The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-09


well, raczed my brains, and finally
hit on an idea. / went out and bought
one Of those hanging hat-racks and re-
moved all the pegs from il. Then l made
about dozen wooden whistles, all tuned
so that anything could be played upon
them. That fellow made big hit with
that instrument. He used to hang it up
on the stage and two or three hats On
II. When he tOON up and began TO play
on it it never failed to t<ke the audience
completely by surprise. That was my
hrst invention, but since then | have made
thousands of different instruments. The
fellow l made that hat-rack for told
everybody where he got it, and the vari-
ETY. people came TO me, five or six at
time. each one with different idea.
That was the beginning. Since then l
have been making all sorts of queer mu-
steal instruments, and don't mind say
ing that l have made quite little money
out Of it. I have made many queer in
struments and have had many queer eX-
periences, out one Of the funniest l ever
had was with blond soubrelte, who had
musical aspirations, and who thought she
was born to star as a musical queen.
She tounced in here one afternoon about
year ago and remarked:
Are you the man that makes them
queer instrumental
Il informed her that I manufactured
AuuSitdl llSbI uulEulS, anu she LuCn Sthlu-
We'll, l have an idea, I'll tell you
what it is. I'm going to do musical
turn, and [ want some instruments;
something entirely new, mind. I'm not
in the chestnut business
Il showed her a dozen different kinds
of things [ had on hand. You see al
ways have a stock of new things around,
People sometimes like my ideas in prefer
ence 10 their own. She appeared tickIed
to death, and said she'd take some must
cal cats / showed her, some bell lnstru-
ments, and a set of musical bottles.
Madam l suggested, hadn't you
better try these things before you take
theme They may not suit you. just run
on tune or two
"'Oh, don't play she said. I'm to
learn.
well, I was completely foored. Didn't
know how TO play and yet willing to pay
nearly hundred dollars for instruments.
She must have OWNED my thoughts, for
she flew into a rage all of sudden, and
said If thought she was an 'ignoranimus'
l was mistaken. She knew what she
could do, she said, and there was no
reason why | should insult her. Then she
tounced out of the room, informing me as
parting shot that she would equip her.
self for her starring tour elsewhere.
THAT was one experience with
woman. have had others, but the rest
only convinced me more than ever that
women are the most unreasonable people
on earth Despite my prejudice against
the sex, however freely confess that |
got some of my best ideas from women.
Understand, that, while / manufacture
all Of these Instruments, l do not by any
means invent them all. People come here
with IDEAS explain them to me, and try
to make the instruments according to the
IDEAS. IT was a woman who suggested
bay - all to Il nc oh
planned ner idea / knew she had a good
thing. She wanted a lot OF wooden cats
made with tails standing erect. She
then wanted whistles set in the bodies so
that they could be made to sound by the
sudden pulling down of the tails. l fixed
The thing up for her, and for long time
| the musical cats were hit.
Another woman gave me the idea for
the musical street PAYERS. She had
husband who was member of musical
quartet, and they were looking Tor some
thing new. One day she brought her
husband around to me and we talked over
the matter of musical street PAYERS. In
week | had fixed that troupe up. | had
lot of blocks of IRON tuned and then
painted so as to resemble granite blocks
A carpenter made the miniature pile
drivers for them, and [ fitted up the
drivers with metal bottoms. Then they
went on the road, and the last l heard
were making big money. For that same
quartet | made set of musical farm i'm
Elements. / secreted acornet. in the leg
of a wheelbarrow flute in the handle of
rake, a violin in a watering pot, and
set of bells in plough. This combina-
ton was success from the first and be-
came very popular with variety people,
two or three other teams calling on me
within month after and getting fitted
out
1T would take too long to tell you
about all the other queer instruments l
| have made, but among the most success
fuI have been the musical knife-grinding
/ machines, the musical hogshead, the
musical anvils, and other similar devices.
Outside of this country, the French make
the best grotesque instruments, and l
don't mind saying that ! have gotten the
ideas for many OF my own inventions from
the instruments used by French variety
people who have come here
"But, of all my jobs, this one I'm on
now is the toughest, but III complete it
or bust" and the old man quickly re-
sumed work on the steel bar as if to make
up the time he had spent in talking with
the reporter.