Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-14
soRcEREr ny REAL soRcERERs
Dn W. .. Holman Performs Some Feafs last
AStonish the Natives.

AStonish the Natives.
y EXHIBIT ILLUSTRATING INDIAN
. sorcery as TO be made at the worlds fair BY
the bureau OF ethnology. One OF the most e.
pert wizards in the business is regularly en-
ployed by Uncle sam. He has Just returned
to Washington froma meeting OF the shAmansor
mystery men In the Menomoni tribe. where
he took part in the performance OF many VEN
derful fests OF magic. for twenty-four con
seeutive hours he shook the sacred rattle in
voked the spirits BY incarnation and We'd with
has fellow iuggiers in the production Of
miracles. He has brought hack with hi.n q
quantity Of the garaphernalis employed.
This gentleman, DT. W. J. Hoffman. IA re-
garded by adopts in such matters among me
Indians n sorcerer Of remarkable ability. He
eau do tricks which the copper-eolared viz
ards cannot perform. and they look upon him
accordingly with respect amounting 60 rev
ererce. For years hc has belonged TO their
most exclusive mystery societies. Al meetiHgs
of those organizations the ceremonies CONSIST
largely OF miraculous doings. Some of them
may easily lo explained. shile Others apI,eAr
50 marvellous as 60 be quite unaecountable.
DANCING FlSURr.
For example. the sorcerer squats on Che
ground al one side Of the medicine lodge Win
blanket spread out in front of him. Lying
upon the hoor On the further side OF the BLANKET
Is placed a little human figure carved oul 81
100. me wizard drums and chants until.
Nt,t while, the ciligy begins 10 move slowly.
~ lyhsth ~ stands erect aud proceeds TO dahce
| IN! thmicaily IN time 20 the chanting IL seems
| i-ito N"hneriHL but iu reality the thing n
done very simply by having string fasteSea
| AZ one ehd 10 the WOODEN image and nj AZ,
other TO TIE big toe OF the magician the esrd
passing bentath the blanket
mar seems very palpable imposture: but
[ a 4 H. Ill 4
| OF Indian wizards who can make grass erow a
few minutes notice all over the inr,. ,,n.si ~
arid prairle OF transport Themselves in fbe
presence oi hundreds of witnesses from sns
by rings OF ireY
| AsroNisHrNa THE TNDTASs
| Al the recent Menomoni mystery mcoti,r
DIR. Hoffman, after witnessing with applsHse
the feats OF rival sorcercrs who proaueca
snakes from empty bags and did other reusrl
| able things. TOOK his turn ia the miraculous
performance. 10 begin with he astonished all
present by the unparalleled ana unpreoe denied
act OF setting sugar on lire with water The
sugar was mixed with chiorate of potash ana
the supposed water WIS In reality rulphuric
acid. He TOOK drop of the acid on the END OF
a little stick, touched the sugar and potash
with It and the :esalt, Of course, was combus-
ton.
Next he announced that he wonld isrn
water into blood. For this purpose he had
provided hirasoH with two tgmblers one "
which was partly filled with sulpho-cyanido Of
potash, while the other contained a weak solu-
ton Of the tincfure OF chloride OF iron. beth
looked exactly ike water. but, when poured
together, the mixture at once became Of dark
red color. The doctor Immediately threw IL
ont on the ground. lest any one ascertain by
inspection thst II was not real gore. Another
trick not less effective was done by throw nag q
bat OF pure potassium into water. whereuIsou
II took hre. swain around violently and az
plodec with loud report. The spontaneous
ombusuon OF phosphorus WAS also made %
serve miraculous purposes.
HOW TO TREAT AN ULCERArED STOMACH
The sorcerers make their living by usius
their powers for the relief of the sick DIR. Hef.
man learned Of case the other day where ons
of them was called in to treat an Indian who
was suffering from liberated stomach. ahs
Practitioner. after various incantations took %.
Z hollow leg bone uf turkoy-a section OF i
, nbout four inches IN lengtn-and thrust u dow
) wa own throat. He repeated this operates
9nti three or four such bones had disappeared
I INTO has msophagus. The end Of the last oits.
: projecting from has mouth. he placed IN con
tact with the sick persons body and
: sucked VIOLENTLY. Presently he Era
: out from his mouth one by On.
., a number Of dead field mice. There was a nss
! OF them, he said, ia the mans stomach. ana b
had got all but one of the mice. That ono /
was impossible for him to secure. He said Tan
: because he knew that the patient was YER
Likely TO die. In fact. the latter did die a 90
, days aiterward, and. having sent for the pos
surgeon al the last moment, he requested hin
, TO cut open his corpse after death and remOu
the remaining mouse. 50 that he Iaight Lsp
some peace IN the next world