WHILE Robert-Houdin claims to have invented “The Inexhaustible Bottle” for a special programme designed to create a sensation at the opening of his season of 1848, in the illustrated appendix of the original French edition of his “Memoirs” he states that it had its premier presentation December 1st, 1847. These discrepancies occur with such frequency that it is difficult to refute his claims in chronological order. Perhaps he adopted this method intentionally, to confuse future historians of magic, particularly concerning his own achievements.
In order to emphasize the brilliancy of this trick, Robert-Houdin turned boastful in describing it. On page 348 of the American edition of his “Memoirs,” he states that the trick had created such a sensation and was so much exploited in the London newspapers that the fame of his inexhaustible bottle spread to the provinces, and on his appearance in Manchester with the bottle in his hand the workmen who made up the audience nearly mobbed him. In fact, the description of this scene is the most dramatic pen-picture in his “Memoirs.”
The truth, sad to state, is that the bottle trick did not create the sensation he claims for it in London, nor did the press eulogize it. It was classed with other ordinarytricks, and twenty London papers bear mute testimony to this fact. In a complete collection of press clippings regarding his first London appearance, only four of the London papers mention the trick.The Times, the great conservative English paper, in reviewing Robert-Houdin’s performance in its issue of May 3d, 1847, ignored the trick entirely. The four London papers which made mention of the bottle trick, and then only in a passing comment, wereThe Chronicle,The Globe,The Lady’s Newspaper, andThe Court Journal. Any one acquainted with the two last-named periodicals will know that they rarely reach the hands of the humble artisans in Manchester.Punch, London’s great comic paper, gave the trick some space, however.
The trick of pouring several sorts of liquors from the same bottle has been presented in various forms and under different names. To prove the futility of Robert-Houdin’s claims I will explain the mystery of this trick, which is of an interesting nature.
To all intents and purposes the bottle used looks like glass; but it is invariably made of tin, heavily japanned. Ranged around the central space, which is free from deception, are five compartments, each tapering to a narrow-mouthed tube which terminates about an inch or an inch and a half from within the neck of the bottle. A small pinhole is drilled through the outer surface of the bottle into each compartment, the holes being so placed that when the bottle is grasped with the hand in the ordinary way, the performer covers all but one of the pinholes with his fingers and thumb. The centre section is left empty, but the other compartments are filled with a funnel which has a tapering nozzle made specially for this purpose.
The trick is generally started by proving to the audience that the bottle is empty. It is then filled with water, which is immediately poured out again, all this time the five pinholes being covered tightly with the hand or fingers which are holding the bottle. When a liquor is called for, the performer raises the finger over the air-hole above that particular liquor, and the liquor will flow out. When a large number of liquors may be called for, the performer has one compartment filled with a perfectly colorless liquor, which he pours into glasses previously flavored with strong essences. Certain gins and cordials can be simulated in this fashion.
Various improvements have been made in this bottle trick. For instance, after the bottle has yielded its various sorts of liquors, it is broken, and from the bottle the performer produces some borrowed article which has been “vanished” in a previous trick and then apparently forgotten. This may have been a ring, glove, or handkerchief, which will be discovered tied around the neck of a small guinea-pig or dove taken from the broken bottle.
This is accomplished by having the bottle especially constructed. Its compartments end a few inches above the bottom of the bottle and the portion below having a wavy or cracked appearance, is made to slip on and off. The conjurer goes through the motions of actually breaking the bottle by tapping it near the bottom with a small hammer or wand, and the appearance of the guinea-pig or lost article causes surprise, so that the pretended breaking of the bottle passes unnoticed.
Again, this bottle can be genuine, with no loose bottom at all, and a small article can be inserted, but this makes a great deal of trouble, and the effect is not greatly increased. In doing the trick thus, I was always compelled to have an optician cut the bottom from the bottle, and then at times even he would break it.
To explain further how the article is “loaded” into the bottle, the performer borrows several articles, for example a ring and two watches. He will place the ring and watches into a funnel at the end of a large horse-pistol, and shoot them at the target. The two watches appear on the target or in a frame or any place that he may choose. In obtaining the articles, he may have wrapped them up in a handkerchief which he has hidden in the front of his vest. Alexander Herrmann was exceptionally clever in making this exchange, his iron nerve and perpetual smile being great aids in the trick.
The performer now places the duplicate handkerchief on the table in full view of the audience, and walks to another table for a gun. While reaching for this gun, he places the original articles which he borrowed behind his table on a servante, so that his hidden assistant may reach for them, place the two watches on the “turn-about target,” tie the ring on the neck of the guinea-pig, shove him into the bottle, and insert the false bottom. The trick is then ready in its entirety.
The magician calls for something to use as a target, and the assistant responds with the revolving target or frame. When the conjurer shoots, the two watches appear on the target or in the frame. This part of the trick is accomplished by having the centre of thetarget revolve, or, if the frame is used, by having a black velvet curtain pulled up by rapid springs or strong rubbers.
