The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-08-08
A Famous Coniuror

Everyone, says HonseAold Words for
 March, has heard of the great Robert
 Houdin. Besides being the prince of con]urors he was an able mathematician and mechauician, and his electric clock, made for the Hotel de Vile, of his native town of Blois, obtained medal at the Paris exhibition. It was not generally known that he was sent to Algeria by the French government on a mission con- nected with the black art-probably the nrst time that conjuror has been called on to exercise his profession in govera- ment employ. Some details of his ex- petition have been published. Its ob- Ject was to destroy the influence exer- cised among the Arab tribes by the mar aeouts, an influence often mischievously applied. By few clumsy tricks and im- pastures, these marabouts pass them selves 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 bot ties. One of the great pretentions of the maraoout was to invulnerability. At the moment that loaded musket was fired at him and the trigger pulled he pro- nounced few cabalistic words and the weapon did not go of. Houdin detected the trick and showed that the touchhole was plugged. 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, that the pistol is loaded and will go of. Tell me, do you feel no re- morse in killing me thus, notwithstand- ing that authorize you ?"
 "You are my enemy" coldly replied the Arab. " will kill you"
 Without replying Houdin stuck an apple on the point of knife and calmly gave the word to fire. The pistol was discharged, the apple flew far away and there appeared in its place, stuck on the point of the knife, the bullet the mara bout had marked. The spectators re- mained mute from stupefaction. The maraoout bowed low before his superior.
 " Allah is greatw he said. "l am van- quished."
 Instead of the bottle from which, in Europe, Robert Houdin poured an end less stream of every description of wine and liquor, he called for an empty bowl, which he kept continually full of boiling coffee but few of the Arabs would taste, for they were sure that it came direct from the evil ones own coffee-pot He told them that it was in his power to de- prive them of all strength, and to restore 1t to them at will, and he produced a small box, so light that child coxld lift It with his finger, but it suddenly became so heavy that the strongest 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 by the mere exertion of his will. They expressed this belief. Houdin con- firmed them in it, and promised that on day appointed he would convert one of them into smoke. The day came and the throng was prodigious. A fanatical marabout had agreed to give himself up to the sorcerer. They made him stand on table and covered him with narrow gauze. Then Houdin and another per son lifted the table by the two ends and the Arab disappeared in a cloud of smoke. The terror of the spectators was indescnbable. They rushed out of the place and ran long distance before some of the boldest thought of returning to look after the marabout. They found him near the place where he had been evaporated, but he could not tell them anything and was like a drunken man, ignorant of what had happened. Thence forward Houdin was venerated and the marabouts were despised. The ch;ec. of the French government was completely attained. The fashion of !" testim onials {" having, it appears, infected even the Arabs, number ot chiefs presented the great French conjuror with a piece of Arab writing, wonderfully decorated, ayperbolical and eulogistic, with an ap. pended French translation.