Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-07-26
JUGGLERS In THE EAST.
TRICKS THAT BEHOLDERS WILL
NOT TRY TO EXPLAIN.


Bewilderng Feats Witnessed 10y U. s.
Naval Oficer-NIaking Mungo Bush
Grow In a Few Minutes on the Vessels
Deck-The Basket Trick Outdone.
So marvellous are the things which have
seen that am almost ready to credit any
thing which hear of the skill Of eastern jug
glers In our trip we first encountered them
at Port Said. The ship was lying at anchor
there and tall, intelligent looking Hindoo,
dressed in loose white gown and turban,
came on deck. He did so many things, each
more wonderful than the last, that can only
remember a few For instance, he took four
eggs, ordinary hens eggs, which we all ex-
amined. He put one in each of his ears, and
one in each eye, then stood perfectly straight,
holding his head perpendicularly. The eggs
remained in place as if fastened there. He
then took off his turban, piece of very fine
white CLOTH eight inches in width and about
fifteen feet long. He cut this in two, then
lighted the ends and allowed them to burn
until they were considerably charred All
this time we were standing very close to him,
so that his slightest movement could not
escape us. His sleeves were rolled up and
there was no way of concealing anything in
his gown. Well, he tied the two pieces of his
turban together and rolled them up into a
knot, twisting it again and again. All at
! cnce he gave it jerk and the long white
cloth shot across the deck, white and clean,
without break or a burned spot in it, All
this on the open deck with the crowd near
enough to touch him.
THE JAPANESE JUGGLER.
Everywhere we went we saw jugglers, and
their tricks, in which skill was their main ele
maent, were very numerous and very astonish-
ing. But here is one by Japanese juggler
which shows more than mere skill:
AT Yokohama juggler came on deck and
built a little box by piling sticks one on top
of the other in squares He held it up so that
we COULD all see through it. Then he put
bottom to it, and Immediately thrust his
fingers down into it and began to pull out
long piece of what looked like smilax. He
4 had no possible way of concealing it. He
pulled six or seven fathoms of it out-more
than he could have wrapped into a small
bundle. Afterward ne performed what is
called the water trick.
He set a small table on the deck, first
4 placing under it piece of paper SO that all
the legs rested on the paper He then piled
little boxes and tables one on top of the other,
forming sort of column of which the first
table was the base. Each table and box
was separated from every other by piece of
paper Then he stood off from the column
] and lifted his wand. From one corner of the
topmost box spouted stream of water.
When he raised his wand the stream spouted
up higher. When he lowered it the stream
was less Then he made water stream from
the end of the wand, and walked about the
deck with the water flowing from it. His
sleeves were rolled up; his hands and arms
were bare. At Yokohama, at a theatre, saw
the same thing on larger scale. The juggler
then made streams of water flow from the
| foreheads of his attendants, from the midst of
| blazing ball of pitch at the end of his wand,
and finally from the flames to two lamps
which lighted the stage.
| HINDoo PRESTIDIGITATIoN.
| At Singapore, on the deck of the steamer,
! Hindoo juggler did the mango trick. He
| came ON board clad in the usual turban and
| loose white robe, and wearing his legs and
| feet bare His tools were mango nut, about
! the size of the ordinary sea bean, a pot of
| EARTH a short stick about as thick as the little
| finger, and a cloth about four feet square.
| He kneeled upon the deck while doing the
| trick, and we all bent over him. He poured
| out the earth and heaped it into Il little mound.
| He next held up the mango nut, then buried
| 1T i'll the little mound of earth. He poured
water on it, waved his cloth over it several
| times, then pulled the cloth away and sprout
about two inches long stood up fresh and
green from the mound. He lifted it out and
we all examined it and saw that it was fas-
| tened to the nut. He buried the nut again,
| poured on more water, pressed down the
| earth with his stick, made the passes with the
cloth, and removing it, disclosed a sprout
about six inches in length. He repeated this
process two or three times, and then had
stalk about foot high. He now pressed the
cloth over this, stirred the earth at its base,
and again removed the cloth. There stood a
mango bush two feet and a half high, with
small branches and full grown leaves, looking
as if they had just unfolded. He pulled it up
and showed us the roots, grown just as the
tree had grown. / saw this trick again on
Shore and watched even closer, but could not
see how it was done.
One day at Singapore / saw Hindoo boy
stretch upon the ground in front of the hotel.
The man who was with him spread white
| sheet over him so that the outlines of his body
were plainly to be seen. He then drew a
knife, and, lifting it high in the air, drove it
straight through the sheet, apparently into
the body of the boy. Blood spurted out and
the body writhed The man pushed in the
knife hard, then drew it out slowly, covered
with blood, which he proceeded to wipe off
on rag. He then lifted up the sheet, and
the boy arose with not stain of blood ON his
white garments and not rent in them any
where.
did not go far into the interior of India,
but those of the Brooklyn's officers who did
saw even more wonderful things than these,
which will not repeat second hand. What
explanation have II None, absolutely none
Cincinnati Commercial Gazette.