The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-26
INDIAN JUGGLERS.
FEATS OF MAGIC As PERFORMED
BY AMERICAN ABORIGINEs.

COniuring Plants Out of the Ground.
Fire JuEEIers and the Mystery of a
Wigwam seance The Charmed
Bullet.
From the Washington Star.
The mystery men of certain ch-r,Sinal
tribes in this country are amazing Jug
glers," said DR. W j. Hoffman, the gov
eminent ethnologist, recently. Some of
the feats of magic they perform are
equal to any of those said to be executed
by the yogis of India. Judging from trav-
elers stories, the most remarkable thing
done by these oriental fakirs is the max
ing of a plant to grow out of the ground.
But there are sorcerers among our In
dams who are able to duplicate this trick.
A number OF them will gather in a circle
closely, with their heads bowed together,
so to shut out the view from without.
Presently, after going through some mon
key business. they separate. and 10! there
is a century plant growing on the prai-
rie, where previously nothing was to be
seen-a plant apparently of a dozen
years growth, and two or three feet high.
How is it done, you ask? I haven't the
slightest notion.
On one occasion Lewis Cass went to
Mackinaw, Mich, for the purpose of rep
resenting the government in a conference
with the Indians there. After the official
ceremonies there was a big medicine feast
This latter performance was witnessed
by Mr. Cass, who took notice incidentally
of woman looking on-a visitor like him
self. She was full-blOoded Chippewa,
and In her hand she had an old and dried
up bag OF snake skin. She spoke English
well, and, in response to a question, she
said that the has contained certain
charms and articles of magical value
l IHEE a . M ia
very angry. she threw the bag upon the
ground, ana, being Transformed into a
snake, II chased the derisive statesman,
who was obliged to take to his heels A
minute later the serpent returned to the
woman and became bag again That is
| for what it is worth.
Christian missionaries have found the
Indian magic a serious obstacle to their
/ evangellzing efforts. Sorcery is intimate
! ly associated with the aboriginal wor-
! ship, and the savages after astonishing
| the priests with their tricks laugh at
/ them, saying: your religion can't do
! such things" 1 happen to know of the
/ case of a Jesuit priest, who some years
ago went to work among the Arapahoes
and Cheyennes, west of the Mississippi.
| They did things which, he declared, were
! entirely beyond his understanding. The
mystery men would go out on the bare,
sandy prairie, where there was not a sprig
/ of vegetation, and, after some chanting
and various performances. grass would
come up out of the ground-quite a patch
| of it,, green and growing. He himself saw
it grow and there could be no doubt
about it,
THE bravest act l have ever known
was performed by one of these Indian
| jugglers. A favorite trick of his was one
that has often been performed by white
himself to be shot at, the hocus-pocus be-
ing an arrangement by which the bullet
fell out of the barrel into cavity in the
stock of the weapon before the latter was
discharged. Meanwhile, he had another
bullet concealed in his mouth, which at
the instant of firing, he pushed outward
I with his tongue, so as to make 1t appear
! that he had caught the projectile between
his teeth Now il happened that this
man had a rival, who was engaged in the
conjuring business in neighboring viii
| lage on an occasion when the trick was
| to be performed, the juggler announc-
ing, as usual, that he was ready to be
shot at by any one present the rival
stepped forward and said that he would
do the shooting But he demanded per-
mission to use his own weapon
Naturally, the Juggler objected, but
his protest was overruled. 1t was decided
that the rival magician might use his own
to the performer; yet, he did not blanch.
To refuse the test would have been per-
manent disgrace. There was one chance
marksman might miss He decided to
take that chance. and so permitted the
volunteer executioner to take deliberate
| aim and fire at him from a distance of
! half a dozen PAGES. An instant later he
fell dead; the bullet had passed through
| his brain.
I'm some tribes of Indians it used to be
the rule that a sorcerer who failed three
times must pay the penalty OF death.
That regulation has been remarkably
widespread among the savages. under
stand it TO have been accepted as far
south as Patagonia on this continent, and
I undoubtedly II survives to this day in
parts of Africa and elsewhere. But there
| was an ingenious magician OF my &C
/ quaintance who saved himself from this
! fate by little device of his continuing.
| Being permitted to furnish the bullet
/ with which he was to be shot, he made
| one in a mold in which piece of paper
| was inserted in such a manner that the
ball was cast in two hemispheres. These
| he put together causing them to hold by
ribbing the edges with his knife blade.
! In this way at the same time the decep-
ton was concealed. On being fired from
the gun, the bullet flew in halves, which,
being of such shape, scattered and left
escaped on several occasions the penalty
which ought TO befall the wizard who is
failure. Finally, however, he was found
| out and executed.
81 once saw an interesting trick perform
ed inside of a ceremonial wigwam. There
was a lot of dancing and mummery, in
ward and struck the ground in the middle
| of the lodge. Then a mystery man took
| his turn, and began scratching with a
stick on the spot which the woman had
stuck. In minute or two Were exposed
TO view the leaves of full-grown wild
turnip. The vegetable was dug up and
! there was no deception and to quell the
| appetite of the hungry pubic. Scratch
! ing some more with his stick the magician
produced several more turnips-two or
three dozen of them. 1t was really Won
| derful l should have been more aston
/ ished, however, if, being an initiated men,
/ Der of the secret society, I had not been
present in the morning ana seen the wo-
man bury the turnips,
In the Menomoni tribe to-day there is
a juggler Of great reputation. One of his
! best tricks Is done with q bears claw and