New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-08-06
HOULING DERVISHES PERFORM
THEY DO SUCH REALISTIC JUGGLING THAT THEY
MAKE SPECTATORS sICK.

THEY DO SUCH REALISTIC JUGGLING THAT THEY
MAKE SPECTATORS SICK.
Thirty nnkempt leather.sldnned dervishcs spun on
their toes around the Madison Square Garden amphi'
theatre Yesterday made WIZ faces, ate glass. chcwod
snakes and entertained party Of actors and news
noncr men with other little diversions OF the orient
sevor,l DAYS ago f. VI. Maluk, Cairo rug merchant
brought group OF bowling dervishoS on the llhacra'
and he Is now looking for place to exhibit them.
Yesterday he turned them loose In the Garden, ana
for three hours they gave exhibition, which Tor
realism surpassed any show ever given III New 1"fK'
ISe name dcrvish is synonymous with fakr, but the
unwashed strangers 1ron uc OIleho uiu C"k' WITHIN
were all TOO real
The performance began Mt O'Clock in the after
noon and continued long ms tho spectators coui
stand the strain. few skins and rugs were sprean
at the Madison ave- end Of the amphitheatre, upon
vNicb the dervishes stood shoulder to shoulder,
swaving their bodies to and fro and contemplating
their own noses from about hundred different angles
They were dressed in long, flowing robes Of brown
and gray stuhs and upon their feet they wore
Turkish slippers. For nearly an hour they sqiirm"i
and wri sgled and murmured weird incantatioh'
The. manager had announced that his company would
Give thanks giving performance" but the Wild and
hasgani men who returned thanks yesterday haG evil
IDENTIFY never heard OF the roastturkey- pumpNn-
pie Thanks givng OF the United states
The crunching OF glass b0ttle Was the signal for
A change in tho programme and the whole tribe was
next chewing flint glass. The bottles were not the
harmless bits OF glaue used by the American fahs.
hut uer Apparently OF the hardest glass. Several OF
the shattered bottles examined and they We're
found 10 be- smearcd With blood. pleasing httle
p,sme wa, the piercing OF tho cheeks with needle
Ike instrument called the "dabOos' Upon the END
u It was ball Of metal. The performer stuck the
,olnted instrument into his right cheek, twisted 1t
about and stretched the skin. Not neglecung the
letter OF the law he turned out the other check and
then punctured the flesh under his chin. The per
former seemed to be unconscious Of pain
The feature 81 the entertainment, as 1t Is OF all
variety performances I'm these days, was the scrpeh
un. dance Il was performed without the aid OF
gauze SKIRTS and calcium lights but there can be no
doubt that IL was the only and orr gina scrpcntine
dance. All Iassan the high priest OF the tribe faced
the spectators carrying big snake about three feet
long Willie he executed series OF steps which
would put the dancers Of the roof gardens TO shame
The dcrvi,h hung the reptile about his neck
and pcrmitted Il to crawl over his
h.lv and 10 entwtne Itself about his
arms Then he seized It with both hands and BIT
Of the head The body writing was passed around
be circle Of dervlshes ard before Che sight Of the
spectators each mon seemed to bite of portion Of the
slu,y coll The pcrsoDs IN tho boxes who had come
10 see a display Of juggling loohod sick and one by
one they made their way INTO the street me per
rorrnancn continued until y O'Clock when the rug
| merr rrnt trk his company nom the Garden
The Turkish Consul General, who was present, said
that the performers were undoubtedly dervishes from
means the sill Of door, slglfying that the dervish
hr,s from door 10 door. The d"rvlsh Is religious
devotce and represents the mystic side Of Islam The
people live by begging, juggling and selling medicine