Modern Magic: A Practical Treatise on the Art of Conjuring

The performer has, meanwhile, again put the right hand under the cloak, and with two fingers holds the little pocket open for the reception of the head. As he says the last words, he gives the head a sharp downward rap with the fingers of the left hand, and lets it fall into the little pocket, the effect being as if the figure had suddenly vanished. The performer shakes the cloak, and turns it inside out to show that it is empty, taking care always to grasp it by that part which contains the head, when all other portions of the cloak may be shown freely; and as the audience are not aware that the figure is divisible, and supposing it to be indivisible, it would be clearly much too large to be concealed in the closed hand, there is nothing to lead them to guess the secret. If it is desired to make the doll reappear, the head is pushed up again through the opening of the cloak, the hand beneath supporting it by the peg which forms the neck, and it may thus be made to vanish and return any number of times. With tolerable skill in “palming,” the little pocket may be dispensed with, the head being simply held in the hand. This mode of working is, in our own opinion, to be preferred, as the cloak may then be handed for examination without giving even the infinitesimal clue which the pocket might suggest. Some performers, to still further hoodwink the spectators, make use of two figures--the first, which is handed round for inspection, being solid, and being afterwards secretly changed for its counterpart with the moveable head. Others again use only one figure, which is solid throughout, but are provided with a separate head (whose existence is, of course, not suspected by the spectators), and having handed round the solid figure for examination, conceal this, and work the trick with the head only.