The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1889-05-31

WHOLE NO. 1898.

had been left for the American at his hotel
He was careful to be tho first guest to nrsivv
at the place of appointment, and finding, as
he expected, that his host had not yet de-
scended to the parlor, made nn excuse for the
servant to show him up stairs for moment
Passing tho door of the library-which was
Immediately above the dining roonl-and
finding it unoccupied, he skipped in with that
cat like tread which distinguished him.
Picking up one of many books which were
scattered over table he opened it at page
-, mud in a few moments his marvellous
memory had enabled him to retain the
words of the first paragraph OH page a5
of the volume OH political economy. Hav-
ing inserted his hosts visiting card be-
tween the two pages he placed the book atop
tho others, and i'll such an awkward position
that it could scarcely fail to first attract the
attention of q person entering tho room.
With this explanation the trick is easily un-
dcrstood. OF course, the host did not place
his card between pages 81 and o5, but when
Bishop announced that tho curd was i'll that
position no ono thought of looking for q
second card elsewhere. Had the wrong book
been brought him, he would have diverted
the trick into another channel
Did Bishop ever have an accomplice?
Even those who class him as Il trickster do
not think so. They think he was too smart
to ever intrust his secrets to any one. The
testimony Of Charles Frohman, his first
American manager, is valuable in this re-
spect His first appearance i'll New York
was in Steinway hall, and the receipts were
s4S Frohman determined that n first class
theatre must be secured and the attention of
the scientific world drawn to tho perform
ances. Wallack's theatre was leased. 1nvi-
tations to private test were sent to scien-
lists, doctors and newspaper men. On the
day preceding the first exhibition in Wal
lacks, they assembled in one of the parlors
of the Hoffman house. 4 committee Of
prominent gentlemen was appointed to take
4 needle and drive to any place in New York
and hide it. Bishop, blindfollcd and clasp
ing one of the committeeman by the wrist,
was TO drive the same carriage over the same
route and find the needle.
"Whcn the committee had gone, says Mr.
Frohman i'll speaking Of this occurrence, II
became worried. | had never seen tho ex
pertinent tried Failure meant 4 disastrous
loss for nc While the crowd was busy with
the collation. and laughing at the jokes Of
Marshall p Wilder, who was there to enter
tain them, whispered to Bishop: DO you
need any assistancel l can have some one
follow TINT committee and report their move
ments to you secretly" He looked at me
calmly and said: No, l don't need any
assistance. l can do it. Bat even if
find that can't I'll avoid a failure asked
him what lie meant Why he answered,
with the utmost determination, If | find
can't do it | will run over some one with the
carriage else upset the committee i'll the
street. But the experiment was complete
success, and he found the needle in the upper
story OF u Fifth avenue house,
One more illustration and | am done.
Bishop once told me that when be was i'll
St. Petersburg the late ASSASSIN haunted czar
nsked him if he could not employ his scent
ngly mysterious power to detect nurterous
schemes against the life Of the ruler OF the
Russas. The mind readerf that is the
proper term-auswereG that such M idea had
never entered his head but he did not think
he would prove of value i'll such method of
detection. If, he said, a would be assassin,
for instance, hid dagger in ono spot ard
then when the mind reader seized his hands
he should think Of the weapon being in an
other place, the operator would inevitably
lead him to the location on which his
thoughts were ecnicrel To plcuso the
morbid mind of the emperor, however,
Bishop tried II curious experiment WHICH
he subsequently repeated with less distIn-
guisllcd people numerous times. While ho
was ubspnt in another room members Of the
royal family arranged themselves in II tab
llau in which the cz;t!' was pictured as being
stabbcd by his own son. the present emperor
Then the actors i'll this mock tragedy seat
tered themselves about the apartment.
Bishop scntercd the room hmisolded and
clusping the right hand U! one Of those who
had witnessed tho tnbieau. he quickly picked
out the participants i'll the mock ass,iSsinn-
Il c,,,,