The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-09
MEN WHO EAT FIRE.
Strange Diet of Some Human Beings
Who Relish Diet of Blazing Goals.
From, the London Tit Bits.

Strange Diet OF some human belnBS
Who Relish Diet of Blazing Goals.
From the London Tit Bits.
The earliest mention of fire eaters in Eng
and is to be found in Sir Henry Waltou's
correspondence under date June 3, 1888 He
says:
There 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 Englishman, like some
swabber of ship, come from the Indies,
where he has learned to eat fire as famll-
iarly as 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 Fuego, on the south OF the Magellan
Strait"
EVELYN in his diary, under date of
Oct. S, 1872. gives a graphic account of the
remarkable feats of another tire-eater,
who created great sensation III his day,
81 took leave of my Lady Sunderland,
who was going TO Paris, to my Lord, now
Ambassador there She made me stay to
dinner Leicester House, and afterwards
sent for Richardson, the famous thereafter.
He devoured birthstone on glowing Goals
before us, chewing and swallowing them;
he melted beer glass and eat 1t quite up,
then taking live coal ON his tongue he
put on it a raw oyster; the coal was blown
on with bellows till it famed and sparkled
in his mouth, and SO remained until the
oyster CAPPED and was quite boiled v
''Then he melted pitch and wax with sui
phur, which he drank down as 1t tiatned. /
saw it flaming in his mouth good while;
he also took up thick piece of IRON snch as
laundresses use to put i'll their smoothing
boxes, when it was fiery hot, held it be-
tween his teeth, then i'll his hand, and then
threw it about like a stone; but this, |
observed, he cared not TO hold very long.
Then he stood on small pot, and bend
ing his body took a glowing iron with
his mouth from between his feet, with
out touchi x the pot or ground with
his hands, with divers other prodiglous
feats"
Richardson's secret was disclosed by his
servant about the time Evelyn made his
entry. According to his servants show
ing 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 sui
phur.
B this means the epidermis, or upper skin,
was burned ard cauteTized until tbecame as
hard as thick leather The bad effects which
the frequent swallowing Of red-hot Goals,
melted sealing wax, resin, birthstone and
other calcined and infammable matter
might have had upon the stomach were pre-
vented by drinking plentiful draughts of
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, a
native of Annivi in Savoy, who flour
ished at the beginning Of the eighteenth
century.
This individual ate burning Goals, chewed
and swallowed burning birthstone; licked a
red hot poker, placed red hot heater on
his tongue, ate melted pitch, beeswax,
sealing was and resin 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 lnarvels five times a day at the Duke
of Marlborough's Head, in Fleet street, his
prices being half crown, IL pence and
shilling.
De Heterkeit had the honor of exhibit
ing before Louis XIV, the Emperor of
Austria, the King of Sicily and the Doge
of Venice and his name having reached the
Inquisition, that holy office proposed expert
menting on him to find out whether he was
fireproof externally as well as internally.
He was preserved from this unwelcome or
deal, however, by the Interference 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 ann distinguished men,
among Others by the Dukes Of Cumberland
and Gloucester, and Sir Hans Sloane.
Mainly through the lnstrumeniality OF this
last named, the Royal Society in l75l pre-
sented Powell with purse Of gold and a
large silver medal.
Here is the programme:
l. He eats red-not Goa out of the fire as
tural as bread.
2. He Hicks with the naked tongue red
hot Tobacco pipes, flaming with brim-
stone.
3. He takes large bunch Of deal
matches, lights them altogether and holds
them in his mouth till the flame is extin-
guished.
4. He takes red-hot heater out of the
fire, ticks it with his tongue several times
and carries it round the room between his
teeth.
5. He fills his mouth with red-hot char
coal and broils a 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, sealing wax, birthstone, alum and
lead, melts them together over IA chatting
dish of Goals, and eats the same with spoon
as if it were a porrinRer of broth, to the
great and agreeable surprise Of the specta-
tors, etc.
The last fire-eater of whom we shall
speak is Glamour, who had the name of
"the Russian Salamandor.n He was re-
markable for the simplicity and singleness
of his character, and used 10 take posi-
lively innocent delight in swallowing fire.
He was above all artifice and would often
entreat his visitors to met their own lead
or boil their own mercury, that they might
be perfectly satisfied of his genuineness 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 II,
allow them to pour moulten lead upon it,
and if they chose stamp an impression with
their seals
A IL 4