Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1877-06-16
AN AMERICAN CONJURER IN JAVA.
Appearing Before the Royal FRmiiy-Full
Dress and undrcss-Prescnts.


# Robert Heller, the conjurer, and siste
h laugh over some droll scenes in foreig
d lands, writes correspondent
d At dinner party given by them re
y Gently Miss Heller wore n remarkable
G looking medallion containing over hun
,- dred small diamonds and ruby of grea
s value. Some one spoke of it rs bit c
: Mexican manufacture. "No, indeed
:, that came from queerer place tha
p Mexico-from the island of JAVA sh
: said, "when Robert and appeared he
1 fore large audience, comprised of tn
n emperor and his wife-but there was s.
a many of her, the house was full"
!, The Hellers had been in Java SOM
e time when, with much pomp and circum
r stance, they We're invited (or, more prop
+ erly, commandeD to appear before til,
Y royal family.
. The emperor at that time (this was i,
7 1929 was one Soerabniga, called fo
/ short among his subjects "Sooloo." II,
! was big fat man, nice and black ant
| greasy, and he received his guests il
/ state apartment capable of holding
three or four hundred, and the room was
. nearly full.
There was an empress of Soerabaiga
IN extraordinary looking person, who
held her mouth wide open to display hel
greatest charm, row of big teeth,
stained jet black, that looked like the
Indianapolis depot. Banged behind the
royal pair were the second class in con.
iugal relations, sixty-three concubines,
with three children apiece, and all about
the same age, say ten to fifteen, most of
them boys, dressed with all the taste a
fond mother in the island of Java is pos
sessed of.
Their hair was gorgeously creased
and plated; around their necks they
wore brass chains with large medallions
appended, and several of them carried
feather-fans.
Old Sooloo had any quantity of clothes
on, but it was evidently on unusual
dress-up day for even an emperor. At
the minute Mr.. Heller had completed
one trick the proud sovereign arose and
twitched off his spanglod ulster; at the
close of tho second his sky-blue em-
broidered frock coat followed, and when
Mr.. Heller sat down to the piano, with
much condescension for an emperor, old
Sooloo got up and out of his pantaloons.
Under these he wore cloth about his
loins, which is considered the proper
thing in underclothes out in Java.
Mr.. Heller was abont to introduce his
sister for the second-sight business, and
he looked with some anxiety for further
intentions on the part of his royal audi
ence; but the king had got down to hard
pan and sat quietly. Miss Heller, know
ing. the prejudices of the place, had
searched her wardrobe for the gayest
dress-one with low neck and short
sleeves. She added to it's glory every
bit of iewelry of which she was posses
sed. Her entrance created sensation.
The young gentlemen-young Java and
Mocha and st. Domingo, and all the
other coffee-colored names-arose, and,
to the poor girls CONSERVATION, clus-
tered around her. When Mr.. Heller
gathered articles from these young
men he got their last rag, their medal
lions.
The explanations and accompanying
talk of Mr.. Hellcr's feats are to us an
enjoyable portion of the entertainment.
He had in this instance to get along with
an interpreter who knew about twenty
five words of the English language; but
Mr.. Heller and his agent and Miss Heller
were much delighted, for the graceful
Robert would say:
"I am about to show you, most igno-
rant old reprobate, how these three eggs
may be made to produce the medallions
of your stark-naked sons" etc. "Now,
if after breaking all the ten command
ments and outraging decency you can
give me your attention, 1 will proceed
to-" etc The poor sister shuddered,
lest her frequent laughs be construed
into affronts, but, uninterrupted by bow
strings Or scimetars, the performance
concluded to great applause, and the
emperor beckoned to one of his slaves,
who approached, walking on his feet,
and yet in a sitting posture, the hardest
and most ridiculous position assumed by
grotesque dancers, when they do a heel
and-toe step, with their bodies not three
feet high
The emperor gave an order, the slave
hitched off and hoped on, bearing a
tray containing caskets; these he opened
one after the other, while Miss Heller
impatiently watched him. "What was
she going to get?" Finally he selected
one of the largest and approached the
waiting lady. 1t was the huge medal
lion with the hundred brilliants at
tached to a wire brass chain that a we'll
bred New York pug would refuse to be
led by.
But the ruby shone resplendent, and
the diamonds flashed, and Miss Heller
was delighted. The emperor hung the
chain about her neck, and with much
artistic taste undertook to make it rest
gracefully amid some flowers she wore
on her breast.
Sixty-four Mrs. Soerabaigas glared at
this ceremony. AS the hideous rascal
gave the medallion still more careful
scrutiny, Mrs. Soerabaiga No. opened
her black mouth and utter a cry like
cayute.
"A-ie-i-ow," said she, and on the in
slant the sixty-three wives behind her
lifted their voices as one woman, and the
"a-ie-aiow that went up from that
alarmed party frightened the poor girl
out of her wits. She clasped her medal
lion and she got away; but not till she
left the island of Java did she consider
her life actually safe from the jealous fury
of sixty-four Mrs. Soerabaigas.