Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-05-27
MEN WHO EAT FIRE.
Strange Diet of Some Human Beings Who
Relish a Meal Of Burning Goals.
Tonyyo, It'd Ritz

MEN WHO EAT FIRE.
Orange Diet of Some Human Beings Who
Relish a Meal Of Burning Goals.
London Tid-Bds
The earliest mention of fre-esters in
England ia to be found in Sir Henry Wal.
toms correspondence under date of June 3,
1888. He says:
ssTbere is strange thing to be seen in
London for couple OF pence which know
not whether should call piece OF art or
nature. 1t is an Eoglishmsn, like some
swabber of chip, come from the Indies,
where he has learned to eat fire as tamil
iaTIv az I ever saw any eat cakes, even
whole glowing brands. which he will crash
with his teeth and swallow. believe he
hath been hard famished in the Terra del
Fuepo, on the south of the Magellan
Strait"
EVELYN, in his diary, under date Of Oc-
tober 8, 1872, gives a graphic account OF
the remarkable feats OF another hre-eater,
who created q great sensation In his day
AZ took leave of my Lady Sunderland,
who was going to Paris to my lord, now
ambassador there. She made me stay to
dinner at Leicester House. and afterwards
sent for Richardson, the famous fire-eater.
He deyoured birthstone on glowing coales
before rs, chewing and swallowing them;
he melted Deere glasse and cate 1t quite
ND; then taking live coale on his tongue
he mt it on a raw oyster; the coale was
blown on with bellows till it famed and
spsrklsd in his mouthe, and 80 remained
until the oyster gaped and was quite
boiled.
Then he melted pitch and wax with
sulphur, which he drank down as 1t famed.
| saw it flaming in his mouth good
while; he also took up thick piece of iron
such as lauudresses use to put in their
smoothing boxes, when it was fiery hot,
held it between his teeth, then in his
hand. aud then threw it about like stone;
but this, | observed, he cared not to hold
very long. Then he stood on small pot,
and bending his body took glowing iron
with his mouth from between his feet,
without touching the pot or ground with
his hands, with divers other prodigious
feats"
Richardson's secret was disclosed by his
servant about the time Evelyn made his
entry. According to his servants showing
it consisted only in rubbing the hands
and thoroughly washing the mouth, lips,
tongue, teeth and other parts which were
to touch the fire, with pure spirits Of
sulphur.
By this means the epidermis, or upper
skin, was burnt and cauterized until it be-
came as hard as thick leather. The bad
effects which the frequent swallowing Of
red-hot Goals, melted sealing-wax, rosin,
birthstone, and other calcined and inflam-
mable matter might have had upon the
stomach were prevented by drinking plenti-
| full draughts of warm water and oil as soon
as he had left the company, until he had
vomited it all up again.
Another fire-eater was De Heiterkeit, q
native of Annivi in Savoy, who flourished
at the beginning of the eighteenth CEN
tury.
This individual ate burning coal, chew
ed and swallowed burning birthstone; lick
ed red hot poker, placed red hot heater
on his tongue, ate melted pitch, beeswax,
sealing wax and rosin with q spoon, as an
ordinary mortal takes soup, kindled Goals
on his tongue and broiled meat upon them,
and, to complete the business performed
all these marvels five times day at the
Duke of Msrborough's Head in Fleet
street, his prices being half crown, eigh-
teen pence and one shilling.
De Heterkeit had the honor of exhibit
ing before Louis XIV, the Emperor of
Austria, the King OF Sicily and the Doge
h.n ahnH
the inquisition, that holy Office PROPOSED
experimenting on him to find out whether
he was fire proof externally as well rs in
ternally. He was preserved from this un-
welcome ordeal, however, by the interfer-
ence of the Duchess Royal, Regent of
Savoy.
But the most famous Of all fire-eaters
was Robert Powell, who was before the
public for nearly sixty years, and was seen
by many noble and distinguished men,
among Others by the Dukes of Cumberland
and Gloucester and Sir Hans Sloane
Mainly through the instrumentality of this
last named, the Royal Society, in ISL,
presented Powell with purse of Gold and
large silver medal.
Here is his programme:
l. He eats red-hot Goals out of the fire
as natural as bread.
2 He ticks with the naked tongue red
hot tobacco pipes, flaming with birthstone
g. He takes large bunch Off cal match
es, lights them all together and holds them
in his mouth till the flame is extiDguished.
H. He takes red-bot heater out of the
fire, Hicks it with his tongue several times,
4 urrrf II r,,I h. haN,
his teeth.
5. He f1lls his mouth with red-hot char
coal, and broils o slice of beef or mutton
on his tongue, and any person may blow
the fire with pair of bellows at the same
time.
6. He takes quantity of rosin, pitch,
beeswax, sealingwax, birthstone, alum and
lead, melts them together ovor a chatting
dish Of Goals, and eats the same with a
spoon as if it were porringer of broth, to
the great and agreeable surprise of the
spectators, etc.
The last fre~ester of whom we shall
speak is Chamouin, who had the name of
''the Russian Salamander" He was re-
markable for the simplicity and singleness
of his character, and used to take posi-
lively innocent delight in swallowing fire.
He was above all artifce, and would often
entreat his visitors TO melt their own lead
or boil their own mercury, that they might
be perfectly satisfied of his geuineness and
of the qualification he had in drinking
these liquids.
He would also present his tongue in the
most obliging manner to all who wished
it, allow them to pour molten lead upon
it, and, if they chose, stamp an impression
with their seals.