Miracles of Modern Magic
Harry Whiteley
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Hat, Candle, and Handkerchief Combination
A HANDKERCHIEF is dropped in a hat covered with a plate, now a sheet of paper torn from a whole newspaper is shown empty and rolled into cone shape and the top folded in. A lighted candle is next removed from its stick, wrapped in a second piece of newspaper, and then replaced in the candlestick. The problem is to cause the handkerchief to vanish fromthe hat, then to tear up the ostensible candle and find it has disappeared, next to discover the handkerchief in the paper cone, and finally produce the lighted candle from the performer's pocket.
The conjurer's wand lying on the table consists of a painted hollow brass tube through which a strong thread passes, attached at one end to the table and terminating at the opposite end in a small hook. The utility of this apparatus will appear later.
One sheet of the newspaper used in the trick is prepared by pasting a second sheet over it, all sides being fastened with the exception of a small space at one of the corners. Inside this double piece of paper the duplicate handkerchief is concealed.
The "candle" is simply a sheet of white glazed paper rolled to imitate the genuine article, with a tiny piece of real candle in the top end for lighting purposes.
In the conjurer's pocket a genuine candle is placed; this is prepared by abstracting the wick and inserting in its place a silent striking match, with a small piece of emery cloth fastened in the pocket on which to light the candle in pulling it out. Before dropping the handkerchief in the hat it is attached to the hook end of the thread. In the dropping, a portion of the handkerchief is allowed to hang over the side of the hat, and this piece is pushed in with the wand. This action gives an opportunity for moving a little away from the table, this causing the thread to tighten and pull the handkerchief inside the wand. The wand is now placed aside, and a plata put over the hat as a cover.
The candle should now be wrapped in a piece of newspaper and laid back in the candlestick, while the cone is constructed from a sheet torn in the spectator's presence. In making this the open corner must be at the top left-hand side, which corner is gripped between the thumb and finger of the right hand and rolled from this position in order to bring the opening right into the cone.
It now remains to crush the supposed candle between the hands, to show the hat empty, produce the handkerchief by withdrawing it from the cone, and, as a finale, to bring the lighted candle from the pocket.
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