The San Francisco call., 1904-07-24

IT IS TO be confessed that Orpheum
GccUltism had long ago ceased to in
terest me The ladies that get into
large baskets to be stabbed by Mr..
Hermann ] knew-well. knew how
they got out. The delightful spectacle
If money-coining in the Herman and
other hats. that. too-alas.-I knew an
illusion The floating lady fascinated,
until / discovered that the Hermann
wand was not her only means OF sup
port. The ''Svengalis" hypnotics
amused. but I could not accept them
as four souls with but a single thought.
In fact, was fast developing a nasty
skepticism concerning O'Farreu street
magic.
II was, therefore, without any par
ticular thrill that I heard Of the COM
ing OF the mysterious Zancigs." tele-
pathists In ordinary to this and that
Ra5ah in India, psychics extraordinary
In general I hoped only that the f-e
would be better fun than usual. 1t
was. II was. in fact. not a fake. Al
most persuaded before of telepathic
possibilities. the Zancig performance
leaves me utterly, abjectly convinced.
Now I am only wondering whether to
exercise my concentrative faculties on
the god OF raised salaries or of long
Nacauons-for Meinherr Zancig dis
claims any monopoly Of miracle. ANY
one can do it." this weird person af-
firms, as he pinions a man at one end
# the OrpheUm and Madame at the
other remarks that the victim is
blonde. slightly SCARED behind the left
ear and named ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Jones!
Ny introduction 10 this weird pair
was unusually fortunate. They were,
in fact, heralded by the most redoubt-
able skeptic OF my acquaintance. They
had obligingly held him up on the high
seas and convinced him Of sin on their
way here from the Orient. ] was CRATE
lJL I had labOred humbly thereto my
self The i. s. had remained unkindly
deaf TO my suggestion that there might
he something in it," Ny proof was in
adequate. And here he was transform
ed from the most doubling Of Thom-
ases into an even ardent disciple. It
was. therefore. with rather lively ex-
pec1atons that went 10 see the Zan-
Gigs. within the close range Of a pri-
Vate chat.
The first glimpse was a little disap-
pointing. They don't, as they should,
live in a cave. You take the elevator
70 their rooms and when you get there
they are just like every one else's.
There was a broomstick, il is true, but
there was q Chinese boy" at the end
ri it, A huge skull-later I learned no
skull but an ostrich skeleton from
South Africa-eave the place some
thing Of nice, creepy feeling. But I
didn't see any toe Of newt or eye Of
bat about. There was a typewriter and
by 1T a serious-looking gentleman in
conventional morning garb. And by
him there was a little lady, brown
eyed, demure, sweet, sewing buttons
on the serioUs-looking gentleman's
vest / thought there must be some
mistake. but my friend insisted: THE
Zancigs."
II was an comicalIy conventional at
first. We even looked at photographs.
Yet here the conventional ended. The
Zanclgs In Jiurickshas, in bullock carts
IN Africa, on elephant back in India,
al sacred monkey ranch" in Cey-
Ion, under the cherry blossoms Of Nip
p0n, in the diamond mines Of Kimber-
ley, were lavishly pictured. Princes Of
India. magnifcently garbed. with faces
sculptured with the pride Of centuries.
then passed, in superb procession,
loose-lipped rajahs. supple nautch
girls, low-broWed Africans. laughing
Kaffir girls-the fattest worth sixteen
cows lace-Ike temples Of Burmab
the white glory Of the Tai MahaI. the
palms and sacred waters Of the
Ganges, until. with the numinative
comment of the travellers, one seemed
10 be rapidly a-journeying to the won
derful lands.
This man. said the professor. sing
ling out the photograph Of a proud old
monarch. with an intense intellectual
WEAKNESS stamped upon the face "is
the Maharajah Kumar. He saw rs at
the ROYAL Theater in Calcutta and sem
for us 10 come to his castle-Tagore
Castle. Here's his card: perhaps YOU'D
Ike to see it,"
From a Docketbook full OF cards-the
cards Of princes. rajahs. mandarins
even as thine and mine-the professor
took this princes. and looked at IT as
he said:
We were the only European per
formers ever invited TO his castle"
Fine man." Mrs. Zancig added. He
knew everything, ] think. He had a
wonderful library - one room, four
times as large as this-with nothing in
* but books on occultisrn. That is why
he was interested in US"
You gave a performance for him
them" ] asked.
Yes, indeed" the professor renlied
and he was very pleased. But IL was
very uncomfortable. one was treated
ike a king. Servants bowling; why. II
you wanted your chair turned round
like this" The professor sprane
alertly behind his chair and turned !,
six inches more to the west. ssWbv
you hollered boy and the servants
turned It."
But such a dream Of place" sigh
ed Mrs. Zancig; wonderful marble pi,.
lars and silken rugs and perfumed
woods and ivOries-ah. And all his Ia.
dies behind the lattices. peeping
through. They couldn't come down be-