The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-06-21
HINDoo MAerc-woRKERs.
Some of the Tricks Are illusions Easil
Explained.

spondent l had heard Of them, and, now
1 was landed in Calcutta, my mind wa
fully resolved to see and experience them
for myself. The questions l asked, the
places sought and the money paid are
not important; let me go directly to and
state distinctly what l saw.
found, in the first place. that jugglers In
India made claim to magic, and stoutly as
serted that they performed no tricks.
As their audie ices were generally of the
very common, ignorant class, their pretRn-
slons got them into no trouble, and, indeed,
added to the eclat of their performances.
| The priests are almost without exception
! jugglers and myslhers more or less adroit.
| There are some matters, too, like the tele-
/ phone, which we in yankee land deen recent
as discoveries, which have been known to
these Indian priests, lol these centuries
| They are only employed to dumfound the
people, however, and assist the church in its
schemes of plumber. No good use, true, but
| as vet the only one / found the priests Of
| one temple talking to their holy neighbors
| in some other, and, in certain cases, quite
distant temple, by means of these rude tele-
phones.
OF course generally dealt with conjurers
proper rather than with the priests
found a good horde of very clumsy
magiciaDs and some so deft and skillful as
to battle investigation. The snake charmers
1 never understood. All / can do is to
repeat their performance in words. This
incident will serve as a specimen.
was sitting reading in my room one hot
afternoon when the dark face of a snake
charmer, with whom had a bowling ac-
quaintance. looked in at the open door. He
seemed pleased to see me, and, after some
remarkable salnams said:
PLENTY big snake here, Sahib."
"Come in and route 'em out" replied.
knew that there was no possibility of
snakes. All the furniture in the room con.
sisted of three light chairs and bed, and
no more chance Tor a snake in the situation
than for u republican in Texas. In he
came, however, in very sanguine, hope
ful way and began some vocal operations
on reed flute, which might have been
charming to snakes, but fell as far short
with me as would a Wagnerian opera.
While wes considering the disagreeable
quality OF the music thus foisted upon me
the cover on the bed began suddenly 20
move. Itrsised itself uutil it became quite
tent-like, and finally from beneath one edge
came the dull, ugly, hooded head Of q cobra
di capella. He was no infant 10 arms either,
but as big as any body. Slowly he descended
to the floor and approached the orchestra
When within three feet of him the cobra
stopped, cooled, lifted his head, raised his
hood, and, running out his forked tongue in
sinister way, seemed disposed to enjoy the
lascivious pleasing of the lutte.
My eyes were now attracted Co a corner
OF the room, and here came another snake
as large as number one, and from this point
and that came others, to say nothing OF two
more from the bed. The whole outfit
eleven in all-ranged themselves in q row
like class In music and attended the flute
obligato with ear and eye rs If spellbound.
They would have beaten time with their
feet II they had possessed those members,
but as IL was escaped this annoyance.
When the last cobra was in line my
visitor backed to the door, his eleven pupils
inching along after him. II he stopped
playing, they expressed their discomfort in
various threatening ways, not at all re-
assuring. At last an assistant came behind
the bcsotted serpents as they sat listening,
and with short sword, keen as a BARRIERS
razor, shipped off, one by one, their foolish
heads. Ipaid the usual fee, and my visitors
gathered up the ruins of the cobras and
departed. l have 20 conception of how
this TRICK was managed, the snake man de-
ciining to sell the idea at any price.
THE MANGO TRICK EXPOSED.
One day party of jugglers came In and
offered to do the world-famed mango trick
grow a mango from a seed and cause IL
to bear fruit before our eyes. We could
selected spot In the yard back of the
hotel, and told them to pitch In. They sat
about in little circle, cross-legged, and
sang dreary concerted number from some
Hindoo operatic failure, while the main guy
spaded up little place in the earth with the
blade Of a crooked dagger.
Over this he reared a tripod of sticks
some two feet high, and covered by casting
a cotton shawl over it, like little tent. All,
hal we were not then to see the mango
growing. Taking a mango seed from one
OF Us, the rascal mountebauk made a great
fuss burying it. Then he drew his little
tent close and the fearful singing went on.
In a minute he lifted one corner of the tent,
and there was mango shoot coming out Of
the ground, aud some four inches high.
the cloth was dropped again, and, after
away, and there stood mango shoot two
feet high, bearing green and ripe fruit.
stepped forward as if to pick a specimen of
the fruit As did noticed the coniurer
grasp the base OF the little tree with his
hand as if to steady it. Taking my cue
from that. l seized the shoot and forcibly
pulled it up. Instead Of roots, it showed
the fresh cut of a knife. It was simply the
branchlet Of a mango tree which he had
concealed In his flowing sleeve. Our poor
mango seed was still in the soft earth, un-
sproated. Our dusky entertainers blushed
beneath their tan and departed, never ask
ing for their fee. However, we called one
back and paid it. just the same.
WONDERFUL ILLUSION.
One night went to an entertainment by
three conjurers. They were in a shed-like
building and had fenced off one end by
means Of ropes. This was where they were
to perform. 1t was night, but the room was
well lighted. They allowed a full exami-
nation Of their stage, but we learned nothing
of profit by il. Their most wonderful feat
was their first. All three began whirling
like dervishes. This was kept up for two
minutes. Then they whirled together in
the center, and then they began to separate.
! counted four of them
This was done again and again, and the
number was augmented each time by two
and three new ones, until a square dozen
were leaping and whirling before us. All
this was done, too. on a solid earth floor, and
no chance for traps. After the twelve had
whirled minute or two they whirled to-
gether for the last time in the center and
kept it up with a dizzy velocity which
baffied the eye. Finally they seemed to be
merging into one big man, and at last there
be stood alone. The others had disappeared.
His two original companions reappeared
presently, no one knew how, and the show
proceeded. l could not buy this scheme
either.
A Sure Bet.
There is a woman on tha Vast cida sox, A.