pages: unmaskingrobert00houdgoog.pdf, 252
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unmaskingrobert00houdgoog.pdf | 252 | THE SUSPENSION TRICK be strong, invisible to the audience, and still be perfect in mechanism. Robert-Houdin, with characteristic ambiguity, does not refer to a complicated mechanism, but lays stress on his ability to keep his tricks up-to-date and in line with popular movements of the hour. In writing of the sus- pension trick, he gives the impression that but for the sensation created by the use of ether as an anzesthetic he would never have thought out the new trick. His own words as presented on page 3I2 of the American edition of his "Memoirs" are reproduced in this connection : "It will be remembered that in 1847 the insensibility produced by inhaling ether began to be applied to surgical operations; all the world talked about the marvellous effect of this anzesthetic and its extraordinary results. In the eyes of the people it seemed much akin to magic. Seeing that the surgeons had invaded my domain, I asked myself if this did not allow me to make reprisals. I did so by inventing my ethereal suspension, which I believe was far more surprising than any result obtained by my surgical brethren. This trick was much applauded, and I am bound to say that my arrangements were excellently made. This was the first time that I tried to direct the surprise of my spectators by gradually heightening it up to the next moment, when, so to speak, it exploded." While Robert-Houdin, in his "Memoirs," claims to have invented the trick for the season of 1847-48, in the illustrated appendix of the French edition he states that the first production of the trick, with improvements, was in October, 1849. The improvement consisted of working the trick with a stool upon a platform, when, previous to 15 [225] |