Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-11-21
BILL NYE
TELLS HOW HE BECAME A LTTERARIAN.
A Western Khan-Khan Rudely InterruPtet--And an
Eager Spectator Scared Half to dsath--The Mis-
guided Man who Wanted his Wife, And
Never Went Home From the Unlucky
Show.
Chicago NCWS.

Chicago NcTs.
Those were troublesome times, indeed
when we were trying to settle up the new
world and a few other matters at the SAM
time.
Little do the soft-eyed sons Of prosperity
understand to-day, as they walk the paVe'
streets of the West under the cold ghttel
of the electric light, surrounded by all tina
can 90 to make life sweet and desirable
that not many years ago on that SAME
ground their fathers had fought the untu
tored savage by night and chased thu
bounding buffalo by day.
All, all is changed. Time in his restless
and resistless flight has filed away thos'
early wears in the county clerk'sot1ice, anC
these times are not the old times. WITT
the march of civilization | notice that 1t Is
safer for q man to attend n theatre than II
the early DAYS of the wild and woolly
West. Time has made it easier for one tC
90 to the opera and bring his dayhghts
home with him than it used 10 be.
II seems but a few short years since my
roommate came home Il night with a
long red furrow plOwed along the top oil
| his head, where some gentleman at the
theatre had shot him by mistake. My
room-mates said that a tall man had objected
| TO the pianist and suggested that he was
| playing PIANIST no when he should nave
| played fOrtissimO, and trouble grew out OF
| this which had ended in the death OF the
pianist and the injury ofseveral dlSlntereSt'
ed spectators.
And vet the excitement of knowing that
YOU might be killed at any momen MADE
the theatre more attractive, and instead oil
soaring men away it rather induced patron
age. Of course it prevented the attendance
of ladies who were at all timid, but 1t dld
not cause any falling off in the receipts
Some thought it aided Il good deal, cSpec-
iallv where the show itself didn't have
much blood in it.
The Bella Union was pretty fair sample
of the theatre in those days. 1t was a low,
wooden structure, with Il perpetual Dan
on the outside, that played gay festive
circus tunes early and often. Inside you
could poison your soul ut the bar ana see
the show ut one and the same price oil all
mission. In an adjoining room silent men
Joined the hosts of faro and the timid ten
derfoot gambOled DER the green.
| visited this place of amusement one
evening in the capacity of 4 reporter Tor
the PAPER. | would not admit this, even
at this late day, only that it has been over
looked in Mr.. Talmagc since, and II he
could 90 through such an ordeal in the in
~tcrcsts Of humanity, | might he forgiven
for going there professionally to write NJ
the show for our amusement column.
The programme was quite varied. Negro
minstrelsy, straightforward, opera b"uiic,
high tragedy, aud that oriental style OF
uuadrille called the khan-khan, if my slug
rish memory be not at fault, formed the
principal attractions OF the evening.
At about 1880 or II o'clock the khan
Khan was produced upOntle stage. ~ tho
midst oiit Il tall man rose up at the back
of the hall, and come firmly dOwnthc aisle
with a large, earnest revolver in his right
hand. lie was Il powerfully hullt man.
with a dyed mOuStaChC and wicked eye OF
each side of his thin, rcd nose. He tire"
up the revolver with 4 little click tha'
sounded very loud to me, lor he had stop
ped right behind me and rested his lei
hand ON my shoulder rs he gazcd over on
the stage. could distinctly hear hr
breath come and go, Tor it Was Il very loud
breath, with the odor OF onions and mn
grant whisky uponi it.
The orchestra paused in the middle oil
snort. and mLm whose duty it was to swat
low the clarinet pulled seven or eight
inches of the instrument out of his face
and looked wildly around. The gentle
man who had hccn a%itating the feeling
of the bass VOL laid it down on the side,
crawled in behind it, and spread aslcet o.
music o, cr his head.
The stage manager came forward to the
lootlights and inquired what was wanted,
The tall man with the sclr-cOcking creden
tials answered simply:
"By DaShcty Blank TO Blank Blank ant
back again, | want my wife,
The manager stepped back into thu
wings for Il moment, and when he cam'
forward he also had n large musical instru
mrnt such as Mr.. Remington used to make
before he went into the typewriter bust
ness. can still remember how large The
hole in the barrel looked t" me and how
wished that | had gone to the meeting o
the Literary club that evening, as had n
first intended to do.
Literature was really more in my lint
than the drama. | still thought that /
was not too late, perhaps, and 50 | rose anl
went out quietly so rs not to disturb any
one. and as | went down the aisle the tai
man and stage manager exchanged regrets
looked back in time to see the tall ma
fall in the aisle with his face in the saw
dust and his hand over his breast. Then
went out of the theatre in an aimlcSs sort
of "A taking n nOrtheaSterly direction ~
the crow flies. | do not think ] ran Owe
a mile or two in this way before | dis
covered that | was going directly away
from home, / rested awile and then re
TUNED,
On street | met the stage manager an,
the tall, dark man juSt n they were com
inc out of the Moss Agate saloon. They
said they were very sorry To notice that
rot up and came away at a point in tn,
programme where they had introduced
what they had regarded rs the best feature
of the show.
This incident had \ great deal todowitl
turning my attention in the direction o
literature instead OF the drama.
But | am glad to notice that many o.
the horrors of the drama are being gradually
eliminated rs the country gets more thicklN
settled. and the CORY tragedy OF a few year
ago is gradually giving place to the rein
ing influence of The Tin Soldier ana
"A Rag Baby" BILL NfE.
BENWOOD,