The stories of these tricks often involve intense competition between magicians. One who invented a trick was likely to see it performed by someone else shortly thereafter. Oddly, patenting a trick is little help; a patent has to have public details of how the mechanism works, and so if he does go to the trouble of patenting an effect, an inventor describes it in unhelpful ways, thwarting the patent process itself. The theft of secrets kept the illusions lively, as other means were found of doing similar effects and tricks were repackaged. "Sawing through a Woman" was invented by P. T. Selbit in 1921, a reaction to women's liberation and an outgrowth from the Grand Guignol theater. Before long it was "Sawing a Man in Two," "Sawing a Woman in Half," or "Matter through Matter." There were other illusions stretching a woman, or crushing her, and there were furious arguments about giving credit (and fees) to the correct inventors. Steinmeyer's story thus leaps repeatedly from one time to another, and from America to Europe. We in the audience ask how a magician has made an effect, and Steinmeyer has answered this thoroughly for some of the tricks discussed here. But there is a lot more than a "how", but also why, when, and who. On display here are the personalities behind the deceptions, and the evolution of the psychology of stage deception. Steinmeyer has given a great performance; we can know the trick and we are still left in wonder.
