e K o in K ing th ink nothing of ,

p a l m ing t w enty fi ve fran c or sil v er do l l ars or forty hal f

-
,

d o l l ars and even this re c ord has been broken

,
.

E ven tw o w r iters w h o c ontr ib u ted to the transl at ion

and edit ing of his w ork s R She l ton Ma c kenz ie and Pro
,
.

f e sso r Ho fl mann (Ange l o J L e w is) and w h o have dra w n

.
,

ric h roya l t ies for the s ame a p o l og ize for h is flagrant m is

,

s tatements w h ic h they real ize any man or w oma nw ith

, , ,

b u t a sl ight kno w l edge of c onj u ring m u st re c ogn ize .

His fi rst c ontribu t ion to the h istory of magic w as h is

[ 2 65
]
 THE UNMASKI NG O F R O BE R T HO UD I N -

Memoirs and w hil e he does not featu re e xp osu re s of

tric k s in th is w ork he off ers in p assing ex p l anat ions of
, , ,

tric ks and au tomata p resented by other magic ians Fo r .

the most p art these exp l anations are obviou sl y in c orrec t ,

and so p rove that he w as ignorant of c ertain fu ndamental

p r in c ip l es of the art in w h ic h he c l a imed to have shone .

I n the introd u c t ion of the Americ an ed it ion p u bl ished ,

in 18 5 0 Mr Ma c kenz ie the ed itor th u s a p ol ogize s for

,
.
, ,

one of R obert Ho u din s most flagrant mista kes in tra c ing

-
’

the h istory of magic

“
One error w hic h M Hou d in makes m u st not be .

s ed over H i a o u nt of M de K m l e l e ’
p a s s .c c e p e e n s c
.

b rated au tomaton c he ss p l ayer (afterw ard Maé l z el s) is -

’

ent irel y w rong This remarkabl e p ie c e of me c hanism

.

w as c onstru c ted in 1 769 and not in 179 6 ; it w as the ,

E mp ress Maria Theresa of Au str ia w h o p l ayed w ith it

-

and not Catherine I I of R u ssia ; it w as in 1783 that it.

first visited Paris w here it p l ayed at the Café de l a

,

R egen c e ; it w as not t aken to L ondon u nt il 1784 and ,

aga in in 18 19 ; it w as bro u ght to Americ a in 18 2 5 by M ,

.

Mael zel and visited o u r p rin c ip al c it ies its c hief resting

, ,

p l a c e be i ng P h il ade l p h i a ; M M a é l z e l s death . w a s in
’

18 38 on the voyage from Cu b a to the Un ited States and

, ,

not as M Hou d in says on h is ret u rn to F ran c e ; and the

,
.
,

au tomaton so far from being taken bac k to F ran c e w as

, ,

sol d by a u c t ion here fi nal l v p u rc hased by the l ate D r

,
.

J . K M . it c hel l of P h il ade l,p h ia re c onstr u c ted b,yh i m ,

and final l y dep o sitedl in the Chinese Mu seu m (f ormerl y

Peal e s) w here it w as c onsu med in the great fire w hic h
’
,

destroyed the Nat ional Theatre (no w the site of th e

Cont inental Hotel c orner of Ninth and Chestnu t Streets)
, ,

2 66
[
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O E R T O UD I N
B -H

and at fairs as w el l as in the better grade of ho u ses

,
.

Ha ving w orked on the same b il l with gen u ine Arab ian

p erfor m er s I kno w j u st h o w the tric k s are a c c om p l ished
,
.

R obert Ho u d in u ndertake s to exp l ain these tric k s in

“
-

c ha p ter XX I I of the Americ an ed it ion of h is Me

.

”
mo irs . So l ong as he q u ote s rel iabl e au thor it ies l ike the
Jo urnal des S c iences the exp l anat ions are c orre c t D i
,
.

re c tl y he attem p ts an inde p endent ex p osu re he strike s ,

far from the c orre c t exp l anation .

On p age 4 2 4 he states
“ I n the fo l l ow ing exp eriment tw o Arabs hel d a sabre
,

one by the h il t the other by the p oint ; a third then c ame

,

forw ard and after raising his c l othe s so as to l eave the

,

abdomen q u ite b are l aid h imse l f flat on the edge of the

,

bl ade w h il e a fo u rth mou nted on h is bac k and seemed

, ,

to p re ss the w ho l e w e ight of h is body on him

“
.

Th is tric k may be ea sil y exp l ained

“
.

Noth ing p roves to the au d ien c e that the sa bre is

re al l y sh arp ened or that the edge is more c u tt ing than
,

the bac k al tho u gh the Arab w h o hol ds it by the p oint is

,

c arefu l to w ra p it u p in a hand kerc h ief — in this im itat ing ,

the j u ggl ers w h o p retend they have c u t the ir fingers

w ith one of the dagger s they u se in the ir tric ks
“
.

Beside s in p erform ing th is tric k the invu l nerabl e

, ,

tu rned h is bac k on the au d ien c e He knew the advantage

.

to be derived from th is c irc u m stanc e ; hen c e at the mo ,

ment w hen abou t to l ay h im sel f on the sabre he very ,

adro itl y p u l l ed bac k o ver h is stomac h that p ort ion of

h is c l oth ing he h ad raised L ast l y w hen the fo u rth ac tor
.
,

mou nted on h is bac k he rested his hands on the shou l ders

,

of the Arabs w h o hel d the sabre Th e l atter app arent l y .

2 68
 ROBE R T HO UDI N S I G NOR ANCE O F
-
’
MAGI C

m aintained h is bal an c e b u t in real ity they s up p orted

, , ,

t h e whol e w e ight of h is body Henc e the onl y re qu ire

.
,

m ent for t his tric k is to h ave the stomac h more or l ess

p ressed in and
,
I w il l exp l a in p resent l y that th is c an be
e ffec ted w itho u t any danger or inj u ry .

In this e x p l anat ion R o bert Ho u d in is ent ire l y w rong

-
.

l ith o g ra h sh o w ing h im do ing th e sw o rd-w al king

,

e rt-Ho u din c l aim n Ger

Ro b to h av e b ee n a frau d R a nnin is stil l w o rkin
. i
, , q
fnany imitate d b y many e u al l e d b y no ne F ro m a p h o to g rap h in t e Harry
.

Ho udini Co l l ec tio n
.

Th e eal se c ret of l ying on to p of a sharp edged razor

r -
,

s w ord or sabre rests on the fa c t th at th e p erformer does

,

ac t u al l y l ie u p on it in a p erfe c t l y mot ionl ess p o sit ion .

We re he to move b u t the w idth of a hair bac kw ard or ,

[ 2 69
]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BE R T HO UD I N -

forw ard or sidew ise the w eap on w ou l d sl ic e h is bo dy

, ,

resu l t ing in instant death or horribl e m u t il at ion I have .

w at c hed c heap p erformer s of th is c l ass of w ork in d im e ,

mu se u ms or fairs w al k u p a l adder of sharp sw ord s

,

w h ic h I had p rev io u sl y he l d in my hand They w o u l d .

p l a c e the foot do w n w ith infin i te p re c ision and then p ress

it into p l ac e This p osit ion w il l not resu l t in c u tt ing
.
,

b u t l et the p erformer sl ip or sl ide and the flesh w o u l d

be c u t instantl y I have al so seen an ac robat w ork in g
.
,

in a c irc u s se l e c t tw o razors in fi rst c l ass c ond it ion p l a c e

,
-
,

them on a so c ket w ith the edge s of the razors u p p e rmost ,

and w ith his bare hands he w ou l d do w hat is kno w n as

a h an d stand on the keen edges of the bl ade s Th is tric k
-
.

of absol u te bal anc e is a c qu ired by p ersistent p rac t ic e

from you th u p .

Aga in R obert Hou d in errs w ofu l l y in c om p aring th e

-

sabre sw al l ow er to the sw al l o w er of broken bottl e heel s

- -

and stones Sabre sw al l o w ing is one tric k sw al l o w in g

.
-

p ebb l es and broken g l as s be l ong s i n q u ite a d iff erent

c l a ss
. And w hen I say th is I do not mean p o w dere d
gl ass b u t p ie c e s of gl ass first broken then c hew ed and
, , ,

final l y sw al l o wed .

O n p age 4 2 6 R obert Hou d in p u ts the two tric ks in th e

-

“
same c l ass as fol l ow s
,

When the tric k of sw al l ow ing bottl e heel s and p ebbl e s -

w as to be done the Aissao u a real l y p u t them in his mo u th

, ,

b u t I be l ieve I may say c ertain l y that he removed them

, ,

at the moment w hen he p l ac ed his head in the fol ds of the

Mo kade m s bu rnou s However had he sw al l ow ed them
’
.
, ,

there w o u l d have been nothing w onderful abo u t th is ,

w hen w e c omp are it with what w as done some t hirty

 THE UNMASKI NG OF R O BER T HOUDI N -

day and indeed p roved that he was c ap abl e of ex ec u t

,

w hat he p retended to I saw him p erform freq u en

.

and remembe r it as w e l l as if it w as b u t yesterday .

said he w as an I tal ian ; he w as short and s qu at ,

Bl asiu s de Manfre or Bl aise Manf re de fro m a

, rare o l d wo o dc u t in th e H
Ho u dini Co l l e c tio n .

c hest fa c e forehead eyes and mo u th ve ry l arge

, , , , .

p retended to be fifty years o l d tho u gh he did not se ,

forty
“
.

He w as c a l l ed the famo u s B l aise Manfrede a nat ,

of Mal ta At F ranc fo rt he fre qu ent l y p erformed th

.

t imes a day : for beside s h is p erforman c es t w ic e a c

,

[ 2 72 ]
 R O BER T B O UDI N S I G NO R ANCE O F
-
’
MAG I C

on the p u bl ic stage (w hic h nobody ap p ro ac hed w itho u t

p a y ing ) ,
he attended p r iv ate ho u se s w hen c a l l ed u p on by
l
“
g reat p peo e .

He c al l ed for a l arge bu c ket of fa ir w arm w ater and ,

t w enty littl e gl a ss bott l es flat l ike c u p p ing gl asse s so

, ,

t h at they c ou l d stand top side t u rv y Some of these he .

fi l l e d with w ater p l u ng ing them into the bu c ket w ith a

- ,

g o o d dea l of c eremony a n d u s u a l l y s wal l o w ed tw o or

,

t h ree to w ash his mo u th and gargl e h is throat He threw .

u p the w ater again immed iate l y to she w the sp e c tators ,

that he had no dru gs betw een h is teeth w hen c e he c ou l d ,

“
b e s u sp ec ted to derive any ad vantage .

After this p l au sibl e p re l u de he made an I tal ian ,

h arangu e whic h I c annot a c q u aint yo u w ith th e merits

,

o f be c a u se I am a stranger to the l angu age

,
After .

h is harangu e he u su al l y took o ff tw o dozen of h is l itt l e

b ott l es whic h he fi l l ed from the bu c ket and a moment
, ,

afterw a rds ret u rned the l iqu or thro u gh h is mo u th Bu t .

w hat is most e xt raord ina ry is th at th is w ater w h ic h he ,

threw o u t w ith viol en c e ap p eared red l ike w ine And

, .

w hen he had d isc harged it into tw o d ifferent bott l e s it ,

w as red in one and ru sset l ike beer in th e other ; as soon

as he shifted the bott l e s to the c ontrary side s they c hanged ,

th e ir c omp l exion resp ec t ive l y to that of w ine or beer and ,

so su c c essive l y so l ong as he c ont in u ed v om it ing ; in the

m e an t ime I o b serv ed that the w ater grew l e ss d isc ol ored

,

in p rop ort ion as he c ont in u ed to d isc harge This w as the .

fi r st ac t Then he ranged his tw o dozen of bott l e s opp o

.

sit e to him on a tabl e and exp osed to everybody s v ie w

’
, .

T h en h e took an e qu al n u mber of bott l es p l u nged th e m ,

a n ew into the bu c ket sw al l o w ed them too and ret u rned

, ,

18
[ 2 73 ]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BE R T HO UD I N -

them in w ater very tran sp arent ro se w ater orange fl o w er

,
-

,
-

w ater and brandy

“
.
,

I h ave sme l t the se veral odou rs of h is l iq u ors ; n ay ,

I ha v e seen h im set fire to a handkerc hief d ip t in that

w h ic h sme l t l ike brandy and it b u rnt bl u e l ike sp ir it u o u s
,

l iq u ors . Nay he fre q u ent l y p rom ised at Venic e to

,

give the water ba c k again in mil k and o il Bu t I think h e .

did not kee p h is w ord I n short he c on c l u ded this s c en e

.
,

w ith sw al l o w ing su c c es sfu l l y thirty or forty gl asse s of

w ater al w ays from the same b u c ket and after hav in g
, ,

given not ic e to the c om p any by his man (w h o served as

an interp reter) that he w as going to d isembog u e he ,

thre w h is head ba c k and sp o u t ing o u t the fair w ater

, ,

he made it sp ring u p w ith an imp et u osity l ike th at of

the strongest j et d ean Th is l ast feat del ighted the
’
.

p peo l e infin ite l y more th an a l l the re st and d u r ing the ,

month he w as at Franc fo rt n u mbers from al l p arts c ame

to see this sl ovenl y exerc ise Tho u gh he rep eated it more .

than on c e a day he h ad more than fou r hu ndred sp ec ta

tors at a t ime Some threw the ir handkerc hiefs and some
.
,

the ir gl o ve s u p on the st age that he might w et them w it h ,

the w ater he had c ast u p and he ret u rned them d iff erentl y
,

p erf u med ,
somet imes w ith ro se w ater somet imes w ith -
,

o rang e fl l — ”
o w e r w ater and somet imes w ith brandy
,
.

Another famo u s j u ggl er and Water sp o u ter w as Fl ora m -

Marc hand w ho se p ic t u re is herew ith rep rodu c ed Ju dg

,
.

ing from h is dress he antedated Manfrede

,
.

