Douglas Island news., 1902-01-29
DEL ADELPHIA In Douglas-Will appear at the Douglas Opera House on February
 First.

gin an engagement at the Douglas Op- era House, Feb 1st. He has just come out from Dawson, and the News of that city says that he is an experienced per former with most extensive repertoire and a devotion to art for arts sake, that is fine.
 The News tells story of an exhibi- tion given by the magician, at Moose hide for the edifcation or mystif1cation of Chief Isaacs aud his band of In dians.
 It must be confessed that never be- fore did the professor do himself the credit of yesterday. In years of per formance before the blase white man, trick after trick has had to be elimi, mated as it's secret became known, and like other successful performers he at last has had to confne himself to methods which are artistic, but have lost much of the impressiveness of the early wizards. Not so yesterday. What knew they of watching for the loading of the hat? What knew they of the double compartment pistol, or the traps in tables? A chair to them was a chair and nothing more, and thus it happened that the enthusiasm of the white man, becoming enhanced by the guiIelessness of the audience was spur red on to a performance that will prob ably never be equalled again in the Yukon. Commencing with the old familiar cabinet die trick, the perform CT found himself in high feather. It was clear to see that he was regarded in the light of an apostle of the devil, and entering into the spirit of the thing he soon had the entire throng (except the chief standing with mouths wide open and eyes so prominent that they looked as if they could be knock ed off with a stick. After manipulat ing an egg bag in the approved fashion, the chief wanted to feel in the bag to see if it were really empty. He was al lowed to take it in his hands, and amid much merriment, after finding it empty was asked to feel once more. Egg af- ter egg appeared, some from the bag others from the chiefs person. His pockets proved a most fruitful place to search, and after producing full half bushel, for the rest of the afternoon, while watching the continuation of the performance, he could be seen every once in a while reaching into his pocket to see if the wonderful egg crop had commenced to grow again.
 Then the professor asked if the chief had a potato.
 "Injun chief eat tato same as white man." replied Isaacs impressively.
 "White medicine man want tato, said the performer, and the succulent vegetable was soon forthcoming.
 The chief held the potato in his own hand, and the professor palmed coin in a variety of ways, made it vanish al- together, and then handed the chief a knife to cut the potato in two. A giggle went up from the squaws as the chief prepared to cut, all the time keep ing watchful eye on the white men that they do no diabolical work unper- ceived. The knife struck something hard. Isaac paused and some lowtoned cackling ensued like arooster and hens exchanging notes on worm. A hun dred black heads clustered around the head of the tribe. The knife went through the potato and there was the shining half dollar, eagle and all. Such a noise and gabbling ensued, such high-pitched notes of wonder as surely | never before greeted a master of the black art. Buzz, buzz went the men. Cackle, cackIe went the squaws, and in the midst of it all a command from the chief brought another potato. The performer had presented the last piece of money as memento to the chief, who in turn had with fine air thrown it to favorite squaw. But half dollars do not grow in potatoes even in the Klondike, and the performer wanted to pass on to something less expensive. Nothing would do, however, but that another half be made to vanish and re- appear in the potato clasped tightly in the hand of the chief, Presto! Change! Fly! Begone!
 Once more the potato was cut with great circumspection, and once more the shining half dollar appeared to view. Such storm of laughter, clap