Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-06-17

worked in a drug store as sort OF
| general roustabout. When he was IN
his tenth year he. heard that the Fakir
Ava, a noted magician of that day,
whose real name was Henry Hughes,
wanted a boy to. assist him in his per-
formances. The boy Keller walked to
Hughes's farm just outside Of Buffalo,
to apply. for the job. ...:. ....-
"As I walked up to the house a
black and tan dog ran. out and escort.
ed me to the front porch" Keller said
':Hughes met me at the door. He. no.
ticed. the dog jumping up on me and
Licking my hands. That is a good
omeni. he said, that pup has chased. off
ABOUT two dozen kids, who. came here
for. that job. =. I. guess he has elected
yopy." 4.'.. ..:.;: a.. 49,. 49,
Thus Keller. started on the. career
that was to take him a. dozen times or
more around the world. Under Hughes
he. learned all the tricks of the trade
and he proved to be an apt pupil. kel-
ler was always blessed with a remark
able, memory. One glance at num-
ber, no matter if 1t runs into the mil
lions, and he can repeat it to you 20
years after.
Fools His Partner.
He gave an instance Of this power
in an incident concerning Bill Fay,
ormer partner of his years before. He
had left Fay in London and had not
seen him for thirty-five years. Fay,
who. had quit the stage and settled In
Australia, while on a. tour of the Unit
So STATES tsSf was gHccst p Of the Keller kellers
in Los Angeles. -. :, :. - ,. ....
One evening keller who is full of
bly, humor, said to him: :,
"Blll, do you: know. my wife: Is a
clairvoyant?" ..,.ra; =:
Fay, who had been in the game too
long to have any illusions about such
things, laughed. :. 81;
whats the joke Harry. +: he asked.
"Im not joking. III, prove it to you.
What is your. watch number?"
Fay confessed he did not know and
started to pull the timepiece from his
pocket Keller stopped him.
mo, this is clairyoyanse, not mind
reading. What is the number of your
wife's watch?"
Fay did not know that either.
Turning to his wife Keller said,
Tell them the numbers, my dear"
Mrs. Keller promptly gave the cor
rect numbers. Fay was dumbfounded.
Experienced as he was in the game
this was something new to him.
But how did. you do it?" Keller was
asked.
Simple enough" he replied. 7 re-
membered the numbers and had given
Them to Mrs. Keller"
Suppose Fay had bought a new
watch since you last saw him." I OBJ
iected
II would have been stuck" Keller
confessed. But then you sec I knew
Bill Fay"
Keller has a system for remember
ing numbers. 1t is based on the pho
netic system each figure having GER
tain sound. These sounds are asso-
ciated In a sentence like the key SEN
tencss that medical students have for
remembering the names of nerves or
bones.
Keller also knows all the arithmeti-
cal shortcuts and tricks. He can cube
any number that you give him under
100 Just as fast as he can write the
number down His mind works like
chain lightning and after spending a
few hours with him you little wonder
that he can fool some Of the most in
telligent men of the world.
How Is it." he was asked, that
spiritualists can deceive smart men
and scientists like Sir Conan Doyle
and Sir Oliver Lodge?"
1.-THE more intelligent the man and
especially the more imagination he has
the easier he Is to trick" he told me-
Such men are always trying to figure
out our tricks on a scientific basis and
when they cannot do it they are
stumped. Their egotism leads them
then to believe that it must be super
Such men arc always trying to lgure
ceivc are unimaginative clods or chill
dren, especially the street gamin OF
newsboy. These shap- witted kids are
the bane of every magician
The story of. Kellers adventures
would, fill the pages of a large book
aewsboy. These sharp-witted kids. are
fire. He has. been stranded in dozer
countries.
He can sit for hours and tell tale:
: of his adventures in different section:
Of the globe. And he can tell these
stories with every name and date. Hi
mind is like a page in which ever!
event Of his life is recorded verbatim.
. 80 Branded Agent Of Devil.
He told how he was stranded in In
diana in the early seventies; how h
, walked to Chicago, tried to steal
ride, on a train and was put off in
cemetery, how he walked to Waukegar
n Illinois, and was staked to a bed b.
:, a good hearted bartender who ais