River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-03-15


This brave young messenger.
Mary Ainge De Vere,Fn Youths Companion.
IT.
Some Incidents in a Merry MasiciaL's Life
SiCnOr Antonio Blitz, WHO recently
died at Philadelphia, was born of Pol
ish parents in Deal, England, June 81 4,
1910. HIS father was merchant, toll
eTably well-tO-dO. lie left his home at
the age of thirteen, having become
enthusiastic over the success of
sleight of hand tricks there exhibited,
and which he had acquired from hints
given him by a band of strolling gypsies
and, child as he was. started out i'm.
mediately as a public performer, APP
pearing at Hamburg first, under the
care of Family acquaintance known
in his autobiography only as Gabriel.
and then at POtsdam, Lubbock, and
other cities ON the continent. At the
age of Is he made his first perform
ance in England, at Dover, and at the
age OF eighteen he came out in London
at the Caberg theatre. He made ten
months stay in London, which was
thoroughly successful, then he made
an extended tour through Ireland and
Scotland, returning afterward to Eng
land, where he remained till 1884. In
that year he took his wife and two
children on board the Columbus PACK
ct ship of the old Black Ball line, at
Liverpool, and with them came TO this
country. His first appearance in this
country was at the old Masonic Hall in
Broadway afterwards he fulfilled an
engagement ct Niblo's in company
with Mr.. and Mrs Watson, Messrs.
Howard, DempsteT, j. A. Kyle and
other well-knOwn musical performers,
and subsequently he visited Boston, APP
peaTing at the art gallery in Summer
street, then occupied by Abner Knee
land and the Society of Free-Thinkers.
From Boston he made the tour of New
England and of the west. returning
thence to New York, where hC entered
into partnership with Mr.. MaeZiel, the
proprietor of the s'AutOmatOn Chess
player" and the ''oIege of Moscow.
After an extended stay in New York,
SignOr Blitz and his ally performed in
Philadelphia, made a tour through the
south and west, Canada and Nova Scotia,
and thence went to the Barbados and
the West Indies. Upon his return he
settled in Philadelphia, where he has
resided for many years.
SignOr BlitZ married twice. His first
wife he married in Scotland at an
early age; she was the mother of the
prima donna, Nine. Jenny Van Zandt.
lie had three children in all, and one
son - living at present in Philadelphia
and one daughter in Brooklyn. He
has also a brother living in England.
The anecdotes concerning him, his
VentrilOQuiSm, and his marvellous deX-
terity, are innumerable. Very often
endowed by the superstitiOus fancies
of those who had witnessed his re-
remarkable feats of legerdemain with
supernatural powers. lac carefully
makes it evident ia his autobiography
that it was only To hIs manual dexter
ty and close observance of character
that he was enabled TO so marvelously
deceive the senses of his auditors. In
deed, he takes occasion to say in this
interesting volume that Spiritualism,
'sthe professors of which pretend to
hold intercourse with the dead, and
record the thoughts of those within
the realms of heaven, protesting to re-
ceive and convey communication be
tween families and friends, is of a
character as nOnsensical to the I'M
derstanding as it is offensive to moral
appreciation of the divine law" His
motto was Laugh, laugh and be hap
py. Live above the thought of wrong
and il will not exist in action" He
quotes many instances of the super
stitiOus regard in which he was held.
To his bOyish tricks IN his native viii
Iage his neighbOrs ascribed the loss of
their sheep, miShapS TO their cattle,
and unusual occurrences within twenty
miles of the town. Indeed the good
priests and buTgheTs of the town held
a solemn council TO consider what
should be done with this uncanny boy.
No result seems to have come of
their deliberations, yet, says the
author. 1.-The villagers might be seen
standing long way off gazing at my
person and alleging that they saw
most mysterious sights of beings pass.
ing in and out of the chimneys, through
the windows, and of red and blue fires
burning round the house at mid.
night,
At Exeter, England, in the early
part of 1926. he was summoned before
the archbishop and church. council,
prior TO performance, and called up
on to answer various charges of ire
IigiOn, ard as being an idle, mis-
chievous person" The council were
not able 10 find him guilty, but he
treated them TO a gratuitouS perform
ance. He ast0nished the aSsemblage
by announcing that watch, which he
exhibited, would be transpoI Ted TO ;
cushion in the cathedral pulpit; anC
there it was found when a messenger
went 10 search for it.
His first feat Is yentriloquist wa:
in a diSSecting-rOOm, whittier he had
been invited by a medical friend. The
doctor, scalpel in hand, had made al
incision in the body of woman, L
which she protested. 1T is cruel t.
mutilate," said the voice, 1.-the re
mains of a woman
yes" came from another bOdl
upon another table lit is an outrag,
to thus abuse a woman" Doctor ant
students made rush for the door, anC
il WAS only when the surgeon had fran
tically driven home in his carriag
taking SignOr Blitz with him, that tn,
ventrilOqUist explained.
II Is tipoSSlDle 10 give more Inan
few OF the many anecdotes which Sig
nor Blitz himself has left of his Ion
life and varied experience. Meeting
Paganini, the violinist, during visi
to Glasgow, an infants cry came from
within the great Italians fiddle.
''My Cod, said Paganini, "what j
this -
.'YOu know whose child it is, sal,
a female voice from a DeighborinI
closet. The excited musician rushe'
to the closed. thence back to his violin
and then turned round TO see SignO
Blitz laughing and to receive his ex
PLANTATION.
An Egyptian mummy was presente'