The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-05-07
THE MAGIC OF INDIA,
Not a Bit More Wonderful Than
That OF the 0ccident.
TRICKS OF HIND00 WIZARDS.
There Is None OF Them That Ameri-
can or European conjurers Cannot
Do as Well " Not Better-The Truth
About the Famous Rope Trick.


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. lie
came back with the opinion that trav-
elers had exaggerated their skill.
81 have no hesitation In saying" he
said to friend on his last visit TO this
country, that after seeing 1TG different
Hlndoo conJurcrs, who were 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 magicinns can
not do ms well and even better.
"They ARE clever at swallowing long
chains, which are made to clInk In
their stomachs. and skillful at swallow
ing swords, eating FIRE. chewing glass
and encircling the body with rcdhot
chains, but they are really no more
adept at these things than the ordinary
freaks and human salamnnders that
play the dime museum circuit
"As for the rope trick, the throwing
up OF n rope into the air, up which II
man or boy Chambers hand over hand
and Is seen no more, all that can say
is-moonshlnc. There Is no such trick
During nv tours of the far east
asked for that special trick, and not n
single soul did I find who could do 1t
or who had even seen II. ! heard OF
men who had heard Of others who had
seen II, but l could get no direct evil
dence.
"All that could discover about 1t
from the Indians themselves wns voic
ed by one man, who said to me In his
curious English. All in Imagination.
all in travellers tales. I've been all
over India looking for tricks. Would
not have that II could get itT
There is n rope trick that the Indian
jugglers do and which Is very dex-
trous. II consists In taking coil Of
rope several feet long, tossing 1t into
the air and balancing 1t on the open
palm. The rope, however. has n very
thin wire running down the middle 80
as to enable 1t to remain stiH for nine
or ten seconds, during which 1t Is bal
anced, and that is how that trick IL
done, although a great deal of delicacy
Is involved In throwing the rope up
with TIE exact amount Of force to
s,ra,oh,n, ont tho coils for ANYTHING n
shade under or over would Interfere
With tho srcccss ~ tho feat which nj
a.. hoe. 10 only N tugoIino interIude
.~Tbo other two great tricks of the
rJ,ndoos ore tho basket tric,s and the
r,onoo tree trick In tho first trick n
hoy ,s mt into n basket. n sword IA
nossed through II I'm various directions,
and tho how i. seemingly killed. while
lster on no annears either from the
b,sket or else is discovered some dis.
tonce owov. nerhans mn tree.
"Tbe secret ia simple. The basket IL
n.cuI,or,v shoned beino much larger
~ The hot,om than ot the ton. There "a
nIontv Of room in tho bottom of tn.
hosto, ,or n v,rv IJ,ndoo lad IN curl
round u eeIwi.e The performer I'm
drIy,ng tho sword through the basket
totos excclIent car, 10 miss the boy.
oIthouch to tho sne,,tators II seems as
f tho sword pcnctroted every part of
tho hos,ot
.rbe mango trick Is oven more simple.
and the renorts of travellers that they
hod witnessed with their own eyes the
growth OF the tree Is as absurd as
their tales of Uindoo lads who climb
mn ropes ond disappear n In Jack and
the BeanstaIk I'm thin air. The mango
tree ia real,v n small twie not morp
than eighteen inches high. which is
1ortIv ,ntr,ducod into n can of dirt
while the latter is being covered with
cone made OF cloth and bamboo.
"Tbe most startling trick I saw I'm the
for east wa, performed by mendican,
in the Malay peninsula. While wnit
ing for the mango trc, 10 grow he did
.., ....,.. .......,,u.