
The act of Oswald Williams varied considerably, he being a very creative magician. The following is his program during 1910.
Upon entering, he waves a cloth over two pedestals on either side of the stage and produced plants. Four candles in holders were then brought forward. Williams taking one and the other three held by assistants at equal distances apart. A handkerchief is placed over the first candle which immediately vanishes and appears over the next candle. This is repeated, the first candle passing from one candle to the other until it arrives back at its starting place.
A low tent is erected on a platform and Miss Winifred La Barte is produced, wearing a huge Merry Widow hat.
A pretty mystery with water followed. A stand bearing a tray of four glasses is introduced. Water is poured into the glasses and each covered with a silk, the tray then being given to an assistant. Williams picks up a cloth and fires a pistol. The glasses vanish from the tray, the silks falling to the floor, whilst Williarns produces a tray with the four glasses from the cloth.
The "Flying Chest" followed. A large empty basket is hauled into mid-air by a windlass. At the back of the stage an empty chest is placed upon a table. A girl assistant enters the chest. Table is brought forward and a cover placed over the chest. Chain hooks are fixed to each corner of the covered chest, and the chest raised, the table being removed, Upon firing a pistol, the cloth collapses, the chest and girl have vanished, and the girl reappears in the suspended basket (after it has been lowered on to the table).
A three-fold screen, covered in black material, has a large sheet of paper pinned to it. Williams, dressed in Chinese costume, cuts the paper to form a representation of a person in evening dress. Paint is required to finish the face, and Williams steps behind the screen a moment to get it. The finished picture looks like Williams himself, and he breaks through the paper, the man in Chinese costume now being an assistant.
Next was a color-changing handkerchief routine, and this led into his "Geisha Girl" illusion. This was a square box raised on a stand from which a second box was taken, the latter apparently filled with tea. The tea-chest is returned, the inner chest of tea vanishes and the Geisha girl produced. As she steps out of the chest, a cloth is held for a moment in front of her, and when it is removed, the girl has a different costume.
Another stand is wheeled to the center of the stage upon which is an open backed chair and a three-fold screen. A lady is fastened to the chair. A curtain is drawn, there is a flash of fire and the cabinet shown empty, and displayed on all sides.
A quantity of silk handkerchieves are bunched up and and put on a blackboard in different positions. From these are drawn lines so the silks look like flowers on stems. A cloth is passed over the base of the blackboard and a flower-pot appears to complete the picture.
A version of the "Bridle Chamber" followed, and this was called "The Water Babe", No other details are available to the writer at the moment.
He concluded his act with flourishing, productions of flags to make a spectacular finale.