Loosely translated, Alma was suggesting that “a man is known by the company he keeps”, and in doing so he casually sneers at the work and career of Professor Ion. Such snobbery towards a lesser-known magician is surely unwarranted, for the touring performers of the gold-rush era were industrious and determined people, travelling under arduous conditions and making their living by entertaining some of the toughest audiences in the country. Moreover, from the little we now know of Professor Ion, he was a magician of ability, with a novel repertoire which was well received wherever he appeared.

The identity hidden behind the pseudonym, “Professor Ion”, is presently a mystery, and it does not appear that Alma had much more information about Ion than is mentioned above.

116 Leicester Street, in Australia’s first suburb, is close to the old Rose Hotel in Napier Street. The original building no longer exists, but Fitzroy was, in the 1860s, swinging from being a somewhat exclusive area to a strong working-man’s suburb. The Wynn’s Boot Factory was further down Leicester Street.
A newspaper search reveals a number of different occupants of No.116 living and dying at the property; and as Alma gave no date, no direct connection can be drawn to our performer. In 1873 the Argus mentioned the February 15 death of a Mr. James Kingston, formerly of Liverpool, England, aged 71 years, at the 116 Leicester Street home of his son-in-law, Mr. J. H. Robinson. Whether there is any link here, is not known.

Assuming Will Alma to be correct, and that Professor Ion was a performer on the gold fields, we can assume that this was during the 1850s. However, no information has been found about these activities, probably because advertising on the diggings would have been via handbills or word of mouth, rather than newspaper advertisement.

We are left with a fairly detailed record of a period from May to October 1865, when the Professor toured in Tasmania, and a few sparse mentions in 1866, which seem to have been the final days of his career under that name.

Hobart, in the south of Tasmania, is where Professor Ion is first seen, at the very end of May 1865, staying at the Club Hotel and announcing his arrival. There were two magicians in town at the same time, Prof. Ion at the Theatre Royal, and a Professor Leon at the Mechanics’ Institute.

Prof. Ion was claimed to have appeared before the crowned heads of foreign countries, which is likely to be nothing more than the usual performer’s bluff. The opening night on June 6 was favourably mentioned, although Tasmania’s regular inclement weather limited the numbers in the audience (a frequent occurrence during the tour). Ion was a “gift show” performer; lucky door prizes were given away at each performance, and the Mercury reported that  he kept good faith, so presumably his gifts were not cheap and tacky. “The stage was very beautifully arranged in the form of a grotto, and the paraphernalia was very elegant and expensive”, said the paper.

Professor Leon, his rival, did not fare quite so well for an audience, and began by denying some comments made by Ion that ‘he had induced anyone to divulge the secrets of Professor Ion’s legerdemain. He, however, said he would explain any of his own tricks during the evening…’ (2). Leon apparently had more success by touring up north, later on.

Ion advertised upcoming appearances of his “Séance Fantastique” in New Norfolk, Brighton – July 3, Bridgewater – July 4, Green Ponds - 5, Oatlands – 7 and 8, Campbell Town - 11, and up to Launceston. He was well received in Hobart, the ‘Mercury’ praising his exceedingly clever tricks “when general praise was awarded by an astonished audience to the Professor during the evening.” His  show was promoted as a Cabinet of Curiosities, Portfolios of Wonder and Bouquet of Delights and, up to about June 22 he seemed to be attracting a good audience during matinee and evening performances.
A gold watch was to be presented to the gentleman who could invent the best conundrum, but although a committee of six made the choice, there was general unhappiness at the winning riddle – “Why was Queen Victoria on the 16^th December, 1861, like an unfortunate spendthrift? – Because she had just lost a highly prized Albert, and was left only a single sovereign.”