Bel l s Messeng er of Ju l y 16th 18 16 tel l s of a sw ord

’
, ,

sw al l ow er whose w ork is extremel y p ert inent to this dis

c u ssio n and the c l ip p ing is q u oted verbat im
“ ,

Th e F ren c h p ap ers give a c u rio u s a c c o u nt of o ne

[ 2 74 ]
 THE UNMAS KI NG O F R O BE R T HO UD I N -

sw al l o w s the bl ade of a sabre abo u t thirteen in c he s l ong

of p o l ished stee l Th is o p erat ion he p erform s very sl o w l y
.
,

and w ith some p re c au t ion ; tho ugh he e vin c es no sy m p

tom o f p a in After e ve ry so l id bo dy that he sw al l o w s he
.
,

Po sitio n take n b y th e su b e c t
j in th e I ndian b aske t tric k b e fo re h e is c o ve re d
b y th e sh ee t .

al w ays take s a sma l l dose of w ine exp re ssl y p re p ared for

him . He does not seem to make any e ffort to kil l the
l iv ing an imal s that he t ake s in h is mo u th b u t boasts that ,
”
he fee l s them mo v ing in h is sto m ac h .

[ 2 76 ]
 R O BE R T-B O UDI N S I G NO R ANCE O F
’
MAG I C

In my c ol l e c t ion is the handbil l of a stone sw al l ow er -

w h o exhibited at No I O Co c k sp u r Street L ondon c harg

.
, ,

ing an admission fee of hal f a c row n - -

.

T hese p erformers ac t u al l y sw al l o w ed the w at e r stones , ,

I ndian fakir seated in th e b ask e t afte r th e su b e c t

j h as b ee n v anish e d .

e bbl es t and ret h e d th e m u p again so c l ev erl y and

p , e c .
, c

at su c h c arefu l l y se l e c ted in stant s th at the au d ien c e d id

no t know that the d isgorg ing h ad be e n ac c om p l ished .

Sw al l ow ing gl as s w as a d iffe rent matter and the mod ,

[ 2 77 ]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BE R T-HO UD I N

ern h u man ostric hes have al l w ou nd u p at c ity hosp ital s

w here s u rgeons have remo ved broken gl ass kn ife bl ades , ,

and other foreign matter by means of an op eration .

I qu ote the above instan c e s simp l y to p ro v e that th e

stone s w ere ac t u al l y s w al l o w ed and then d isgorged and ,

not h idden as R o bert Hou d in c l aims in the fol ds of th e

,
-
,

Mo k adem s bu rno u s
’
.

I n th is one c hap ter al one R obert Ho u d in q u ote s six -

au thorit ie s in exp l ain ing the tric ks he w itnessed w h ic h ,

fac t onl y strengthens my bel ief that he borrow ed h is

tric ks as w el l as h is exp l an at ions from abl e and grap h ic
, ,

w riters on the art of mag ic .

Th e next w ork desc rip t iv e of the c onj u rer s art o ffere d

“
’

by R obert Ho u d in w as L e s Se c rets de l a Pre st id igitat ion

“
-

e t de l a Mag ie Under the t it l e of Th e Se c rets of Co n

.

j u ring and Magic ; or Ho w to Be c ome a W izard it

,
”
,

w as tran sl ated and ed ited by Professor Ho fl m ann and

u bl ished in 18 78 b y G eorge R o u t l edge 8: Co L ondo n
p .
,

and New York .

Ab sol u te l y no original ity is d isp l ayed in t his book and ,

the majority of the tric k s exp l ained c an be fou nd in

F ren c h books of a sim il ar c harac ter w hic h ap p eared b e
fore R obert Ho u d in t u rned a u thor Th e p roof of th is
-
.

st atement c an b e fo u nd by read ing any of the fol l o w ing

w ork s u p on w h ic h R obert Ho u d in p atent l y dre w for h is

-

material
“ No u vel l e Mag ic B l an c he D év oil é e et Cou rs Comp l et
”
de Prestid igitat ion in tw o vol u mes by J N Pon sin
,
“
. .
, ,

p u b l ished in Par is in 18
53; G rande I n it iat ion au

vraie Prat iqu e des Cé l ebre s Physic iens Prest id igitate u rs

“
-
"
,

Paris 18 5 5 ; Nou veau Man u el Comp l et Sorc iers l es

, ,

[ 2
78 ]
 THE UNMASK NG O F R O BE R T HO UD I N
I -

starts his dramat ic tal e of in vent ing a dete c tor l oc k b y

w h ic h he p rote c ted a ric h ne ighbor M de l E sc al o p ie r
’
,
.
,

from robbe ry and in c idental l y in ret u rn se c u red fu n d s

,

w ith w hic h to o p en his theatre in the Pal ais R oya l In .

h is Memo irs
”
R obert Hou d in st ates th at the o p e n ing
-

of the theatre w as made p o ssibl e by the in vention of the

w r it ing and dra w ing au tomaton w ho se history has been
trac ed in c hap ter I I I Th e reader c an c hoose be t w een
.

the tw o storie s O ne is as p l au sibl e as the other

. .

Bu t to ret u rn to the dete c tor l o c k Co u nt or M D e . .

I E sc al o p ie r h av ing c om p l ained grie vo u sl y to h is h u mb l e

’

ne ighbor the w at c hmaker R obe rt Hou d in that he and

,
-
,

h is fam il y w ere be ing robbed begged th at the l atter su g ,

gest some mean s of c at c hing the thief R obert Ho u d in .

-

then re c al l ed a c hil d ish de vic e by w hic h he h ad c au ght

his sc hoo l fe l l o w s m the ac t of p il fering h is desk e tc
-

,
.
,

and he p ro p o sed to the Co u nt that th e same de v ic e e l ab ,

orated to meet the stren g th of a fu l l grow n man be at -

,

tac h ed to his w e al thy p atron s de sk As fi rst p l anned the

’
.
,

dete c tor l oc k w as to shoot o ff a p isto l on being tamp ered

w ith and then brand the h and of the thief w ith n itrate
,

of sil ver Cou nt de l E sc al o p ier objec ted to branding a

.
’

man for l ife so R obert Ho u d in su b st it u ted for the nitrate

,
-

of sil ver a sort of c at s c l aw w hic h w o u l d c l amp dow n on

’

the robber s h and and draw bl ood Th e Cou nt dep o sited

’
.

ten thou sand fran c s in h is de sk and c au ght the robber ,

his c onfident ial serv ant red h anded Th e ten thou sand
,
-
.

fran c s he p re sented to R obert Ho u d in as a rew ard for -

sto p p ing the theft s .

A c harming tal e t h is make s b u t u nfort u natel y for , ,

R obert Ho u d in s c l aims to original ity the detec tor l o c k

’
-
,

[ e 80
]
 R O BE R T HO UD I N S I G NO R ANCE O F
-
’
MAG I C

w as not a novel ty in his day Th e l o c k w hic h w ou l d .

fi r st al arm the ho u seho l d by sett ing o ff a p istol and then

b rand the thief s hand is desc ribed by the Marq u is of
“
’
,

Wo rc ester in his book Cent u rie of I n vent ion s ”

As .

l o c k s and l oc k smith ing form my hobby w h il e in E ngl and ,

I p u rc hased the ent ire set of p atent book s to add to a -

,

c o l l e c t ion of l o c ks and fa sten ing s from e v ery kno w n c o u n

t ry of the w orl d I n the introd u c t ion of the first boo k of

.

p a tents for i n v ent ions re l at ing to l o c ks l at c hes bo l ts , , ,

e tc .
,
from A D 1774 to 1866 the fo l l ow ing qu otation w il l
.
,

“
b e fou nd :
Th e Marq u is of Worc e ster in h is Cent u rie of I nv en
‘

t io ns th u s des c ribes the first dete c tor l o c k in vented A D

’
. .
,

16 40 by some me c han ic a l gen iu s of that day : Th is l oc k

‘
,

is so c onst ru c ted that if a stranger attemp ts to op en it it

, ,

c a t c hes his hand as a tra p c at c he s a fox tho u gh as far as ,

m aiming h im for l ife yet so far marketh h im that if su s

,

ed he m ight ea sil y b e dete c ted

’

p e c t .

I t ap p ea rs that to th is l oc k w as fitted a stee l barb

w h ic h if a c ertain t u mbl er w as o ve rl ifted in the ac t of
,
-

ic king or othe rwise w as p roje c ted ag am st the hand of

p ,

th e op erator by a sp ring I ha ve seen su c h a l o c k as th is

.

in the c ol l e c tion of Hobb s Hart Co L ondon w h o

,
.
, ,

h ave had it in the ir p o sses sion many years I n e v ery .

re s p e ct it answ ers the des c rip t ion of the in v ent ion c l a imed

b y R o bert Ho u d in as his o w n
“
-
.

Chap ter VI I of Se c ret s of Stage Conj u ring is de

.

v o ted to R obert Ho u d in s v ery in c orre c t ex p l anat ion of

’
-

t h e famo u s I nd ian Ba sket Tric k E ven h is o w n trans .

l a to r Pro fe ssor Ho ffmann takes issu e w ith R obert Ho u

, ,
-

d in as wil l be seen by read ing h is foot note on p age 10 4

,
-

[ 2 81 ]
 R O BE R T B O UD I N S I G NO R ANCE O F
-
’
MAG I C

We w il l not vent u re to qu e st ion the fa c t vo u c hed for by

so high an au thority as R obe rt Hou din that the I nd ian -
,

Basket Tric k may sometimes b e p erformed after the

THE JUSTI N CEL E BR ATE!

)

R AMO S A MB E ,
CHI E F OF

Th e I n d ia n Ju g g l e" ,
- I a n ‘s H un M m
O MOND A Y
:M
E x trao rdinary Pent. o f S trength
W (a
. JUL Y
mou nt the s l ob
and
“ !
Ag ility.

2 2 2 PI CC AD I L L Y
, ,
i m

F o u f iiifi gs fi h u s
' '

H N T E S I Z E O F OR A G ES .

SEVER AL F EATS O F B AL L ANCI NG»

‘ mna d -
" m a.

M fi a a C a nop y w ith
a e M
O N TH E TOP o r s No se m
Gph nl ng of ) To p o n a P o int as fi ne a c Needl e.

M
d . ““
B AL I NCI NO TH E SA ME ON " 18 CHI N
‘7mt g-
,

M m é
an !”
l t h th z flg fl
Sew h
,
t

WONDER FUL F EAT W I TH L AR G E K NIVES

w d h nfly “ “
“ ““
h fi
t

-
M
m ph
b ” an d
sat M y t un.
m " u h N
«
”
d
ah
:
n u
I nk M a m an I u
m mu
'

“
snv nnu . o v e r. s. p

W m m iq 0 00 0 C|o c M M an d .
'

(h
[15 a
eo e1 ,

W
.
M ou m flb h m i wl.

A R amo Samec h andbil l , fe atu ring h is sto ne -sw al l o wing ac t . Fro m th e

Harry Ho u dini

manner above desc ribed b u t w e do u bt very mu c h w hether ,

”
su c h is the u s u al or c u stomary method .

R obert Ho u d in state s that the c hil d is p l a c ed in the

-

basket and the I ndian fa stens down the l id with l eather

,

strap s To fac il itate this o p eration he rests his knee s

.
,

[ 2 82
]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O B E R T-HO UD I N

aga in st the basket and the bottom of the l atter th u s be ing

,

t u rned tow ard the au d ien c e the boy sl ip s o u t t h ro u gh a

,

c u nn ingl y c ontrived trap and q u ic kl y c on c ea l s himse l f

u nder the robe of the magic ian w hose att itu de fa vors
,

this c onc eal ment .

As the ba sket tric k is the Hindoo magic ian s mo st

’

w onderfu l o ff ering a tru thfu l a c c o u nt of h is method s of

,

p e r form ing the s ame may b e interest ing I n the fir st .

p l a c
,
e R obert -
H o u d in s ex p l anat
’
ion is im p o ss ib l e and u n

reasonabl e be c au se the Hindoo magic ian does not w e ar

flow ing robe s in w hic h the c hil d c ou l d be c on c ea l ed .

E very Hindoo p erformer I ha ve e ver seen w ore short

tro u sers and w as barefooted .

Th e c orre c t method of p erforming the tric k w hic h h as ,

been handed dow n thro u gh generat ion s of Hindoos is as ,

fol l ow s : Th e boy su bjec t is p l ac ed in a net in w h ic h

he is firml y t ied after hav ing h ad h is b ig toes and thu mbs
,

fa stened do w n w ith bandage s Then w ith many a gru nt .

,

and a gro an he is l ifted into the ba sket Th e su bje c t

,
.
,

ho w e ver p ret end s that the basket is too smal l so he is

, ,

re al l y se ated on one side and kee p s h is bac k in the air .

Th is is done to g ive the a p p earan c e e vent u al l y that it

w as im p o ssibl e for h im to c ro u c h do w n or aro u nd the
ba sket Th e l id of the ba sket is no w p l a c ed on his ba c k
.
,

and a l arge sheet is throw n o ver the entire ap p arat u s ,

w hic h c on c ea l s from the au d ien c e e v ery m o vement made

by the s u bje c t .

No w c ommen c e s the Hindoo p atter in real ity ye l l s , ,

groans and in c antat ions w hil e the magic ian and h is

, ,

assistant strike the ba sket w ith sw ords or c anes stam p ,

on the grou nd gna sh the ir teeth etc G rad ual l y the

, ,
.

[ 2 84
]
 ROBER T HO UDI N S I G N OR ANCE O F
-
’
MAGI C

co e v r of the basket sink s u nt il the basket seem s emp ty to ,

the sp e c tators at l e ast Th e fak ir no w t akes o ff the c o ver

.

of the ba sket l ea v ing the sheet o ver it ho w e v er

,
Then he
,
.

j p
um s i nto the p re su mab l y em p ty ba sket s tam p s al l ,

aro und and take s o u t the net in w h ic h are fo u nd the tu r

,

ban w orn by the su bje c t and the th u mb tie To p rove .

fu rther that the b asket is st il l em p ty the fakir seat s h im ,

se l f in the ba sket as sho w n in the il l u strat ion Th e l id .

