HOWARD THURSTON : THE RAGS TO RICHES STORY OF AMERICA'S GREATEST ILLUSIONIST.

EARLY LIFE. Born July 20th 1869 in Columbus Ohio, Thurston had four siblings. His elder sister May (Myrtle), Charles, Howard, Harry and William. His father ; an amateur tinkerer with a plethora of unsuccessful inventions, had a carriage business which collapsed in 1873. With no means to support his family he spent much of his time at the local saloon, an alcoholic abusive man who often struck both his wife and children. Not much is known of what happened to the other siblings barre Harry, a key financier throughout Thurston's career and Charles who was murdered after being shot eight times in the back in February of 1920 while working as a railway detective in Columbus. Howard Thurston made a pocket change selling newspapers on the trains between Columbus and Akron. Thurston would attend local fairgrounds and horse races, securing work as a stable boy at the races, off the back of early aspirations of becoming a jockey. When the racing circuit left for Cincinnati, he went with it leaving Columbus without notifying his Mother. Once there he threw the towel in on stable life finding the job both 'hard and humiliating' and continued selling Newspapers on the trains. He'd go onto purchase a copy of Hoffmanns Modern Magic and a deck of card's and at 14 he'd meet a boy named Reddy Cadge. He and Thurston took up the perilous antic of freight hopping, which ultimately cost Cadger his life when jumping a train out of Chicago. After the loss of his friend, Thurston lived the life of a vagabond, riding the rails and following magic shows. A dirtied beaten deck of cards he carried practicing card sleights on his journeys. By 15 he'd earned enough from purchasing the program concession on the racing circuit with a partner to buy himself a gold watch, new suit and basic magic apparatus. He briefly headed home to tell his mum of his success, who seemed supportive, before leaving once again, this time for NYC. Yet one minor hurdle would change his trajectory and ultimately his life. He'd missed his train and decided to visit the local theatre where he attended a performance by Herrmann the Great. A performance that would change his life forever. He landed in New York under the alias William Ryan and joined a Bowery Street Gang. He was taught to pick pockets. He was eventually caught attempting to pick the pocket of a streetcar conductor, arrested and sentenced by William Round of the NYPA to three weeks at the House of Industry and Refuge for Discharged Convicts, where he was made to brush mats. Thurston admitted his real name to Round, who grew fond of Thurston and hired him for various odd jobs amongst janitorial work to became a born again Christian under Round. On his 18th birthday he was notified that his mother had passed and soon fell into depression. Round suggested he joined Dwight Moody's Christian all boys school which he did from 1887 through to 1891, leaving two years prior to his graduation, likely due to the fact that rounds mother could no longer afford the tuition.

A MAGICAL INTRODUCTION.

As repayment for his education Thurston was set to work at the Burnham Industrial Farm, primarily supervising boys aged 9-12 in their farmers program. He left two years later in Jan 1893, and saw The Great Herrmann perform yet again. This time he decided to follow the tour and came face to face with the Magician on a train between shows and would develop a card manipulation 'card throwing/scaling act' inspired by that of Herrmann's. From this point forward he knew magic was his calling. He struggled to book his original card manipulation act and spent some time working at the Midway Plaisance acting as a talker "barker" enticing audiences to the African Dahomey Village exhibition. A little while down the Midway, a young Houdini donned greasepaint and played the part of an Indian Fakir. The pair met mid 1893 both Freemasons and continued to perform on the same circuit until the fair would close and move to Coney Island, to which Thurston and Houdini would follow suit. Developing somewhat of a rivalry with Houdini performing escapes whilst Thurston would perform magic tricks. He would meet his first wife Grace in 1897 and tour the western states developing and performing his act. He utilised his street wise charm and conman aptitude to survive. Since they had no cash they would cover their hotel bills through the credit proposition of his gold watch and wifes jewellry as payment. When the deal was agreed they'd switch the bags of goods for worthless replicas. They once becoming so impoverished they ate their co-star, Socrates, the duck. At 30, Thurston would be sat on a park bench in Union Square, New York. Hopeless and Penniless. An incredible magician but now virtually unemployable. His luck in trying to get a meeting with vaudeville agent Walter Plimmer had failed. So he forced his way into his office and gave an impromptu show. Plimmer smiled and he was booked. Grace also booked under Plimmer decided to pursue her solo dance and song act and discontinue her work with Thurston though they still remained officially wedded. Thurston now without an assistant was forced borrow eighty cents from his landlady and placed a small newspaper ad looking for a young 'colored' assistant.

EARLY WORK.

A young Thurston

He'd go onto employ his first assistant, George Davis White; he was just 12 years of age and became Thurston's principal assistant for the remainder of his life. Thurston debuted The Rising Card, in 1897, Audience members chosen cards would rise and float from a freshly shuffled deck of cards into Thurston's hands, where he would then throw the cards directly into the lap of the person who'd selected it. His undertook his debut show at 27 at The Palace Theatre on November 5th 1900. From this he obtained a six month contract appearing nightly at 9:25pm. This was also the year he published his first book on card effects, eventually obtaining a circulation of over 2 million copies.

HARRY KELLAR AND OBTAINING THE MANTLE OF MAGIC.

Thurston would meet The Great Harry Kellar in Paris, whilst performing his card act, Impressed Kellar took him on as a mentee. He would go onto pay $7,000 for performing rights to Kellar's illusion show and props. This included the famous Levitation of Princess Karnac, They toured together for Kellar's final season, where he handed Thurston the Mantle of Magic and title of "The World's Greatest Magician" in 1908. Though Kellar had his doubt's at times and was known to micromanage his performance. After the transition Thurston would throw much of Kellars Victorian Repertoire out in favor of more spectacular, bigger and flashier illusions. Kellar would pay covert sums to Thurston's cast in an attempt to influence the show, However, unbeknownst to Kellar one problem still prevailed...

