The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1865-05-26
TRICKS OF AN EASTERN JUG
GLER.

tween Surat and Nagpore, my body ser
want one day informed me that a great
iucgler and snake charmeI wished to
have the honor of showing me something
of his wonderful skill.
.'What can he dor" | asked.
almost everything that is marvel
lous, I've been told" was the answer
received.
admit him"
Nv servant Withdrew, and returned
with a small, withered, old man. about
whom I saw nothing very remarkable,
except his eyes, which were small, black
and piercing, and seemed to have light
ming imprisoned in them. | do not know
that the man could see in the dark, like
q cat; but there was at times that pecu-
iiar fiery appearance of the balls which
il so often observed in night-prowling
animals, He wore a white vest, Turkish
trousers. a sort of crimson petticOat
worked with strange devices, a turban
of many olors, and red morocco shoes,
pointed and turned up at the toes His
arms and neck were bare. ard, with the
exception of a couple of gold rings i'll his
ears, be displayed no eXtraneous orna-
ments. His age I judged to be rising OF
sixty. and his short moustache was al
most white. He made a low salaam, and
then appeared to wait TO he addressed
Your name p said |, i'll Hindo0stauee.
'Paunjar, your ex~cellency."
II am told yon wish to show ne some
wonders
"lf your excellency wills"
"Well, what can you doE'
He suddenly produced-from where |
did not see and cannot toll--a large ball
of Irvine, which he appeared 10 toss III
nv lap, keeping hold of one crl, 81 that
it unrOlled the whole distance between
him and me, at least ten feet, saying, as
he did So
"Will your excellency please examine
what you see Z"
Now I honestly aver that | satc that
ball of twine when he threw it a, plainly
as l ever saw anything in my lie saw it
come toward me, saw it unrnli and ap-
parently drop in my lap, 81 thatl brought
my knees quickly together 10 catch it
and yet, when | put my hand down to
take it and looked down for it, i; was
not there-and at the same instant | per-
ceived the juggler balancing i; on the
end of his finger.
"Pshaw," said L; "you deceived me by
making ME believe yOu threw it toward
me-"
"Does % Il cxcellenoy think | have it,
he asked and before | could answer, |
saw, in place of the ball, s. large, bcauti-
fui rose, which he was balancing by the
stgm, and yet he had not altered his po-
sition and scarcely stirred Il finger.
began 20 be astOnishCd.
While yet / looked, | saw in lis right
hand a large cup, and III his left a rose.
lie stepped forward a few feet, laid the
lose down on the ground, and placed the
cup over it.
Here, it will he Ohsci we'd. there was no
machinery to assist hinl--nU taiiy, with
us false top, concealed aparru.,uIs, and
confederate. perhaps, t"rtiect ia, change
as we see similar tricks performed in n
place fitted up by the magician tor the
purpOse-but only my own quarters, in
the full, bright light of day with myself
sharply watching him within FIVE feet,
and my attendants grouped arouud al
most as near. Having covered the rose
with the cup, as l would be willing to
make oath-tor | saw the rose distinctly,
as the hollow vessel, held by the top,
went slowly down over 1.-THE conjurer
resumed his former place, and said
will your exeellency he kind enough
to lift the cup and see what jsundcr it?"
OF course l would have wagered a
heavy sum that the rose was still there
for one thing, because, expecting some
trick. 1 had Kept my eye on it to thelast
moment, and was certain there was no
possibility of its being removed after the
hand had let go of the cup at the top. l
complied with his request, stepped for
ward, and raised the cup; Int instantly
dropped it, and bounded back with q cry
of terror-for there instead of the red
los, was n of the little. green, deadly
serpents of India, coiled up and ready for
q spring, with its spall, glittcring eyes
fixed intently on mine. Snakes of any
kind are my horror aud this enc not
only Mortified me, but all ny attendants,
who, with cries of alarm. enlarged the
circle very rapidly, for they knew its bite
to be fatal.
mo more Such tricks as these. %coniur-
err" said I, sternly.
ut is perfectly harmless, your excel
lency," grinned the old man. walking up
to 1t, lifting it up by the neck, putting
its head into his mouth, and allowing it
to run down his throat.
j shuddered, n half-believed the Jug
gler possessed of a devil, if not a devil
himself.
He next produced a tube that looked
like brass, about two feet long and half
an inch in diameter, and next the bali of
Irvine again.
Where these things came from, o rwent
to, ! could not tell. They seemed to be
in his hands when he wanted them but
l never observed his hands passing near
his dress, either when they appeared or
disappeared. When I looked for the cup
that ] had lifted from the snake, it was
gone, and yet neither myself nor any of
my attendants had seen this wonderful
man pick it up! 1t wasindeed~ jugglery,
if not magic, of the most questionable
character!
Through the brass tube the coniurer
now passed one end of the Irvine, which
he put between his teeth. He then
placed the tube between his lips, threw
back his head, and held it perpendicular
~, with the ball of Irvine at the upper
end. Then suddenly the ball began to
turn, and turn rapidly, and gradually
grew smaller, till it entirely disappeared.
as If the Irvine had been run off a reel
What turned it, or where it went to, no
n could see. The juggler then set the