CARTER THE GREAT.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19137, 21 October 1927, Page 18

CARTER THE GREAT.

v IN INDIA WITH THE HINDU FAKIRS. Even in these days when materialistic science and a universal- scpeticism have robbed the magician of his pristine 6tatus and glory, the modern sorcerer can, nevertheless, still hold his own in the affections of multitudes. Although the audience is thoroughly awaro of the obvious fact that it is being "buncoed," aud that the whole thing is a "have," the deceptions can be so adroitly done and in many cases so remarkably stage-managed, that unquestionably it would regard it as almost sacrilegious if it were' presented with the open sesame for the whole box of tricks on the principle that a little unexplained mystery now and then is good for even the most sophisticated of men. So facetiously remarks Carter the Great, who, with his bag of tricks and assistants, will appear for seven nights and two matinees, commencing to-night, Friday, at 8 o'clock, at the Theatre Royal. Continuing his remarks, Carter states: "Even in India, the so-called home of magic, fakirs and sorcerers by the score camo to see our poor wonders and to be 'fooled.' While in India I pursued faithfully with diligence and sincerity, every clue to the existence of a magician who could do something more than juggle balls, handle fangless cobras and secrete a boy in a circular basket from which he is supposed _ to disappear. I have never seen anything done other than the most ti-ite and commonplace sleight-of-hand tricks which are only comparable with the front ai.-d back hand palm of our con.iurev. One old sorcerer informed me that the East had lost her magic lore and that now she was being taught by the West, "In Benares I was told that a fakir could be found lying prone upon the sharp points of a bed of spikes which he had not loft for years. I saw him but our presence was not announced until too late, when it did not give him time to get back on the bed from which no doubt he had long since departed. This fakir's accomplishment was the inspiration for the invention of one of my most scientific, hazardous, and daring illusions which I call 'The Torture Cell of Spikes.' In the exposition of this latter-day miracle, a young lady is heavily manacled and placed in a solid steel torture celt, the back of which is seen bristling with seventy-two solid steel spikes, eighteen inches long, each ground to a needle point, these points ,iust touching the back of the body of the courageous, pretty young lady assistant; the cell in which she is imprisoned being scarcely large enough to contain her body. By means of a mechanical press, the back of the steel cell from which .project the seventy-two spikes, is brought slowly forward until all of the spikes are seen to apparently penetrnte the young lady's body and appear protruding from her corpus a few seconds after, without any perceptible inconvenience, mishap, or injury to the smiling but daring young assistant, "Another fanatic walked about with his l»ft arm straight in the air where he had held it for twenty years, which caused it to become paralysed. •-'ln Calcutta I saw a naked fellow measuring his length stretched on his stomach, on the pavement in Chowringhee, and marking with a piece of chalk (where he did not' forget to first place his bowl for alms) the point of the tips of his fingers extended arm length in front of his prostrate body. After beating his forehead up and down on the hard pavement, muttering the while _ some prayer, he would arise and place his feet on the spot where his fingers had been on the sidewalk, then stretch himself out full lengths on his stomach, aud repeat the samo action. "1 was told that, this man had travelled over 100 miles in this manner. He had been relieved of some fearful malady, and this was his method of returning thanks to his Maker." Box plans are now open at The Bristol. There will be a matin&e to-morrow (Saturday?; and on Monday (Labour Day), ul 2.30 p.m.