CHAPTER FIVE

PLAYING BEFORE THE BRITISH ROYAL FAMILY

THE proudest moment of my life came when I had been playing in the Palace Theatre, London, for some months to packed houses and continuous applause.

During the month of October 1902 I was invited to dinner at the Eccentric Club, and after dinner was over I amused my hosts with a few dinner-table tricks. It so happened that one of my audience was Mr. George Ashton, then the Royal Agent of King Edward VII's Household. He must have told the King something of what he had seen.

Two nights later Mr. Charles Morton, the manager of the Palace, informed me that I was to play at Sandringham before the King and Queen. Queen Alexandra's birthday was to be celebrated, and amongst those present would be the Kaiser.

Naturally I was immensely delighted. I had thought from time to time that a Royal Command Performance would be the crowning achievement of my career as an illusionist, and now that dream was to come true.

When Mr. Morton told me this good news he also told me that I was to keep it a complete secret, because the King had planned the show as a surprise for Queen Alexandra. That meant that I could not tell anyone of this great event. I had two weeks before the show, which was to be put on in the ballroom at Sandringham on Wednesday, November 12, 1902.

Again I became terribly nervous. Lying in bed, I forgot what a great thing it would be for me and only thought of the ordeal I had to go through. Again and again the temptation came to me to make the excuse "too ill to appear", but silent voices told me that I must not yield to this insidious appeal. This constant worry deprived me of sleep, and by the time the great day came I was nearly a nervous wreck.

I had not told even my assistants where we were playing. I merely said that we were playing in the country, and they jumped to the conclusion that we were going to some country club. We took a considerable amount of baggage, for I had to give as much of my stage show as possible, and we boarded a train for Norfolk. We arrived at the great house, and some of my assistants peeped through the windows. Imagine their surprise when they saw the King, Kaiser Wilhelm, and other members of the Royal Family just returned from shooting. Their delight did something to cure me of my attack of nerves. They were quite certain that we should be a huge success. I felt so too, more especially as I had Mr. Herman Finck to play my music for me.

When ten o'clock came, the time for my performance, there were about two hundred people assembled in the ballroom. At one end a small stage had been erected on which I was to perform.

An aisle ran down the middle of the audience, and on the right of it in the front row were seated H.M. King Edward and H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught, and on the left were H.M. Queen Alexandra, the Kaiser, and H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, later King George V.

There had been two constant worries on my mind. The first was that some of the audience might have seen these tricks before and that they would not like seeing them again. I found out afterwards that I need not have bothered about that, for my show was new to practically everyone there, and Their Majesties had never seen anything like it before. My second worry was that I should make some bad blunder. This nearly happened.

Before the show began I had a few words with Mr. George Ashton, and he coached me on all points of etiquette. I felt that I should be quite safe there and should not say anything which would make me look foolish. He told me that I should not take my coat off when I did the egg-in-the-bag trick and that it would not do to ask for the co-operation of any of my distinguished audience. When I asked him how far I could go in "spoofing" Their Majesties and the others he told me that I could do what, I liked so long as I did not make them look ridiculous.

I went on to the stage with my head full of Mr. Ashton's "do's" and "don'ts", but, strangely enough, I forgot all about them when I was once begun, and I went through my act as usual. And this, I am sure, did a great deal towards making me a hit. I took my coat off and passed it to the Duke of Connaught for examination. I did a great many things which must have made Mr. Ashton say a few things about me under his breath. Yet I am certain that my unconventional attitude suited that unconventional monarch, Edward VII, and his gracious Queen.

My first trick was with handkerchiefs. They are tied together by a member of the audience and they become mysteriously unravelled at a word from me. I took them down to the front row, where the most important guests were sitting, and approaching the Kaiser I asked him if he would be good enough to tie these handkerchiefs together for me.

Just as I finished saying the words I remembered that he had a withered arm, and that he could not tie them together. For one horrible moment I was fascinated by the terrible blunder I had made. Then I took them from him.

"Or rather no, sir," I said. "Perhaps it would be better if Her Majesty did the tying while you keep a careful watch that she isn't cheating."

Everyone laughed at this pleasantry, and I breathed again when I saw that all was well. The Queen tied the handkerchiefs for me, and the King liked the trick very much.

I asked Her Majesty to feel the knots in the handkerchiefs, but I so arranged them that she felt the places where there were no knots.

"Can you feel them?" I asked.

Her Majesty frowned a little and said she could not.

"Well, Your Majesty is not 'feeling' very well. There they are."

I can hear the King's big laugh now.

