The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-06-03
Two Remarkable Feats of India's
Glover Jugglers.


on the eastern wizards that have so long
been held in esteem. Whether or not the
tricks the jugglers perform are wonderful
is a matter to be determined individually.
At any rate, in vague way they have the
reputation Histories and books are full
of the accounts of the miraculous ieats that
these tricksters of India can perform.
And now comes Mr. Kellar, nine
teenth-century Broadway up to date ma
gieian, who adds his testimonial to all the
rest as to the superiority of oriental over
occidental magic.
Mr.. kellar, it seems, has also travelled
in India in a search for the wonderful and
succeeded in finding what he could not
understand
Professor Kellar isn't very old in years,
but if you come to count up his experiences
Methuselah isn't in it with him. There
are few places ON the face of this earth
that he has not seen, and his travels in the
spirit world are also quite extensive. He
has pulled rabbits out of the pigtail of the
heather Chinese on his native heath: he
has wrung silver dollars from the nose of
the Australian kangaroo and has made
flowers to grow for the Zulu belle attired
in her sable costume of bare skin.
"Some years age" says the professor,
81 spent considerable time in India trav-
cling through the country and visiting the
principal cities. That is the land of the
magician, and nowhere on earth is the art
so thoroughly known. The Indian magi-
clans appear to have been born for the
business, and they have developed their
natural abilities to such wonderful degree
that many of the natives believe them to
possess supernatural powers. Indeed one
almost finds himself concurring with the
general idea after he has witnessed some of
their feats.
II have attended many wonderful
seances, but | can remember none that
impressed me more than one which | saw
in the rooms of the ChuddermunziI club
at Lucknow. I was guest of the club
and was invited to attend the performance
Of one of the native jugglers. gladly
consented to be present, and together with
Captain jenkins, the president of the club,
and Captain Powers, an officer in the
queens navee, who had just returned
from the Zulu war, | took seat near the
stage
"During the early part of the entertain
ment there were a half dozen jugglers who
performed only ordinary tricks, and then
the star of the evening was introduced.
He performed one of the most wonderful
tricks ever saw. He took board and
placed it on four glass goblets, thus elevat-
ing it from the floor. A youngester sitt-
ing on the board was then requested to
place his hands together palms up. Then
the juggler took a glass of water and
poured it into the outstretehed hands of
the boy. In the meantime the boy had
been mesmerized, and his attention was
fixed an point indicated by the magician.
Gradually the water turned green in
color, and then it developed into Jelly
which increased in density until it became
as solid as any stone article you ever saw.
Out of the center of this there appeared
the head Of snake, which gradually de-
veloped until in the place Of the water
there appeared kissing reptile. | was
amazed, | can assure you, but the trick
was not yet completed. Hitting the reptile
upon the head with his wand, the juggler
took it up carefully and placed it back in
the glass.
"As we looked it became transformed
into jelly, which in turn transformed
into a greenish colored water Clearer
and clearer became the fluid until it was
of its original color, and then the jagsler
placed it to his lips and drank the entire
contents. That was the most wonderful
trick | ever saw performed, and it Is as
mysterious to me today as it was then.
There was another trick performed the
same evening which was not so wonderful,
but was nevertheless remarkable.
"a woman with a baby swung in bag
around her waist entered the stage and
endeayoFed to balance ball upon her
nose. This she failed to do on account Of
the hindrance afforded by the child. She
repeated the attempt, but met wih no
better success than on the first trial. The
juggler all the while was standing on the
side of the stage, apparently furious at the
repeated failures of the woman, and finally
in rage he rushed toward her and tore
the babe away from her The woman
screamed as she realized the danger into
which the child was thrown, and the indig-
nation spread to the audience.
aUnconcerned apparently about the
babe, its mother or the audience, the Jug
gler took the child and threw it into a
bag which he held in his right hand
Then taking firm hold on the neck OF
the bag he whirled it over his head and
brought it down upon the floor with
force that hoded no good to the occupant.
AT the sane time the woman screamed and
fell on her knees, begging the iuggler to
desist, but he told her to keep quiet and
repeated the performance.
@By this time Captain jenkins and Cap
tain Powers were on che stage and were