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[[File: LaFollette1.png|right|thumb|200px|[[Great LaFollette]]]]
[[File: JNHilliard.png|right|thumb|200px|[[ John Northern Hilliard]]]]


'''The Great LaFollette''' and '''Rush Ling Toy''' were the stage names of '''George P. Reuschling''' (b.1886-d.1960) from Baltimore, Maryland who performed both a successful Chinese and traditional magic act.
'''John Northern Hilliard''' (1872 - 1935) was a Rochester newspaper man  and clever amateur magician.


== Biography ==
== Biography ==
Hilliard was dramatic critic with The Chicago Herald and later on the staff of The Rochester (N. Y.) Post Express. After moving to New York, he met [[Howard Thurston]] while a reporter on The New York World and became interested in magic. John was credited with securing the master magician with his first engagement on the stage. Several years later Thurston induced Hilliard to give up his newspaper work and become his personal representative.


At one time was partnered with [[Jean Hugard]] in a Luna Park theatre of magic.
With the urging of [[Floyd G. Thayer]], John starting writing for [[Thayer's Magical Bulletin]] magazine. In 1925, Hilliard became an advance man for The Thurston show. During this time he accumulated notes on what he was learning about magic. In 1932, Carl Waring Jones urged him to turn his notes into a book, offering to publish it. But Hilliard suddenly died of a heart attack in 1935 while in a hotel room in Indianapolis.
 
Beginning in 1908, he was performing as The Mysterious Reuschling in the D.C./Baltimore area. By 1912, he was performing his Chinese act as  Rush Ling Toy in [[Vaudeville]]. Later he developed The Great LaFollette, "International Transformist", in which he would change and perform as [[Herrmann the Great]], [[Harry Kellar]], [[Buatier de Kolta]], [[Servais Le Roy]] and his Chinese alter ego Rush Ling Toy.
 
LaFallette toured Cuba with [[Carl Rosini]], South America with [[Carl Herrmann]], played in The Main Street Follies in New York. He did a magic show in New York in 1931 and performed the Production of bowls of water, Three Card Monte, the Jam Illusion and ended with the Cremation Illusion and Vanish from Cabinet.
 
After Vaudeville, he settled in the Boston area, where he performed until retiring and moving to Florida. There, he opened and ran a magic shop in St. Petersburg. Among his inventions were The La Follette Rice Combination, Wooden Soldier Illusion, Flight of the Mandarin, The Russian Anarchist, The Spinning Girl, The Phantom Studio and The Spirit Bungalow.  


[[Great LaFollette|Read more about Great LaFollette...]]
[[John Northern Hilliard|Read more about John Northern Hilliard…]]

Latest revision as of 10:23, 20 February 2026

Previous featured articles are located in Category:Featured Article

Proposed candidates are listed in Category:Featured Article Candidate

John Northern Hilliard (1872 - 1935) was a Rochester newspaper man and clever amateur magician.

Biography

Hilliard was dramatic critic with The Chicago Herald and later on the staff of The Rochester (N. Y.) Post Express. After moving to New York, he met Howard Thurston while a reporter on The New York World and became interested in magic. John was credited with securing the master magician with his first engagement on the stage. Several years later Thurston induced Hilliard to give up his newspaper work and become his personal representative.

With the urging of Floyd G. Thayer, John starting writing for Thayer's Magical Bulletin magazine. In 1925, Hilliard became an advance man for The Thurston show. During this time he accumulated notes on what he was learning about magic. In 1932, Carl Waring Jones urged him to turn his notes into a book, offering to publish it. But Hilliard suddenly died of a heart attack in 1935 while in a hotel room in Indianapolis.

Read more about John Northern Hilliard…