Connecticut western news., 1894-11-01
MAGIC EXPLAINED.
TEE STAR TRICKS OF HINooo CON , JuRERS MADE EASY.

The Mango Trick Explained by Keliar. tho Magician-It Is the Same Which Globe
 Trotter Stevens Claims Is MirAcuiousiy
 Performed by Yogi Men.
 The sleight of hand performances of MT. Maskelyne, a remarkably clever juggler, have excited great deal of in- terest in London. Not only arc his tricks skillfully done, but his explana- tions of other tricks have attracted much attention among class of men who seldom visit the halls where feats of this sort are presented.
 | The Mail and Express recently pub- lished an article from the London Spec tator in which the writer describes one or two tricks which he saw in India and which mystified him greatly. Here Is one, which, by the way, is described by Thomas Stevens, the globe trotter, who says that the Yogi men, who per form it, are aided by an occult force that the world is as yet ignorant of.
 A juggler placed cloth over the pave ment of the street, and presently he removed 1t, and there was mango growing between the stones 'The jug | gler," adds the writer, lone of the be- reditary caste, did undoubtedly make a leaf spring out of the ground; did make 1t grow into a dwarf mango, and did hand the mango from 1t to be eaten. It looked wonderful because of the appar- ent simplicity of the juggler, but he per | formed his feat in four processes, and between each he shook out his chudder, or muslin wrapper, so that it passed for an instant between the spectators and the plant The writer had no doubt then and has no doubt now that this was done not to conceal anything, but to distract attention momentarily; that the first leaf, the upgrowth of leaves. the dwarf mango and the mango on it were all of wax or other carefully made imitation, and that the whole miracle was marvelously rapid sleight of hand. !"
 To Americans who are interested In this sort of thing this mystery Is almost amusing. It was exposed several years ago by Kellar, the prestidigitateur. Four or five years ago Kellar publicly offered | $1, 900 to any one who would perform a trick which he could not duplicate and which he could not prove to be done by wholly human aids. A number of per sons who had recently visited India inn mediately deluged him with descrip- tions of this and other specimens of oriental jugglery. Of course as they could not perform the trick themselves they did not compete for his money offer, and therefore they were not publicly answered.
 Kellar, however, gave me personally a full explanation not only of these | tricks, but of several others which have long baffied the oleverest of the oooi- dental investigators. The magician has spent more than 15 years of his profes- sional life in India and the far east and be has closely studied the tricks of the native jugglers with more or less profit to himself. This is how he explained the mango or pineapple trick as nearly as can recall it:
 | 1.-The first time I saw the mango trick" said he, twas in Bombay in | 1879 or thereabouts, and the man who did it was the most skillful oonjurer ever say in India Even after I had learned the secret of his illusion I could not help admiring its ingenuity and the dexterity with which it was performed The juggler and his two comrades chose a spot before the Prince of Wales stat ue on the plaza He first laid down 0 bag on the hard ground and then drew from it large bandanna handkerchief Digging a small hole in the ground with one finger, he buried a pineapple seed, and over this he placed his hand kerchief. He carefully smoothed out the cloth, rubbing swiftly from left to right After this maneuver was ended he made several passes with his arms over the handkerchief, while his oom- rades beat industriously upon their drums and blew upon their pipes.
 | Suddenly, to my surprise, saw the handkerchief begin to slowly rise in the center and gently sway from side to side as though a plant were really sprouting | to life from the seed which he had planted beneath the cloth. When the handkerchief had risen like tent to a height of about 12 inches, the oonjurer stopped his inoantations and cautiously lifted up the left hand corner of the cover and peered beneath it Then, plunging both hands underneath to the accompaniment of loud and disoordant music, he threw aside the cloth and showed full grown pineapple plant.
 ''This is the way he did the trick, as he afterward admitted to me:
 ''In smoothing out the cloth he reach ed into the bag, the mouth of which was conveniently placed near the hand kerchief, and whisked out hooded CO., bra snake. The moment the reptile was laid down it began to coil That made the handkerchief rise When it had reached its full height its angry hiss | ing meanwhile being drowned by the music of the assistants, the performer | looked under the cloth, taking care to draw the corner close to the mouth of the bag. Then he adroitly whisked out hollow pineapple from the bag under heath the cloth. It was now the work of minute only to force the snake into the apple, close the aperture, and the trick was done. ."-Benjamin Northrup in New York Mail and Express.