By Jason H. Silverman
Using magicians as spies is nothing new. Throughout history, conjurors have engaged in espionage, police and detective work. It was quite practical for intelligence agencies in the time of war to be using entertainers for covert activities. The French magician Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, whose name the young Ehrich Weiss invoked when he renamed himself Harry Houdini, worked as an envoy in Algeria and helped quell an uprising. Houdini himself, as a performer moving freely worldwide, became a perfect recruit to spy for the Americans and British against the Germans and Russians leading up to World War I. During World War II, the illusionist Joseph Dunninger advised the U.S. Armed Forces on camouflage techniques while magician John Scarne worked for the U.S. Army during the war showing traveling soldiers how not to be cheated at craps, gambling and cards. In the 1950s, the Central Intelligence Agency hired the magician John Mulholland to write a pamphlet on sleight-of-hand techniques to help operatives administer substances clandestinely.
But the name Horatio Green “Harry” Cooke is not one usually included in the list of illustrious magicians who spied for their country; though perhaps it should be. Nor is his name bandied about when speaking of President Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. Indeed, you might be hard pressed to find him mentioned in any of the 17,000 and counting volumes in the great pantheon of Lincoln literature. And yet his saga is a remarkable one and his relationship with Lincoln an untold story of bravery, dedication, prestidigitation and escape artistry. In the end, Cooke would become “Lincoln’s Magician,” a title he wore proudly throughout his long life.
Lincoln was no stranger to magic, having as a youth entertained with rudimentary magic tricks anyone who would watch him. His fascination with magic continued into adulthood as he matured into a successful attorney and politician. Whenever he could slip away Lincoln would frequent magic shows. In fact, he liked magic so much that he returned four times to see the famous American-born conjuror “Wyman the Wizard” (whose real name was John Wyman) perform at the Odd Fellows Hall located almost exactly halfway between the Capitol and the White House.
Lincoln also saw the British magician Antonio Van Zandt, whose stage name was “Signor Blitz,” perform several times. Taking a break from the burdens of war, Lincoln and his youngest son, Tad, watched Blitz perform at a rehearsal for a July 4th parade near the Cottage on the grounds of the Old Soldier’s Home (now known as the Armed Forces Retirement Home) in Washington, D.C., that Lincoln often used during the summer months to escape the brutal Foggy Bottom heat of the Executive Mansion. While marching, Blitz pulled a bird from the hair of one of the girls on the parade route. This impromptu act stopped everyone in their tracks. So Blitz continued several dazzling slight-of-hand tricks, including whisking an egg from the mouth of 10-year-old Tad Lincoln.
A gentleman from the crowd formally introduced the President to the magician. Lincoln replied, “Why, of course, it’s Signor Blitz, one of the most famous men in America.” So impressed was Lincoln that he invited Blitz to visit the White House. There the magician made a bird appear in Lincoln’s famous stovepipe hat. The bird had a note attached to its wing that read “Victory, General Grant,” referring to the Battle of Vicksburg that Grant would soon win. Awed by this performance, Lincoln reportedly asked Blitz how many children he had made happy in his career. “Thousands and tens of thousands,” Blitz replied. “I fear that I have made thousands and tens of thousands unhappy,” Lincoln morosely responded. “But it is for each of us to do our duty in the world and I am trying to do mine.” What neither knew at the time was that the Union would soon win twin victories at Vicksburg and Gettysburg which would turn the tide of the war.
Thus it is not surprising that when Lincoln learned of young Horatio Cooke’s formidable skills as a magician the President was determined to meet him if for no other reason than to be entertained. Entertained he was; however, so much more would come from the relationship between the two.
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