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[[File: WashingtonIrvingBishop1.png |right|thumb|200px|[[ Washington Irving Bishop ]]]]
[[File: JNHilliard.png|right|thumb|200px|[[ John Northern Hilliard]]]]
 
'''John Northern Hilliard''' (1872 - 1935) was a Rochester newspaper man  and clever amateur magician.


'''Washington Irving Bishop''' (1856-1889), also known as Wellington, was an American mentalist famous for his [[Blindfold Drive]] and other astounding feats during the 1880s in the United States and England. He learned his trade as an assistant to [[John Randall Brown]], who specialized in [[Muscle Reading]].
== 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.


Bishop started his career working with the spiritualist [[Anna Eva Fay]] as her manager. In 1876 he chose to expose her methods and began doing his own show.
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.
 
At first, Bishop denied the existence of using any paranormal powers, but then apparently decided that the easier to dupe people and became a "real" psychic.
 
Bishop is credited with originating the [[Blindfold Drive]] trick (in 1885), navigating a horse and carriage while his eyes were covered.  
 
One of Bishop's favorite routines, copied from Brown, was to have a fictitious murderer, a weapon, and a victim chosen from among the audience members while he was out of the area. Upon his return he would identify all three.
In Britain, he lost a lawsuit brought against him by [[J. N. Maskelyne]]. Maskelyne objected to his claims of genuine psychic power, which provoked libelous remarks from the Bishop. Maskelyne sued and won the case. Bishop fled from England to escape paying the £10,000 penalty.  


[[Washington Irving Bishop |Read more about Washington Irving Bishop....]]
[[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…