Giovanni has been signed up for one or more MGM “shorts” to demonstrate via the screen his pocketpicking talents and what to look out for when in a crowd. Fred Rothenberg swears by all that is sacred in magic that he never did know when the fellow got his wristwatch and then his suspenders.

Silent Mora’s favorite magician story is worth printing. Back in the days when everyone was doing Sawing a Woman in Half some dodo hired a couple of B’way chorines, and went on the road. One night, the girl playing “feet” quit the show and left. In such a spot, the magus borrowed a 12 year old boy from another act, and used, him, his feet being just about the right size. The thing was on the magician’s mind, and in pattering, ad lib, he pointed to one end of the sawed box, saying: “There is her head” — then to the other end — “and there are his feet.”

As is the usual thing, and something to which we are getting calloused, our issue #82 on a practical pocket index system for certain tricks caught the dealer’s eyes. Magical dealers, if you haven’t been told, or found for yourself, are people who know all of the tricks but never seem able to put the material out on the market until someone else has popularized it.

They then leap onto the profit push cart with cries of “I knew that years ago” “Old stuff” “so-and-so’s idea back in —” not seeming to realize that their immediately advertising of the effect, seldom with credit, let alone royalty for the one who laboriously made it popular, is a clear case of abetting the crime they have alleged committed.

One such letter is before us now, saying, in part, “I am mailing you a sample of a Pocket Index proposition which I worked out quite a long time ago, but never have done anything with it up to now. It would appear, however, that your Jinx #82 has succeeded in reviving a lot of new interest along this line. This has prompted me to exploit a bit in the interest of this Pocket Index idea.” Well, we can’t do a thing about it as long as our model isn’t copied, but we also wouldn’t stop a dealer from including a copy of Jinx #82 with his gimmick to give the purchaser the benefit of a series of practical tricks with it. It might let a few more magi know how often The Jinx contains material and ideas that are promptly snapped up by the dealers. We have listed proof that more of our sheet’s items have found their way into catalogues, with and without credit, than items from all other magical publications combined since October 1934, The Jinx birthdate.