Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-07-12
IRVING BISHOPS FEATs.
What His Friend Dixey Has Seen Him Do
at Mind Reading.

What His Friend Dixey Has Seen Him Do
at Mind Reading.
81 knew Irving Bishop for fifteen years."
said Henry E. Dixey, the actor, to a reporter,
land he was the most remarkable man lever
met. He was not simply remarkable as
mind reader, but he was a clever genius in
other respects. Apparently little insignifi-
can't fellow, he courageously went into Rus
STA and besought the car to grant him an
opportunity of displaying his wonderful
gifts. After repeated applications the mon
arch deigned to receive him. His perform
ance before the Russian court was to be a
crucial test, which would demonstrate
whether the young American was phe-
nomenon or fraud.
Zone of the cars sons took daggers, and,
while Bishop was blindfolded and put into
another apartment of the palace, went
through all the actions appropriate to a
stealthy attempt at stabbing. Then the
prince jumped into Sleigh and, behind his
three horses, he rode through the dark roads
to point about mile distant from the i'm
perial household, and there, in deep snow
bank, secreted the dagger. On the princes
return Bishops eyes were uncovered and he
got into the sleigh The mind reader directed
the horses, although the roads were unknown
to him and the night was pitch dark, and
alghted at precisely the same point where
the young man had got out He went straight
to the snow bank and took out the hidden
weapon. Returning to the palace he gave
perfect counterfeit presentment of the mock
stabbing affray, and concluded, to the be-
wilderment of the car and his family, by
putting the point of the dagger exactly at the
place on the czarina's left shoulder wherein
son had touched her. ,r'>8 J3s
''Irving Bishop never had a confederate.
His performances were no mere feats in leger-
demain Bishop had fine education and
thorough cosmopolitan. He had an in
comprehensibly keen perception and power
of concentration The mental and nervous
strain was intense during some of his per-
formances. l recollect that after one exhibit
ton his pulse actually beat 1850 piss.. Ysa's -
'"That performance was the most marvel
GUS l had ever witnessed 1t was in Louis
vile, KY, and as l sat on the stage and
watched the entire performance critically,
am sure he had no assistance. An old Ken
tuckian, very wise in his own way and slSep-
tical, offered to wager Il large sum that Bish-
CD could not reveal the secret he would try to
conceal.
"'Now, my FRIEND, said Bishop, Charles
Foster would give you pad and ask you to
write something on the upper leaf and then
tear the page off and put it into your pocket.
Foster would take back the pad, in which he
had piece of manifold paper, and seeing a
duplicate of your writing would tell you
what you had put into your pocket. That
was trick. Now, will do something more
difficult. l won't use any pad and want
you to take your own paper The sneering
old fellow took scrap of paper from his
pocket, and while Bishop sat bhndfolded in
another part of the stage the old man wrote
name on the paper and put it into his
pocket. Bishops bandage was removed, and
going over to the old fellow he said, smilngly:
That's quite man you wrote about. Won't
you come out and have smoke with mes
You wrote the name of Henry Clay on that
paperf You never saw more surprised
man in your life than that old fellow.
Henry Clay was really what had been
written. But Bishop had worked himself into
a most agitated state and tn doctors then
found his pulse to be 1850.
HE did another thing which puzzled me
greatly. He got a man to get an ordinary
needle, mark it, and then go along to store
quarter of mile away and mix the needle
among boxful. Bishop then went to the
store, took the particular box of needles,
although there were dozens of boxes there,
and picked out the needle instantly. New
York News,