The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-05
ORIENTAL MAGICyANS
FEATS IN DEFECTIVE LINE DOM
EITHER BY MAGIC OR TRICKS.
Some Illustrations from Different
Eastern Sources-Natives Appar-
emily Have Little Faith.
LONDON Standard.

Mahatmas, thought readers, astrologers, in
terpreters of the cards and the coffee
grounds. But they give no assistance to the
police. The divine power which animates
them refuses to do such mean service. 1t is
pity. They may scorn the profits which
would flow in But philanthropy is their
strong point in general, and they could con-
fer no benefit upon fellow creature more
heartily appreciated than the restoration Of
his lost property. Moreover, they are all
anxious to make proselytes, and what
means could be more effective? Savarts
and personages whose conversion would be
triumph have proclaimed that they are
ready to believe all that is asked of them if
the adept will perform that miracle. But
the spirits or something forbid, and it is
no use to argue.
Fortunately, there are magicians else
where whose protecting genius is not so
particular, and very striking feats have
been attributed to them by persons whose
honesty and intelligence stand above ques-
ton. We may take, for example, the evil
dence Of Mr.. Swettenham, c. B., now resi-
dent Of Perak. Hopeless of recovering some
valuable property which had been stolen
from him, he followed the advice OF friends
and sought wizard. Two professors as
lin a jiffy," but they did not keep appoint
ments made. A third performed his opera
lions privately and denounced the thief to
Mr.. Swettenham, who expressed a wish 10
see the process by which he had been identi
fled. A large earthenware bowl was filled
with water, and piece of cotton tied
over the top-as 1t were drum. Mr. SWEET
tenham wrote the name of every person
who had been in his house when the robbery
was committed, folded up eacn paper and
laId one of them on the drum.
he wrote the names in English, which
assuredly no one present could understand
going into a corner to do so, folded the slips
exactly alike, and shuffied them together
Two men supported the bowl upon the tips
of their fingers, and the wizard read a
chapter of the Koran. Nothing happened
so the slip was withdrawn and another sub
stituted. Four names thus dismissed, a
fifth was laid upon the cotton. THE read
ing had scarcely commenced when the bowl
began to turn slowly round the supporters
letting their hands go round with it, until
1T twisted itself out of their fingers and
fell on the floor with considerable bang
and a great spluttering of water through
the thin cover. 1t was. the name of the per-
son already mentioned by the chief" Mr..
Swettenham did not tell him So but asked
same result followed 1T was curious CO.
incidence certainly. The name disclosed
was that of the person whom there was
most reason to suspect, but beyond that
/ learned nothing" Most people would de-
scribe the success in terms more impress
SOME ILLUSTRATIONS.
One can only deal with theme of this
sort by telling stories, and they soon fill up
our space. Many practices of detective
magic, indeed, are nothing more than
shrewd tricks, like that which Miss Eden
was persuaded to try when robbed up
country" All her servants paraded and the
mullah gave each a mouthful OF rice -four
which they had to spit out after certain
texts of the Koran had been read. The
guilty man would be unable to do so-evi-
IDENTIFY because fear had dried his mouth
me incarnation was quite unnecessary. In
this instance one of the servants duly
choked, and on opening his jaws they found
the flour dry-but it was the one man of
whose innocence Miss Eden felt assured
She may have been wrong nevertheless
Such ordeals very often detect the thief,
assuredly, but they cannot be made amusing
or even interesting to the public. The Kaffir
DolosS is more promising. Beers in general,
and perhaps most Englishmen bred and
born on the veldt, have much more conf
dence in him than in the cleverest police
man. Those who laugh at the supernatural
pretensions of the doloss consult him all the
same, believing that any unusual occurrence
with which the natives are acquainted
comes to his ears Thus he can answer
question soon as it is put to him or be-
fore His art deals especially with lost or
stolen cattle; Producing, a quantity of
bones and pebbles, the doloss throws them
on the ground and after long study answers
the questions put to him. In our time there
was one at Bultfontein upon the diamond
fields whom numberless legends of the
camp declared infallible. Mr. Balm, the
commissioner, laughngly once remarked to
Us that if the good faith of this old niger
could be trusted government would do well
to appoint him head detective. There was
another great doloss at Old De Beers APP
parently, for Mr.. De Weber tells how he
declared in an instant where two lost mules
would be found, after days of search, when
hope was abandoned.
FINDING A THIEF.
Lane told an interesting story In his
Modern Egyptians" upon the authority,
as he expressly states, of Mr.. Salt, her
Majestys consul general. This gentleman
had been robbed. He sent for a famous
magician, who undertook to show the
guilty person to any boy who had not
reached the age of puberty. number of
boys were working in Mr.. Salts garden
He sent for one, thus satisfying himself
that collision was impossible. Taking the
child's right hand, he drew a diagram upon
the palm and in the center of it made a it,
tie pool of ink. Into the pool he told the
boy to look steadfastly. Then he burned
time commanding various objects to appear
in the ink. Each of these objects the boy
saw, as he declared Finally the chief was
summoned; 'he described his stature,
countenance and dresS-said he knew him
and directly ran down into the garden and
apprehended one of the laborers. who.
when brought before the master. inmedi-
ately confessed his guilt No one could
question the absolute truth OF this story
as told, and upon such authority certified
by high official, it is very striking But
the boy must have been familiar with the
ink business" by report at least, seeing
that it is the regular practice of the ma
gicians in Egypt. He and all his fellows
may very well have known who it was
that stole Mr.. Salts goods, and, of course.
he could describe a laborer working in the
garden whom he had just quilted. The
things he had seen IN the ink were named
1t was only necessary, in fact to saw
Yes" One must ask why any robberies
in Cairo remained undetected, if this pro-
fessor could name the thief with the as
sistance of any little boy who came along
There were plenty of his sort-Lane had
most people know. And they charged a
very small fee. But we do not hear that
plundered houSaholderS applied to them
Certainly there was an agha of police who
had little need to use magic; native shreWd-
ness served his turn. Once upon time a
woman came TO poor but honest pawn
broker and borrowed 500 piasters upon a
head ornament-this story also is Lanes
The pawnbroker did not take her name nor
proved to be gilt brass. He ran wailing to
the agha who pitied him; but there was no
clew to the identity of the woman. 1t was
a pretty puZzle-the most experienced and
ingenious of our magistrates would have
given it up But the agha said: go
home take all the property away and lock
the shop Tomorrow be there early; and
when thou hast opened the shop cry, Alas,
for my property Then take in the hands
cry Alas for the property of others, and
whoever saws m thee what is the Ynaffer2'