Most deadly magic trick

At least two people (eight magicians and four bystanders) have been killed during the bullet-catching trick, where at least one gun loaded with a marked bullet, is fired at the the magician who apparently catches the bullet in his teeth. Even though the feat involves illusionary elements, it is fraught with danger. The most famous bullet-catching death has been Chung Ling Soo (USA, b. William Ellsworth Robinson) a world famous magician who was shot on stage at the Wood Green Empire, London, UK on 23 March 1918.

Harry Houdini was advised not to do the trick by his mentor Harry Kellar.

One of the most impressive current presentations of the trick is by Penn & Teller (both USA), who perform it using two guns with red laser sites, two bullets and a sheets of glass between them.

/p> How not to catch a bullet

The crowd thought he could defy death - but Chung Ling Soo's secrets were much darker than mere magic tricks. His story is perfect for opera, says Lyn Gardner

Friday June 9, 2006 The Guardian On March 23 1918, the Wood Green Empire in north London was packed to the rafters as the most famous magician of the era, Chung Ling Soo - "the marvellous Chinese conjuror" - neared the end of his act. As he had done at theatres across the country, Soo enthralled his audience with his trademark tricks, including the Chinese Ring trick and several breathtaking feats of disappearance. Since his arrival in the UK at the beginning of the century, these had made him the most famous and wealthy magician in the country. As always, Chung Ling Soo performed all his tricks in silence - he claimed never to have mastered English. Interviews with the press were always conducted through his personal interpreter. [/p] [/p] [/p] How not to catch a bullet The crowd thought he could defy death - but Chung Ling Soo's secrets were much darker than mere magic tricks. His story is perfect for opera, says Lyn Gardner Friday June 9, 2006 The Guardian Chung Ling Soo creators Ray Liu and Lee Warren Chung Ling Soo (left) was not Chinese at all, but an American vaudeville artist. Right: composer Ray Liu and librettist Lee Warren On March 23 1918, the Wood Green Empire in north London was packed to the rafters as the most famous magician of the era, Chung Ling Soo - "the marvellous Chinese conjuror" - neared the end of his act. As he had done at theatres across the country, Soo enthralled his audience with his trademark tricks, including the Chinese Ring trick and several breathtaking feats of disappearance. Since his arrival in the UK at the beginning of the century, these had made him the most famous and wealthy magician in the country. As always, Chung Ling Soo performed all his tricks in silence - he claimed never to have mastered English. Interviews with the press were always conducted through his personal interpreter. Article continues But on this particular night he had another surprise up his sleeve, a very special spectacle: the bullet-catching trick. Defying the Bullets was never advertised on Chung Ling Soo's bills. Always the consummate showman, he knew the value of keeping an audience in suspense; only very rarely did he perform the trick, which involved catching two bullets in his teeth. The bullets were selected in full view of everyone and marked by members of the audience, then loaded into the muzzle of a gun and fired directly at him. The feat was a rarity with good reason: the trick was notoriously dangerous and some magicians believed there was a curse associated with it. The key lay in the gun itself and sleight of hand: the barrels were modified so that a fake bullet was fired. But at least six magicians had died attempting the trick. Countless others had suffered near-misses. On that early spring evening in 1918, the theatre was buzzing as Chung Ling Soo prepared to perform the trick. The rifles were loaded by his assistants; they took aim with the muzzles pointed directly at the magician. The command to fire was given, the sound of two shots was heard, and Chung Ling Soo fell to the ground. But he was never to get up again. Within hours the greatest conjuror of the age - friend to Houdini, and a man who claimed to have performed for the emperor of China himself - would be dead from the real bullet that entered his body and pierced his lung, causing massive haemorrhaging. "Deception is an essential part of magic," says Lee Warren, librettist for a new opera, The O