DR LYNN.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1566, 24 May 1887, Page 3

DR LYNN.

Ai this gentleman Is announced to commence a ahort season at the Oddfellow' Hall, Asbhurton, to-morrow, a brief sketch of hiti early career, reprinted from the Wellington "Evening Post," will be read with interest : — Dr Lynn is the Bon of a olergyraan. He entered the Royal Navy, and before he was 23 years of age had command of a gunboat ; bat his dislike for the sea made him quit the Bet vice. He afterwards took hiß degree •» a surgeon, and practised for Borne time In Europe. His predilection for oonjurJng commenced when he was a very small leboolboy. Another boy used to shu v off to his admiring companions the simple little wooden egg triok. Young Lynn horned to emulate the lad's distinction, and laved up all his pocket money to purehasQ mechanical tricks, which he soon learned to perform with astonishing dexterity. Constant practice gave him wonderful suppleness with his fingers. He can now bend his joints backwards ' or forwards with marvellous ease and celerity, one of the best examples being the tossing of a coin, placed on the palm joint of his little finger by simply jerking the joint— a feat impossible to most people. This love of conjuring increased •pearly, until at last it took such a hold upon him that he determined to try it ai a profession instead of what it had long been to him— a pastime. He con* lequentlyreHngnißhed his medical praotloe, and commenced his oareer as a public entertainer In the year 1871 m the Egyptian Hall, London, When Dr Lynn eommenoed business, very few profesiors had followed m the steps of the great Houdin, who discarded the apparatus as much as possible. What with cabinets, goblets, tables, etc , the "plant" of a conjuror was a very expensive affair. A couple of thousand pounds was the price asked for the complete paraphernalia of a well-known professor, who died some ten years ago. This " stock> in- trade " was offered ■to the dootor, but the price* and bulk of it strengthened him m his resolution to trust to his fingers. Dr Lynn is the inventor of most of the illusions and mysteries that have been exhibited m London and Paris during the last sixteen years, notably " Thauma," which has astonished thousands of people at the Waxworks, Melbourne, and " Ibdas," the new mystery, which is at the present time creating such profound astonishment m the same establishment. Tho "Argus" referring to this, cays : — " Ihdas " completely upsets our preooncelved notion of cause and effect." Dr Lynn's Vanishing LtdyJUloßion is already too well known to need any oommeet heie All sorts of theories have been hinted at aß.a solution of this mystery, but the modus operandi remains still undiscovered. The spreading of a newspaper beneaih the chair precludes all suspicion of the nee of trapdoors. This Is a graad idea, an,d contributes much to the popularity of the performance, the newspaper being shown to Be intact both before and after the lady haa disappeared. The vivisection feat is Dr Lynn's own invention. And very neat and effective it is, especially when he takei off the victim's head, pots It m a basket, and[lnvites the ladies to look at It. None of them have the oourage to lift the white doth, and when a gentleman takes the basket, lo ! the head has vanished.