The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1859-05-09

to one quarter of an inch in length, and
finding none to become sick from il, open
ed number md found that there was no
lesion anywhere in the aIimentary canal,
and determined to take some myself and did
so in the presence of my colleague, NJ.
Cayal, Prof Lallem and several Others. |
repeated the experiment several times, and
never experienced the slightest sensation of
pain. -lH5a a -3gJ Fa
This was authoritative enough, but yet
wanted to witness il myself. So gave one
Of the cats in the house an enormous ball of
meat, mixed about half with pounded glass.
The animal swallowed il with great eager
ness to the last morsel, and seemed even to
regret the end of so succulent meal
Everybody said the cat was as good as dead,
and deplored my barbarity. but next morn
ing she came rs usual, and in fact licked the
floor where she had eaten the pounded glass
the day before. Er-la1 =
Since that time, whenI wished 10 enter
tain a friend witlI this sight, have RECALLED
my three cats impartially, so as rot to ex-
cite jealousy among them.
But it was a long time, confess, before
decided to try DR. Lesanvage's experiment
on myself; | did not perceive any necessity
for it. One day, however, in the presence
of friend ran the risk-for it was one,
and swallowed my little pin, ouly took
care TO pound the glass finer than that which
gave TO tho cats. do not know but il
may have been the effect of my imagination,
hut it seemed TO me at dinner that day, that
ate with unaccustomed pleasure was il
owing to the pounded glass? In any case
that would be an odd way to whet an sp-
petite.
When it cane to swallowing tiints and
:, the noseS Of bottles, the Assaoua did not
really pat them in his mouth but am quite
sure that he got rid of them. Besides il he
had swallowed them il would not have been
anything extraordinary compared with the
performances of jugglar in France thirty
( years ago, who was called ''Swaliower of
Sabres.
This man, who gave his performances on
! the public square, threw back his head, SO
as to present straight line to the weapon,
and really plunged a sabre into the esopha-
gus, 80 that the hilt touched his lips
He would also swallow an egg without
breaking it, or a quantity of nails and fints,
which he caused TO rattle by striking on his
stomach with bis fist. ' - lEH
These feats were rendered possible BY a
remarkable conformation of his esophagus.
But if he had lived among the Aissaouas,
lie would surely have been the star of the
troupe. "
Or what would the Arabs have said, had
/ they seen another man who had run himself
I through the body with the first sabre which
was brought TO him, and, while he was thus
! spitted, stick knife into each of his Iostrils
| up to the handle have seen that, and so
/ have many others.
This feat was, in fact, so irightful that the
! spectators cried % Enough enough beg
/ ging him 10 stop. But, without troubling
/ himself at that, lac answered, speaking hor-
ribly through his nose, that :. Ca de dla ia
sat bds de bad, (eo ne iui tdsdu pas de NAL
/ that it did not hurt him-and with this
/ strange accent, he sang the ballad of ReHUe
/ da Tdge, which he accompanied on the gu-
! tar. --.st .. E-
could not endure TO look upon such
| sight, and was turning away in horror,
! when, drawing out the sabre, the na sal trOu-
badour showed the spectators that it was
| bloody -a-- .srfra .ft-
However, when came to think it over,
| felt convinced that this man could not really
put sabre through his belly in this way,
/ and that there must he some trick about il
which did not see. i
Ny love for the marvellous gave me the
desire to find out; l applied to the inealner-
able, and by means of little money and
the promise that ] would not make use of
his secret, he explained it to me. 'r
/ can in turn communicate to the public
without exacting the same promise The
/ trick is very ingenious
The mountebank was very lean, a quality
indispensable in this. He drew girdle
very tight about his belly, and, rs the back
bone would not give way, the intestines
were obliged TO yield, and were tied back to
it. lie then replaced the compressed por-
ton by paste-board belly, which restored
him TO his normal proportions; the whole
WAS covered with flesh colored tight, and
seemed to be a part OF the body. On each
side, above the hips, two rosettes of ribbons
concealed the openings by which the sabre
went in and stuck out. A sort of leather
sheath led from Que Of these openings 10 the
other, taking the blade through in safety
lu the middle of this sheath was a sponge
filled with red Buid. AS TO the knives in
the nose, that was reality. The inruiRerd-
bic had very Hat nose which allowed him
10 raise the cartileges Of the nose 10 the
hight of the nasal foSses, for the introduc-
ton OF the knives.
Conclusion TO-morrou1