,

Of the ba sket is no w re l ac ed an d u nder th i s fr iend l y

p ,

Co v er the sheet is taken o ff and the ba sket t ied u

p .

No w c ommen c es the tru e Hindoo m ag ic Th e magi .

Gia n is a rea l a c tor He ap p arent l y adj u re s Mahomet

. .

He gets very ang ry and w ith fierc e l ooks ej ac u l at ion s , ,

an d mu ttered c u rse s he grab s u a w ord or c ane and

p s

l b s it thro u gh d iff erent p art s of the ba sket D u ring al l

a .

t h is time the su bje c t w h o is something of a c ontort ion

,

is t is w r iggl ing abo u t on the bottom of the b a sket kee p

, ,

in t of rea h of the w ord and in fa t often g id ing

g o u c s c ,
u

it s thru sts bet w een h is l egs as e very mo vement on the

,

P art of the fak ir h as been c arefu l l y tho u ght o u t and

re hearsed in ad v an c e .

By this t ime the fakir h as c on v in c ed h is a u d ien c e that

the basket is emp ty To be s u re he h as not al l ow ed any
.

sp e c tators to c ome too near h im or the ba sket nor has ,

any h and save h is to u c hed it b u t h is c l e v er ac t ing al mo st

,

p ers u ades even an inte l l igent or sc e p t ic al on l ooker that

the basket is emp ty .

With the l id of the ba sket re p l a c ed this t ime abo ve ,

th e friend l y sheet and the basket t ied he re su mes h is

, ,

w e ird in c antat ion s . He sc ream s and ru n s bac k and

f o rth p l aying on a smal l in stru ment with a hideo u s tone
,
I e I
 THE UNMASKI NG O F R O BE R T-HO UD I N

w h ic h is a c ross between the w h ist l e of a l o c omot ive w ith

a c ol d and a saw ed o ff and hammered down fl u te in
,
- -

w hic h has been inserted a tin w h ist l e As this nerve .

rac k ing m u sic hol ds the sp e c tators u nder its a w fu l sp el l ,

the ba sket beg ins to roc k the c ontort ionist su bje c t grad
,
-

u al l y ra ises himse l f inside the ba sket and w hen the noise ,

is at its he ight he straightens u p in the b asket and raises

it w ith h is bac k as far as it w il l go To the u n in it iated it
.

ac t u al l y ap p ears as if he had ret u rned to an emp ty basket

in h is original p osit ion Th e tric k is a marve l l o u s de c ep
.
~

t ion b u t onl y a Hindoo c an exh ibit it w ith su c c ess for

, ,

no w hite p erson w o u l d e ver ind u l ge in the sc ree c hing s ,

im be c il it ies and c ontort ion s w h ic h are the sp e c tac u l ar

,

and c onvin c ing feat u res of the tric k .

Somet imes the tric k is v aried I nstead of the s u bje c t

.

being fo u nd in his original p osition h e is seen ru nn ing

tow ard the c ro w d as from a distan c e This is ac c o m .

“
p l ish e d by hav ing tw o s u bje c ts one in the b asket and one
,
”
hidden on the ou tskirts of the c row d wh o are do u bl es ,

or at l ea st w h o show a marked resem bl anc e and are

dre ssed exac t l y al ike.

Th e earl iest p rogrammes of Hindoo j u ggl ers in my c o l

“
l e c t ion are dated 18 18 Th e Mr R amo samee feat u red
”

“
. .

on this bil l l ater sp l it h is name thu s R amo Sam e e ‘

, ,

and w as engaged to p erform al one betw een th e a c ts of

“ ”
Th e B ro ken Heart at the G arric k Theatre L ondon ,
.

F rom R amo Samee Cont inental and Brit ish mag ic ians
,

l earned the tric k of j u ggl ing bra ss b al l s .

O n p age 135 Professor Ho fl m ann in a foot note c o m ,

-
,

mends R o be rt Hou din for the very imp art ial manner in
-

w h ic h he a p p roa c hes the qu est ion of sp ir it u al ism and

[ 2 86 ]
 THE UNMASKI NG OF R O BER T HO UD I N -

p o rt B ro th e rs h ail e d from Bu ffal o N Y U S A I ra

, ,
. .
,
. . .

E rast u s w as b o rn Se p tembe r 17th 1839 and W il l iam

, ,

He nrv , F e b ru arv l st 184 1

, They fairl y start l ed the
.

w orl d by the ir so c al l ed man ifestat ions of sp iritu al ism

-

d u ring the 6o s and w ere al ternate l y l au ded and revil ed

’
,

for the ir p erforman c es .

[ 2 88 ]
 R O BE R T HOUD I N S I G NOR ANCE OF
-
’
MAGI C

B oth w ere bel ow mediu m height rather hand some ,

m e n and as wil l be seen from the a c c om p anying e ng rav

, ,

in g l ooked mu c h al ike
,
The ir c areer w hic h started in .
,

A m eric a ran from a bo u t 18 5 3 to the earl y 7o s They

’
,
.

m ad e a trip to Eu rop e in 1864 remain ing u nt il Au gu st , ,

1 86 9 . Both married abroad ; I ra a da ughter of F ran c e ,

M l l e L ou ise To u l et and Wil l iam Henry a Pol ish girl

.
, ,

M iss Matil da Mag On the w hol e the ir foreign tou r w as

T .
,

m o st p rofitabl e tho ugh in some c ities they p aid a high

,

p r ic e for the ir notor iety I n E ngl and they w aged bitter .

w ar fare with John Henry Anderson To l maq u e and Pro , ,

f e ssor R edmond .

O n the oc c asion of the ir Paris op en ing at the Sal l e

H e rz they c l aimed that the hood l u m el ement mobbed
t h e theatre and broke u p the ir p erforman c e at the inst iga
t io n of Henri R o bin w h o w as p l ay ing in op p osit ion , .

H a mil ton w h o had su c c eeded to the management of

,

R o b e rt Ho udin s theatre in a l etter p u bl ished after w it

’
-
,

n e ssing th eir in it ial p erforman c e anno u n c ed that he sh ared

t h is belief ; b u t as R o bert Hou d in and Henri R o bin w ere -

b itter rival s I be l ieve Ham il ton s l etter was the re su l t of

’
,

t w o things : first the intense il l w il l he harbored again st -

R o bin and se c ond as he had R obert Ho u d in as h is

, ,
-

m e ntor he w as real l y ignorant of the D aven p ort methods

,

an d the re fore not in a p osit ion to defend them Th e .

l e tter w hic h is given in fu l l a p p eared in Gazette des

, ,

Etrang ers Paris Sep tem ber 2 7th 186 5

‘
, , ,
°

Messrs D avenp ort : Ye sterday I had the p l easu re of

.

b e ing p re sent at the sé an c e yo u ga ve and I c ame aw ay ,

fro m it c onvin c ed that jea l o u sy al one w as the c au se of

th e ou t c ry raised against yo u Th e p henomena p ro .

I 9 [ 9]
28
 THE UNMASK I NG O F RO B E R T-
HO UD I N

du c ed s u rp assed my exp e c tat ion s and yo u r exp er ime nt s ,

w ere fu l l of intere st to me I c on sider it my d u ty to ad d

.

that these p henomen a are inexp l ic abl e ; and the more so

by su c h p erson s as ha ve thou ght them se l ves abl e to gu e ss
yo u r su p p o sed sec ret and w h o are in fac t far indeed
, , ,

from ha v ing d isc o v ered the tru th Hamil ton . .

After the ir ret u rn to Amer ic a the D a ven p ort B rothers

Th e cab ine t tric k o ff ered b th e D av e n Bro th e rs

o rt Fro m an o l d int in
y
r
p .
p
an y Ho u di ni Co l l ec tio n
! .
 THE UN MASKI NG O F R O BE R T HO UDI N -

fail ed to o E ven if the ent ire thu mb w ere c u t aw ay I

,
.
,

be l ieve it w ou l d st il l be im p ossibl e to sl ip a rop e that w as

ro erl bo u nd aro u nd the w r ist Y o u may take an
p p y y .

c u fi of the adj u stabl e make or a rat c het c u ff p l a c e it , ,

abo u t a sm al l w oman s w r ist and yo u wil l find that even

’
,

o e o no e s HAL L,
’
sr .

R E T U R N

BR OTHE R S DAVE NPOR T

M R . F A Y .

h u m u M M
a a tom-d th m ye n o ver th e p u tar pu t
d fi o confi nent d nnmpq th cy h n u tnmed m mm m d
p mh uy for th o h n fi m to thil l ' h m th q wm
m givo

a ta Béu m pre vions w th eir dep u ture for th e UniM Sttu l .

th eir l l q j eofi eo th e h m
o ol rm oo md nnd g th o k oyd

Pm il y of Prussia, and great nm bm of th e most Di i n ish ed m

Pen om gu in Europ e l any th onn nd ol p m
. oflh o h ig h a t -

M i n t visit to Engl and in 1864, th ey m teen by h undrd o

I n h gh ni M M M w fim h
disfi ngniah ed pu ty d mn d n ience gnd l efl
b a m
m wh o can :

most uneq uivocal testimony to th e ex cell ence and perfection of

M
“
1170 810 d a g m n md l b . Fur -ml »

ST GEORGE S HALL LANGHAM PLACE

'
. . .

On THUR SDAY su m m m c an
o, . .

And SATUR DAY m ant a . m a 8 5 th

. . 1000.
’
a t igh t o cl o c k .

S TA L L S , 80 . B A L CO N Y ,

Anno unce me nt u sed b y th e Davenp o rt Bro th ers o n th e ir

E ng l and afte r th e ir to ur o f th e Co ntine nt in Ap ril 186 8
, Fro m th e Harry , .

Ho u dini Co ll ec tio n .

[ 2
9 2
]
 R O B E R T HO UD I N S I GNO R ANC E O F
’
MAGI C

sh e be u nabl e to sl ip her w rists I do not mean by

w il l .

t h is any hand c u fi that w il l not c ome to any size o r the

-
,

c o m mon c u fi s w hic h w hen l o c ked w il l l oc k on l y to a

c e rtain size b u t I mean a c u fi that c an be l o c ked and
,

ad j u sted to any size of wrist .

I n rop e tying the p rin c ip al tr ic k is to al l ow yo u rse l f to

-
,

b e tied a c c ord ing to c ertain methods of c rossing you r

h ands or w rists so that by e vent u al l y straighten ing yo u r
,

h ands yo u have made eno u gh room to a l l ow them to sl ip

o u t very easil y I t is not a l w ays the size of the wrist that
.

c o u nt s I t is the manner of ho l d ing yo u r hand s w hen the

.

k n ots are be ing t ied .

Th e g ift of see ing in the dark w ith w h ic h R o bert ,

H ou d in endow ed the D a ven p ort s is e qu al l y p re p o stero u s , .

P rofessor Ho ff mann defends R obert Ho u d in by c it ing in -

s tan c es o f p risoners w h o had been c onfined in c e l l s for an

in definite p eriod and w h o had l earned to see in the dark .

T his is qu ite tru e b u t they did not a l ternate dayl ight

,

and darkness E minent o p t ic ians and o c u l ists info rm me

.

t h at the fac u l ty of see ing in the dark c annot be ac qu ired

b y p art ies l ike the D a ven p ort s w h o sp ent most of the ir ,

t ime in the l ight .

Wh il e the D aven p ort s w ere p ioneers in rop e tying and -

c abinet sé an c es had R obert Hou d in been the c l e ver

,
-

sl e ight o f hand p erformer and in ventor he c l a ims to ha ve

- -

b een these tric ks w o u l d ha ve been c l ear and sol v abl e to

,

h im . Bu t as he obv io u sl y jo ined the rank s of the amazed

and bewil dered mas ses m aking on l y a fu t il e attem p t to
,

e xp l ain the p erforman c es he c on v ic ts himse l f of ig no

,

ran c e regard in g h is o w n art .

A man w h o has made a fort u ne in the w orl d of magic

[ 2 93 ]
 THE UNMASKI NG O F R O BER T HOUDI N -

and w h o desires to hand down to p o sterity a c l ean re c ord

of h is attainments wil l b e c l ever enou gh and manl y
eno u gh to avo id any attem p t to exp l ain that w hic h he
does not u nderstand By h is flag rant misstatements
.

regard ing the tr ic ks of his p redec e sso rs and c ontem p o

raries R o bert Hou din h ow e ver c on v ic t s himsel f of ig no

,
-
, ,

ran c e regarding the fu nd amental p rin c ip l es of mag ic and

,

arou se s in the minds of broad intell igent readers dou bts

,

regarding his c l aims to the in vention of the variou s tric ks

and au tomata w hic h he dec l ares to have been the o u t p u t
of his brain the p rod u c t ion of his o wn deft h ands
,
.

[ 2
94 ]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R OB R T HO UD I N
E -

the l ad shared h is stage triu m p hs His other c hil dren he .

ne ver ment ions by name Th e se c ond w ife w h o he .

, ,

gru dg ingl y ad m it s stood val iantl y by h im in his days of

,

p o v erty and d isa p p o intment he doe s not honor by so

,

m u c h as stat ing her n ame before marriage R ather he .

,

refers to her as a p erson w hom he w as c on strained to

l a e in c harge of h is ho u seho l d in order that he m ight
p c

c ont in u e h is ex p eriments and h is w ork on au tomata A .

l e ss grac io u s tribu te to w ife l y devot ion w as never p enned .

Bu t it is in deal ing w ith c ontemp orary magic ian s or

tho se w ho se hand iw ork in bygone years he c l e verl y p u r
l o ined and p ro c l aimed as h is original invent ions th at ,

the p etty je al o u sy of the man c omes to the su rfac e When .

e ver he de sire s to c l a im for h im se l f c red it du e a p rede

c e ssor in the w orl d of m ag ic he e ither ignore s the man s
’
,

very ex isten c e or w rite s of h is c om p et itor in su c h a man

ner that the l atter s st and ing as man and magic ian is
’

l o w ered No t th at he make s broad sw ee p ing statements

.
,
.

