The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-07-11

every WE'LL" said Houdin; "to make
sure put in a double charge of pow
der. Here's a wad. Take a bullet from
this tray and mark it so you will know
it again. Ram it into the pistol we'll"
1T is done.
Now" said Houdin, you say the
pistol is a good one, and you've loaded
it well. so kill me-"
Yes" replied the marabOut, II will
do that"
HOudin took a pear. stuck it on a
knife, and walked a few PAGES in front
of the Arab, and told him to aim at
his heart. He fired, and the marked
bullet was seen on the pear. After the
powder and wad were rammed home,
and while the Arab was marking the
bullet, Houdin slipped a little tube
into the pistol. This tube was closed
at the lower end, and into this Arab
dropped the bullet AS he thrust the
wad down with the ramrod the tube
fitted snugly on to it, and was with
drawn with it. being polished to re-
semble it, Houdn thus got possession
of the marked ball. and all was then
plain sailing.
On one occasion during his visit to
Algiers HOudin was placed in very
awkward position from which he only
eXtricated himself by his quick-wit-
tedness He was the guest of an Arab
chief, Abou Allen, and entertained his
host and friends by q few tricks. One
of the company was marabOut who
asserted that the spectators in Algiers
had been merely duped by a vision
Houdin, however, produced the mara
bouts watch in his hand, and on feel
ing his sash the mara bout found there
a hVe-franc piece. Convinced by this
and other feats that Houdn was real
ly a sorcerer, he challenged him to re-
peat his performance in the theatre,
and produced two pistols. "You need
not fear" said the Arab "snce you
know how to ward off bullets" With
out losing his possession, Houdin
explained that his invulnerability lay
in tailsman which was with his pos
sessions in Algiers. by six hours
prayer however, | can do without that
talisman, and at o'clock tomorrow
morning you can fire at me-"
At the appointed time there was a
large concourse of Arabs, which the
news had attracted. The pistols were
brought and carefully examined. The
marabOut dropped in the powder Hou-
din handed him a bullet from the tray,
and he rammed it down, HOudin then
loaded his own pistol, and, walking
about fifteen PAGES away, turned and
faced the marabout. The shot was
fired, and the FrenChman opened his
mouth and showed the bullet between
his teeth. You could not kill me-" he
said, "and now you shall see what my
shot can do" He fired at the mara
bout, and Immediately u red splash
was seen on the wall before which he
was standing. The Arab was un-
touChed stepping up to the wall, he
dipped his finger in the red splash,
tasted it, and, realizing that it was
blood, collapsed in amazement.
Though the trick was simple, only
Houdin could have devised and car
lied it out successfully. During the
night he had melted some wax, black
ened it to look like lead, and run it
into bullct-mold, thus obtaining a
hollow globe of wax exactly resemb-
ling a bullet in appearance. 1t was
with this bullet the marabout loaded
his pistol, and in rammng it down
crushed it to powder \ second bullet
similarly made HOudin filled with
blood obtainEd from his own body.
This he dropped into his pistol, and
rammed it down very gently, so as not
to crush it. AS it struck the wall it
was broken, leaving a red splash OF
blood.