Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-06-20
A MIND READERS CAREER.
ASTONISHING FEATS OF THE LATE
WASHINGTON IRVING BISHOP.
Naming the Numbers on a Bank Note
Finding a Hidden Brooch After
n Long Drive.

who have studied the man and his per-
tormances freely admit.
Erratic to the last degree, some of
Bishops intimate friends claimed that he
was wildly insane. Yetthey could not
but admire the results of his oddities.
He cared nothing for money for mere
moneys sake. He spent the income of a
Prince every year, and although he made
half dozen fortunes by his work, at his
death he left virtually nothing beyond a
life insurance policy for his child.
In his thirty-three years of life Bishop
lived the lives of half dozen ordinary
men who had reached the limit of three
and ten. Four times he had been
married and twice divorced He had
travelled all over Great Britain and the
Continent, through North and South
America and Mexico and through the
Pacific islands.
Although under the medium height and
slightly built, he possessed the muscular
strength of giant. His pale face and
thin, white hands and general feminine
appearance belied greatly his real
strength.
Bishop was born in New York on
March 4, 1856. He attended the public
schools, and later Fordham College, from
which he graduated. His first start in
life for himself was in downtown drug
store. .-
When nineteen years old he became
acquainted with Anna Eva Fay, noted
Spiritualist at that time, and in 1875 he
started out as her manager. He learned
all the intricacies of the Spiritualistic
business and later started on his own ac-
count, making his first appearance at
Steinway Hall.
After a few performances he COM
menced to introduce some mind-reading
exhibitions, but in view of his previous
connections these were regarded with
suspicion by his audiences. Bishop
shortly after left the country and went to
England, where his fame spread. He
travelled through Great Britain and the
Continent giving exhibitions. .
Bishop had always had great fond
ness for music, being skilled performer
on the piano, and composer of some
success. At private exhibition in the
Royal Palace in st. Petersburg he told
the Czarina to think of some air and he
would reproduce it ON the piano. The
Czarina decided upon an old Russian love
song which she was certain Bishop had
never heard of before, yet he executed it
upon the piano with artistic accuracy and
expression. He again told her to think
of any picture in the palace and he would
pick it out blindfolded. The Czarina
decided upon one which had only few
days before been taken down from its
customary place and removed to another
room some distance from the one in
which the performance was being made.
Although entirely unacquainted with the
arrangement of the rooms or corridors in
the palace, Bishop sought out the correct
room and found the picture.
For this exhibition Bishop was re-
warded with the title of Baron, and was
also presented with cross of honor and
medal, one from the Gar and the other
from the Czarina.
1t was in London, in 1888, when his
fame was at its zenith, that he entered
into the controversy with Henry La
bouchere which eventually made him fa-
nous. Bishop was performing before
large audience in London when Mr.. La
bouchere, who believed that the mind
reading was the result of vulgar trickery,
said that if Bishop could tell the number
of bank-note in a gentleman's pocket in
the audience he, Labouchere, would give
him $4,000. Bishop said he would ac-
complish the feat under special conditions,
but as Mr.. Labouchere refused to accept
them the challenge was never tested.
Shortly after Labouchere attacked Bishop
through his paper. Bishop retaliated by
instituting libel proceedings, and in the
subsequent developments Bishop received
unlimited advertising.
At performance in Boston, given
three years ago, Bishop performed the
bank-note feat which caused the trouble
with Henry Labouchere. Sub Treasurer
M. P. Kennard was in the audience, and
had note in his pocket which he was
confident no one had seen but himself, as
it was taken fresh from the Treasury.
Bishop wrote the numbers / s 340793
on a piece of paper, and when they
were compared with the bank-note they
were found to be correct.
The feat which made him famous in
America was accomplished here two and
and half years ago. He invited num-
Der of ladies and gentlemen to the Hoff-
man House, and said he would allow any
Of the gentlemen present to hide some
article of jewelry in any part of the city
and he would drive blindfolded to the
place and find it.
Drs. Robinson and Hough borrowed
brooch from Mrs. Frank Leslie,
and driving over to the East Side, hid it
in tenement. On their return Bishop
was blindfolded and, going into the street,
he jumped on drivers seat of coach in
waiting, and although blindfolded, drove
down Broadway and across town to the
tenement house and discovered the brooch
hidden in one of the rear rooms.
Some time later while at the Bijou
Theatre one of the gentlemen in the
audience took needle and, going down
The street, hid it between the leaves of
5he, directory in the Sturtevant House.
Thoroughly blindfolded, Bishop later on
started out with the whole audience at
lis heels and found the needle without
, moment,s delav ti' II"