The "Thurston" Rising Cards
The Rising Card trick is, of course, very old; but owing to the method I employ, and the manner in which I present the same, it is, in my opinion, the feature of my act. It is the
trick which I had the honor of performing before that peer of modern prestidigitateurs, the great Hermann, who graciously acknowledged that I had completely mystified him.
I feel that this little volume would be incomplete were I not to include this experiment, and I, therefore, take great pleasure in acquainting my readers with the full modus operandi
of the Rising Card trick, as I have presented it in the principal theatres of the world, including six consecutive months at the Palace Theatre, London.
The effect of this illusion to the audience is as follows:
Five cards are selected haphazard (not forced) from an ordinary pack. The five cards are then handed to an independent member of the audience, with the request that he will replace
the same and shuffle them into the pack thoroughly.
The performer now returns to the stage and holds the pack in the left hand, with the faces of the cards toward the audience. He passes the right hand completely round the cards to
prove there are no threads, etc., used. The hands and cards are now left in the position depicted in Fig. 41, being about three feet apart.
Figure 41
The performer text inquires the name of the first card selected, whereupon it immediately leaves the pack and soars as gracefully as a bird up to the right hand, where it is held
between the fingers and thumb, the beauty of the experiment lying in the fact that the performer does not move a muscle during the rising of the card. The card is now placed on the
front of the pack, and the second card called for, when it immediately ascends in the same manner as the first one. This is repeated until the five chosen cards have made their
appearance.
The performer is not compelled to stand in any particular part of the stage; in fact, the trick can be just as successfully presented in any drawing-room, without the aid of
assistants, etc.
As I desire to explain the secret of my Rising Cards in as thorough and comprehensive a manner as possible, I will describe each little detail from start to finish, so that no
difficulty may arise in the mind of the conjurer who desires to add this trick to his repertoire.
The principal secret of the illusion depends upon the ingenious piece of apparatus depicted is Fig. 42.
Figure 42
It resembles in principle the well known self-coiling measuring tape. A piece of very thin, but strong silk thread, say, about three to four feet long, is coiled on a drum within
a cylindrical box or case. The thread can be drawn out to its full extent, but upon slight pressure being brought to bear on a little stud not visible in the illustration) on the
face of the box it is gradually withdrawn, the slow action of the drum being brought about by an exceedingly weak internal spring.
A in the diagram is a safety pin soldered to one side of the case, thus enabling the performer to attach the same to the top of his trousers between the suspender buttons on the
left side. The thread is now pulled out about 2 feet 6 inches, a small pellet of soft wax being attached to the end. The wax is then affixed to the top vest button, the slack portion
of the cord being tucked into the vest.
The performer now invites five members of the audience to select cards. He collects them himself, and, in the act of turning round to ask an-other spectator to shuffle the cards,
changes the chosen five for five other cards by means of the right hand profonde. If this is done neatly, the spectator never imagines but what he saw, shuffling the selected cards
into the pack.
On the return journey to the stage there is ample time and opportunity to regain possession of the chosen cards, which are palmed and replaced on the top of the pack, care being
taken that they are in the correct order. Now, as the performer turns round to face the audience, he very adroitly removes the wax, together with the thread, from the vest button and
presses it on the back of the hindermost card. The right hand now passes round the cards and secures the thread between the first and second fingers, so that when the hands assume
the attitude shown in Fig. 41 the thread is in the position illustrated in Fig. 43.
Figure 43
This thread, if of the correct thickness, is absolutely invisible, even at close quarters. When the name of the card is called out, the performer, with the elbow of the left arm,
presses on the vest at the place where he knows the drum to be, thus causing the thread to recoil and the card to rise to the right hand. The card is now replaced on the front of the
pack, and, under cover of asking the name of the next card, the wax is fastened to the back card, and the same movements repeated. The rest of the cards are similarly dealt with.
I have performed this trick now for five years, but have never heard or read a correct solution of it; and I hope my readers will appreciate what is my favorite card illusion. I
have hitherto very carefully guarded the modus operandi of this trick, although having been the recipient of many tempting proposals for its secret. There are several other ways by
which this trick may be performed and used by those who have copied it.
It has been amusing to me to read the many different theories as to how the trick is performed published by newspapers, etc., in giving descriptions of my act. Some suggest a
magnet held in my hands. Others explain how it could be performed by electricity. Some suggest threads hanging from the flies, or stretched across the stage, or fastened to my
shoulder, with a weight hanging down my back to draw the card up, and numerous other methods.
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