R ather he ind u l ge s in the inn u endo w hic h is far more

,

dangero u s to the p arty attac ked He never strikes a .

n b l o w w h ich be c au se of its bru tal ity m ight aro u se

p e-

, ,

the sym p athy o f h is readers for the objec t of h is attac k .

Here in the gent l e art of inn u endo and bel itt l ing if not
, ,

in the c onj u rer s art R obert Ho u d in is a master

’
-
.

I n w rit ing h is Memoirs he del iberatel y ignores

”

Co mp ars Herrmann Henri R obin Wil j al b a F rikel l M

, , , .

Jac obs and P T Barn u m al l of w hom he knew p erson

, . .
,

al l y He m ight h ave w ritten mo st entertainingl y of these

.

men b u t in ea c h c ase he h ad an obje c t in avo iding refer

,

en c e to the a c q u aintan c e P T Barn u m knew the tru e

. . .

history of the w riting and draw ing figu re as referen c e to ,

[ 2
9 ]
6
 NARR OWNE SS O F R O B R HO UD I N S
E T -
’
ME MO I R S

Cha ter I I I of th is b ook w il l sho w F rikel l w as the p ioneer

p . .

in disp ensing with c u mbersome st age drap erie s R o bert .

Ho udin c l aimed this innovation as the p rod u c t of h is o wn

ing e nu ity Co mp ars Herrmann w as p l ay ing in L ondon
.

Wh e n R obe rt Ho u d in made h is E ngl ish d é bu t u nder

-

Wil j al ba Frik l l em his yo u th sh o wing th e p ec u l iar c o stu me wo rn

, co n
time Th e au th o r sec u red th is p o rtrait a fe w
.

se nt it to th e v e te ran c o nj ure r, w h o w as am az ed to l e arn

n e x istence. No w m th e Harry Ho u dini Co l l ec tio n .

Mitc hel l s direc t ion and w as p resent ing tric k for tric k
’
, , ,

th e re e rto ire c l aimed by R o bert Ho u d in as orig inal w ith

p
h im Henri R o bin d isp u ted R o bert Ho u d in 5 c l aim to
.
’

h aving invented the inexhau st ibl e bott l e and p ro ved his ,

c ase as w il l b e seen b y referen c e to c hap ter VI I I Jac o b s

, .

[ 2 97 ]
 THE UN MAS KI N G O F R O BER T HO UD I N -

w as one of Ande rso n s c l e verest imitato rs and a rival of

’

R obe rt Ho u d in in the E ngl ish p ro vin c e s

-
.

Th e adroit manner in w hic h R obe rt Ho u d in fl ay s -

Pine tti Ande rso n and Bosc o w ou l d a rou se admirat ion

, ,

w ere h is p e n l ashings de v ot e d to men w h o de se rved su c h

-

treatment Under existing c irc u m stan c e s

.
— hi
s debt to

Bosc o and F inetti w ho se t ric ks he fi l c h ed remorse l e ssl y

, ,

and the fa c t that Anderso n s p op ul arity ou tl ived h is o w n

’

in E ngl and h is e ffort s to be l itt l e these men are u n w o rthy

—

of one w h o c all ed himse l f a man and a master m ag ic ian .

Th e tru l y great and su c c e ssfu l m an rise s abo v e p etty

jeal o u sy and p ersonal itie s This R obe rt Hou din c ou l d .
,
-

not do e ven w hen he sat p e n in hand in ret irement w ith

, , ,

the fe ar of c om p et it ion remo ved .

I t se em s al most in c red ibl e that R obert Hou d in sho u l d

“
-

ignore Henr i R ob in in his Memoirs for R obin w as one

”
,

of the most intere st ing c harac ters of that day He st il l .

stands in mag ic s history as the Chesterfie l d of c onj u ring

’
,

a man of many g ift s c h arming address and broad ed u, ,

c at ion . E ven in h is d isp u te w ith R obe rt Hou din regard -

ing the in vent ion of the inexha u st ibl e bottl e he ne v er ,

forgot h is d ignity b u t p ro ved h is c ase by that most p otent

,

of argu ment s a w e l l ed ited magazine p u bl ished u nder h is

,
-

d ire c t ion in w hic h an il l u strat ion show ed him ac t u al l y

,

erform ing the tr ic k in 1844 or a fu l l three years before

p ,

it a p p e ared on R obe rt Ho u din s p rogramme

’
-
.

R obert Ho u d in w as indebted to R obin for another

-

tric k the G arde F ran caise introd u c ed by R o bert Ho u din

, ,
-

in O c tober 1847 ,
Henri R obin had p re c ise l y the sam e
.

figu re doing p re c ise l y the same feats in the garb o f an

, ,

Ara b An il l u strat ion from R obin s magazine L A l ma

’ ’
.
,

[ 2 9 8 ]
 THE UNMASKI NG O F R O ER T HO UD I N
B -

tru th abo u t h is so c al l ed inno vat ion h e mu st have g iven

-
,

F rik el l c red it w herefore he c on ven ient l y ignores F rike l l

,

c om p l ete l y .

I t is ent ire l y c hara c ter ist ic of R o bert Hou d in that h e

“
-

did not o p en l y as sa il Pine tti in the p ages of his Mem

o irs.
”
With c l e verness w orthy of a better c au se he q u ote s ,

the bitter verbal attac k as issu ing from the l ip s of th e

fr iend and mentor of h is you th Signor To rrini , .

Th e major p ort ion of c hap ter VI p ages 9 2 to 10 4 .

,

in c l u sive Americ an ed it ion of h is au tobiograp hy is de

, ,

voted to a ssail ing F inett i s abil ities as a c onj u rer and his
’

re p u t at ion as a man G ranted that Finett i did p u t To r

.

r in i to shame on the Neap ol itan stage su c h revenge for ,

a w hol e sal e d u p l ic at ion of the magic ian s tric ks might be ’

termed al most hu man and natu ral Had a m inor magi .

c ian , amateu r or p rofessional dogged the footstep s of

,

R o be rt Hou d in c o p y ing his tric ks the ent ire rep erto ire
-
, ,

“
u p on w h ic h he de p ended for a l ive l ihood thu s endanger ,

ing h is fu t u re I do u bt that e ven the a u thor of Co nfi

,
”
de nc es d u n Prest id igitate u r w ou l d have hesitated to u n
’

mask and u ndo h is rival .

4 2,
I n fa c t by referen c e to the ed itor ial note foot of p age
1 A mer
,

ic an ed it ion of R obert —Ho u d in s M emo irs ” ’

,
“ ,

it w il l be seen th at in 18 50 R obert Hou d in ap p eal ed to -

the l aw for p rote c t ion in j u st s u c h a c a se An emp l oyee .

w as sent to p rison for tw o years as j u dgment for se l l ing ,

to an amateu r some of h is ma ster s se c rets ’

.

Bu t in att ac king Finett i R obert Ho u d in goes a ste p

,
-

too far and fal sifi es not d ire c t l y b u t by innu endo w hen
, ,

he p ermits the imp res sion to go forth that Finett i w as

hou nded and ru ined both finan c ial l y and p rofessional l y
[ 39 9 ]
 NAR R OWNE SS OF R OBE R T HO UD I N S ME MO IR S
’
-

by Torr ini, as is set forth on p age 10 4 He p ic t u res .

Torrin i as dogging the foot ste p s of Finett i thro u gh al l

Ital y and final l y driving h im in a state of abje c t misery
to R u ssia w here he d ied in the home of a nobl eman w h o
, ,

sh el tered him thro u gh sheer c om p assion R o be rt Hou d in .

-

B arto l o meo Bo sc o in h is p rime . Fro m an eng rav ing in th e Harrv Ho u dini

Co l l e c tio n .

m u st have know n th is w as ab sol u tel y u ntru e for h e ,

q u otes R obert son w h o p u b l ished F inett i s tru e e x

, p e ri
’

e nc es in R u ssia F inett i took a fort u ne w ith h im to

.

R u ssia ac qu ired more w eal th there and then l ost h is

, ,

[ 39 1 ]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R OBER T HO UD I N -

ent ire finan c ial hol d ings thro u gh h is p assion for ba l l oon
exp eriments as is set forth in c hap ter I I of this book
,
. .

Then to show h is o w n in c on sisten c y after p ic t u r ing

, ,

Pinetti in h is Memo irs as a c harl atan a c onj u rer of vu l

”
,

gar u n c o u th p retensions rather than as a good show man

,

of re al abil ity R obert Ho u d in is forc ed to admit on p age

“
-

2
5 of S e c ret s of M ag ic
”
that l ater c onj u rers em p l oyed
F inett i p rogrammes as a fo u ndat ion u p on w hic h the ir
erforman c es w ere b u il t ! E v en here ho w ever R o b ert
p , ,

Ho u d in fail s to ac know l edge an iota of the hea vy debt

w h ic h he p ersona l l y o w ed the desp ised Che v al ier Pine tti .

R obert Ho u d in de votes the greater p art of c hap ter X

‘

-
.
,

Amer ic an ed it ion of h is a u tobiograp hy to be l itt l ing Bos ,

c o a c onj u rer w hose p o p u l ar ity al l o v er E u ro p e w as l ong

,

l ived F irst he p ic t u re s Bosc o as a most c ru e l c reatu re w h o

.
,

l iteral l y tortu red to death the birds u sed in h is p erform

anc e s Here as in h is attac k on Finett i R o bert Hou d in
.
, ,
-

throw s the resp on sibil ity for c rit ic ism on the shou l ders of
another His o l d friend Anton io ac c omp an ies h im to
.

w at c h Bo sc o s p erforman c e and it is Anton io thro u gho u t

’
,

the narrat ive w h o inve igh s again st Bosc o s c ru el ty and ’

Anton io w h o in sist s u p on l ea ving before the p erforman c e

c l o se s be c au se the c ru e l ty of the c onj u rer nau seates h im
,
.

At that t ime no so c iety for the p rote c t ion of an ima l s

ex isted and even if it had I dou bt w hether Bosc o s
, , ,
’

p erforman c e w o u l d ha v e c ome u nder the ban C e rta in .

magic ians of to day emp l oy many of Bosc o s tric ks in

-
’

w h ic h birds and e v en smal l an imal s are u sed b u t the ,

c onj u ring is so deft l y done that the p u b l ic o f 190 7 l ike ,

—
that of 1838 thinks it is al l sl e ight o f hand w ork and that -
,

the birds are neither hu rt nor kil l ed E ven in Bosc o s .

’

[ 39 2 ]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BE R T HOUDI N -

Pierc ed by a l an c e h e l ay u p on the grou nd ap p arent l y

,

dead A Cossa c k c al l o u sl y roamed among the dead and

.

dy ing rifi ing p o c kets and be l ts When he c ame to the

,
.

form o f Bosc o that you th fe igned death know ing that

, ,

resista nc e to the gho ul meant a death w ou nd Bu t w hil e .

the Cossa c k robbe d the I tal ian sol d ier the l atter stea l thil y ,

raised h is u nw o u nded arm and by sl eight o f hand rifled - -

the w e l l fil l ed p oc kets of the ghou l w hic h fac t w as not

-
,

d isc overed by the Cossa c k u nt il he w as far from the fie l d

of the dead and dying w here he had l eft one of the enemy
,

c on siderab l y better o ff thanks to Bosc o s c onj u ring g ift s

’
,
.

L ater Bosc o w as sent c a p t ive to Siber ia w here he p e r ,

fe c ted h is sl e ight o f hand whil e am u sing fe l l ow p risoner s

- - -

and jail ers . I n 18 14 he w as re l eased and ret u rned to h is

nat ive l and w here he st u d ied med ic ine b u t e vent u al l y
, ,

de c ided to be c ome a p u bl ic entertainer He w as not on l y .

a c l e ver enterta iner b u t a good bu sine ss man and he

, ,

p l anned ea c h year on sa v ing eno u gh money to in su re a

l ife of ea se in h is o l d age Bu t events inte rvened to ru in

.

al l h is w e l l l aid p l ans
-
Th e sin s of h is you th bro u ght
.

the ir p enal ty An il l egitimate son E u gene be c ame a

.
, ,

hea vy drag u p on the ret ired magic ian w h o w as c o m ,

p e l l e d to a
p y l arge su m s to the yo u ng man in order to
p re v ent h is p l ay ing in e ither F r an c e or G ermany or as

su ming the name of Bo sc o I n a G erman ant iqu ary s

’
.

sho p at Bonn on the R hine I fo u nd an agreement in

w h ic h Bos c o agreed to p ay t h is yo u th fi ve tho u sand
fran c s for not u sing the name of Bosc o This agreement .

is too l ong for re p rod u c t ion in this vol u me b u t u nq u e s ,

tio nab l y it is gen u ine and te l l s al l too el o qu entl y the

trou bl es w hic h beset Bosc o in his o l d age .

[ 39 4]
NAR R O WNE SS O F R O BER T HO UD I N S ME MO IRS
’
-

E u gene w as sa idto be the su p erior of his famou s father

in sl e ight o f hand b u t he w as w il d and given to ex c esse s
- -
,
.

Women and w ine c he c ked w hat might ha ve been a bril l

iant p rofessiona l c areer Disab l ed p o verty stric ken and
.
,
-

O nl y p h o rap h o f Madame Bo sco g ive n to th e au th o r b Mrs Mu e l l e r

Mfi am e Fik
s nie c e at th e fu ne ral o f Wil j al b a
, .

Bo sc o ll
’
,
r e .

re sp ec ted by none he soon d isapp eared from the c o n

,

“
j u ring w orl d and ac c ord ing to Carl Wil l man in the
,
”
Z au berw el t he d ied miserabl y in Hu ngary in 189 1 .

