Harry and Mildred Rouclere

Harry Rouclere Mind Readers, lithographic poster, ca. 1910. Printed by Henderson Achert Krebs. TC094 Theater Posters

Harry Rouclere Terhune (1866-1942), was born in Paterson, New Jersey and joined a national travelling circus act at the age of nine. Interestingly, his wife-to-be Mildred Searing (ca. 1880-1938), also began her stage career at the age of nine as a song and dance performer. Harry took Rouclere as his stage name and developed into a expert juggler, magician, and then gymnast.

When Mildred and Harry married, they devised a mind-reading act they billed as “Mildredism.” Then, in 1891, they startled the scientific world by producing a new version of hypnotic mental telegraphy, which they called “Pyschonotism.” In it they would demonstrate that one intelligent person could convey an idea to another without visable means of communication. This act created a sensation and made them headliners. The Terhunes retired from professional life around 1920 and Harry took over his father’s hotel in Ridgewood, New Jersey, which he called Hotel Rouclere.