Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-02-08
FORTY YEARS AN ACTOR.

Newspaper Career Before Going
on the Stage.
''How long have you been on the stage,
Mr.. Florence?"
well, sir, the 10th Of next month
will make it forty years. am fifty
seven years old, and began when was
quite young. Before going on the
stage did some work as a reporter on
the New York Sun, and guess | wrote
the first newspaper interview ever
written. j will tell you the story, pro-
vided you don't print it. l was barely
sixteen years old, and my duty cons ist-
ed in going to the hotels and copying
the arrivals. There were then but
four principal hotels, and my task was
not a very difficult one. was also ex-
pected to watch the Tombs Court and
make note fany important fact with
out any comment whatsoever. Well,
Mr.. Pellew, the city editor, had heard
that ex-Gov. Marshall was at the How
ard House and directed me TO go and
find out something about his move
ments. | undertook it. After loung-
ing around the Office for awhile |
marched boldly upstairs. A big niger,
who, strange to say, did not know me,
caught me by the seat of the pantaloons
and the nape of the neck and slung me
downstairs, after having bumped me
around against the wall for several
minutes. However, had picked up a
few pointers from the clerk,
and went to my mothers
residence and wrote my interview.
| Having finished it, | strobe back TO the
Sun otiice-the building now occupied
| by the Commercial Advertiser-ste stepped
| boldly up to Mr.. Pellew's desk end laid
down my manuscript 1t would have
made about two sticks, and. oh, ! was
so proud of it. ! could hear my heart
throb with anxiety. Mr.. Pellew read
it and scowled. Hc.walked across the
room and showed it to Mr.. Beach, the
managing editor, who also read il and
scowled. My soul sank within me. |
saw them take my precious first effort,
tear it up and drop the pieces into the
waste basket. My hopes were thor
oughly blighted. | had proudly done
the writing in my mothers presence,
and she shared in my ambition TO see
the article in print, as up to that time
| had only been allowed TO take notes.
When | saw the fruit of my labor and
anxiety, to say nothing of the big mig
ger at the hotel, thus wantonly de-
stroyed, was literally crushed, and my
first thought was, What will mother
think? The editor turned to me and
said, Mr.. Florence (the boys all called
me Billy, Mr.. Florence is this the
best you can do? Go down to the Tombs
and copy the docket / was no longer
satisfied to be journalist; it was evil
IDENTIFY not my size.
Forty years on the stage is long
time. might have been rich and able
to retire, but | am not Many of
my friends say to me, Florence, why
don't you quit this? Why don't you
retire?' They don't seem to think that
| don't have to- as the boys say.
guess they think I'm doing this for fun,
and hauling my wife about the country
in dusty, sitting cars, going into cold
theatres and third-rate hotels. travelling
all night without sleep, DC. Great fun.
| tell you / have to do it, though
think there are many years of good
work in me yet. / am in fine health
and really don't mind the hard work
| wish to present few more characters
that | have in mind before the curtain
goes down."
Speaking of Heart of Hearts" Mr..
Florence said: 1T is delightful little
story and never fails to chain the at
tention OF an audience. Many claim
that it does not put Mrs. Florence and
myself forward "a it should. That may
be true to some extent, but it brings
out the calibre of the entire company
in splendid fashion and never fails 10
please. "-Ex.