Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-06-06

s.The man next took his place IN tno
ring and handing me large highly orna-
mented sabre, be said: In five minutes
/ Nv the clock. / want you to behead me-. /!
Objected of course, but he insisted. ana
sa;d that il had been done dozen times,
n I finally agreed. He was searched
and ia the dim light began to contof MIN,
self in strange positions until he seemed
to grow perceptibly smaller and finally
stood before rs SO gauzy that l thought
could see right through him. 1t was now
/ Eve minutes. so took the sabre and struck
light blow, only sufficient to knock
man over. when to my horror the blood
snurted into nv face, and the head dropped
with a thud upon the floor. As soon as II
fell the body stopped and picked 1t up
! held it in the air, then placed it upon the
shoulders. The light being turned on,
there stood the giant grinning, and warm.
The blood That had faded away by
the time the light was turned up, and. you
must remember, that in all this. though
the light was dim. it was not sufficient to
prevent our seeing everything and seemed
to be used only that we might observe the
figures of light that were evolved SO Gu
riOusly from the mediums. as our splritu-
alists would call them.
1.-The next trick was equally mystical.
All the party now stepped into the ring
and began to chant and move about. In a
few minutes they ceased and we OBJ
served that one was missing, though no
one saw him go. A moment af.er the
whirling was repeated and another was
found to have disappeared. and so on un-
til in 10 minutes only the giant was seen.
More light being given as. noise was
heard at the door. and upon someone 60
ing to it. there stood the mystic i've clam
oring tor admission. That ended the per-
formance for the night. and sat up the
rest OF it. or well into the morning. try
my to figure out how it was all done. The
natives accepted it as magic without de-
bate and began to think that was about
the easiest way out of it.
The following day another performance
was given at midday that was even more
wonderful. The giant, as called him,
caused the audience to sit on grass plat.
leaving circle of about twenty-five feet
across, and in this the jugglers took their
places. the giant opening the entertain
ment by taking roll of ribbon and by
dexterOus toss, sending it up fifty feet or
SO, where we distinctly saw small hawk
dart at it and carry it up higher until we
nearly lost sight of it. 1t then seemed to
enter a cloud that, assumed was caused
by something burning on the ribbon; but
from the cloud came sliding down. first a
dog. then snake-a good big one, too
that wiggled off the moment it touched the
ground, and was captured by one of the
men. Then larger object was seen slid
ing along. and one of the women leaping
forward received and held it out of the
crowd, a laughing native baby. The giant
had all this time held the end of the rib
bon, and releasing it. it seemed to disap-
pear in the air: at any rate we saw it no
more. few moments later they all
joined hands and began to move about
rapidly. When they moved to the right
| distinctly counted twelve persons in the
circle; when they changed the movement
we saw only eight. and some one APP
peared to be standing in the centre.
These are only samples of the mar
vels. as | might say, that they went
through; but the last one puzzled me as
much as ever. The party left, except the
giant, land he, taking large native parasol,
asked if would take it back to the inn for
him. l assented, and he then politely re-
quested me to take it in five minutes by
my watch. and, mind you, he was sur
rounded by dense throng Proceeding
to the centre of the plat he squatted upon
the ground and drew the umbrella down
over him like cone over dice, thus hid
ing himself completely. In five minutes
lifted the covering and to my amaze
ment he was gone.
Yes, it was empty and the sod was solid
under it. The crowd looked up 10 the air
and yelled. | shouldered the umbrella
and, going directly to the inn, found my
friend. the giant. smoking cigarette on
the verandah. He greeted me with a
smile. thanked me for the umbrella, opened
it with quick motion, and pulling down
seeming inner lining, motioned me to
look in. Doing 40, saw hanging on a
hook my watch and chain, that had not
missed.
1--WE parted the next day much to my re-
greet, and learned only single trick, as
you see." and the speaker held up his
thumb where the Arabic figure stood out
inIbold relief on the nail and faded away
before the eyes of the astonished witness.