I n the mean t ime Bo sc o and his w ife l ived in p ove rty

,

in Dresden w here the on c e br il l iant c onj u rer d ied Marc h

,

29 [ 39 5 ]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R OBER T-HO UDI N

2 nd , 186 3 . His w ife d ied three years l ater and w as interred

in the grave w ith
her h u sband in a c emetery on F rie
d ric h strasse There w as noth ing on the tom b stone to ind i
.

c ate the do u bl e interment and I d is c o v ered the fac t on l y

,

b y investigat ing the m u n ic ip al and c emetery re c ords .

Th e au th o r at th e g rave of Bo sc o . Fro m a p h o to g rap h in th e Harry Ho u d ini

l l ec tio n .

Here I al so l earned that the grave had merel y been

l eased ,and as the l ease w as a bo u t to exp ire the bone s of
the great c onj u rer and h is faithfu l w ife m ight soon be
d isinterred and rebu ried in a negl e c ted c orner of the
[ 39 6 ]
 THE UNMASKI NG OF R O BE R T HO UDI N -

the floor of the den Snakes sc ores of them ! No w the

.
—

c reat u re hal f an ima l hal f h u man gl an c es u p to make

,
-
,
-
,

s u re that attent ion is riveted u p on h im then g ra sp s one

.

of the se rp ents in h is h ideou s hands and in a fla sh bites

o ff its head Th e wr ith ing body fal l s bac k to the gro u nd
. .

Yo u grip the rail ing in a s u dden faintne ss Has you r .

brain dec e ived you r eye s or you r eyes you r brain ? I f ,

o u are a c onj u rer yo u try to c onvin c e yo u r se l f th at it is

y
—
al l a c l ever sl e ight o i h and ex h ibit ion b u t in yo u r heart
-
,

y o u kno w it is not tr u e T h is c reat u re so near a bea st

.
, ,

has debau c hed h is manhood for a few p al try do l l ars ,

and in dragging h imsel f dow n has dragged dow n the

name of a w orthy a bril l iant a w orl d famou s p erformer
, ,
-
.

Of the t w ent ieth c ent u ry Bo sc os there are al as many

-
, , .

Yo u w il l find them al l o ver the w orl d in s treet c arnival s , ,

side show s fair boot h s and m u se u ms and wh y the p u bl ic

-
,
-
, ,

s up p orts su c h debasing exhibit ions I have n ever yet bee n

abl e to u nderstand I have seen hal f st arved R u ss ians
.
-

p ic k food from ref u s e b a rre l s I have -

seen besotte d .

Americ a ns c ree p o u t from l o w d ives to draw the dregs

of beer barrel s into to mato c an s I have seen ab sinth e
-
.

fiends in Paris trade body and sou l to obtain the ir b e

l oved st im u l ant I have he ard morp hine fiends in R u ss ia
.

p rom ise to exh ib it the e ffe c t of the need l e in ret u rn for

the p ric e of an inje c t ion B u t never has my sou l so risen
.

in revo l t as at sight of this be st ial exh ibit ion w ith w h ic h

the name of Bosc o a nob l eman and a c onj u rer of merit
, ,

has been l inked .

E ven more desp ic abl e than h is attac k u p on Bosc o is

R o bert Ho u din s fl aying of John Henry Anderson
’
-
In .

this h e is both u nmanl y and u ntru thfu l Hinging h is

- .

[ 39 8 ]
 THE UNMAS KI NG O F R O BER T HO UD I N -

attac k on h is su rp rise at the p re ss methods and ad ver

tising ado p ted in E ngl and as o p p o sed to the l ess sp e c tac
u l ar means em p l oyed in F ran c e he ins in u ates that An ,

d erso n s ent ire su c c ess w as bu il t not Up on merit ab il ity

’
, ,

original ity or d iversified p rog rammes b u t so l e l y u p o n

, ,

sensat ional ad vert ising On p age 32 5 of the Americ an

“
.

ed it ion of h is Memoirs R obe rt Hou d in w rite s th u s of

” -

“
h is c omp et itor
On my arrival in E ngl and a c onj u rer of the n ame of
Anderson w h o a ssu med the t it l e of G re at Wizard of the
,

North had been p erform ing for a l ong p er iod at the

,

l ittl e Strand Theatre .

Th is art ist fearing dou bt l e ssl y that p u bl ic atten

, , ,

t ion m ight be d ivided tried to c ru sh the p u bl ic ity of my

,

p erforman c e s ; hen c e he sent o u t on L ondon street s a

c a v a l c ade th u s org an ized

“ F o u r enormou s c arriage s c o vered with p osters and
,

p ic t u res re p re sent ing al l sort s of w it c h c raft o p ened the ,

p ro c e ssion . T hen fo l l o w ed fo u r and t w enty merry men

- -
,

e ac h be aring a bann er on w hic h w as p ainted a l etter a

“
yard in he ight .

At eac h c ro ss road the fou r c arriages sto p p ed side by

-

side and p re sented a bil l some t w enty fi ve yard s in -

l ength w hil e al l the men (I sho u l d say l etters) on rec e iv

, ,

ing the w ord of c ommand dre w themse l ves u p in a l ine

, ,

“
l ike the vehic l es .

Seen in front the l etters formed this p hrase

THE CEL E BR ATE D AND E R SON

Wh il e on the other side of the banners

'

c ou l d be read
THE G R EAT WI Z AR D OF THE NOR TH .

[ 3 19 ]
 THE UNMASK I N G O F R O BE R T HO UD I N -

Unfort u natel y for the Wizard h is p erforman c e s w ere ,

attac ked by a mortal d isease ; too l ong a stay in L ondon

had ended by p rod u c ing satiety Be side s h is re p e rto rv .
,

w as o u t o i date and c o u l d not c ontend again st the n ew

- -
,

tric k s w hic h I w as o ff ering What co u l d he p re sent to .

the p u bl ic in o p p osit ion to the se c ond sight the su sp e n ,

sion and the inexha u st ibl e bott l e ? Hen c e he w as ob l iged

,

to c l o se h is the atre and st art for the p ro vin ce s w here he ,

m an aged as u su al to make exc el l ent re c e ip t s ow ing to h is

, , ,

o w erfu l me an s of notoriety
p
I n the first p l a c e R obert Hou d in in sin u ate s th at w he n
,

they p l ayed in op p o sit ion John Henry Anderson s rep er ’

to ire w as stal e and u nintere st ing I s it p o ssibl e that .

R obert Ho u d in c o u l d not read Ander son s b il l s or w ere

’
-
,

h is statement s de l iberate fal sehood s eman ating from a ,

mal ic iou s w il fu l de sire to inj u re Anderson ?

,

Wh at did Anderson have to o ff er in op p o sition to R obert

Ho u din s m uc h va u nted Su sp ension Se c ond Sight an d
’
-
, ,

I nexhau st ib l e Bott l e ? Con su l t the Anderson p rog ramme ,

re p rod u c ed and yo u w il l find th at the g reat Wizard of the

,

North d u p l ic ated the F ren c h c onj u re r s rep erto ire Th e ’

.

E thereal Su sp en sion of R obert Ho u din s p rog ramme ’

“
-

”
w as Su sp en sion Ch l o ro fo ree ne on Anderson s Se c ond
’

“
.

Sight a p p e ared on both bil l s Th e I nexha u st ibl e Bott l e

.

had wisel y been drop p ed by Anderson be c au se he h ad

been u sing it in one form or another for ten years p re c ed
ing the date of R obert Ho u din s a p p e aran c e in L ondon
’
-
,

as is p ro ven in c ha p ter I X of th is book . .

Therefore if Anderson s p rogram me w as p asse and

’
,

u n interest ing so a l so m u st ha ve been the one o ff ered by

,

R obert Hou din

-

[ 312
]
NAR R OWNE SS O F R O BE R T -B O UD I N S
’
ME MOIRS

g i-
“
i
n oon " a m mu ne.

f.
m m u m M .

Q. am m o I ON-
I'l l ? M l
l b n el t u x . 1 ru n; M ary.

n or

“
AI DI I ecu ?
ii eeu
’ ’ m mw
.

l on u n 12 a : 11 h e

“
9
u xu .

m
.

fl Di l l t t l l l Cu l l m
5 09 M W
—
“
m m

Em £
a ( e, e o n e! a
on : - fl
Sac w
g9
1 1
y;
g _ , e ,
w
arms:
““
b
fl
vb

" ‘

ti PM ? A ' Al l l 8 0

Po ste r u se d b y A n de rso n du rin g h is c l o sin g w ee k at th e Str and T h e a tre ,

L o nd o n , Jan u ary 1 1th , 1 8 48 F r o m th e H a rr

.
y H o u din i C o l l e c tio n .

[ 3 3
1
]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BE R T HO UD I N -

Se c ond , John Henry Anderson w as not in L ondon

w hen R o bert Ho u d in arr ived there in May 1848
-
He ,
.

w as on the Cont inent and a bil l re p rod u c ed w il l sho w

,

that he w as in G ermany in Janu ary 1848 and did not , ,

op en at the Strand Theatre u ntil D e c ember 2 6th 1848 , .

Th en it w as R o bert Ho u d in w h o had j u st ret u r ned fro m

-

the p rovin c es not Anderson Anderson h ad been p l ay

,
.

ing the c ap ital s of Eu ro p e R o bert Hou d in h ad bee n in

.
-

Man c hester Engl and ,

.

R obert Ho u d in again sk il fu l l y t w ists th e tru th to su it

-

h is o wn ends He ac t u al l y states that Anderson ret u rn

.
,

ing from a to u r of the p rovin c es u sed a new p o ster a

c aric at u re of the famo u s p a int ing
,

Nap ol eon s R et u rn,

“ ’
,

”
from El ba :
“ I n the foregro u nd Anderson w as seen a ff e c t ing th e
att it u de of the gre at man ; above h is head fl u ttered an

enormou s banner bearing the w ords Th e Wonder of ‘

the Worl d ; w h il e behind h im and somew h at l ost in th e

’
,

sh ade the E m p eror of R u s sia and several other monarc hs

,

stood in a resp e c tfu l p ost u re As in the origin al p ic t u re

.
,

the fanat ic admirers of the Wizard embrac ed h is knee s ,

w hil e an immense c row d re c eived h im tr iu m p h ant l y .

I n the d istan c e c ou l d be seen the e qu e strian stat u e of

the I ron D u ke wh o hat in hand bo w ed before h im the
, , , ,

G re at Wizard ; and l a st l y the very dome of St Pa u l s

’
.
,

be nt tow ards h im most h u mbl y

“
.

At the bottom w as the insc rip t ion ,

R E TUR N o r THE NAPOL E ON or NE CR OMA NCY .

R egarded seriou sl y th is p ic tu re w o u l d be fo u nd a
,

p u ff in very bad ta ste ; b u t as a c aric atu re it is exc essivel y

 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BE R T HO UD I N -

and nobl emen adm iring h is abil itie s as a c onj u rer B u t .

,

al as R obert Hou d in h ad p l ayed on l y be fore E ngl ish and

,
-

F renc h monarc hs not before the other c ro w ned head s of

,

E u ro p e in c l u d ing th e Czar of R u ssia and the G erman

,

K a iser !
I t re q u ired w eek s and months of bro w sing in o l d book
and p rint shop s n at ion al l ibraries and rare c ol l ec t ion s on
-
, ,

my p art to p rove th at Anderson h ad real l y p l ayed the se

en g agement s w hen h is bitter riva l R obert Hou d in h is
, ,
-
,

he art e aten w ith je al o u sy u nt il h is sense of honor and

tru th w as hop e l e ssl y bl unted w as c l aiming that Anderson
,

had j u st ret u rned from a trip in the Engl ish p ro vin c e s .

I t w il l be noted by referen c e to the Anderson p ro

g ramme th at he had been eng aged on l y for the C hristma s

hol id ays b u t de sp ite R obert Ho u din s c l aim that he w as

,
-
’

a fail u re and w as obl iged to c l ose and se ek new fiel d s of

c on q u est in the p rov in c es Anderson s engagement w as
’
,

extended He rem ained at the Strand u nt il Jan u ary

.

11th 1848 then after a brief rov in i a l to u r he ac t u a l l y

, , p c

ret u rned to L ondon and p l ayed to b ig rec eip ts Again .

and again he a p p e ared in L ondon F ar from be ing the

.

u n o p u l ar
p forgotten
,
ex mag ic ian p
-
i c t u re d by R o b ert
Hou d in he p erformed w ith g reat su c c ess at the St James
,
.

Theatre L ondon in 18 5 1 R obert Ho u d in a p p eared in

“
-
.
, ,

L ondon for the l ast t ime in 185 3 b u t in 186 5 ,

the de
sp ise d and forgotten Anderson w as there again c reat ing ,

a fu ror in h is exp o su re of the D aven p ort Brothers .

R obert Ho u d in m ight h av e been j u st ified in c rit ic ising

-

Anderson s sensat ion al advert ising method s for these

’
,

w ere ent ire l y o p p o sed to the more e l egant and c onserva

t ive methods emp l oyed by the F renc h c onj u rer Bu t .

[ 316 ]
NAR R OWNE SS O F R O BER T HO UD I N S MEMO IR S
’
-

certainl y he w as not j u st ified in p ic t u ring h is rival as

o ne w h o had p as sed his p r ime w ho se p o p u l arity h ad
,

waned w ho se rep erto ire no l onger attra c ted the p u bl ic

,
.

Jo h n Henry Anderso n as he ap his l ater ye ars

c are d l n . Fro m a c ut
u th e Harry o u dini Co l l ec tio n
.

F o r, in to d u p l ic at ing R obert Ho u din s ent ire ré

add it ion -
’

e r o ire Anderson o ff ered tric ks of w h ic h R obert Ho u d in

p t
-
,

k ne w nothin g and for years to c ome he c onstant l y re c on

,

[ 3 7
1
]
 THE UNMASK I NG O F R O BE R T HO UD I N -

stru c ted h is p rogrammes kee p ing them stric t l y u p to ,

-

date .

