Outdoing the miracles of the Bible, the modern mystery man causes a camel to go through the needle’s eye! As for the problem of a rich man entering the Kingdom of Heaven – we haven’t worked it out. Personally, it would just class as useless information.
The performer (dressed in Arab costume!) makes a crack about having to keep his camel continually on a leash and exhibits a Camel cigarette with a two foot length of thread running through it, one end of which is securely fastened to a large button. Also he shows a package of needles. The audience examines everything and then picks one of the needles. A spectator threads the needle so that reading from left to right on the thread you have, button, Camel, needle. A small opening is torn in the center of a piece of newspaper which is about a foot square and the spectator runs the thread through it also. See sketch.
The spectator is told to draw slowly on the thread, pulling the Camel through the needle’s eye. He does so and shortly the Camel is seen poking its head through the opening in the paper. At this point most of the spectators will suspect that you’ve pushed the needle through the cigarette and will expect to see it still on the thread between cigarette and button. However, the button also comes through the opening and the performer’s hand comes out from behind the screen with the needle completely free of the thread. Not only the Camel but also the button has gone through the needle’s eye! The performer then removes the Camel from the thread and smokes it.
Answer: And don’t think it isn’t good because it’s simple. The needle only appears to have come off the thread, actually it does no such thing. It goes inside the cigarette, and stays there! The needle can be worked some distance in out of sight by telescoping the cigarette, gripping the needle through the cigarette and smoothing out the cigarette again. Just make sure that the thread is not twisted around the needle. Let spectator pull the camel and button out through the paper, and get a second needle from the inside edge of your coat sleeve. After they have had a good look, slide cigarette off thread and light it. After smoking it for a puff or so, you can proceed to vanish it. This effect is always remembered; it’s different.
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