Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-07-10
Necromancy.

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Th e Paris correspondent of the Republican,
relates some of the wonders performed by the
celebrated Robert Hondin, probably the most
expert necromancer in the world Some of his
tricks are almost enough to make one believe in
sorcery. He is not an ordinary juggler, but
what is called here physician, man who has
cultivated the natural sciences to great extent,
and made himself nearly perfect in the art of
mechanism. He is a distinguishing man of
about forty five years, and comes upon the stage
in plain citizens dress. His tables are not
crowded with a quantity Of tinsol glitterng
things to make a show, but contains nothing but
what is necessary for the evenings performance.
His son, a lad of sixteen or seventeen years of
age, standsInear to assist him. The first ex-
pertinent he showed the evening | was present,
was what he called the magnetic clock. A large,
round, flat glass plate as clear as chrysta, and
representing the face of clock, was suspended
by two cords from the ceiling. Alongside, but
; entirely separated from the dial plate, was q
which was likewise suspended from the ceiling.
Of course there could be no machinery either in
the glass plate or in the bell, as they were per-
fectly clear, and besides, they were handed to
the audience for examination. Mr.. Hondin
commenced his performance by announcing to
the audience that the hands of the clock would
, turn any way that might be deslred-would
move fast or slow as was requested and would
stop at any figure designated, and as to the glass
bell, its hammer would strike any number called
for would strike fast or SLOW and stop instantly
, if commanded. All this was done. Hondin
never went near either of them. Different per-
6 sons in the hall commanded the hands to turn
. to the right and to the left, to go fast and slow,
and to stop at any figure. AS to the glass bell,
it performed wonderfully. One of the gentle
-, men of the party, and who sat next to me, even
took it in his hand entirely detached from the
. cord, wire or anything, and commanded it to
. strike twelve very slowly. 1t Immediately begaI
u as slow as possible, but the gentleman tOlt
a; it to go fast it did so faster yet fast pos
sbe; it went so fast we could hardly count
- At twelve, he ordered it 10 go on, and when i
oc reached eighteen, he suddenly ordered it to stoE
- which it did instantly. You may judge hoy
completely mystifed every one was.
The next most wonderful trick was pourln!
from the same bottle any kind Of wine or liquo
demanded, and as much as wanted. The bott
i. he held was common quart bottle. He wen
among the audience, while his son followed witt
~ large waiter, containing, suppose, nearly
4. hundred wine glasses. Brandy, rum, sherry
n madeira, caret, port and dozen other kinds o
40 liquor, were demanded by the eager audience
J. and Hondin poured just as fast as he could, anC
to every one pronounced the liquor to be just wha
\. he had asked for. | took a glass and asked fo
\ port, while the gentleman next me asked fo
"a rum. The dark red port was poured into my
II glass, while the colorless rum was instantly af
20 ter poured into my friends glass. He must have
% poured out more than hundred glasses, for 9
- great many persons asked for more. | confess
y. that when witnessed this, and saw that the
- bottle had no communication with anything, ant
not avoid slight suspicion of diablerie.
After this, he brought in a large portfolio
- such as are used in the print-shops to put en-
!" cravings in. 1t was about three feet long, two
~ broad, and an inch thick He took out of ths
10 successfully three or four bonnets of the ates
III fashion, q large cage containing two canares
two immense saucepans full of beans, another
equally large full Of blazing brandy, and a fourth
larger than the others, full of water leave
your readers to answer the question as to how
is all these things could be contained in flat port
10 folio.
l., He did dozen other interesting and wonder
- full tricks, and then commenced his truly aston
y, ishing experiments with his son, in cairvoyance
mn The boy was not put to sleep at al-neither d
his father make any sort of passes over him, hi
no eyes were simply bandaged with large sill
80 handkerchief, and his back turned to the audi
o., ence. His father then went among the audi
- ence, aud would take in his hand anything offer
= ~ ed to him, hold it up where he was, but withou
r speaking word, and the boy would Instant
- name the object. Remember that his back wa
~ turned all the time, and that neither his fathe
nor anybody else went near him at all. Th
boy never hesitated and never missed. AT on
time his father took seal from a Turkish gen
80 teman present. The boy described the settin
% and the stamp, but said he could not the letters,u
''' he had never seen such letters before. Hondi
~ then gave him slate and pencil, and gave on
-, also to the gentleman who sat next to me, re
- questing him TO trace any figures to any amour
on the slate. The gentleman wrote 5987
-, and the boy at the same time traced the same Q
,no the slate. This was repeatedly tried to the u
,so ter mystifcation of every one present. The be
~ wrote as fast as the other did, and never faile
to display the correct figures. All Paris hi
>, gone to see these most wonderful experiments
clairvoyance, and even the members of the Il
:, shtute and the most scientific men have con
49, declaring their inability to understand it, TT
:.s boy is certainly not asleep, and yet, with h
- back turned and separated at least ten yart
" from his father, he describes anything that Il
- latter takes in his hand. Hondin declares, eve
in private, that it is peculiar gift his son ha
- and really we do not see how it can be aocour
''y ed for in VDy other way,