Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-06-15
Fun BEHIND THE SCENES

r.. Il
began to take liking to it. The "supes," on
mature aequantance-with the exception of
the practical jokes they were continually play
lng-l found TO be a nice lot of fellows, and
got along very well with them.
TN one occasion, a new pantomime was being
performed The supeS, some eighteen or nine
teen IN number, were to take the parts of
fishes There were six blue, six red, and six
yellow-my part being blue fish; the dress
was the representation of a fish, the body rep
Tescnting the lower part of the fish, with two
holes for the legs and two for the arms while
the hair cuTlcd up behind, like Barnum' s mer-
maid mask, with shOulder-picces repre-
sented the head On assuming this dress, you
could not tell one ''supc" from another, unless
the mask was torn of. We all stood in order,
preparing to go on. and were supposed to be
attendants on Neptune, the King of the Sea.
There were ais" some twenty or thirty ballet
glIls engaged IN the piece, who went on before
IT'S. While entering, they had to pass the
fishes, who generally stood hud,llcd together in
the entrance. Among them was one who WAS
the qunteSsence of deviItry-in fact overflow
InS with mISchleyOuSness. This fellow, whom
viii call Joe W, used to crouch on his knees
and seize girl by the ankle, thereby detain-
ing her from going on the stage mt the proper
time.
At one time il wss his misfortune to seize
the ankle cf the principal dancer, who was the
vile Ot one Ut the pantOmimists The enraged
dancer, not having time to make inquiries. got
ON the stage some minutes too late for the
music; and after her exit, she made her hus-
band acquainted with the indignitieS she had
suffered
MI the fishes were brought up for cxamina-
ti"n, when the husband commenced as follows:
=, Nich Won Of &c dam rascaileS catch you by
70 leg l'
His wife answered:
- thinks il vas &c red fish"
All the red fish we're commando to take off
their head>
Now all &c red fish get in ze line
Inc red h>h having got in a line the hus-
band requested her to pick out re dam ras-
cailc -
Accordingly, red fish No 1 was ordered to
step cut.
is Eat re fellairc2" asked the Frcnchman.
Now. saire, look ME straight in re eye"
said the wife
The fellow, who was no other than Joe, and
the one in question, stared the woman out OF
cOuutenance.
No, said she, Il don't thinks zat's ze Won.
i links II yOS anOder"
All the red fishes were examined in their
turns. but the culprit could not be found-tben
the blue and yellow. with like results The
trenchman, not liking to discharge all his
suPeS. had to pas the thing over without salts
tdctIon but cOntented himself with observing
"Lais &c first sacre dam scOundrel he shall
catch cutting up re dam monkey shines vos ze
teliaITe Eat catch his wife by &c leg -
H.
st every night by the Frenchman. he not adj
mlrlng tOast-watcr, (Which is generally used i'm
place Of wine on the stage.) but using a bottle
OF The bona hde stuff The wine was missing
every night for a week, and empty bottle
put IN ITS place-StOlen by some one but by
whom he could not find out Various were the
Plans be lald TO find the thief. but without sue
cess. At last brilliant idea struck the French
man. and he determined to put into practice
tha' very night. Accordingly he smoked the
mouth over a candle. and set ii in its usual
PLACE Oh the table. As usual the bottle was
taken and en empty one put in its plaee-ta-
ken by none other than Joe. OF course we
each had part, he retaining the lions share
NJ the end Of the scene. all the fish were or
dered TO get IN a line and take their heads
ch- This being done. the Frenchman walked
~ to No. !, ScizIng him by the ear and led
nm down to the border lights, in one of the
entrances, when 10, n black ring was discover
Ell around his mouth,
"Is said the Frenchman. ..at last catch
ze robber. -. sair, you steals &c vine ha1''
The FISH looked up innoccntIy, and declared
that he had not stolen anything
" Stick cut your tongue, saire, Ah ha, |
sees ne vine IN zs tongue, in ze eye, and all
over
Then, taking the supposed cuIprit by the ear.
ne led him IN front Of the res' Of the fishes to
hold him up n an example whcn-couId he
believe his eyes-On each and every :; supe's''
mouth was the dsmning evidence of their guilt
Inc Frenchman was nOnpluSsed. Who wa,
the guilty one There was but one-which
one was ~ There was but one remedy; that
waS To- discharge the hole. which he dared not
d. - the Frenchnan went away as wise AS
ne came, revolving in his mind some other plan
10 catch the thief. At last he fixed ON the fol
lowing Perhaps every one does not know
what -' trek bottle is; so [ will endeayor to
describe " common wine bottle Is filled
WIN powder and other infamab!e matter a
fuSe L. attached 20 the bottom Of the bottle and
reaches Z" tn" cork, where IL H. fastened The
lu5e acts "n the principle of the common puII-
lng-eTdtker, 80 that, on pullin. out the cork
'he iu>e SePArateS IN the middle, ignitiny the
powder, which blsZeS like Roman candIa
through the neck of the bottle trirk bo,,Ic
having he"n procured from the prapert y-man
was IN" next night placed on the table and n
usual. taken by Joe, whom the discovery of the
night previous had made rather shv Suspect
ing some trick. he called "A ..supe'' un-ono az
the unInItIated OneS-whom he lie n nuar,ar
he cyuld not p al the cork out No sooner said
IMAM done; ne seized the cork between his
teeth when whiz' bang the fish heal was
blown up in the flies and the as,onished
suPe, with heal on fire, ran screaming
around the stage for help The Frcncbma6
quickly seized him by the neck and douscJ
hIm, head and shoulders into a barrel of water,
then, calling hts wife, exclaimed
" liza l catch re dam Scpundrel zat steal re
VINE Is dis re iellaire Eat catch you by &c
leg -
Wait, said she Now, you saire. look
IN" straight in eye -
The poor fellow, who could scarcely see at
al, let alone look any one in the eye, was un-
"'I" 70 do So upon which she exclaimed:
iHlS sa;re Eat Is ze fcllaire,''
=. ia. have you at last. have r. said the
hte'Shhi'n' 50 you Is re villaue zat catch nv
we 'y ze leg zen You drinks up all de vine
N"w. Sa'Te. nevaiIe show vour C,.c ha-o -,
"r l arrests you and, taking the unfortnnate
N!'u'4 hy the neck, he thrust him uprerer,n0 |
n'l..l IN" the street. eongratulating himself |
H,tt M 'H'rPn"s* in discovering the wine thief
"h' 'ne real thief was. he never found out.
n ANiLn 80 FELON>.-The Louisville CON
rier has the f,Ilowing item 'Su-
- IT up~ari OF four hundred and ffty
y"n' le'H ia The Jefferson Ind Penitentiary
who / TR in b,g sT' bs,y bChhTly Talbot of this city
IonS Tor thi: woId. Buck McEinroY - "e no'
hdiiS from this city. il also in. and far !;c WI"