A profile of Heaney by Pat Fitzpatrick in the October 31, 1965, issue of The Post-Crescent of Appleton, Wisconsin, states: "In the early years Heaney built numerous escapes used by himself and his wife in the shows. Many times during the past four decades, Princess Aloiv [his wife, Viola McCarthy] has floated through the air, under the showman's hypnotic powers. An accomplished musician, she plays the organ during performances, and records music for playback in the course of the show. Heaney has had many assistants over the years. The principal requirement for girls working in mysteries is that they must be small enough to fit into the Chinese torture wheel and the vivisection illusion."
Heaney's Great Milk Can Escape states, in part: "Looks impossible and it seems as if the performer will meet his fate in the padlocked can. The large can is filled with water and the performer enters in a bathing sit, a screen is drawn and the assistants stand outside with hatchets and watches in their hands, knowing the over four or five minutes in the water filled can would mean a drowning death. The escape is made in a very short space of time and the can is found to be as secure as before the escape. Our Milk Cans are of the best material and labor. They cannot be duplicated. ... Can be performed by anyone."
The cost was $30.
That's more than $560 today! Being a magician was costly, and the secrets were expensive!
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