The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1889-08-07
THE JUGGLERS OF INDIA,
WONDERFUL TRICKS PERFORMED
BY THE HINDoo WIZARDS,
Skilrul Sleight-ofHand Exhibitions
Which Puzzle the Most Careful
Watchers-The basket Trick.


Let me give you picture of an Indian
juggler, writes Frank g. Carpenter from
Bombay, India. One stands outside my
hotel window as write. He is perform
ing his tricks in the dusty road without
table, cabinet, patent boxes, or any OF
the ,accompaniments Of the American
wizard. His sole possessions consist of
three small baskets, ranging in size from
half peck to bushel, couple of cloths
and tripod made Of three sticks, each
two feet long and held together by a
string at the top. Three little wooden
dolls with red cloths tied around their
neclSs and each not over foot long, are
the gods which enable him to do wonder
full things. He has flute in his mouth
and little drum in his hand. He is
black-faoed and black bearded, and
his shirt sleeves are pulled up above
his elbows. His only assistant is little
turbaned boy, who sits beside him, whom
he will shortly put into basket not more
than two feet square, and with him will
perform the noted basket trick of India.
This trick is one of the wonderful Jug
Cling tricks of the world. The boys
hands are tied and he is put into a net
which is tied over his head and which in
closes his whole body so that he appar-
entity cannot move. He is now crowded
into this basket. The lid is put down
and tight straps are buckled over it. The
juggler now takes a sword, and with
few passes of these little Hindoo doll
babies over it and the muttering of in
carnations as a preliminary, thrusts the
sword again and again into the basket.
There is a crying as though some one was
in terrible pain. It is the voice of a
child, and the sword comes out bloody.
You hold your breath, and did you not
know it to be trick you would feel like
pouncing upon the man. After a mo-
ment the basket becomes still, the Jug
20 gler makes p few more passes, unbuckles
the straps and shows you that there is
nothing within it. He calls: "Baba
babal" and in the distance you hear the
child's voice. How the boy got out of
the basket or escaped being killed by the
sword and where the blood came from
do not know. l only know it was
sleight-of-hand performance and wonder
fully well done.
The mango trick is performed with the
three sticks in the shape of tripod. The
juggler takes pot of water and pours it
over little pot of earth. He then holds
up mango bulb about the size of wal
nut, and, putting this into the earth, he
throws cloth over the tripod. He now
blows upon his horn, makes mysterious
passes, and after a few moments raises the
cloth and you see the mango tree sprout-
SDc fO,.th i
more music follow, and the cloth is pulled
down again. After few moments, dur
ing which the showing of minor tricks
goes on, he pulls out the pot, and the
plant has grown about a foot above it.
There is more watering and more incan-
tation, and his final triumph comes in
showing you bush nearly yard high,
containing great leaves. This he will pull
up by the root and show you the seed at
the bottom. 1t is a wonderful trick, and
how the man is able to manipulate the
different plants with nothing else but
thin cotton cloth to help him, which, by
the way, he allows you to examine, is
hard to conceive. He has dozen other
sleight-of-hand performances equally
as wonderful. He puts little shell into
his mouth and appears to choke as he
draws out coin after coin and balls of
stone almost as big around as your fist.
He spits fire, as does the American wiz
ard, pulls miles of string from his stom-
ach, sticks pins through his tongue without
hurting himself, and ends the perform
ance with a snake trick, which is to me
the most wonderful of all.
In doing this snake trick he asks for a
piece of paper and asks you to hold out
your hand. You do so and he places the
paper upon it. He then begins to play
upon his pipe and to dart out his eyes as
though he saw something near your hand.
His whole frame becomes transformed
he dances around you like wizard, play
ing all the time and keeping his eyes on
your hand. Now he starts back and
points at it. You look and see nothing
and he begins to plays louder and dance
wilder than ever. Remember his arms
are bare to the elbow and both of his
hands are upon his pipe. Suddenly he
drops the pipe and continues his. Z by
with with ineantati9ns; He JpsG5;Iy sls--'ace
nothing he claps l1dent YOU look and see
>~~ - eSsoS--1 p-liS manu- uONh upOh IL
: seos~1Iuns up three great cobras, which
raise their hooded heads and dart out
their fangs in different directions, and
squirm and wriggle as he holds them up
before you. You jump back, for the bite
of the cobra is deadly, and l am told
that the snakes used have in some cases
not had their fangs drawn.
A juggler was killed week ago in
Benares by the bite of a cobra which he
was using in this way, and they are the
most terrible snakes have ever seen. Al
another performance of this same kind
was present with party of four, and VIC
all decided to ascertain, if we could, how
this trick was done. l stood upon a chail
and overlooked the man as he snatcheo
up the snakes, but l could not see where
they came from, and only know that hi
had them, and that they were so big thai
he crowded them with difficulty into
little round basket the size of peel
measure.
Piutes Expecting a Flood.
Virginia, New, is full of Piutes mer
women and children, who, fearing a de
luge, are getting out Of the valleys. No