The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-10-20
Marvellous JuggIsry.

hN " AEs9ASae VI AbNAN hAHS ANA NFheA
ries been noted for their remarkable skill
in the mysteries of the "black art" Tho
editor Of the Commercial Bulletin, travel
ling in the East, has contributed 20 that
paper some very interesting letters on the
customs of the strange people he has visit
ed. Under the above heading he tells, in
the last issue, his readers that Gonzales
cence is a capital time for mild amuse-
ments which will not tire the languid brain,
and we had some jugglers up almost every
day. We never could find out their
tricks, which are very marvellous. OF
course, everybody has heard Of the basket
trick, where a small boy gets inside bas-
ket, sand the juggier plunges a sword
through and through. it, bringing it out
reekhg with blood, then holds up the bas-
ket, shows there's nothing there, aud calls
the boy, who calmly appears from outside
the circle of spectators. And also the
mango trick, where a seed is placed in the
ground, is covered with cloth, aud ap-
pears as a shrub, growing visibly before
ones very eyes, and then bears fruit, which
ripens and is edible in five minutes from
first planting. These fellows have very
scanty clothing, aud apparently no appa-
ratus whatever. There are some wisea-
cres who profess to know all about these
tricks. never saw the disemboweling
and immediate healing of fakirs, in India,
nor men sitting in the air, "levitated," as
Madame Blavatsky calls it. But l have
seen other tricks as surprising and equally
unaccOuutable by any art or science with
which Europeans or Americans appear to
be acquainted nowadays, have seen a
man throw up into the air number of
balls numbered in succession from one up
wards. As each went up, aud there was
no deception about their going up, the ball
was seen clearly in the air, getting smaller
and smaller till it disappeared altogether
out of sight. When they were all up,
twenty or more, the operator would politely
ask which ball you wanted to see, and then
would shout out "No. l, No. 10, and so
on, as instructed by the spectators, when
the ball demanded would bound to his
feet, violently from some remote distance.
"Then I've seen them swallow .lree
different colored powders, and then throw
ing back the head, wash them down with
water, drunk in the native foshiou in a
continuous stream from lotah, or brass
pot, held at arms length from the lips,
and keep on drinking till the swollen body
could not hold another drop, and water
oyerhowed from the lips. Then those fel-
lows, after squirting out the water in their
mouths, have spat out the three powders
on to a clean piece of paper, dry and un-
mixed. As to the thimble-riggery of their
minor tricks, they are exceedingly expert,
but are propably cqualled by many of our
distinguished prestidigitateurs; and what
ever may be said of the basket and mango
tricks, or the sittings in the air, don
think any of our people are up to the SEN
ding Of balls into space and recalling them
inan unpremeditated order. This reminds
me of the trick Marco Polo, the great
Venetian traveller Of earlier times, speaks
of having seen at the Court of Prester
John, in Central Asia, when a bean was
planted and sprung up rapidly toward the
heavens, its summit being lost in the
clouds. Up pthis, one juggler travelled, and
then another after him, with drawn
sword. In few minutes down dropped
ears, nose, head, and limbs of No. /;
No. 2 leisurely descends, wiping bloody
sword, shovels up the fragments of his
victim into box, and goes on with other
performances, presently calling out for his
defunct companion, who thereupon pre-
sents himself, as large as life, all alive and
kicking from the throng, This is not
modern trick, but those l have seen are
certainly not less marvellous. Then, too,
it is well authenticated fact that some of
these jugglers, on more than one occasion
in recent years, have suffered themselves
to be buried alive, and have been dug out
alive after the lapse of a year