Later Day Tricks
A. Roterberg
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The Broken and Mended Wine Glass
THE trick that I am about to explain, has the peculiarity that it can only be performed while the conjurer sits at a dinner table. After having introduced a few tricks with lumps of sugar, pellets of bread and other articles that are handy, the artist states that he will perform the very difficult feat of balancing a wine glass on the edge of his table knife, proceeding to do so with the result that the glass slips off the blade, and falling on the floor, is distinctly heard to break. With apparently sincere apologies to the hostess, the performer expresses his regrets of having broken the glass by his foolhardiness, and after having declared that the damage will be repaired, proceeds to produce the identical glass, uninjured, from the tail pocket of his coat.
The apparatus used in this trick will be found of great service in other dinner table tricks, being especially adapted to the vanishing of oranges, apples and articles of a similar nature. The apparatus consists of a black cotton net, the opening of which is sewn to a strong wire ring of about five inches in diameter. To this are fastened two stout black elastics, the other ends of which are sewn or otherwise secured to the back of the performer's vest. The elastics, which are drawn quite tight, are first led through under the performer's vest buckle, causing the net to be drawn up firmly against the latter. When about to perform the trick with the glass, the conjurer secretly pulls down the net and draws it through between his legs, preventing it from slipping back by holding it with his knees.
The attempted balance of the glass on the edge of his knife is only a subterfuge, which gives him an opportunity to drop the glass into the net, which act he accompanies by an involuntary start, rising slightly at the same time. The net is hereby liberated and by action of the elastics is rapidly drawn back to its former place under the coat tails.
To produce the sound of the breaking of the glass, the performer is provided with a small bag containing a wine glass and a few leaden bullets acting as weights; to the upper end of the sack is fastened a thread which passes through a ring sewn to the vest and hidden by the coat. Previous to the the trick, the performer has drawn down the bag and held it against the rung of the chair by pressure of his leg. At the same moment that the glass slips off the edge of the knife and falls into the net, he releases the pressure on the small bag, which drops to the floor, producing the aforesaid deception. At the first opportunity, he seizes the thread attached to the bag and draws it back to its former place under the coat. In apparently producing the glass from his coat tail pocket it will be readily understood that it is taken out of the net instead.
An additional effect may be introduced here by producing the glass filled to the brim with wine instead of being empty. For this purpose the performer employed a rubber syringe or ball previously, filled with red wine, which he had concealed in the profonde. While bringing forth the glass, he empties the contents of the syringe or ball into it and produces it filled as described.
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