The Sensational Skeletoni
Re-creation of Skeletoni the Magnificent in action, circa 1901.
New York audiences in the early 1900s flocked to a tiny off-Broadway theater to catch the latest sensation of the day — The Sensational Skeletoni. In his finest evening wear, a pair of scholarly glasses adorning his features, Skeletoni (real name: Bruno Skelton) mesmerized people with his one and only trick: Conjuring the skull of Nostradamus out of thin air. With a 1-2-3 count, Skeletoni would point repeatedly at his open palm, and the skull of Nostradamus would poof into existence! Just as quickly, it would disappear. It wasn’t until Skeletoni’s death in 1917 that his brother, Skeletoni 2, revealed the secret behind this grand trick: Skeletoni COULD actually conjure skulls out of thin air. However, the skull did not belong to Nostradamus. “It was just a skull that Bruno picked up at a yard sale,” said his brother.
Source: New York Tattler
