The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-03-24

sKILIrL dND PROMINENT MfGICIINS
IN NEW IORH sOCfLTl.

,.,ded nv some Of our " cuthN " uug Wen
Among the earliest performances given In
This country wore thoscof -',igh % hand. bat
he professors u the ingenious art % deceptive
manipulation were generally OF Oh" poorest
class. mere waits and strav- from the streets
and fair booths Of Europe ard depended
largely upon juggling and sometimes little
crude vcntriouusm to ckc 0ui their slender
repertoire Of tricks. Very Little that they at
tempted had any higher pretor-ion- than the
amusement and mystifcaion OF Juvenile minds,
and circumstances over which they bad no con-
troll prccuded the possibility " thrir availine
themselves OF the resources " chemistry cleo
triciiy. and costly mechanism To- which their
SUCCESSORS have been in greatest measure in
dehtcd for their effects.
Tho coming over OF Herr Alexander about
1874 marked an era in the practice Of magic in
New York. lie performed in the old Minerva
Rooms oil Broadway. between Walker and Canal
streets. and created quite u furore nj the time;
for. in addition to being very expert in lcgcrle-
main he made creator display of ingenious.
mechanical tricks than had ever before been
Witnessed here. Among other things with
which he surprised the public was a coffee trick
almost exactly the same one which has
figured prominently recently Oh Mr. llollcr's
programme. lie also did the Chinese ring trick
So gracefully and 50 well that. although oven
Then it was HOT new here. in his hands itscemed
something quite novel.
Prof Nh eliistcr came next lie WINS
Scotchman. and lal,ored IL a maSon's assistant
in Edinburgh when chance threw him IA the
way Of Robert Houdin. the famous French p"r-
former. IIouiin took a fancy to him. carried
him over H. France. and taught him his art.
Lcgcrdemnin Houlln could NOT teach. for he
knew It'll" more than rs rulimonis. but 10 one
could excel nun IN NuuWl'ds, ~ m'iiahi.u
yoss abilities. so TAR a- scl'nr" maj ~ thhl dHN
been mulr tributary To- this sort Of trickrry.
Con~rlu Ma'allistcr was 20 thoroughly
mechanical performer. with barely enough
skin IA s'isht of hand t. cnahi him &C. palm
wat 10. lemon. or bullet. or to f.r'e' u card.
some of his tricks were very clever. Hnd ar"
even yet popular uhirr now names. pul WIN
the slightest " -sihl" changes Otherwise. one.
viii IA he used to cnli 'conie'ti,hrr and wine
merchant has very lately been re-u@rltatcd
here rs something entirely new. After his
death. his widow quite good- looking md
smart woman. who WINS previously his assistant
travelled about giving exhibitions for a short
time. hut sud lenly disappeared from pubic
knowledge. and their large stock of wel-worn
apparatus was Soid by auction about 1892
TIE WIZARD or THE NORTH
Prof. Anderson. the Wizard of the North"
came next. and wac another who put ms faith
IN trick boxes. double TN pots. hollow tables.
aud strings. His lrgericmnin was of the clum-
siest sort yet he would persist IN aticWpin. II
macy ~ he showed in his ycarning t. play Rob
Eov hef,regor whenever he could g"t a man
agcr and q company. 10 conspire with him 10
made an imposing show wien piled about
the stage. Tut IA" most impressive thing
In his surroundings wis his great y.Vrt robe.
figured witt strange devices. presented To- him.
us he ulway~tNil his audiences. hy th" Emperor
OF Roo-hu. ono night when he WIS riorm-
ing NJ IN" old Broadway Theatre after "A con-
NiviAl alternp' n. lu which bumpers of Gl"nlwt
and LOchnnaar had fresh.n-d JOY nus memories
OF Aud Scotia TO su,h an extent thht magic was
quite a secondary thing ia b - "'l~li ration,
Anderson undertook 10 perform the shawl
trlok, taxing many things from seemingly
empty shawl, aud. last Of all hrin-lng from II a
live go'se. While he was busy with the earlier
part ol ~" trick. the impatient goose. con'caed
in the Emperor of kOo-ha- robe. found an
opening IA the back thereof, and thrust forth
is long. white neck wavin.. it, head to and fro
with a s'rpDntin" movement behind IA" ha k ~
the un'ons 'ipu- mas ian, who was slow 10 per
ceive why the spectators that evening fouud
the shawl trick 80 much more amusing than
usual. some of Anlnrsons TRICKS werr good.
but his ~ ''.-- IA tins country WAS due NOR"
70 hi- W9il- ,rN'l personal popularity thal
tohis skll a. % Magician.
Robert Heller WIS the nrNi gifted foreigner
Hall wilton. vino AIT, rwatd .rnil II large mu,ie
hall In lon.i had he.n Anirr-on'- man oi
SSusn'-7 y. ''s "unir{ anu 'uni ,i' n i,
of the Nortl returned o. iu4ll'. pa ir u.slt
were in tlr od Ci.i,-. Assembly, i.om- ou
Broliway h'twe,n ~Ir.u- ami Prime. streets
and tie -rrF,' i"ltuf 90. Dds rnf ituAlu"ni thrn
twenty-s ''af- AGO. john savage. t4on % pee
porter on th" Lr'fnt- wt- Dr. -"nl ga iur rr-t
night. when iir."r say" "A rfNat" "Ahlnt.nu
10 memt'r, nt ti.r Irt-- tiN invited guests.
and. whlr second SIGHT W. h.n- ~.Usu.
offered ii.het Dor to- In-t- laI. WA.L
The ll'nlioW"d h-- |~flii-i sNnit yluu-
lsraelte i re- dent 100 Ills ..y--A n. lu Az
ticket" WHAT ball: MAr nu i- IT, d.
imnrnd-a NA'n-", ~ nis "a. b uniHt,ni Wy.
"Nenir.ui uI-u. Is --l as uD... savage 4l
EXCITED w5n-er. Ihni -n.r "N,dau.tion has
ways b',n 100, in9 ll"m nI, wien nr-t