The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-04-10
C0MICAL STAGE ERRORS.
SoME AMUSING MI3HAPS RECALLED
BY A VETERAN MANAGER.

! Waitin: for the Cars --. Killed In the
Wrong Piace-h Funny ephant- The
Hotel Clerks Reply to Fanny Davon-
port-i substitute.
Drifting into n general conversation on
shows and show people, Capt "nil' Full
wood, eN .e.sIre o. the opera house, r.
latel many amI-ing in identS, which are
now pull lie for the first time The en-
bgrlaSsu POS Ii III IN wi Ii the veteran,
John ~ sltr father OK Ell g, wa, once placed,
forme! Tia, op ming theme;
zone night e.al years ago" said Capt
Flu. wood, H. ncl' John played After DARK
in an East Lib ty hall To- an 80 bouse. In
the last act he Is supposed to lie run over
and killed by "A train Of cars At the
proper Inc rll-lar Frustrated himself on
tic stage. awaiting the dread catastrophe,
but the catastrophe did not make its appear
uncc, ami CHANGING at tbs wings. Elsler saw
| to his horror that the train OF stage cars
hal become d.sabled-the exact difficulty
do not recollect. At any rate, the stage
| hands were una 10 10 cope with it Then
l.llser dcspa.ringy arose and assisted in
pu ,hing the train in full view Of the audi,
encc. at rward dying in the most approved
mannes, amidst 'thunders o, applause
principally from the gallery gods.
I'D Price Fanny lavcnport's hUsban l.
can apprecat, MIR. Ill lers feeling of dis
gust on that occasion Ed played II juven-
lie part in Barry Sullivan's company dur
ing a Pittsbur8 engagement During the
course of the play H. was rIiccs mi fortune
| t. lie killed. 1t was at the close of an act,
and Price fell a corpse dire tly underneath
the curtain, the pondcrous pole falling dI'
rectly acros, his boIy. There was an im.
mediate resurrection.
| A FUNNY SCENE WITH THE ELEPHANT.
"The most laughable stage error" said
the captain, that it has Leen my fortune
to witness, was during presentation OF the
| Elephant Of Siam hat was twenty nine
years ago, and the late Joe {. Foster was
the manager.
"Fo,ter sent to Girard, Pa, and secured
! Dan Eices trick elephant TO play the lead
ing role. A prince q ID princess, with
dozen of their dependents, are imprisoned
in II castle, and the lelhant is UTILIZED in
SO urng their release At signal the ele'
| ph mt wobb.e on the sta g, ana p. ocoedinS
| u the ca Ito wall, took upon his la k the
prince dos Leonard, II ID the princess AN
! ME ltberlce, After conveying them behind
the scenes the beast returned for the tn
| sup.s, who acted rs the prince reta.ners
! Gus v one they ClimAei over the battle
ments and alighted on the Gle hant's la k.
| la. h time the elephant clouched upon its
forelegs, and dropped the lewilderei super
! to tie stage. finally Tiers lay the ten
young mon in a heap, apparently unable for
| tn momelt 10 eXtrlcate themselves The
applause viii h came from all paris of the
house grew more dealrnng every moment.
| a Ifnt IN, pf
it was decided to repeat tn If act, and to
tn, amusement OF tLe audience, no" con-
vu'sei with laughter, they filed, one by one,
into the caste, and We're once more procipi'
tatcl il confusion on til, stage The au Ii
ence was by thi, time growing wild, but
was spared "A third daring escape by the
Irompl interference of the exasperate and
disguised sta % manager.
| A TIPSY HOTEL. CLERK = REMARK
a. funny remark by man III the audi
ence once ,r ated great merriment at the
Pitt,Lurg ope house, in which everybody
| IN tn, hous o. and on tue stage, joined.
fauny la export and her company were
the attraC tions. A young hotel clerk, who
hal imbibe too much liquor, walked slowly
Gown the aisl' and enscon ed himself IN an
or hestra chair in close proximity To the
STAGE In an al accent seat he EAST his o er-
coat and hat, and had Just sat down. when
Miss Davenport repeated the liEes;
My, l1rd, | eau not love you.
"The hotel clerk, whose muddlei Train IN
stantly con- eived that the remark wa in
ten @ for him. arose to his feet, graspcl his
coat and hat, and i'll IA ton. loud enough 20
be h ard all over the house said: 'By --,
that sett e, it. AMI made his exit The
hearty roar o. laughter which followed was
oinsd in by 10th audience and actors, aid
the gravity Of both was seriously disturbed
during the entire performance
The effect f Ii nor OF this man recalls a
little incident in tho ca Ter OF Harro Hatto
IL was the trst presen alton of the Black
Gro k in this city. Hattie was a member
of the company. Hatto staggered into II
s enc-a ros bud in the middle OF Il golden
riyer-and smashed it to pie, o, spil!lng the
little girl occupant on the stage Hattie was
mm ii atey els 'har-ei but was re.en.
gagel the following evening. liatto made
a mu h better Impression on another o,ca-
S on when supporting Forrcs; IN hlchelieu
Tie 'wa,king gent was taken sudden Y Ill
and Hattie was com e,led to play the part
in add ton to his own, As the walking
gents substitute Hattie came on the stage
made up so that the entire audience recoS-
MED a rem lrkaDle resemblance TO George
Washington. The people were So impressed
that great stillne settled o,cr the house
Then Hattie became so fright mel mt his own
success that he hurried of the stage and
took ro uge in his dressing room ~ Tits
burg Cor. Globe Democrat
The Banjo Has Had Its Day.
The banjo has had il day a' parIor
musica! instrument, and the far hands tlat