Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Blitz, Antonio

BLITZ, Antonio, prestidigitateur, b. in Deal, Kent, England, 21 June, 1810; d. in Philadelphia, Pa., 28 Jan., 1877. At the age of thirteen years he began his career in Hamburg, Germany. After travelling for two years in northern Europe, he returned to England, appearing first in Dover in December, 1825. He then visited Ireland and Scotland. In 1834 he came to the United States, and, after performing in New York, travelled throughout the country. Later he visited Canada and the West Indies. On his return from the south he settled in Philadelphia, Pa., where he resided until his death. His experiences have been related in “Fifty Years in the Magic Circle” (Hartford, 1871), written by himself.