The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1885-06-24
A Famous Conjuror.


| Everyone, says Household Words for March,
4 had heard of the great Robert Houdin. Besides
being the prince Of conjurers, he was an able
| mathematician and mechanician; and his cleo
! trio clock. made for the Hotel de Vile of his
native town of Blois, obtained a medal at the
Paris Exhibition. 1t was not generally known
that be was sent to Algeria by the French
Government on a mission connected with the
black art-rprobably the first time that con-
! jurer has been called on to exercise his pro-
/ fession in Government employ. Some details
| of his expedition have been published Its
object was to destroy the influence exercised
among the Arab tribes by this marabouts. an
| influence often mischievously applied. By a
| few clumsy tricks and impostures, these mar
abouts pass themselves of as sorcerers. No one
it was justly thought, was better able TO eclipse
their skill and discredit their science than the
man of the inexhaustible bottles One of the
great pretensious of the marabout was to in
| vulnerability. At the moment that loaded
musket was fred at him and the trigger pulled,
he pronounced few cabalistic words, and the
weapon did not go off. Houdin detected the
trick and showed that the touchhole was plug
ged. The Arab wizard was furious, and abused
his French rival.
''You may revenge yourself" quietly said
Houdin. "Take pistol; load it yourself. Here
are bullets. Put one in the barrel, but before
doing so mark it with your knife"
! The Arab did as he was told.
/ "You are quite certain nOw,' said Houdin,
Chat the pistol is loaded and will go of. Tell
me, do you feel no remorse in killing me thus
notwithstanding that authorize your"
"You are my enemy" colby replied the
Arab. 81 will kill you''
Without replying, Houdin stuck an apple oil
the point af knife, and calmly gave the word
to fire. The pistol was discharged, the apple
few far away, and there appeared in its place
stuck on the point of the knife, the bullet the
marabout had marked. The spectators re-
manned mute from stupelaction. The mara
bout bowed low before his superior.
"Allah is great" he said. 81 am van.
pushed
Instead of the bottle from which, in Europe
Robert Houdin poured an endless stream o
every description of wine and liquor. he calleC
for an empty bowl, which he kept continually
full of boiling coffee; but lew of the Arab
would taste, for they made sure that it cam
direct from the Evil Ones own cohee-pot. H
told them that it was in his power TO depriy
them Of all strength, and 10 restore it to then
at will, and he produced a small box, so ligh
that child could lift it it with his finger; bu
it suddenly became so heavy that the stronges
man present could not raise it; and the Arabs
who prize physical strength above everything
looked with terror at the great magician, who
, they doubted not, could annihilate them b
; the mere exertion of his will. They espresso
this belief. Houdin confirmed them in it, an
promised that, on a day appointed, he woul
, convert one of them into smoke. The da
came, and the throng was prodigious. A ia
natical marabout had agreed to give himsel
,, up to the sorcerer. They made him stand on
table, and covered him with transparent gauzt
Then Houdin and another person lifted tn
: table by the two ends, and the Arab disap
! peared in cloud Of smoke The terror of til
> spectators was indescribable. They rushe
! out of the place, and ran long distance be
! fore some of the boldest thought of returnin
{ to look after the marabout. They found Lii
, near the place where he had been evaporateC
! but he could not tell them anything, and wa
! Ikea drunken man, ignorant of what had hap
pened Thenceforward Houdin was venerate
! and the marabouts were despised The objeC
of the French Government was completely al
tanned. The fashion of "testimonials' having
= it appears, infected even the Arabs, numbs
of chiefs presented the great French conjurC
1 | with a piece of Arab writing, wonderful
! decorated, hyperbolical, and eulogistc, wit
an appended French translation.