Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1892-09-29
FAKES IN A FREAK o
Fire-Eiting and Osher Tricks and the
Manner in Which They Are Performed

pa -~~~HA-Nf
is a highly Volatilized mixture OBJ
tanned from petroleum. 1t is placed
lighted in the mouth without touching
the lips, which are instantly closed,
and the fire is at once extingushed.
There is a certain amount of moisture
or oily substance on the tongue, which
SERVES to protect it during the short
time the fame is alive in the mouth,
which, with the tongue, is toughened
by the use of alum. Paper soaked in
alum and water, according to the n.
Y. Noes, becomes as iireproof as ashes
tus. The gas that is generated in the
mouth from the gasoline is utilized by
the performer by blowing it into the
flame of a lamp, through "A glass tube,
and, rs it instantly catches fire, it APP
pears to the observer hat the man has
an inlammable breath. The flame
goes out and rcsppears at the will of
the performer. as he stops the end of
the tube with his tongue or continues
20 ill it with gas until the supply in
his mouth is exhausted. II the per-
former puts q lighted wick in his
mouth the wick is saturated with coal
oil or alcohol. His mustache is pro-
tected from the flame by being thor
oughly soaped.
An interesting fire trick is accom-
plished with an electrical arrangement
b. means of which one of the perform
ers becomes the positive and the other
the negative pole of the battery. a
spark coil is used. and on whatever
part of the body one of them touches
the other sparks are emitted there
from. A very slight shock follows
whenever the electric circuit is COM
pleted.
A puzzling trick is to make q piece
of paper catch fire by apparently
only blowing on it. 1t is done in this
way: Ten cents worth of bisulphate
of carbon and a ten cent stick of phos-
phorus are placed in an alright bottle
with a glass stopper, where the phos-
phorus dissolves. The paper is soaked
in the bottle, and when it is withdrawn
has to be used quickly. because when
it strikes the air it burns. This trick
was put to an amusing use q year or
two ago. when Manager Huber was
giving an exhibition OF spiritual man
~ifcstations." A committee from the
audience was invited to come upon the
stage and examine the cabinet and as
sure the spectators that everything
was as represented. 1t was a very
warm day, and the superintendent
kindly provided the committee with
japanese fans. He had previously,
however, dropped some of the prepar-
alton Of carbon and phosphorus on the
fans, and as soon as the committee be-
gan TO agitate them they were natur-
ally astonished to see them burst into
flame and quickly dropped them on
the stage
The same preparation is used with
Sticker" paper, which is apparently
taken by the performer out of q hat
borrowed from the audience. 1t is
rapidly unrolled, and as it is waved
through the air catches fire.
Before licking with the tongue a red
hot bar Of iron, or rubbing the lighted
end of a cigar or cigarette on the
tongue. a solution Of borax and alum
is used in the mouth of the performer.
A startling trick in the fire line is to
jump with bare feet on Il hot plate of
iron. Before doing this turn the per-
former sits with his feet in a tub of ice
water until they are thoroughly be-
numbed. Then he jumps on the hot
iron, but before reflex action sets in,
which would, of course, cause intoler-
able pain, he is of again. The water
on his feat turns into steam before re-
flex action sets in, but unless there is
too much water on them it affords
some protection, otherwise so much
steam would generate so quickly as to
roast the flesh.
Not long ago, in Wilkesbarre, Pa.
the manager Of a dime museum was
short of curiOs. when one of the per-
formers offered to jump on a hot iron
with his bare feet in order to ill out
the bill. The offer was accepted, 9
piece of sheet iron 4 by 2 1-2 feet
in size obtained and under it was
placed a gaslight. In order to make
as fine an impression as possible the
performer first painted the iron red,
aud when he did the act "the thing"
according to an eyewitness, nearly
pulled off the bottom of his feet, and
he had to use sandpaper to get OF all
the paint"
That the freaks that are known as
tack and glass swallowers actually dc
swallow these highly indigestible ar.
ticles is shown by the autopsy recently
performed on one of them who died
with a choice selection of tacks. staple:
and broken glass in his stomach. The
swallowing is facilitated by a mouth
full of water, and the tongue of the
performer arranges the tacks in hi.
mouth so that they go down with theil
heads foremost. This class of freak.
are great drinkers of whisky, which
counteracts the injurious effects of the
presence of glass in the stomach
After each performance they eat {
piece of dry bread and wash it dowr
with whisky.
In the case of "the freak with
phonominal skull" on which stone
are broken, the secret OF the trick lie
in the pad between his skull and th,
stone, which distributes the force o
the blow with the hammer so that h
is not injured. The so-called Circas
sian girls, as is generally known, ar
mostly made freaks. their hair bein,
doctored with stale beer and gum ara
bic, which combine TO bleach it ant
stilfen it. Many OF these freaks nova
days lind it more comfortable to wea
wigs that are skillfully adjusted t
the head. The su-calIed "moss-haire,
woman" wears a wig, but it is so al
tistically fitted on her head that to tn
average observer it looks like a natura
growth of hair.
A kissing Governor in Africa.