Modern Magic: A Practical Treatise on the Art of Conjuring

This startling illusion is performed as follows:--To begin with, there are two ladies employed, in figure and general appearance as nearly alike as possible. Their dress is also exactly similar. The little dramatic scene with which the trick commences is designed to impress upon the audience the features of the lady who first appears. When she is blindfolded, she, as already mentioned, runs off the stage. The performer runs after her, and apparently bringing her back, really brings back in her place the second lady, who is standing in readiness, blindfolded in precisely the same way, behind the scenes. As the bandage covers the greater part of her features, there is little fear of the spectators detecting the substitution that has taken place. The substitute lady now enters the basket, where she lies, compressing herself into as small a compass as possible, along the back. Knowing the position which she occupies, it is not a very difficult matter for the operator so to direct the thrusts of the sword as to avoid any risk of injuring her. The chief thing to be attended to for this purpose is to thrust always in an upward direction. The appearance of blood on the sword may be produced either by the lady in the basket drawing along the blade, as it is withdrawn after each thrust, a sponge saturated with some crimson fluid, or by a mechanical arrangement in the hilt, causing the supposed blood, on pressure, to trickle down the blade.