Evening star., 1896-01-11

stories, tH0 IuOSt re-
markable thing done by those oriental
fakirs is the making of plant to grow out
of the ground But there are sorcerers
among our Indians who are able to dupli-
cate this trick. A number of them will
gather in circle closely, with their heads
bowed together, so as to shut out the view
from without. Presently, after going
through some monkey business, they separ
ate and 10! there is a century plant grow
ing the prairie, where previously moth
ing was to be seen-a plant apparently of
dozen years growth and two or three
feet high. How is it done, you ask? l
haven't the slightest notion.
ION one occasion Lewis Cass went to
Mackinaw, Mich, for the purpose of repre-
senting the government in conference
with the Indians there. After the official
ceremonies there was big medicine feast.
This latter performance was witnessed by
Mr. Cass, who took notice incidentally of
woman looking on-a visitor like himself.
She was a full-blOOd Chippewa, and In her
hand she had an old and dried-up bag of
81 axe skin. She spoke English well, and,
in reponSe to a question, she said that the
bag contained certain charms and articles
of magical value. Mr.. Cass laughed at her,
and she became very angry. She threw the
Gag upon the ground. and. being transform
ed into a snake, 1t chased the derislve
heels. A minute later the serpent return
ed to the woman and became a bag again.
That is the story Mr.. Cass told; you may
take it for what 1t is worth.
'ChriStiau missionaries have found the
Irflian magic a serious obstacle to their
evangelizing efforts. Sorcery is intimately
associated with the aboriginal worship.
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 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 un-
ders tanding. 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 patch OF 1t, green and growing He
himself saw it grow, and there could be no
doubt about 1t.
He Took Fatal Chances.
1.-THE bravest act 1 have ever known was
performed by one Of these Indian jugglers
A favorite trick Of his was one that has
often been perform ed by white maSicians.
1t consisted in permitting himself to be
shot at, the hocus-pocus being an arrange
ment by which the bullet fell out of the
barrel into a 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 fir
ing he pushed outward with his tongue so
| as to make it appear that he had caught
the projectile between his teeth. Now, it
happened that this man had a rival, who
| was engaged in the conjuring business in
| neishborinS village. On an occasion
| when the trick was to be performed, the
! jrggler announcing, 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
permission to use his own weapon.
Naturally, the jUsgler objected, but his
protest was overruled. 1t was decided that
! the rival magician might use his own weap-
on. This meant almost sure death to the
performer; yet, he did not blanch. To re-
| fuse the test would have been permanent
| disgrace. There was one chance out of a
hundred. perhaps, that the marksman
| might miss. He decided to take that
chance. and SO permitted the volunteer
| executioner to take deliberate aim and fire
| at him from distance of half dozen
PAGES. An instant later he fell dead; the
| bullet had passed through his brain.
| ''In some tribes of Indians it used to be
! the rule that sorcarer who failed three
times must pay the penalty of death. That
| regulation has been remarkably wide
| spread among the savages l understand it
| to have beer accepted as far south as Pata-
gonia on this continent, and undoubtedly
| it survives to this day in parts of Africa
and elsewhere But there was an ingeni-
saved himself from this fate by little
! device of his contrving. Being permitted
| to furnish the bullet with which he was to
| be shot, he made one in mold in which
a piece of paper was inserted in such a
manner that the ball was cast in two hem
| ispheres. These he put together, causing
| them to hold by rubbing the edges with his
knife blade. In this way at the same time
fired from the gun, the bullet flew in
| halves, which, being Of such a shape, scat
tered and left the man untouched. BY this
| means he escaped on several occasions the
penalty which ought to befall the wizard
| who is a failure. Finally, however, he was
| found out and executed.
Some Ingenious Deceptions.
| Il once saw an interesting trick per-
| formed inside Of a ceremonial wigwam
| There was a lot of dancing and mummery.
in the midst of which a woman came for
| ward and struck the ground in the middle
of the lodge. Then mystery man took
his turn. and began scratching with a stick
| On the spot which the woman had struck
| In minute or two were exposed to view
| the leaves of full-grown wild turnip. The
| vegetable was dug up and thrown among
| the spectators, to show that there was nc
| deception and to quell the appetite of the
| hungry public. Scratching some more with
his stick, the magician produced several
| more turnips-two or three dozen of them
| 1t was really wonderful 1 should have
| Deen more aSLOnlShed, however If, being
| an initiated member of the secret society
1 had not been present in the morning and
seen the woman bury the turnips
| In the Menomoni tribe today there is a
| juggler of great reputation. One of his
| best tricks is done with a bears claw and
small disk-shaped pocket mirror He
takes the mirror in one hand and the
| bears claw in the other. Then, swayine
his body from side to side, and keeping uI
a monotonous chanting. he brings the claw
nearer to the mirror, until finally there is
contact between the two, and the claw
stands upon it's point upright on the mir
| ror. Presently, by a sudden movement
| the glass is turned upside down, and the
claw still remains attached to it by the
point 1t is quite surprising, but a par
ticle of ordinary spruce gum does the
| whole business.
The Rope-TyinE Trick.
''The late Garrick Mallery of the burea,
| of ethnology once told me of something
quite unaccountable which he witnessed
! White Earth in 1860 There was presen
famous mystery man, who made a be
with the local government agent that tn,
latter could not tie him with ropes in sucl
a manner that he would not be able to dis
engage himself off-hand. The agent, as
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