While all this is going on, some one has brought on the stage the loaded bottle, and as no attention is called to this, by the time the watches have been restored to the owners the conjurer introduces the bottle trick, pours out the various liquors, and eventually breaks the bottle and reproduces the borrowed article tied about the neck of the guinea-pig or dove.
Many names have been given to this trick. The old-time magicians who remained for months in one theatre had to change their programmes frequently, so for one night they would present the bottle without breaking it, and on the next they would break the bottle, so as to vary the trick.
This bottle trick originated in “The Inexhaustible Barrel.” The first trace that I can find of this wonderful barrel is in “Hocus Pocus, Jr., The Anatomie of Legerdemain,” written by Henry Dean in 1635 (Second Edition). On page 21 is described a barrel with a single spout, from which can be drawn three different kinds of liquors. This was worked precisely on the same principle as was the inexhaustible bottle trick centuries later, by shutting up the air-holes of compartments from which liquors were not flowing.
Its first public appearance, according to the data in my collection, clipped from London papers of 1707 and 1712, was when the “famous water-works of the late ingenious Mr. Henry Winstanly” were exhibited by his servants for the benefit of his widow; and the exhibition includeda view of “the Barrel that plays so many Liquors and is broke in pieces before the Spectators.”
In 1780 Dr. Desaguliers presented in London a performance entitled “A Course of Experimental Philosophy wherein the Principles of Mechanics, Hydrostatics, Pneumatics, and Optics are proved and demonstrated by more than 300 Experiments.”
In the course of these lectures he produced a sort of barrel, worked by holding the fingers over the air-holes. He also exposed the real source of strength of the notorious strong man of his day, John Carl von Eckeberg, who allowed horses to pull against him, permitted heavy stones to be broken on his bare chest, and who broke heavy ropes simply by stretching or straightening his knees. These lectures and exposés made Dr. Desaguliers so famous that he has been given considerable space in Sir David Brewster’s “Letters on Natural Magic,” published in London in 1851, in which book the various deceptions used by strong men are fully described. In fact the book is one that should be in every conjurer’s library.
The old Dutch books explain the barrel trick, and in 1803 Charles Hutton, professor of Woolwich Royal Academy, translated four books from Ozanam and Montucla, exposing quite a number of old conjuring tricks. The barrel trick will be found on page 94 of Volume II.
The first use of “The Inexhaustible Bottle” by modern conjurers I found in an announcement of Herr Schmidt, a German performer, who for a time controlled the original writing and drawing figure, as will be found by reference to Chapter III., which is devoted to the history of that automaton. The programme published in that chapter is dated 1827, and does not include the famous bottle, because it was no longer a novelty in Herr Schmidt’s répertoire; but the advertisement reproduced herewith, dated 1821, schedules the bottle trick thus: “The Bottle of Sobriety and Inebriety, proving the inutility of a set of decanters, when various liquors can be produced by one.” Thus Schmidt antedated Houdin’s offering of the trick by more than a quarter of a century.
enlarge-imageA Schmidt programme of 1821, featuring the “Bottle of Sobriety and Inebriety.” From the Harry Houdini Collection.A Schmidt programme of 1821, featuring the “Bottle of Sobriety and Inebriety.” From the Harry Houdini Collection.
Next the bottle turned up in 1835 in London, where it was presented by a German who styled himself “Falck of Koenigsberg, Pupil of the celebrated Chevalier Pinnetty,” and who introduced the programme with which Döbler made such a sensation in 1842.
enlarge-imagePoster used by Falck of Koenigsberg in 1835, featuring the trick of exchange of wine. From the Harry Houdini Collection.Poster used by Falck of Koenigsberg in 1835, featuring the trick of exchange of wine. From the Harry Houdini Collection.
Mr. Falck opened at the Queen’s Bazaar, Oxford Street, London, November 8th, 1835. Before opening, however, he gave a private performance for the press, and received quite a number of notices. A half-column clipping in my collection, dated November 4th, 1835, which I think is cut fromThe ChronicleorThe Globe, mentions the trick among other effects like “Flora’s Gift,” “The Card in the Pocket,” etc., and adds that the “exchange of wine was so that if once in Mr. Falck’s company, we should not wish to exchange it, for he pouredthree sorts of wine, Port, Sherry, and Champagne, out of one bottle. Then he put them together, and from such a mixture produced sherry in one glass, and port in another.”
From this notice it will be seen that Falck had “The Inexhaustible Bottle,” and had some method of returning all the liquors not drunk back into the bottle and then pouring out two different kinds of liquor.
Perhaps he resorted to chemicals, but one thing is evident—the bottle was used for six different kinds of liquors at one and the same time.
enlarge-imagePoster used by Phillippe during his Edinburgh engagement in 1838, featuring “The Infernal Bottle.” From the Harry Houdini Collection.Poster used by Phillippe during his Edinburgh engagement in 1838, featuring “The Infernal Bottle.” From the Harry Houdini Collection.
