 In later life, when he performed as an illusionist, he elevated his rank and called himself "Colonel H.J.Sargent, the Wizard of the South".An entry in the Washington Evening Star dated September 29, 1864 reported that "H. Sargent Jones, of New York, has been appointed to a first class clerkship in the General Post Office Department, at a salary of $1200 per annum".