The Right Way to Do Wrong Read Online Free Page B

“swindle”, and when Schutzmann Werner Graff published a false story in the
Rheinische Zeitung
, which put me in a very bad light, as a man of honor I could not overlook the insult.
    Claiming that I had been slandered, I asked for an apology and a retraction of the false stories which all the press of Germany had copied, but I was simply laughed at for my trouble.
    I engaged the best lawyer of Cologne, Herr Rechtsanwalt Dr. Schreiber, Louisenstrasse 17, and commenced suit.
    The first trial occurred in Cologne, February 19, 1902. I charged that Schutzmann Werner Graff had publicly slandered me, whereupon, as answer, Herr Graff told the judge and jury that he was willing to prove thatI was misrepresenting, and that he could chain me so that I could not release myself. I permitted myself to be chained by Herr Transport Police Lott, and to show how easy it was, in the presence of the judge and jury, released myself.
    After a four-day trial, I won the lawsuit, and the Cologne police were fined and were to apologize to me publicly, “in the name of the Kaiser.” Instead of so doing, they took it to the higher court, “Strafkammer.” At this trial they had specially manufactured a lock that was made by Master Mechanic Kroch, which when once locked, could not be opened, not even with the use of the key.
    The police asked that I show my ability to open this lock after it had been locked.
    I accepted the challenge and walked into the room selected by the jury where I could work unhindered, and in four minutes re-entered the courtroom and handed the judges the prepared lock
unopened
.
    Again I won the lawsuit, and again it was appealed, but this time to the highest court in Germany, “Oberlandesgericht”, and there the learned judges again gave me the verdict from which there was no appeal.

ROPE TIES
    IN THE PAST ROPE MANIPULATIONS HAVE BEEN largely confined to the cabinet demonstrations of Spirit Mediums, but the value of such material to magicians can hardly be overestimated. Witness the case of the dean of magicians, Harry Kellar, for instance, whose anti-spiritual cabinet séance was world-famous, and yet this classic was built around a single rope tie. The following pages contain practical ties that possess an entertainment value, and the majority of them may be acquired with but little practice. None of them should be attempted before an audience, however, until the details are thoroughly mastered …
    Rope ties have one distinct advantage over all other forms of escape, namely, no possible suspicion is attached to the ropes themselves. In many cases where locks, chains, handcuffs, trunks, pillories and the like are used, the apparatus is more or less under suspicion, but where ordinary ropes or tapes are the only means employed, the performer gets all the credit for the escape. Where tapes can be substituted it is generally best to use them, as they create even less mistrust than ropes …
    The first thing for the performer to ascertain is, if any member of the committee has followed the sea, or for any other reason is familiar with knots. If such a one is foundhe should be used for tests where difficult knots and secure binding does not interfere with the effect. By all means, when possible, get a physician on the committee, as it always creates a good impression to have him examine the hands, wrists, arms and shoulders, and have him report to the audience that there is no way of contracting the bones and muscles so as to slip out of the knots.
    The program should be so arranged that each effect will appear a little more difficult than the preceding one, finishing with something showy and apparently difficult. The clothesline tie is particularly good for an effective finale.
    Don’t lose confidence in an effect because it has been presented many times before. An old trick in “good hands” is always new. Just see to it that yours are “Good hands.”
    Don’t