The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-06-05
A HINDOo MAGICIAN.
Marvellous Things Seen by a De-
fender of Lucknow.
From the NeD York Sun.

" AoA VI bH0 Di1llSu
army, who spent about seventeen years in
India, has been disturbed in his mind by
Herrmann's alleged expose and explanation
o the wonderful feats Of necromancy at
tributed TO the Hindoo conjurors. Herr
mann publicly declared that most Of
the feats were bungling sleight-of-
hand tricks, SO simple that he would be
ashamed to repeat them, and that the
rest were lies. plain. ordinary travellers
lies. Hermann said he had visited India
for the special purpose of studying the
magic Of that mysterious land and he never
had seen Hindoo juGgler do anything re-
maFkable; but II the ex-sergeant maj 0r of
Lucknow is not Joe Mulhatton the great
Hermann is as fasbelow the high-caste
fakir of the Punjab as Merlin was inferior
to 1.-THE Boss in Mark Twaiu's veracious
history of the days of King Arthur.
Farrell wears upon his breast a Defense
Of Lucknow" medal and long service and
good conduct" medal, which is proof that he
was not Mulvaney, and didn't put his
tut through the tin commandments twice a
day" when 10 the service of the widow. He
was color sergeant of the Eighty-fourth
when that regiment was cooped up in Luck
now.
Farrell declares that Hermann must
have seen only the bunglers among the In
dian jugglers, such as infest the large towns
and the ordinary lines of travel. "He
might be in India for years." said Farrell,
land never get sight of high caste con
juror. L had been there a long time before
l sew one. 1t was in April, 1859, about
year after the siege, when l was one of
large military force then sta
toned at Lucknow. A conjurer gave
performance in a mess ente-room, and Col.
Fielding of the Royal Artillery invited
large number of officers and a few non
CONS, including myself, TO be present.
Some of the officers who were there are
still alive, among them Gen. A. Herbert,
foot, Gen. Barton and Dennis Donohoe, now
British consul in San Francisco, all OF
whom will vouch for what l say.
THE performer was a tall handsome man
about So years of age, and he had the most
lustrous, penetrating dark eyes that were
seen in a human face. He entered the room
accompanied by one attendant who carried
only little fiat box about ten inches long.
The attendant took from the box q white
cashmere shawl and spread it upon the floor,
and the performer seated himself upon it.
He directed his gaze slowly upon each one Of
the audience in turn, and then he said to
Col. Lightfoot: will you hand to Col.
Cooper the sovereign you have in your vest
pocketl
'Col Lightfoot said he carried a sover-
eign as pocket piece, but he wondered
how the cOnjuror knew that. AS he spoke,
he felt in his pocket and a look Of surprise
came over his face. The sovereign was not
there. The performer smiled and asked
Col Cooper to feel in his pocket. Cooper
did so, and to his own establishment found
Col Lightfoot's sovereign, which he re-
turned to the latter. Holding the coin In
his hand, Col. Lightfoot asked the per-
former how he managed 1t.
Manage whatP asked the man.
"'How did you manage TO get that coin
from my pocket to Cooper'sp
az did not. 1t has not been out Of your
own pocket
"'But here it is said Col. Lightfoot,
opening his hard. A look of blank amaze
ment came into his face, for the coin which
he had just taken in his hand was not there.
The oonjuror told him to feel in his pocket
and the sovereign was there.
Before we recovered from our surprise
the performer borrowed a marked rupee
from Col. Montgomery and laid it upon the
shawl. He raised his forehnger and the
rupee stood upon its edge, and at sign
rolled half way across the room and then
stood still. AT another sign it rolled back,
and when opposite the performer it spun
rapidly like top and then disappeared.
when asked how he did it the man
quietly replied that he had done absolutely
nothing, and that we only imagined we saw
the coin spin around. The marked coin was
found in Col. Montgomery's pocket
"Then the basket trick was done but not
as Herman describes it. A basket four
feet in diameter and three feet high was
taken out of the attendants little box be-
fore our eyes. The cooks daughter was
called in and placed under the basket and
the next we knew the conjurer stood beside
it with a spear in his hand. Nobody could
tell where that spear came from. The man
jabbed the spear down through the basket,
the child shrieked and the blood flowed out
upon the floor. Several officers sprang for.
ward with drawn swords, terribly excited,
but the Hindoo calmly said: Nothing has
happened and tipped the basket over with
his bloody spear.
Nothing was under the basket. The
child came into the room through the door,
and when we turned again to look at the
coniuror he was seated upon the floor, and
the basket, spear and blood stains were
gone.
HE then took a short bamboo stick in his
hand, threw the shawl over his arm so as to
conceal the stick, and instantly he seemed
to be seated cross-legged in the air about
two feet above the floor, supported by moth.
ing but the cane under his hand. lieut..
Burns, an artillerymau, stepped quickly
| forward, seized the shawl, and twitca ed it
away No rod was there, and the man was
seated upon the floor, although no move
| ment of his body had been seen by anybody.
"Then he placed a silk handkerchief upon
the floor, and instantly it seemed to be
covered with a swarm of insects-golden
and iridescent beetles, flies of brilliant hue
all squirming and running about. turned
to the man next me said: Isn't that beauti-
| fulF
"'Isn't what beautiful? / see nothing.
he rejoined, and when / turned nv head
| again to look at the strange signt the hand
kerchief was clean and no insects were
| there at all.
THE man performed fourteen tricks in all,
and every one was as incomprehensible as
those have described. While he was per-
| forming he never looked at the coins or
other objects. but kept his eyes upon ours,
his gaze ranging from one to another con-
stantly. II man started to leave the room,
the Hindoo looked at him, and the man
would sit down, ali purpose gone from bis
| mind.
when it was all over the Hindoo smil.
| ingly informed us that we had seen literally
nothing, but had imagined the whole az
fair, and we went away thoroughly be.
wildered. I was so dazed that 1 even lost
my way back to the barracks. We
talked it over the next day. but could make
| nothing of 1t. We even tore up the floor
of the anteroom to see IL the Hindoc
had prepared for the performance by con-
cealing q confederate under the floor, but
| thara Sras no snace betvyeen the boards and