The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-07-10
FnooREp BIZ MSS HURST.

skeptfcal and easy going lot of spectators
i wandered into Wallack's Theater last night to
see Miss Lulu Hurst, the Georgia Wonder. =
exhibit her peculiar powers publicly for the first
time IN New York. All the actors in town, a
considerable number OF club men, and heavy
contingent of out oftown visitors crowded the
house 1t was a sociable gathering, fully pre-
pared to guy the entertainment
When the curtain rose it revealed a touching
family group upon the stage, we'll back from
i the footlights. The group consisted of one
i large, plump and rosy girl, one angular young
4 man in evening dress, and lady of the most
j Thoroughbred and indubitable respectable
| lty, who wore yiolets in her bonnet black
mits ON her hands, and an expression Of trep-
ldation, agitation and turbulence on her face.
! She looked steadfasty at John T. Raymond,
who sat in a front seat for minute, and then
hurried from the stage. She was not seen again.
Mr.. Raymond did not turn hair A man in
! the gallery dropped his hat Mr.. Antonius Pas
tor sneezed Then all was still
1T may have been observed, remarked the
i young man in evening DRESS advancing to the
foot-lights and assuming a sort of curfew-shall-
not-rng to night tone of voice, that people will
not believe all that they are told. If / tell you
that If you plant copper penny a tree will grow
from 1t bearing silver dollars, you may not be-
i lleye me- But why go onp
Don't" said good part of the audience.
I'VE see and believe continued the young
man. who proved to be very sensible and we'll
| poised person before the evening was over Il
4 AtSW
the stage and examine the strange power that
Miss Hurst possesses to their hearts content
Upon this there was rustic among the as
i semblage, and about twenty men went up on
| the stage and endeavored by fnesse and strategy
| to eutwit each other in getting seated on the
eight chairs set in a semi-circle at the rear of
4 the stage. There was plain drawing room
scene, set with doorssat either side On the left
OF the stage large and globular object bulged
into the view of the spectators at intervals dur
/ ing the evening. 1t was quite white and had
buttons on it. There is reason to believe that it
was the white waistcoat of Mr.. Theodore Moss,
though that gentleman was otherwise invisible.
The twenty-odd men on the stage look more or
i less impressive. Stephen Masset sat at one end
of the line and Fred Lubin, the prestidigitateup
j at the other very dignifed and impressive
looking gentleman stood in the center and a
little blonde man, with yellow Bhiskers encir-
cling by 5 face. smiled with intentness at
the only woman on the stage.
i Miss Hurst looked healthy and buxom Her
cheeks were red and her eyes bright. An I'M
| usually long bang fell over her forehead aud a
pair of large, white, beautifully formed hands
were clasped in her lap She looked and acted
as though about seventeen years of age and she
wore white silk dress that hung within five
inches of the stage and was cut school girl fash
ion The spectators and the men ON the stage
| laughed heartily during the performance, but no
one seemed to get as much fun out of it as Miss
Hurst She laughed constantly, and her low,
musical chuckle could be heard all over the
II eopAOAS
fought and pulled about the stage, Miss Hurst
laughed heartily.
The young man brought an umbrella forward,
opened it. and asked Mr.. Fred. Luhin to hold it
while Miss Hurst exhibited her strange power.
Il Mr.. Lubin came forward with the air Of man
i who knows it all, and stood with the plump and
4 pleasing Miss Hurst under the umbrella IN the
pose made familiar by the painting of Paul and
4 Virginia under the palm leaf Mr. Lubin smiled
in the chubby face Of Miss Hurst, and then
turned and grinned with intense significance at
the boys. 1t was at this instant that Miss Hurst
touched the palm of her left hand to the UNI
bin grasped it with both hands There was a
4 whiTi smash, and yell from the erst while
i smiling Mr.. Lubin, and the umbrella lay on the
stage, turned inside out and twisted out of shape.
Another was brought and wrecked. and Mr..
Lubin returned to his corner and did not smile
4 again
Then stout cane was borrowed and the gen
! tleman with the blonde beard came forward,
grasped it with both hands, and smiled in Miss
/ Hursts face. It was q crushing smile She
wasn't proud, even if she could wreck umbrellas,
and she smiled IN return. Then she chuckled
and placed her palm upon the stick. Her
/ laughter rippled over the house, and the young
man, with an expression of anguish began to
tear backward across the stage. He struggled
against it, but the stick under Miss Hurst's palm
| sent him reeling against the proscenium box
4 thence into the lap of Mr. Stephen Massett and
thence violently to the stage. Miss Hurst, who
chuckled. The blonde man had long since ceased
i to laugh.
It was evident that the tall, dignifed and i'm
posing man, who must have weighed at least 225
| pounds, was anxious to investigate. He was ac-
commodated He stepped toward the footlights
amid salvos of applause andseized chair firmly
in his arms, holding it with the back against his
brawny chest.
Miss Hurst, said the lecturer, win now
push You and the chair around.
HHan snorted the man. She will, eh2 Hal
The girl laughed sweetly, and put her left
hand to her forehead moment. Then she put
| her right hand on the chair, and occasionally
1 touched the chair with the fingers of her left
hand Suddenly the chair bounded upward two
feet, jerking the man sideways. He gritted his
teeth and his arms trembled as he chung to the
chair. His face grew violently red, and beads
j of perspiration gathered on his forehead and
tFickled remorselessly down his nose He
struggled manfully, but the girl kept touching
the chair, and presently the man was scrambline
backward. The crowd on the stage scattered
and the chairs were knocked about. Then the
large man fell with a resembling thump on tht
stage and lay there. he released his grip OF
the chair, and it whirled up against the scenery
under the influence of Miss Hurst's hands unit
caught by the lecturer.
After fully one-half of the gentlemen on the
stage had been sent painting and exhausted tc
their chairs, while Miss Hurst was fresh and un
ruftied, there was an outburst of applause from
the spectators as q big man ran lightly up thu
temporary steps, and crossed the stage. III,
looked as strong as an OK The light and close
fitting suit he wore showed the bullying muscles
of his calves, and he had an enormous pair o
shoulders 1t was Prof ]. III. Latin, the well
known professional athlete. He boasts many ex
traordinary feats of strength The spectators
yelled delightedly as he came forward It mus
be said that Mr.. Latin s bearing was not that q
a retiring and difident man He walked with
half contemptuous smile toward the footlights
and they gave him a billiard cue, which he wa.
to endeavor to hold in one position. Mr.. Lafiir
rubbed the cue with his handker
chief, gripped it with both bonds, anc
4 held it horizontally in front Of him
His elbows were pressed against his sides, his
chin was thrust forward, and his stalwart legs
were braced far apart. The girl looked small
and bit timid as she placed the palm Of her HAND
onYt1v a0aipak III q cJ1e and ehucllad half cIvlv