The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-05-20
INDIAN MAGIC.
Wonderful Stories of Feats Performed
BY American Red Man.

From the Portland Oregonian.
The western Indians are great ma
gicians." says Col. Buffalo Bill Cody.
81 believe / have seen fakirs of just
about all nationalities, but these west
ern Indians of ours beat them all.
The modern stage magician. OF
course. has the aid of assistants, and
of a prepared stage, but the wild In
dian just squats down on the prairie
wherever he happens to be, seemingly
without any preparation whatever, and
does some things that will make a
mans hair stand ON end
"One day | saw a Sioux medicine
man. with nothing on but a breech
cloth and a dozen different paints.
having in his hand a kind of wand,
do some things with rattlesnakes that
never saw equaled by any snake
charmer In the world. The old fellow
was a noted necromancer among his
people, and | had often heard of him
One day. in his village, | met him AMI
an exhibition was quickly arranged.
That fellow positively did not have
time to make any preparations what
ever, but went at his job Immediately.
HE waved us away some ten feet or
more and soon we were glad to be 20
feet away from him. He took his cane
or wand whirled it swiftly around his
head a moment, and when he ceased
doing so he was holding big, squirm-
ing rattlesnake by the tail. 1t was
lightning change, all right. He laid the
snake on the ground, and when I next
noticed 1t there wasn't any snake at
all, but there lay that Indian stick in
its place.
Grabbing the two plaits of hair
which hung down his back, they, too.
suddenly became live rattlers and
twisted themselves about his neck the
Kissing heads swaying back and forth
near his face.
Then that old Indian produced or
manufactured snake after snake We
never saw where he got them from, but
in a few minutes he had the ground
around him literally covered with
them But they remained near him,
although crawling around, twisting and
squirming. Then the worst thing of
all, that red Indian deliberately ate
them uD one at a time. At least, he
appeared to eat them, alive, and finally
there was nothing left but the wand
and his braids of hair, which had re-
turned to its natural self.
"One day, over in the Big Horn Ba.
sin. saw a Grow Indian do some
tricks that would make him famous
If he ever got on the stage with them.
This fellow took a buckskin tobacco
bag, drawing 1t through his hands 20
show there was nothing in 1t. He
in lrno f4.. h.
purpose. Then he united il and threw
1t on the ground. Almost immediate
ly big jack rabbit. with ears a foot
long, bounded out of the sack, darted
this way and that like a streak of
lightning, disappearing with pack Of
camp dogs right after him. moment
later, and without the Indian going
near the bag, three big rattlesnakes
crawled out. threw themselves into
position and were ready for a fight at
once. But before they could raise a
row large owl came out of that bag.
Llinked and winked at the sun for a
moment and then flew away. The
Indian killed the snakes with his stick,
picked up the bag, took out a pipe and
some tobacco. loaded the pipe and
without the formality of lighting it.
began to puff away while clouds of
smoke rolled out.
But the very best piece of magic |
ever saw" said Colonel Cody, twas
done by Cheyenne Indian medicine
man out in the wilds of Wyoming
There was a full dozen Of us, and we
agreed we had never seen anything
like it, and l never have since then
either.
I'VE had formed a circle--the whites
end the 1ndians-and when the con.
jurer entered he was without a stitch
Of clothing, except that he carried a
gray army blanket across his should
ers. He had big warclub I'm his
hand. Along with him there came a
little Indian girl. looking about years
old. The child didn't have much more
on than old Medicine did, either
'The little girl lay fiat down on the
ground. and old medicine covered her
with the blanket. right in front of LIS
all. Then he began making passes
over the blanket, and, suddenly rails
ing his war club aloft. he brought II
down with fearful force on the little
body. Of which we could plainly see
the outlines under the blanket. There
was scream. and instinciively grab
bed my pistol. but managed to regain
myself. knowing it was some kind OF
n fake.
Then, again and again, that big In