The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-29
GIFTED CHING LING FOO.
Chinese Magician Swallows Fire and
Emits Fragrant Smoke.

Ching Ling Foo is deliberate, eXaSperdt-
ingly so at times. This is one of the first
Impressions one forms when he sees this
very clever and unconventional Chinese
oonjurer and bis equally clever assistants
in an act that consumes about a half
Ecur's time at Keith's Ching Ling Foo Is
tall, big boned, so spare that he might be
called gaunt which word also applies 70
the appearance of his face. His mouth is
large and his smile abundant. It is also
made rich by the presence of a large gold
tooth in the center Of the upper row. Wo-
men and Chinese would call his dress rich.
because of the silk ard satin embroderies
that create no particular impression on the
mind of the ordinary man unless he is in
the dry goods business. That very ordi-
nary man would be apt to say when Ching
appears in his Wanted fire act, that he
was appareled in an unusually clean out
fiji of jumpers and overalls of very light
due denms Let him voice that opinion
and the lady beside him will be sure 10 in
form him that he is altogether wrong, and
that those denlms are really Chinese silks
Of almost fabulous cost and OF a sort that
are unknown to bargain counters.
While Ching is apparently moderate in
his movements he is a fellow of seeming
ly endless resource. His programme va
res with nearly every appearance, as me-
chanical jugglery enters very slightly into
his bills of fare. That is one difference
from the average run of presUdigitateurs
Another point in which ne differs from the
men of the Heller, Hermann aud Kellar
sort and their countless imitators is that
he Is practically dumb during his per
formances. That endless clatter which has
always been used so freely by most ma
gicians as a means of diverting the at
tention is missing. Not from choice, per
hans but because he is not able TO speak
in English well enough to make talk serve
his purpose. Instead he depends in a
measure on his eXasperating moderation.
| That serves him very wei until he Is
/ ready to act, and then he is as near TO
| chain lightning in his movements as any
| thing human can well be. For so big a
man he is exceptionally graceful in these
swift movements, and there are few II
| any who have been able to solve by any
thing but the reasoning process the man
ner in which he so deceives and mystifies
an audience that is watching carefully and
! trying 20 catch his every movement
As intimated. Ching does not repeat him
self But each Thursday evening he ap-
pears in an act that has made lot of talk
| among the frequenters of Mr., Keith's
| pretty little theater. That is the fire eat
| ing and smoke vomiting act, which is a
very thorough means of mystifying a
!
primary tricks of Ching's trade. Ching
dresses in his denims for this act. The
| stage is bare but for a spindle-legged ia
BILE. on which rests a bowl of what APP
| pears TO be buckwheat bran. With a half
dozen wisps of paper in his hand and a
single match he makes his bow and begins
his mvstification. The bits of paper are
excessively lighted from another bit that
having once been lit by the match appears
to 90 out and burst into flame again at the
will Of the Chinaman. To all appearances
these half dozen wisps of paper are eaten
and swallowed by the gaunt Oriental
There is a bit of theatrical business" of
rubbing the chest and stomach as IL he
was thoroughly relishing the meal of burn
ing paper which he seemingly chews and
swallows That ends the first act. so to
say. of the little conjuring drama.
Now the watcher is impressed by the an
Dearance of a chit of a Chinese child with
a glass filed with American water. From
this the magician gargles his throat and
rinses his mouth remarking at the end Of
This bit of business, NO fire. all gone out. 3"
Here is where the bowl of bran or saw
dust comes into play. Ching fans his ears
his mouth, his chest and pretends that
things are getting a bit warm inside. Co
pious mouthfuls of the sawdust are put
into his mouth after parts of the contents
of the bowl are first lifted high in the air
audience that there is nothing but sawdust
in the bowl. Perhaps there is not One
must see the act TO decide that for him
self When this side issue is ended, all
with the deliberateness that accompanies
all the unnecessary work of the clever
magician, he rolls up his sleeves and takes
fresh mouthfuls of the dust, possibly from.
chosen parts of the bowl.
AT ali events, after these last selected
tid-hits of the sawdust are taken there is
a prodgious tanning Of ears and mouth,
an apparent suffering from internal con-
hagration, and then the Chinaman purfs
from his mouth great volumes of thick.
pungent and aromatic smoke which has
the odor of incense, as IL floats grace
fully out over the crowd that seems al
ways TO pack this house. A half dozen
times this is repeated, and at the con-
clusion of each of these vomitings of
smoke Ching elects a bit of a hot ana
burning cud from his mouth to convey
the impression that this is what is left
of the mouthful of sawdust. He is care
full that the number of these cuds shall
be the same as the number of wisps of
paper that he apparently swallowed in
the first act of his little comedy, and the
shrewd ones in the house count the two
and say, Wonderful! How in the world
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