The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1885-07-22
EASTERN MAGICIANS.
philadelphia Timesl

Philadelphia Times
cts rathera curious fact" said u gentle
man and unprofessioual prestldigitateur,
shat none of the shows and circuses that use so
many adjectives in describing what they
have got do not bring to this country really
fine troupe of magieians tmay be possible
that they will not come, but it certainly
would be paying investment, as the peo-
Of the United States have no adequate idea
of the tricks that are executed by some of
the jugglers of the East. We are occasionly
dosed with the talking head and the ac-
companying looking-glasses, or the automa-
matte chess player that anybody with any
sense at all knows must contain a dwarf, but
beyond these we have not seen the master
piecesOf the black artists. Where have YOU the
magician who viii step out upon the stage
naked with the exception OF strip of cloth
cbout the loins, and allow himself to be
perfectly examined, and then produce all the
tricks with fishes, etc, that are their stock on
hand. Ii can't be done. or. rather, they
can't do it, You would find in side pockets
the glass covered with rubber that held the
fish, and in other pockets here and there the
various objects of his trade, so that the sole
wonderful part OF the performance would
consist in taking these things out without
being seen. Now, with the best magicians
that have seen in the East, all this is done
away with, and they even court scrutiny,
close at that.
''As an example" said the speaker ''di-
rect your eyes upon my thumb and this
member was held up in the air within foot
of the listeners face.
'.YOu see nothing? No? Don't remove
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 ii was gone.
''You saw it?'' asked the gentleman
f'Well, 1 didn't paint it there or 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 ] ever witnessed"
resumed the speaker, twas in Anam. / was
travelling through the country with a
party of German officials. when we
stopped one night at at an inn where it
CHANGED that a number of magicians were
resting. There were six of them, four men
and two women, all very small except one,
who was fieshy giant, resembling the typi-
cal wreStlers, / soon made their acquaint-
ance, as / was then greatly interested in leger-
demain. and soon Won their good will. They
Inhibition of my skill. ! did 50, but in every
cafe they caught me and laughed at my eff
forts, excepting once. AT that time though
1t Is not known OF course to the public, was
the equal of fanny prestidigitateur in the
country. and had tried points with them all.
L mention this To show you how skillful these
natives were as tried some of our best tricks
upon than, and curiously enough the most
stupid one of all fooled them.
at was this. You remember the old
PharOs serpents that We're much in vogue
some years ago. They look like peas but
when touched with match begin TO grow
and squirm out into snakes six or ten inches
long. L had lot of these made of large
size. so that when they developed they were
of the exact size of my fingers and of the
same color, which was then a dark brown.
had little cups on the end OF each finger to
conceal them, and when L 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 nay fingers
into the flame. This caused a stir among all
assembled as they expected TO see them
burn; but | said as heat made the plants
grow, il would my fingers. Then each
finger began to lengthen, slowly squirming
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 horrible APP
pearance that the entire party started back,
Seeing that l was going too fast to last,
by a quick movement L knocked off the
ashes and made my fingers assume their
natural appearance. To say the natives were
aStOnished hardly expressed il. They begged
for the secret. and before | left | exchanged
it for the trick ! showed you on the thumb
nail.
"After I had finished, the doors were
closed and only those admitted who paid a
regular admittance fee-a small sum-and
soon, the apartment being filled, the
magicians began their performance The
audience sat on the floor about the fakirs, 50
that they had no way of cOncealing them
selves or of hiding anything. At their re-
quest L 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 illuminated by a ghostly light
that extended quickly over her entire
body. She then moved round and round
uttering low murmuring sound the while,
gradually quickeniDg the pace until she was
whirling about like a top. A moment oil
this and the light that had chung about her
seemed to be whirled of by centrifugal force
and assumed pillar-like form beside her.
As soon as this was accomplished she stop
ded. turned. and began to mould the light
with her hand, and though / could distinct
ly see her hands move through the light as
il it were cloud, it began to assume human
form. We saw the arms, hands and legs all
moulded, and finally face and head gear
She next called for light and, the candle:
relighted, there stood am utter Stronger, ma
tive, seemingly evolved out of cloud-land
He stepped forward and grasped me by the
hand; his hands were moist, as If with per
spiration, and he was very healthy spirit
After he had talked and drank a glass of rack
he took his place beside the woman agair
and began to whirl about.
'sThe lights we're dimmed. but not so thai
we could not see, and in few moments thu
figure began to fade, soon assuming the ap