Modern Magic: A Practical Treatise on the Art of Conjuring

The explanation of this surprising result is simplicity itself. The reader, with his present knowledge, will readily conjecture that, as to the rings, a substitution is effected; but he may not so easily guess the manner of such substitution. It will be remembered that the rings were collected by the assistant on the performer’s wand. This arrangement, which is ostensibly adopted to prevent, in reality facilitates an exchange. The assistant makes his collection with three dummy rings placed beforehand on the lower end of the wand, and concealed by the hand in which he holds it; which, we will suppose, is the right hand. In returning to the stage, he takes hold with the left hand of the opposite end of the wand, and allows the borrowed rings to run down into that hand, at the same moment releasing the dummy rings from the right hand, and allowing them to run upon the middle of the wand in place of the others. He now has the borrowed rings in his left hand, and (laying the wand with the substitutes on the table) carries them off with him to prepare for the dénouement of the trick.