Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1858-03-26
A JUGGLER D1pLoMATIsT.

A JUGGLER DIPLOMATIST.
Every one has seen. or heard spoken
of, the great Robert Houdin. Besides
being the prince of con jurers. he is an
able mathematician and mechanician, and
his electric clock, made for the Hotel de
Vile. OF his native town of BIois, obtain
ed medal at the Paris exhibition. 1t is
not generally known that he was sent to
Algeria by the French government on
mission connected with the black art
probably the first time that conjurer has
been called upon to exercise his profess
sion in government employ. Some de-
tails Of his expedition have Just been pub
lished. It's object was to destroy the in
huence exercise among the Arab tribes
by the marabouls - an influence often
mischievously applied. By few clumsy
tricks and impostures, these marabouls
pass themselves off as sorcerers; no one,
it was justly thought, was better able to
eclipse their skill and discredit their SCI
ence, than the man OF inexhaustible bot
ties. One Of the great pretenSions of the
marabout was to invulnerability. AT the
moment that 81 loaded musket was fired at
him. and the trigger was pulled, he pro-
DO Inced a few cabali>tic words, and the
we 4pon did not 20 off Houdin detected
the trick. and showed that The touch hole
was plugged. The Arab wizard was fu-
rious. and abused his French rival
"You may avenge YOURSELF" quietly
replied Houdin; "take q pistol load it
yourself; here are bullets, put une in Il e
barrel, but before doing so mark it with
your knife
| The Arab did as he was told.
! "You are quite certain, now" said
tIoudin. "that the pistol is loaded, and
will go off. Tell me do you feel no re-
ing l authorize ycu?"
You are my enemy" coolly replied
the Arab; Il will kill you"
Pile on the point of knife, and camiy
gave the word 10 fire. The pistol was
discharged, the apple flew away. and
there appeared in its place, stuck on the
point of the knife. the bullet the mara
bout had marked.
! The spectators remainded mute from
stupe faction; the marabout bowed before
his superior.
"Allah is great!' he said; II am van
quished."
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 constantly full Of boiling
coffee, but few Of the Arabs would taste
it, for they made sure that it came direct
ly from the DEVILS own coffee>pot. lie
then told them that it was in his power
to deprive them OF all strength, and to re-
store it to them at will, and lie produced
a small box, so light that child could
lift it with its finger; but it suddenly be
came so heavy that the strongest man
present could not raise il, and the Arabs,
who prize physical strength above every.
thing. looked with terror a. the magician
who. they doubted not, could annihilate
them by the mere exerlion of his will
They expressed this belief; Houdin con-
firmed them 10 it and promised that, on
a day appointed he would convert one Of
them into smoke. The day came; the
throng was prodigious; fanstical mara
bout had agreed to give himself up to the
sorcerer. They made him stand upon a
table. and cover ed him with a tranSpsr
ent gauze; then Houdin and another per
son lifted the table by the two ends, and
the Arab disappeared in a cloud Of smoke.
The terror of the spectators was indescri
bable; they rushed out Of the place. and
ran long distance, before some Of the
boldest thought of returning to look after
the marabout. They found him near the
place where he had evaporated; but he
could tell them nothing, and was like a
drunken man. ignorant of what had hap
nened IN him Thencrforward HOuAin
was venerated. and the marabout despis-
ed, and the object of the French govern
ment as completely attained. The fash
ion of testimonials" having, it appears.
infected the Arabs. number of chiefs
presented the French couiurer with a
piece of Arab writing. wonderfully decor
ated. hyperbolical and eulogistic. and to
which they were so attentive as 10 ap-
pend French translation.