The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-01-29
MAauIRE TELLS A STORY.

W. wefe seatsa around the big rcd stase
In ths Cosmopolitan iutth,. II wma we'll
iusa tbs luornitla a,ad thafs wsrs ''uniy a
Few ~ ~ left" Finally II comea MAguiru's
turn auHiu. aud after nss distinct aud sep
araie Interruptions fsom t'enrass and nm
uthsr ,oand of hot seotcl, tsr got under was
You've heard me ieli that starry about
Sam Davies, thr lightning skrtcltss mud
everything like THAR What. dtdnst l ever
tsIi van that stnrsy Well. all right, hat I
Thought eversane Ind heard thati hawever.
iera goes. you know Ham DAVIS. Well.
you've heard VI him auytuw, liz wtiisa
those funny tliinss ta the Carson Appeal.
bright fellow. VERY bright Hnm IL, and q
good fellow. Ton. Writes uiso for tho kea.
day Examiner. knew Ram ysafs aga
~ Nevada, IN Virginia City made hi.
first reputation OH tho Chronicle. oi, TIM old
Virginia Chronicle. WINS rnkniug n thea
ter ~ Virginia City Then. Had hard timrs.
too, once IN n while. will tell yon about
one of them In u mins.ae. II VIVA whom Tai
bot. j. u. Talbot, n iiie English actor, came
tiiere, Never played but one night. Took
the train straight for London next day. dis
gusted with the country. Fins actor,
though. Came Ia Nirginia from Aust rnlia.
However, ] wis telling about Sam. We'll,
NIL right. One time In Nirginin there came
along q lightning sketch artist. Chalk talk
man mud NIL Of that. borrow photographs
of prominent people In tho morning and
give his show M night. Practice NIL day
md draw lightning pictures NJ night with u
crayon. Great success: enormous success.
Now, yon know, and caught tho town. How
ever, shortly afterwnrd | decided to get mp
II benefit for myself. / talked with Sam
and Sam said put mo down. All right, Sam.
that goes. says l. Well, l supposed Sam
would recite something. So along came the
time for the benefit. Well, when ] was
getting up the programme / went over to zee
Sam.
Well, Sam, says |, what il il, a r%ecita-
tion?'
No, he said. lightning pictures.'
Lightning pictures? says /.
Yes, lightning pictures. Put 1t down on
the bill. I'll do the rest
That goes, says l. 80 down it went on the
bill. fMr. Sam Davis with his life-like
lightning portraits.) Well, along came the
benefit. Big house, house packed. Never
saw such a house. Fine programme and
everybody pleased. Well along came the
time for Davis and the life-like lightning
Up went the curtain and there
was Sam. Sam smiled and the audience
Well, you've seen these stands
where they show wall paper, different pat
Of wall paper; throw up one sheet after
another, you know. Well, one Of these
was on the stage. Big sheets of
white paper and n box OF black crayons.
Sam began making pictures. Hands
moved SO fast you couldn't see them.
exhibition. wonderful. Better
some said than the first. Well, how the
audience yelled and yelled and hurrahed.
First he made a picture of Senator Jones.
And he did it in ten seconds. Then fol-
lowed other pictures of well-know citizens,
and they were great. just great. And you
can imagine my surprise. Never was SO
surprised in my life for never knew Sam
Never" imagined it for a minute. However,
/ went behind the scenes and there stood
Sam smiling and rubbing the chalk off his
hands. ! nearly broke his arm shaking it.
why, SAM" says /. This is a new one
on me. l never knew you could draw"
Nor" he said. well. ! am 3 natural
artist, a born artist. Been keeping the
thing quiet you know. Yes / can draw any
thing and do it quick. Damn quick. You
saw that"
Well. by George, l couldn't understand.
Raphael business was too much
for me. Papers we're full of it. ALI about the
success of Sam Davis. Well it beat me.
! finally decided it was a dream. However
one day l found out, Sam told me himself,
on the quiet you know. In Virginia was an
artist named Johnson. No old master,
you know, but clever, very clever. Only
fault was booze, toe much booze. Kept
drunk all the time. Before the benefit he
and Sam had a talk. Well, what do you
think Johnson did? He got photographs
Of Jones and other men. Then he made
sketches on big sheets of white paper. He
made them by perforating holes with a pin.
The audience couldn't see the holes you
know. Well Sam Just took the crayon and
followed the holes. Great fake wasn't it,"