McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1884-09-11
A CIRCUS IN COURT.

Four Chinese actors Display Their Ability
Before Judge Hoffman.
San Francisco Gall.
Among the Chinese habeas corpus
cases that came up for hearing before
Judge Hoffman yesterday were those of
four Chinese actors, All Sic, Long
Kwong, Wa and Lee Tong. The four
claimed that they had been employed
previous to 1881, when they returned to
China, at the Chinese theater on Jack
son street, near Dupont. During the
course of their examination some doubts
were expressed as to their respective
abilities as opponents of the Chinese
drama, and at the request of Carroll
Cook each of the four exerted himself to
display his dramatic worth. Long
Kwong was a Jumper" and rising
and placing his chair to one side he
stood on one leg, holding the other out
straight and holding both arms heaven
ward, with the fingers of his hands out
stretched, he hoped around to the inf
He displayed such agility that no one
disputed his claim and he was dis
charged. Wa was sweet singer from
the '.chop stick'' district, and he COM
menced a Chinese rendering of the
''Babies on our Block" beginning in a
low, fog-horn key, and rising suddenly
to shrek that caused the building to
shake and his honor to order him dis
charged at once and removed from the
neighborhood, for fear he might be
tempted to tackle another bar of the
song. All Sic was female impersona-
tor, and went through the performance
of forlorn maiden with an imaginary
william still pursuing her. According to
Sizes rendering the forlorn maiden of
the fiowery kingdom, when she sees a
william approaching, holds her arms out
straight and whirls around like top,
at the same time uttering shrill shrieks
of terror, supposed to pierce the vii
lian's heart like arrows. Judge Hoff-
man ordered the versatile Sic dis
charged and sent to find the sweet
singer. The remaining actor, when
called upon to show his abilities, aston
ished everyone. First of all he kicked
off his shoes, and then proceeded to
clear the chairs from the center of the
court room. The interpreter winked at
Mr.. Cook and explained that the last
man was clown. Judge Hoffman
was beginning to look aghast at the de-
liberation with which the so-called
clown was preparing for his exhibition.
A space of twenty feet having been
cleared the clown stood in the center of
the space and glared around with such
a demoniac grin and roll of his eyes,
that several of the attorneys moved I'M
easily in their seats. 1t was only for a
moment. Immediately after the China
man gave bound in the air and al
most touched the large chandelier;
then he rolled over and over, this way
and that, and all that was visible was a
black ball with legs and arms flying
around it. He was up in the air, then
at this end of the room, then at the
other. The "Beggar's Dance" which
Pan-ku-keevis danced at Hiawatha' S
festival, was nothing to compare with
this display of agility. Fearful that the
zeal of the actor would lead him too
far, and that he would expire from ex-
haustion, Judge Hoffman declared him.
self satisfied that the clown was really
a peer in his profession, and other evil
dence of the clowns former residence
here being adduced, Judge Hoffman
ordered him discharged and bail exon
Grated.