The second time the Queen tried she said that she could feel them, and I told her that I was delighted that she was "feeling" better. The King laughed very heartily again, and I learned later that my little joke was particularly apt because the Queen was then suffering from a bad cold.

The egg-in-the-bag trick was the high spot of the evening. It seemed to me that His Majesty knew that it needed great skill to deceive the audience at such close range. It was the King himself who held my hands for the trick, and I introduced one or two new touches. I asked the King to feel inside the bag, and while his hand was still inside I produced the egg.

After that I "exposed" the trick in a humorous manner, but still leaving them mystified, performing the trick with one hand, which left my distinguished audience at a greater loss for an explanation than ever. I remember the Kaiser applauding me by slapping his knee with one hand and snapping his finger and thumb.

The fish trick led me into a small mistake. In this illusion I take a fishing-rod and bait it before the audience. Then I throw it out over the heads of the people and begin to catch fish. These I take off the line and place in a glass bowl, where they swim round merrily. I took this bowl down amongst my audience to show them that there really were fish inside, but, feeling that this was too small a matter to interest Their Majesties, I passed before them and took my bowl towards the people who were sitting farther back. But Mr. George Ashton met me and pointed out that I had been discourteous in passing the King and Queen, so I retraced my steps and made good my omission.

One of my card tricks made a deep impression that evening, particularly on Queen Alexandra. In this trick the Duke of Connaught took a card from the pack and placed it in his waistcoat pocket. He then took up and held the end of a, piece of ribbon. I announced to the audience that by my magic power I could pass a current through that ribbon so that if any bright object were to be held against the end distant from the Duke the card would be reflected therein. I invited the Queen on to the stage to test this for herself.

I used the inside of my watch for this trick, for the polished case acted as a reflector. The Queen looked carefully into this as I brought the end of the ribbon close to it. There she saw the nine of clubs.

Three years later, when I was giving an entertainment at the Duke of Marlborough's home, Sutherland House, in Curzon Street, the King and Queen were again present. When I started the trick the Queen asked if she might be the one to look in the watch. Again she took the end of the ribbon in her hand and again she saw the card appear. But this time it was a different card.

"Last time, at Sandringham, it was the nine of clubs," she said, turning to me. "It is now the five of hearts."

Evidently the Queen thought that the same card always appeared in the watch. I was very much impressed by the fact that the Queen had remembered the trick so carefully for three years.

To return to that earlier entertainment at Sandringham: I played before Their Majesties for over an hour, and then I retired, giving place to Albert Chevalier, who sang some of his most popular songs: "The Future Mrs. 'Awkins", "Wot Fur Do'E Luve Oi?", and "The Fallen Star". When this performance was over I was recalled to the ball-room, where the King graciously conferred on me the Medal of Art. Later I was sent a pin containing a letter "E", with the number VII inside it. This pin I wear every day in my tie as a memento of a very genial monarch.

The letter I received with this tie-pin ran as follows

Buckingham Palace, March 27, 1903. Dear Sir, I have the pleasure by command of the King to send you the accompanying pin as a memento from His Majesty of the my clever and interesting performance you gave before the King and Queen and the Emperor of Germany and other members of the Royal Family at Sandringham last summer. The little present would have been sent to you before, but until quite lately I have not been certain of your address. I remain, Dear Sir, Yours faithfully, Dighton Probyn, Keeper of H.M. Privy Purse. To Horace Goldin, Esq.

After some chat with the King on the subject of sleight-of-hand our conversation was interrupted by a stately gentleman who had been hovering near us for some time. This was Sir Dighton Probyn.

"May I remind you, sir, that Mr. Goldin has to catch his special train?"

King Edward was much too interested in the details of the trick I was just explaining to him to let a little thing like a train interrupt his enjoyment, and, turning to the old gentleman, he said, "That's all right. Mr. Goldin need not catch the train. He will stay the night here."

And so it was. I was shown to a very fine bedroom, and next morning, after a good breakfast, I was driven to the station in one of the King's carriages.

Three years passed before I again appeared before members of the British Royal Family. During that interval I appeared before the King and Queen of Saxony in January 1904 and the King and Queen of Portugal in December of the same year. I had the great honour of being commanded to appear before Their Majesties King Edward and Queen Alexandra on four occasions in eight days, which is, I think, a record, though I ran it very close on my tour in the Far East, when I appeared on three successive days before the King of Siam.

