The Nevada journal., 1858-02-12

THE BLACK ART.-Every one has
seen or heard of the great Robert Hou-
din. 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 own
native town of Blois, obtained a medal
at the Paris Exhibition. 1t is not gene
rally known that he was sent to Algeria
by the French Government on a mis-
sion connected with the black art
probably the first time that coniurer
has been called upon to exercise his pro-
fession in Government employ. Some
details of his expedition have Just been
published Its object was to destroy
the influence exercised among the Arab
tribes by the marabouts. an influence
often mischievously applied. By few
clumsy tricks and impostures, these
marabouts pass themselves off as sorcer-
ers; and no one, it was justly thought,
was better able to eclipse their skill and
discredit their scieuce than the man of
inexhaustible bottles. One of the great
pretentions of the marabout was invul-
nerable. AT the moment loaded mus
ket was fired at him, and the trigger
pulled, he pronounced a cabalistic word
and the weapon did not go off. Houd
in detected the trick, and showed that
the touchole was plugged. The Arab
wizard was furious. and abused his
French rival. "You may avenge your
self" quietly replied Houdin; "take a
pistol, load it yourself-here are bull
lets, put one in the barrel-but before
doing so mark it with your knife The
Arab did as he was told. "You are
quite certain now," said Houdin, "that
the pistol is loaded and will go off Tell
me, do you feel no remorse in killing
me thus, notwithstanding that l author,
ize you p "You are my enemy" cold
ly replied the Arab 81 will kill you"
Without replying, Houdin stuck an ap-
pie on the point of a 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 stupefacton; the
marabout bowed before his superior.
"Allah is great !" he said; 81 am van
quished." Instead of the bottle. from
which in Europe, Robert Houdin pours
an endless stream of every des-
cription of wine and liquors, he called
for an empty bowl, which he kept con-
tinually full of boiling coffee; but few
of the Arabs would taste it, foI they
made sure 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 a small
box, so light that child could lift it
with its finger but it suddenly became
so heavy that the strongest man present
could not raise it, and the Arabs, who
prize physical strength above every
thing, looked with terror on the great
magician, who, they doubted not, could
annihilate them by the mere exertion of
his will. They expressed this belief !;
Houdin confirmed them in it. and prom
ised that. on day appointed, he would
convert one of them into smoke. The
day came, the throng was prodigious; a
fanatical marabout had agreed to give
himself up to the sorcerer. They made
him stand on table and covered him
with a transparent gauze; then Houdin
and another person lifted the table by
the two ends, and the Arab disappeared
in cloud of smoke The terror of the
spectators was indescribable; they rush
ed out of the place. and ran a long dis
tance before some of the boldest thought
of returning to look after the marabout
They found him near the place where
he had been evaporated, but he could
tell them nothing and was like q drunk