The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-15
ssAGIC AROUND THE WORLD.
A CONJUROR WHO TRAVELLED AND
SWOPPED TRICKS.
Puzzling Things Done by witch
Doctor I'm Africa-EgSpt's Snake
Crop still GOOd-PerfOrmances by
FaLirs In IndiR-ExpOsures, OF

From the New York Sun,
81 believe that animals are supersti-
tious-that is, have fears of the unknown
that correspond quite closely to our own
terror of ghosts and such things, but man
is the only being on this planet who takes
advantage of superstition or credulity in
order to humbug his fellows" said a
travelling magician who has just returned
from trip around the world.
1T is probable that men took to magic
before they took to breech clouts, ana
that they learned some of their tricks IN
the days when they were still monkeys
Every land has its humbugs and every
tribe its medicine man. 1 have been all
over the world and have studied conjur-
ing, Juggling, illusion. wherever I have
gone. When I started out had all the
lore of the white magicians at my fingers
ends, but 1 found that that was not by
any means enough to enable me to gradu-
ate In the great university of the world
Il found Indian medicine men and Afri
can bushmen and Hindoo fakirs who could
DO things that seemed supernatural be,
yohd all peradventure, and to this day I
cannot explain how some of those things
were done. In Bechuanaland l met an
ola witch doctor who puzzled me com
pietely. was with hunting party that
had gone north from the diamond fields
l always carried a few little things that
enabled me to perform some of my tricks.
was very anxious to meet fair repre-
sentative OF the witch doctors, as I heard
a great deal about the wonders they per-
formed. Well, this fellow was a sharp.
shrewd old man. I made his ACQUAINTANCE
and went at him through an Interpreter.
tellng him that was in the profession
and that wanted to see him perform He
said that he did not know how to do any
tricks. Then took him aside and showed
him few simple things-how to pass
knitting needle through his head and
tricks Ike that. He was much impressed
and said that he could not do that he
could not make things turn round in his
head. I showed him how it was done and
how to do 1t with the smooth bit
thorn He was immensely tickled then
ana said, This Is great graft. Won't
make those niggers sit up At least that
Is about the equivalent of what the inter
prefer gave me. pressed the old fellow
again then to show me some of his acts.
He assumed very grave demeanor and
SAID that such great man as 1 would only
laugh at the simple little things that he
| could do. Therefore he would show me
something In which he was only an instru-
ment-something far above him, which he
himself, did not understand. He was very
solemn and said that it could only be done
| at a certain hour and after long incanta-
ton.
AT dusk he led me to the bank of a
stream and picked up one of number
| or rough logs threw it into the water
Then he asked me to tell him which way
wanted the log to travel-up stream,
down. or across. I told him, and the
log by Its motion, obeyed his voice. He
| told 1t to disappear, and 1t rose up on
end and went plunging down. He told 1t
to come up again and it leaped above
| the surface like a salmon. He asked me
| where l wanted the log to come out and
told him that I wanted it to come out at
| our feet. 1t came flying and crawled up
the bank Then the magician led me
| away, saying that it was dangerous to
| stay In that vicinity any longer. asked
| him to explain the extraordinary conduct
| of the log, but he answered that he did
not know himself how to account for It, l
| showed him some more tricks and how to
| do them, and kept at him for an explaua-
ton of the logs behavior. At last he
| motioned me to follow him to his lodge
We sent the interpreter away, and lthe
old fellow showed me by signs how to do
| the trick. In Bechuanaland they use bark
| rope WniCH Is Drown IN cOtOr. Pieces OF
| this bark rope were tied to the log and
worked by confederates who were lying
down in the bushes. The semi-darkness
| prevented me from observing this
| ''The next morning the old witch doctor
| came to my tent and asked me if I was
| a good shot with gun. 1 said 1 was,
and he then asked me to come with him
and shoot a meercat that was giving him
a deal annoyance. That surprised me.
fIn k4r.a-
at trapping. 1 supposed that the old fell
low wanted to see how good was with
a gun. So went with him, and he took
me into the forest and there in a little
| glade showed me a meercat sitting on its
launches chewing roots The meercat is
a funny little animal about the size of
our American red squirrel, and having the
habits Of our prairie dog. / banged away
at the meercat and knocked him as dead
as Queen Anne.
There he Is for you said to the
witch doctor.
Won't you please. go and get him?'
said the old man.
/ hurried to the place where the dead
animal lay in plain sight. and 10! he was
gone, and even his burrow had disappear
ed. 1 hunted high and low, but could not
find the cat SO 1 went back to the ma
gician.
said, pointing behind me.
II turned and saw the meercat sitting
on top of his burrow looking as COM
placent as ever and chewing roots. I took
very careful aim. fired and killed him
again; but when 1 hurried to the spot
where 1 had seen him lying he and his
burrow had disappeared as before. Tho
old witch doctor chuckled at me when
l went back to him.
You do not shoot well this morning,
he said. Perhaps too much Kafir beer
| last night
He pointed in another direction and
there was another meercat closer than the
first 1 took careful aim, fired, knocked
him over, and then advanced to pick him
up never taking my eyes off him for a
moment. When I got quite close to him
he disappeared, the same as the other had
done. / begged the witch doctor 10 tell
me how he managed the trick, but he
would not. He said that 1t was all the
work of the great spirit and he did not un-
derstand it, 1 stayed in his camp some
days, but could never get him to explain
that trick.
Il had a very startling experience al
Chena rd'q hotel in Carlo a fam veare aon