The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-04-11


no doubt. although you have never seen
me before. that you have heard of My
name is Anderson. and 1 am known as the
Wizard of the North
"A weezard are ye2 said the affirighted
widow. Then. for the love o. guidness. gang
DOT o. my house. 1 wadna lodge ye for ae
night under my roof nae for a the world.
For the love O. heaven. gang ava. and tax
your umbrella aIang wi ye.'
''As the Elgin coach was shortly TO pass
the house Anderson did not pause to
plain or demonstrate. but stepped at once
towards the door when the widow cried.
slap. Dfnna leave ought belangins TO we
wi me- TAX your sier wi ye. and never
let me see your face again.
MAGICIAN HELD FOR MURDER.
Hastily taking the four half-crowns from
her purse she threw them upon the floor.
screaming that they burned her fingers.
and Immediately fell back in swoon of
terror. In her fall her head struck stool,
slightly decorating her cheek. and several
Of the neighbors. hurrying in on hearing her
scream and fall found her bleeding and
apparently lifeless. The women cried out
that the stranger had murdered the widow.
and the men seized Andersons arms 10
prevent his escape.
AT that moment the coach was driven
up and the driver. seeing a crowd about
the widows house. pulled up and inquired
the cause of the emotion.
''On being told that a murder had been
committed the guard leaped down. and.
looking through the window. re ognized An
dersOn, whom he had seen several times i'm
Elgin The coach started again, and An
derson. finding that he was I'm an awkward
position. the old lady gave no signs of
life. demanded To be- taken before a ma gis-
trate at once. This he was told. was i'm
possible, as there was no magistrate with
in seven miles. and all that could be done
was 10 lodge him in the town goal until the
next day.
ITO the goal the conjurer was taken,
therefore. between "a couple of constables
who were commercially prompt in making
their appearance The coach went TO FL
gin. where the guard lost no time in spread
ing the news of the wizards arrest, and
going 10 the assembly rooms. told the audi
ence. who was just growing impatient at
the conjurer's nonappearance, that they
might conjure for themselves that night
for there would be no wizard as he was
where he would not get out, with all his
magic; he in Forres gaol for murder
ing an old woman a thrill of horror ran
through the crowded auditory: then a MUIR
muir arose, and loud demands were made
for the return of the money paid at the
doors. This was done, and nothing was
talked of at Elgin that night but the hor-
rible murder at Forces.
ION the following morning Anderson was
conducted to the residence of the magis-
trate. where the widow, who had recovered
in the course of the night. told much of
the tragi-comical story she knew. The
gentleman who administered justice in that
remote district smiled at the old lady's mar
rative, reproved the witnesses for their
hastiness and at once discharged Anderson
with an expression of regret for the incon-
venience and loss to which his detention
had subjected him.
Upon the same Anderson a joke which
would have resulted in his loss of life was
attempted but never carried out. 1t is mar
rated by Beckett in his ''Greeproom RecoI-
lections'' as follows: THE professor in his
great gun trick used to give one of the
audience a rifle, some powder and a marked
bullet. The marksman was then requested
TO load and prepare to- fire. Thereupon the
professor walked to the end of the stage
and invited the riheman to shoot him.
Then, after the marksman had fired, he
used to produce the marked bullet, insist
ing that he had caught it plate. On
one occasion a friend of mine, who an
amateur cOnjuror, offered himself as an as
sistant. He took the gun and the ammuni-
ton and duly loaded the rifle. 1t was the
custom of the professor to give the bullet
a final tap with his wand to see that it
was rammed down properly, and this final
tap L have been told extracted the bullet.
This my friend knew, and when the pro-
fessor offered his assistance he politely de-
clined. Anderson did not insist, but cooly
walked to the erd of the stage and called
out Now, sir, take a good aim at me and
fire.
MY friend hesitated, he was well
aware that the gun he was holding was
really loaded. Fire, sir, fire! cried the
professor.
MY friend lowered the weapon, and say
ing he could not let it off. returned it to
Anderson, who Immediately, under pretense
of seeing whether it had been properly
loaded extracted the bullet. Then he gave
the gun to some one else. But before the
rifle was fired he addressed the audience.
Ladies and gentlemen said he, the person
who has just resumed his seat knew my
trick and foiled it If he had fired, this
probably would have been my last appear
ance before YOU But he hadn't sufficient
nerve TO shoot me-
when ii dawned on the house that An
derson had risked his life rather than con-
fess himself beaten, the applause was
deafening. My friend told me that he felt
rather small and regretted his penchant for
practical joking"
TRICKED BY A NEGRO.
Heller often related how he once lost 800
I'm the performance of his most snowy
trick, that of the Multiplied Gold Coins"
The trick consists in placing in the hands
OF one of the audience ten $40 gold pieces,
which are afterwards found increased TO
thirty or any other number the skill of the
magician is able to encompass. On this
particular occasion the man selected TO
hold the coins a negro The ten $40
gold pieces were counted into his hands
and he was instructed to stand at the back
of the stage, while Heller told a humorous
story intended to while away the minutes
necessary for the substitution. In the
meanwhile the night being in the spring.
time the stage on level with the street
and the stage door opening directly from
the rear scene, were all situations care
fully scrutinized by the negro. To step
out into the night and 10 be lost TO sight
was the work of less moments than the
time it took Heller to tell his story. So
when Heller called the negro TO produce.
hun