The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-09-26
THE GREAT DU BOIS
 APPEARS DAILY IN
 THE CITY OF PARKS
Inventor of "Cloeopatra's Tomb" Prefers Commercial Pursuits to the Mystic Art
(By Robr. W. Wi11ianns.)


 Charles E. Downs?' The direc- tory mentions such a name, but to the theatre going public of Bridgeport this does not secure more than pass ing mention. Down on Main street, however, one may pass a novelty store, with a small entrance in which newspapers are displayed while in front of the narrow window a group of boys curious1y eye the many tricks, puzzles, and mystic paraphernalia dis played.
 Should one enter the portals he would be met by a dark complexioned man of pleasant visage and smiling eyes, or a, woman whose charm was equal to that of the genial husband manager of the newspaper, trick, and stationary 9E emporium 91 oyer which Store.'
 Should one engage either person in conversation about the various nys- tic novelties it might at once be seen that both were irnbued with a deep knowledge of the slight of-hand or mystic art. "Reminiscences of the Great Hermann, Ke1la.r, or other mo- | table prestidigators would be fortlS-i coming, but unless one was we'll vers- l ed in the tradition of the stage and particularly apt at remembering feat ures, the casual visitor would hardly l divine that he stood in the presence originators of the .'Noah's Ark,'' sHThe Aibi," or the Tomb of Cleopatra g later appearing in a buFleSQue of their l speciality, each of which acts toured l the entire North American continent 1 and at the time were startling innova- l tions in the illusion world of showdom Yet it is true that since 1888, the year of the great blizzard, Charles B. 1 Downs, better known in this coun- try '"The Great DuBois' has resid- 1 ed in this city and originated his startling mysteries we'll as develop ed the amusement-nystic art for thousands of boys throughout the 1 1n Td fI~f fcri77 Jes | those of his acquaintance in this city. For the past two years he has main tained the present store at 919 Main street.
 | AS a boy Downs was interested in | the b1ack-art. When but six years
 old he tells of first seeing the torn
 cigarette paper trick performed, and for days he cogitated over it's solution, l lying awake nights in an effort to nig ght he realized it's key and jumping out of bed performed the trick to q \ lone spectator who watched in the dim l light of an oil-Iamp-his sister. 1 With avidity he easily acquired, | card and billiard ball tricks, slight of l hand, etc., until he reached the stage Elwhere the trunk and cabinet iIlusiors put him in the semi professional class.
 In 1900 he invented r the Noah's l ark, which is taking from cabinet
 carefully examined by the audience, 24 live pigeons. rabbits, ducks, chiek- l ems, a pig, and finally his wife. This act ran 5 years. all over the. country I
 | Following this he devised the tsa1i- biz which was taking from a cabinet, in which there had been nothing, a
 live woman clothed in a dress of l glass beading weighing thirty-five l pounds. This act likewise, lasted about three years. Later he perform l ed with. the permission of the Great l Herman an Improvement on the dis appearing woman trick which he call- I ed Gone This act was the placing I of woman in a, chair. raising her halfway to the top of the theatre be- fore the audience, and making her l disappear completely at the crack of l a pistol.
 l Possibly his last illusion was the I best of it's kind ever attempted on l a stage, for in the Tomb of Cleopa- tra,'' beginning with an empty stage and bringing piece by piece the par | titions of a tomb, showing each be- fore it was placed upon a platform from the flooring, he erected a full
 rnauso1eum in which it was later i found that Cleopatra (his wife) re-
 cIined.