The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-05-07
A TRICKS.
Two Wonderful Performances by n Na-
tive of India.

Two Wonderful Performances by n Ma
tive of India.
S. s.. Robinson, in Boston Record.
When he entered theroomh he spread
a white cloth upon the floor and sat
down upon it with his back to the
wall, the door OF the room being On
his right hand. His spectators were
disposed in the following fashion: Mr..
Smyth sat on q chair nearly in the
middle OF the room, / was on q sofa
near the door, the Parsee merchant
stood in the doorway about an arms
length from me. The servants stood
about i'll groups, the largest group be-
ing between the door and the c%oniur-
or. AS soon as he had settled himself
he turned to the Parsee and asked for
the loan of q rupee. The peddler at
first demurred a little, but, on being
guaranteed against loss, he produced
the coin. He was going to put it into
the conjuror's hand, but the latter re-
fused and told the Parsee to hand it
to Mr.. Smyth's bearer. The bearer
took it, and, at ~thereouest of thecon-
juror, looked at it and declared it to
be really q rupee. The conjuror then
told him to hand it to his master.
Mr.. Smyth took it, and then followed
this dialogue:
Conjuror-Are you sure that is a
rupee?
Smyth-Yes.
Coniuror-Close your hand on it and
hold it tight. Now think of some
country in Europe, but do not tell me
your thought.
Then the coniuror ran over the
names OF several countries. such as
France, Germany, Russia, Turkey and
America-tor the native OF India is
under the impression that America is
in Europe. After II moments pause,
Mr.. Smyth said he had thought OF q
country.
"'rhen open your hand" said the
~iugeier: ''see what you have got, and
tell me if it is q coin Of the country
you thought Of
1t was "a five-franc piece, and Mr..
Smyth had thought OF France. He
was going to hand the coin to thecon-
juror, but the latter said:
No, pass it to the othersahib."
Mr.. Smyth accordingly put the five
franc piece into my hand; | looked
closely a5 it, then shut my hand and
thought OF Russia. When | opened it
| found, not a Russian but q Turkish
silver piece, about the size of the five
franc piece, or ofour w crown piece.
This ! handed to Mr.. Smvth, and sug-
,,,..,.j : i,, H. rl,,,ll $500.
which he did, and found a Mexican
dollar in his hand. The coin, what
ever it was, had never been in the con-
lurcr's hand from the time the rupee
was borrowed from the Purse mer-
chant. Mr.. Smyth and his bearer had
both of them closely examined the ru-
bee, and Mr.. Smyth and turned over
several times the tive-franc piece, the
Turkish coin and the dollar; SO the
trick did not depend on n reversible
coin. Indeed it could not, forthe coin
underwent three changes, as has been
seen. | need only add, for the infor-
nation OF those readers who knownot
India, that a rupee is only about the
size CT a tlorin, and therefore about
half the weight OF a tive-franc piece.
He did another trick almost equally
as wonderful. AS before, he was seat
ed on Il white cloth, which this time, L
think, was a ta%blecloth, borrowed
rom the mess sergeant. He asked
some one present to produce q rupee,
and to lay it down at a remote edge
OF the cloth. The cloth being three or
four yards in length, the conjurer
could not have touched the coin with
out being seen, and in fact, did not
touch it. He then asked for a signet
ring. Several were offered him, and
he chose out one which had a very
large oval seal, projecting well beyond
the gold hoop on both sides. This
ring he tossed and tumbled several
times liz his hands, now throwing it
into the air and catching it, then
shaking it between his clasped hands,
all the time mumbling half inarticu-
late words III some Hindostanee pa
tots. Then setting the ring down on
the cloth at about half arms length
in front of him, he said. slowly and
distinctly, i'll good Hindostanee:
"RinS, rise up and 90 to the rupee"
The ring rose, with the seal uppermost
and resting on the hoop. slowly. with
Min VI hthiitAi'S Sa tSthll'S hlOtlOI. IL
passed overt the cloth until it came to
where the rupee was Oh the remote
edge; then it lay down on the coin.
The c%onjuror then said: "Ring, lay
hold of the rupee and bring it to me.'
The projecting edge OF the seal seemed
to grapple with the edge OF the coin,
the ring and therupeerose into a kind
OF wrestling attitude, and with the
samedancing or Jerking motion thetwo
returned to within reach ofths ingsler's
hand.
have no theory to explain either
of these tricks. / should mention,
however, that the iuggler entirely. dis
claimed all supernatural power. and
alleged that he performed his tricks by
mere sleial,t OF hand. 1t will be OBJ
served that he had no preparation OF
his surroundings, no machinery, and
no conteGerates.