McEvoy “The Society Necromancer” by Jay Hunter

Regular readers have already gotten to know our friend Jay Hunter, who is one of our "go-to" sources on obscure throwing cards.  Well, right after the release of "Karl or Carl," his first guest post, Jay kindly sent me this fascinating contribution, featuring a beautiful and unusual throwing card. - Judge Brown  

I acquired this throw-out card several years ago at a magic collectors’ convention. I saw the back of the card in an album of memorabilia and got very excited.  I thought it was a throw-out card for Howard Thurston who used the same Miller Tires back and similar front design, early in his career on one of his throw-out cards.  Imagine my surprise when I flipped it over and saw a magician named McEvoy!

Harry K. McEvoy was born
in Chicago on Aug. 29, 1869. During the first couple of decades of the twentieth century the “Sphinx” had many complimentary things to say about him. In Sept. 1902 it said, “His deftness and charming personality has won for him the above title of Society Necromancer.”

The “Sphinx” quoted “The Chicago Evening Post’” in 1906 saying, “He is a prestidigitator of more than ordinary cleverness”.

According to the “Sphinx”, magic was not McEvoy’s full time profession.  His day job was working for the Chicago and Alton Railroad as an executive in the passenger department.  However, it seems that he was very good at magic, as Francis J. Werner of the Society of American Magicians had this to say about him in March, 1916, “I have seen many an amateur magician who was the equal of any professional, but for downright superiority, Harry K. McEvoy, of Chicago, stands at the top”.
Harry K. McEvoy passed away on Nov. 1, 1962 in Chicago at the age of 93.

An extremely  interesting bit of trivia: When I researched him I found another Harry K. McEvoy, (1910-1993) who is considered the father of modern day knife throwing, (as opposed to card throwing) and was the founder of The American Knife Throwers Alliance which is still an organization today. I wonder if he learned his throwing skills from his father, who was none other than McEvoy “The Society Necromancer”.