Anderson did die a p oor man b u t this w as not bec a u se ,

the amu sement l oving p u bl ic had w earied of h im A

-
.

p p
o u l ar p erformer l ike so many of h is c l
,
a ss he d id n o t
know h o w to invest h is h u ge earn ings I t is know n t h at .

he gave to variou s c harities w h il e no rec ord ,

of R obert Ho u d in s c harit ies ex ists

-
He w as b u rned
’
.

o u t several t ime s He l o st money throu gh a bad c o n

.

trac t made for h is Au stral ian to u r Certain in ve stments .

dropp ed in val u e be c au se of the Civil War in the Un ited

St ates d u ring w hic h E ngl and symp athized with the So u th
,
.

F inal l y d u ring h is Americ an to u r after the Civil War

, ,

Anderson p l ayed the So u thern States then stee p ed in ,

bitterne ss tow ard the North and w as u nfort u nate eno u gh

“
to bil l himsel f as Th e G reat Wizard of th e North ”
,

This .

rou sed the So u thern p rej u d ic e to w hite heat he w as al ,

most mobbed and was final l y driven from that se c t ion

,

of the c ou ntry He w ent into ban kru p tc y November

.
,

roth 1866
,
and d ied at D arl ington Co u nty D u rham
, , ,

E ngl and F eb 3rd 1874 ,

His rema ins were interred in
.
,
.
,

ac c ordan c e with h is dying req u est at Aberdeen Sc otl and , ,

.

So ends the tru e history of R obert Hou d in Th e mas -

.

ter magic ian u nmasked st ands forth in al l the hideou s

-
, ,

nakedness of historic al p roof the p rin c e of p il ferers ,

.

That he might bask for a few ho u rs in p u bl ic ad u l at ion ,

he p u rl oined the ideas of magic ian s l ong dead and bu ried ,

and p roc l aimed these as the fru its of h is o wn invent ive

gen iu s That he m ight be known to p osterity as the king
.

“
of c onj u rers he sol d h is birthright of manhood and honor
,
”
fo r a mere mess of p ottage h is Memoirs w ritten by , ,

[ 318 ]
 IND EX

PA G E P4 0 3

Ad e l p h ia Th e at re
A d v e rtise m e n t f ro m t h e L o n 30 8—3 1 0

d o n Dail y Po st d u ring 1 7 30 A nd e rso n , Mrs . Hannah

sh o w ing th e O rang e Tre e A nd e rso n , Mrs . L e o na A .
, as

as Off e red b y t h e Se nio r sh e Ap p e are d in t h e Su s

F aw k e s . p e n sio n Tric k
A l b u m d e s So iré e s A nd e rso n P o ste r ,
Al e x and e r t h e Co nj u re r
Al e x and e r t h e Co nj u re r Il l u s ,
A nd e rso n Wind o w Po ste r E x
t ratio n . 2 40 p o sing B arn e y E ag l e
Al l e n Pro f G e o rg e
. . 2 67 A n no u n c e m e n t u sed b y Dav
2 5 1, 2 5 2 e n p o rt B ro t h e rs
A m e ric an Mag rc ran s , So c ie t y An to nio .

o f A p p l e -t ree Tric k
A nato m ic o f L e g e rd e m ain .
Ap p l e b y
'
s We e k l y
An c ie ns et To u rs A r t s Man u fac tu re s a n d
d E sc am o tag e
'
Mine s , D ic t io n ary o f
A nd e rso n and So n L ith o g rap h A st l e y , Ph il ip , E sq .
, A n His
p re se n t ing Su sp e n sio n to ric al Circ u s D ire c to r .

Ch l o rifo re e n e As tl e y Ph il ip E sq
, , .
, Po rt rait
A nd e rso n B il l ing o f 18 38 .

A nd e rso n de A sto r L ib rary

’
s B o o k Co v e r-

sig n . A stro no m ic Mu sic al Cl o c k

A nd e rso n Hand b il l u se d in A u fsc h l iisse z u r Mag ie R e p ro ,

Han no v e r G e rm an y ,
d u c t io n o f an Il l u st rat io n . 16 9

A nd e rso n J H 14 2 3
, . .
, , , 2 5 ,
A u to g rap h a n d Po rtrait ,
Pie rre Ja q c u e t - D ro z 9 2

A n d e rso n , J . H .
, L ith o g rap h , Au to g rap h of De c re m p s , 75
A u to m at a , Tw o E l e g an t 1
7 2

A nd e rso n , J . H .
, Po rtrait o f A u to m ato n Ch e ss Pl ay e r, 2 6 6, 2 67
Wife and So n A u to m ato n Trap e z e 16 6

A nd e rso n H V e ry R are
, J . .
, A u to m ato n Write r o f J ac

Po ste r u se d in 18 38 14 7 , , q u e t -D ro z
 IND EX

rm

Bal l s Cry sta l

. . 2 2 2 39 2 9 9 39 2 3 3 9

Bal samo , 2 5 0 Bo sc o , Barto l o me o . Ph o to

B am b e rg 2 35 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 .

Barnu m . P T G rav e Ph o to g rap h o f 30 6

'
. . .
4 3 . 8 5 , 2 4 1.
. 2 96 Bo sc o s ,

B arnu m , P T . .
. Po rtrait o f “ 86 Bo sc o . Madame . Ph o to g rap h
Barre l , Th e I ne x h a u stib l e . 18 0

B o t tl e . I nex h au s tib l e . 176 .

by Mo rl ey . 16

B asc h . E rn st 49 , 138 Bo ttl e I nfernal

, , Po ste r us e d

Basc h , E rns t . and L e Co n fi b y Phil l ip p e .

se n t G al an t Ph o . to g rap h . 139 Bo t tl e. Mag ic

B aske t Tric k . In d ian . 2 6
7 . 2 77 Bo ttl e of So b rie t y and In ~

Bask e t Tric k . I ndianBo y I ] .

l u s tra tio r n
Bat u ta l , an

Be c k e t t . Mr
trat io n
His to ry o f Brw l aw 2
3 . 14 3 . r6 5 . zo g r

Inv e n tio ns and Disc o v e ries B resl aw . Bo o k on Mag ic .

Pu b l ish ed in 17 9 7 F ro n tis p iec e of

Be l l Tric k . B re sl a w L ith o g rap h

Be n t o n . B re sl aw Tri pl e Co l o re d L ith ~
.

Be r th o u d Tre is o g rap h o f
’
s a t e o n

B re ws ter Sir Dav id .

Be rtram .
Be rt ram Ch a rl e s P rt rait
. . e bf B rit te n
’
s Cl o c k and Wat c h
B il l in g use d b y My ster io u s
L ad y . B ro ke n He a rt .

B il l ing u se d f o r t h e d o g , Do n Bu c k . On l y K no w n Po r
trait .

Bio grap h y , Dic t io nary o f Bu c k Hand bil l .

Natio nal 54
Bismarc k 7 Ca b al is tic Ar t fea t u re d on

Bl ac ks to ne 7
Bl it z . Sig no r . 14 . 2
35 . 2 67 Cab al ist ic Art fea t u re d on

B l itz Sig no r An t o nio

. , Po r Tee to Pro g ramm et
t rait o i Cab al ist ic o r Ob e die n t Cl o c k
—15 7
.
.

Bo a z . 15 6

Bo l in T . Cab in e t Tric k o fle re d by
Dav e n p o rt Bro t h e rs 1
19 0

Bo l o g na B il l o f 18 12 . Cab ine t Tric k Prin t 2 90

Cag l io stro 7 2 . 2 50 . 2 5 2 . 2 54

[ 32 2
]
 I ND E X

P AG E PAG E

De c re m p s , He n ri , 35 , 5 2 .
74 , D ro z Ja q
, c ue t Writ ing
'

Au
to m at o n .

De c re m p s Po rt rait , o f 74 D ro z Pie rre

, Ja q c uet

De c re m p s
’
s Sig n a t u re 75 D ro z , Pie rre Ja q c uet Po r
De L isk a . 2 5 t rait and A u to g rap h .

De Ph il ip s t h al . 1 10 , 1 7 1 , 1 7 3 , 1 74 Dro z W iting r A u t o m at o n s ,

De Ph il ip s t h al Po s te r 10 4 Sp e c im e n s o f Pe n m an sh ip
De P h il ip s t h al , P ro g ram m e re sp e c t iv e l y in 1 79 6 and

o f Be ne fi t o f . 1 10 19 0 6

De P h il ip st h al P ro g ram m e D u nk e l l
f Du t c h w o m an De c o rat io n
’
o 18 0 6 s

De r Mo d e rn e Z au b e re r u se d t o A d v e r t ise
D e sag u l ie rs D r , . .

D iag ram E x p o se s th e Mag ic E ag l e B arne y

, .

Cl o c k Tric k E ag l e B arn e y Tric k s E x

’
. s, ,

Diag ram o f O ran g e -

tre e p o se d o n an A n d e rso n Po s
Tric k
Diav o l o A n to n io
’

, E ag l e s Bo o k , F ro n tisp ie c e . 1
53
D ic t io n ary o f A rt s , Man u fac E ag l e
’
s P o st e r fe at u ring t h e
t u re s an d Min e s O b e d ie n t Cl o c k Tric k .

D ic t io n ary o f Nat io n al B io g E c k e b e rg , J o h n Carl t o n

ra p hy E c k art sh au se n , Ho frat h
D isa p p e arm g Han d k e rc h ie f , vo n 14 3 , 16 0 , 16 3, 16 9

2 45
-
2 54 E g y p t ian Win e 2 52

Do b l er , 2 5 , 45 , 18 2 , 18
5 , 18
7 , E sc al o p ie r , M . de 2 80
E t h e re al Su sp e n sio n . 2 2 2 ,
1
3 2
Do b l e r , L u d w ig , R a re Po r E v an io n , He n ry E v an s , 2 0 ,

t rait o f .

D o b l e r P ro g ram m e s . 18 8 , 1 89 , 1
9 1 E v an io n , He n ry E v an s Po r ,

D o m P e d ro . 2 43 t rait o f .

D o n Carl o s Bil l in g . u se d by . 2 2 1 E v an io n , L e t t e r f ro m Gyn

Do n Carl o s , Do u b l e -
sig h te d g e l l
Do g , B il l in g . 2 2 1 E v an s , He n ry R id g e l y , Th e
Do u b l e -
sig h te d Do g , Do n Ol d and t h e Ne w Mag ic .

Carl o s . E x p l o rat io n d e l a R etin u e .

D o w n s T Ne l so n
, . E x p o se s t h e Mag ic Cl o c k
D ro z , He n ri L o u is -
Ja q c uet Tric k , D iag ram
E x p o sin g
'
P o rt rait o f . B arn e y E ag l e s

D ro z J q
, ac uet C l ip p in g . Tric k s o n an An d e rso n
Dro z Ja q
. c uet V ie w o f Me c h Po s t e r . 1
5 4, 1
55
an ism o f \Vritin g A u t o m a
to n . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
 I ND E X

PA G E PA G E

F ab e r Pro f
, G an t z io n y , Nat u ral and Un
F al aise , J am es de . n at u ral Mag ic , d ate d 14 8 9 12 .

F al c k o f K o e nig sb e rg , G ard e F ran c aise . 2 2 2

18 2 , 18 3 , 18 4 C arn e t in 1 16 , 1 1 »
9
F al c k o f K o e n ig sb e rg Po s t e r 18
3 G arn e rin Po ste r 12 0

F an t ast ic Po rt fo l io . 2 2 2 G arric k Th e a tre 2 86

F at h e r o f E ng l ish Pro se 2 2 6 Ga z e t te , E v e n in g 2 41
F aw k e s 14 ,
5 1,
5 2 , 5 6 , 5 8 G e n tl e m e n
’
s Mag az in e 5 6
F aw k e s Ad v e rtise m e n t 55 , 6 0 G l o b e Th e
, 1
77
'

F aw k e s , I saac , Po rt rait f, 5 9 , 6 8 o G o o se L e arn e d

, 2 19

F aw k e s Ne w sp ap e r Cl ip p ing , G o o se , L e arn e d , Po ste r 2 2 0 »

6 1, 6 3, 6 4 , 6 5 , 6 6 , 6 7 G ran d e I nitiatio n au v raie

F e l ic ian i, Se rap h in ia , Co m P ra t i q
d e s Cé l eb re s Ph y
ue

te sse de Cag l io stro rare sic ie n s- Pre s t id i i t a te u rs 78

, g . 2 .

Po rt rait G rav e o f B art o l o m e o B o sc o .

30 6
F if t y Y e ars in t h e Mag ic Cir G rav e o He l l e r
f R o b e rt 2 08 .

01
0 . G rav e o f R o b e r t Ho u d in -
.
46
G risy Co u n t E d m o nd d e 8
‘

. .
3
Fl o w e rs Cre a t io n , o f G u il l o n , Marie Cat h e rin e .
33
F l o w e rs O rig in o f, G u n D e l u sio n Th e , . 12 8, I
SS
F rik e l l He rr u n d F rau
, , Po r G u tl e , J o h ann Co n rad . 16
3 ,

f Gu yo t P h y sic al an d Ma t h
’
trait o s

F rik e l l , V il l a . e m a tic al R e c re atio n s

F rik e l l , l V il j al b a, 9 , 2 6, 2 7 , G y ng e l l ,

1 72

F rik e l l , Wil j al b a
'

,
in h is G y ng e l l
’
s Co l o re d L it h o g rap h 12 6 1

Y o u th G y ng e l l
’
. s L e t te r to E v an io n 12 4
F ro n t isp ie c e f ro m B re sl aw G y ng e l l
’

P o r t rait
’
s s . 12 2

Bo o k on Mag ic . G y ng e l l
’
s Po st e r . 12 1

F ro n t is p ie c e f ro m G y ng e l l P ro g r am m e
’ ’
E ag l e s s 12 5
Bo o k
F ro n t isp ie c e f ro m Ho c u s Po Had d o c k 10 5 , 1 16 , 1 1 7

c u s , se c o n d e d it io n o f 16 3 5 , Had d o c k A d v e rt ise m e n t . 10 6
10 — 1 2 Hal l e J o h an n Sam u e l . 14

F ro n tisp ie c e f ro m Hal l e s J o h an n Sam u e l Ma

’
I ng l eb y s , ,

Bo o k , Wh o l e A rt o f L eg er g ic or Th e Mag ic al Po w e r
d e ma in . o f Na tu re . 14

F ro n tisp ie c e f ro m R ic h ard Ham il t o n .

