Rensselaer Union, Volume 3, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 June 1871 — Tricks of Conjurers—The Risks they Run. [ARTICLE]

Tricks of Conjurers—The Risks they Run.

• .Bobjebt Houdin usecL.tQ. say that if the knew what passes .through the wind .of a conjuror, when ho secs the barrel of a pistol turned toward him in the •.course of a •* fire arm trick,” they would perhaps give him credit for as much nerve and courage as tho bravest soldier shows •jn battle. An omission in some trifling point; tliebreakingoff of asmall part, of the false nimrod, or of the real bullet as it is .being withdrawn, may make the discharge .real. Often, too, the trick is a new ono, and some miscalculation may make the plan a failure where failure may mean death. An unfortunate event which took place in the Cirque Napoleon, at Paris, -lustrates Houdin’s wo'rds. 'Dr. UpStcin, the conjurer, had offered a gun to a specv tator,, with directions to take good .aim at • tfe doctor, whq was to receive the discharge oh the' pdin't of a sword; The man refused, but another fired off- the *gun as directed. The moment after the doctor lull to the grouud seriously wounded. It was found that a piece of the ramrod had broken off in the barrel, and this iired off at so close a range, had penetrated the conjuror’s right lung. A circumstance in Iloudin’s life shows how daringly the conjurers who amuse us will often play with danger, depending on their ready fingers to secure their safety. He had performed some startling fire arm tricks before a party of Arabians, making use, of course, of the ordinary form of pistol, which is so contrived that The ramrod withdraws the bullet. While the rest of the party were expressing their admiration, a crafty old Marabout who had somo suspicion of the true nature of the trick, said, the stranger is doubtless a strong magician; .will he suffer me to fire at him with my own pistols ? “ Yes,” said Houdin, unhesitatingly, “hutfirst I make invocation to t hose' who assist me!” The next day he met the same party and offered a saucerful of bullets to the inspection of the Marabout. Satisfied that they were lead—ns, indeed, they were —the Arab handed his pistols to Houdin, who loaded them, using the Arab’s ramrod. His own friends were in terror, and his wife, well as she knew his skill, was •in perplexity -when she saw him hand back to the 'Arab one of the loaded pistols. “ Now fire,” he said. The Arab did so, nud Houdin was seen with the bullet iu liis teeth. “ Bah,” he 'said, seizing the other pistol, “you cannot use your own weapons! You have been unable to draw blood from my flesh, and I will draw blood from yonder wall.” He aimed at the wall,, fired, and inlinediat< ly a stain of blood was seen. The Marabout went up to the wall, and when he had dipped his fingers iu the blood, width was trickling down, his awe and amaze cent were so great, that hifl features assumed a ghastly hue. Yet the trick was simple enough, two prepared bullets having been skilllully substituted by Houdin i for the leaden bullets he took from the saucer. But the experiment was quite \ new, and Houdin tells us that he trembled and could scarcely control his terror 1 as he saw the Marabout drawing tho trigger of the pistol.