Who Was Herbert Nottingham Turner? On the morning of 2 November 1908, the body of a travelling performer named Herbert Nottingham Turner was discovered near the brick kilns of Swadlincote Common Brickworks in South Derbyshire. Turner, known locally by the stage name “Mexican Joe”, was believed to have worked as an itinerant magician and street entertainer, moving between industrial towns and public houses performing tricks for money. Very little is known about his early life.