The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-10-25
October %.

Manager Beckner, of the Academy of
Music, has treat in store for his patrons
on Thursday night. Eliason, the famous
magician, will make his first appearance
here on that night. Read what the
Columbia, s. c., paper says about this
! wonder:
One day, more than year ago, w. w.
Tlllotson, the theatrical manager, receiv-
ed letter from an old friend in Salt
Lake City. This friend, q Mr.. Silva,
| wrote in glowing terms of Il local prodigy
who for some time had been astonishing
his ntimates with strange feats of leger-
demain, and..other performances of an oc-
| cult nature.
Silva was of the opinion that the young
man was destined to become Il world
beater in the domain of magic, and en-
| treated Iillotson to come on and secure
the prize
Now it is a long way from New York
to Salt Lake, and Tillotson who had seen
many beautiful and roseate illusions dis
PEELED in the course of his varied career,
simply -'winked the other eye,'' and
wrote to his friend that he (Silva) was
carried away by enthusiasm created bv
propinquity to the local prodigy afore-
said, and that he (Tillotson) had burned
his fingers at too many fires to take any
| further chances in that direction
| In ether words, he intimated that while
he highly respected Mr.. Silva's Judgment
III most things, me was afraid that in this
particular instance it had been led astrav.
But surprise awaited Tillotson. In
reply to his letter to Tillotson came a tel
egraphic dispatch informing him that he
must come on tn Salt Lake mt once. and
that If he would call ut the office of the
Burlington road he would find there
| frnp rtnt
awaiting him. 1t was evident that Silva
meant business, and that no amount of
cold water could quench or even damien
the ardor of his convictions with regard
to the world bcatcr.
| This practical manifestation OF his
friends sincerity was too much for Til
lotson. and the next train found him on
his way to Salt Lake. Arrived in that
city, Silva took him to his house, and
there introduced him to Oscar Eliason,
now know as the Mormon Wizard
Tillotsoa found Eliason to be more
than the enthusiastic Silva had repre-
scented; but ever cautious in all his deal
ings the manager would not commit
himself To contract until he had first
taken Eliason on an experimental tour.
This lasted two months, but before the
first week had elapsed Tillotson was so
satistied.with the value of his ''find' that
he made five year contract with the
| Wizard and Silva, his proprietor (pro-
fessionally speaking), and ut once set to
work on his plans for the present season,
And that was the way Eliason was
brought before the world
This boy of about 24 years is said to lie
an ingenious, modest retiring young fell
low, of very pleasing appearance, and
with chal Ill of manner that once CON
verts his audiences into friends
! He is of Swedish extraction. and magic
/ was renowned magician in Stockholm
in the days when the practice of the
Black Art was attended with no little
danger by reason of hc,foolish superst-
| tions that rervaded all classes of society
But young Eliason has fallen upon bet
| ter.times, and his gifts, if. that which
| Tillotson says be true, are destined to
delight thousands. From all REPORTS his
Skill and dizziness are something surpris-
ing, and he displays genius in his CON
ceptions that promises to speedily bring
him into enviable prominence among his
brother professionals
Some of the illusions he presents are
said to he unrivaled in the realm of
magic. Chief among these is IL feat en-
titled, wheeling in the Air"
| Mrs. Eliason, or mile Edmunda. - MS
she is styled on the bills takes a few
turns around the stage on Il bicycle. and
| then begins to rise until the tips of her
| toes are three or four feet above the
| boards. at this point silk ribbon is
suspended across the stage from wing to
wing, and on this narrow, swaying track,
the rider begins to show what can be
done on II wheel. She throws somer-
! saults backwards and forwards always
alighting in the saddle, and performs
other astonishing feats, apparently in
direct violation of all the laws of gravity.
Tillotson assures me that this illusion
| Is performed on II wcll-lighted stage, set
only with the conventional drop and wood
wings, and without the aid of mirrors of
any kind. If this is so-and | have no
reason to doubt 1.-THE achievement must
| be little short of miraculous.
Nine Sans Gene is said to he
another astonishing allusion. AS | I'M
derstand it, it is performed in this wise
suspended in the center of the stage is
an open cabinet, chiefly of metal with no
suggestion of room for the concealment
OF anything larger than humble bee or
Il butterfly. Into this cabinet trips NIL.
| Edmunda, and the structure is then
raised several feet from the stage by a
| series OF chains. Around the upper half
of the cabinet light curtain is drawn
but the lower half of the lady's body and
dress still remains in plain sight At Il
signal the curtain drops. to. the floor, the
cabinet is disclosed entirely empty and at
| the same instant Mile. Edmunda appears
among the audience, some fifty feet dis
tant from the stage
| or course the usual card tricks are per-
| formed By Elason, and other feats of a
| pleasing nature. --One of these in particu-
| lar IS beautiful as well as mystifying