A juggler, magician, and sword swallower, Ramo Samee (or Ramaswamy) appeared in England in 1819, after several years in New York and Boston. Some sources suggest he was first in England with a troop of performers brought from India to Pall Mall by Captain Campbell. He was known for swallowing a handful of beads on a string, and then pulling it from his throat. He would graduate to swallowing needles, and end his act with sword swallowing.
Morning Chronicle – Thursday 05 February 1818
Samee was said to bring in considerably more than other, similar acts, and stayed in England until his death in the 1850s. He played at a variety of theatres, including the Olympic Theatre in 1821 when he was billed as the Cheif of the Indian Jugglers. The following year he played at the Royalty Theatre, and later that year at the Royal Coburg Theatre. He also did a stint of performances in 1822 at Vauxhall.
The New Monthly Magazine and Literary Journal (1827)
He was known for his flair for the dramatic, including wearing all white robes and a turban and could perform magic tricks, fire eating, and other acts of juggling (often used in exchange with magic or magician in the era). He did marry and while earned a lot of money in his day, died at the age 59 impoverished.
Today, there is still a card trick that bears his name (The Ramo Samee Card Trick ).
Bibliography
http://www.swordswallow.com/halloffame.php#RamoSamee
Ramo Samee – Juggler – Magic Biography | MagicTricks.com
Ramo Samee – Magicpedia (geniimagazine.com)
Read about other Indian performers: The Indian Brothers Medua and Mooty Samme · IJA (juggle.org)
