The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-05-02
MAGIC AROUND THE WORLD
A CONJURER WHO TRAVELLED AND
STOPPED TRICKS.
PusxlinG Things Done by Witch Doctor
in Afrioa-Egypt's Snake Crop Still Good
Performances by FalSirs in India.

80 AANA~StN ~tSJ r. . S'''~'~S SN~f 'NAAN NSSNN
performances by Falsirs in India.
Il believe that animals are supersti-
tious-that is have fears of the I'M
known 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 SUI
perstition or credulity in order to hum
bug his fellows" said travelling ma
gician who has just returned from a
trip around the world.
''It is probable that men took to mag
1c before they took to breech clouts,
and that they learned some of their
tricks in the days when they were still
monkeys. Every land has it's hum
bugs and every tribe it's medicine man.
have been all over the world and have
studied conjuring, juggling, Illusion,
wherever have gone. When l started
out had all the lore of the white ma
gicians at my fingers ends. but L
found that that was not by any means
enough to enable me to graduate in the
great university of the world.
IT found Indian medicine men and
African bushmen and Hindoo fakirs
who could do things that seemed super
natural beyond all peradventure, and
to this day cannot explain how some
of those things were done. In Bechu-
analand J. met an old witch doctor who
puzzled me completely. I was with a
hunting party that had gone north
from the diamond fields. always car
ried a few little things that enabled me
to perform some of my tricks. l was
very anxious to meet a fair represen-
tative Of the witch doctors, as heard a
great deal about the wonders they per-
formed. Well, this fellow was sharp,
shrewd old man. I made his acduain-
lance and went at him through an in
terpreter, telling him that was in the
profession and that I 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 like
that. He was much impressed and said
that he could not do that, he could not
make things turn round in his head. /
showed him how it was done and how
to do it with the smooth, wait-a-bit
thorn. He was immensely tickled then
and said, 'This Is great graft. Won't I
make those niggers sit up At least
that is about the equivalent of what
the interpreter gave me. pressed
the old fellow again then to show me
some Of his acts. He assumed a 7ery
grave demeanor and said that such a
great man as I would only laugh at the
simple little things that he could do.
Therefore he would show me some
thing 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 af-
ter long incarnation.
TAT dusk he led me to the bank Of a
stream and picking up one of a num-
Der of rough logs threw it into the wa
ter. Then he asked me to tell him
which way I wanted the log to travel
up stream, down, or across. I told him,
and the log, by it's motions, obeyed his
voice He told it to disappear. and it
rose UP on end and went plunging
it leaped above the surface like a SAL
mon. He asked me where I wanted the
log to come out, and I told him that
wanted it to come out at our feet. 1t
came flying and crawled up the bank.
Then the magician led me away, say
ing that it was dangerous to stay in
that vicinity any longer. I asked him
to explain the extraordinary conduct of
the log, but he answered that he did
not himself know how to account for it.
I showed him some more tricks and
how to do them, and kept at him for an
explanation of the logs behavior. At
last he motfoned me to follow him to
his lodge. We sent the interpreter
away, and the old fellow showed me by
signs how to do the trick. In Bechu-
analand they use bark rope which is
brown in color. Pieces of this bark
rope were tied to the log and worked ~
confederates who were lying down in
the bushes. The semi darkness pre-
vented me from observing this.
1.-THE next morning the old witch doc
tor came to my tent and asked me if I
was a good shot with a gun. I said I
was, and he then asked me to come
with him and shoot a meer-cat that
was giving him a deal of annoyance.
That surprised me, as / knew the ma
tives were very clever at trapping.
supposed that the old fellow wanted t
see how good I was with a gun. So I
went with him, and he took me into the
forest, and there in little glade
showed me meercat sitting on its
launches chewing roots. The meercat
is funny little animal about the size
Of our American red squirrel and hay
ing the habits of our prairie dog. I
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 p
said the old man.
ct hurried to the place where the
dead animal lay in plain sight and 10!
he was gone and even his burrow had
disappeared. I hunted high and low,
but could not find that cat. So I went
back to the magician.
""That was not a very good shot he
said, pointing behind me.
81 turned and saw the meercat sit
ting on top of his burrow looking as
complacent as ever and chewing roots.
/ took very careful aim, fired and killed
him again; but when hurried to the
spot where I had seen him lying he and
his burrow disappeared as before. The
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