Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-05-28
HINDOO LEGERDEMIAN.
What S. +. Robinson Saw in India Marvellous
Sleight-ot- Hand.
B-ston Herald

When he entered the room he spread
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 a chair nearly
in the middle of the room. / was sitting
on sofa near the door, the Parsee mer
chant was standing in the door about
arms length from me. The servants stood
about in groups the largest group being
between the door and the coniurer.
As soon as he had settled himself he turn
ed to the Parsee and asked for the loan of
a rupee. The peddler at first demurred a
little, but on being guaranteed against loss
produced the coin. He was going to put
it in the coniurers hands,, but the latter
refused and told the Parsee to hand it to
Mr.. Smyth's bearer. The bearer took it
and declared it really to be rupee. The
conjurer then told him to hand it to his
master. Mr.. Smyth took it, and then fol-
lowed this dialogue:
Conjurer-Are you sure that is ru-
pee?
Smyth-Yes.
Conjurer close your hand and hold it
tight. Now think of some country in Eu-
rope, but do not tell me which one you
thought.
Then the coniurer ran over the names
of several countries, such as, France, Ger
many, Russia, Turkey and America for
the native Indian is under the impression
that America is in Europe. After NOM
ent's pause Mr.. Smyth said he had thought
of a country
Then open your hand said the Jug
gler, see what you have got, and tell me
if it is a coin of the country you thought
off,
1t was 5-franc piece, and Mr.. Smyth
had thought of france. He was going to
hand the coin to to the conjurer, but the
latter said:
mo pay it to the other sahib."
Mr.. Smith accordingly put the 5-franc
piece into my hand. looked closely at
it, then shut my hand and thought of
Russia, when l opened it, l found, not
Russian, but It Turkish silver piece, about
the size of the 5-franc piece. This [
handed to Mr.. Symth and suggested that
he should name America, which he did,
and found a Mexican dollar in his hand.
The coin, whatever it was, had never been
in the conjurer's hand from the time the
rubee was borrowed from the Parsee
llltICudlll. MI Oil III anu HIS D6dTSE
had both of them closely examined the
rubee, and Mr.. Smyth and 1 turned over
several times the 5-franc piece, the Turk
ish coin and the dollar; so the trick did
not depend on the reversible coin. In
deed it could not, for the coin unde rwent
three changes, as has been seen. | need
only add, for the information of readers
who know not India, that rubee is only
~ ~ IL
about half the weight of 5-franc piece.
He did another trick almost equally as
wonderful. As before, he was seated on
a table-cloth borrowed from the mess ser
geant. He asked some one present to
produce a rupee and to lay it down at the
remote edge of the cloth. The cloth be-
ing three or four yards in length, the con-
jurer could not have touched the coin,
and, in fact, did not touch it. He then
asked for a signet ring. Several were of
fered 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
in his hands, now throwing it into the air
and catching it. then shaking it between
his hands, all the time mumbling half
marticulate words in some Hindoostanee
patois. Then, setting The ring down on
the cloth at half-arm's length in front of
him. He said slowly and distinctly in
good HindoOstanee:
Ring, rise up and go to the rupee"
The ring rose, with the seal uppermost,
and, resting on the hoop, slowly, with
kind of dancing or jerking motion, it
passed over the cloth until it came where
the rupee was on the remote edge, then it
lay down on the coin. The conjurer then
said:
Ring, lay hold of the rupee and bring
it to me-" The projecting edge of the
seal seemed to grapple with the extreme
edge of the coin; the ring and the rupee
rose into kind of wrestling attitude, and
with the same dancing attitude, and with
the same dancing or jerking motion the
two returned 20 within reach of the Jug
gler's hand.
1 have no theory to explain either of
these tricks. l should mention. however.
that the juggler entirely disclaimed all
supernatural power, and alleged that he
performed his trick by mere sleight of
hand. 1t will be observed that he had no
preparation of his surroundings, no ma
chinery and no confederate.