Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-08-01

of the Siwashes was first excited
when two MISUNDERSTANDING trunks
were unloaded from the sled in 'front.'
of the chiefs hut A few words to the
chief by my friend put us in good
with him and he invited us inside
with our trunks. summoned the saw
ages from the outside and introduced
me in his crude way as the white
medicine man.
Il had things all my own way. and
during the performance | was able to
resurrect old tricks that | had had to
drop from my repertoire years ago be-
cause they had become so common
that a white audience would laugh
me down should | have the nerve to
exhibit them in this day and age.
II started off with the old thread
bare stunts, such as palming cards.
turning water into wine. etc, and IT
was not many minutes until | was
looked upon by my ignorant audience
as a veritable devil.
What did those poor children OF
nature know about the double COM
partment pistol. the mysterious egg
basket, the loaded hat or the traps In
the tables? A chair to them was a
chair, nothing more The old chief
was nonplussed when, after / had
manipulated the egg bag for minute.
ne asked to be allowed to fee, inside
it, and he found it was empty. Again
he felt and it was full of eggs, eggs
were everywhere-on the floor, under
the table. in the folds of his garments.
and he was given great laugh when
even pIucked couple from his
mouth. l guess he is still trying to
figure out whence they came and
where they disappeared
The abject simplicity of the ma
tives was forcibly shown when
grabbed one of the youngsters by the
nose and told him to blow through
that organ. He did. and ! told him
sharply to blow hard This he did
as commanded. and thought he and
all the rest would drop dead when a
whole pack OF playing cards SHOT out
apparently from his nostrils and fiut-
tered to the ground. This trick was
repeated by request upon another
young native and another deck of
cards was blown from a Siwash nasal
appendage and scrambled for by the
youngsters looked out of the door
of the hut few minutes later to see
three or four of the little fellows out
side holding each others noses and
blowing for dear life in an effort to
urofuCo moro nassah0ardc
My potato trick. though, brought
the show 20 a speedy climax IL 1
hadn't stopped when I did Id have
been bankrupt. I asked old lsaacs IL
he had a potato. The chief ordered
his sQuaw to bring one, which she
did. I then called for a knife, and
with the knife ! started to cut the
potato in halves The savages crowd
ed round me to watch Developments
and were amazed when the knife
struck something hard in the center
Of the tuber. 7 could cut no further,
but finally worked around the obs;ruc-
ton. and. when the potato was d.
dollar tossed the coin outside and
you should have seen the scramble
for IT,
L didn't have to ask for a second
potato: the trick vas repeated and an
other haf dollar given the Indians as
q souvenir A third time I was pre-
vailed upon by wondering hosts TO
open a potato. but by this time every
buck. kioo.rhnsn and paroose IA the
crowd was armed with a potato and
ciamorinE % have u opened. ] saw
ny hnish looming up and not very far
ahead saw the seasons profits
dviadliag and q did not require a
great stretch % Imagination 20 pic
ture a certain lore-haired wizard
stranded IN the far and frozen north
land. rnushing his vsy out 20 civiiiza-
ton viih gzunt famine dosging hrs
tracks.
Let's duck-bcat ~ 7 whispered
20 nv white companion. and while I
diverted the attention % the ecran-
bling and insirfent aborigines. my pal
hasgied our kits ~ Yarapherualia 70
the doz sled ard a. the Psychologist!
moment made dash for liberty and
ne ecre OF
= heard since that our visit vas
followed b. = potato famine IN Moose
hide for no sooner had ve len the
village than The Inhabitants On their
mad quest for silver half dollars. ran
sactcd THE camps for potatoes ard
cut hen into hts. cuTainE th~fr luck
ard thc white devil for their disap
pointment There wasn't . potato left
n Noosehide-