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Updated January 15th, 2021 at 16:38 IST

Magicians to gather in online event to mark centenary of 'sawed into half' trick

London’s The Magic Circle informed that was organizing a ‘Special event’ this Sunday to commemorate the magicians history Selbit created 100 years ago.

Reported by: Zaini Majeed
Magicians
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On January 14, the Magic Circle of London celebrated the 100 years since English magician named Percy Thomas Tibbles painstakingly cut out a sealed wooden box into two, splitting a woman lying inside into halves. British stage magic of ‘sawing into halves’ originated after P. T. Selbit, synonymous with iconic magical illusion performed the trick in the presence of the audience as he cut a woman in half and miraculously reassembled her.  On January 17, the magic circle will mark the centenary of the originator of the fascinating trick.

Taking to its Facebook account, London’s The Magic Circle informed that was organizing a ‘Special event’ this Sunday to commemorate the magic history Selbit created with his trick that made him one of the greatest magicians and inventors of his time.  In a video posted on The Magic Circle’s page, president Noel Britten said, “Debbie McGee [woman inside the sealed box] has been sliced, diced, cremated, crushed, divided, and decapitated more than most so has a great story to tell. He further called the magical performance ‘rich and fascinating’. The trick was a hit among the audience in 1921 and eventually gained popularity like the rabbit out of the hat trick. Selbit performed the trick at the Finsbury Park Empire, in north London, on January 17th, 1921, and was mimicked by multiple magicians. 

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History of Selbit 

Selbit was born in Hampstead in 1881, a London village and started the career as an ‘apprentice’ silversmith, and became to be known as one of the best magic historians of the century. According to several reports, he rented a basement with Victorian magician and inventor, Charles Morritt who witnessed Selbit’s work with a fascination for years. When Selbit’s performed his original trick, he did not have the woman’s head and feet sticking out of the box, and she was completely inside the box that left his audience stunned. As per reports, and documentation, the sawing was slow and realistic. Further, it was a lengthy process and back in the day it was unbelievable how one could have performed the trick so efficiently. However, reports suggest that it may have been a twist of fate for Percy. 

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Published January 15th, 2021 at 16:40 IST

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