Miracles of Modern Magic
Harry Whiteley
Previous | Contents
Whiteley's Three-Card Trick
WE VENTURE to believe the following card trick will be as acceptable to readers as it has been welcomed by all audiences to whom we have introduced it. A pack of cards is handed to an assistant from the auditorium for him to pass round and permit three different persons to take one card each. Performer now asks that the cards may be marked for subsequent identification, after which the assistant has them placed back in the pack and shuffled, and then brings the cards back to the conjurer, who gives them a final mix, and then puts the pack in the inside breast-pocket of assistant's coat, asking him to "take the chair" for a few moments.
The performer now comes among the audience, and just as he steps from the stage the assistant startles everyone by hastily jumping from his chair and indicating as delicately as possible, that a certain spot has been touched, and, if he is a good assistant, will make it apparent that his dignity has been hurt at the same time. On his turning to the chair to investigate the reason of his sudden rise in the world, the audience see a playing card sticking to his back. This card is proved to be the first one selected.
The conjurer has now passed accross the room and asks for the name of the second card chosen. The card is named, and the performer at once picks out some inoffensive gentleman many yards from him, and requests that individual to remove the named card from his pocket! This is done, and the card is found to be the identical one in question.
Returning to the stage the conjurer asks for the name of the third and last card. It is given, and he proceeds to inform his assistant that the cards have been highly-magnetised and if he will rub the first three fingers of his left hand on his right arm briskly, and then, without allowing the magnetism to escape, quickly dip the fingers in the pocket and pull out one card--the selected one will rise into his hand. When this information has been acted upon the asistant's hand emerges from his pocket with the third marked card in his fingers.
The requirements for this trick are a pack of long and short cards and plenty of cheek. The asistant has three cards taken from the long or wide pack and returns to the stage. While the cards are being marked the conjurer changes the pack for the short or narrow ones, among which the three selected cards are collected. By a casual shuffle the conjurer brings these cards to the top, palms two off, and places the remainder (with the third chosen card uppermost) in the assistant's pocket. While doing this the assistant is asked to jump off the chair and pretend someone has run a pin in him directly the conjurer says, "One of the cards----" He is now seated in the chair and, while making him confortable, the performer pushes one of the palmed cards under the assistant's coat collar at the back, this now leaving one still palmed.
Here the conjurer comes from the stage, and says: "Ladies and gentlemen, one of the cards----," here he looks at assistant if he has not taken his cue, and repeats: "One of the cards was----," and he should now be interrupted by the assistant's by-play. During the laughter which is incident always evokes, there is generally plenty of opportunity for dropping the palmed card in a gentleman's pocket, his hat, under a chair, or on a lady's hat. If no opportunity offers itself, lay your hand deliberately over some gentleman's pocket, push the card home, and speaking from the opposite side to withdraw his attention, say: "You won't mind me squeezing through--I want to get on the other side."
It will now be apparent as to how the first two cards are discovered; the third method is probably known already. Given only three fingers wherewith to extract a card from his pocket, the assistant cannot fail to take the top one, which is of course what is desired, and this brings the trick, and also this modest manual to a
FINIS
Previous | Contents