The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-01-06
Fire Kings and Pire Baters.

Seyigne. He waited upon her from Vitry
aud dropped into his mouth melted scaling
wax, ''as if it had been so much colc
water, without the slightest semblance Of
pain nor did his tongue show the least
sign Of burning or injury whatever. The
lively letter writer, while treating the dis
play almost as a miracle, nevertheless,
asked in a halfbantering tone, what would
become Of the proofs of innocence Sc
much depended on in former ages, from
the ordeal by fire. Richardson probably
exhibited his marvels in various parts Of
Europe for Evelyn was present at one such
display at Lady Southerland's. After
dinner the fire king deyoured flaming
birthstone by way Of desert cheWed and
swallowed burning Goals melted a beer
glass and ate it up, or drank it down put
a live coal on his tongue, placed an oyster
on the coal, blew this strange substitute
for fireplace with bellows, and 50 con.
tinued until the oyster was roasted OIL
scalloped; he melted pitch and wax with sui.
phur, and drank of the mixture in flaming
statei 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 Richard.
sons maryels; and in the same journal NJ.
Panthot afterwards explained how they were
done, according to revelations made to
him by Richardson's servant. The exhib-
itor rubbed with some chemical substance
the hands and other parts Of the skin TO
be exposed to the fire i; the powerful
liquor hardened the scarf-skin into a kind Of
leather, and, after many repititions Of the
experiment, this hardening became perma-
nent. Some blacksmiths, it is known, can
handle piece Of iron that is nearly red
hot, the skin Of the hand having become
indurated 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
between the tongue and the burRing coal,
and that this and 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.
mediately from the audience, drink off
warm water and oil, and SO obtaia relief
by emetic,
Early in the last century fire eater
named Hilterkeit exhibited in London ;
but all we hear of him is that he had the
honor of appearing before three or four
members Of the royal family About the
middle of the century the great hero in
this line was Powell, who was visited and
described by Strut Although eighty
years of age, this man would take burning
Goals from the fire and eat them place a
bundle Of lighted matches in his mouth,
and blow out the sulphur fumes through
his nostrils, carry a red hot heater around
the room between his teeth broil piece
Of beef steak on red hot charcoal placed
on his tongue, and drink with an iron
spoon delectable beverage consisting Of
blazing hot pitch, wax, birthstone and lead
There was little waggery in some of the
descriptionsof Of Powell's tendencies: "His
common food is birthstone aud FIRE, which
he licEs up as eagerly as hungry peasant
would a mess of pottage. He feeds on
this extraordinary diet before princes aud
peers, to their infinite satisfaction 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 adopt
ed such precautionary measures as his pre-.
decessor Richardson.
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 sophistication
or secret preparation. NM Duhamel and
Tissot recorded their observations on
young girl, who entered an oven and re-
mained there ten minutes at temperature
of 2SS degrees Fahrenheit, and on another
who braved heat of 325 degrees Fahren-
heit for FIVE minutes. DR.. Solander, first
clothed and unclothed, remained for some
minutes in an oven at 210 degrees; Sir
Joseph Banks at little higher tempera.
ture and DR.. Blagden at $50 deg. Eggs
we're at the same time roasted hard 10
few minutes, and beefsteak baked (for it
was really baking) in about half an hour.
The experimenters could not touch any
of their metal buttons or buckles without
burning their fingers. All the tempera.
lures here named, except one, greatly
exceed that of boiling water
Sixty or seventy years ago there was
Signora Giradelli, 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 into her mouth and
keeping it there till it solidated-or so it
seemed to the spectators at rate.
A famous man was NJ. Chabert, the FIRE.
king, 6re.eater and "poison-swallower,n
rather less than half century ago. By
trade baker at Paris, he gained much
notoriety by bis kre-resisting qualities.
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 babe the smith hammer
away. The son OF Vulcan, too much
alarmed, ran away, fearing that denizen
of the neither regions had made his ap-
pearance. For a time Chabert was inspec-
tor of the royal kitchen at the Tuileries,
but he was prone to go into the heated
oven and give out the dishes Of baked
viands with his hands the King, fearful
of sad results from such proclivities, dis
charged him with small pension. He
went to Vienna, and, in the presence Of
the imperial family, sat in a tar-barrel,
flaming and smoking, until he was black
ened Ike negro. Coming to England
he exhibited at White Conduit House,
where he entered a huge oven, took leg Of
mutton, shut the door, sang some French
songs, and came out with the leg of NUT
ton baked. On other occasions he bore
the heat of an oven raised to 500 degrees
Repeatedly he swallowed PHOSPHORUS and
prussic acid, or appeared to do so but
| when Mr.. Wakley. editor of the Lancet