The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1853-09-08
NrcR0MANCy

Suppose we ST; down, reader. and have a
social eonfah upon this occult art, Several
professors of magic have recently visited Us
and il is more particularly Of them We wouS'
speak We have before us now two little
books, sent us by a lady since our last issue,
which detail with considerable minuteness
the manner Of performing most OF the tricks
with which 80 many We're amused and some
few amazed, on last week. Bat we do NOT
design to speak 0. them, but 10 say few
.oris 81 their operators.
Herr Alexander. the man who visited as
before the Aigcrines, i an imposter, hiS
true name is Samuel 5. Higgins: he was i
chirapeaist and then for two and a hall
years advertising agen, for Dir. Francisco,
when acquiring a smattering OF the art, hN
started out ION lis own hook" but with the
borrowed capital OF name which had be-
come famous IN that line Of business. The
true Herr Alexander is wealthy. married
and nov living in South America.
Mr. Francisco, the at present, Algcrine,
was. according TO his own statement, orig
inal!y the Fskir of Ava, name given hin
BY Capt. Na.ryat. on sLiphoard some TWEEN
" years since. He was net. however, the
first Fakir in America; hs was Sco,ehmal
ard subsequently died at St. Louis. Mr.. L
says rs dropped the title because i h-t
been assumed BIZ SO many.
Perhaps the most wonderful feat perform
"a 81 Francisco while here was that Of the
shawl and yet il twas very simple. A shaw
was t. IS selected fcem some lady II the
audience. disappear and should be fount
IN any spot designated in the city, Won
derful. bu. easily doae. We saw il per.
formed by Mr.. T. in Cincinnati and as thai
trick i not IL any 81 the hooks, We will cx.
plain i
4 shawl Is selected from some LADY IN the
audience, when bv little slight Of hand i
is made to disappear. II is then requested
hy the operator that some seven or eight
different persons write upon slips Of paper
the spot where each individual wishes il TO
appear. This is done and the audience are
then requested to name which slip shall de-
sjpna.e the place where the shawl shall! be
found. The fifth slip drawn from the hat
wi.l perhaps be the one specified: II SO that
number is made to read just what the per-
former pleases--in this case. Cook d sar-
gents iron safe. All right, and the shay
,s4s found there, but c. & S. not being ac-
complies, how did il get there? Thus, the
woman giving the shawl was an accom-
pliee, the shawl given was the exact coun-
terpart d another, and that other was de-
posted in The safe with money when the
the Algerines first arrived in the city.
Now isn't !, allvery plain' Il Just shows
how easily we ali are deceived, how care
fully We should examine any new tenet be-
fore we permit ourselves to embrace 1t and
any new thing before we allow ourselves 70
believe it. Why the spirit rapPings are net
more unaccountable than many Of the ieats
performed b. Dir. Francisco, and yet every
one of them was as simple when carefully
examined as the trick OF the shawl. How
foolish then for men and women, because
they cannot perceive the agency BY which
certain things are performed that they have
been accustomed TO see done by hands, to
attribute II 70 the work Of spirits! Why
net say the spirits assisted MIR. +. to accom-
plish some Of his apparently Incompetent
sible featsl There i too much attributed
to the agency Of spirits nowadays. Men
had better examine their own spirits and 1t
them for some higher duty than knocking
upon tables to the amusement Of parcel
or ignorant men and women, tha dupes Of
some prefessed medium That's all we
have to say about necronancy.