The hydraulic press., 1861-04-06
Houdin, the French Wizard.

Every one has seen or heard speak of the
great Robert Houdin. Besides being the
prince of conjurors he is an able mathemati-
clan and mechanician, and his elective clock
made for the Hotel de Vile of his native town
of Blois, obtained a medal at the Paris
exhibition. 1t is not generally known that
he was sent to Algeria by the French govern
ment, on a mission connected with the black
art-probably the first time that conjuror
has been called upon to exercise his profess
sion in government employ.
Some details of his expedition have just
been published. It's object was to destroy
the influence exercised among the Arab tribes
by the marabouts, an influence often mis-
-chievously applied. By few clumsy tricks
and impostures, these marabouts pass them
selvs off as sorcerers no one, it was justly
thought, was better able to eclipse their skill
and discredit their science than the man of
the inexhaustible bottles. One Of the great
pretentions of the marabout WAS to invul-
nerability. At the moment that II loaded
musket was fired at him, and the trigger
pulled, he pronounced few cabalstic words,
and the weapon did not go off. Houdin
detected the trick, and showed that the
touchhole was plugged The Arab wizard
WAS furious, and abused his French rival.
"You may revenge yourself" quietly re-
piled Houdin "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 as he was told.
"You are quite certain now," said Houdin,
"Tell me, do you feel no remorse in killing
me thus, Notwithstanding that I authorize
your"
"You are my enemy" coldly replied the
Arab. ~ will kill YOU"
Without replying, Houdin stuck an apple
on the point of knife, and carly gave the
word to fire. The pistol was discharged, the
apple few far away, and there appeared in
its place, stuck on the point of the knife, the
bullet the marabout had marked. The spec
tators remained mute with stupefactiop.; 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 description of wine and
liquors, be called for an empty bowl, which
he kept continually full of boiling coffee; but
few of the Arabs would taste, for they made
sure that it came from the devils own coffee
pot. He then told them it was in his power
to deprive them of all strength, and to re-
store it to them at will, and he produced a
small box, which a child could lift 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 exertion of his will. They expressed
this belief; Houdin confirmed them in it, and
promised that, on day appointed, he would
convert one of them into smoke. The day
came the throng was prodigous; fanatical
marabout had agreed to give himself up to
the sorcerer They made him stand on a
table and covered him with transparent
gauze then Houdin and another person lift
ed the table by the ends, and the Arab dis
appeared in a cloud of smoke. The terror
of the spectators was indescribable they
rushed out of the place, and ran a long
distance before some of the boldest
thought of returning to look after the mar
about. They found him near the place where
he had been evaporated : but he could tell
them nothing, and was like a drunken man,
ignorant of what had happened to him.
Thenceforward Houdin was venerated
and the marabouts were despised. The
object of the French government was
completely attained. The fashion of "tes-
timonials" having it appears, infected even
the Arabs, number of chiefs presented
the great French conjuror with piece of
Arab writing, wonderfully decorated, hy
periodical and eulogistic, and to which they
were so attentive as to append French
ranslation.-London Journal.