Oroville daily Butte record., 1856-12-31
OnuiIls Dailq Dntte Returh.
Juggiers of India.


the jugglers of that country, which.
though familiar to persons acquainted
with eastern matters, may be new to
many of our readers.
A party of juggles came forward on
one occasion to perform publickly in
the yard of the barracks at Madras.
Many hundreds OF people of all kinds,
ages and demons nations, including the
soldiery of the establishment, assem-
bled to witness the exhibition, and some
little temporary arrangements were
made, that all might see and hear con-
yeniently. The leader of the jugglers
who were all, of course, natives of Hin
dostan, requested the commanding Of
fcer to place a guard of men around
the scene of display-a precaution
which was adopted, and proved very
wise one. The floor of the court, be
it observed, was composed of sand, firm
and we'll trodden. On this ground,
then after some preliminary tricks of
an inieior kind, one man was left
alone with little girl, the latter SEEM
ing about eight or nine years old. Be-
side them stood tall, narrow basket,
perhaps three or four feet high, by lit
tie more than foot in width, and open
at the top. No other object, living or
inanimate, appeared on the ground.
After short period spent by the man
in conversing with the girl, he seemed
to get angry, end began to raj loudly
at her for her neglect Of some wish of
his. The child attempted to soothe
him, but he continued to show an in
creased degree of irritation as he went
on. BY degrees he lashcd himself up
into such an apparent fury, that the
foam actually stood upon his lips, and,
being naturally of an unprepossessng
countenance, he looked. to the white
spectators at least, as like an enraged
demon as might be. Finally, his wrath
at the girl rose seemingly to an uncon-
trollable height, and he seized her and
put her beneath the basket, or rather,
turned down the open mouth OF The
basket over her person. She was thus
shut entirely up, the turned bottom of
the basket closing her in above. Hav-
ing thus disposed of the child, in spite
of her screams and entreaties, the man
drew his sword, which was as bright as
the surface of mirror, and he ap
reared as if about to wreak some fur
ther evil on the object of his ire. And
after some moments, during which he
talked to himself and TO the inclosed
girl as if justifying his anger, he did
actually at length plunge the sword
down into the basket, and drew it out
dripping with blood. or at least blood
red drops The child screamed pite>
ously from her prison, but in vain !;
for the man plunged the weapon again
and again into the scene of her confne'
ment As he did so, the cries of the
girl became faint by degrees, and in
the end died away altogether. The
deed of death was consummatcd
So. at least, thought most of the
horror-struch persons who witnessed
thisa ction. And we'll it was for the
chief performer in it, that he had re-
uuested guard to be placed, for it re-
onired all The exertion of this guard to
prevent the aroused soldiery, who be-
l;eved this to be no trick, but piece
of diabolical butchery, from leaping in.
to the arena and tearing the man to
pieces. The excitable I'ishmen among
the number, in particular, ground their
teeth against one another, and mutter-
ed language not very complimentary to
the iusuler. Even the officers, whose
better education and experience made
them less open to such feelings grew
male with uneasiness. But observe the
issue of all this.
When the man seemed to have car
ried his rage to the last extremity
warned, perhaps. by the looks of the
soldiery that it would be as well to
close the exhibition without delay, he
raised his bloody sword for moment,
before the eyes of the assemblage, and
then struck the basket smartly with II
The basket tumbled over to side,
and on the spot which it had covered
in the place of the girl whose last
groans had just been heard, there was
.L;,rt Nothinc hut the fat