Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-01-19
THE JUcCLERs or JAPAN.
Marvellous Tricks Performed la u Rude
Way, but Defylng Detection.

Up over the stage hung a banner
with the name Of the theatre in illum-
mated letters, and in with it vignctte
heads of 'Ecce Homo and ''Mater
Doiorosa,n with Il view of the three
crosses on Calvary. This was explain
ed by the fact that a cruciiixion was
a great thing on the program. Cruel
tixion is the old mode of punishment
in China and Japan, and still in use in
the former country, so that the idea of
presenting such a scene IS not wholly
sacrilegious, although certain effects
introduced with it made it the most
grotesque combination of sacred and
profane things. For this execution
scene the jugglcr came on in a full
military uniform, half covered with
gold braid and buttons. He looked
like a Salvation Army General, and his
assistant was also in military cut. The
lights were turned low, and while Il
rough cross of poles was being set up
the General played wild discords on u
weary old melodeon and his orderly
worked an ancient accordion. A rack
was brought out, and later two women
were brought on and bound, the one TO
the cross and the other to the rack.
The General doscd them with some
thing, apparently chloroform, played
another weird tune. and then in the
most professional way used the stetho-
scope. This scientific testing of the
patients heart-beats took the Japan
ese part of the audience. The excite
ment d%eepened. After that the Gen
eral took a sword and apparently
plunged it through the body OF the
PROSTATE woman on the rack, who
writhed in such a realistic manncrthat
it was hard to hold to the red paint
and spring blade theory. Mex: the
woman on the cross was stabbed with
shears. but of that proceeding the
ladies of our party only heard, as after
the horrible sight of the woman on the
rack faces were covered and faces
turned from the sickening spectacle.
The japanese chcercd wildly as the
bodies were carried back and appar-
emily thrown into IA lake, but in il few
minutes they came walking on the
stage in bedragged foreign dress aud
wildly fcathered hats.
The show left n most unpleasant i'm
preston upon one, and, although l
have seen n small boy put in "A boiling
caldron and apparently cooked for ten
minutes and a woman held under
water for "A quarter of IN hour at a
time, none of them caused such sick
ening shudders rs this cruciiiXion.
OF jugglers there are no end in
Japan, swell japanese always having
them at any large entertainment of
fhnirs nna old man yyhn nntl1 airn
Heller points goes around in a single
cotton gown with two baskets full of
properties over his shoulders, and, put
ting them down anywhere, performs
his tricks with audiences encircling
him. A hat full of coppers rewards
him sufficiently, and he goes on, to eat
fire, spit out eggs, needles, lanterns,
and smoking pipes at the next place.
At a recent Japanese dinner n foreign
guest determined to have no optical
delusions about what the juggler did,
He never let his glances be distracted
and vas not once off his guard. Motto
ing this the old juggler played to hin
entirely. An immense porcelain vas
was brought ia and set in tho middl,
of the room and the juggler. crawling
up, let himself down into it slowly
The skeptic then sat for a half houl
without taking his eyes from the vase
that he had first been convinced wa.
sound and firm and stood on no trap
door. After this prolonged watch the
rest of the company assailed him will
laughter and jeers and pointing to hi:
side, where the old juggler had beer
seated tanning himself, and had beer
seated for some minutes. The skeptit
was ~dumfounded and wanted the trick
repeated, but the whole company pro
tested that he had had IA fair chance t,
catch the wizard and had failed 70
60hanaa letter IN the 81. Louis Globe
Democrat.