The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-09-21
THE INDIAN
JUGGLERS.
They May Hypn0tize the Crowd
But Not the Camera.
a Detective Box and Some Surprising Results.
The Fakir Simply Controls His Audience
and Hypnotism Does the Rest.

EREDERICK S. FILLMORE is Chi
EE.I cage man who has just returned from
Us trip around the world. He has
theory that the wonderful tricks OF the East
Indian jugglers we're performed by the AID
of hypnotsm. To Tribune reporter Mi.
Gilmore said:
1--WE had done East India pretty thor
oughy, and had spent some time in Calcutta.
From there we went north, stopping 1or
short time at Rajmahal and Dinabur. FROM
the latter city we went south to Gaya, which
we reached; in July last, Leasing and L had
frequently talked over the Indian fakirs and
their marvellous performance S. ana had de-
termined upon making careful test OF
their powers. So we were constantly on the
alert for some firstcless juggler.
zone afternoon Leasing rushed into the
room where l was taking snooze, and told
ME there was fakir in front about ready
to begin his performances. was as pleased
as he was Neither of us had been able pre-
vious to this time to see any oil these lei
lows, but we arranged little plan which we
were TO put into operation when opportunity
offered.
81 had been impressed by theory that
the explanation Of all their alleged super
natural performances would be found In
hypnotism, but did not know just how to
get at il until Leasing proposed this plan to
test my theory While the takir was going
through his performances Leasing was to
make rapid pencil sketch Of what he saw,
while / at the same moment would take a
snap shot with my kodak.
being prepared to put this plan in opera
ton, we went out from our abode, and there
found the fakir and crowd of natives and
one or two Europeans.
THE FAKIR
Was a queer-looking chap. His hair was
long and matted, and his beard hung low
on his breast. His only decoration was a
copper ring or bracelet worn about his
right arm, between the wrist and the elbow.
His eyes were remarkable both for their
bIiiiancy and their intense depth, if l may
so term ii. They seemed to be almost JET
black, and were set unusually deep III his
head. When We stepped into the little circle
about him those eyes took US in from sole
to crown.
"le had spread upon the ground coarse
carpet of peculiar texture, about four feet
wide and six feet long. At his right stood
small earthen bowl, and across his
knees lay Strengthening musical instru-
ment.
Having received the signal that all was
ready, he took the bowl in his hands and
turned the contents-a reddish sand-iike
miXture-Out upon the carpet lie mixed 1t
about with his fingers, apparently to show
that it contained no concealed objects.
Tie Sdlu III Ills DuNI lie olOVu
it in the center of the carpet, several feet in
front Of his knees, and covered it with a
small shawl first placing in the mixture
several seeds Of the mango fruit. Then ne,
played a weird air on his pipe, swayed back
and forth and as he did so slowly took in
each member of the crowd of spectators
with those marvellous eyes of his. The sway
ing and pipe-playing lasted two or three
minutes. Then he suddenly stopped and
raised one corner of the shawl.
1--WE saw several green shoots, two or
three inches high. He replaced the shawl,
played little more on his pipe. and could
have sworn l saw the shawl pushed three
feet into the air. Again he stopped and re-
moved the shawl. This time there was
A PERFECT TREE,
Two feet or more in height, with long, slen-
der, flat leaves. Leasing nudsed me, and /
took my picture while he made a skeleton
sketch.
while we were watching this creation of
the queer old man it seemed to vanish before
our eyes. When it was gone he removed the
bowl and spread the shawl on the ground
before him. Then there was more music
and more swaying. more looking at the
crowd and as we watched the dirty square
of cloth he had placed on the ground We
saw outlined beneath it some moving object.
As we watched he grasped the shawl by
each OF two corners and snatched it from
the ground:
upon tHe spot WHERE IL Hau rested Due
moment before there sat the queerest dim
pied Indian baby that | had ever seen In my
travels. leasing kept his nerve better than
did. would have forgotten what / was
doing if he had not reminded me.
g took the picture and he made his
sketch. The baby remained but moment
before Mr.. Fakir recovered 1t with his
shawl, and, drawInga knike, cut land Slashed
at the spot where the infant sat. In another
instant he threw away the shawl and there
was nothing there.
"We had scarce time TO recover from our
astonishment when the fakir drew from
under his knee ball of gray Irvine. Taking
the loose end between his teeth, he, with a
quick upward motion, tossed the ball into
the air.
Instead of coming back to him it kept
on going up and up until out of sight, and
there remained only the long swaying end.
When we looked down after trying to see
where the ball had gone we Were all as
stonlshed to see standing beside the fakir a
boy about 6 years old. He had not been
there when the ball was tossed into the air,
but he was there now. and at
A WORD FROM THE FAKIR
He walked over to the Irvine and began
climbing it, good deal after the fashion of
a monkey climbing grapevine.
"As he was starting got his range and
made picture of him, Lessing at the same
time making sketch. The boy disap-
peared when he had reached point thirty
or forty feet from the ground, at least we
could not see him. A moment later the
Irvine disappeared. Then the fakir arose.
rolled up his carpet. took the bowl away,
and passed among the crowd soliciting contri-
buttons.
:" l had no facilities for developing the
kodak films, and it was these Leasing took
with him as well as 1000 or more other mega
tives, to be developed. The fakir pictures,
with few others, | received this afternoon.
After the fakr's departure Leasing filed in
his sketches, and these he left with me.
You'll see by comparing the ones that Less
ing made with the photographs that in no
instance did the camera record the marvel
GUS features of the performance
6 For instance, Lessing's sketch shows the
tree grown from the bush there. Leasing
saw baby and so did l, and he got it in his
sketch, but the camera demonstrates that
there was no baby.
Lessing's sketch of the boy climbing the
Irvine is evidence that he saw it, but the
camera says there was no boy and no Irvine
From which am compelled to believe that
my theory is absolutely correct-that Mr.
Fakir had simply hypnotized the entire
crowd, but couldn't hypnotic the camera.
Pm going to write ont a history of the affair
and have copies made of the pictures and
forward them to the London Society for
Psychical Research. have no doubt 1t will
make good use of them"