The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-10-18

will, and without apparently touching
them, but it was q favorite of his, aud
often exhibited to his fashionable Partisan
audiences.
THE MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE.
At the same exhibition in Algeria of
which we have written, Houdin invited
one of his audience to come on the stage
A young Moor, about twenty years of age,
tall, well built, and richly dressed, ad
vauced. There was q plain table on the
stage (the space between the top and the
foor being Enthusiastically openl. which
Houdin asked him to mount. When he
did 80 Houdin covered him with an -enor-
it, the Moor was gone. This trick prodac-
ed panic in the audience. Screaming,
at is the Evil One 7" they clambered over
the benches in wild terror and rushed out
the door into the street, where, in the pnb-
lie place, rubbing his eyes in stnpefsction
and W ondering how he got there, they found
the young Moor.
INvULNERABILITY.
While in the interior Houdiu gave an
open air exhibition to the wild sons of the
desert. He pretended that he was invul-
nerable and offered to let a Marabout shoot
at him. There WAS a great crowd, and
vindictive- looking fellow came out from it
and claimed TO have the honor of killing
the hated Frenchman. The pistols were
hnhOeu TO iOuutb, VINO cdtttt attebttOb to
the fact that the vents were clear. The
Marabout put in n fair charge of powder
and drove the wad home. Among the
bullets produced Houdin chose one which
he openly put in the pistol, and it was also
rammed down. By the same process the
second pistol was loaded. Every body
watched with the most profound soi-
emnity. Houdin posted himself fifteen PAGES
from the Marabout without evincing the
slightest emotion. The Marabout i'm
mediately seized one of the pistols and,
on Houdin's giving the signal, took a de
liberate aim at him. The pistol went off
and the ball appeared between the magi-
Marabout tried to seize the pistol. You
could not injure me-" said Houdin, &" but
you shall see that my aim is more danger
GUS than yours. Look at that wall" He
pulled the trigger, and on the newly white
washed wall appeared large patch of
blood exactly at the spot where he aimed.
The Marabont went up to it, dipped his
fnger in the blood, and raising it to his
mouth convinced himself of the reality.
When he acquired this certainty his arms
| fell and his head bowed on his chest as if
| he were annihilated. 1t was evident that
| for TIE moment he doubted everything,
even the prophet. This seemingly incom-
preheDsble feat Houdin performed by
means of prepared balls. With bullet
mould and a bit of wax mixed with lamp
black he had manufactured a very fair in-
itation bullet. Another bullet of the same
material he had filed with blood. OF
course, it was by sleight of hand that no
changed the bullets forced npon him by the
Marabout and substituted his own. An old
trick enabled him to get the-Feai-
between his teeth while the waxen one was
shattered to pieces. So with the second
ball, it was shattered upon striking the wall
but spot of blood was produced. If Hon
din had not explained this part it would be
quite as wonderful to most people as the
! phenomena of spiritualism, and could have
been passed off as good evidence of spirit
agency.