Phillippe from 1836 to 1838 featured “An Infernal Bottle” trick, also “The Inexhaustible Bottle” trick. The trick also was seen on programmes used by John Henry Anderson, the Wizard of the North, in the same years. According to these programmes Phillippe and Anderson showed the bottle empty, filled it with water, and then served five different liquors.
On April 30th, 1838, Anderson thus announced the trick on a programme used at Victoria Rooms, Hull:
“Handkerchiefs will be borrowed from three gentlemen; the magician will load his mystic gun, in which he will place the handkerchiefs; he will fire a bottle containing wine, the bottle will be broken and the handkerchiefs will appear.”
Programmes in my collection show that Anderson presented the trick, serving various sorts of liquors, when he played London in 1840, but little attention was drawn to the wonderful bottle. In 1842 Ludwig Döbler, Germany’s best-beloved magician, came to London and featured what he termed “The Travelling Bottle.”
enlarge-imageReproduction of a political cartoon in Punch, published during Anderson’s London engagement, April, 1843, proving that the “Inexhaustible Bottle Trick” was used by Anderson before Robert-Houdin was a professional entertainer. From the Harry Houdini Collection.Reproduction of a political cartoon in Punch, published during Anderson’s London engagement, April, 1843, proving that the “Inexhaustible Bottle Trick” was used by Anderson before Robert-Houdin was a professional entertainer. From the Harry Houdini Collection.
enlarge-imageLudwig Döbler in his prime, taken about 1839. The original of this rare picture was discovered by the author in a small print shop in Moscow, Russia. It is now a part of his Collection.Ludwig Döbler in his prime, taken about 1839. The original of this rare picture was discovered by the author in a small print shop in Moscow, Russia. It is now a part of his Collection.
Ludwig Leopold Döbler was born in Vienna in 1801. He was the best-beloved magician who ever trod the stage. He started life as an engraver of metals, but his fancy turned to necromancy. He gave his best performances in his native city. In 1841 he was touring Holland, and in a letter now in my possession, which he wrote to a director and editor in Vienna under date of March 15th, 1842, he informs his friend that he has sent all his baggage to London from Amsterdam, and is on a visit to Paris. He regrets that he has not all of his apparatus with him, but has given several performances, and mentions the fact that “to-morrow I am engaged to give a performance in the private parlor of Rothschild and then by the CountMontaliset, minister of the King’s mansions.” He also informs his friend that he expects to visit Paris the next season and build his own theatre. He states a fact most interesting to all magicians, namely, that he has rented the St. James Theatre in London for two thousand francs ($400) a night, or more than $2,400 rent for one week. Döbler drew such big audiences and made so much money that he refused to give private performances,only breaking this rule when presenting his show before H. M. Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort.
enlarge-imageA Döbler programme from the Evanion collection, dated 1842, now in the possession of the author.A Döbler programme from the Evanion collection, dated 1842, now in the possession of the author.
He played the provinces, then went over to Dublin, where, although unable to speak English, he was a veritable sensation. In 1844 Döbler played a return date at the St. James Theatre, London, and this time he had Anderson as a rival at the Théâtre Royal Adelphia.
Döbler amassed a fortune very rapidly; in fact he retired in 1847, and never again appeared on the stage. He always explained his early retirement by saying: “The public loves me, and I want it to always love me. I may return and be a failure, so it is best to know just when to stop.” He died in a little village near Tunitz, on April 17th, 1864, when one of God’s noblemen was laid to rest.
“The Travelling Bottle” alluded to by Döbler in his programmes was nothing more or less than “The Inexhaustible Bottle.” The following excerpt from the LondonChronicleduring Döbler’s engagement at the St. James Theatre, April, 1842, is illuminating:
enlarge-imageDöbler’s farewell programme in verse, used when he played his last engagement in the Josephstadter Theatre, Vienna. Original given by Döbler personally to Henry Evanion; now in the Harry Houdini Collection.Döbler’s farewell programme in verse, used when he played his last engagement in the Josephstadter Theatre, Vienna. Original given by Döbler personally to Henry Evanion; now in the Harry Houdini Collection.
enlarge-imageLudwig Döbler in his prime, offering his most popular trick, “The Creation of Flowers.” From a rare lithograph in the Harry Houdini Collection.Ludwig Döbler in his prime, offering his most popular trick, “The Creation of Flowers.” From a rare lithograph in the Harry Houdini Collection.
“Döbler—St. James Theatre.—Among the illusions that more particularly struck our fancy was one entitled ‘The Travelling Bottle,’ where Herr Döbler, filling a common bottle with water, transformed this water into a collection of wines of all countries, amicably assembledtogether in one receptacle, and he fills out first a glass of sherry, then one of port, then one of champagne, and so on.”
The critic then describes how the bottle was broken, and the borrowed handkerchief was found inside the bottle.
enlarge-imageDöbler programme with illustrations of his tricks, used during his engagement at the St. James Theatre, London. From the Harry Houdini Collection.Döbler programme with illustrations of his tricks, used during his engagement at the St. James Theatre, London. From the Harry Houdini Collection.
