Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-07-05
HINDOO LEGERDEMAIN.
What :. T. Robinson saw in India-Mar-
velOus Sleight-of- Hand.

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 We're disposed in
The following fashion: Mr. Smyth sat
on a chair nearly in the middle of the
ROOM was sitting on a sofa near the
| door, the Parsee merchant stood in the
| doorway about arms length from me-
The servants Stood about in groups, the
largest group being between the door
and the conjurer. As soon as he had
settled himself he turned to the Parsee
and asked for the loan of a rupee. The
! peddler at first demurred little, but on
being guaranteed against loss he pro-
duced the coin. He was going to put it
into the conjurer's hand. but the latter
refused and told the Parsee to hand it
to MIR. Smyth's bearer. The bearer took
it and declared il to be really rupee.
The conjurer then told him to hand it TO
his master. Mr. Smyth took it, and
then followed this dialogue:
Conjurer-Are you sure that is
rupee?
Smyth-Yes
Conjuror-Close your hand and hold
it tight. Now think of some country in
Europe, but do not tell me your thought.
Then the conjurer ran over the names
of several countries, such rs France,
Germany, Russia, Turkey and America
for the native Indian is under the inn
preston that America is Europe After
moments pause Mr.. Smyth said he
a fhntr0rhf of n
'Then open your hand" said the
juggler. ''See what you have got, and
tell me if it is coin of the country you
thought of"
1t was 5-franc piece, and Mr.. Smyth
had thought of France. He was going
to hand the coin to the conjurer, but
the latter said:
mo; pay it to the other sahib.r
Mr.. Smyth accordingly put the 5-franc
piece into my hand. l looked closely
at it, then shut my hand and thought of
Russia. When opened it found, not
a Russian, but Turkish silver piece,
about the size of the 5-franc piece, or of
our own crown piece. This handed to
Mr.. Smyth and suggested that he should
name America, which he did, and found
Mexican dollar in his hand. The
coin, whatever it was, had never been
in the conjurer's hand from the time the
rupee was borrowed from the Parsee
merchant Mr.. Smyth and his bearer
had both closely examined the rupee,
and Mr.. Smyth and turned over sever
al times the 5-franc piece. the Turkish
coin and the dollar; so the trick did not
depend on the reversible coin. Indeed,
it could not, for the coin underwent
three changes, as has been seen. | need
only add, for the information of readers
who know not India, that a rupee is
only about the size OF tlorin, and there
fore about half the weight of 5-franc
piece.
He did another trick almost equally
as wonderful. As before, he was seated
upon a white cloth borrowed from the
mess sergeant He asked some one pre-
sent TO produce rupee and to lay it
down at the remote edge of the cloth.
The cloth being three CT four yards in
length, the conjurer could not have
touched the coin, and. in fact, did not
touch it. Tie then asked for signat
ring. Several were offered him. and he
chose out one which had Il very large
oval seal. projecting well beyond the
gold hoop on both sides. This ring he
tossed and tumblod seyeral times in his
hands. now throwing it into the air and
catching it, then shaking ii between his
hands, all the time mumbling half mar
ticulate words in some Hindoostanee
patois. Then, setting the ring down on
the cloth at about half arms length in
front of him. he said slowly and distinct
ly 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
a 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 conlurer
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 wrest-
ling attitude. and with the same dane
ing or jerking motion the two returned
to within reach of the juggler's hand.
| have no theory to explain either of
these tricks. should mention, how
ever. that the juggler entirely disclaim-
ed all supernatural power, and alleged
that he performed his tricks bv mere
sleglt OF hand. 1t will be observed
that he had no preparation OF his sur
roundings, no machinery and no con.
| federate.- Boston Her0ld