Show World (November 1910)

16 THE SHOW WORLD November, 26, 1910. GIVE THANKS AND DO NOT ENVY Turkey Season One of Good Feeling—Smart Survey of Show Sphere in Ohio BY DOC WADDELL 0 Columbus, Ohio, Nov. 24.—This is the Thanksgiving issue. What a glor- i o u s "twenty-four al whirl of time. Show people cannot observe it as they like or wish, unless it be those of cir- cusdom. Generally, ill circuses are closed when turkey¬ carving time is on, and the inhabitants of the lot are where they call home. Stage folk are, by con¬ tract, bound to act on Thanksgiving day, which is figured on as a money¬ getting holiday by those who own and pilot theater exhibitions. All should honor the day and return grateful thanks for the life and pursuit of hap¬ piness bestowed by the Power that gave us birth. Those who are up to the av¬ erage in circumstances catch sight of the poverty in the grades below and feel the sting thereof. Those rich in this world’s goods seem as a rule to pay no attention to the poor. We look upon the man of millions and think him hap¬ py, at peace with all. We sight the wrinkled, withered old woman, who lives in the garret of the dirty alley tene¬ ment, and are quite sure she is miser¬ able. Friends, it all depends. The chances are that if we could go beneath the outer surface we’d find that the mil¬ lionaire in the sight of God is a dirty tramp and the old woman of the back alley a Princess of Faith and Glory. X am a great believer in the Power be¬ yond us. It serves justly; it evens up. It makes record of every thanksgiving day, of every moment of time, and that person never lived who could cheat old Nature. It pays to be kind. I trust every show person will “Carve dat Tur¬ key” this year, and see to it that you have love for your neighbor, who may be without, and if so that you fill such poor one’s plate as you render thanks for your good fortune. I am looking today at a picture that recalls the old town where I was born —Portsmouth, Ohio. It was a great stand for the wagon shows. In this day and time it is a stronghold for the John Robinson circus and the Al G. Field minstrels. In my boyhood days there was, as I remember, a single shoemak¬ ing shop—a sort of village cobbler’s stand. Now Portsmouth has ten shoe factories, headed by the noted Drew and Selby plants. These factories pay off Tuesday. So the advance agent dat¬ ing Portsmouth puts his show in best touch with the money if he plays the place Thursday or Friday. On Saturday night Portsmouh is like Elmira, N. Y. The people walk up and down the main drag and seldom spend a cent for opera house entertainment, except to go to the moving picture places, Ohio is a big pay-day state, and in booking the Buckeye commonwealth he is wise who knows the paydays of its factories, in¬ dustries and railroads, and books ac¬ cordingly. I will tell you something; Al G. Field had this knowledge and it made him. As Thanksgiving comes on Thursday Portsmouth is a “payer” for an opera house attraction on that date. When I was a kid I spent every Thanks¬ giving day out in the neighborhood of Grape Hill, a picture of which accompa¬ nies. Beautiful place! There ar> poems in the air out there. How I would run up and down the dear old Columbus turnpike over which in the early days passed the famous stage coach. The drivers thereof were characters. One of these was my grandfather, David Hahn, whom I mentioned in former stories as trainer and handler of wild animals in the first schools of that art Another thine that made the neighborhood of Grape Hill so dear was the fact that J incle John Robinson, Adam Forepaugh, ohn O’Brien and Sells Brothers, when they came to Portsmouth, always stopped on Grape Hill to make ready for entrance to the city with their daz¬ zling street pageant. And still another thing that endears Grape Hill to me is the fact that it is the home of Leora Irene Huston. Her people, every one. were characters. The good old stock was in them. Miss Irene, T can safely say, has met and known all the public men of prominence and is acquainted with every star of note in the firma¬ ment of stage and white-top. Below I give a solilonuy from her pen entitled. "The Old Columbus Pike,” which will recall old time showmen to the days 3 beat the keepers The Old Columbus Pike. I have grown very old; Time’s busy, tireless fingers Wields well the story I am going to tell! In vain some cherished past invited me ’Tis useless, now, it seems, progression sounds my knell. Facing each year, ’twould be a kind. While memory and sad hopes fondly ca- Misshapen contours of the famous old pike is broken Wearing deeper, deeper grooves within me just the same. I am known as the "Famous Columbus Turnpike,” Incorporated 1831; beginning, where the court’s first seat. Market street, which was the old- Entering Columbus at the southern ter¬ mination of High street. Alas, in my SOth year progress attack’d me with picks, steam, roller, shovel. Soon learning with great joy, grand- daddy possessed brains in former grand old race. Squeezing, plowing, digging, poor old body wriggling, sure the old road had trouble, With all rising triumphant! Concrete was not in it, they found pure gravel base. ’Tis midnight in the halls of time! The old road bids good night, 'Midst joyous shouts for the glad new road, best beloved and latest born Marking its steps with trembling strides on — on — through darkness and through light O! may its coming bring good cheer and fill up plenty’s golden horn. In the middle of the night he awakened violently with a sharp pain in his throat. He knew right away it was his teeth, because they were not in his mouth and he couldn’t find them on the dresser or about the house. The next morning he hurried to a physician who advised that he go to Grant hospital, this city, and be “X-rayed.” The travels of Smith’s teeth