The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-02-02
Vaudeville avenue, are spending
several weeks in Boston.
STAGE SUPERSTITIONS.
The Strange /" Hoodoo That
Haunted F" Prince and
Pauper.

way Theatre, New York, was enter
tanning a number of friends the other
night with his quaint stories, when
someone asked him if he believed in
stage superstitions. Metcalf threw up
both hands and said in o stage whis-
Don't mention them. They
haunt me! Are there any about2"
looking furtively about him.
OF course this evident horror made
us all curious and we begged for the
story.
Well, said Charley, 81 don't like
to talk about it, but as a mascot has
turned up and banished the spell I'll
tell it to you. The company WAS to
have opened in Philadelphia on the
Monday night of Christmas week.
For weeks before we had been re-
hearsing here in New York. At last
everything seemed to be in shape and
we were all ready to start for Philly.
! walked down Broadway to take the
ferry with light heart and the con-
seriousness that could read my title
clear to mansions in the skies. Sud-
denly thought struck me. | must
have a new silk hat to do honor to the
first appearance of the company. So
| stepped into store and bought one.
1t was done up in nice, new paste
board hat box and | hung the string
on my finger and went gaily to the
train. just caught it.
HORROR ON THEIR FACES
''Weh had barely gotten out on the Jer-
sey flats, when one of the lady members
of the company stood up in her seat
and, with an awful look of horror on
her face, pointed to that hat box.
Then that look of horror spread over
the faces of every one in the company.
The kladies shrieked, and the men
wanted to stop the train and walk
back. Then it flashed across me. One
of the worst 'Jonahsn known to the
profession is a pasteboard hat box.
Il put a bold face on the matter
though my light heart was gone.
told them would not part with that
hat box for anything. But, frankly,
/ was ratified.
well, we got to Philly all right,
and as we rolled into the depot there
was a general sigh of RELIEVE hadn't
been killed on the railroad. Things
became more cheerful.
Saturday passed-nothing hap
pened Sunday came and went
everything lovely and company
blooming. We were to open Monday
night Poohi said | to myself, that is
only a silly superstition after all.
Monday cane-and Oh! GOSH boys,
it makes me sick TO think of it, Elsie
Leslie haa the Grippe. went to my
room and locked the door. There was
that hat box hanging from the bed post
and grinning down at me like a
thousand devils. There were eyes ali
over its face and from every mouth a
dozen tongues spat at me. | shook
my fist at iU and shouted, Shall
Prince and Pauper be damned by a
Jonah? Neverr Then / rushed around
to the theatre. The news had gotten
abroad and the company were all
down in the mouth. | promised to
kill the 'Hoodoo."
THE sUPE, THE GUN AND MR.. LYNCH.
I'VE had to close the theatre that
night and give the first performance
on Christmas Eve, the worst night for
business in the whole year. After
that things went beautifully for a
week. Business was immense, and
we were all happy. l still kept the
hat box. But it was treacherous
calm.
You know in the storm scene there
is a good deal of thunder, and we made
it by having a ''supe" fire off heavi-
ly charged gun. One night in the sec
ond week George Lynch, the stage
manager, was hustling things during
the storm scene. Mr.. 'Supe." when
he got his cue for the thunder, was
looking at his best girl instead of the
muzZle of the gun, and fired 500 grains
of powder into Lynch's beautiful mug.
Just as got word of what had hap
pened, a messenger boy stuck that
hat-box in the box-ofiice window and
shouted, Here's Mr.. Metcalf's hat
that he sent to be ironed.' l fell back
in a fit. But | would not give up the
hat-box.
Then we came to live in dread and
expectation of the next visit of the
'Hoodoo.' 1t came regularly once a
week. The third week Sir Miles Hen
don VANDERBILT borrowed my silk hat
to call on lady. | sent it around in
the hat box. For two days he was
sick with nervous prostration. | was
in despair, bat | would not be downed
by a hat box. About the middle of
our fourth and last week Mrs. Lyde,
Elsie's mother, came to my office one
afternoon. The hat box was lying ON
the floor. She fell over it and broke
her ankle. That capped the climax.
The company waited on Inc and said
the Jonah must be destroyed. ! swore
to do it-and expressed the hat box to
New York.
1T CAME TO NEW YORK.
"When we got back to New York
and opened at the Broadway thought
I ..I,f, - es.. l.. \