The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-08-12
HAD no EQUAL AS
A READER OF MINDS
No Other Professional Performed Feats
Like Irving Bishop.
Some OF HIS GREAT Achievements
The Experiment Mt the Lambs Club
GambOl Which Hastened if 1t Did
Not Cause His Death..A Feat Not
Done by Muscle Reading Even if
Not Mind Reading.
From the New York Sun.


Not Mind Reading.
From the New York Sun.
"Various men, the best one being
Russian, have given exhibitions in New
York during the last half dozen years OF
what they alleged to be mind reading"
said physician at the Lambs club one
night last week. Being interested In
the subject l have seen them all. They
We're simply more or less clever exhibit
tions Of muscle reading. There are sew
eral men in this club, and Harry Dixon
is one Of them. who can duplicate ev-
cry act of these so-called mind read
ers. Not one Of them, however. has
ever duplicated the trick that Wash
ingtOn Irving Bishop performed In this
club half a dozen years ago. / knew
Bishop well. and was present on that
occasion. His death few hours later
in a cataleptic fit which was appar-
emily the climax of the intense nervous
excitement incident to the successful
performance of the feat, was accepted
by many of his friends as a proof Of his
claim that he did his so-called mind
reading while in a semi-hypnotic condi-
tion. don't know enough about hyp-
notism to affirm or deny that assertion.
Bishops last feat has never been ex-
planned to my satisfaction. Previous
to that fatal evening have frequently
seen Bishops exhibitions, and l had
always been skeptical Of his claim
that he possessed any other power than
that of expert muscle reading. / said
after his death, and say 1t now. that.
in my opinion. the feat that Bishop
did In this club on the evening before
his death cannot be accounted for upon
any theory of known science or medi-
cine. 1t was and IL a mystery"
Did You ever make q physical ex-
animation of Bishop" asked one of the
little group that had been discussing
muscle reading.
REMARKABLE PHYSICALLY.
"Yes. several times" replied the doc
tor. He was a remarkable man phy-
sically. He was a man of medium size
and rather slender build. but despite
the fact that he took no care Of his
health he had a wonderful muscular de-
velopment.. His arms and back were
strongly developed. He was of an eN-
cessively nervous temperament, and his
mother said that he had been subject
to cataleptic fits from the age of ..
On several occasions after these fits the
doctors who were summoned to attend
him said that he was dead. The fits
usually followed some mental eXertion.
At the time when Bishop drove blind
folded through the streets from the
Hoffman House to the Gramercy Park
tee of well-known men had hidden in
the latter house, found that his pulse
was 152. Bishop himself told me that
the highly nervous condition in which
he was thrown by performances Of this
sort was a proof to him that there was
an abnormal state of mind developed in
his work.
do believe that? I can simply say
that / don't know. ! am skeptical of
Bishops claim, but / followed him
closely the night before he died and he
mystified me. Two or three of you
We're here that night, but I don't believe
that<Jou watched Bishop as did, and l
know that none of you sought an ex-
planation of his feat as persistently as I.
Harry Dixey brought Bishop as his
guest to the 'gambol,' and about mid
night he went away. Bishop seemed to
be in good health and spirits. talked
with him for a few minutes, and then
he said:
ut was as firm as iron and he was
very proud of it. Later in the even
ing 1 asked him to give an Inhibition
of his powers. He was In the humor,
and he began with what he called the
detective trick This little Russian
who has been giving exhibitions here
this winter does much the same thing.
1t Is simply muscle reading. Bishop
left the room and member Of the club
took small dagger and made the mo-
tion of stabbing Louis Aldrich. The
dagger was concealed. Bishop was
brought in blindfolded. with the hand
of the man who had concealed the dag
ger on his own hand. His quickness
was one of the strong points Of his per-
formances. Without a moments hesi-
tation he walked to where the dagger
was hidden, found 1t, and then walking
to where Louis Aldrich was seated went
through the motion of stabbing him.
There was applause, but Bishop tore off
the bandage from his eyes and said:
"'That's an easy one. Wait and I'll
show you one that you never saw be-
fore and I'll guarantee that no one else
can do it.
FASTENED HIS DEATH.
at was this feat that undoubtedly
fastened his death, If it did not really
cause it. He asked Clay Green to think
of some word in the clubs book Of ac-
counts or records. Mr.. Green and DR..
j. A. Irwin, an acquaintance of Bish-
ops. who had dropped in while he was
performing his last trick, went down
stairs where these books are kept and
found in the clubs minute book q name,
Margaret Townsend, I think it was.
They fixed upon Townsend as the name
that Bishop should find. There was no
question of collusion in this feat. i
watched Bishop closely. He was more
nervous than l had ever seen him be-
fore. Mr.. Green and DR.. Irwin hid the
minute book and came up stairs. Bish-
op was blindfolded as before. and with
Mr.. Green's hand resting on his he led
the party down stairs. found the minute
book, and, turning over the pages rap
idly. came at last to the page on which
this name appeared. He stopped for
a second, and then, skimming his finger
over the page, settled on the word Sc
lected.
els that it?' he asked In a nervous
way. Being told that it was. he led the
way back up stairs and announced that