The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1857-12-12
The Necroma.cer in Algeria.

| Every one has seen or heard speak OF the
! great Robert Houdin. Besides being the
| prince Of conjurers, he is a great naihema-
tIcian and mechanician, and his electric
ock. made for the Hotel de Vile of his na-
live town of B Uis, obtained medal at the
Paris Exhibition. 1t is not generally known
tina, he was sent to Algeria by the French
Government on mission connected with the
black art-prObably the first lime that
corjufer has been called upon to exercise
his profession in Government cmpi"y.-
Some details Of his expedition have Just been
pabti>h,d. Its object was to dcst'oy the in-
fuence exercised among the Arab tribes by
tine msrabouts-an influence often mischie.
viousiy applied. BY \ few clumsy tricks
and inpo>; ures these inarabouts pass them
selves of as oiccrers no one, it was justly
thought, was better xb e TO eclipse their
! skill aud d,scrsdit their science than the
rnsn OF iarx sau> >tible bottles. One Of the
great pretcnsian Of the Msrabouts was TO
invu nerzbiluy. At tte moment that a load
ed pistol WAS fired at him, and the uigg-r
pulled, he pronounced q few cabalistic words
aud the weapon q NOT 60 vT H---a.--I -
tcct d the trick, and showed that the touch
hole was plugged. The Arab wizard vas
furious, aud abused hi> French rival. 'Sou
may revenge yourself q9'etiy rep'ied Hou-
din take pisto!, load it yourseii-i,erc
are bullets, put one i'm the barrel, bat first
mark it with your knife" The Arab did A.
he va. toll. You are quite certain nos,
said Houdin, " tn the pistol Is loaded and
viii 20 off Tell me, do you feel 10 remorse
I in killing he ihu,, nnt~ itn>tOuGing that !
au,l or ze you.' "You are my enemy"
,epI ed The Arab, :" viii kin you" WITH
out replying, Hpudn stu k an apple on the
point OF knife and rauiiy gave the word
TO fire. The pistol WAS discharged, the APP
pie flew far away, aud there appeared in its
place, stack On the point of the knife, the
bullet the marabOHt had marked. Ine spec
tators remained mute from establishment !;
( tie uarabout bowed before his superior
Allah IS gieat-l am v~ndii.i.ei-' Ia
stead of The bottle from which, in Europe,
Robert Ioudin ponrs an end ess stream Of
every description Of wine aud liquor, he cali
cd tor an empty bowl which lac Kept con-
tinualy full OF boiling coffee, out few of the
Arahs would taste ii; for they made sure
tlat il came direct frou the devils own cOt-
tc--pOt. Ii. then told them that il vas ia
hi. power to deprive them of all strength,
and IL restore t to them al wIl and hr pro-
,iucri n siual box, SO hight that a ci.d co u
lIit II with it's finger; bat II suddenly be
came so heavy that the strongest man pres
eit could not raise II, aud the ARABS, who
prize physi al strength above everything,
looked with terror upon the great magellan
who, they doubted not, could anuIhiate
them by the mere eXeftIOn OF Ills will. Inuy
expressed this belief; iiouIen Confirmed
them in it, and promised t!i.t, on a day APP
poittod, he would convert one Of th.m into
smoke. The day came, the tnrOns was
proii .ious; a f.natirel n,ratuut iIa i a greed
Ia give himself up to the sOrc,rer Iney
made him stand upon table, and covered
han sitil a transparent gauze; then HOuin
AID another pei>"r lifted the table by the
Two ends, aud the Arab disappeared in a
cloud Of smokc. Inc terror ut t!ie specti-
tors WAS Undesirable; they rushed oGt of
th. place aud ran long distance betare
some Of the bold =, thought Of returning. t.
look after the marabou'. Tl,y !oaUd him
II ar the p'ac, where he had evapOratrd; but
iI- could tell them nothing, and was Ike a
druuk-. man, Ignoiant Oi what had hap
! pvh,d To hun. Tnenc,iuiwAid livu!sn Sa>
s-u,rst.d, and the mirsbouIs dcspI-rd the
o'ir,t of the French GcSernm, nj was com
;.i i,,fy STAINED. The fashion oi "tcstimo-
! ui.." having. il x-sEa-. Infected even the
( A.ab>, a nuIn',rr "f chiefs presented the
T fr,.ch conjufrr With a piece VI Arab writ
in., wond grtu J., decorated, hyp~rno ical aud
u u.i>ric, and TO waIrh they were - atten-
tive To APPEND . French trans alton. b.
side, TINS IncHOriz' of his Algrric trip, liru-
dn mas = rosary which he one day borrow
ed from an Arab To perform a trio. with,
and WINCH the owner, persuaded that SarI-
tan ia person wa> before hiW. refused 70 It.
GIVE bzck.-I arts Corr6.po.Ie oF tie
Itmes.