Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1889-04-05
THE GREAT C0NIURER.
HOW HOUDIN INSPIRED THE ARABS
WITH FEAR.

day Was therefore appointed when
the two should appear before the
people, and each give evidence Of
his own peculiar powers.
Ooe of the great pretensions OF
the Marabout was It's inyulneIa.
blllty. At the moment that a
loaded musket was fred at him,
and the trigger pulled, he pro.
nounced a few cabaliatic words,
and the weapon would not go OFF.
Robert HOudin instantly detected
the trick, aud showed that the
touch-hole of the musket was care
fully plugged. This rendered the
Arab cODjuTer furious. and he
abused his French rival without
mercy.
Houdin was perfectly cool, and
said:
"You are angry with mel'
81 am," said the Arab.
"And would be aveDgedi7
"Yes.p
"It is very easy"
"Tell me the way"
~ will show you,' said Houdln,
quietly.
The Arab was all attention.
"Take a pistol ; load 1t yourself.
Here are bullets. Put ore in the
barrel. But stop"
"For WHAT"
"Mark the bullet with your knife
so that you may know it,"
The Arab did as lie was told.
"You are quite certain now
SAID HOudin, "tbat the pistol is
| properly loaded y
"Yes.p
"Tell me do you feel no remOrse
in killing me thus, even though
CONSENT"
"No."
at is strange"
"You are my enemy" be cOldly
answered, sand | will kill yOu."
"Wait but moment"
Houdin then stuck an apple on
the point Of knife, and calmly
gave the word, as he held the fruit
raised in one nand:
Fire =
The pistol was discharged, the
apple flew far away, and there ap'
peared in its place, stuck on the
point OF the knife, the bullet the
Marabout had marked. Tue spec
tators, though aroused to intense
excitement Of feeling, remained
mute with stupefactioD, while the
Marabout bowed before bis superb
or, saying:
"Allah is great, | am yanqulsh'
ed"
HOudin then called out tor an
empty bowl, which he kept con
stantly full of boiling coffee, though
but few of the arabs would taste oI
it, tor they were certain that it was
the devils coffee pot from whence
it came.
He then told them that it wa:
within his power to deprive them
of all strength, and to restore it tC
them at Will, and he produced in
illustration a small boz, so light
that child could lift it with the
fingers.
Aud now came their astOnish
ment.
This box suddenly became SC
very heavy that the strongest man
present could not raise 1t it, and
I the Arabs, who prize physical
strength above everything, looked
with terror upon the magician, who
they doubted not, could annihllatt
them by the mere exertiOn of hi;
will.
The people expressed this be
lief, 10 which HOudin OF course
confirmed them, and promised thai
at a day appointed be would con
vert one of them into smoke. The
day came, and the throng wa'
prodigious. A fanatlcal Marabou'
had agreed to give himself up tC
the French sorcerer for the expert
ment.
The preparations we're on a gran6
scale. The Marabout was made t
stand upon a table, and was GOV
cred with a transparent gauze
Then Haudin an1 another person
lifted the table by the ends, Wheel
the Arab disappeared in a profus'
cloud Of smoke. The terror of thu
spectators was indescrlbable. The!
rushed out OF the place, and RAJ
a long distance before some OF th'
boldest could make up their mind
to return and look upon the Mara
bout. They found him near tn
spot where he bad 30 mysteriousl,
disappeared, but he could not an
swer their questions. He coul'
tell them nothing at all, and gaEe'
wildly at them like one bereft Q
his senses. He was entirely ignC
rant of what had happened to hin
The bad boy who was told tha
he would never 90 to heaven re
.,l;oJ that ha had ham t0 fha Gil