Later Day Tricks
A. Roterberg
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The New Gordian Knots
SIX or more silk handkerchiefs of different colors are handed to the company with the request to tie the handkerchiefs together IN ANY MANNER THEY DESIRE, the only condition being that the handkerchiefs shall form a long chain. To make the feat still more difficult, the spectators, if they desire, can sew through the various knots making them practically impossible to open.
The handkerchiefs are then handed to the performer, who placing them on all ordinary chair and waving his wand over them, in a few moments causes all the handkerchiefs to become instantly separated.
The secret of this very mysterious and novel trick, the effect of which surpasses the pretty and justly popular "Vanishing Knots" is a simple one, depending merely upon an adroit substitution made on the performer's way to the stage, of the handkerchiefs tied by the audience for another set of exactly similar appearance tied together previous to the performance. This change, like many other similar changes is made under the coat, and requires no further explanation. The substituted handkerchiefs are fastened together by the well known slip knots, which can be opened easily, while the performer places the handkerchiefs, one after the other, upon the seat of the chair. Those of my readers who are capable of performing "The Vanishing Knots" as fully explained by Mr. Edwin Sachs in his excellent work: "Sleight of Hand" will have no difficulty in mastering this perhaps still more effective feat.
Second Method
After the handkerchiefs are tied together by the audience in the same manner its in the last trick, they are dropped into a hat held by the performer, who never touches the handkerchiefs, places the hat on the seat of the chair and by simply waving his wand over the hat, cause the handkerchiefs to become instantly separated.
Here also a substitution has taken place, this trick however depending upon the hat, which is a prepared one, containing a movable partition, which is constructed as follows: To the center of an oval shaped piece of cardboard of the same size as the inner side of the crown of the hat is hinged a half oval piece of card board, both being covered with the same material that the hat is lined with. This contrivance is placed in the hat, the oval cardboard being next to the crown, the half oval piece hinged to it, lies folded against one of the sides of the hat. Under it is hidden a set of separate handkerchiefs, similar in size and color to those tied together by the spectators.
The knotted handkerchiefs are collected in the hat as explained. The half oval partition is then folded against the other side of the hat and now covers the knotted handkerchiefs, exposing in their stead the separate ones. By holding the partition in place with one of the fingers of the hand holding the hat, the conjurer after waving his wand over the latter, simply turns it upside down and allows the separated handkerchiefs to drop out on the chair.
If instead of the performer's own hat a borrowed one is used, a way must be employed for loading in and subsequently disposing of the changing partition. Performing some other trick with the hat before introducing present trick, will furnish an excuse to take the hat for an instant behind the scenes, ostensibly to brush it off, but in reality furnishing the opportunity to load the partitions and handkerchiefs into it, which may afterwards be dropped into a bag servante concealed behind the chair used during the trick.
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