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

| MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEAkANCEo--
HEADING A MAN-CREATING A HUMA
BEING.
.It's rather curious fac" said gen
tleman and unprofesssional prestidigita
teur. THAT none of the shows and circus
ses that use SO many adjectives in describ
ing what they have got. do not bring int.
this country a really fine troupe OF magl
clans. II may be possible that they vii
not come, but it certainly would be pay
ing investment, as the people OF th'
United States have no adequate idea
the tricks that are executed by some o
the iupolers of the East. We are Occa
| sionally dosed with the talking head ant
the accompanying looking glasses of tn
automatic chess player, that anybody will
any sense at all knows must contain 1
dwarf, but beyond these we have not seer
the masterpieces OF the black artists
Where have you the magician VINO VII
step out upon the stage naked. with TIT
exception of strip Of cloth about tht
loins, and allow himself to be perfectly
examined and then produce all the trick:
with fishes, etc., that are their stock In
hand? 1t can't be done, or rather they
can't do 1t. You would find inside pocket
| the glass covered with rubber that held
the iish. and IN other pockets here and
there the various objects of his trade. SO
that the sole wonderful part of the per
Torrance would consist in taking these
things out without being seen. Now with
the best magicians that have seen in the
East, all that is done away with, and they
even court scrutiny, close at that.
las an example," said the speaker,
"direct your eyes upon my thumb" and
this member was held up in the air within
foot of the listeners face.
"You see nothing? Mop Don't re
move your eyes from the nail" continued
the owner of the thumb. "Now what do
you see ,"
The observer, who had not changed his
glance, read an Arabic word. An instant
later it was gone.
'You saw il?" asked the gentleman.
"Well, didn't paint it there, nor slip it
from my sleeve. 1t was done before your
eyes and that is the way it should be if it
is called magic"
1.-THE finest exhibition I ever wit
nessed." resumed the speaker, ''was in
AMMAN. was travelling through the
country with party of German officials
when we stopped one night at an inn
where il CHANGED that number of ma
gicians were resting. There were six of
them, four men and two women, all very
small except one, who was fleshy giant,
resembling the typical wrestlers. l soon
made their acquaintance as | was then
greatly interested in legerdemain, and soon
won their good will. They were eager for
me to show them an exhibition of my skill
| did so, but in every case they caught me
and laughed at my efforts, excepting once
At that time, though it is not known, of
course, to the public, was the equal OF
any prestidigitateur in this country, and
had tried points with them all mention
this to show how skillful these natives
were, as tried some OF our best tricks
upon them, and curiously enough the
most stupid one OF all fooled them.
at was this. You remember the old
Pharos serpents that were much in vogue
some years ago. They looked like peas,
but when touched with match began to
grow and squirmed out into snakes six to
ten inches long. had lot of these made
OF large size,so that when they develop
ed they were of the exact size of my fin
gers and OF the same color, which was
then dark brown. had little cups on
the end OF ecah finger to conceal them and
when | tried the trick, which was in the
evening, in the public room, stepped
over to the candle that stood on the floor
and deliberately put my fingers into the
flame. This caused stir among all as
sembled. as they expected to see them
burn. but said as heat made the plants
grow so it would my fingers. Then each
finger began to lengthen. slowly squirm-
ing out inch by inch, crossing each other
and twisting in the mysterious way these
objects do until finally they were all fully
ten inches long, presenting such a horrible
appearance that the entire party started
back and a number of the natives left the
room. Seeing that was going too fast
to last. by quick movement | knocked
Off the ashes and made my fingers assume
their natural appearance. TO say the ma
tives were astonished hardly expresses it.
They begged for the secret and before I
LETT exchanged it for the trick showed
you on the thumb nail.
AFTER had finished the doors were
closed and only those admitted who paid
irregular admittance fee--a small sum
and soon the apartment being filed the
maglcians began their performance. The
audience sat on the floor about the fakirs.
SO that they had no way of concealing
themselves or of hiding ANYTHING. At
their request examined them and satisfied
myself that they had nothing about them.
Then one OF the women stepped into the
enclosure. the rest remaining behind the
spectators, who formed close ring about
them. The light was now turned down a
little and in moment the woman's face
began to be illumined by ghostly light
that extended quickly over her entire
body. She then began to move round and
round, uttering low, murmuring sound
the while. gradually quickening the pace
until she was whirling about like top. A
moment of this and the light that had
chung about her seemed to be whirled
off by centrifugal force and assumed a
pillar-like form beside her. As soon as
this was accomplished she stopped turned
and began to mould the light with her
hand. and though | could distinctly see
her hands move through the light as il it
were cloud, 1t began to assume human
form. We saw the arms. hands and legs
all moulded, and finally face and head.
gear. She next called for a light,
and. the candles being relighted, and
there stood an utter stranger, native
seemingly evolved out of cloudland. He
stepped forward aud grasped me by the
hand; his bands were moist. as If with
preSpiration and he was a very healthy