THE GREAT LAFAYETTE
And a brand new crossword "Complete Disaster!"
In this newsletter:
The Great Lafayette - A regal magician with a bizarre death
Whoa/Woah by the numbers
The Orient Express
A brand new crossword: Complete Disaster!
The Great Lafayette
The Great Lafayette was one of the most successful magicians at the turn of the last century and is perhaps most remembered for his bizarre death. More on that in a bit.
He was born Sigmund Neuberger in 1871 in Munich, Germany. In his early career he was a Ching Ling Foo imitator, which is how I first came across him. I’ve been long fascinated with magicians performing in yellow face.
In 1900 he changed his name from Sigmund to The Great Lafayette during a run in London. He gained immense popularity, and his performances were revered for their grandeur, complex illusions and impressive theatrical effects. He was often compared to Harry Houdini in terms of fame and spectacle.
To say that The Great Lafayette was found of his dog, Beauty, was an understatement. He famously said “The more I see of men, the more I love my dog.” Beauty was a terrier given to him by Harry Houdini. She had her own train car, suite of rooms, and wore a collar made of diamonds. She was served five course meals on golden plates, served by waiters in white gloves. Beauty died just four days before The Great Lafayette …
In 1911, Lafayette was performing at the Empire Theater in Edinburgh. His signature illusion was called “The Lion’s Bride,” an epic story that culminated in Lafayette rescuing a woman and changing her into a lion. But a faulty electrical lamp caused the set to go up in flames. The audience, used to Lafayette’s splendid effects, did not flee the theater at first. It wasn’t until the orchestra played “God Save the King” did the theater-goers realize it was time to evacuate the building. The Great Lafayette, along with ten cast members, perished in the fire. Here’s a video of the aftermath of the fire along with the charred remains of the lion.
Two days after the fire, workers who were clearing the rubble found another body, identical to the great magician. It was Lafayette’s body double.
The Great Lafayette was buried in Piershill Cemetery in Edinburgh, reunited with his soulmate, Beauty.
Whoa/Woah by the numbers
On the heels of the NYT putting WOAH in the crossword, last issue I polled readers to see how they spelled the word.
My readership was overwhelmingly on the WHOA team. But a separate poll in the Neo Slack, a community of computer science students and tech entrepreneurs, yielded the result:
Neo is a younger community and more internet savvy. So there may be a shift happening!
The Orient Express
When I wrote a post all about trains back in January, never could I have imagined that I would be performing on the magical Orient Express half a year later. Just last week, I had the pleasure of doing pieces from The Enigmatist in the storied “Bar Car ‘3674’”. One guest managed to snap a photo:
The legendary train left from Venice and wound its way through the Brenner Pass in Italy. We stopped in Goschenen in the Swiss Alps and arrived in Paris the next morning. Fortunately (unfortunately?!) there were no murders.
Complete Disaster!
Inspired by the Orient Express, here’s this issue’s crossword Complete Disaster! Solve it here. As always, please let me know in the comments what you think!
Events
Interested in booking me for your next event? More info here on private parties, corporate speaking & performances and team-building puzzle hunts.
Puzzle Hunt Playing Cards
Enigmas: Puzzle Hunt Playing Cards. Included within this unique deck are four very special puzzle cards. Solve them all to unlock an online Puzzle Hunt! Available here.
So clever, so enjoyable, so you!
Finished the puzzle. You are consistently the most Gen-X constructor I’ve come across, despite your being a Millenial.