I recently spent a day in the library of a legend. His scholarship on the history of magic is profound and thorough. He and his lovely wife entertained myself and the sapient pig for an afternoon. When I say entertained, there was no performance. All of us relaxed, shuffled off our desire to ‘perform’ and settled into more sedate pleasures.
He showed me such wonders. His collection extends all through a five bedroom house in Hull, and he knows it so very well. His study, where he writes monthly for the magic circular, contains three walls of shelves double stacked with rare and interesting books. I’ll keep the details to myself, but one of the lovely little joys for me, was reading a book only semi-rare. It is called Elliot’s Last Legacy, and it is by Houdini. Actually it was largely written by a friend of his, and he swooped in to put his name on it.
None-the-less it contains a dream-like description of one of Dr. Elliot’s performances. I was swept up in the simplicity of form, and feel compelled to share it with those of you who still read this site.
This is a paraphrasing, rather than direct quotation, because I wrote so many things out by hand. Some of them contain small errors in grammar, and thus the text will not be exact. Without further ado…
He entered from the left side of the stage, attired in an evening dress, crush hat, and carrying a cane; stood the cane (which had a knob handle) at right front of stage where it remained upright. Removing hat he placed it over the handle of the cane thus making an improvised ‘table’, which he completed by spreading a silk pocket hand-kercheif over the crown of the hat. From his upper right hand pockethe then produced a glass of water, upon drinking which and drying the glass, he placed it on top of the handkerchief and hat. Elliot next made a bare armed production of a full deck of cards, from which he had six selected and marked by choosers and then returned to the deck. He then caused three cards to rise from the glass on the ‘table’ and the other three cards to slowly float up from the deck to his hand. Each of the six cards, as it rose from the glass or deck, was scaled (v.tr 4) out into the audience.Elliot then removed the pack from the goblet and with a tossing movement, caused the deck to vanish; by a similat tossing movement the goblet melted away and finally, the silken pocket handkerchief by slow rubbing between the palms. He then finished by removing hat from cane, placing it on his head and removing cane from floor. Then carrying cane in right hand walking to the left side of stage, he doffed his hat and made exit. Next, holding the deck in the left hand and using that hand only, Elliot would bring any card selected to the front of the deck; in fact the cards called seem to appear on the face almost instantaneously. Finally, after working a series of other fine card effects, followed with the remarkable manipulative work with a two and one half inch billiard ball. Elliot then removed the pack from the goblet and with a tossing movement, caused the deck to vanish; and by a similar tossing movement the goblet melted away, and finally the silken pocket handkerchief by slow rubbing between the palms. He then finished by removing hat from cane, placing it on his head and removing cane from floor. Then, carrying the cane in his right hand, walking to the left side of stage, he doffed hat and made exit.