On March 3, 1905 I was at Sunderland House, where the King and Queen were among the guests present. Others were the Prince and Princess of Pless, the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, the Marquis de Soveral, and Count Albert Hensdorff. Six days later the King and Queen saw my performance at the Palace Theatre. The very next day I performed at the party given by the Prince of Wales in honour of the anniversary of the Queen's wedding day. This was at Marlborough House, where Queen Mary is now living. The day after that the Prince and Princess of Wales came specially to the Palace Theatre to see my illusions on a large stage.

There were some very interesting incidents during these four performances, and of these one of the most amusing happened at Sunderland House.

All went well until I came to the egg-in-the-bag trick. That particular trick needs the element of surprise, and the King and Queen had already seen it several times. There is no severer test of a trick than repetition.

At one point in this trick I make an obvious pass towards one of my pockets. Someone immediately says, "It's in your pocket." I then take my coat off and have it searched by one of the audience. It is soon evident that the egg is not in the pocket.

By the time the trick has been seen twice everyone knows that the egg has never gone into the pocket, and no one makes that very necessary remark. That is what happened at Sunderland House. The first time I played the trick on them all went well, but King Edward enjoyed it so much that he asked me to do it again. When on the second occasion I came to the illusory pass no one shouted out that the egg was in my pocket.

Nobody, that is, until the King himself realized that unless someone did so the trick would fall flat.

He immediately came to my aid with as loud an "It's in your pocket" as I could have wished. He knew just as well as I did that it was not in my pocket at all, but he also realized how I was feeling during that terrible pause, and so he came to my rescue.

After my main show the guests crowded round me and insisted on seeing small hand tricks. Queen Alexandra was particularly pleased with one which I did for her, and she insisted on my doing it nearly a dozen times.

In this trick I take an ordinary piece of cigarette-paper, tear it in pieces before ones eyes, roll it into a ball. Then I unroll it and the paper is quite whole.

The Queen was so interested that I ventured to carry the trick still further.

"Now, watch very carefully, Your Majesty," I said. "I am going to show you exactly how the trick is done."

"First I conceal a rolled ball of cigarette-paper in the palm of my hand. Then I take another piece, tear it into pieces, carefully change the two over..."

When I came to that point I purposely dropped the palmed piece, and I assumed a very dismayed expression. The Queen was very sympathetic, and when someone picked up the piece of paper and handed it to her she said: "Now, Mr. Goldin, you had better start that trick again."

"No, Your Majesty," I answered. "I think I can do without that piece of paper. Perhaps you will unroll it for me."

The Queen did so. The paper was whole.

"Now will Your Majesty unroll this one for me?"

The Queen's eyes opened wide with amazement when she discovered that it was just as whole as the other and that neither was torn.

The Queen asked me to repeat the trick because she wanted to fool some friends. She went away to summon them, and then she returned with five or six people whom she instructed to watch closely. I repeated the trick, and as usual the onlookers sympathized with me when I dropped the piece of paper because they thought it was an accident. I told them it did not matter, and unrolled the torn piece, showing it to be whole.

Her Majesty, realizing the brilliance of the trick, brought still more guests to be mystified. I did that trick ten times in quick succession. Then the Queen said, "Let's fool the King." When His Majesty came to watch the trick I fooled him in precisely the same way as I had previously fooled the others, to the great delight of Her Majesty.

I may say that I can think of no more difficult feat for a magician than to repeat a trick eleven times at close range before a watchful and intelligent audience.

During the conversation which followed I suggested that Their Majesties should visit the Palace Theatre and see my full show. That night, I explained, they had seen me only as a conjurer. If they visited the Palace Theatre they would see me in my proper role as an illusionist.

This idea had been suggested to me by Sir Alfred Butt, who was then plain Mr. Butt, the secretary of the theatre. At the time I thought that it was a good deal to ask, but His Majesty seemed to welcome the idea, and promised that they would both be present in the near future.

When I was back in the theatre I told Mr. Morton, the manager, that I had invited the King to the show, and that he had accepted. He refused to believe me, and thought that I was pulling his leg. He was not convinced until he received the official notice.

At this performance the King and Queen received me in the Royal Box and congratulated me on the success of my show, which they agreed was much superior to what they had seen before.

The next day I was at Marlborough House, for the Prince of Wales's party. The Crown Prince of Bulgaria was amongst the distinguished guests present.

We arrived there at about 8.30 to get ready for the show at nine o'clock. I chatted for some time to Sir William Carrington, and when the hour struck and there was no sign of the King and the rest of the audience I began to be seriously alarmed. One of my tricks was with a bowl of fire, and this was chemically arranged. If I had to wait more than ten minutes I could not be certain that it would burn properly.

