Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-08-14


of 1879, and four or five faithful friends
followed the hearse through the rain to
Laurel Hill cemetery.
Wyman's exploits on the Mississippi
steamers would fill thick volume, the
chapters of which he often promised to
write. His annual tours through the
South and West included every town of
more than 1000 inhabitants, and good
many of less. Before the advent of RAIL
roads in some of the Southern States he
travelled on horseback, his agent follow
| ing with two pack mules bearing his APP
paratus and paraphernalla. L. w. ost,
one of his closest friends and an old deal
er in the "wizard's" stock in trade on
North Ninth street, remembers exhibit
tions that were given in hay lofts, the
spectators climbing a ladder on the in
side of the building and paying 81 for the
privilege, and, said he, "we turned 'em
away then" Professor Wyman was the
inventor of many tricks that are now the
stock in trade of those on whom his man.
tie fell. The magic drum created SEN
sation in it's day. 1t was suspended from
the ceiling over the head of the au-
dience, and responded in in
visible taps to questions from the spec
tators The secret lay in the construc-
ton of the instrument. There was an
electric annunciator on the inside, and
the drum was suspended carelessly by an
insulated wire. The other end of the APP
pliance was an ordinary telegraph opera
tors instrument on the stage. The spec
tators asked questions, Wyman tapped
the instrument with his foot, and the
drum responded in loud taps. The whole
arrangement was an invention OF his.
Prof. Wyman used to say that Hermann
lacked ingenuity and variety, and that
Heller's great charm lay IN his converse
ton. The latter was, however, clumsy
with his hands, strange as it may seem.
Wyman once said enthusiastically:
''Cazeneuve is marvel at sleight-of
hand He has no rival as far as the
handling of cards is concerned. | have
seen him pick up a bundle of cards from
the table, glance at it, and tell how many
there were in it. | believed there was
some trick in it until had tested it again
and again, and he never failed in even so
much as single one, until tried him
with American cards. These are not
uniform in thickness and once or twice
he was wrong; for instance: There are
fortv-seven there when on counting
them there were found to be only forty
six or forty eight. l never saw any trick
that could equal the wonderful percep
ton of the man.
Wvman was once asked if he believed
in spiritualism.
"You will never find a magician, said
he, "who does. More than that, you will
never find man who pretends to be a
medium. There are many well-meaning
and intelligent people who believe in
spiritualism, but only lmpostors practice
it, | have taken non believer in spir-
itualism and in single sitting convinced
him that was under the guidance Of
spirits, and all l did was to repeat to
them, in a called trance, what they
had themselves told me an hour before
of their own history and past friend
ships"
The magician's proverb, "Simple
things are the most puZzling," is illus
trated in much Of Wyman' legerdemain.
A friend, who was acquainted with his
skill but not with his methods, and asked
to be shown the paraphernalia of one of
Professor Wyman's most notable feats.
There is none," replied the magician.
Why, you have played it for years;
you must have something left
eyes; piles Of bricks and mortar. :"
Professor Wiman alluded to five houses
that he had recently purchased at Bur
lington. 1t was in this quiet village on
the Delaware that the magician spent the
last years of his life. His last exhibition
was given at the Assembly buildings, in
Philadelphia, in 1877. He lived in plea
SAINT retirement at Burlington, and his
peaceful days there, frightened by many
lifelong friendships, were last in a long,
and, in many respects, remarkable
career