The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-05-22
a FATAL TEST.
Tragic Death Of Bishop, the Mind-Reaoer,
in a Seance.

Ill a SeGIICe
The death Of Washington Irving
Bishop, the mind-rcader, at the Lambs
Club, New York, reported Tuesday, was
a very tragic affair He had already
performed his famous dagger trick
finding knife with which a supposed
murder had been committed and putting
his hand on the make-believe assassin.
The hearty applause that greeted this
performance led him to announce an
other and more difficult one,
that of finding a word in
a book which was to be
previously selected by one of the gentle
men present The mental effort attend
ing this performance proved too great,
for he suddenly fell to the floor in a
state very like cataleptic fit, the Incl
dent causing considerable confusion
among the festive party. Just then DR..
John \. Irvine, who is a member of the
club, happened to come in, and
he at once took the patient in
charge. His prompt use OF slim
ulants soon brought Mr.. Bishop
around, when, to the amazement of
all who were in the room, he announced
his intention of performing the feat
previously undertaken. DR.. Irvine
protested against the attempt, and all
the gentlemen endeavored to dlssuade
him, to no purpose, however, for even
the PHYSICIANS allusion to the danger Of
another attack failed to shake Bishop.
"Why" said be, II am not afraid Of
these fits, for I've had over dozen of
them, and I'm alive yet. But l
intend to do the feat even if it
kills me, just to show all that |
can do it." Finding that his patient was
in a high state of mental excitement and
was exerting that marvellous VIII power
for which he was famous, DR.. Irvine
finally came to the conclusion that it
would be best not to oppose him, but
get the thing over as quickly as possible.
Then Bishop made another demand,
which was that the doctor should act as
a committee with Mr. Clay Greene, who
was to be used as the medium for the ex-
pertinent. Bishop had asserted that if
these two gentlemen would go to a
distant part of the house and select a
word in some book he would find the
book, the page and the word. DR.. r.
wine and Mr.. Greene then descended to
the basement, and among lot Of old
account books picked out the minute
book of the club, and on page 81 Sc
lected the word Townsend" afterwards
secreting the book in a disuSed drawer
among some discarded rubbish. On re-
turning to the room where Bishop was
sitting, DR.. Irvine again endeavored to
dlssuade him from proceeding in
what he gravely informed him
was very dangerous expert
ment. But Bishop for the second time
remarked that he would accomplish the
feat even if it killed him, and. insisted
upon being ELY blindfolded.
When the-eSsss1S - had been tied
~oTer MS downstairs, his
right hand GSS -Greene's S
wrist. In due ne sed the
room, then the drawer and the book,
and on the leaves of the latter being rap
idly turned over by him, he stopped
at the right one and then ran over it
with pencil. Suddenly he seemed to
make private mark, and then fever
isbly requested that the book be brought
upstairs. he had no sooner entered the
room where the members were assem-
bled than ne pulled a bandage from his
eyes and exclaimed: Quick! quick!
give me bit of paper" and on receir-
ing it, he dashed off "Duesnwot," that
being the selected word written back
ward, so that it could be read 10 mir
ror. He had performed the feat, but
scarcely had he written the word when
he was AGAIN seized by the cataleptic fit.
from which he never recovered.
Bishop was born IN New Iorkseity ID
1s47. but he did no; .S2S5 5sncs age 0min5 Omda;
Inch he carried muscular strength
possessed by few p2l. His boyhooc
was one of privation and care, and he
began life in a well-kuown down towr
drug store. To his companions he was
always marvel because he could dt
so many tricks of legerdemain
and be frequently attended spirit
ualistic seances, only to make
fun of them. Finally he became
connected with some of the spiritualisti'
mediums and assisted them in theil
manifestations, though he attracted NJ
great public attention until he suddenly
appeared in England as ''mint
reader" His feats were so peculiar ant
unique that large audiences followed
him wherever he appeared, though hi
seems to have made very little none,
until he went to London. There hi
tricks or feats astounded the scientific
world, while some of the newspaper
accused him of charlatanism.