45, 2 89 1

Ne v e
’
s Bo o k on Mag ic . Hand b il l Ad v e rt ising th e
F ro n t isp ie c e f ro m Sim o n F ak e Au t o m a t ic A rt is t .

Wit g e e st Hand b il l o f Bu c k .

F ro st , Th o m as . 16 , 2 2 8 Han d b il l o f I ng l e b y .

[ 32
s]
 P AG E

Hand b il l o f J eff e rini His to ry o f l n v e nt io ns u 2 11

Hand bil l o f Orig inal l nd ian Histo ry o f In v en t to em and

Disc m e rie s b y .
J o h n l ie e k»
Hand b il l o f Ramo Sa me e . mann
Hand b il l of Te s to t Ho b b s Hart . Cu . L o nd o n 2 81
Hand b il l . Re p ro d uc ed F ro nt
and Bac k . u se d to Ad v er »
H o e u s -Po c us . F ro n t i a p i e c e .

t ise Mas te r M Ke an ‘
se c o n d ed itio n . 16 35 . 10 , 12

Hand b il l use d b y And ers o n ll o flm ann

'

. Pro fe sso r .

in Ge rmany .

Hand k erc h ief Disa p p e arin g . . Ho fzinse r h ann Ne p . J o . . rare

2 45 2 54 EW O‘ -L W .

Hard ee s Tac t ic s Ho o p e r s Re c rea tio ns

' ’

7
He ad s o f Kin g Geo rge and Ho u d in Cec il e Eg l an tin e
.

Q n Ch arl o tte e x ec u te d
u ee .
Ho ud in .

in th e ir Pre se n c e b y Dro z Ho udin E mil e Be n e fi t Po st

. .

Drawing Fig u re in 17 74 er a t St . J ame s Th ea tre in

Heb b Wil l iam
. 184 8 .

Heim b u rg e r Al e x and er l l . Ho u din Fav o rite L it h o g rap h

,

l u s tratio n
He im b u rg e r Al e x and er Ph o . . u se d b y Ro b e rta l i o u d in
to g rap h o f Ho u d in .
J ea n -E u g e ne Ro
He im b u rg er Al e x , and er. Pm be rt ~ Po rt ra it take n in 18 6 8 34
g a
r mm e , th e Su sp e n sio n Ho u d in Po s te r anno u nc ing
Tric k 2 42 t h e A p p e aranc e o f R o b e rt
He imb urg e r He rr . 2 33 , 2 37 Ho u d in b e fo re Qu e e n Vic
Hel l e r, R o b e rt . 2 0 5 ,
2 0
7 Co u rt
t o ria and h e r
He l l e r R o b e rt
. and Haide e . Ho udi n Po ster u se d d u ring
Po rt rait s o f an E as t ern E ng ag e m en t at
He l l e r R o b ert G ra v e
. . . th e St . J ame s Th e a tre .

Hel l e r R o b e rt Pro g ram me

, , . Lo nd o n .

He l l er R o b e rt Po s ter
, , . Ho u d in Pro g ram me fo r t h e
He nry M . O p e n ing o f R o b e rt Ho u din -

He ral d Ne w Yo rk
, Th ea tre in Paris , J ul y 3 .

He rrm an n Al e x and er .

He rrmann Co m p a rs . . Ho u d in R o b e rt
. 18, 2 3,
2 5 2
5 . 33 .
35 .
38 . 43 45 . 431
He rrm ann , Co m p a rs , Be st 4 0. 5 ° 5 2 ‘9 5 "N 3 35 o

Po rt rait in E x is t en c e . 19 4 Ho u d in . R o b e rt and So n
He rrmann Co m p ars B il l ing
. , . 19 0 E m il e . Il l u s tratio n p re
Herrm ann Co m p ars Pro
. . ing Se c o nd Sig h t
se n t

g ramm es 19 7 , 2
3 2 Ho u d in Ro b e rt as h e
. 1
111

[ 32 9 1
 I ND E X

PA G E

L e e Sid n e y
, l in in 1 78 4 by J o h ann
Le Man u e l d c s So rc ie rs 2
79 Sam u e l Hal l e
49 Mag ic , Th e O l d an d t h e Ne w ,

L E sc al o p ie r Co u n t d c H R Ev a
'

43 ,
. .
, 2 80 by . .

L e s R ad iatio n s L u m ine u se s .
49 Mag ic d c s X I X .
J ah rh u n

L e s Se c re t s d c l a Pre stid ig it a d e rt s v o n Uriart e . .

tio n c t dc 1
a Magic 2
7 8 Mag ic c t Ph y si q u e am u san t e .

L e s Tric h e rie s d c s G re c s .
49 49. 2 79
L e t te r t o E v anio n fro m G y n Mah o m e t 2 85
12 4 Mail l ard e t 10 5
Man d e v il l e Sir J o h n

“
L e tte rs on Nat u ral Mag ic . 18 1 11 , .
, 2 2 6
L e V o l tig e u r Trap e z e 16 6 Man f red e Bl aise , 2 71 , 2 74
L e w is An g e l o J 65 Manf re d e B l aise f oo d cu t
‘

-
, 2 , , . 2 7 2

L it h o g rap h o f R annin d o in g Marc h and F l o ram , . 2 74

th e Sw o rd w al k in g A c t - . 2 69 Marc h and F l o ram Pu b l ic a , ,

L it h o g rap h sh o w ing Al l o f t io n
Ph il l ip p e
’
s Tric k s 13 7 Marrio t t , t h e Ce l e b rat ed , Pro
L iv e rp o o l Th e at re 2 56 g ra mme f e at u rin g Cab al
L iv e s o f t h e Co nj u re rs . 16 , 2 2 8 ist ic A rt .

L o nd o n D ail y Po st Cl ip p ing Martin He n ri , .

o f Ch rist o p h e r Pin c h b e c k , Martink a F ran c is J ,

f ro m No v 30 1 7 2 8 .
,
.
54 Mask e l y ne
L o n d o n Te l e g rap h Cl ip p in g Maso nic O rd e r
o f Marc h , 18 1 2 10 7 Mate ria Prim a
L o u is P ro g ram m e 10 8, 17 1 Me c h an ism V ie w o f J ac q u e t ,

Dro z Writin g Mac h ine

Mac al l is te r 1
34 , 13 5 ,
1
95 Me l ie s M ,

Mac al l iste r , A n d re w , Po r Me m o irs o f Marq u is d e Me r

t rait o f 19 v il l e
3
Mac al l ist e r B ric k m aso n ,
-
. 19
3 Me m o irs , R o b e rt - Ho u d in
'
s,

Mac al l iste r Pro g ram m e — 6

19 2 14
5 1,
52 , 1
7 , 2 0 ,
3 2 17 ,

M K c an L o u is G o rd o n
‘
, 2 1
3
M K e an Maste r Han d b il l
‘
, , . 2 12

Mac K c n z ie R Sh e l t o n 49
, . . .
, 2 65 Me ro d e Cl e o d c ,

Maé l z c l 2 66 .
,
2 67 Me rv il l e Me m o irs o f Marq
, u is

Mag Miss Ma til d a

,
2 89 dc .

Mag az in e G e n t l e m e n s Me zz o t in t Ch risto p h er
’

, .
56 o f
Mag ic B o t tl e 1
92 P in c h b e c k , J r

Mag ic Nat u ral an d Unn a t

, Me zz o t in t o f Ch rist o p h er
u ral , b y G an tz io n y . . P in c h b e c k , Sr
Mag ic , or th e Mag ic al Po w e r Mit c h e l l , Dr .
J . K
o f Nat u re , p rin te d in B e r Mit c h e l l , J o hn

[ 32 8 ]
 I NDE X

PAG E

Mo d e rn Mag ic ian 2 39 O rig in o f F l o w e rs . 2 2 2

Mo rl e y s Me m o irs ’
o f B a rt b o O rig inal B il l ing u se d by My s
l o m e w F air . t e rio u s L ad y
Mo rse S F B , . .

Mo rtim e r Dr W G o l d e n
'

, . . . P ast e l Po rt rait f Cag l io st ro

o . 2 48
Mo r tim e r s My st e rie s ’
Pas t ry Co o k of t h e Pal ais
Mo v ing Pic t u re s . R o y al 1 16 , 1 2
7 , I93
My s te rio u s L ad y B il l in g u se d , Pe d e st al Cl o c k 16 6

by 2 15 Pe p p e r Mr 2 99
sLa
,

dy Cu t o i
u

My s te rio u
.

, . . 2 16 Pe re ril l i Co u n t
, 2 35
My st ic B e l l Tric k Th e , 16 3 P h an tasm ag o ria A d c , P h il
ip st h al Pro g ram m e . . 10 2 ,
10 3

N ac o n n ie r ,
F ran co isc Mar P h il ip s t h al s P ro g ram m e
’
o f
g u e rit e Ol y m p e
N arro w n e ss o f R o b e rt H o u -
P h il l ip p e , 2 3 , 45 , 1 16 , 12
9 ,

d in s Me m o irs
’

33 1
35
. 1 , 18 4 . 18 5 , 19 3 . I 9S
N a t u ral Mag ic b y o h an n , J P h il l ip p e L it h o g rap h an d h is
Ch rist ian Wie g l c b . . Sc o t c h A ssis t an t D o m in g o . 134

N a t u ral Mag ic , by Sim o n P h il l ip p e Past c l Po rt rait . 130

Witg e e st 12 Ph il l ip p e P o s t e r 13 2 18 4

N at u ral Mag ic F ro n t isp ie c e . . 13 P h il l ip p e Po ste r f e a t u rin g

N a t u ral Mag ic k i n X X B o o k e s t h e I n f e rn al B o t t l e .

by J oh n B a p t is t P o rt a . 12 P h il o so p h y Co u rse o f Ex por
Ne v e , Ric h ard im c n t al
of
.

N e v e Ric h ard F ro n tis p ie c e

, , , Ph o t o - c n g ra \ in g B art o l o
Wo rk on Mag i I
7 m e o B o sc o
N e w sp ap e r Th e L ad v s ,
’
I
77 P h o t o g rap h o f Al ea
nd x er

N ib l o s G ard e n
’
. 2 4 1 He im b u rg e r 2 38
N o rie t M G rav e
’

, .
35 P h o t o g rap h o f B o sc o s 30 6
N o u v e au Man u e l Co m p l e t P h o to g ra p h o f Mm e B o sc o . .
30 5
So rc ie rs , l e s sc ene s d e V e n Pin c h b e c k , Ch risto p h e r ,

t ril o q u ie

N o u v e il e Magic Bl an c h e Dé Pin c h b e c k , Ch rist o p h e r , J r

vo il é e et Co u rs Co m p l e t d e a v e ry ra re Me zz o t in t
P re stid igi t atio n 2 7 8 Pin c h b e c k , Ch ris t o p h e r , Sr
Th e O l d e st an d R are st
'

0 b e d ie n t Card s Th e , . . 14 1 15 6 Me zz o t int in th e Wo rd
Old a nd Ne w Mag ic . 16 P e rt ain ing to th e His t o ry
O l d L o n d o n F airs 16 o f Mag ic
O l d S h o w m an Th e ,
16 Pin c h b e c k , Cl ip p i ng f ro m
14 0 L o n d o n Dail y Po s t o f No v .

( R a ng e Tric k —
.
55

[ 3 9
2
]
 I ND E X

P AG E PA G E

Fine t ti , 2 3 35 , , 3 8 , 5 2 , 6 9 , 7 1, Pro g ram m e o f d c Ph il ip sth al

73 , 6
7 , 17 1, 2 09, 2 1 1, 2 13 , Be ne fi t .

2 2 1, 2 9 8 , 3 0 , 30
0 1, 30 2 Pro g ram m e o f Do b l c r
F in e t ti Ch e v al ie r
, 18 2 Pro g ram m e o f Mac al l iste r .

Pine t t i , Cl ip p ing fe a t u ring Pu n c h .

Se c o nd Sig h t . 2 10 Pu n c h Cart o o n re p ro d u c e d ,

F in e t t i E n g rav in g f J H An d e rso n
’
, o 7 2 p ro v in g . . s

F in e t ti Sig n o ra
, 2 11 2 13 I ne x h au st ib l e Bo ttl e Tric k
Po c k e t Co n j u rc r
’

, s 16 0

P o l k P re sid e n t
, 2 43 R am o Sam ec Han db il l . 28 6
P o l o n ne se . 1 72 R ann in L it h o g rap h
Po n sin ,J . N . 2 7 8 R ann in L it h o g rap h sh o wing
P o r ta , J h n B ap t i t
o s 12 Wal k ing on Sw o rd s . 269

Po rt a , J h n B ap t i t
o s , Po r R are Po st e r of L e arned G o o se 2 20

t rait o f 11 R ay n al y , Mo n s . E 69
f Bu c k Ho o p e r
'
Po rt rait o . 2 57 R e c re a t io n s , s . 2 11

Po rt rait o f Co m p ars He rr R e c re at io n s , Ph y sic al a n d

m an n 19 4 Mat h e m a t ic al b y Guyo t , . 14 3

Po rt rait f E u g e n e B o sc o
o 3 5
1 . R e c reatio n s Ph y si u e s q 2 79
Po rtrait o f He n ry E E v an io n 2 2 . R e d m o n d P ro f e sso r
, . 2 89
P o rt rait o f He n ri R o b in . 19 8 R e p ro d u c t io n o f an E n g rav
P o rt rait o f R o b e rt and ing o f Ch ine se Tri c k Cl im b
Haid e e 2 02 in g in to t h e A ir
Wil j al b aFr ke
i
.

