The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1874-04-11

THAUMATURGY.
A wonderful Feat of Neeromancy-
Juggling as IA Fine Art.


The following description of a trick |
performed by Siamese jugglerA is in |
teresting in the extreme. WeSeull 1t
from the special correspondence of the |
New York World:
A perfectly formed and most lovely |
nauteh girl sprung out upon the stage,
and was hailed with universal exclama-
tons of delight, ry-body calling out
her name, Luan-Prabana, as if it were
a word of good omen. Her only dress |
was a short petticoat of yariegated
Ieather-work. A wreath of rosebuds |
crowned her soft, short, black hair, and
she wore a pearl necklace, as well as
broad gold armlets aud anklets. With !
a brilliant smile she danced exquisitely
for some minutes to tbe accompaniment |
of single pipe, then kEelS and laid her
head upon old Norodom's knee. The |
boy famed her w<Ah fan made of sweet |
fern leaves. Minhman fetched lotus
shaped golden goblet, aud Tepada
poured into it, from a quaint looking
flask, fluid of greenish hue. The old
yogilike Norodorn took the goblet and
blew his breath upon the contents until
they broke into pale blue flame.
This Tepada extinguished with his
breath, when Norodom held the goblet
to Laun- Prabana's lips, and she drained
the contents witlN sigh. AS if trans
figured, she suddenly sprang to her
feet, her face strangely radiant, and be-
gan to spin giddily around In one spot.
First the boy, then Minhman, then Te-
pada, tried to arrest her, but they no
sooner touched her than she repealed
them with o shock that thrilled them
as if she had impaired an electric spark
to them. Spinning constantly, with a
I a.
sprang off the stage and down the hall
along by the foot of the columns, Tsin-
ki, Minhman, and Tepada in active pur-
suit. In and out among the crowd
they spun, the three CT Gsing. Tepada
seized hold of the chaplet that crowned
her it broke, and as she whirled along
a spray of rosebuds was scattered Rtom
her brow in every direction. Anything
more graceful never was seen. And now
a greater wonder. At the extremity of
the hall the three surrounded and would
have seized her, when, still revolving,
she rose slowly into the air and foaS q
gently over our heads toward the sta e,
scattering roses as she went. At the
brink of the stage she paused in mid
air, then, with a slight wing like motion
of her arms, mounted up, up, up to-
ward the Hottest arch of the vault over
a
bow and arrow and shot toward her.
There was a wild shrek, a rushing
sound, and the dancer fell with a crash
to the flags of the floor, and laid there,
an apparent bloody mass. The music
burst forth into wild wall, and the
chorus of old hays came tumUltuouslv
forth and bore her off in their arms.
Now, from behind the red curtain
came dozen strong men, Gearing on
their shoulders a great MAIDEN box
which they laid upon the front part of
the stage. As they retired the old wo-
man came out, bringing a low couch,
decorated with flowers and GOLDEN
broidered drapery, upon which lay
Luan-Prabana, decked forth in bridal
garments, and sweetIy sleeping. The
couch, with its sleeper, was put quietly
down upon the front of the stage and
left there, while Norodom and Tepada
went to the leaden box, and with hot
irons attempted TO unseal it. a. That is
Stung-Tien's coffin" whispered Woun
to me; "the old saint has been dead
more than half a millennium"
Quickly, eagerly it seemed to me, the
Two nen broke open the fastenings of
the coffin until the side next the audi
ence falling out at last, teak box was
discovered. This was pried open with
d
great bundle of nankeen taken out.
Tepada and Norodom commenced to
unwind this wrapper, whey was very
tight. Yard after yard wa unwodnd
and folded away by Minham, aud at
last, after at least one hundred yards OF
wrapping had been taken off, the dry.
shriveled mummy of a small, old man
vas visible-eyes closed, flesh dry and
hard-dead and dry as a smoked her
ring. Norodom tapped the corpse with
a crowbar, and it gave dull, wooden
sound. Tepada tossed it up and caught
tit was stiff as log. Then he placed
the mummy upon Norodom's knees, ard
fetched flask of oil, flask of wine,
and censor burning with some puDgent
incense. Norodom took from his hair
little box of unguent, and prying open
the mouth OF the mummy with a dRd
chisel, showed that the tongue cojud
rattle like chip against the dry fauces.
He filed the mouth with uDguent and
closed it, and Amounted the eyelids,
nostrils, and ears. Then he and Tepa-
da mixed the wine and oil and carefully
rubbed every part of the body win it.
Then, laying it down in a reclining DO
sition, they put the burning censor upon
the chest and withdrew a pace, while
the drums and gongs and cymbals
crashed and clattered, and the shrill
cracking treble of the chorus of old
women rose hideously.
A breathless pause ensued-one, two,
three minutes, and the mummy sneezed
thrice, sneezed so violently as to extin-
guish the flame of the censor. A mo-
ment later the thing sat up and stared
blinking and vacant around the vault
an old, old, wrinkled man, with num-
bling chops, shriveled chest and belly |
and little tufts of while hair upon his |
chin and forehead. Tepada approached |
him reyerently upNh his knees, bringing |
a sal7er with vine and wafer cake. The |
old man did not notice him, but ate,
drank, then tottered to his feet, the /
feeblest, decrepit old dotard that ever
Taked ,, In Pn3thsE moment he saw the
he shuffied mumbling up to her, and |
stopped over as if to help his dim eyes
to see her bette. With glad cry the
maiden walked, cl&ped him in her arms
and to her breast, and kissed him. In /
comprehensive magic He was no /
longer nonogenarian dotard, but a |
full-veined, fiery youth, who gave her /
kiss for kiss.
How the tran sformation was wrought |
have no idea, but there it was before |
our very eyes. The music grew soft /
and passionate, the chorus of the old
women came out, and with strange
phallic songs and dances bore the two
AWAY bridal pair. I never expect
again to behold a sight so wonderful as
that whole transformation, which, may
mention, my learned Jesuit fri nd, to
whom Z described it, regards as a piece
of pure symbolism. His explanation is
too long and learned TO quote, bHt he
the ceremony with the Sbrld-
old myth of Venus and Adonis, and
claims that it is all a form of sun wor-
ship.
To Avoid Cut Worms in Corn.