are tersely tabulated as follows; Monday Night—Teeth in mouth, as Later Monday Night—Smith awakened by sharp pain, misses teeth, teeth gone. Tuesday Morning — Dr. McMurray thinks teeth went down throat. So does Smith. Thursday Morning—Grant hospital physician sights teeth in Smith’s aeso- phagus, almost to stomach. Ten Minutes Later—Throat muscles contract, teeth move on. Present Location of Teeth—In Smith’s stomach. Smith’s Condition—Exceptionally good, with voracious appetite. GRAFS HILL, A DEAR MEMORY TO THE OLD SHOWMAN View of Columbus Pike, Irene Huston’s Home Hidden by Foliage, the Cottage where Uncle Henry and Aunt Mary Stratton, Her Colored Servants, Dive. Boy on Wheel Is Master Clay Correll. The road to be opened not exceeding Which the distance 30 feet was to be the roadway, Toll gates erected every ten miles on the side, Marked with milestones, informing the miles of highway. Militiamen, their families returning from church and muster. Were granted toll as they passed through the gates— Encouraging high hopes, brave thoughts which no doubt cluster Around every soldier’s heart, also love for their mates. The famous palmy days of the coach Loaded with jolly passengers, also driver brave and free. Is effaced by the automobile, with daz¬ zling beauty galore. Happy joy riders, chauffeurs, honk! honk! intoxicated with glee. Not a vestige remains of the old toll Snugly nestled at the base of two-mile hill, Warning travelers to pay toll so much Which was necessary to meet all ex¬ penses at will. In those grand coaching days of long, long ago. When the stage horn echoed musical The prancing and pawing of four gaily horses aglow 'Twas magnificent sight at eve or mom- Ten dilapidated milestones mark the places of renown, Ancient mariners lost records on the scroll of time— Dwarf’d, black begrimed faces, toppling forward and falling down Aged sentinels who have vanished on the mysteries sublime— BURLESQUE STILL FULLING “THE CHAMPAGNE BATH” Columbus is still sensational. Frank J. Noonan dropped in. He gained fame when in the ourlesque business girl the profession to bathe in. Do you re¬ member it? Big city papers ate it up. They "first- paged” the story with pictures. Day before yesterday he repeated the stunt in this city. The girl this time was Miss Nancy Massie Crittenton, of Pottsville, Fa. The champagne bath came off at a leading hostelry and because of its talked of here and roundabout. I ac¬ company the gay "-’“ pictures'. Noonan’s plot showing him __ dering the cham¬ pagne by phone and as he looked in quiet moment the day thereafter. TEETH AND STOMACH FINALLY GET TOGETHER Another explosion along publicity’s white way came when the announcement was made: “Out at Grant hospital there’s a man with his teeth in his stomach—a •t of reuniting of the mastication and went for a sight-seeing stroll. He 1 ' him his bull pup named Dailey’s heavy English took .... "Trouble. __ bull dog, a city bully, attacked Sheehan’ canine. Humanity stopped in it-_„ course. Helter skelter came poodles, spaniels, collies and terriers. It looked like a battle to the death. Finally of¬ ficers separated the dogs and as “Trouble” was pulled from his hold he GIRL'S SALT TEARS LOOSENED TWENTY DOLLARS Sensation "Four” registered at the Union depot. Seizing opportunity se¬ curely by the forelock, a sweet young thing in a white sweater coat picked up about $20 in a racket that for keenness and originality was hard to beat. A minstrel show, traveling in a special train, reached Columbus at about S o’clock and made a short stop. At 6:05 Between sobs she told travelers '■*'* station that she was a mem- ‘ ’ " Field troupe and had ’— money w around ber of .... .... ... -_ missed the special. All ML__ on the train, she said. A drummer came across” with the first-class con¬ tribution to the pseudo show girl. Others hastened to get in, and nearly $29, mostly in $1 bills, was the offering. Gatemen waited in vain for the girl to appear when the next Pennsylvania train left for Pittsburg. A messenger boy finally reported that he saw her going on North High street with an elderly man. The Field show carries no women and is down South. Sensation "Five” escaped from the penitentiary. It runs thus: “A real, dyed-in-the-wool melodrama, with char¬ acters of the play taken from life, is what the prisoners of the penitentiary are planning for their Christmas day celebrations. Holcomb J. Beckwith, serving three years from Lucas county for forgery, who has gained the reputa¬ tion of being the prison scribe, has been commissioned by the prisoners to write the play. Leo Mitchell, serving fifteen years from Fulton county for burglary, who has published Severn! songs, while inside the prison, will write the music; and Antone Bonnelli, serving seven years from Cleveland for embez¬ zlement, will lead the prison orchestra. According to their present plans the show will be a real 10-20-30 affair, with all of its thrills acted bv convicts. Beck¬ with refuses to tell of the plot, but it is said that one act deals with a burglary of a bank in which the actors can be seen at work on a safe. It is the plan to have these parts plaved by bank burglars. On Thanksgiving day the Boucher-Trautmen minstrels of Colum¬ bus will entertain at the prison. Sensation “Six,” is given breath of life by Frank Spellman’s emerging from the east and contracting with the Na¬ tional Corn Exposition, to be held here January 30 to February 11 (two weeks), to furnish a circus event. The press agent of the affair says: "Frank Spellman, now at the New York hippodrome, has closed a contract with the National Corn association to provide an exceptionally strong circus especially for the exposition, one of the largest buildings in the group to be used as the circus hall. There will be eighteen of the most elaborate c ....-portL--- which will