THE CIGARETTE-PAPER TEAR
Standing very high in the aristocracy—one might even say the royalty—of pocket tricks, is our old friend the cigarette trick. Many of the cleverest magicians of our time have held this little illusion in high esteem, and, while the general manipulation is practically the same in all cases, each of the "big fellows" has used some variation reflecting his own individuality.
The bare bones of the trick may be summed up as follows: With the hands shown to be quite empty, a cigarette paper is torn into bits, which are rolled into a ball or pellet. This, being immediately opened, is shown to have been restored to its original form, the pieces seemingly having been magically rejoined. Usually the trick is repeated to "show how it is done," but the repetition only serves to deepen the mystery.
First, I will explain the trick as presented by our late beloved dean, Harry Kellar, who gave me permission to do so.
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