CONJURING FOR ONE'S LIFE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 267, 1 April 1911, Page 10

CONJURING FOR ONE'S LIFE.

CARL HERTZ AND THE NATIVES. Of all the magicians of the present day not one is so versatile or so widely travelled as Mr. Carl Hertz. Mr. Hertz can boast of having made the longest tour of any public performer, this journey beginning in South Africa, and including visits to Australia, New Zealand, the Fiji Islands, India, Burma, Java. Japan, China, Borneo, the Philippines, and the United States. On at least three occasions Mr. Hertz has had to conjure for his very life, and it is of these exciting experiences that he writes in this article: On three distinct occasions 1 have literally had to conjure for my life or liberty. The first of these adventures occurred at Boulder City, in West Australia. Some of the black bushmen in that neighborhood witnessed my performances, and were so struck with the way I. could "work magic" that they concluded I would be quite an acquisition to their tribe, and decided to kidnap me. This was to be managed at a show which I had arranged for their special benefit outside the town, at a place where they were camping. Only by the merest, chance T heard of the design from a' friendly native, who let the cat out of the bag in a burst of confidence occasioned by some trivial act of kindness on my part. I at once decided upon a course of action which would teach them a lesson, and when my show at their eamp had almost concluded I announced that I had heard of their wicked design, and would call down lire from heaven to destroy them. I then made some passes in the air and mumbled a few sentences in Spanish, whereupon the garments of one man near me suddenly burst into flame! You should have seen that man run! One yell of terror arose from the whole band, and before many moments they had all disappeared into the bush.

Needless to say, the man whose clothes caught Are was in no raal danger. I had simply seized an opportunity during the previous trick to sprinkle on his scanty clothing some drops of a chemical preparation of my own invention, which ignite spontaneously after a few moments' exposure to the air.

'The second occasion when I had to conjure for my life was on the journey between Boulder City and Perth, which had to be undertaken on camels. All the water required for every purpose had to be carried with us, and towards the end of the. trip the supply ran short, and I had to purchase water at £1 per bucket! At length our supply was utterly gone, when we fell in with a party from whom we endeavored to procure some. I did not venture to tell them exactly our position for fear some altogether extortionate sum might be asked, but upon learning who I was they said they would let us have some water if I would give them a show. You may depend upon it that in my efforts to please them I conjured as I had never conjured before, with the happy r«snlt that they let ns have a supply which lasted till we reached our destination.

But by far the most perilous situation out of which my magic has helped me arose when I was in Borneo. My fame apparently spread into the interior, and I received what I considered a gratifying summons to give a performance at the court of a native ruler.

I accordingly set out, and in due course arrived at the palace with my wife, who accompanies me upon all my tours and assists me in many of my tricks.

The performance was a great .success, and was appreciated not only by the King, but by his favorite daughter, who was so delighted that we were requested —''ordered," I might say, for these native rulers are absolute autocrats in their own domains—to remain for several days so as to repeat our show.

Wo gave four performances in all, and after the third the .princess, to my horror, sent for me, and proposed that I should marry her! I explained falteringly that I was already married, but she assured me this did not matter at all, and that she would be as a sister to my other wife, and that between them they would rule any other wives I might acquire! My wife, who was with me at the audience, thought the whole thing was a joke, but I saw at once that it was a deadly serious matter, and that if I refused we should hardly escape with our lives. I therefore thanked the princess and begged her to give me a few days to think over her proposition, after which T retired and set my wits to work.

At each of the three performances we had given I had concluded with an illusion called "The Phoenix," in which my wife stepped into cauldron of fire and was apparently burnt alive,' her place being taken by a skeleton, which in due course was again transformed into my wife.

Having thought out a plan of campaign, I .sesretly made the necessary arrangements for the speedy removal of all my heavy baggage to the river, and then sent word to the palace that I would give a fourth performance thatievening, intimating that at the same time I would give the princess my answer. My plan may be readily guessed. When the moment arrived for my wife to enter the burning cauldron, T pushed her aside, jumped in myself, and was speedily consumed, to the horror of the whole audience, who realised, when I did not reappear, that the magician, being burnt, there was no one to conjure him to life again! Meanwhile, I was carried quickly away, hidden in a large wicker box, and my wife, only remaining to rain curses upon a land where such a calamity had befallen her, hurried all our belongings away and got them—including the" box in which I was—to the river, where I was very glad for a breath of air again and to see the last of a country that had thought to transform me into a Mormon.