Weekly Trinity journal., 1877-01-20
BURNING DEEDS.


his mouth melted sealing wax, "as if it
had been so much cold water" without
the slightest semblance of pain nor did
his tongue show the least sign of burning
or injury whatever. Richardson probably
exhibited his msrvels in various parts
of Europe for Evelyn was present at one
such display at Lady Sutherland's. AT
ter dinner, the fre-king devoured flaming
birthstone by way of dessert; chewed
and swallowed burning Goals; melted a
beer glass and then ate it up, or drank II
down; put live coal on his tongue, placed
an oyster Oh the coal, blew this strange
substitute for fire place with bellows.
and so continued until the oyster was
roasted or scaloped; he melted pitch and
wax with sulphur and drank of the mix
ture in Il flaming state; and finally held
thick piece of red hot iron between his
teeth. A learned French publication,
the Journal des SaUanS, gave detailed
accounts of many of Richardson's mar
wells ; and in the same journal NJ. Panthot
aiterward explained how they were done,
according to revelations made to him by
Richardson's servant. The exhibitor rub
bed with some chemical substance tho
hands and other parts of the skin to be
exposed TO the fire; the powerful liquid
hardened the scarf skin into kind Of
leather, and after many repotitons Of the
experiment, this hardening became per-
manent. Some backSmiths, it is known,
can handle piece of iron nearly red hot,
the skin of the hand having become in
durate by long practice at the hot trade.
In roasting bits of steak and raw oysters
on his tongue Richardson is said to have
secretly placed thin slice of veal be-
tween the tongue and the burning coal; 4;
and that this aud the moisture OF the
mouth shielded him from injury. As TO
swallowing such dainties as flaming sui
phur and pitch. he was wont to retire i'm
medately from the audience, drink of
warm water and oil, and 50 obtain reliei
by an emetic.
Early in the last century q dre-eater
named Peiterkeit exhibited in London /;
but all we hear of him is that he had the
honor of appearing before three members
of the royal family. About the middle
of the last century tho great hero in this
line was Powell, who was visited and de-
scribed by Strut. Although eighty
years of age, this man would take burning
Goals from the fire and eat them place
bundle of lighted matches in his mouth
his nostrils carry a red hot heater around
the room between his teeth /; broil n piece
of beef steak on red hot charcoal placed
on his tongue and drink with an iron
spoon delectable beverage consisting of
hot pitch, wax, birthstone and lead.-
There was little waggery in some Of
the descriptions Of Powel's tendencies {:
"His common food is birthstone and fire,
which he licks up as eagerly as hungry
peasant would mess of pottage. lie
feeds upon this extraordinary diet before
princes aud peers TO their infinite salts
faction and such is his passion for this
terrible element, that if he were to come
hungry into your kitchen while sirloin
was roasting, he would cat up the fire and
leave the beef" We may fairly surmise
that Powell adopted some such precau-
tionary measure us his predecessor Rich
ardson.
About the same time, the beginning of
the reign of George Ill, several scientific
men made some valuable experiments to
ascertain what degree of heat the human
frame could endure for short time with
impunity-apart from any sophistcation
or secret preparation. M. NJ. Duhammel
and Tissot recorded their observations on
young girl, who entered an oven and
remained there ten minutes at temper
ature OF 29S deg. f., and on another who
braved heat Of 325 degrees Fahrenheit
for FIVE minutes. DR.. Solander, first
clothed and then unclothed, remained in
an oven Of 2l0 degrees. Sir Joseph Banks
at little higher temperature, and DR..
Blagden at $50 degrees. Eggs were at
the same time roasted hard in a few min
utes, and beetsteak baked (for it was
really baking in about half an hour.
The experimenters could not touch any
of their metal buttons withou. burning
their fingers. All the temperatures here
named, except one, greatly exceed that
OF boiling water.
Sixty or seventy years ago, there was a
Signora Girardell, who astonished the
sight-seers of London by standing with
her naked feet on plate Of red hot iron !;
drawing a similar plate over her hair and
tongue washing her hands in boiling oil;
putting melted lead in her mouth,
and keeping it there till it soldifed-or
50 il seemed to the spectators, at any rate.
A famous man was NJ. Chabert, the
fire. kin e, fire-eater and poison swal-
lower" rather less than half century
ago. BY trade baker ut Paris, he gained
much notorioty by his fire resisting quail
ties. According to the stories told of him
he would rush into burning house and
bring out the inmates. Once passing a
smiths forge, he took out white hot
piece of iron with his naked hand, placed
the end on an anvil and bade the smith
hammer away; the son of Vulcan, too
much alarmed, ran away, fearing that a
denizen of the neither regions had made
his appearance. For time Chabert was
inspector OF the royal kitchen ut the Tuii-
= Al.