Who was the first magician to come up with the saw trick?

The saw trick, where a magician appears to saw a person in half, is widely attributed to British magician P.T. Selbit. He first performed this illusion in 1921, and it became a landmark moment in the history of magic. While variations of the trick may have existed before, Selbit's performance popularized it and established it as a classic illusion in the magic community.