The evening of June 15 was reported (3) to have been “a bumper house … his tricks were admirable. The spiritual seances were exquisitely carried out, as was also the mysterious writing on the arm; but they require to be seen to be appreciated, as no description can adequately delineate their execution.” For all that, upon his departure from Hobart, the ‘Mercury’ reported (June 23), “a couple of conjurers appeared amongst us, performing in opposition, one Professor Ion, at the Theatre Royal; the other Professor Leon, at the Mechanics’ Institute. Both possessed talent in their particular spheres, but neither appeared to understand the trick how to catch an audience. We fear both exhibitions have been peculiarly, failures.”

At some unknown point of his tour, Professor Ion teamed up with Mr. Boyle Robertson Patey, whose original convict name was John Patey, and later became Mr. Henry B. Wilton, ambitious theatre entrepreneur whose story is detailed separately. Wilton signed up to be Ion’s manager, but not for long, as will be seen.

Ion’s appearances at Campbell Town were on both the 11^th and 12^th of July, the first night being again hampered by poor weather, but he “exhibited considerable talent in his performances … he was well received and gave general satisfaction.”

Insights into Professor Ion’s performing repertoire come mainly from two reviews in the Cornwall Chronicle, on September 13 and 16, 1865. The Professor’s show was said to last three hours, and contains some tricks which were away from the usual repertoire of magicians at the time; none of the perennial “Inexhaustible Bottles” or “Baking a Cake in a Hat” are mentioned.

Cannonball production – This fairly standard feat involved a borrowed hat, from which was produced a large variety of items, followed by two cannon balls, a full suit of baby clothing, a large quantity of tinware, and many feathers.

Broken and Restored Watch – a watch, smashed and placed into a small blunderbuss, was fired at a case on a side table, where it immediately appeared, uninjured. Ion also appeared to turn an ordinary pocket watch into a “repeater”, though the repeated ringing ceased upon its return to the owner.

Egg Production – multiple eggs produced from a bag.

Dice Prediction – the totals of three dice were predicted, several times, before the dice box was lifted from the table.

Tea Caddy – Unspecified tricks with handkerchiefs, rings etc.

Tell’s Apple – a gentleman’s address card was borrowed and torn in two, and Ion took one half, rolling it around an arrow, which was then inserted in a small blunderbuss.  It was fired at a young girl who was kneeling on the stage with a vase of flowers on her head. The arrow was then taken from the vase to the gentleman who confirmed that the card matched the half he had retained.

Book Test / Spirit Rapping – An unusual prelude to what we now call the mentalist’s “Book Test”, combined with a spiritualistic theme made popular by the activities of the Fox Sisters.

Five books were shown, and one volume selected. A “spirit” then assisted by producing distinct knocking sounds, which in response to the magician’s queries, announced the title of the book, the page selected, the number of lines from the top of the page, and the number of words in that line.

Other effects noted during Ion’s tour were:  

Coins Across – A volunteer counts and holds fifteen shillings, and the Professor causes another five shillings to magically appear in his hand.

Shower of Half-Crowns – presumably a ‘miser’s dream’ coin production

The Launceston season began on July 17, and was prefaced with a full-length advertisement in the Cornwall Chronicle, filled with testimonials from respectable Tasmanian citizens.

Once again, the weather was keeping audiences away, but the Chronicle said (July 19), “his magical feats, many of which were really wonderful and utterly unaccountable, were performed with a completeness and dexterity which elicited great applause. Many of the most difficult of the Professor’s tricks were performed out of his Magical Temple [the stage] altogether, and on a level with his audience by which he was almost surrounded.”

Mr. Patey, Ion's agent, assisted the show in the role of ‘Mephistophiles’, singing humorous songs, telling anecdotes and making jocular commentary on the Professor’s tricks.

Hardly had the season begun, though, than Professor Ion made a rapid  departure from Launceston, arriving back in Melbourne on July 20 aboard the ‘Black Swan’. He had left his properties behind, which were impounded by the Institute, and his manager, Patey, and pianist, Mr. F. A. Weippert were abandoned. The obvious inference was that Professor Ion was fleeing his creditors after making a loss, but this was not the case.

