The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-22
AWAY WITH GRAVITY.
N. BUATIER DA KOLTA's REPORT
ED DISCOVERY.


the HOusetop, IL Is said, Without
breaking Them.
Henry Kellar in New York Advertiser
Buatier Da Kolta. perhaps the most IA
nous musician now living in Europe, and
I widely known as an inventor Of magical
illustrations and devices. has made dis
covery which must be recog-
nized, when it is understood,
as the greatest attainment of
mechanical science in this century. 1t is
nothing more nor less than a means Of
! overcoming the force of gravitation; not
neutralizing it absolutely. but so far les
SEEMING its force as to render the fall of a
/ heavy body from a great hight devoid Of
/ serious consequences. The shock of col
| lisiOn is by this discovery completely an
/ aulled and from the point of view of util-
/ ity this IS perhaps the most valuable part
! Of the discovery. BY this device Da Kolta
7 is able to drop a basket Of eggs from the
top story of his dwelling house in Paris
and not smash the eggs. He told me in
/ person the outline of this discovery, the
gist of which is yet an absolute secret
OF course he has not patented IL. but he
/ has made Ii known to several distinguished
French scientists under the pledge of alb
| solute secrecy, and they have agreed to
furnish him with all the capital necessary
to make a public test of it at an early date.
am led to mention this remarkable in
vention. no news of which has been given
to the world. by reason of the fact that
very well known firm of theatrical import
ers has let it be known in the city of New
York that they are in possession of a
magical secret or mysterious illusion. the
value of which, in the hands of a skillful
man, would be so great that they feel
warranted in asking $4,000 in cash before
they will divulze the secret. The most
elaborate and wonderful mechanical or
| magical illusion that l have any knOwl-
edge of, and 1 have studied this subject
all over the world for thirty-four years.
and have read upon it and investigated it,
In season and out Of season. was the mys-
| terry Of the blue Room" or 1.-The house
and the BRAIN" as shown by me in Egyp-
| tian hall some years ago; but it is no
/ longer seen as / presented Il. l have
/ abandoned 1t on account Of the difficulty
/ OF moving 1t and the enormous expense at
/ taching to its production. The plan Of
/ this magical illusion was discovered by
| Mr.. w. J. Walker, the famous organ build
| er and inventor of London. He exhibited
/ II In crude form in Dean street near OK
| ford street, London, calling 1t 1.-THE Walk
er Illusion" and II was through him that
obtained the right TO produce it in
Leaving out Of consideration the magI-
4 cal secret for which the Rosenfelds asked
SzOOOO, and the nature Of which no one
/ KNOWS IN this country but themselves;
| and barring THE Blue Room" of which
| l have spoken, the discovery of Da Kol-
/ ta's is unquestionably the only really
| wonderful and magical marvel of this de-
G cad that know OF. The one next most
| The Mystic Shrine of Koomra Sami,
! which is now on exhibition in this coun-
try.
After having studied magic throughout
| the east, and especially in India, having
! spent about fifteen years in that region,
have come to the deliberate conclusion
that the most marvellous magical feats
ever seen in this country are undoubtedly
those OF high caste Indian fakirs, which
are done absolutely without the assist
| anee of conjuring devices, as used among
| us. Mechanical appliances are neither
visible or traceable in their work. The
| attempt made by Mr.. Thomas Stevens
| in New York city some months ago
! TO expose, o IS he called it,, the secrets Of
high caste Indian magic. excited the
! greatest interest all over the United
| states. but resulted in the most utter
| disappointment. There is not a commu-
| nifty in this country which would not
gladly I'LL the largest hall in its reach
| TO hear and see an explanation of these
| famous teatS OF eastern magic, which
| are the wonder and despair of European
| scientists and travellers, who have been
| investigating them for 500 years. / feel
1 warranted however in making this an
| nouncement at this time after having
heard what Mr.. Stevens has said upon
| this subject and having pursued a course
! of reading especially In that direction for
| the last several years.
| Nothing has transpired since my re-
! turn from India to change tho conclusions
| that | reached in that country after years
| of study as a magician. That conclusion
was and still is that the Hindoo magicians
accomplish their wonders, many of which
/ still maintain are absolutely beyond our
! comprehension, by one of two methods,
| neither of which require mechanical aid.
| The first of these may be the human
! mind, that remarkable medium of com
| municatiOn whose properties as such are
! as yet but little understood by us. Call il
| hypnOtism, thought transference, or what
you like, the force which produces tie
! results is absolutely mental and not phys
] ical. Second. the fact that Buatier Da
| Kolta has discovered, as l firmly believe,
! a means of almost destroying the force
| of graYitatton, or, at least, counteracting
| it, is the very demonstration for which 1
| have waited for years of the FEASIBILITY
! of my theory that the Hindoo magicians
| perform their marvels or wonders by
understanding laws of nature which are
| unknown to US, or by having learned the
secret Of overthrowing those laws which
1t has often been said by magicians who
| have never visited India, and so have
had no opportunity of investigating In
| dian magic in its home, and who conse-
| quently affect to disbelieve In 1t and ridi-
| Guile the narratives which travellers and
! scientific men alike nave related OF IneSc
! performers, that If these men really could
| do as much as 1t is said they do, they
would long since have come west to Eu-
| rope and America and made great fortunes
as they might readily do in single season.
| They point to the fact that at the world )
| fair in Chicago, the performing falIirs eX-
! ecuted fests of the most ordinary deScrip-
tion and that none of the famous marvels
of the high caste magieians was seen or
| even attempted.
The answer is simply this: The high
| caste Indian fakir scornS money, and eS-
teens in it's stead only the rules of his
| religion and customs of his order. In
stead of seeking to make his fortune.
nothing could induce him to leave the at
| mosphere of religious devotion in which
he lives to mingle with what he consd-
| ers unclean, money-grabbng and entirely
| despicable people of Europe and America.
| His wants are almost none. lie wears a
! breech-clout and eats rice. His personal
| expenses would not be more than 81 a
year, as his food is given to him by pas
sers-by end the 81 would keep him a year
| in breech-clouts. AS he sits wrapped in
| his devotion by the road side, his beggar' S
bowl rests beside him in full view. II
! there is no rice in II. the poorest native
! who passes viii feel 1t religious duty to
throw In a portion of his small portion.
/ The faklr could not permit himself. even
| ii he were hungry. to ask for food. Much