Bert Reese

Bert Reese
Born	1851
Died	1926
Occupation	Medium, mentalist

Bert Reese (1851–1926) was an American-Polish medium most well known for his billet reading demonstrations.

Reese was an expert billet reader. He was a spiritualist and a friend of Aleister Crowley. He claimed to possess the ability of x-ray vision. He drew criticism from magicians of the period who could replicate his billet reading feats by trick methods.

The psychical researcher Eric Dingwall who observed Reese in New York City claimed to have discovered his cheating methods. According to Dingwall the exploits of Reese were "not worth any serious scientific consideration" and he came into contact with the sealed notes.Walter Franklin Prince also observed Reese's method of sleight of hand.

Science writer Martin Gardner wrote that Reese was an expert mentalist no different from stage magicians of the period such as Joseph Dunninger but managed to fool a number of people into believing he was a genuine psychic. The inventor Thomas Edison was duped by the billet reading tricks of Reese and stated he was "neither a medium nor a fake".

The controversy surrounding Reese led The New York Times journalist Edward Marshall to write two articles in November, 1910 with illustrations and suggested methods how Reese performed his tricks. In 1920, in a letter to Arthur Conan Doyle, magician Harry Houdini wrote that during a séance he had observed Reese's tricks.

His tricks were also exposed by the magician Samri Frikell who replicated his feats. In 1938, magic historian John Mulholland noted that "Reese was extraordinarily clever in misleading and confusing his subjects regarding what really happened... he was an extraordinary sleight-of-hand performer; certainly nothing more.”

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