Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1856-04-03
For the Democrat,

What funny things are III this world?
L have Just returned from the show--slight
of hand performance-and l had it prac-
tically illustrated before 1 was admitted
into the showroom, by a tall, slender,
green looking Yankee. who was standing
at the door, making demshstrations as if
he wanted quarter. I looled:st him a.
bout AS sharp as darnin needle, .busdidn't
say much for fear I'd get into a fuss, mis-
calculate his strength and ,me out second
best So l 'forked over the requisite "a
mount of cash, for which | received piece
of paste-board with some writing on
didn't take time to read ito pass me at
the next door. l thought it was a mighty
systematic way of doin business, but didn't
tell 'em so. On | went, through the kitch-
en-, into the parlor, and up the stairs, "a
round the corner, and was making my way
to the hall, and just as got TO the door, a
lady bowed, and very politely asked me il
l had ticket. l knowed what she meant
it was the paste board handed it over
and walked in to where the show was 60
ing to be. Everybody laughed when went
in, because they thought l was greenyi
but didn't care, I'd come to see the show,
and there was no use trying to scare me
off in that way. So began to look round
for place to set down, bu: on close ex-
animation, found that there was but two
seats in the hall, and they were occupied
by four ladies and stage-driver, so come
to the conclusion I'd better stand up, and
when we were dismissed, found l hadn' t
been mistaken. When l got there the
show hadn't commenced. They had cur
tains fastened up about halfway across the
hall, and the audience! stood facing it, so
when they were slid back they could see
the show. l thought it was bed at first,
with curans to it, and it took them so long
to get ready 1 began to think it was for
certain, and they'd gone to bcdl But by
and-by they rang a tca-bell-I wondered if
they were just going to tca.--and back
went the curtains, and the Celebrated and
far famed Magician, Mimic and Comic de-
lineater (!) Sen. Carr was presented to
our view. He told the folks how glad he
was to see them--I didn't believe word
of it, for money was what he was after, an
he'd got twenty-five cents from all that
was there, and that's all he cared for-and
that he wO'd perform some wonderful feats
of 'Ledgerdemain an Necromancy.' He
went on to show how to tie 'love-nots, spin
ribbon, DC, and got a Teller to blow on
the top of tin box, and while he was
blowin' with all his might, the top came
off, and he blew his eyes and face full of
flour l was tickled; l thought twas
funny, and laughed right out Some of the
folks stamped and hollered, and Kissed
$50 says the manuscript the conclusion is
therefore irresistible, that there must have been
other geese around the premises, in addition to the
one on the platform. (PRINrER's DEVIL
to get him to do it over again but he
would MT; cause he thought we'd had fun
enough at his expense. The next thing
was how to make log chain, and lots Of 9TH
er funny things can't rccollect now, but
they acos funny anyhow, and then he went
on to tell about Joab Squash goin' cort-
in Susan Cummins, an telin' how rich
he and his father was-had forty COWS, his
father thirty and he one-give slath-
ers of milk, but hizen, an it was an OK!
l tho't that was funny, SO laughed again,
an laint got fairly over it yet
Then he said he would close the per-
formancc by swallowing sword. l didn't
much believe he'd swallow it whole, so |
watched him pretty close, an sure enough
he didn't! 1t went down three or four in
ches, an stopped; he threw it on the floor,
made bow, and told the folks he would
show Oh the next evening, and wanted EN-
all to come (of course) as he would have
an entire new programmed
I'd seen as much as | could digest for a
week or two, and did MT go-don't know
whether anybody went or not; did mt hear
anybody say anything about it. If they
did go they got slight of hand played off
on them to the amount oftwen:y five cents
for nothing, just as they will from every
'one-horse travelling concern as it is d.
N.v:,.I "a xL TlI:.