Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1857-11-11

ARExAnxxs1s MAe1c1As-TnE NlcRoiAycER IN
sALoERIA:-Ey Every lone hos seea. or heard speak Of
the great Robert Houdin. Beside being ths prince
aof conjurors be is IN ables mssbemsficaa.nd the,
chanician, and his electric clock, made fosthe Hotel
Vile Of his native townof Blois obtained med
al at the Paris Exhibition. 1t is not generally known
that he was sent to Algeria by the French Govern
ment q mission connected with the black art
probably the first time that conjuror has been
called upon exercise his profession in government
employ. Some details Of his Expedition have just
been published. Its object was to destroy the infu-
ence exercised among the Arab tribes by the mara,
bouts-an influence often mischeyousy applied. By
a few clumsey tricks and impostnres these mara
bouts pass themselves off sorcsrers no one it was
justly thought, better able to eclipse their skill
and discredt their science than the man Of nexhaus-
tibie bottles. 49,.
One of the great pretensions of the marabopt was
invunerabilty. At the moment that a loaded mus
ket was fired at him. and the trigger pulled, he pro-
nounced few cabalastic words and the weapon did
not 90 off, Houdin detected the trick, and showed
that the tubehole was plugged The Arab wizard
was furious, and abused his French rival. You
may revenge yourself" quietly replied ifoud'n,
take pistol load it yourself here are bullets. put
one in the barrel but before doing SO mark it With
your knife" The Arab did Ms he was told. -" You
are quite certain now" said Houdn, that the pis'
tol is loaded and will 20 off, Tell me do you feel no
remorse in killing me thus, notwithstanding that
authorize you?" g You are my enemy" cooiiy re-
]
ing, Houdin stuck an apple on the point of knife,
and calmly gave the word to fire.
The pistol was discharged, the apple flew far away,
and there appeared in its place, stuck on the point
of the knife, the bullet the marabout had marked.
The spectators remained mute from stupefaciion !;
the marabout bowed before his superior; Allah is
great !" he said &c am vanquished" Instead OF the
bottle from which, in Europe, Robert Houdin pours
an endless stream of every description of wine and
liquor. he called for an empty bowl, which he kept
continually full Of boiling coffee, but few Of the Arabs
would taste it for they made that it came direct
from the devils own coffee pot. He then told them
that it was in his power to deprive them of all
strength, and to restore it TO them at will. and he
produced small box, light that child could
lift it with his finger; but it suddenly became so
heavy that the strongest man present could not raise
it. and the Arabs, who prize physical strength above
everything looked with terror at the great magician
who, they doubted not could annhilate them by the
mere exerton of his will-They expressed this be
lief IIoudn confirmed them in it, and promised
that, on day appointed, he would convert one Of
them into smoke The day came; the throng was
prodigious fanatical marab had agreed to give
himself up to the sorce,er. They made him stand
upon table and covered him with a transparent
gauzc; then Houdin and another person lifted the
table by the two ends and the Arab disappeared in
q clond of smoke.
The terror of the spectators was indescribable !;
they rushed out Of the place, and ran long distance
before of the Loldest thought Of returning to
Look after the ma, about. They found him near the
place where he had been evaporated but he could
tell them nothing, and like a drunken man. ig-
norant Of what had happened to him. Thencefor-
ward Houdin veneratcd and the marabouts des-
pissed the object Of the French Government was
completely attained The fashion of testimonials
having, it appears. infected even the Arabs. num-
Der of chiefs presented the French conjurer with
piece of Arab writing, wonderfully decorated, hyper
bolical and enlogiStc, and to which they at
tentive TO append French translation Beside
this memorial Of his Agerine trip, Houdin has ro-
sary which he one day borrowed from an Arab to
perform a trick with, and which the owner, persna.
ded that Sheitan in person before hi'n refused
to receive back.-London Times Paris Corrtspon.
dent