I confided my trouble to Sir William Carrington, and he said that he would try to get the King's attention, but he failed. The Royal pair were still laughing and talking over their dinner.

"Come with me," said Sir William, "and stand in the doorway."

I did so, and saw the King and Queen and the forty other guests sitting at table. As soon as the King saw me he rose, and everyone else rose with him. I retreated towards the room in which the performance was to be, but the King caught me up and told me how much he had enjoyed my previous performance in the Palace and how much he was looking forward to seeing me again.

The show started, and to my great relief the bowl of fire worked quite all right. I produced a bowl of water from the flames, then a handkerchief, and finally I made the bowl disappear. I noticed that it was always the King who started the applause.

For this show I put on my disappearing-bird trick, and this intrigued the late King George V, then Prince of Wales, greatly.

In this trick I place two live birds in a paper bag in full view of the audience. I then hand the paper bag to one of my assistants, take a revolver, fire it at the bag, which is shot into small pieces, and the birds appear in a cage which, up till the firing of the pistol, had been empty. That is the old version of the trick; I have improved it greatly since 1905.

The Prince of Wales watched this very closely, and afterwards he came up to me and said, "I suppose that the the birds never go into the bag."

I did not wish to contradict him, so I said, "Do you mean that they go in realty, or that they only apparently go in?"

Smiling at my reply, the Prince said: "Really."

"Well, really they do, but apparently they do not," I told him.

With that I sent for the cage and exposed the trick before him, showing him every little detail.

He was much interested, and promised me faithfully that he would not divulge the secret.

During the conversation which I had with the Prince at the end of the show he complimented me on a trick knife which I had made myself. All my life I have been in the habit of making these little inventions. I asked the Prince if he would care to accept this one as a present from me.

"Are you sure you can spare it?" he asked.

"If Your Highness wants half a dozen you can have them," I answered.

Whereupon the Prince ordered five more on the spot.

Goldin's Hands

We were then joined by Her Majesty the Queen, who commented on my remarkable hands. I showed her the palms. The "ball" of the thumb base is very developed, and so are the "knobs" just at the base of my fingers. When I cup my hand it makes a hollow in which I can hold a billiard-ball without using my fingers at all. I amused the Queen by passing a penny from one side of my hand to the other in such a way that she never saw it.

"You certainly have baffled me very completely, Mr. Goldin," said the Prince of Wales as I was preparing to depart. "After seeing your performance here I can assure you that I shall be careful not to miss your full show in the theatre."

"I shall be deeply honoured, Your Royal Highness," I answered. "If you come to see my full act you may be sure that you will see something much superior to the conjuring I have done this evening."

The very next day, Saturday, March 11, the Prince and the Princess of Wales, now Queen Mary, came especially to the Palace Theatre, and they sent for me before the performance and presented me with a diamond tie-pin bearing the Prince of Wales's feathers and the letter "G".

The Prince and Princess arrived earlier than I had expected. I had told them that I appeared at 10.30, and I expected them to come about that time. Instead they arrived at the Palace Theatre at nine o'clock. They were conducted to the Royal Box, outside which stood Mr. Frank Boor, now the popular manager of the Hippodrome Theatre, London, and the royal agent, Mr. George Ashton.

No sooner were the Prince and Princess comfortably settled than they asked for me. Mr. Alfred Butt was in a quandary, for I was not in the theatre. I had an engagement at the Savage Club to give an entertainment for Lord Roberts.

When I had finished the performance, though I intended to remain half an hour and avail myself of the convivialities of the Club, I was called to the telephone; it was a message from the Palace Theatre to tell me the Prince of Wales had been inquiring for me. I rushed out, leaving my hat and coat behind, with a shout of "Good night to all." In a hansom I arrived at the stage door of the Palace Theatre, where I was met by Mr. Butt, who said, "The Prince has been asking for you." I replied, "Tell him I am here." We proceeded to the box; there we met Mr. Frank Boor, who knocked on the door; the Prince was informed and I was invited into the box.

A 1905 cartoon

I was about to apologize for the delay, but the Prince gave me no chance. He told me that he had attended many private entertainments, but never before had he enjoyed one so much as the one I had given at Marlborough House. Then he shook me by the hand, placing his left hand on my shoulder the while. Then he conferred upon me the tie-pin which I mentioned before, so bringing my gifts from royalty to a total of three. Later I received a fourth from the King of Siam.

The show which followed was a great success, and I was given to understand afterwards that the Prince was very much impressed, and agreed that my stage show was far finer than the conjuring which was all I had been able to show him before, and I can see him applauding now.