Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1877-05-23
Eastern Jugglers.


mild amusementS which will net 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 small boy gets inside a
basket, and the juggler plunges a
sword through and through it, bring
ing it out reeking with blood, then
holds up the basket, shows that there's
nothing there, and 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, and
appears as a shrub, growing yisibly
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,
and, apparently, no apparatus what
ever. There are some wise-acreS 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, elevated, .
as Madame Blavatsky calls it. But l
have seen other tricks as surprising,
and equally unaccountable by any art
or science with which Europeans or
Americans appear to be acquainted
nowadays. have seen man throw
up into the air number of balls, num-
bered in succession from one upward.
AS each went up-and there was no
deception about their going up-the
bail was seen clearly in the air, getting
smaller and smaller till it disappeared
altogether out of sight. When they
were all mp, twenty or more, the oper-
ator would politely ask which ball you
wanted to see, and then would shout
out Number one" Number Fiji
teen," 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 three
different colored powders, and then,
throwing back the head, wash them
down with water, drunk In the native
fashion in a continuous stream from
TITAN, or brass pot, held at arms
length from the lips, and keep on drink
ing until the swollen body could not
hold another drop, and water over
flowed from the lips. Then those fell
lows, after squirting out the water in
THEN mouths, have spat out the three
powders onto "A clean piece of paper,
dry and umixed.
AS to the thimble-rggery of their
minor tricks, they are exceedingly ex
pert, but are probably equaled by
many of our distinguished prestidigi-
tateurs, and whatever may be said of
the basket and mango tricks, or the
sitting in the air, don't think any Of
our people are up to the sending off
balls into space, and recalling them in
an unprecedented order.
This reminds me of the trick Marco
Polo. the great Venetian traveller of
early times, speaks of having seen at
the court of PTester John, in Central
Asia. when bean was planted and
sprung up rapidly toward the heavens,
its summit being lost in the clouds.
Up this one juggler Travelled. and then
another after him, with a drawn
sword. In few minutes down
dropped ears, nose, head and
limbs of Number One; Number Two
leisurely descends, wiping "A bloody
sword, shovels up the fragments of his
victim into a box. and goes on with
other performances, presently calling
out for his detunct companion, who
thereupon presents himself rs large rs
life, all alive and kicking, from the
throng. This is not modern trick,
but those | 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. Something
of this kind, according To yarn | SAW
not long ago in some of the papers. is
done 10y a tribe of Indians somewhere
out in the great Northwest, who find
ing winter always a season of hard
times for them, economically make
the most of their resources 10y sewing
ny their children in alr-tight bags, and
keeping them all winter under the
waters of the lake they live on, finding
them in the spring all right and hum
CRY. like So many ALTERNATING dornlce,
or hears. Calcutta Cor. Boston COM
msTcidi B'HicttH
A Turkish Prison