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After 135 Years, Famed Illusionist's Legacy Reappears In Cave Hill

Photo by J. Tyler Franklin

On Thursday afternoon at Cave Hill Cemetery, a small crowd gathered to celebrate the life of Thomas Tobin. From the start, it wasn’t a typical memorial service; Michael Bublé songs filled the air and men in ties covered in rabbit and playing card designs exchanged tips for magic tricks.

Oh, and Thomas Tobin? He’s an illusionist who has been dead for 135 years.

In the audioplayer above, find out how Tobin -- whose techniques magicians are still using today -- ended up in an unmarked grave in Louisville, and how Lance Burton, a Louisville-born magician helped change that.

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