St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-10-16
Some of the IncOmprehensible
Things Done in the East Indies.

Things Done in the East Indies.
Denver Times.
Ram Chunda Khan, now resident of
Leadville, but for many years dweller
in India, as his name may Indicate, was
i'm Denver yesterday. Mr.. Khan resent
bles others of his race in figure and
feature. He speaks English with what
some Americans are pleased to term
San English accent" and is fluent and
interesting in conversation. Talking
to a Times reporter about the marvel
Gus skill of the native jugglers, Mr..
Khan said:
81 was at Delhi, India, about five
years ago, and while there witnessed
1ugglery or sleight-of-hand performance
that was as interesting to me as any
had ever seen. We had dined with the
chief engineer of the Punjaub. and
after dinner retreated to the veranda.
Each man had an iced B. and S.-brandy
and soda-at his elbow, and we were
ready to be entertained.
The actors, as may call them, were
seven in number, very Ordinary-lOOking
Hindoos, with the exception Of the
leader, who was as fine looking Sikh
as had ever seen. and that is saying a
great deal. He was heavily bearded,
broad-shouldered and commanding. His
attire consisted Of nothing more than a
white waist-clOth and turban.
1.-THE ground on when the perform
ancen was given was the br0adened end
of graveled carriage drive i'll front of
the bungalow. Here it was not posi-
BILE there should be any hidden stage
mechanism nor any concealed accom-
plice, and when the seven actors stood
up In the center OF this ground, each
one as simply dressed as the legder,
one could not help but think what little
chance they had to conceal about their
persons what we look upon as the usual
outfit of the cOnjurer.
"Standing in lateral row, the leader
speaking for the party, they signified
their wish to be counted. We on the
veranda counted them, and individually
and collectively reached the same re-
Sult-that there were seven, neither
more nor less. After fl W twists and
turns of a peculiarly intricate dance the
men stopped and again arranged them
selves in line. They numbered only
six. One had disappeared. Going
through the same dancing movements
again and lining themselves as before,
we counted eight. A third time they
danced and one of the eight disappeared,
leaving the original number, seven. You
must satisfy your own mind as to how
the trick was done; that is what we
were obliged to do.
derful than the one which preceded it,
The Sikh and one of the HindOoS
stepped in front of the five other men,
and the Sikh, by few passes of his
hands, put the single Hindoo under
mesmeric or other uncanny infiu-
ence. The leaders, hands moved
rapidly over the patients body,
the strokes ending each time
at the left shoulder. Soon, from that
point an Opaque mass seemed to grow.
To this the operator turned his atten-
ton. While he did not appear to touch
it, the mass took shape. following the
movements of his fingers. Thus he
nodded it into the semblance of human
form. perfect in every particular, but
apparently without life. 1t was joined
to the mesmerized Hindoo by filament.
"When the experiment had pro-
crossed thus far we on the veranda eX-
perienced curious sensation; We
leader and the five idle HindOOS CEN
tered on this male Galatea. 1t took
unto itself life, and the leader, with a
wave of the hand, caused the filament
to disappear. The male Galatea,
or, better. the Frankenstein, stepped
forward Of its own will. One of the
Hindoos came to the front and threw
a cloth around the creatures waist and
led it upon the veranda where we sat.
and at the same time collected our ru-
PEGS and four-anna pieces. We could
see nothing unearthly in the person
nor in the action of this handmade
being. Its eyes were open, but it did
not speak, but seemed to notice ma
terial things. and walked unassisted
and unguided back to the group OF
jugglers.
"After time enough to quiet our
nerves had elapsed. the leader stepped
forward holding in his hand ball OF
colored cotton Irvine, and retaining one
end of it in his left hand, threw the bal
straight up In the air. 1t unwound as
it assembled, and just when the end flut
tered loose and we expected to see al
of it come down with run, bird
swOoped down, and, taking the
end of the cord in its beak
held the line suspended. Pres