The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1878-08-23

and Juggling which are sometimes
witnessed in oriental countries, may
well maze one doubt lis senses.
While claim to be specially mat
ter of fact, without the slightest
faith in the supernatural. I have in
vain puzzled my brain to account
for the naOd3s OpeTd71Clt, and some
times rubbed my eyes to make sure
was not dreaming. 1t excited my
wonder and admiration to witness
the skill and experiences of the per-
former, but l never for a moment
doubted that it was q trick that
could be nationally explained. In
the east the profession of eonjurer
Inspires dread. lie is looked upon
as in league with the devil. The
ordinary oriental mind does not
seek to penetrate his secret, but
takes it for granted that he has SUI
lpernatural powers. His imagina-
tion is easily excited, and the belief
in magic is universally accepted as
part of his religious creed. In the
holy books of Buddha the magic
arts open q short road to attain that
perfection of power and wisdom
which eliminates in the cessation of
sensible existence. The more re-
fined and learned class of Buddhists
repndiate and despise the grosser
exhibitions of common magic and
charlatanism, but as the common
people will not dispense with these
marvels, every great monastery
keeps coniurer who does not be-
long to the brotherhood of the con-
vent and is allowed to marry.
These practitioners possess no liter
ature, but hand down the secrets of
their art by tradition. In India,
conjuring as we'll as snake charming
is hereditary profession, and their
mystic practices are transmitted
from father to son.
| 1t is good plan if any one has
| anything marvellous to relate to tell
first what he has seen himself, and
afterward what may have come to |
him at second hand. The old mis- |
sionary Jesuits in India and China, |
relate with holy horror the magic |
arts of the sorcerers which came un-
der their own observation, and Ia |
ment that some credulous princes,
who had been converted to Chris |
tianity, should still allow diaboli- |
cal tricks to be played upon them. |
AS for instance, goblets of silver to
be moved from one end of a table |
to another without hands, and heavy |
articles of furniture to dance about |
the room as if possessed of demons. |
This was many years before the de- |
velopment of modern spiritualism,
and these sincere and pious old |
monks would be shocked at seeing
tables tipped, banjoes banged, fid- |
dies fly though the air, and bells
rung in cabinets when the evil 'spir- |
it's were supposed to be tied hand |
and foot.
A very learned friar, who is spo-
ken of as being perfectly truthful, |
says that among the Tartars there |
are certain men whom they honor /
above all others, who are idol priests |
from India, persons of deep wis
dom, we'll conducted and of the
purest morals. They are acquaint-
ed with the magic arts, and depend
upon the counsel and aid of de-
mons. Among other delusions they
exhibit, which he describes with |
great exactness he says they can sit /
in the air without any visible sup
port-first on a tripod of three
sticks, then one stick after another
is removed, and still the man re.
mains not touching the ground. He
further relates that with long cane
he felt all uRder the suspended in
dividual and found nothing upon
which the body rested. This last |
performance was professedIy exhib-
tied in Madras during the present /
century, and is infinitely described
by writers whose veracity cannot
be impeached."
And now comes the most aston
ishing trick of all, which has a touch
of tragedy which gives it a more
piquant flavor. l shall tell it in the
quaint language of the old chroni- |
cler, somewhat abbreviated. After
describing very wildly the basket
murder trick, which is we'll known |
In India, he says: Il am now about |
to relate thing which surpasses all
belief, and which L should scarcely |
venture to insert here had it not /
been witnessed by thousands under
my own eyes. One of the party
took ball of cord, and grasping
one end, threw the othe. into the air
with such force that it's extremity
was beyond the reach of sight. He ]
then Immediately climbed up the
cord with incredible swiftness, and
was soon ont of sight. 1 stood, full |
of astonishment, not conceiVing
what was to come of this, when, 10 |
a leg came tumbling down out of
the air. One of the conjnring com
pany Immediately snRtched it up
and threw 1t into basket. A mo-
ment after q hand came down, and /
Immediately on that another leg.
And in a short time all the men,
bers of the body came thus success
sively tumbling from the air, and |
were cast together in the basket. |
The last fragment of all that we saw |
come down was the head, and no |
sooner had that touched the ground |
than he who snatched up all the |
limbs and put them into the basket, |
turned them all out again topsy tur-
Wy. And straightWay 1 saw with |
these eyes all those limbs creep to-
gether again, and in a short time |
form a whole man, who stood up |
and walked about without showing |
the least damaged Never In nv |
life was so astonished as when i i
beheld this wonderful performance,
and doubted now no longer that
these misguided men did it by the
help of the devil. 1 had an attack |
of palpitation of the heart like that |
which overcame me once before in |
the presence of the Sultan of India,
when he showed me something of
that kind. They gave me q cordial,
however, which cured the attack.
The Kazi Afkharradin was next to
me, and quoth he sWI0lIahl tits my
opinion there has been neither go
ing up nor coming down, neither
marring nor mending tits all hocus
pocusP which was very conclu-
sion to come to-"
When the evidence of eye-wit-
nesses Is too direct to be rebutted
and no GlGbs can be proved, the wi
ly advocate in defending his client,
relates to the oPen-mouthed Jury
certain we'll authenticated stories Of
optical delusion, which like those
other illustrations Of the fallibility1
| of circumstantial evidence can be
L r.. n.