Po rt rait o f ll R e p ro d u c t io n o f an I l l u st ra
in H is Y o u t h t io n in A u f sc h l iisse zu r

P o st e r o f R o b e rt -
Ho u d in on Mag ic
w h ic h h is Co m p l e t e R e p e r R e p ro d u c ti o n o f Cart o o n in
t o ire A p p e ars . Pu n c h , 184 3 , p ro v in g An
u se d b y A nd e rso n in d e rso n I n e x h au st ib l e B o t
’
P o st e r s

L 0 nd 0 n , 18 4 8 tl e Tric k
P o ste r u se d b y F al c k o f Ko e R e p ro d u c t io n o f Han d b il l
n ig sb e rg 1 83 u se d to A d v e rt ise Maste r
Po st e r u se d b y He l l e r . 2 06 M K e an
‘
. 2 12

P re sid e n t P o l k 2 35 , 2 43 R e p ro d u c t io n o f Han d b il l s
Prin t sh o w in g Cab ine t Tric k . 2 90 u se d by My st e rio u s L ad y . 2 16

P ro g ram m e F are w e l l , , o f Do R o b e rt , J e an - E u g e n e ,

blc r 1 89 33 34 , , Ss{ 4 o

P ro g ram m e o f An d e rso n 18 4 8 3 9 0 R o b e rt P ro sp e r
, 33
Pro g ram m e o f Ch in g L au R o b e rt so n E G , .
76
L au ro 2 31 R o b in ,
H e n ri , 19 7 , 19 9 , 2 1 7,

Pro g ram m e o f Co m p ars He rr

m ann Ro b in He n ri Po rt rait o f
, , 19 8
 I L L USTR ATIONS

Bres l aw L ith o g rap h .

B u c k , E ng l ish Co nj u rer O nl y Po rt ra it K no wn “ .

Bu c k Hand b il l Da ted 184 4

Cab al is tic Art ”

Cab al istic Art Fe atu red on Mam m t Pg

ro mm e in 183 1
ra

Cab ah s tic Art Fea tu red on Te st o t Pro g ramm e i n 18 2 6 .

Cab ine t Tric k O fl ered b y Da v en p o rt Bro t h ers

'

Cag lio stro , Co m te sse d c Po rt rait o f . .

Cag lio st ro l Ah nanac h d c Th e Brah m in s Su sp e n sio

' ‘

. . n

Cag l io s tro , R are Paste l Po rt rait

Ch a rl e s Po s te r Use d in 18 2 9 .

Ch inese Mag ic ians

Ch ing L au L a u ro Hand b il l .

Clipp ing A d \ ert ising t h e Writ ing and D ra w ing Fig u res E x h ib ite d
by Ja q c u et Dro z
Cl ip p ing of 18 12 Prm ing t h e Pa rtnersh ip o f dc h
P il ip s th al and

Cl ip p ing Use d b y Ch ris to p h e r Pinc h b e c k in

Co rnil l o t . M Re p ro d u c tio n o f Hand b il l .

Dav en p o rt B ro th e rs A nno u nc e men t

’

Dav en p o rt B ro t h e rs
Dax e n p o rt Bro t h e rs Cab ine t Tric k
’

Dav e n p o rt Bro th e rs i n Th e ir Prime , Po rt raits o f

De cre m p s Hen ri . .

De c re m p s Sig na t u re
'

Do b l er L u d w ig
, , Po r t rait
Do b l e r Pro g ram m e
Do b l e r Pro g ram m e Da t ed 18 4 2

fl m ing o Mac a l l i ter

a s

D o n Ca rl o s . th e Do u b l e -si g h t e d Du g Bil l ing Used

Dro z Au to m at o n
Dro z Fig u re o f Cu p id
D ro z
He nri- Lo u is ac u e t
, J q
, J
Dro z ac q u e t Dra wing Fig u re ,

D ro z Pie rre
, Ja q c ue t, Po rt rait o f
Dro z W iting r A u to m a to n S p e c im e ns in 17 9 6
Du t c h w o m a n . De c o rat io n Use d t o Ad v e rt is e
Bu g l e Barna rd o Fro nt is p iec e f ro m E ag l e Bo o k
'

, ,
s

Eag l e B arne y
. . Po s ter .

Ec k artsh au se n A u to ma t ic Ro p e Vau l te r
’
s

ll
[ ]
 I L L USTR ATI O NS

PAG E

E c k art sh au sc n Cl o c k Tric k
’
s .

E n g rav in g R e p ro d u c tio n
, o f , f ro m an O l d G e rm an E n c y c l o p e d ia . 2 2 7
E v anio n He n ry E v an s
, . 2 2

E x p o su re o f B arn e y E ag l e 15 4 , 15 5
F ab e r, Pro f e sso r Hang e r Ad v e rt isin g Tal k in g , Mac h ine .

90
F al c k Po st e r Use d in 18 35 18 3

F aw k e s Ad v e r t ise m e n t 60 , 6 1 62
F aw k e s Cl ip p in g 64 , 6 5 , 6 6 , 6 7
F aw k e s I saac P o rt rait
, , 59
F rik e l l , He rr u nd F rau 30

F rik e l l V il l a 2 8
F rik e l l , Wil j al b a ,
in His Y o u t h 2 97
G arne rin Po ste r Use d in 18 1 s 12 0

G o o se Po st e r 2 2 0

G y n g el l , L it h o g rap h 12 6
G y n g e l l , Po rt rait o f 12 2

G y n g e l l Po st e r Use d in 1 8 16 12 1

G y n g e l l P ro g ram m e o f 18 2
3 12 5
Had d o c k Ad v e rt ise m e n t 1 7 9 6 16 6
,

H an d b il l A d v e rtisin g t h e F ak e A u t o m a t ic A rtis t 18 2 6 1 11 ,

Hard e e n Th e o We iss , . . 2 5

He im b u rg e r A l e x and e r I l l u s t ra tio n
, , 2 40

He im b u rg e r A l e x an d e r Po rt rait o f
, , 2 38 .

He im b u rg e r A l e x an d e r Po s t e r
, , 42 .

He l l e r R o b e rt an d Haid e e Po r t rait s
, 2 02 ,

He l l e r R o b e r t G rav e o f
, , 2 08

He l l e r R o b e rt P ro g ram m e o f 18 5 1 o nl y o n e in e x is te nc e
, , 2 04 ,

He l l e r Po st e r Use d in 18 5 3 2 06

He rrm an n Co m p ars B il l in g s
, , 19 6 19 7 ,

He rrm an n Co m p ars Po rt rait , , 19 4

He rrm an n Co m p ars P ro g ram m e

, , 2 32

Ho c u s Po c u s F ro n t is p ie c e Se c o nd E d it io n 16 3 5
-
, 10 ,

Ho f z in se r J o h an n Ne p E ng rav in g
, . 16 2

Ho g art h s E n g rav in g E n t it l e d Taste

’ "

7 0

H o n e s E v e ry Day B o o k R e p ro d u c t io n o f p ag e 2 2 6
’
68 ,

Ho u d in and So n E m il e 2 0 1

Ho u d in B as R e l ie f 47
Ho u d in G rav e 46
Ho u d in R o b e rt , 8 2 4 34 4 1 4 8 . . , ,

Ho u d in R o b e rt F av o rite L it h o g rap h fo r Ad v e r tising P u rp o se s

, , 3 8 .

Ho u d in R o b e rt F irst A p p e ara n c e b e f o re Qu e e n V ic t o ria

, ,
39
Ho u d in R o b e rt Po s te r Use d a t Sad l c r s
’
18
, , 53 44

ii
[ ]i
 I L L USTR ATI ONS

P AG E

Ho u d in , R o b e rt Po ste r Use d , at St . J am es Tb e a t re , L o nd o n 40
Ho u d in , R o b e rt Po st e r Used fo r E m il e
, Ho u d in Be ne fi t ,
18 4 8 .
43
Ho u d in , R o b e rt Po ste r Use d in L o nd o n
, . 18 4 8 42
Ho u d in , R o b e rt Po ste r Use d in . 18 5 2 2 2 3 ,
2 2 4
Ho u d in , R o b e rt Po ste r Use d t o Ad v e rt ise
, His Trap e z e Pe rf o rm
an c e

Ho u d in R o b e rt Pro g ram m e f o r t h e
, , Op ning
e o f R o b e rt Ho u din
’
5

Th e atre 1n Paris
Ho u d in R o b e rt Th e
, , o nl y Po s t e r Sh o w in g h is Co m p l e t e S t ag e

se t t in g ”

Ho u d ini Harr , y .

I nd ian B ask e t Tric k

I nd ian J u g g l er s
’
Hand b il l
I ng l eb y B o o k F ro n t isp ie c e
’
s

I n g l e b y Han d b il l D at e d 18 0 8

Ja co bs , M .
, L it h o g rap h
Ja co b s Po s t e r F e at u rin g t h e Trav e l l in g (
‘

ard

Jfl i i H d b il l D a te d
'

ee r n an 18
33
K at t e rf e l t o .

K at t e rf e l t o Cl ip p in g o f 1 78 2

L au ro , Ch in g L au , Han d b il l
L e Co n fi se ur G al an t .

L e sc h o t , J e an F ré d é ric , Po rt rait
L o u is Pro g ram m e o f 18 1
5
Mac al l iste r A n d re w Po rt rait , ,

Mac al l iste r Do m in g o ,

Mac al l is te r Pro g ram m e

M K c an Maste r F ro n t and B ac k
‘
, , o f O rig in al Han d b il l d is trib u t e d
in L o n d o n S t re e t s in 18 3 1 .

Man f re d e B l asiu s d c Man fre o r B l aise

, , R are Wo o d c u t .

Marc h an d F l o ram ,

Marrio t Pro g ram m e F e at u r mg C ab al is t ic A rt in 18

3 1 .

My ste rio u s L ad y B il l in g ”

My ste rio u s L ad y Cu t .

Ne v e , R ic h ard , F ro n t isp ic c e , 1 7 15

Ph il ip st h al , dc , Po st e r Use d in 18 1 1

Ph il ip st h al Pro g ram m e o f 18 0 6

P h il ip st h al P ro g ram m e o f 18 0 3 10 2

Ph il l ip p e an d A ssist an t D o m ing o
Ph il l ip p e L ith o g rap h , 18 4 2

Ph il l ip p e Po st e r
Ph il l ip p e Po ste r Use d in 18 4 —4 6
5

l iV 1
"
 P AG E P AG E

To l m aq uc Tric k Su sp e n sio n
, . .
49 . 2 2 2 , 3 12

To m and J e rry Tric k Su sp e n sio n

, . E t h e re al ,

To m Th u m b G e n , 2 2 2 -
3 12

To rrini 35 , 38 5 2 , , , 14 0 , 2 09 , Tric k . Su sp e n sio n, Ch l o rifo

ree ne . 2 33
To u l e t , Ml l e . L o u ise 2 89 Tric k Su sp e n sio n o f Sh e sh al
, , 2 30

To u rs d c Cart e s c t d c G ib e Tric k Th e I ne x h au st ib l e B o t
,

c ié re 2 79
Trav e l l ing B o ttl e 18 5 , 18 8 Tric k Th e Pa st ry Co o k
, o f th e
Trav e l l ing Card , Po st e r o f Pal ais R o y al
Ja co bs . . Tric k Th e V au l ting Trap e
, z e

Trib u ne Ne w Y o rk , A u to m a to n 49 , 14 1

Tric k A p p l e Tree, Tric k , Wat c h in L o af o f

Tric k , B ask e t , I l l u st ra tio n s , B re ad .

Tric k , Writing an d B raw in ~

Tric k , Be l l 2 42 F ig u re .

Tric k Cab ine t o f t h e D av e n Tw o E l e g an t A u to m a t a .

p o rt B ro t h e rs
Tric k . h ine sc , o f Cl im b in g Un m ask in g o f R o b e rt Ho u
in t o A ir d in
Ch in e se R e p ro d u c t io n . Ure A nd re w M D
. , .

u t 2 2 7
T
i c k Cl o c k D iag ram , o f 16 0 V an E s te n , Mr
Tric k Disap p e arin g
,
Hand V au c a n so n
k e rc h ie f .
5 2 54 V e rl ag . He u se rs
Tric k . I nd ian B ask e t , V o isin .

2 6
7 , 2 77 ,
2 9 1

Mag ic
}

Tric k Cl o c k Diag ram Vl al k in g Card s Th e

'

. . , 1
5 6

“
ll
'

o f 16 0 a te r- sp o u tc r 2 7 2 , 2 73 ,
2 75
Tric k , M y ic
s t 16 3 l Va t c r- sp o u te r an d J uggl er . 2 7 ,

Tric k Card fe a D anie l

’
, O b e d ie n t . c b st e r , 2 43
t u re d on a B arn e y E ag l e We iss
”
. R ev . M . S .
,

Po st e r 15 6

Tric k O ran g e Tre c

, 5
- 1 —
55 Vi e iss, E h r c h i ( K i t t y Ho a
i
Tric k Orang e Tree D iag ram d in i) F n fl rfi
‘

,
-
, . cc e

5 2 We iss Th eo d o re Hu b
'

, 2 5
Tric k R o p e -t y in g 2 93 Wh ite Mag ic 35
Wh ite May o h m
.
,

Tric k Se c o n d Sig h t 4 9 2 0 0 3 1 2
,
. . , ,
35 . . .

Tric k Se c re t o f Traine d B ird

. Wh ite J o h n , . 12

an d Be l l 2 43 Wh it e J o h n Po rtrait o f
, , 15

Tric k , Sh o u l d e r o f Mu t to n Wie g l e b J o h an n i s t ian

,
C ‘
n . 14

and Card . 2 57 VVil l m an n Carl , 30 5

I . an d I
G EN E R A L B OO K B I N D I N G CO
‘J’

1
. w