West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1877-09-29
Negroes Vocal Powers-Ghostiy
Practical Joke on Funeral
Party.
Ist. Louis Globe. Dcmocrat.l /

a great many people i'm st, Louis have
seen something of the peculiar perform
'ances of young mulatto named Albert
Rhodes, who follows the river for a
regular living, but whose chief delight
is in exhibiting his skill as n whistler
and ventriloquistb before crowds wherever
he can find them. There is not steam
boat tug, or ferry-boat between st.
Louis and New Orleans the whistle of
which he can not closely initiate. The
imitation of each, in fact, is so perfect
that any person familiar with the
whistle of n given boat would ut once
recognize il.
The most remarkable features of
Rhodes voice, however, are its ventrilo-
quail and duplex qualities. He is able To
carry tune in two distinct keys-alto
and tenor-each being clearly defined
and apparently produced by seperate
agencies. This feat is not by any means
perfect, but enough so To make il one of
n wonderful nature. Rhodes is nat
ural ventriloquist, and though he is n
rude boy, and his voice yet undevclopcd,
Is able TO throw sound i'm any given
direction with startling effect. What he
calls his echo isa genuine triumph. In
n large hall or room he gives n low halo,
and in moment you hear the echo ON
the opposite wall; then il bounds to the
next wall, and the next, the next, and
then To the ceiling, and dies away
There is really no echo at all, the sounds
being produced solely by ventriloquial
agency, but the imitation is perfect and
the deception complete. Several per-
sens who witnessed this performance at
saloon on Pine Street few days ago
could scarcely be made TO believe that il
was simply the trick of vcntriloquist
At the same place Rhodes initiated the
neighing OF horse 80 perfectly that he
was Immediately answered by sympathetic
neighs from two car horses i'm the ada
cent streets. On another occasion and
in another part of the city he threw his
voice up an alley with the cry of "Mur-
derP' and Watch" and i'm three min
utes there were six policeman on the spot
To catch the supposed assassin. At
Nicksburg about two. months ago he
attended the funeral of a colored person,
who was being buried by Baptist CON
gregation of that city. There were at
least three hundred persons present,
including the widow, children and
mother of the deceased. The burial
services were recited, the coffin lowered
into the grave, and the boards adjusted.
As the first clod of earth fell on the
boards there came low moan as if from
the collin. The sounds mt first were very
lndistinct, but in n moment they became
loud and frantic, as if the corpse had
come TO life and was struggling to free
itself from the habilments of the grave.
There was, of course, intense excitement
among the crowd, and the greater pOr-
tion of those present fled in dismay, the
women and children shrieking mt the
top of their voices. Those remaining
hastily raised the coffin from the grave,
and without waiting to unscrew the lid
pried il off with an ax i'm order that the
resurrected body might get air as soon
as possible. 1t was at once discovered
that is was not possible that there could
be spark of life in the corpse. Decom-
position had in fact, set in, and the
body, which had been enco1lined two
days before burial, was rapidly losing
all human shape. OF course, there was
nothing to be done except to replace the
lid, lower the coffin, and fill in the grave
which the crowd hastily did, and then
hastily left. The event served as a
great sensation among the colored people
Of Vicksburg, and old women shook
their heads ominously as if it presaged
| something terrible that was about to
happen. Rhodes was the author of the
| trick, using his power as yentrilOquist
to produce the unearthly sound in the
grave. The next day il leaked out
among the colorcd folks that Rhodes was
the offender, and if he had not discreetIy
left the city few hours before tho dis
covery they would undoubtedly have
made it very unhealthy for him.