By H.J. Burlingame riginally published in Tricks in Magic,
lusions and Mental Phenomena (1898)
rederick Bancroft was born in Rochester, N. Y., in January, 1867. His real name was rederick Bronson. He died in Charleston, South Carolina, September 26th, 1897, of phoid fever. Some of his friends claim that he contracted the germs of this disease hile stopping in his hotel in New York City. The street in front of this hotel was torn up, O
Il F F ty w
so much so t
success an
hat it caused considerable miasma in the neighborhood. Others claim that the sudden change from a cool to a warm climate brought on the disease in a constitution already weakened by a large amount of exertion, and found an easy victim in a person suffering to a great extent from nervous prostration caused by his failure to win the
Mr. Banc
tricks. He afterward became a dentist, and
ch money Mr. Herrmann took in in his tours.
, he procured the most elaborate
ann; especially so when d recognition he had anticipated.
roft lived for a number of years in central New York, at Rochester and Syracuse. About 1878 and 1879 he was in Chicago for some time and made his first appearance as a boy magician under the name of De Castro, on the stage of what is now the Olympic theatre, doing only a few small
when the boom in real estate business came on in St. Paul and Minneapolis, he was acting as a life insurance agent in those cities. He succeeded very well in this business, and made some money speculating in real estate at that time.
While living in those cities he took quite an interest in magic and often appeared in amateur entertainments, church societies and benefits and club entertainments. He became intimately acquainted with the late Alexander Herrmann, and traveled with him in a friendly way for some time. It was principally through his association with the late Mr. Herrmann that Bancroft decided to adopt the stage, and he frequently remarked to his friends that he was surprised to see how mu
After considering the matter for some time, Bancroft, finally decided to enter the business professionally and to surround himself with the most magnificent scenic productions that any magician had ever used. He had ample means to purchase everything he desired, but instead of purchasing a good outlay of new or original tricks, he confined himself entirely to small, antiquated tricks known by nearly every school boy, and imitated the performance of Mr. Herrmann as closely as possible.
To offset the lack of attraction in this part of his program
stage accessories possible, and lavished a large amount of money in these expensive fittings. He claimed his outfit to have cost in the neighborhood of $30,000, and he frequently stated to his friends, when they suggested that he ought to change his program and put in better tricks, that it was his plan to introduce and perform the same old tricks, but with elaborate and expensive accessories, and carry out this plan for four or five years, even if he lost $20,000 or $30,000, expecting to come around and play over the same routes the third or fourth time, and after he had done so for a number of years, to then be able to travel on his reputation alone, and make up in a couple of years all he would have lost and enough more to allow him to retire on a competency. He could not be persuaded that this was the wrong policy. His untimely end and his failure to secure proper recognition in the amusement world proved that his friends were correct and his plans were wrong. Any such plan as that in the present age is certain to fail. American audiences will not tolerate an imitation of a performer like Herrm
the artist is a young man. After the first year's experience he felt the need of an extended rest, and after conferring with his friends, decided to make a trip to Europe and the East Indies. He intended, while in Europe, to call on the leading manufacturers and inventors of conjuring apparatus in those countries and to learn if there was anything he could bring back from India. He did not call on any of the manufacturers or inventors of conjuring
apparatus in Europe, but went right through to India. It is needless to say that he did not find anything in those countries that he could make use of. East Indian magic is a myth, and all their marvelous feats have been fully exploded and are now satisfactorily explained.
After his return Mr. Bancroft secured as manager Mr. E. L. Bloom, former manager of the late Alexander Herrmann. Of course, this was done with the belief that Mr. Bloom would succeed in placing Mr. Bancroft in the best theatres of the larger cities, where he could have a better chance for financial success. Unfortunately, right at the beginning of this tour he was taken sick and died. Many believe that the mortification and nervousness brought on by his failure were instrumental in causing his death. Mr. Bloom was left in a position where he secured the Bancroft outfit, and took up his old friend, Henry Dixey, as the man he thought most capable to continue with the paraphernalia. It is very peculiar that at the time Bancroft was playing at McVicker's theatre in Chicago, Amy Leslie, the well-known theatrical critic of the Daily News, in speaking of his performance, made the remark that Henry Dixey was the only man available who might make a great new success, and add, by his own invention, to the field of magic. Of course, she knew very well that Mr. Dixey would never be an inventor of any conjuring tricks, but that he might be a successful entertainer there was no question. In this connection experience teaches that any person who copies a well-known and public performer, using his patter or imitating his tricks, is certain to fail. While there is no doubt that imitation is the sincerest flattery, yet a conjurer without any originality or original tricks had better stay out of the profession entirely, because by his failure, which is inevitable, he only makes it unpleasant and difficult for those who follow after him, however original they may be.