Thurston was was deep in debt. So much so that in August 1912, he'd mortage the entire show to a loan shark for a mere $1000. He knew he'd find a way to recoup both his show and losses, and he did with his third wife. Leotha Willadssen who was both wealthy and highly connected. Thurston would go onto employ Guy Jarret as both assistant and illusion builder for a short period from 1910 to 1911, He built a few core illusions for Thurston, The more prominent of these illusions was his own take on Selbit's Sawing a Woman in Half Illusion, The Bangkok Bungalow and Jarrett Pedestal. Before Thurston would employ Harry Jansen (Dante) in the early 1920's to build, co produce and tour Thurston's second show. They co-designed the Vanishing Horse illusion, Incorporating the Asrah, Million Dollar Mystery and refining prior levitations. before Dante went his own way in the late 1920's. He built his image and career on embellished details of his life. This would ultimately amass him a show of over 20 assistants, featuring a variety of animals and more than 250 trunks of both property and equipment, netting him over one million dollars. He performed at the White House Christmas party in 1924 for Coolidge where Thurston turned to his old Watch Trick in which he asked Coolidge for his gold watch, switched it for a cheap watch, hammered the cheap watch into smithereens, asked Mrs. Coolidge to cut a loaf of bread in half and the president’s watch was found inside. This trick was such a hit, Time magazine mentioned it along with a political cartoon picturing Thurston.

FAMILY LIFE AND RELATIONSHIPS.

He had a difficult relationship with his brother Harry. He felt he was crude and wanted to distance himself from Harry's Chicago Mob Ties, and his work in the business of dime museums featuring Freaks and dancing nude ladies supplemented by gambling and slot's. However Thurston would rely on Harry for financial assistance, and would store many of his illusions above one of his Chicago dime museums. As for his love life, he was married four times. His brazen temper, unpredictable finances, criminal past and unorthodox low brow show business by association to his brother's undertakings played into this.

His first wife Grace Butterworth, a petite singer and dancer with striking blonde curls and green eyes, was only 15 when she was misled into marrying Thurston in August 1897. As she traveled and performed with him during the early stages of his magic career, Grace endured significant neglect and abuse, eventually leaving him at the age of 20.

Thurston later met Beatrice Foster, a slender young woman with pale skin and dark hair, while she was performing in a Broadway play. Beatrice, nicknamed Tommy, became his assistant at 20. She was content to support him rather than pursue her own stardom. Their relationship blossomed over seven years of touring, but Thurston's divorce from Grace was not finalized until May 1910. He married Beatrice on June 1, 1910, but after years of estrangement and alleged infidelity on her part, he filed for divorce in October 1913, which was finalized on April 24, 1914.

Thurston then fell in love with Leotha Willadssen, a woman of greater stature than his previous wives, whom he admired for her wealth and social connections. They married on November 5, 1914, and Thurston embraced family life, adopting Leotha's daughter Jane, who later starred in his acts. Jane performed in approximately one third of the show, and her good looks and sparkling personality attracted men in every city. But in 1930 Harry Harris, the son of a Pennsylvania state senator, won her affections, and they were secretly married. Neither Leotha nor Thurston were happy with the marriage, and it wasn’t long before Jane shared their opinion. In 1931 newspapers reported that Thurston’s son-in-law had attacked him. Thurston, they reported, overheard the intoxicated Harris physically abusing Jane and came to his daughter’s defense. When Harris turned on Thurston, the sixty-two-year-old magician subdued him with a tear-gas pen. The marriage was annulled a short while later. This would fracture his relationship with Jane throughout his remaining years.

Leotha struggled with frequent illness and debilitating depression, leading to her dependence on medication. Tragically, she died from an accidental overdose of barbiturates on April 8, 1934, shortly before Thurston was to perform. Jane poignantly recalled that despite the tragedy, “the show must go on,” and it did.

In the 1920s, Thurston met Paula Clark, who auditioned to be his assistant. Previously married to his chauffeur and known for her wild reputation, Paula married Thurston on May 25, 1935, when he was 66 and she was just 27. Jane disapproved of the marriage, openly expressing her disdain. After Thurston’s death on November 22, 1938, Paula married Charles Collins but passed away in 1941 at the young age of 33.

THE FINAL BOW.

Thurston took is final bow on October 6th, 1935. He had a four day engagement at the Kearse Theatre in Charleston, West Virginia. As Herman Hanson His Technical Director of half a decade, assisted Thurston in putting on his coat, He experienced a stroke, collapsing to the floor. Paula rushed him to Briarcliff Manor, New York. Preventing his daughter from seeing her father. When he'd partially recovered he travelled to Biloxi Mississippi to be with his brother Harry and and Sister in Law Rae. March 30th, 1936 he suffered a second major stroke in his sleep passing at age 66. His death was attributed to pneumonia. Thurston left his adopted daughter Jane a measly $500 with the following comment “I am mindful of the fact that my adopted daughter has caused me great mental anguish and suffering and has caused me to spend large sums of money on her behalf through her whims and caprices and she has been generally, undutiful to me.

Howard Thurston and daughter Jane

Copyright © 2025 by Sid Quatrine, Author, Editor

Sources:

1. Olson, R.E. (1993). The Complete Life Of Howard Franklin Thurston
   

2. Rohde, W.L. & Thurston, G. (2006). My Magic Husband Howard Thurston Unmasked
   

3. Steinmeyer, J. (2011). The Last Greatest Magician in the World: Howard Thurston Versus Houdini & the Battles of the American Wizards