The Ne Plus Ultra Cabinet
By Harry Kellar

THERE are times when even the best posted, most practical magician has the extreme pleasure of witnessing during the performance of a brother wizard some illusion that simply dazzles him, so clever and (to him) so inexplicable it seems.

Such was my experience during one of my recent trips across the water. I was in one of Europe's largest cities. Several of the theatres had magicians on their programs and, as usual, when the opportunity offers itself, I started out to witness their exhibitions, hoping to see some new tricks and possibly get a pointer or two. My desire was fulfilled far beyond my wildest hopes or dreams. I went into a theatre where the magician was billed to perform "A series of most astounding spiritualistic phenomena, including the most marvelous materialization ever witnessed on a brilliantly lighted stage." Being especially interested in this class of work, I purchased a front seat and waited for the "Marvels."

After the usual thing of table tipping, slate writing, and ordinary tests, came the feature of his show. A cabinet (very similar to the one used by myself) about six feet square, say eight high, raised some eight or ten inches from the ground, was wheeled on the stage. This cabinet was composed of thin, light wood and made, you might say, entirely of doors. Each of the four sides was composed of two doors opening outwards. The cabinet was spun around to show all four sides. The professor then opened all the doors to show it entirely empty, then closing them after him, stepped from the cabinet and fired a pistol. The front doors flew open and a gentleman in full evening dress stepped out of the previously empty cabinet. Again all doors were opened and closed and again a man was suddenly produced, making two men from the empty frame. Once more all doors were opened: the performer bowed, leaving us to wonder from whence came the two gentlemen in the dress suits.

To me it was as puzzling an illusion as I ever saw. Explanations offered themselves to my mind in rapid succession and each seemed more impossible than the one before. After a couple of days, just as I was ready to give up in disgust, the true explanation came to me. After I had my diagrams all drawn I went once more to see the trick done to verify my theory. I had struck it right.

As I said before, the cabinet is composed of a light, thin panelled wood, so made that the two doors on each side open outward. When the trick is begun the two men are wheeled on the stage inside of the closed cabinet. When set, the two back corners have a small ledge just large enough for a man to stand upon. Figure I shows a ground plan of the cabinet, all doors open: the men are indicated by the letters A and B. The dotted lines indicate the arcs described by the doors in opening. My explanation is given figuring from the rear of the cabinet, thus making the man B as right side, and A as left side. Now we are ready.

Both men are in the cabinet, wheeled on stage and spun around. As the stage performer makes his announcement, the men step out on the back of the cabinet and the performer opens the front doors. He then opens the doors on the left side, which allows A to stop into hiding. The left back door is now opened. A is concealed. The right side doors are opened, and B steps into position. The right back door is opened and B is concealed.

The performer closes the left side back door. A steps behind it. The left side doors are then closed, then the right side back door. B steps behind it, and the right side doors are closed. The performer steps out, closing the front doors behind him. As he does so, A opens the back door, steps inside, and at the shot of the pistol throws the front doors open and walks out.

The performer returns to the cabinet and opens the right side doors, on which B steps into position. The right side back door is now opened, then the left side and back doors. The right side back door is now opened, then the left side and back doors. The right side back door is closed, then the right side doors, then the left side and back doors. Again the performer closes the front doors as he steps to the stage.

B now duplicates the moves that A made. After his production, the doors are opened any way the performer sees fit, the' cabinet is spun around and the illusion completed.