Probably because of the prominence which Herr Döbler gave to this trick it attracted more attention when Anderson presented it during his London run of 1843. He announced it as “Water vs. Wine, or Changing Waterinto Different Liquids—Sherry, Port, Champagne, Gin, Milk, Rum, and Water.”
enlarge-imageProgramme used by Macallister at the Bowery Theatre, August 11th, 1852, during his second engagement in New York City. Featuring the “Magic Bottle” from which twenty-two kinds of liquor could be drawn. Careful reading will unearth Macallister’s ill-will toward Anderson. From the Harry Houdini Collection.Programme used by Macallister at the Bowery Theatre, August 11th, 1852, during his second engagement in New York City. Featuring the “Magic Bottle” from which twenty-two kinds of liquor could be drawn. Careful reading will unearth Macallister’s ill-will toward Anderson. From the Harry Houdini Collection.
The LondonSunof April 18th, 1843, says:
“Mr. Anderson, besides the feats by which his reputation was established in his former exhibitions in the metropolis, performed with perfect ease and success some of greater difficulty than those by which Herr Döbler astonished the world, such as serving several kinds of wines from the same bottle.”
The Morning Advertiser(London) of the same date said:
“With the utmost ease he produced from an empty bottle wine, water, port, sherry, and champagne, and immediately afterward, under a blaze of wax and gas, he broke the same bottle and produced from it half a dozen cambric handkerchiefs, which had previously been deposited under lock and key at a considerable distance.”
enlarge-imageAndrew Macallister as he appeared during his engagement in the United States. From the Harry Houdini Collection.Andrew Macallister as he appeared during his engagement in the United States. From the Harry Houdini Collection.
Macallister, the Scotch brick-mason, who became the pupil and assistant of Phillippe, as described in the chapter on “The Pastry Cook of the Palais Royal,” also claimed the bottle trick as his invention. I have been unable to obtain any of the early programmes used by Macallister, but I am reproducing the one he utilized during his engagement at the Bowery Theatre, New York City, in 1852. This was not his first appearance inNew York, however. In December, 1848, and January, 1849, he played at the same theatre, and announced that he had just concluded a successful engagement at the Grand Theatre Tacon, Havana, Cuba.
enlarge-imageThe original Compars Herrmann, who was Robert-Houdin’s very active rival during the latter’s first engagement in London. Best portrait now in existence, and only one showing Herrmann in his prime. Original photograph loaned for this work by James L. Kernan, of Baltimore, Md., U. S. A.The original Compars Herrmann, who was Robert-Houdin’s very active rival during the latter’s first engagement in London. Best portrait now in existence, and only one showing Herrmann in his prime. Original photograph loaned for this work by James L. Kernan, of Baltimore, Md., U. S. A.
Although Macallister claims to have invented “The Inexhaustible Bottle” trick, it is more likely that, having been connected so long with Phillippe, he knew the secret several years before Robert-Houdin appeared in public. But as Macallister also claimed to have invented the peacock and the harlequin automata, both of which are recognized as the inventions of his predecessors, his claim cannot be given serious consideration.
He advertised to produce twenty-two kinds of liquors from one bottle, and therefore he must have utilized the essence glasses in connection with the bottle.
What must have been Robert-Houdin’s feeling when, on arriving in London in 1848, he found another magician, Compars Herrmann, heavily advertised at the Théâtre Royal, and already offering each and every trick included by the Frenchman in his répertoire. Even the much-vaunted bottle was in Herrmann’s list of tricks. No one seems able to tell where Compars Herrmann obtained the tricks he used, but he must be given credit for never advertising them as his own inventions. His record in this respect was clean throughout his life as a mysterious entertainer.
The programme presented by Herrmann at the Théâtre Royal during Robert-Houdin’s opening week at the St. James Theatre is herewith reproduced. Herrmann remained some time in London, playing at the Adelphia, then at the Royal Princess, and finally at the SurreyTheatre. A bill used by Herrmann at the Princess is reproduced on page 232. It evidently proved satisfactory to the public and he used it without change for many years.
enlarge-imageBilling used by Compars Herrmann when he played in opposition to Robert-Houdin on the latter’s arrival in London. This shows that Herrmann duplicated all of Robert-Houdin’s tricks. From the Harry Houdini Collection.Billing used by Compars Herrmann when he played in opposition to Robert-Houdin on the latter’s arrival in London. This shows that Herrmann duplicated all of Robert-Houdin’s tricks. From the Harry Houdini Collection.
Probably the most notable warfare waged over thehonor of having invented this trick arose between Robert-Houdin and Henri Robin, who were contemporaries.
enlarge-imageA Herrmann programme dated April, 1848, showing that Herrmann presented the inexhaustible bottle two months before Robert-Houdin appeared in London.A Herrmann programme dated April, 1848, showing that Herrmann presented the inexhaustible bottle two months before Robert-Houdin appeared in London.
enlarge-imageHenri Robin, generally conceded to have been the most polished conjurer in the history of magic. From the Harry Houdini Collection.Henri Robin, generally conceded to have been the most polished conjurer in the history of magic. From the Harry Houdini Collection.
