The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-05-21
THE MAGIC OF INDIA.
Not a Bit More Wonderful! Than
That of the Occident.
TRICKS OF HIND0O WIZARDS.
There Is None of Them That Ameri-
can or European Coniurers Cannot
Do as Well If Not Better-The Truth
About the Famous Rope Trick.


Charles Bertram. the English conjur-
er, made three trips TO India, where he
studied the tricks for which the Indian
jugglers have long been famous. He
came back with the opinion that trav-
elers had exaggerated their skill.
Il have no hesitation in saying" he
said to friend Oh his last visit to this
country, that after seeing fT6 different
Hindoo conjurers. who We're gathered
in various parts of the country by the
different rajahs before whom | per-
formed, there is not single trick
which the Indians perform that the
European or American magieians can
not do as well and even better.
They are clever at swallowing long
chains, which are made TO clink III
their stomachs, and skiliful at swallow
ing swords, eating ire, chewing glass
and encircllag the body with redhot
chains, but they are really no more
adept at these things than the ordinary
freaks and human Saiamanders that
play the dime museum circuit.
"As for the rope trick, the throwing
up of rope into the air, up which
man or boy Chambers hand over hand
and is seen no more, all that can say
is-moonshine. There is no such trick.
During nay tours of the far east
asked for that special trick. and not
single soul did L find who could do 1T
or who had even seen it, | heard of
men who had heard of others who had
seen it, but | could get no direct evil
dence.
"All that | could discover about It
from the Indians themselves was yoic-
ed by one man, who said to me IN his
curious English: All i'll Imagination,
all in travellers tales. I've been ali
over India looking for tricks. Would
not have that if l could get it?'
There is a rope trick that the Indian
jugglers do and which is very dex-
trous. 1t consists in taking coil of
rope several feet long, tossing it into
the air and balancing it on the open
palm. The rope, however, has very
thin wire running down the middle so
as to enable it to remain stiff for nine
or ten seconds, during which it is bal
anced. and that is how that trick is
done, although great deal of delicacy
is involved in throwing the rope up
with the exact amount of force to
straighten out the coils, for anything
shade under or over would interfere
with the success of the feat, which at
its best is only juggling interlude.
1.-The other two great tricks of the
Hindoos are the basket trick and the
mango tree trick. In the first trick a
boy is put into a basket, a sword is
passed through it in various directions,
and the boy is seemingly killed, while
later on he appears either from the
basket or else is discovered some dis
lance away, perhaps up tree.
'The secret is simple. The basket is
peculiarly shaped, being much larger
at the bottom than at the top. There is
plenty of room in the bottom of the
basket for a wiry Hindoo lad to curl
round it eeIwise. The performer in
driving the sword through the basket
takes excellent care to miss the boy,
although to the spectators it seems as
if the sword penetrated every part Of
the basket
'The mango trick is even more simple,
and the reports of travellers that they
had witnessed with their own eyes the
CROWN OF TIE Tree Is DIS dDSuIu DIS
their tales of Hindoo lads who climb
up ropes and disappear la Jack and
the Beanstalk in thin air. The mango
tree is really small twig, not more
than eighteen inches high, which is
deftly introduced into a can of dirt
while the latter is being covered with
a cone made of cloth and bamboo.
1.-THE most startling trick l saw in the
far east was performed by mendicant
in the Malay peninsula. While wait
ing for the mango tree to grow he did
q few Hindoo hanky panky wrinkles.
HE took little ball of rough cotton
about the size of a walnut and threw |
it to a woman who formed one Of the |
party that were assisting him. The |
jerk unraveled about three yards, and |
she broke the end off and kept the ball. |
THE conjurer placed the end which |
he held into his mouth, and by q deep |
breath the cotton flew into his mouth, |
and he appeared to chew it. Then he |
borrowed penknife from me and with |
the big blade made a motion as if he |
would stab himself - the throat the |
woman preventing him with rather |
artistic stimulation of horror and ex-
element
Presently she turned her back. and |
the man seized the opportunity to
plunge the knife into his abdomen. /
That part of the trick he did so realis- /
-ically that confess I felt rather faint.
He then put his hand under the loose
linen shirt he was wearing and began
% draw out the piece Of cotton.
when he had drawn out nearly as
much as the length of the piece that
lad been broken off he lifted his shirt
slightly and showed the end Of the cot
on apparently imbedded in the skin.
lie then took the knife and moved it
Upward against the skin as if he were
PRESSING out the last bit of thread,
which was tinged with red as if with
blood.
This was an admirably executed lit
lie trick, although by no means diff
ult. The sucking in of the cotton is
killful. but may be acquired readily
fter little practice. OF course the
hewing of the cotton Is merely
Method of secrefinr If and another