Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-02-18
Professor Anderson, s. The Wizard Of
the North.

A telegram from London, under date
of the 4th instant, reports as follows:
professor Anderson, the well-known
conjurer, is dead"
John Henry Anderson. professionally
known as ''The Wizard of the North, !"
was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland,
and first appeared in public as con-
jurer in 1880, in Edinburgh. He was
exceeding ly successful in astonishing
and affording amusement to very large
audiences. He came to New York in
1851, and opened at the Broadway
Theatre. Afterwards he played "Rob
Roy" at Castle Garden. He travelled
all over the United States, and appear
ed In almost all the countries of the
Old World, performing before mon
archs, princes and the people. He had
not been in America for some years,
but always manifested great gratitude
for the favors he received at the hands
of the people of the United States.
Mr.. Anderson suffered many losses in
property by fire. --..-~~,
f On the morning of Wednesday,
March 5, 1856, the last day of his ten
ancy of Covent Garden Theatre, Lon.
don, the building was destroyed by
fire. There was widespread speculat ton
concerning the cause of the confagra-
tion, and in very many quarters in
Great Britain the Wizard" was
charged, more or less openly, as an
incendiary, who wished to make money
and gain additional notoriety by having
his name connected with the occurrence
of a great metropolitan catastrophe.
This imputation he Indignantly denied,
notably in a letter which he addressed
to the New York Herald under date of
London, April 7, 1856, and which was
published in our columns. Other the
aires -one in Glasgow and one in Man
chesterfield been burned when under
his management, and the busy tongue
of rumor found ample food for it's ut
terances when the same disaster befel
him in some one or two Of the houses
which he leased in America. Douglas
Jerrold, in a London weekly journal,
designated Anderson as Ga necroman-
ces enthroned on tar barrel whose
name will be burned into the memories
of generations" and the Spectator
said -" Covent Garden Theatre IS
burned down and the public, taught by
experience, at once suspect the incen-
diary" The Globe, Examinor and
Punch followed IN the same strain, Mr..
Punch closing a poetic effusion with
the following verse:
On the Wizard of the North
Sing the Tuesday nights renown,
When he let the gas burst forth -.
And burned the theatre down
The Wizard had rented Covent
Garden for limited term, at season
of the year when any other occupancy
was hopeless. He paid $4,000 to the
manager of the Royal Italian Opera,
and expended FL, O0G additional in get
ting up his pantomime ella Belle AL
lance or the Field Of the Cloth OF
Gold" Previous to this misfortune,
the "Wizard had been the lessee OF
almost every theatre in England, Ire
land and Scotland, and had five Lon
don theatres under his management.
He had given his necromantic per-
Torrance in Great Britain, the other
countries of Europe, Russia, and, we
believe, in the East. The public re-
lieved him of the charges which were
made against him by portion of the
English press so that he has passed
from life, eminent as conju1er, and very
much esteemed as theatrical man
ager and gentleman.