The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1884-04-02

| down over 1.-THE cOnlurer resumed hi
former place, and said:
"Will your excellency be kind enough
to lift the cup and see what is under il ?
OF course / would have wagered {
heavy sum that the rose was still Their,
for one thing-because, expecting some
trick, had kept my eye on it to the as
moment, and was certain there was nc
possibility Of its being removed after the
hand had let 90 Of the cup at the top.
complied with his request, stepped
forward, and raised the cup, but in.
stantly dropped it ard bounded back
with cry OF terror. for there instead Of
the red rose was one of the little, green,
deadly serpents Of India, coilcd up and
ready for spring, with its small, gilt
tering eyes fixed intently on minc.
Snakes Of any kind are my horror, aud
this one not only Mortified me, but all Of
my attendants, who, with cries Of
alarm, enlarged the circle very rapidly,
for they knew its bite to be fatal.
mo more such tricks as these, con.
iurer r. said I, sternly.
at is perfectly harmless, your EXCEL
lency," grinned the old man, walking up
to it, lifting it by the neck, putting to
head into his mouth, and allowing il is
run down his throat.
/ shuddcred. and half believed the
juggler possessed Of the devil, il not
a devil himself.
He next produced tube that looked
like brass, about two feet long and half
an inch in diameter, and next the ball Of
Irvine again.
Where these things came from, or
went 10, / could not tell They seemed
to be in his hands when he wanted them;
but | never observed his hands passing
near his dress, neither when they ap.
peared or disappeared. When looked
for the cup tina. | had lifted from the
snake, it was gone, and yet neither my
self nor any Of my attendants had .cen
this wonderful man pick it upl " was
indeed jugglery, if not magic, Of the
most unquestionable kind
Through the brass tube the conjurer
now passed one end Of the twinc, which
ho put between his teeth. He then
placed the tube between his lips, threw
back his head, and held it pcrpcndicu-
larry with the ball Of Irvine on the upper
end. Then suddenly this ball began to
turn, and turn rapidly, and gradually
grow smaller till it entirely disappeared,
as if the Irvine had been run of on II
reel. What turned it or where it went
to no one could see.
The juggler then ret the tube the
other end up, and new ball began to
form on the top but apparently of rib
bon half an inch III width and Of differ
cnt colors. These rolled up as if on n
bobin till they formed wheel Of two
or three inches in diameter, when the
performer seemed to toss ribbon and
tube over his shoulder, and that was the
last saw Of either.
He next reproduced what appeared to
be the same cup that ] had lifted from
tho snake, showed something that
looked like an egg, advanced the same
as before, and placed the latter on the
ground and the former over it, and
again requested me to raiso il, which |
declined TO do, fearing should see an
other serpent or something equally hor-
riiying.
"Will any one lift the cup?' he said,
turning to the others.
No one volunteered TO do so, but all
rather drew back.
At this he took mp the cup himself
and appeared to throw it into the mir,
and there sat in its place beautiful
dove, which flow M and allghted on his
shoulder. He took il in his hand, NUT.
tered over some unintcligiblo words,
seemed TO cram it into his mouth and
that was the last ever saw OF that also.
He performed some other tricks SINH
lar to these and concluded with the myB-
FERROUS bag.
This bag-which somehow came into
his hands, as did all the other things he
used, in n manner unknown to myself
was from two to three feet long and
about n foot wide. II looked M if it
had been used to hold some kind Of
flour, and / certainly saw something
like the dust of flour fly from it when
he turned it inside out and beat it across
his hands. He turned it back again and
tied up the mouth of il with string,
muttering low incarnation nll the time
This done, no threw il on the ground
and stamped on it, treading it oil out
flat with his feet. He then stepped
back few PAGES, and requested us nil
TO fix our eyes on it. We did 30; and
after lapse of perhaps thirty seconds,
we saw it begin to swell up, like blad-
der when being expanded with wind. II
continued to SVEN, tllI every part be-
came distended, and it appeared MS
round and solid as if filled with sand.
Its solidity, however, was only appar-
ent--for when tho juggler went up and
placed his foot on it it yielded to the
pressure, but Immediately sprung back,
or rounded out, ns soon as that wns re-
moved. He then jumped on it with both
feet and tlattened it all out IA at first
He then went away again, and the bag,
being left to itself rs before, again be.
gan to rise or initiate, but this time as if
bOme unllllhi llhe u Ci WeIc lnhlue ol IL.
In fact could zee where there appeared
to be legs; and then, to my utter amaze
ment, / may almost say horror, it began
to move toward me, as if impelled by the
unknown something in it
j do not think ] am coward-m
worst enemy has never accused me of
being one, at least-but confess that on
this occasion my nerves would not let me
remain passive, and l rotreated from the
advancing mystery, and informed the
magician that | had seen enough to sat
isfy me OF his wonderful occult powers.
AT this he smiled grimly, and walked
up TO the bag and trod it down again,
picked it up and beat it with his right
hand across his left, caused it TO unac-
countably disappear from my sight and
then made his concluding salam.
How these wonders were performed.
by what art, power or magic-I do not
and never expect to know. | have con-
versed with many persons who have seen
quite as strange and unnatural things,
but never heard anyone give any expla-
nation that / considered at all satisfac-