Robin, whose right name was Dunkell, was of Hollandbirth and died in Paris in 1874. He was at his prime about 1839-40, when he toured the Continent. He was popular in London, Paris, and both the English and French provinces. A polished man, famous for the elegance of his speech and manners, he conducted his performance and all his business in a quiet, conservative fashion. In both Paris and London, he had playhouses named temporarily in his honor, Salle de Robin, and at one time inLondon he also appeared at the Egyptian Hall. He published his own magazine,L’Almanach d’Cagliostro, an illustrated periodical which was quite pretentious.
Robin presented all the tricks and automata that Robert-Houdin claimed as his original inventions, and in the famous controversy, Robert-Houdin came out second best. Robin proved that he had used the bottle trick before Robert-Houdin did, by showing back numbers of his magazine, whose illustrations pictured Robin performing the trick at his theatre in Milan, Italy, July 6th, 1844, or three years before Robert-Houdin presented it in Paris.
Robin, however, never wrote an autobiography nor any exhaustive work dealing with the history of magic, while Robert-Houdin did. The latter set forth his claims over other magicians so skilfully that for more than half a century the intelligent and thoughtful reading public has been deceived and has accepted his statements as authoritative. According to an article published inL’Illusionniste, scientists to this day, in explaining the law of physics as operated by the use of air-holes in the inexhaustible bottle, refer to it as the “Robert-Houdin bottle,” when in reality the honor of its invention belongs to some obscure mechanic or magician whose name must remain forever unsung by writers on magic.
EVIDENTLY second sight was the foundation-stone of Robert-Houdin’s success. Reading between the lines of his autobiography, one finds that this was the trick which carried him into the salons of fashion and royalty. Before he introduced second sight into his répertoire, his tricks were so commonplace that they did not arouse the interest of the court circle, whose approval furnished the seal of success.
This trick of second sight he claims body and soul, as the favorite child of his brain. He even goes as far as to relate a story to prove that the trick came to him in the form of an inspiration. I quote directly from the American edition of his “Memoirs,” page 255:
“My two children were playing one day in the drawing-room at a game they had invented for their own amusement; the younger had bandaged his elder brother’s eyes and made him guess the objects that he touched, and when the latter happened to guess right they changed places. This simple game suggested to me the most complicated idea that ever crossed my mind. Pursued by the notion, I ran and shut myself in my workshop, and was fortunately in that happy state when the mind follows easily the combinations traced by fancy. I rested my head in my hands, and in my excitement laid down the first principles of second sight.”
enlarge-imageRobert-Houdin and his son Emile, presenting second sight. Here the bell is used as it was by Henri Robin. From an illustration in the original French edition of the Robert-Houdin “Memoirs."Robert-Houdin and his son Emile, presenting second sight. Here the bell is used as it was by Henri Robin. From an illustration in the original French edition of the Robert-Houdin “Memoirs."
Then, picking up the long idle quill of Baron Munchausen, he proceeds to explain the methods by which he perfected the trick and trained his son. To the layman these methods read most entertainingly. To the experienced conjurer or his humblest assistant they appeal as absurd and impossible, a sheer waste of time, of which a man who reproduced the tricks of his predecessors as rapidly as Robert-Houdin did, would not be guilty.
enlarge-imageRobert and Haidee Heller from photographs taken at the time that they were presenting second sight according to the Robert-Houdin method by an electric code. From the Harry Houdini Collection.Robert and Haidee Heller from photographs taken at the time that they were presenting second sight according to the Robert-Houdin method by an electric code. From the Harry Houdini Collection.
He claims to have trained the eye and memory of his son, by leading the latter past shop windows, and after allowing him one glance, demanding the names of articles seen at this single glance. When the boy could mention forty things after passing the window, his education was pronounced good. Robert-Houdin also tells in his“Memoirs” of spending hours with his son in poring over an enormous collection of coins, medals, etc., which severe lesson helped them both in future performances. To the conjurer, this tale is farcical. Not only was there no need of forcing the boy to become a coin expert, but the task was one which could not be accomplished in the brief time which Robert-Houdin allowed himself for perfecting the trick.
The only knowledge required about coins is to recognize a coin when you see it. Some one may hand a coin of peculiar stamp, and the operator must signal to his medium the metal and all he knows about it. Of course, if both know the various coins, then they can understand each other with less signaling than if the coins were unfamiliar to either.
