The Burglars--Another Version

The following more elaborate version requires the use of duplicate Jacks and King of Clubs, but the enhanced effect makes the extra trouble worth while.

In addition to the duplicates two rubber bands are necessary. These are the thin kind and should be well stretched beforehand. Their tension should be so .weakened that either can be stretched around the length and breadth of a card without bending it. A knot must be tied in the middle of each band so that each has two loops. These are to represent handcuffs in the story.

To prepare, you place the four duplicate Jacks on the back of the extra King of Clubs, then stretch one of the rubber bands around the five cards, one loop lengthways, the other sideways, the knot coming in the middle of the face of the King. This packet you put in your top outside coat pocket, face o! the King outward. It should be just out of sight but within reach of your fingertips. If your pocket is a deep one the packet may be brought to the correct height by placing a small silk handkerchief at the bottom of the pocket. The second rubber band you have with the deck.

You begin by stripping out the Jacks as has been described already and have the King of Clubs removed by a spectator. Place the Jacks in your left hand and take back the King. Stretch the rubber loops over it in exactly the same way as you did over the duplicate King, bringing the knot in the middle of its face.

You tell your audience that the King is a local Police Captain and that your pocket is to be regarded as the police station. You push the card into your pocket behind the packet already there, but the moment it is out of sight you seize the end of the duplicate King of Clubs and bring it into view. You fix your handkerchief in such a way that about half an inch of the packet will protrude from the pocket.

The manipulation of the Jacks is exactly the same as before, up to the point where you have two at the top and two at the bottom. You have now to get rid of these four Jacks by palming them off the pack. There are many ways of doing this. Here is one:

At this point the patter runs that the marauders were discovered and a commotion ensued. To illustrate this you shuffle the cards thus--run two cards from the top to the bottom thus bringing all four to the bottom, then shuffle the whole pack but throw the last packet on the bottom. With your left hand palm off the four bottom cards and retain the pack in that hand for the moment. Thrust your right hand, letting it be seen that it is empty, into your right trouser pocket. Bring the hand out and take the pack from your left hand. With the remark, "Where did I put that King of Clubs?", thrust your left hand into your left trouser pocket and leave the palmed cards there.

Then look down at your coat pocket, take the pack again in your left hand and remove the King of Clubs with your right hand. "Ah, here he is. Let's see what he can do." You hold the packet and the pack squarely facing the spectators and slowly push the packet into the middle of the pack. You hand the cards face up to a person to hold, saying you are confident that in four seconds, the Chief will have captured the whole band.

Tell him to run over the faces of the cards and look for the Jacks. When he comes to the King of Clubs quickly remove it and hold it at the tips of your fingers, face to the front. "Well, here is our noble captain anyway. He still has his handcuffs and that's something these days." The spectator fails to find any of the Jacks in the pack.

"Isn't that the usual thing. A clean get-away and the police searching for clues as always. Hello, what's this .9 Why he's got 'em after all and securely handcuffed to himself." You turn the King of Clubs sideways and show the cards on the back by riffling a corner. Then have a spectator remove the "handcuffs" and show the four Jacks to everyone.

If the spectator notices the extra thickness of the King, let him discover the Jacks himself, but be sure to make him hold the packet up so that all can see how they are secured.