The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-03-06
THE SALT LAKE HERALD: FRIDAY MARCH 6. 1908

again. When 1t has attained to lis
original size. the smiling fatir places II
upon the ground before him and IN
vites one of the company to lift it. II
weighs twenty or thirty pounds, 81
they raise it with ease Putting il
down at the juggler's request and then
attempting TO lift it again. they find
that il has suddenly become so heavy
that the united efforts of three or -four
strong men cannot stir it the least bit
Still. at wave of his bamboo wand
it becomes so light that il can easily
be lifted by taking hold of the rim be
tween thumb and forefinger. When the
trick is over the water is always pour
ed out and the dish is smashed before
the eyes of the spectators.
One of the strangest and most mex
plicable of these illusions was wit
messed by the magician Kellar and de-
scribed by him in a magazine article
some years ago. Two Rishis-one an
old and venerable man. the other a
mere youth-made their appearance
the younger holding three swords
which he gave to the spectators for
examination. The blades were of the
finest Damascus steel as elastic as
0DbEA anu EiOUitQ W an tuSC iIhC ittttl
of the proverbial razor. CThe razor in
real life does not always realize the
ideal edge usually ascribed to IT'D
The older man took the swords and
placed them on the ground, hilt down
ward. holding them while the youth
packed earth around to keep them
standing point upward. When this was
accomplished the youth lay down upon
the ground beside the swords. The
other made a few passes over him ani
he seemed to fall into. a profound
sleep.
The aged Rishi now lifted him with
great care, though he seemed to ex-
perience no difficulty in doing So and
placed him upon the needle-like points
of the three swords-one was IN the
nape of the neck. the second about the
middle of the back and the third came
beneath the ankle of one foot, the
other leg being drawn over this. How
these points were kept from penetrIC-
ing his skin was an insolubls mystery,
as the man had nothing on MIN but a
loin cloth.
The old man now knelt down, and,
carefully removing the earth from the
hilt of the sword under the ankle, took
that sword away. Still there vas no
change in the sleeDer's posture. The
oCNOlAu SNOlu hdS IEDlONSu- III 'lkE
manner. Only one remained. This,
too, was taken away. and the youth
continued his tranquil slumber on a
couch of air, nothing whatever - sup
port him. The old man waved his hand
gently and the form of the sleeper
slowly descended 10 the ground. A few
more passes and he awoke.
But the marvel of all these marvels
is the wonderful rope trick. Tavernier
saw it performed and gave the first
account of it, I believe. Since his day
it has been described scores of times.
with little variation of detail.
There are generally two of the con-
jurors. They produce a long rope. ore
end of which they throw up into the
air, where it remains fixed upright 1T
a very great height. Then the younger
of the two climbs up the rope and dis
appears at the other end The one be-
low now commands him to come down
again. This he refuses to do; his voice,
distinctly audible, seeming to come
from the clouds. The older men en-
treats and implores. ali in vain; at last
he falls into rage, seizes a sword, and
climbs up the rope. also disappearing
at the top. The sound of a scuffla is
heard; then large drops of blood fail
like a sparse rain; next a severed and
the head and last of all the body of the
refractory young fakir fall TO the
ground as a result of the invisible bat
tie in the air The old Rishi descends,
bloody sword i'm hand, and takes the
rope down after him.
Then he breaks into lamentation over
the dismembered body of his associate.
He has acted Tashly and in anger: if
the gods can restore the slain, let them
do so. The mangled limbs are gathered
into a heap and a piece of canvas
thrown over them Something moves
beneath the cover: it is pulled away
and there sits the young Hindoo. placid
and smiling: not a trace of blood is
visible on his attire. nor even on the
ground which was so plentifully del
uged before.
The effect of this performance IS
2 StOunding. The SnecfatOrS are daZed