Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-10-08

NlANlA - "a - y
MR. PICKERING was born.
We dare say that these
young marriages are risky-but
we certainly wish this couple
well. They've got courage 10
take on adult responsibilities
will the world in turmoil.
Yesterday, one Of America =
famous magicians called on me,
Ed Reno, of Kankakee, Ill, who
Is 81 years old and still an
active professional.
He is 10 well known that
Harold Sterling and some other
Detroit magicians brought him
to Detroit for one performance.
Most Of the audience will he
magicians to whom his name II
by-word.
Uncle Ed--they call him that
Astarted doing Straightforward
nd rope and card tricks as
soon a. he walked through the
door. His fingers are still supple
and. although he no longer tries
TO work every day. he still
makes two or three professional
appearances a month.
He started when he was u.
Intrigued by watching a con-
iurer al a fair in New York
state. In 50 years as a ma
gician. he has appeared before
millions Of Americans. In the
20 years he was on the Redpath
ChaU iuqua circuit. 5000 600
saw him.
Like all magicians. he some
times has A trick 60 wrong
but not often. A good magician
can cover up a mistake so
cleverly that nobody knows
there's been an error.
He knew a man named Blue
who made the worst Of all err
rors. Doing the trick of making
a cake IN mans hat. Blue for
GOT TO insert the receptacle
which protects the hat from
being ruined
Blue. not knowing what else
70 do. Swore an oath. threw the
hat on IN. floor and went on 20
the next trick. The audience
evidently thought IL was just q
Joke on the man who owned the
hat. Oddly. the owner Of the hat
didn't do anything about it
probably not knowing what
20 do.
In one Of Reno's shows. a hoy
once thought he detected how a
trick was done and yowled un-
dramatically:
n seen n string"
"Shush up" sand Reno bland
Is. you haven't seen half Vet
~ what YOU never saw before. "
The line has become a classic
n nonsensical rejoinder among
magicians who pass the story
from mouth TO mouth.
Speaking Of Spry old dodgers,
when YOU meet fellows like that,
YOU stop worrying about growing
old. They have fun, 50 will you,
We Just mot another one IN
Capitol Park. Pearl w Williams,
one OF the fastest telegraph
operators who ever handled a
key. and one Of Teddy Roose-
velt'S special operators on tho
Bull Moose campaign train.
Williams is retired but still
gets around town a lot, and.
until the war he bought a new
car every year, testing each car
by driving il as many miles an
hour as ne was years old-a
neat trick, driving 70 miles an
hour when you're 10.
We always have wondered
how he came 10 be named Pearl,
hut keep forgetting to ask.
Most people call him "P. W.
instead Of Pearl" but he does
not care which thev call him.
And, speaking OF name.
Charlie Terwilliger told me Of a
mixup at Continental Motors
where the gang sent checks as
presents 10 their former buddleS
who now are in uniform one
was a marine. Joseph r. Burns.
Three times. they sent the
check; three times. il came
back. Burns insisting that the
check must be intended for
some one else.
In the end, they learned that
there were two marines named
Joseph F.. Burns. The one they
meant came home this week.
waving been wounded. He has
Vbne back 10 work at Contin-
entail.
A couple OF nights ago, We
saw a man In uniform sit down
nj the piano with Sammy
Dibert's orchestra and, In five
minutes there was the best jam
session going that l had ever
heard.
The pianist was Barney
Greene, one of the top band
pianists I'm the country, who had