The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1900-04-20
GREAT COBRA TRICK.
WONDERFUL FEATS PERFORMED
BY FAkIRS OF INDIA
Common Street Performers Do Tricks
in Broad Day that Are Not Equaled
by American or European Prestidigi-
tators with Aid of Stage Devices.

by American or European Prestidigi-
tators with Aid of Stage Devices.
The question of how the fakirs OF
India perform their wonderful tricks IS
a matter that has for centuries inter-
ested scientists, and the best explana-
ton that has yet been offered OF the
matter is that it is done by hypnotic
power; that is, that the fakirs simply
hypnotic the entire audience ana
make them think that they saw trees
grow out of the ground In a second.
Libraries have been written on the SUD-
ject. In his book just Issued, entitled
QUAINT Corners Of Ancient Empires,
Michael Meyers Shoemaker, Of this
city, deals in an interesting manner
with the Indian fakirs. Mr.. Shoemaker
Is known as a traveller and litterateur,
and his book is attracting quite good
deal of attention. In writing about the
fakirs he says: "The statement mas
been made by such prestidigitators as
Hermann and Kellar that they had
never seen any tricks by these men OF
India which they could not explain.
Be that as it may, these common street
magicians do some very clever things.
Certainly the performance before
the Grand Hotel, Colombo, this morn
ing, under the blazing sunlight, and not
three feet from the looker-on, was re-
markable. AS to the mangoe tree trick,
there appeared a strong resemblance
between a tree grown yesterday ana
the one produced this morning. But 1t
was in the other performances that the
observers were most interested. In
one instance the fakir took small jar
of metal and handed it around to show
that it was empty. Then, placing
copper coin between his teeth, he began
to blow and smoke soon issued from
his mouth and nostrils; the jar, which
was held aloft all the time, was found
filled with water, which commenced to
boil furiously. Passing 1t aside, he
opened his mouth and elected jets OF
living fame. Indeed, the whole cavity
OF the throat appeared to be filed with
fire, which ignited anything with which
1t came In contact. We all saw the
empty jar, the filled jar, the boiling
water and the fire, but the fire never
approached the Jar.
Another trick consisted In causing
dead and dried cobra to come to life
or SO it appeared. The snake is usual
ly kept In q small, round fat basket,
with q closely fitting cover This we
saw was empty, and into 1t the fakir
laid the fiat, dried skin Of a dead SER
pent.
placing it not three feet from our
circle and in the brilliant light of the
southern sun he covered the basket
with its lid and then made the usual
passes with the inevitable cloth, about
yard square, which he held by two
corners to show that it contained moth
Ing.
"His costume consisted of one gar
rlent of the shirt order, the sleeves of
which were tucked up at the shoulders,
bffording, it would seem, scant oppor-
tunity to hide anything; yet when after
few waves of the cloth he removed
The lid of the basket the dead snake
yas gone, and in it's place rose the ma
iestic head and neck Of one of the
largest of cobras.
"It must be remembered that when
we see such work in England or Amer
lea 1t is done at distance and on the
stage with all the assistance Of stage
lights and shadows, but In this case we
we're out in the plain air, and near
enough for the serpent to have stung
is.
"The last trick consisted Of display
of apparently wonderful strength. A
boy of 10 years Of age was tied up In a
large scarf with its ends attached to
two strong cords. At the ends Of these
cords were hollow brass cups about the
size of an acorn. The fakir, raising the
upper lid of each of his eyes, inserted
these cups hereunder, and with the
hollow side next to the eyeball, after
which he pulled the eyelids well down.
Then, with hands ON hips and head well
back, he arose to his full height, lifting
the boy foot and more off the ground
and swinging him from side to side, the
entire weight, Of course, falling upon
the brass cups. 1t seemed a marvel
that the eyeballs were not destroyed.
Perhaps those who understand these
matters can explain all that was done,
but certainly no maglcians on our stage
have accomplished similar feats, and
vet these men are but common street
| nerfnrmers. Cincinnati ENQUIRER.