The Great Lafayette

Booktryst, always interesting, has a post about the magician - the Great Lafayette, the Empire Theatre Fire, and the Edinburgh Library.

From the post...

May 9, 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of one of the most spectacular fires ever recorded in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. Capital Collections: The Image Library of Edinburgh Libraries and Museums and Galleries has created a new online exhibition to commemorate the tragic event, The Great Lafayette and the Empire Theatre Fire. The Library is also conducting a book launch for a new title exploring the fire, The Death and Life of the Great Lafayette by Ian Robertson and Gordon Rutter.

The blaze took the life of master magician and "Man Of Mystery," The Great Lafayette, and began in the midst of a performance of his greatest illusion, "The Lion's Bride," before a sold-out house of 3,000. Ten other performers and backstage crew members also perished that night, along with a lion and a black stallion featured in the act. Miraculously, quick thinking on the part of a stage hand and an orchestra conductor allowed every audience member to escape the flames and survive.