Demon Rod and Beads Mystery

The magician shows the rod and explains that when you pull a bead at one end, the cord it is on grows longer. At the same time the cord at the other end of the rod grows shorter. This can be repeated and when the audience is convinced that the cords are joined, the magician pulls the two halves of the rod apart. The audience can examine the two halves and put them together again, but the magic will not work for them. However, the magician can take the two halves, put them together again, and the magic is restored. The rod is inscribed DEMON, confirming that the trick is a Davenports item.