Variety (December 1907)

VARIETY 81 THE MAD MUSICIAN The Most Versatile Musi- cian in the World. He plays on the following 28 Instruments: TRUMPET CLARINET VIOLIN EUPHONIUM SAXOPHONE FRENCH HORN RAA800N CORNET PICCOLO POST HORN MUSETTE TROMBONE BANJO OBOE BAGPIPES 'CELLO WHIffTLB (one hand) CONTRA rAQGOTTI OCCORINA with bird warbler MANDOLIN witb aoof CORNI DE BASSETTO SOPRANOPHONB TRUMPETTO CONCERTINA PIOCO FLUTE SLEIGH BELLS (with feet) DOUBLEPHONE Mdlle. Alexandra m Mons. Bertie Presenting Their Refined Aerial Act "AFTER THE BALL" tWO ACTS THAT STAND ALONE IN THEIR RESPECTIVE LINE. Sixth Week with Messrs. KLAW A ERLANGER. MAY, JUNE, JULY—EMPIRE THEATRE, LONDON. Would Return (or Burlesque Season under Responsible Manager. Litho's, Both Acts, Own Scenery. Address, VASCO, care WM. MORRIS, 1440 Broadway, New York. SPECIALLY ENGAGED TO OPEN THE SEASON WINTERGARTEN, BERLIN, AUGUST 17tH—SIX WEEKS MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR IN VAUDEVILLE MANAGEMENT WESLEY <SE FINCUS JOHN W. JESS PRINCIPAL COMEDIAN WITH 64 LID LIFTERS" EASONS 1906-07-08. Per. Add., 666 8TH AYE. (Car* of PRICE), NEW YORK. JENIE JACOBS 1402 Broadway, New York City Presents her Gompllmente to Managers, Artists and Friends, wishing each a Merry Ghristmas and a happy New Year w. H. Blanche "The act I think I like better than anything else in Vaudeville." ALAN DALE m New York "American," Oct. 9th, 1907 A Merry Xmas and A Happy New Year to all. ■» CAREW « HAYES IN "The Mad Stampede" and "The Derby Race." ANNA EFFIE CONLEY The Dainty Little Comediennes, in STORY SONGS. Direction of JACK LEVY THE "DOPE FIEND." (Continued from page 23.) 1 calloused to everything. In the West he nows only two kinds of money—the hite and the yellow. One of them who went by the sobriquet f Divvie Bragg, and some of whose man- erisms I have adopted in my little play, sed to eome to me often to borrow small urns. lie looked as though he would drop ead. Across the street from the theatre here I was employed was the Pfife lotel, one of the largest in Tacoma at that me. Well, Divvie came up as usua'l one ay and asked for the loan of a piece of 'hite money. I generally gave him n uarter, but on this occasion I gave him fty cents, nnd in thanking me he said : McCreo, you've been very kind to me. I'll ever forget it, and some day I'll hand you building like that," pointing to the hotel. Shorty Wilson was another character, horty, as his name would indicate, was a lan of abbreviated height. One evening he nd .lim Mullen, a very tall fellow, were 1 a bar-room talking, having had a few rinks, when three men came in who knew horty. Shorty saw at once his oppor- unity for another drink at the expense of the new arrivals But Jim Mullen's tall figure was obstructing the view. The three men could not see Shorty. So Shorty piped up, "Say, Jim, get on the duck number till these marks cop a flash and we'll nail another booze." It requires a long time for the opium smoker to develop what they term "the habit." The Chinese call it "the yenyen." When a man reaches this stage he yawns all the time and his eyes constantly fill with water. Of course, the victim becomes very pale, and his skin sometimes cracks. In Portland I saw one poor fellow with a skin like parchment, and cracked so that It looked like the skin of a crocodile. He was so thin and emaciated that he weighed only sixty pounds. His neck at the back was not much thicker than my two fingers. You've seen those pictures of Happy Hooligan? Well, his neck was like Hooli- gan's, only it was not nearly as round, lie had been a "bum" all his life. Hadn't had any money in years and smoked "seconds." "Seconds" are the ashes of opium already smoked. The men smoke in a reclining position. They go to a "joint" where a man called a cook prepares the stuff. It is considered a great art to roll a "pill" so it will polish the bowl of the pipe. The opium is of the consistency of syrup. It is placed in the pipe, which is applied to the flame inverted, the same as an Irishman lights his pipe over a candle. It is quite important that the "pill" be properly prepared, for if it is green or underdone it makes the smoker deathly sick, and the same is true if it is burned. The dope fiend in the later stages cares for nothing in the world but the dope. To illustrate, a couple of smokers familiarly known as Big John and Harry, were stand- ing in a wholesale liquor store in Seattle, with a bar at the back. The doors in front happened to swing open just as a beautiful woman was passing. "Harry," said Big John, "if I had the coin there's a girl that could cop me out." "John," answered the other, 'if I had the coin she couldn't cop me out if I was lame." Harry preferred to smoke out his miser- able life. Most of the "dope" fiends are clever at repartee. There was one I knew at Oak land who played the Chinese lottery, and was fortunate enough to get a 10 cent eight-spot which won him $10 or $11. He took this and ran it up to $70 or $80 at faro and then loading himself up with opium got on a boat for 'Frisco. Arriving he made for a lunch counter, and leaning against it jingled his money. The waiter asked what he would have and he an- swered, "Give me three soft-boiled eggs, and one of them must be good." His brief answer told the whole story of the life he had led. Another time the same fellow had a $10 gold piece which he wanted changed into dimes, nickles and quarters. He went to the bartender and demanded characteristically, "Cove me change for that, and give me plenty of it." Another sample of the "dope" fiend's style of ready response was the answer of a well-to-do fellow who went into an ex- pensive saloon with several friends and throwing down n $5 gold piece asked for five drinks. The men h;id whisky and cocktails. The bartender who knew tin* man treating to he a "dope" fiend, winked at the men with the opium smoker and tang up $2.50 for the fi\<' drinks, putting the remaining $2.M0 on the bar. Th« "dope" fiend looked at Ihe change, and quick as a flash said, "Give us another round ami tnak<> it grand larceny." When answering advertitemenU kindly mention Vartxtt.