Modern Magic: A Practical Treatise on the Art of Conjuring

The explanation, though by no means obvious, is very simple. The liquid in the vase is plain water; but a bottomless black silk lining, fitting the vase, and kept in shape by a wire ring round its upper edge, gives it the appearance of ink to a spectator at a little distance. In removing the handkerchief, the performer clips with it the wire ring, bringing away the lining within the handkerchief, and revealing the clear water in the glass. But the reader will naturally inquire, “How, then, are the blackened card and the genuine ink ladled out on the plate accounted for?” The blackened card, though apparently an ordinary one, has the same figure, say a knave of diamonds, on both its sides; but the lower half of the one side is beforehand stained with ink. The performer dips it in with the unsoiled side toward the audience; but giving it a half-turn as he removes it, thereby brings the blackened side in front. The ink poured on the plate is accounted for with equal simplicity. The ladle (see Fig. 204) is of tin, having a hollow handle of the same metal, with a minute hole opening therefrom into the bowl. There is a similar small hole near to the top of the handle. The bowl is beforehand filled with ink, which is thence allowed to run into the handle; after which the upper hole is stopped with a little pellet of wax, or a small piece of paper is pasted over it. By reason of a well-known natural law, the liquid will not run out of the lower hole until the upper one is opened. As the performer dips the ladle apparently into the ink in the bowl, he scrapes off with his nail the wax or paper with which the upper hole is stopped, and the ink immediately runs into the bowl, whence it is poured upon the plate.