Sun River sun. [volume] (Sun River, Mont.) 1884-1885, 1884-09-18
TIE JtGGLERS OF INDIA.
Two of Their Principal Tricks Turn
Out to Be Gauzy Frauds,

| Cut 10 DC 1auzy FRAUDS,
Tho one class who in
terestcd me particularly in India
were tho jugglers. I have always
had fancy for prying into the Sc
crets of prcstidigitation. and lost no
opportunity of seeing these slght.of-
hand gentry at their tricks, and
found occasion to witness many of
their performances in different parts
of India. My Investigations lead INC
to state positively that the most re.
markablc stories told about them are
iicticions, based upon the fimsiest
foundation of fuct. The great major
ity OF people like to bc deceived in
such matters, and will shut their owes
to palpable evidence OF fraud, while
travellers who eagerly seize upon
every chance to pad thcir narratives
with sensational points naturally
throw n veil Of mystery around the
tricks of the Indian jugg'ers.
Let us take for instance, the two
performances that have been most
frequently and most marvc!ously
written up that is 10 say, the mystic
rious basket and the mango growing
tricks. L have seen both of them.
over and over again, and have found
the same casily-dotectcd frauds to OK
ist in every case. The baskets are
e'l-shaped and have Il false bottom.
between which and The exterior wall
of the basket there is ample room for
small child to stow itself away. The
spectators are not allowed 20 touch
or even come very near TO tlic basket,
aud ut causual glance ct the jnteri-
OF one Is not apt to detect tho ralse
bottom. The basket is placed over
The child. who squais on the hard
ground, and after sufficient time has
elapsed for the youngster to crawl
into its place Of concealmcpt the lug
gicr horliiies the audience by passing
his sword through the basket, and
then upsetting il shows that the child
has disappeared. Meanwhile dupl.-
cato child that closely ,ss ,mblcs the
first one enters upon the scene from
tisc background and the wonde, ruI
trick is completed. The famous man
go-growing trick is even sillier than
this. You have, of course, heard how a
man OF mysterious arts plants man
80 seed in flower pot, and then
makes II dwarfed fruit bearing tree
spring up from that seed. Tho facts
OF the case are simply these: The
seed is planted and the pot is then
placed under sort of tent, whose
voluminous folds must not be touch
cd by any but tue jugglcr. The lat
ter then waters the earth in tho pot
and docs u lot Of manipulating while
his hands are concealed under tho
tcrt Meanwhile II fcllow-jugglcr is
performing series of other tricks to
amusc and distract the attention Of
the spectators. When iusgler mum
bcr one has had time to change the
pot for another that is hidden in the
folds OF tho tcnt, he opens one side of
the canvas little and the second DOT
can be seen with n half-grown mango
tree in it. After another intcrlude of
the same sort tho tent door is again
opened and II third pot is disclosed
which contains little tree bearing a
mango. The whole thing is such Il
weak attempt at deception that u
person after studying ut it while
can only wonder il any ono has really
ever been deceived by it. ! always
enjoyed the palming performances of
the clever jugg!ers, for their skill and
rapidity OF action were something OK
traordinary, but their mnteria!izing
tricks were such palpablc absurdities
thai there was actually no fun in
detecting them. Cor. San francisco
Call