St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-08-04
COMEDIAN C00TE,
Well Remembered as the
Funny Man of the Peo-
pies Theatep,
A Central Figure in a Do
nestle Sensation in
the East.
From His Perch Over a Door
way He Sees a Rich
Scene,
Then Tells a Short Story
Which the BoarderS Re-
fuse to Believe.

There are few men better known in
St, Paul than Charlie Coote. the ecen-
tric comedian of the Peoples theater,
and who later made hit here as the
little preacher in "Fascination." Coote
has been figuring in little domestic
sensation at Sheepshead Bay. but the
fun was enjoyed by him, and not en-
tirely at his expense.
The beauty sleep of the lady boarders
at MeMahon's jerome hotel. at Sleeps
head Bay, was rudely broken on Satur-
day night by frantic cries for help,
which seemed to proceed from the
cupola which adorDs the roof OF that
Romanesque structure, says the New
York Herald.
With great presence of mind Boni-
face Tom Mcmahon, who was mixing
gin fiZz at the time, donned patent
destructive fire extinguisher, and hast
ened to the spot whence the cries pro-
ceeded with ever-increaSing feebleness.
The hotel by this time was i'll an up
roar. A few of the ladies were busily
engaged in splicing together the ends
Of sheets, preparatory to an escape by
the bedroom windows. The corridors
were full of excited males, i'll scanty at
tire, fleeing for their lives.
1t was at this thrilling juncture that
the doughty Mcmahon appeared with
the patent eXtingulsher upon ms
shoulders. His head was as level as the
fiat side of brick. He located the
aro,,I,Io in instant Shining the
sinews of fire from his back, he
promptly applied his Suilivanesque
shoulders to the moor of Room No. -
and burst it in. AS he did so there was
the heavy fall of body upon the floor,
and the cause of the panic lay revealed.
The cause was no other than the limp
and breathless person OF Comedian
Charles Coote, late of the Fascination
company. Coote's explanation of his
cries for help sent all the boarders back
to their beds with thanksgivings.
II was standing on chair" SAID MI.
Ooote, trying to open the transom over
nay chamber door, for wanted more
air. The transom stuck. and In my eff
forts to move it my foot slipped and
fell, but not like truth, crushed to earth.
No, my robe de mutt caught in that
treacherous trans0m and | hung suS-
pended between floor and ceiling until
rescued by Mcmahon, as you have
seem"
THE STORY WAS TOO THIN.
This explanation Of Coote seemed ra-
tiOnal enough by electric light, but in
the garish glare of the July sun it was
voted exceedingly thin by all the guests.
Besides, it was whispered around that
Coote, if he would, could unfold tale
which would discount the robe de mutt
romanZa by large majority. Whether
COote ever did of his own accord vOun-
teer the true explanation OF his pres
ence at that transom could not be ascer-
tanned yesterday, but here it is:
No masculine boarder at the Hotel
Jerome can boast of more or racier con-
quests among the fair than John
Davidson, gentleman, engaged in the
South American trade in this city. Mr..
Day d sons trouserings and coatings are
the despair of the beauX at Sheepshead
Bav. and the delight Of the bellies
thereof.
Among the ladies at the Hotel jerome
whose company Mr.. Davidson affected,
was a buXOm widow named Lee. Mrs.
Lee and Mr.. Davidson, while not eX-
actly fast friends, were on very good
terms with each other. Mr.. Davidson
was wont, when time served, to take
pretty Mrs. Lee and her cherubic
twelVe-vear-Old daughter Hattie down
to the clam pavilion and there regale
them ad lib. upon the Succulent Little
Neck. Hattie liked clans, and Mrs.
Lee ate them with apparent enjoyment.
1t is not to be wondered at, then, that
Mr.. Davidson felt on quite a friendly
footing with Widow Lee and dainty
Hattie.
TIE FATAL KISS.
In fact, he felt so sure of this friend
ship built upon CLANS that when, a few
DAYS since, guileleSS Hattie ran up to
him and asked if he could tell her where
her mamma was. Davidson replied, in
sportive vein: Yes, little one, know,
and | will tell you for a kiss" OF
course he got his kiss, and Hattie found
her mamma.
Davidson had so often kissed before
that he thought nothing more of his
twelve-year-old OSCILLATION until last
night when it was rudely brought back
to him. At about the hour when church
yards are getting ready to yawn David
son was awakened by a dreadful knock
ing at his chamber door.
"Who THEREOF he cried sleepily.
"Open the door," said feminine
voice.
Palpitant, but pauSlng to adjust his
pink Silk paiamas, Mr.. Davidson hast
ened to obey. He opened the door and
confronted the irate features of Mrs.
Lee. He endeavOred to close the door
again, but she wouldn't let him. In
fact. she collared the Adonis of Sleeps
head and spoke as follows, punctuating
her sentences with hand SiapS across
klr. DavidSon'S countenance.
SHE CUFFED HIM HEARTILY.
"I'lI teach you to kiss my daughter
-slap-"you little dude"-slap. II
think I'll kill you''-slap-'you mean,
contemplate wretch you'-slap, slap,
slap. II have taken an oath to kill the
first man who kissed my child'S inno-
cent lips, ana you must die, because
you are that man."
In vain Mr.. Davidson protested the
innocence of his intentions and his de-
sire not to die. The more he protested
the more and the harder the widow
slapped and the mightier grew the
mirth of Comedian COOte at his tran
som window above the fray. Finally,
telling the now demoralized Davidson
that she was about to kill him, Mrs.
Lee fastened to her room to procure a
revolver.
COoTE SAVED ALL.
What the denouement might have been
will never be Known, for at the moment
that the widow disappeared in search of
her gun Coote slipped from his perch
and aroused the house by his cries for
help, as already described.
Later reports declare that the widow
and Adonis Davidson have adjusted
their differences by mutual apologies.
Little Hattie says she doesn't object to
kissing if mamma does.