INDIAN JUGGLERY.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2251, 20 June 1881, Page 3

INDIAN JUGGLERY.

[From the “ New York Times.”J People have often asked why some enterprising theatrical manager docs not bring one of the wonderful jugglers of India to Europe or to this country. Wo have had Japanese jugglers who proved to be much inferior to such occidental wizards us Houdin and Herrmann, and wo are soon to witness Nautch dances by genuine Nautch girls, but ao East Indian juggler has over left his native country. Everybody has heard of the amazing miracles performed almost daily in India. The stories of the juggler who throws a ball of cord into the air, whore it remains long enough for him to climb up by it until he disappears from sight ; or of the juggler who carves a boy as he might carve a chicken, and then reconstructs the boy out of a heap of disjointed limbs and miscellaneous organs, are familiar to us all. They are often quoted by spiritualists as proof that miracles even more astoniching than the composition of bad poetry by the spirit of John Milton are actually worked by the “occultists” of the Orient, and are often retold in the newspapers as having been vouched for by that rather vague person “a recent traveller." Were one of these ificomparable Eastern jugglers to bo brought to Europe by a theatrical manager ; the latter would make a certain and enormous fortune within a very short time. And yet the very men who import cheap Japanese jugglers, or the more interesting Nautch gins, never make the slightest effort to secure a real miracleworking fakir. This is certainly very strange, and in fact quite unaccountable, except upon a hypothesis which is as rude as it is unwarranted. The mention of East Indian jugglers and their feats must at this particular period remind everyone who knows the facts of the recent marvellous disappearance of a small boy in Blackbaro, Mass. At the request of those most nearly interested, the affair has thus far been quietly ignored by the Press ; but it is now understood that there is no need of any further mystery in the mutter. The facts, according to Mr Sbonczsr Latbrop, a leading citizen and undertaker of Blaokboro, are briefly as follow, and will bo found intensely interesting :

Mr Lathrop is not a spiritualist, but until lately he hae taken a good deal of interest in spiritualism, and has some* times expressed the belief that there may be “ somethin orotber " in it. Three weeks ago there came to Blackboro a professional medium, Mr Q. T. Horner, who alleged that he was travelling for pleasure, but who, at the request of a local believer in spirits, consented to hold a seance at the house of Mr Lathrop, whose professional, acquaintance with departed Blackboro’ citizens might reasonably be supposed to render them willing to meet a respectable medium under hie roof. The seance was appointed to be held on the night of the Bth of December, and seven living spiritualists agreed to be present. It was the misfortune of Mr Lathrop to have a peculiarly objectionable boy—Master Thomas Wallis Lathrop, named after bis maternal grandfather, aged eleven years on the 27th of last November. Thomas, or Tom, as he was popularly called, was a particularly bod boy. Much familiarity with coffins and funerals had, perhaps, its share in rendering him callous and indiCerent to serious things ; but it is very certain that he feared nobody and cared for nothing. He made bis estimable father’s life a burden to him, and it was the general opinion of the village that Tom's private funeral would be a most desirable undertaking event. The seance was held at the time and place appointed, and was in many respects a creditable affair. Communications from a number of prominent ghosts were received, and the spirits of two persons whom Mr Lathrop had buried. Deacon Smedley and Prince (coloured), were fully materialised, and were recognised by everyone present. It was in connection with the appearance of the coloured ghost that Tom Lathrop made known his hitherto unsuspected presence in the room by a war-whoop and a large apple, the latter being thrown at the ghost with such excellent aim as to hit him on .the nose and elicit from him the brief and pointed remark, "Golly!" The indignation of the assembled spiritualists was naturally great, and Mr Lathrop, who promptly captured bis graceless son, was about to lead him away for punishment, when the medium said, “ Bring him to me ; I will deal with him." Tom was accordingly given to the medium, who was an athletic man, and who, seating himself on a chair in the full view of the audience, placed the boy across his knee and prepared to operate on him with the palm of his band. Mr Horner struck only one blow, for the instant his avenging hand descended there was a brilliant flash of light, a loud report, and Master Tom disappeared instantly and utterly. The doors and windows were closed, and even if they had not been it is certain that the boy could not have left the medium’s lap and escaped from the room unseen. From that moment until the present time not the slightest trace of Master Thomas Wallis Lathrop has been seen.

The medium’s explanation was a simple one. He said that by his occult power he had decomposed the boy into his original gases, and that these had united with the gases of the atmosphere. The people of Blackboro’, with but one exception, agreed that this was the first evidence of any good in spiritualism that they had yet seen, and there was talk of inviting Mr Horner to take charge of the district school. To the astonishment of everybody Mr Lathrop seemed dissatisfied, and he has served a formal demand on the medium to re-construct his boy within ten days, or to pay his value, to bo decided by three arbitrators, or a majority of them. Now, this is a story which is as wonderful as anything that has ever been told of the East Indian jugglers. It is unquestionably as authentic as any story told by “ a recent traveller, ’’ and is far more circumstantial in its details than the best efforts of that eminent authority. It will be unhesitatingly believed by all the believers in Indian jugglery, and ought to be of immense service to spiritualism. In short, there is not a word of truth in it, which is precisely the most important characteristic of the tales of East Indian jugglers, and perhaps accounts for the fact that no one has thought it worth while to hire one of them to exhibit his childish tricks before an intelligent audience.