New-York tribune., 1894-04-29
I.NDf1N MAGIC.
SOME REASONABLE EXPLANATIONS.

SOML REASONABIE EAILANAIlON5
From The London Spectator
Il is assumed that certain feats have been per
formed for thousands OF years. which ia true tha
they cannot be performed in Europe which ls m->
ag!nary and that in certain details they mraca-
lous, or outside natural means Wllcn, IN Tue prss-
ent state OF the evidence. is pure assumption ne
writer for example: has seen three Of the repu,sd
miraculous ricksthe creation Of the dwarf mango,
the sitting In the air and the disappearance OF Nv.
ing being from basket in place where ,Ispp.
doors. concealed exits or cOlluslol were all alike
physically impossible In the first case the tugssr.
one OF the hereditary caste Gid undoubtedly maze
a leaf spring out Of the ground; did make II grew
into a dwarf mango: and did hand a mango from
1t 10 be eaten. 1t looked wonderful because OF the
apparent simplicity Of the jussler; bu! ne PEI: ps'.
med his feat in four processes and between eaen
that II nasSeS for an instant between the spectators
and the plant The writer had no doubt then, ard
has no doubt now. that this was done not to conceal
anything. but to distract attention momentany
mango and the mango on IT, we're all q
wax or other car"fuy made imitation and
I' il at ali which Mr. ,iastelyne could %; 81
turban. and the performance was decidedly lnsh.
expcable than one carried through by a Frlsa
ncva. This performer put A 5-franc piece Of tie
year 1865 on plate promised to replace II by i'y
frame piece OF the First Republic while twenty
pairs Of eyes were staring AZ the plate The wrsi.
piece. certain that he had never taken his eye
on the coin. and was. OF course. mere sic.n , %
foolish
some infinitely more delicate method.
In the case Of the sitting in air the writer @ ass
certainty. The performer a woman. certalny
seemed to defy the laws Of eravitaton sitting tEo
feet from the sround in open sunlight win M n:r
wrist on the hit Of an ordinary sword II is pos
sbe. however. lightly she was dressed; that sns
was sitting in loop Of wire attached TO the sword.
hllt; and she certainly never breahed we Dens,. n
the eXplana ton 10 consist in a ong-practsed nae1
Of holding the breath. which. as We nave been too,
lightens the body and in some art OF remaining
a
ent that the woman in a trance but there tDH.
though 1t seemed at the moment nearly iheAp"'~
As 10 the third trick-the vanishing-the writer
Is certain. jugger stepped at Madias on 70 . Wy
steamer. and offered the company assembled WHO
were lounginc about highly bored by the os
method of coallng. If they would subscribe 70 snys
them something better than common Juggling, isss
collection. OF course, was forthcoming az once, ~
cleared space on the deck and told ne VIE h.y. ~
weighed seven stone. but more probably six. LAY ay
down. and her husband placed over her @ snS'Us Nv
Nat basket with handle at the back, eNacuyr as
semblng the ba slIets used for vegetables IN Es Eas.
Anglia, and called "fraiL" Then, win n.MSi IA
laid il down two or three feet of The woman had n,i
vanished. and The audible amazement seemed ;,sy 1.vp
essentially an awkward man. IN stepping psNs
stepped on the edge of the trai amu sa, bsen a
niece OF suporb acting The Young woman had
learned to hook herself with her fingers ana rlns,
h@nSle TOES INTO the slfonS IttNV.N i"',.h, IN,
top of the frail. and the husband. sIsht ne he
powerful man. had learned TO htt her as ..-,,sr
were lifting nothing but the basket me " W. ~.
of course said nothing about his awkwarIhess,..
juggler. after one savage glance. sal huU,o,sd
either. and only two years ago the case was rr.
as one Of those only seen In India ana WHICH n.
ing to the total absence Of machinery coud n0' :"
explained away. . ,.s, s,gr
There remain two other miracles az isssc issssc.,sssd
TO be explained one is the self-interment pin,s IN
by some Brahmins who are rcNered as sSts mi
consequence. Tho writer has never seen uts' n,rss
he inquired into IL once very carefuy q, III tnoyn
cross-exa mining, among others, thr w na natlye
English Pundit Dr. Ballantyne. 10 whom no ".s,ss
told ies and he has 10 doubt that on TWO VI nrs.
occasions old Brahmins have descended lhso
pared grave or underground cell anu ,.nant nat sp-
maine1 there for forty days at least W ia with
parent means Q. obtaining food or drink Nlu Han
no arrangement for the natural evacuatlonS. .,.not
that feat is performed he has no idea. IL hsen
be trick for the whole business mas mara
watched by Europeans. and II cannot w re shown
case of heightened abstinence like the one msd,-
at the aquarium and In Italy; Tor thous,. with.
cal records show. human being can sn suIsn a con.
out food for astonishing length OF s nm diving
he cannot survive without water. lie hv,har the
to begin with. The only possible: or M ra' ,haf
only probable explanations therefore a,.ss az pro-
few Erahmns know OF n drug when ihuu or that
tracted catelepsy-a conceivable soiutlor, yre the
no Rrahmin performs the feat who chhho,,; h,nssK
Colonel Townshend OF 100 years ago Wn' "a often
into CAtaleptc trance. and repeat thIs syonder-
,s his vitality will admit. IL Is Ne.ss VIZ, n has
ful performance worth more attention thad nd close
received but Il ls q most infrcQuent one. a az mart
scrutiny Is a good deal ntcrferod uitn on on W. rar
" Indians by superstitious dread. ana g or which
~ Europeans by horror or dolns any soemid lead 70
The experimentcr's death. The suuuei a xhoe
the grave might do that. as wen rs rou, a,aticsl
district into one OF those awful bursts o. ysn,urs
Jury which no sane man or good man wiz