Last September’s (1939) issue of TOPS contained a photograph of Winston Freer presenting a purported levitation of a girl over a dining table with people sitting all around. A hoop was in the process of proving “no support”. In Percy Abbott’s own words the illusion had previously been done “on an unprepared nitery floor, with absolutely no setting, scenery or assistance.” Also “the volunteer assistant had obviously not expected to be called upon.” A girl had been intimidated onto the floor to undergo the test. Mr. Abbott finished by saying “you may see what may be accomplished by the application of time, trial, and experience.”
We applied all three of those requisites to very good results. First came the experience. We dimly remembered something away back in the past that strummed a memory chord. Time came next. We spent quite a few hours digging back into the files under all sorts of classifications, finally getting into back magazine copies for yars upon yars. Then it was found – a picture taken of Thurston at the William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh on January 8, 1931. The Sphinx ran it in the March issue of that year. Next came trial. Trial by skepticism. We could recognise two of those present. The first, John Northern Hilliard, has passed on. The second, Bill McCaffrey, is as full of trickery as ever. We wrote. Bill answered. “We were giving Thurston a banquet and one of the club members, Mr. Irving Newman, an excellent local news photographer, thought he would take a publicity picture. The girl was placed on a board which was supported by the backs of two chairs and he photographed her in that position. Then Thurston stepped on the table and those of us left stared at where the girl was supposed to be. Newman then printed both pictures together with the result that you have seen. It was a clever bit of work, especially the shadows from the dress that are visible in the picture. They were drawn in by an artist and the effect was that of a miracle happening in a hotel banquet hall. As it happened, the editor turned it down because of the picture being fake. Newman made up only a few prints for his friends.”
So there you have it. The editor wasn’t bewildered, tho evidently quite a few magi got upset and worried not a little. Even such an originator of a good many impossible mysteries as Brunel White, whose column in London’s World’s Fair is a continental authority on things magical, professed himself stumped and went to some lengths in presenting theories. He could not be blamed though for Britishers never have exactly understood we Americans for spoofing each other. And it was a spoof, wasn’t it Percy ? Don’t you think so too, Winston ?
Without further delay we must bow low to the event, on January 8th, which precipitated a son into the lap of Sid Lorraine for him to rock roughly and tear his hair at while he’s trying to answer questions for his TOPS column. Maybe he’ll have to write himself a few questions now.
Johnny Giordmaine, Canadian magish we mentioned last issue has reaped a number of press articles ridiculing the Dunninger vanishing battleship idea that we’ve also mentioned and pictured lately.
Alden I. Dillenback, who writes of himself, “I am a showman,” “I have given you nothing. John Snyder has given you his all,” “Will you — permit a continuance of Snyder prosperity or will you sit back like silly fools, and allow others to say, again, what you shall and shall not do ?” All of the foregoing pertains to the I.B.M. and Mr. Snyder, its present president. We don’t know Mr. Dillenback personally, in fact we never heard of him until lately and we’ve been around magic going on twenty years and have read back fifty, so far. But all that “three sheeting” for John Snyder isn’t necessary. The boys who have been to all the conventions, know the insides of all possible candidates and their qualifications, realize that John is their best bet. We’ve all known the man personally and intimately for a good many get-togethers. There’s no need for a self appointed press agent to “band wagon” for a president who already is in. That is, unless the “showman” is building a front in order to high pressure the 1941 convention to his home city. That has more or less been tried before. It’s no spoilt plum for a local promoter to bring in a convention like that of the I.B.M. and there’s quite a bit of money to be taken in and paid out. A few years back witnessed great repercussions when the reports divulged that $50 and $100 fees were shoveled out in giant thumb tips for various local tie-ups and bands to march in the opening day parade.
The I.B.M. has found out by trial and error that the smaller cities are best, for fun and profit. We know, from what has been printed, that Mr. Dillenback is sincere. He writes, “Scores of replies ask my continuance in the correspondence circle; dozens thanked me for what I was doing — What I have done has been done because — I know what you have had a right to expect; what you never have been given before.”
GABBATHA!!!