Inaudi, the French calculator, can look at a blackboard filled with numbers for a few seconds, then turn his back upon them and add the entire amount that he has just seen and memorized. But let the reader understand that Inaudi is peculiarly gifted by nature, while second sight is a trick in which the person on the stage known as the medium is assisted by words, signs, prearranged movements, or articles or figures in rotation, which to the layman have the appearance of being unprepared. At a familiar cue, however, the operator touches articles that have been memorized, a ring, a watch, a scarf-pin, a lady’s fan, an opera glass, all in rotation. At a snap of the fingers the medium will know that the articles are to be named in consecutive order, and only after the snap of the fingers or another cue agreed upon.
enlarge-imageProgramme used by Robert Heller in 1851-52, when he was about eighteen years of age. Probably the only programme of this date in existence. Now in the Harry Houdini Collection.Programme used by Robert Heller in 1851-52, when he was about eighteen years of age. Probably the only programme of this date in existence. Now in the Harry Houdini Collection.
Robert-Houdin presented the trick for the first timeat his own theatre, February 12th, 1846. Unquestionably at this time he employed the speaking code, wherein the answer is contained in the question asked of the medium by the performer. As he describes scene after scene in which he and his son participated, it is almost possible for a conjurer or any one interested in magic to follow his code. Apparently the amusement-loving public became familiar with his speaking code, for three years later, according to the illustrated appendix of the French edition of his “Memoirs,” he adopted a code of signals, which he states was especially arranged to confuse those whom he terms his “fearless discoverers.”
A mysterious bell was used in this connection, but he admits that it mattered not whether the bell struck or was silent, his son could name the object under consideration or answer the question. While Robert-Houdin asserts that he did not employ electricity for working his silent code, investigations make it almost certain that this was the method used. It is known throughout the world of conjuring that in 1850-51 Robert Heller (William Henry Palmer) reproduced Robert-Houdin’s entire répertoire of tricks, with the exception of the suspension, and all worked precisely by Robert-Houdin’s methods. In the second-sight trick, which he first presented with a young man as the medium, then later with Miss Haidee Heller, the medium was seated on a sofa fully equipped with wires and electric batteries. Heller’s second sight was worked with both the speaking and silent codes. His confederate was concealed behind the scenes watching Heller through a peep-hole, or possibly he used another, seated in the audience, and had the wires strung under his chair, arrangingthe signal button so that it could be easily reached on the arm or front part of the seat. The receiving instrument was attached to the sofa on which the medium was seated. The latter would be silently informed as to what was being shown and would answer all questions. As proof that these statements are not mere hearsay, the Heller sofa can now be seen in the possession of Mr. Francis J. Martinka, of New York; and Dr. W. Golden Mortimer, who once presented “Mortimer’s Mysteries,” a show on the style of Heller’s performance, furnishes the information that when Heller died in Philadelphia, November 28th, 1878, he engaged the dead magician’s chief assistant, an expert electrician named E. J. Dale, who had acted as secret confederate, assisting the medium.
enlarge-imagePoster used by Robert Heller during his Boston engagement in 1853. From the Harry Houdini Collection.Poster used by Robert Heller during his Boston engagement in 1853. From the Harry Houdini Collection.
After travelling with Mortimer some time, Dale eventually returned to England, and retired from the profession. He opened a large shop in London under the firm name of H. & E. J. Dale, Manufacturing Electricians, 4 Little Britain, E. C., in October, 1882.
It was the easiest thing imaginable for Robert-Houdin to have his theatre arranged with secret confederates and wires back of the scenes, where a man with powerful opera-glasses could stand. The place being small, he could look all over the room and see the minutest article.
When not making use of the talking code, the simplest method employed by second-sight artists is to have a confederate in the audience, with either an electrical push button or a pneumatic bulb, who gives the medium the signal. This is received by a miniature piston, which requires only a small hole in the stage, while the medium has a matching hole in the sole of his shoe. This allows thepiston to touch the sole of the foot whenever the confederate presses the bulb or pushes the button.
enlarge-imageThe author at the long-neglected grave of Robert Heller, in Mt. Moriah Cemetery, Philadelphia, U. S. A. From a photograph in the Harry Houdini Collection.The author at the long-neglected grave of Robert Heller, in Mt. Moriah Cemetery, Philadelphia, U. S. A. From a photograph in the Harry Houdini Collection.
From this array of facts it will be seen that second sight is and always has been a matter of well-drilled phrases or signals, prearranged rotation of articles, well-built apparatus or well-trained confederates, but never a feat of actual thought-transferrence.
Some of Robert-Houdin’s ardent supporters insist that in claiming the invention or discovery of second sight, the French conjurer was merely an unconscious plagiarist,having stumbled upon, quite by accident, a trick which he did not know that others had offered before him.
Such a statement is illogical and absurd. Books of magic to which Robert-Houdin had access and which he admits having read describe the trick in a more or less crude form. Pinetti, whose tricks were fully described to Robert-Houdin by his old friend Torrini, used the second-sight mystification with excellent effect. Robert-Houdin could not have been ignorant of its existence as a trick. In making the claim to its discovery in his “Memoirs” he simply trusted to the ignorance of the reading public in the history of magic.
