Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1890-01-10
A AMAGICIAN'S DAUGHTER.
A Sad story of the Once Famed "wizard of
the NORTH

There was a wretched woman singing
for pence in the slums recently who had q
history. She was none other than the
favorite daughter of Professor Anderson.
the Wizard of the North who used to mys-
tify the last generatic with the wonders of
elementary electricity. Many people who
marveled at the pro lessor show-and who
did not marvel at it in those DAYS ?-will
remember his handsome daughter. She
used to have little to do with the perform
ance beyond playing at the piano some
times, but she was always on view, and she
was always seen about with her father He
left a good deal of money behind him, and
she had her share, but by this time she had
married New York professional man. and
he made ducks and brakes of it. She left
him and sought to make a living on the
stage. A good musician and fair sing
er, she managed to get on pretty we'll for a
time, and came to England; but a 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 voice failed, and even this
wretchedeSt means of subsistence was lost
For two days she had nothing at alto
eat and for two nights she slept in the
park. Then, and not till then, she over
came her pride and called to see a gen5le-
man who in the old days knew her and 1er
father very well. She is being cared for
now and is being put in the way to earn a
livelihood. The wizard was a remarkable
man In many ways. He was cook by
trade and practiced his profession as chef
at hotel in Aberdeen. He left his hotel
to become a wizard. The tricks by which
he made his fame would hardly puzzle a
school-boy nowadays. But those were the
earl y days of electricity and when people
saw candles suddenly light up without
match being put to them and heard rap
pings and bell rlnglngs and drum beatings
coming In the most mysterious manner
from all parts of the hall they were a little
frightened as well as being aStonished
Some of what were accounted the profess
Or's most marvellous tricks were accom-
pllshed by concealing underneath the car
pet on the stage a copper plate communi-
eating with an electric battery. In the
heels of his boots were fixed spurs. in such
a manner that whenever he liked ne could
drive them through the carpet and make
electrical connection 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 little in the
electric faith-haaling line by way of vary
ing the performance. The wizard was a
born mechanic and used TO manufacture
all his own apparatus as far as possible
He possessed also a large measure of that
quality of the successful inventor. the
power of appropriating other peo-
pies ideas. If anyone brought hun new
piece of trick apparatus that showed in
genuIty he would contrive in examining it
to break it. Then the artfll wizard would
send for the inventor to repair it, and if
he showed any cleverness would keep him
hanging about till he had found cut what
ingenious ideas the unSuspecting inventor
had got floating about In his head. The
professor always had lis own workshop in
every town he visited, and to this he would
retire with such ideas as he had managed
to pick up and work them out as his own
inventions. He was very canny, was
Professor Anderson, and, apart from the
merits of his performance, he is accounted
one of the cleverest showmen that ever
lived. Professor Anderson had another
daughter besides the unfortunate lady re-
ferred to above. She used to take a
prominent part III the PEI foImaa,,e and
regularly accomplished some really marvel
Gus mnemonic feats. Each day she used
to learn off by heart the contents of three
newspapers. At night her father would
blindfold her and invite people in the audi
ence to indicate any paragraph in either
of those papers which they would like the
young lady to read by second sight She
would repeat it word for word without
eyer MAJ making a 1I5 mlTtske. ms Is perhaps
and is engaged in literary work in Leeds
Glasgow Mail.