Who is John Henry Anderson, and what was his relationship with Alfred?

In 1872, John Henry Anderson brought about a touring magic show. Alfred attended the show nightly and would volunteer for one of the trucks, even though he knew how it worked; he wanted a closer look at the cabinet. Alfred was never chosen, but he would wait around after the show and was finally invited in by Mr. Anderson. Mr. Anderson recognized Alfred as a fellow performer and wrote him a letter of introduction to Mr. Nevil Maskelyne.