Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-12-21
691i&o1,
Cash House. 150N. Main St.
THE WIZARD OF THE NORTH.

Something About His Tricks-sad Story Of
His Favorite Daughter.
There was a wretched woman singing for
pence in the slums recently who had his
tory. She was none other than the favorite
daughter of Professor Anderson, the Wizard
Of the North, who used to mystify the last
generation with the wonders of elementary
electricity. Many people who marveled at
the professors show-and who did not marvel
at it in those dayss-win remember his hand
some daughter. She used to have little to do
with the performance beyond playing the
piano sometimes, but she WIS always on view,
and she was always seen about with her father.
he loft good deal OF money behind him, and
she had her share, but by this time she had
married a New York professional man, and
he quickly made ducks and drakes Of it She
left him and sought to make living on the
stage
A good musician and fair singer, she
managed to get on pretty well for time,
and came to England; but run of Ill luck
came and engagements failed her. She parted
with her wardrobe and came down at last to
singing in the streets Later came worse still
Her strength gave way, her voioe failed, and
even this wretchedest means of Subsistence
was lost.
For two days she had nothing at all to eat
and for two nights she slept in the park.
Then, and not till then, she overcame her
pride, and called to see a gentleman who in
the old days knew her and her father very
we'll. She is being cared for now and is being
put in the way to earn livelihood
The wizard was remarkable man in MANY
ways. He was cook by trade and practiced
his profession as chef at q hotel in Aberdeen.
He left his hotel to become a wizard The
tricks by which he made his fame would
hardly puzzle a schoolboy nowadays. But
those were the early days Of electricity, and
when people saw candles suddenly light up
without match being put to them and
heard rappings and bell ringings and drum
beatings coming in the most mysterious man
ner from all parts Of the hall they were
little frightened as we'll as being astonished
Some of what were accounted the profess
sor'smoS marvellous tricks were accomplished
by concealing underneath the carpet on the
stage copper plate communicating with an
electric battery. In the heels of his boots
were fxedsp in such a manner that when
ever he liked he could drive them through
with the copper plate underneath. When
people did not know Of the ingenious little
arrangement the easily produced electrical
phenomena were sufficiently marvellous.
He used to give his audience shocks and do
a little in the electric faith healing line by
way Of varying the performance The wiz
ard was a born mechanic, and used to manu-
facture his own apparatus rs far as possible
~ L. II
great quality Of the successful inventor, the
power of appropriating other peoples ideas
If any one brought him new piece Of
trick apparatus that showed ingenuity he
would contIive IN examining it to break it
Then the artful wizard would send for the in
ventor to repair it, and If be showed any
clevernees would keep him hanging about till
be had found out what ingsniou. ideas the
unsuspecting inventor had got floating about
in his head. The professor always had his
own workshop in every town he visited, and
TO this he would retire with snch ideas a. be
had managed to pick up and work them ont
as his own inventions. He was very cauny,
was Professor Anderson, and apart from the
merits of his performance he is accounted
one of tie cleverest showmen that ever lived.
Professor Anderson had another daughter
beside the unfortunate lady referred TO
above. Size used TO taks prominent part in
the performance, and regularly accomplished
some really marvellous nnannoic feas
Every day she used to learn of by heart the
contents of three newspapers. At night her
father would blindfold her and invite people
in the audience to indicate any paragraph in
either Of those papers which they would Ike
the young lady TO read by second ssnt She
would repeat 1t word for word without ever
making mistake. This is, perhaps. the
most remarkable feat of memory on record.
She Is middle aged woman now, and is en-
gagged in literary work in Leeds.-Glasgov
Mail