According to programmes and newspaper clippings in my collection, Philip Breslaw was the first conjurer to feature second sight in his performance. Breslaw was a clever German who so established himself in the hearts of amusement-loving Englishmen that he remained in England for forty years, dying in Liverpool in 1803. In 1781, while playing at Greenwood’s Rooms, Haymarket, London, he announced as Part One of his entertainment:
“Mr. Breslaw will exhibit his new magical deceptions, Letters, Medals, Dice, Pocket pieces, Rings, etc., etc., and particularly communicate the thoughts of any person to another without the assistance of speech or writing.”
Pinetti comes next as an eminent presenter of second sight. Between these two well-known conjurers there may have been various unimportant, unchronicled performers who made use of Breslaw’s trick, but they have no place in the history of magic.
The trick appeared on a Pinetti programme at the Royal Haymarket, London, England, December 1st, 1784,almost sixty-two years before Robert-Houdin presented it as his original invention.
enlarge-imageClipping from the London Post, December 1st, 1784, in which Pinetti featured second sight. From the Harry Houdini Collection.Clipping from the London Post, December 1st, 1784, in which Pinetti featured second sight. From the Harry Houdini Collection.
The LondonMorning Post and Daily Advertiserof December 1st, 1784, contains the above advertisement, reproduced from my collection.
The talking code employed by Pinetti was not original with him, as it dates back to the automaton worked by a concealed confederate who controlled the piston for the mechanical figure or pulled the strings to manipulate the dancing coins or moving head. It was novel only in its application to the supposed thought-transferrence by a human being instead of an automaton.
This code is described by various reliable authors. On page 388, Volume III. of Hooper’s “Recreations,” edition 1782, it is stated that the confederate worked the apparatus from another room. “By certain words, previously agreed on, make it known to the confederate,” is the advice given to would-be conjurers.
Beckman in his “History of Inventions” relates that he knew an exhibitor of a “talking figure” whose concealed confederate was cued to answer certain questions, the answers being given in the manner of putting the question, also by different signs. These instructions will be found on page 311 of Volume II., edition of 1817.
enlarge-imageReproduction of front and back of original handbill distributed on London streets in 1831, to advertise Master M‘Kean. From the Harry Houdini Collection.Reproduction of front and back of original handbill distributed on London streets in 1831, to advertise Master M‘Kean. From the Harry Houdini Collection.
Decremps undertook to expose Pinetti’s method of working the second-sight trick in his famous book, but in this attempt he scored one of the few failures which marked the bitter fight he waged against Pinetti. In his book “La Magie Blanche Dévoilée” (White Magic Exposed), first edition, 1784, he offers on page 40 “Les Cartes dévinées, les yeux bandés” (The Divination of Cards with the Eyes Blindfolded). In this feat Decremps explains that Pinetti would allow cards to be drawn, then a lady (Signora Pinetti) would appear on the stage, would be blindfolded, and would name all the cards that were drawn. Decremps explains the prearranged pack ofcards for this trick, also outlining the manner of giving the medium the cue for certain phrases. For instance, while explaining to the audience that he will not speak at all, in the very sentences addressed to the spectators he informs the medium which cards have been selected.
Pinetti’s code must have been clever, as Decremps was unable to explain the entire second-sight act. He has omitted the principal part of the mystification, that is, naming the articles held up for the performer to see.
That the card trick was only one test of his second-sight performance, and that Pinetti’s medium did not retire after naming the cards, are facts shown by the following clipping from one of his announcements:
“Signora Pinetti will have the special honor and satisfaction of exhibiting various experiments of new discovery, no less curious than seemingly incredible, particularly that of her being seated in one of the front boxes with an handkerchief over her eyes, and guess at everything imagined and proposed to her by any person in the company.”
Third on the list of second-sight performers, according to the data in my collection, was Louis Gordon M‘Kean, who created a sensation at the Egyptian Hall Bazaar, Piccadilly, London, in 1831, or fifteen years before Robert-Houdin, according to his claims, “discovered” second sight. Young M‘Kean was featured as possessing double, not second, sight, and one of his bills is reproduced on page 212.
Another programme in my collection, dated the Théâtre Scarboro, Friday evening, August 4th, 1837, announces “For a limited engagement of three nights the ThreeTalented Highlanders and most extraordinary Second-Sighted Young Highlanders.”
enlarge-imageDecoration on the broadside used to advertise a young Dutchwoman who created a sensation in the early part of the eighteenth century. From the Harry Houdini Collection.Decoration on the broadside used to advertise a young Dutchwoman who created a sensation in the early part of the eighteenth century. From the Harry Houdini Collection.
These lads, I believe, were three brothers, one the original M‘Kean, or the latter working in conjunction with two other boys trained to the tricks in order to secure more impressive results. The trio appeared eight years before Robert-Houdin became a professional entertainer.
Holland also contributed a successful performer of second-sight tricks, the medium in this case being a Dutchwoman who created a profound sensation whiletouring Germany in the early part of the eighteenth century. The billing used at the yearly fairs is an enormous poster which would be unintelligible if reduced to a size suitable for reproduction.
