The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-12-21
H0UDIN, THE MAGICIAN.


IRON harpers Maganne.l
Ever since the capture OF the strange
empire of India by the English, or for
| more than 100 years, the civilized peo-
pie have been hearing of the marvellous
feats performed by the native jugglers
Naturally, Houdin's announcement of
the Indian basket trick made a great
sensation. The curtain arose and dis
closed wicker basket of oblong shape
standing upon what appeared to be a
light table without any cloth cover upon
it. The juggler entered, dragging a
beautiful youth, dressed as an Indian
Prince, wearing robe of white cashmere
embroidered with gold, while upon his
head waved a peacock's plume held by a
diamond star.
Mercy mercy !" cried the child.
Mono mercy. You are an Indian,
and Prince, and must die" was the
savage response.
81 am only child" cried the inno-
cent boy.
"That will not prevent my killing
YOU"
With piercing shrieks the child broke
away and rushed to the side wing, only
to be seized there by his executioner,
who, lifting him in his arms, plunged
him into the basket, which he closed,
strapping down the cover. Then he
drew his sword, and, having tested its
sharpness by striking it into the floor,
he thrust it in the basket again and
again, while the victim in the inside
gave the most heart-rending cries of pain
and agony. Each time the sword was
pulled out it was seen to be covered
with blood, while the sobs and groans
from the inside of the basket grew faint
er and fainter, till at length they ceased,
and a ghostly silence ensued. During
the scene the excitement among the ai-
dience was intense. Ladies hid their
faces behind their fans, some wept aloud;
men shouted hoarsely, Enough p The
smiling juggler bowed, and proceeded to
unstrap the basket, which he turned,
mouth upwards, to the audience, show
ing it to be entirely empty. In the
midst of the applause which followed
from the amused and relieved audience,
the little Indian Prince was seen to be
seated in box in the center of the audi
forum, kissing his tiny hand to those
about him, as we'll as to his friend, the
the executioner, on the stage.
The trick was performed with the aid
of looking-glasses inserted between the
table-legs-a continuance now commonly
used in pantomimes and other show
pieces upon our stage. But it was a new
thing then, and the scene was remarka-
bly, well played by Houdin and the
child. AS soon as the boy got in the
basket he opened trap-door at the bot
tom of it, which was placed over q CORE
spending opening in the table. Hidden
by the looking. glass, he crouched below
between the table-leos, and shrieked and
sobbed until the proper moment came
for him to descend through trap in the
stage, and so pass around to the box in
front of the theater. A sponge full of
red liquid was placed at a certain spot
inside the basket, and the sword, pass
ing through this, seemed to be dripping
with blood. 1t was imperative that the
juggler should not pass in front of the
table, else his legs would have been re-
flected there and that would have dis
closed the entire secret. Houdin became
dissatisfied with this trick, and made
many improvements in it, which the Jug
glers of our day have still further per-
fected. 1t is palpable that this cannot
be the way in which Indian jugglers per-
form the trick in the market-place or
other public squares in broad daylight.
They have no looking-glass tables, no
traps through the earth.
Houdin's theory concerning them was
that their basket had an opening in ii
either at its front or its back, and that,
while buckling and strapping down the
cover, with knee lifted up and pressed
on the basket as if to tighten the
leather strap more securely, the child
crept out under the bent knee and hid
beneath the voluminous robes of the Jug
gler. Then, while the sword is piercing
the basket and the child's sobs are most
heart-rending, the crowd gathers into a
compact mass about it, and into the
crowd the child easily escapes without
being seen, and runs away. At the
proper moment he comes running back
as if from distance, and of course the
astonishment of the crowd is unpar.
alleled, for the basket has in the mean.
time been opened and shown to be
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