Later Day Tricks
A. Roterberg
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Handkerchief and Envelope
A MARKED envelope, which may be a borrowed one, is shown empty and after being scaled shut, by one of the spectators is handed to the performer, who first causes a silk handkerchief to disappear and after showing his hands to be perfectly empty, tears off the end of the marked envelope and extracts from it the previously vanished handkerchief.
As the vanishing of the handkerchief can take place in any manner the conjurer fancies, only the appearance of the handkerchief in the closed envelope remains to be explained. Previous to the performance, a duplicate handkerchief is folded in zigzag fashion and held together by a small rubber band slipped over it, to which is attached a small pellet of adhesive wax. The handkerchief thus prepared is placed on the servante or in the conjurer's pochette. While the envelope is still in the hands of the audience, the performer vanishes the first silk handkerchief and after having done this, secretly obtains possession of the folded, prepared handkerchief, which he adroitly attaches to the rear side of the envelope, which has in the meantime been handed to him. The performer can now show both hands empty, holding the envelope by the finger tips only, of course being careful not to expose its back with the attached handkerchief to the view of the spectators. Finally he tears off one end of the envelope, introduces the second, third and fourth fingers into it, while with the thumb and first finger he apparently pulls the handkerchief out of the envelope, but really out of the rubber band on its back. The rubber band is then detached and allowed to drop on the floor, the conjurer being now at liberty to pass the envelope once more for inspection.
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