It is now a part of my collection and reads as follows:
enlarge-imageReproduction of original billing matter used by the mysterious lady who offered second sight in the United States in 1841-42-43. From the Harry Houdini Collection.Reproduction of original billing matter used by the mysterious lady who offered second sight in the United States in 1841-42-43. From the Harry Houdini Collection.
enlarge-imageReproduction of the cut used on the mysterious lady’s handbills, distributed in America in 1841. From the Harry Houdini Collection.Reproduction of the cut used on the mysterious lady’s handbills, distributed in America in 1841. From the Harry Houdini Collection.
“The Holland Maid, Twenty Years of Age, from Amsterdam, whose powers, both in her residence there and in all other places to which she has gone, have excited great astonishment and much applause, and she will also in this place endeavor to obtain the same tribute of public applause. She will after the exhibition place herself before the eyes of all the spectators on the outside and gravely stand thereon and at all times give an answer of assurance to any one present to whom her judgment in all questions gives the most accurate response. She contrives also by her acuteness to discover and reply to theleast thought, not until then explored. She guesses the age of every one, whether they be married or not; how many children they have, of what sex, and whether they be living or dead at the present time, etc. She does the like for any one having a chance in the lottery, as to what is its number, and what will be its share of gains. She also guesses at every one of the most different sorts of coin, and even at the year with which they were stamped. She guesses at every number which any one shall secretly set down, even though it amount to upward a million. She moreover tells exactly whether any one be in theArmy, under how many Monarchs he has served, in how many battles he has been engaged, and whether he has ever been wounded and how many wounds he has received. By throwing the Dice, she will every time exactly tell the very number of spots which may have been determined on.”
This wordy announcement is signed by W. Sahm, of Holland.
In my collection there is also an interesting handbill advertising the tour of “The Mysterious Lady” who offered second-sight tricks in the eastern part of the United States in 1842-43. Her name was never stated on the programmes, but the latter, together with a clipping dated Boston, February 20th, 1843, will suffice to prove my claim that she was offering second-sight before Robert-Houdin did, and therefore could not be copying his trick. She also appeared in England fully a year before Robert-Houdin “discovered” second sight.
Henri Robin and his wife featured second sight in Italy just when Robert-Houdin first offered it in Paris. It is barely possible that they antedated Robert-Houdin in the production of this trick, for I have in my collection a brochure entitled “Album des Soirées de M. et Mme. Robin,” which contains an engraving of the couple offering second-sight, a short poem in honor of Mme. Robin’s remarkable gifts as a second-sight artist, and a poem generally eulogistic of M. Robin’s talents dated distinctly February 7th, 1846. Robert-Houdin presented second-sight for the first time, according to his own “Memoirs,” on February 12th, 1846.
enlarge-imageSecond sight as offered by M. and Mme. Robin, in which Robin employed the bell and the goblet. From the latter she sipped liquor, claiming it tasted like the wine secretly named by a spectator. Robin’s stage was equipped with electrical appliances. From the Harry Houdini Collection.Second sight as offered by M. and Mme. Robin, in which Robin employed the bell and the goblet. From the latter she sipped liquor, claiming it tasted like the wine secretly named by a spectator. Robin’s stage was equipped with electrical appliances. From the Harry Houdini Collection.
To prove the utter folly of Robert-Houdin’s claims tohaving trained his son’s eye and memory by patient effort so as to have a mutual transferrence of thought, I will next show that animals had been trained for years to do tricks by secret signals before the alleged “discovery” of second sight.
Two rare old bills in my collection advertise the marvellous “mind-reading” performances of a goose and a blindfolded dog respectively. The first, dated 1789, announces that a Mr. Beckett, a trunk-maker of No. 31 Haymarket, is exhibiting “a Learned Goose, just lately arrived from abroad.
“It performs the following tricks: performing upon cards, money, and watches, telling the time of the month, year, and date, also the value of any piece either English or foreign, distinguishing all sorts of colors and (most prodigiously and certainly unbelieving to those who know the intellects of a goose) she tells the number of ladies and gentlemen in the company or any person’s thoughts; any lady or gentleman drawing a card out of the pack, though ever so secret, the Goose, blindfolded at the same time, will find out the card they drew. Admittance two shillings each person.”
The second bill features Don Carlo, the Double-Sighted dog, which gave an exhibition of his mysterious skill at the Pavillion by special command, before King William and the royal family on December 17th, 1831. This dog was blindfolded and could present almost in duplicate the second-sight tests offered by the Highland lad who five days later gave a similar exhibition before the royal family at the same place.
enlarge-imageRare poster announcing the performance of the learned goose, one of the first of the second-sight animal artists. Traced from the original poster in the British Museum by the author.Rare poster announcing the performance of the learned goose, one of the first of the second-sight animal artists. Traced from the original poster in the British Museum by the author.