Patey and Weippert attempted to make the best of their situation, making an appearance at the Assembly Rooms in Deloraine on August 2, and advertising for the Berriedale Inn at Westbury on the 3^rd, but they had no joy, and a proposed series of entertainments in the Western Districts does not seem to have ever taken place. Weippert, a Launceston-based piano builder and member of the notable Weippert musical family, did not give up his day job.

After a couple of weeks’ absence, Professor Ion returned to Launceston on August 11, and gave his story to the Launceston Examiner. For reasons not explained, Ion and Patey apparently had a falling out; but since the agreement was that Patey would be employed ‘during the whole of [Ion’s] tour of Tasmania’, he had refused to give up his management role.  Ion, as a result, left Tasmania in order to achieve the split with Patey, returning to Launceston as an independent operator once again, though he seems to have taken on an E.A.Francis as agent.

Given Patey’s reputation at the time (see H.B.Wilton essay) and the fact that Patey would soon be forced to flee from Tasmania into Victoria, it would seem that Ion was not the offending party in the breakup.

Back at the Theatre Royal, Ion announced his opening on August 21 for five nights only, with “Sceance Fantastique! Gallery of Illustration!! Pyramid of Wonders!!!”  His ex-assistant Patey tried to steal a march by organizing an amateur Christy’s Minstrels concert on August 17, promising to ‘exhibit sufficient tricks in legerdemain to constitute a drawing-room entertainment’; but the event collapsed when the pianist failed to show up for the concert. A later attempt at repeating the show was again a failure, when barely fifty people turned up.

In the event, poor weather once again played its part, and Ion decided not to play in opposition to a Benevolent Society fundraiser on the first night. If his advertising is to be believed, the rest of his season was an “immense success … triumphant reception” up to August 31. However, “Bell’s Life” of September 9 reported that his entertainment had not been well patronised.  Mr. Bushell, the electro-biologist (effectively a hypnotist) moved into town to follow Ion.

Moving across to Longford, Ion performed at the Blenheim Hotel Assembly rooms on September 5 where, the Chronicle said, he was unanimously pronounced to be superior to anything of the kind they had ever witnessed, “in fact such excitement prevailed ... that a lecture which was to have taken place, was postponed in order to give the Professor a bumper house”. Ion moved on to Evandale’s Patriot King Hotel on August 7, meeting with a hearty reception and attendance by the local respectable gentry.

Ion returned to Launceston for a Benefit night organised for him at the Mechanics’ Institute on September 11, and repaid the favour by appearing at the Town Hall two nights later, in support of the Benevolent Society.

Prof. Ion seems to have forged some strong friendships in Launceston, as shown by his benefit night, and by the presentation of a Testimonial presented to him on September 18, when he appeared on behalf of the Working Men’s Club at the Town Hall. His involvement with community groups brought him crowded houses, between three and four hundred according to the Chronicle (Sept.20). Said the paper, “… expressed their delight and astonishment at each of his numerous experiments by hearty applause and laughter … acknowledge the sterling abilities of Professor Ion, who is daily becoming more popular with all classes. A strong prejudice was entertained here against this class of entertainment, owing to the vulgar bungling of some Professors, who were anything but proficient in the science.”

Ion’s last night in Launceston was October 2 at the Mechanics’ Institute, before the Mayor of Launceston. He had made a single appearance in Nile at Mr. Ayrton’s Assembly Rooms, the previous Saturday and was said to be proceeding to Hobart. However there is no report of this happening, and the trail fades away on the Professor’s Tasmanian tour.

(1) Will Alma’s 'The Magic Circle Mirror', March 1973, incorporating his former publication, the Australian Magic Review.

(2) The Mercury, Hobart, June 8, 1865

(3) The Advertiser, republished by the Launceston Examiner, June 20, 1865