New-York tribune., 1901-05-26
THE ART OF lNVISIBILITY.
HOW IT Is PRACTIsED BY SOME CLEVER
ORIENTALS.
From The New Penny Magazine.

From The New Penny Magazine
\ very interesting and valuable report
issued several years ago by the Inspector OF
Prisons of the Indian Empire in which almost
incredible accounts are given Of the practice OF
this extraordinary art by the thieves of lower
Bombay. The thieves themselves. with better
reason, feel douhly secure: for If, III spite Of
his inyisihility, 10y some unlocked for and un-
lucky chance. one is seized his oily body slips
away like eels; and in the still
likely contingency of his being held with
unbreakable grip. he has. slung by slender
cord about his neck, little knife with edge
as sharp that OF the ke2EeSu razor. with
which he cuts the tendons IF the intrudinS wrist.
This however h. considers a last resort. for
he prides himself upon doing his work without
infiictng bodily harm upon his victims To an
ter Zenana or the women's apartment in 4
native mouse, !-Ge all the family treasures are
kept. is the ambition Of every native thief. This
i no easy matter for the zenana is in the centre
OF the mouse, surrounded by other apartments
occupied by ever Wlkrful Sentinels In order
l. reach ii. he thief burrows under the house
until his tunnel reaches a point beneath the
floor IF the room to which access is sought.
Full well he Knows tbat tbf inmates - he
house sometimes detect the miner at work and
stand over the hole. armed with deadly weapons,
silently awaiting his appearance. lie has with
him piece Of bamboo. n one end Of which a
this n thrusts u0 through the completed breach.
II the vicarious head does come grief the
real one takes It's place. and the thief. enteria;
the zenaua. secretas nimS If; or, finding every
thing already favorable for his purpose pro
ceNdS 10 attempt what seems an impossible un
dertakIng. This. indeed is no less Il task than
t. remove from the and arms and noses
the earrings. bracelets. armlets bangles ard
nose rings Of the sleepers without awakening
them. and 10 get safely away with his plumber.
Who but a dacoit would be equal 10 50 delicate.
dangerous and difficult piece Of work? Bat
the dacoit seldom fails. 'These adrot burg
lars. says my authority. commit the most ddr-
ing robheries in the midst of the English army.
knowing ;he position Of the tents. they marI
out one which Is occupied by officer of h:Sn
r nix. and creep silently toward il. Arrived 1T
the tent their sharp knife makes them i door
in the canvas. and they glide undiscoy cred into
ti'e interior IndctG So W'nderiuliy afrolt are
they th3t even the very watChdoSs do not dis
cover them, and thief has been known 10
actually step over a dos without disturbing the
But The most marvt Tously clever device prac-
tis'c 10y the thieves Of lower Bombay is that
used by the Mooches in throwing pursuers N,
their track. The Mooches come down in gangs
from the back country and raid the settlements.
Their speciaitv is poiso0ir. cattle They srn.3r
rlantain le1vrS with their own particular brand
~ cattle eEtermInator and scatter them about
among the herds at night In the morning. "A
many = the cdttl" rs have Tartak.n are dead
and have been abandoned 10y their owners. Th1
Moochcs nay the dead animals and sell their
ful Sped for the jungle II they reach 1t, all
h'Ua - capturing them is At end but even
when they discover thai they must be over
taken before they reach II they by no means
lose heart. and are mrasUrably sure Of escaping.
especially IT, as is very often the case in India.
tie surface il burned over and the trees ami
bushes that have not been consumed are charrei
ana llack-ned and hereft ot their foliage. and
many perhaps reduced To little more than black
ened stumps by the fire 10y which the fields are
annually burned over. II hard pressed in such
4 country "a this they cease 10 fly. and imme-
diat,iy disappear. For a long time the English
troops which poiced the districts whore they
made their raids were completely nonplusSed;
again and again. the very point OF being
captured. the Mopchrs escaped by miraculouSly
vanishing. and officers well soldiers be
came superstitious. With the power OF main
tanning fixed. immOVable pOstures. IN which IN ,Ir
see MS u excel. these Indians. gTaspinS in
their hands such hlackened branches they
pick up in their flight, can instantly assume AMI
retain for a long time an almost perfect mimicry
OF the groups Of blackened stumPs and half
burned. stunted trees with which the country
abou1ds. In AbysSinia the Rareas tribe have
the same trick of bee ming invisible. added -
" hith they uac- their rounded shields. that
disposed III the grass Look exactly like powders,
before them for screens. while they Il" fat,
watching. unseen. for travellers To rob
mics IN kill.