Basilconthaumaturgist
After his tour of the Far East, John eventually landed in San Francisco in late 1863. Under the management of J. W. Wilder he secured a run at the Metropolitan Theatre over the Christmas season, appearing as the Great Basilconthaumaturgist. John then decided to journey across the western frontier by coach following the famous overland mail route in the dead of winter. Along the way he met various characters including Artemus Ward, America's first stand-up comedian, E. P. Hingston, the famous promoter, the Mormon leader Brigham Young and Buffalo Jim, the chief of the Paiute Indians. His three month trek took him from the rough and tumble saloons and camps of the Wild West to the refined urbane theatres of the North East. Although the Civil War was raging in the south, theatre life in the north continued unabated. In the spring of 1864, John opened at the Concert Hall in Philadelphia and later would appear in theatres in Boston, New York, Toronto, Detroit and Chicago. After a successful run in the north eastern states of the US and Canada, he arrived back in Great Britain in May of 1865 with a new name and a new title--Doctor Hugh Simmons Lynn.
Under this new billing he would introduce novel effects to audiences in Ireland, Scotland, England and France before landing at the famous Egyptian Hall in London in the spring of 1873. His opening, a full week before the famous magician J. N. Maskelyne would also open at the Egyptian Hall, kicked-off a long standing rivalry that carried on for many years even after Lynn's death.
The Talkee Talkee man
Lynn was an overnight sensation. London audiences flocked to see not only his wonderful illusions but listen to his well honed patter. As Dr. Henry Ridgely Evans, the eminent magic historian, would later write: “The dictionary must have been his favourite study, for words, words, words floated from his mouth in a perfect Niagara of speech. He was the prince of patterers.” According to the press as well as first-hand accounts, he occasionally suffered mild bouts of logorrhoea—excessive talkativeness boarding on the incoherent—when performing. His concluding phrase, for which he became famous for, after offering one of his long-winded nearly incoherent explanations was, “And that’s how it’s done!”—leaving audiences both confused and amazed. The press as well as the entertainment community nicknamed him "The Talkee Talkee Man."
Over the next two years, Lynn introduced a succession of wonderful effects but perhaps the most amazing was Palingenesia, a collaboration with the famous illusion designer Thomas Tobin. As advertised, this illusion involved the cutting of a man to pieces and restoring him by instalments. In the end, however, Maskelyne appears to have gotten the better of him securing a 30-year lease on the Egyptian Hall to rid himself of Dr. Lynn.
On the road again
Back on the road, Dr. Lynn continued an unrelenting touring schedule through-out England before departing for India. In every town and village he toured he would announce, "Dr. Lynn Will Cut up a Man Tonight!" He continued to attract large crowds wherever he went. Returning from India in 1877, Lynn brought back a troupe of Indian snake charmers and "native Hindoo conjurers". Later in his career he would introduce Lalloo the Indian boy with four hands and four legs to British audiences. Lynn continued to invent and refine new illusions such as Thauma--The Half Living Lady and The Living Marionettes. In the 1880s he would return to both the United States and Australia.
Toward the end of his life, Lynn very rarely took time away from his busy touring schedule. Feeling the pressures of a large family, he continued to travel around Great Britain and even further afield making an attempt to conquer South Africa in 1889. Unfortunately, like many performers, the novelty of his act became less compelling to audiences and he began to settle for less prestigious bookings. This was the nature of an aging late Victorian performer.
Dr. Lynn sadly passed away on the 20th of March, 1899 at the age of 63 from heart disease, having recently returned from a tour of India. Lynn left behind a loving wife and nine children, two of which carried-on their father's legacy. In fact, one of his sons became embroiled in a famous court case with none other then J. N. Maskelyne who had gone on to establish a great British institution--The Egyptian Hall Home of Mystery. But we will save that story for the upcoming book.
Dr. Lynn and Houdini
Perhaps Dr. Lynn is best remembered, not for the illusions he created or his loquacious patter nor his world-wide adventures, but rather for his link to the great escapologist Harry Houdini. The story has it that a young Harry was taken to a magic performance at a theater in Milwaukee when he was a boy. Accounts of this event differ as to the age, location and even whether it was his father, Rabbi Samuel Mayer Weiss, who took him. In fact, there is doubt, based on my research into Dr. Lynn's travels, whether young Harry actually witnessed him. What we do know is that years later Houdini, now a famous performer, firmly believed that his first exposure to magic was when he attended a performance of Dr. Lynn.
In fact so convinced was Houdini, that while he was in England he tracked-down Lynn's son, Dr. Lynn, Jr., purchasing a version of Palingenesia from him in 1914. Over a decade later, when Houdini choose to stage a traditional magic show, he closed the first half of the show with Dr. Lynn's Palingenesia.
Dr. Lynn, and his contributions to the magical arts, is often overlooked in the magic history texts. My hope is to correct this shortfall bringing greater recognition to one of the truly great Victorian magicians.