Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1884-09-20
JU'GGLERS' TRICKS.
SOME ONEa THAT HAVE
NEVER i;EES EXPLAINED.

Climbing Into the Air Hnd Returning Dis
mrmtcrcd -Di.appearinxin Smoke.
when l was younger said An anna
teur luggler after q dinner, "and was
travelling around the country with an
idea il my head that the Office OF Amer.
leans was to teach tho world, az q con.
sequence, ] often got left, as the Arabs
say. On this occasion ] went ashore at
anArao y,ilage four or Eve miles inland,
vhsra : was reported, that q famous
j1ccles I'D. We were e jolly party,
All bea.Ies myself being sailors, and
having a hard time riding On the native
r"niea they had provided Us with; but,
after many capsizes, we managed to
reach our destination, where we found
the fakir, and made up a purse Of about
two dollars, without which nothing
could be done. Some Of his tricks beat
anything / ever came across.
"Hc was a tall, thin, olive-hued fell
low, with long black hair caught up be-
hind and tied with q airing. He vas
extremely reticent, .shd.alf through the
performance neither smiled nor uttered
aword. His first trick was to arrange
orr PARTY about him in.a cifale OF about
thirty feet in diameter and we were 80
close together that no. could pass
ont without orr knowing it. To prevent
such u possibility he gave us q cord to
hold. This BEING doDe, he and n smaller
native. with a bundle .of wood. took
Their places In the center. The young
man arranged the. wood in O pile and
lighted it, and when it blazed DIP the
older nan seized him and threw him
upon the flames and Immediately there
arose a dense, ~suilocating smoke that
hecmcd u mixture Of flesh and sandal
wood. 1t rose rDOut their heads and
spread about until it completely hid
them, and from it Came snch groans and
cries that several of the nlen called out
that We mad better take a hand, as tho
boy WA being murdered. But l re-
minded them that it was only a trick,
no matter how realistic. We waited,
perhaps, five minutes, when the yells
ceased and the smoke gradually cleared
away, and there stood the fakir alone,
the Young man having, to all intents
and purposes, been burned. He was
scooplng something from the flre-evi-
IDENTITY ashce-nto n flask which was
handed to us and passed. around-the
rremafcd remains of the assistant
But interrupted gentleman at the
foot Of the table, "didu't he slip out in
the ~smoko?'
There was nc place to CO." WIS the
reply 'as we we're in a clearing, away
from trees and bushes. But the stran.
gcstpartis to come, he continued. CAT
ter passing the flask around be took it
back, and placed it III the centre Of the
circle, and, putting some wood under it,
lighted it. Almost Immediately the flask
began to grow before our eyes; the fire
blazcd, and n rich odor Of sandal wood
tloated about, and in ten minutes the
flask had expanded until it was the size
of II large kcg. The fire was then put
our, and we were ihtthO1rU TO come near
and examine. I touched il, and it
seemed a jar Of earth made Of plaster
and mud, it had q ringing soand as ]
struck il with nv seaI.rinc. to u hand
WINS hot After l~ookinr # over we re-
turned to II places. rha Old f.,kir then
took IA hammer. waved his hands in the
mr.. uttered some mystic words. and
struck the vessel a hard blow that broke
II N ri;ars. whom ont steprel m, bor
we had srcn-or tholclt y. l,i seen
cremated, ~ brich; as Won p,ease.
should he glad to nave the trick solved
but hsyn never fulnt any one no could
rltaei 1t Satisfactorily. Some averth4t
the g.: : u. conceded the ,ouno.r,au
about ms oNn rcr,on: hut hat was sim
ply n; ,.s,, =, f.,t nf ~ f,,cr nv
t,ls. and he liai nothing on but !. shirt.
open m H., back and n rair of troIrsers
These tricks are equally a.1euark.