Dr. James William Elliott

Dr. James William Elliott (April 27, 1874 - January 28, 1920) was a physician from Rumford, Maine who went on to become an accomplished magician.

While attending college in Boston he befriended Harry Houdini. He worked with Servais Le Roy and Felix Herrmann. He gave up medicine for ten years to tour as the part of Bosco in the magic act Le Roy, Talma and Bosco. Even after returning to medicine he continued to practice and perfect card tricks as an amateur.

He was the treasurer for the Magic Mystic Fraternity, one of the only magical society in existence at the time in 1898. He contributed to "New Era Card Tricks" and amongst professional card players of his time he was called "The Boston Kid."

In September of 1898, he published in "Mahatma" a challenge in which any-man in the world to dispute his claim to the title "Champion Card Manipulator of the World". A claim which was never accepted nor disputed.

He is believed to be the inventor of the Back Palm with cards which he taught to T. Nelson Downs.

Elliott died in Boston of intestinal nephritis before he could finish a book he was planning to write, but Houdini and Clinton Burgess filled in some of the missing explanations from Elliott's notes.

Books

• Elliott's Last Legacy by Clinton Burgess (1923) Edited by Harry Houdini.

References

• http://www.ibmring362.org/contest1.html