Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1894-11-18
WHEELING REGISTER, SUNDAY. NOVEMBER Is, 1884,

ing at pier %. Inc Vlllalh sets HIe W
the building. Steve Brodie saves her
again. An amusing "Reub," who has
wandered through the play, proves to
be the unhappy girls long lost father.
The villain is taken away by the police
man. and all ends happily, with the CAL
cium light thrown on Steve Brodie.
The second act is the gem of the play.
1t is III this act that Mr.. Brodie pre-
vents the gent" from soaking" the
lady. He also lets fall such expressions
as these:
"Weli. good-bY. Lizzie. Say, if you
meet Hinkey tell i'm want to see i'm"
Look here, Reub, amt you goin' TO
thaw out?"
Duck away from the table. Make
room for somebody that wants TO spend
a little dough-"
In and around the bar-room are the
tough boys, the girls with the chip hats
and red Jerseys, the cab driver, the
bum" the sidewalk merchant, the SAL
walton army girl, the two burglars
under cover, the dude who IS seeing
the town." the old man from the coun-
try and other characters familiar tn the
Bowery or the ''leevee" In Chicago.
Steve Brodie, 10 his shirt sleeves, is be-
hind the bar drawing the mechanics
friend" making change and "joshing"
his patrons. Here is a realism with
vengeance. Mr.. Brodie squirts real
settler water on the bum and rings up
the sales on real cash register.
The play has been a success and
Steve Brode, B. j., has been hailed as
an actor because he is himself. lie
sings out Of the corner of his mouth.
"NIv Poll is a Bow'ry goil,
She's all the world to me-"
lie does not act at ell, and therefore
he succeeds.
How the gallery roars when the tough
boy says to his girl: son tie square. I'll
have 10 break dat tintype yet" And
the bum" who says that some one has
stolen his bicycle. All this isn't Shakes
pearean, but It is a highly coIored page
from real life. Steve Brodie, B. d.,
with his associates, furnishes an in
sight into a kind Of life which is not
generally appreciated.
T..
tent with having place" OF his own,
with the pictures of dead and living
fighters on the walls, and to say moth
ing of getting bouquets over the foot
lights. he wants to own theater. IF
| ever get the stuff" be said in his
dressing-room, Pm goin' TO build a
theater for Mansfed-Richard Mans
feld-that's the boy. He's the greatest
in the business, bar none. That's what
he is"
He said that acting was dead easy"
"When started in to rehearse, he ex-
planned, They tells me how TO do this
and how TO do that, but l said mix, I'll
do it me own way and l did. An we
amt been dom thing TO EN-"
Mr.. Brodie told how he earned his de-
gree. The exact phrasing is not at
tempted.
you remember I rode out to the
middle Of the bridge on truck. Two
Of my friends were on the seat and |
was on the end OF the truck with
Bugs Waterman. Waterman weak
eued when we got on the bridge and
was going TO put the bridge copper on
to me. had to hold him and threaten
him. When we got to the middle /
Jumped off, peeled my coat and climbed
up on top of the railing. One OF the
cOpperS saw me outside the railing and
came runnin'. l told him II he touch
ed me he'd throw me out OF position and
Kill me. There were crowds of people
along the shore aud my friends on
barge motioned me not TO jump. IT was
too late TO weaken. / stepped of
and dropped feet first. If / hadn't
kept that way it would have been all
up with me, There was a heavy breeze
down the river and it carried me forty
five feet ! had TO keep my legs stiff.
They wanted to double up all the time.
kept nv eyes on the water and thought
OF everything had ever done. The
shy was reflected in the water and 1t
seemed TO me | was falling into the sky.
The time was three seconds, bat IL
seemed like ten minutes. l struck the
water feet foremost and just as | went
down ii felt as If million needles were
stuck into my body. ! went right down
about thirty feet. My head began 10
ring and il felt as il il would burst. l
was under the water a half minute, but
il seemed much longer. l came up $50
feet from where ] struck the water"
he was taken ashore and piled with
brandy. Then be was arrested AID
held under $1,000 bail for attempted
suicide. That night be slept in the
Tombs. But he didn't care. He was a
B. j. and had laid the foundation of his
rarppr as An actor