The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-10-08
AMERICAN MAGIC
In THE FAR EAST
NECRoMANCER BALDwIN's Ex-
PERIENCEs IN THE ORIENT.
He Puts to Flight a Crack Hindoo
Magician and Causes the Chinese
Empress to Think Him a Devil.
Mikado Not Rattled-Love Scrape
He Got Into with Princess.


He Got Into with q Princess.
From the New York sun.
II confess" said Professor Baldwin,
Snowman, who has given seances in
magic, thought reading, legerdemain,
and the like in almost all the countries
of the civilized and uncivilized worlds,
that l have not n very high opinion
OF the much -talked-of Eastern magic.
Some of the tricks done by the Indian
fakirs may appear miraculous enough
to us, although they are in reality
quite simple, but, on the other hand,
many Of our old familiar stand-bys
astonish the Orientals far more. For
example, there Is q wsll-known trick
requiring only a little knowledge of
elementary chemistry for its perform
arcC which l have played before va
lious strange audiences, always with
great success and sometimes with rath-
er surprising results. If you put
Few drops of n very simple chemical
mixture on a garment the whole thing
will burst into flame in exactly three
minutes without giving any warning
except to the eye of the initiated and
to him only when he keeps a very care
full watch
well, some ten years ago, when Sir
James Ferguson was governor of
Bombay. I was performing in Simla.
After one of my shows ! was intro
duced to Sir James, and we fell to
talking of Indian magic. Sir James
was n believer; | was q skeptic. He
declared that he could produce men
who would convert me. | accepted the
challenge. The trial was to take place
in ten days, when ] was to dine at
Government house. BY this time Sir
James said he could procure the most
celebrated magicans in the province,
with whom he would confront me.
| WE'LL the time came. I repaired to
Government house, when there was as
sembled a big crowd of officers and
civilians and their wives. in fact, all
the wealth and fashion Of Simla, wait
ing To see the discontinue Of the Amer
lean braggart. There were also pres
ent some half dozen fakirs, or Yoghs
or whatever you choose to call them
solemn-looking individuals with long
boards and nails, and not overclean,
and for clothes, white bandanas wound
round them. The Indians went through
| the old familiar tricks, the mango
| tree, stabbing the boy in the basket.
| etc, the mysteries of which | was
able to explain away we'll enough to
! the audience.
THE FUN BEGINS.
CATER my rivals had got through
| with their work I took the governor
! aside and told him that ! would make
! all the Indians strip to the skin and
! run out of the house if the company
could stand it. Sir James told me to
! go ahead. we don't think nothing of
| naked niggers here he said. Now
| was familiar enough with the Indian
! character to know that unless you car
ry matters with a high hand they will
thing nothing of you. | acted accord
! inSly Through the medium of an OFF,
Ger, who acted as interpreter, | re-
! viled the leading magician through all
the moods and lenses.
II asked him what he mant by show
ing such childish rubbish to his excel
| lenCy, the representative of the en-
| press, and ended by telling him that
! | would blast him with fire from heav-
| en- unless he went down on his knees
| inContinently and apOlOgi2cd. The In
dian smiled Contemptuously at me and
| made some remark, at which my inter-
prefer laughed. but refused to translate
it. As well as I could gather, it was
| an obscene expression, signifyng that
| | was 'talki~g through my hat
! StraghtWay | pretended to fall into q
| towering rage and, rcellnE out a long
| riSmarOle, waved my hands above my
head and invoked the wrath of heaven
TO burn him up. The magician looked
a little startled, but maintained an at
titude OF incredulity and contempt. OF
course the rigmarOle was MEANINGLESS
but while / was vOciferating a little
native servant of mine had sneatcd M
behind and poured a few drops of tht
chemical l have spoken of above up.
on the garment of each of the magi,
clans. Then ! waited with my watch
III my hand.
A SHEET OF FLAMES.
Just as the three minutes expired
stretched up my hands above my hear
and made another Invocation. At tn
same moment the bandauas burst int
sheets of flame. With a howl the In
dams tore off their Earments-the ban
dana comes off eaSily--and He'd star
naked and screaming out of the house
down the street, and finally out through
the gates Of the town into the ope
country. My triumph was complet,
The company was dumhfounded an
even the governor was puzzled. l keT
him guessing for a week before / eX
planned to him. In the meantime
sent out after the discounted magic
ians and ordered them to return an
apologize. They did so, prostratin
themselves before me most abjectl!
and naming me the king of all magic
ians. | sOothed their injured feeling
a little, telling them that their maGi
was very good i'm its way, but warn
ing them not to attempt to impose vi
on their superiors. Then / gave theI
each "A small gratuity and sent thel
away, humbled but fairly satisfied.
This same trick viii serve to eS
, emplify some of the differences in chan
, acter and intellect in the Chinese an
japanese. Some time after the inc
, dent related above, l visited Pcki
/, whore ! played before the empress an
court. The empress mother, you mus
know, is the real ruler of China. Wei
at the end of the performance I set
mans clothes on fire in the manner
have explained. The Chinese cOurtiel
| We're one and all astoundcd and teri
fed. Even the empress clever woma
as she is, was upset. NO man did this
she said. 1t is the work of dew
| tLa Toop araV No not hIrt hin