The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-01-07
LEFT HIS HOME.
John PanelIe Was Quite
Stagestruck.
Fled From His House in Imitation of
His Mimic herOes-TwO SOr-
rowing Brothers.

"Five dollars reward for information of
John Panelle. IA years old. violinist. ran
away fifteen days ago. Address NJ. Pa
nellie, 2195 Powell street."
The above advertisement in yesterdays
CALL excited considerable comment, partly
because So seemed remarkably made
Quate sum to offer for the recovery of any
lost child, above all one who is so gifted
unsteady as to merit the description Of
''viOinst."
The story, however, when investigated
by CALL reporter proved to be simple
and not wanting in its pathetic side.
There are three brothers Panelle. the
two seniors being six or eight years older
than the missing Johnnie" as he is fa-
miliarly called. The grown-up brothers
earn their living as musicians on the Bay
City boat. and Johnnie seems TO have done
pretty much as he liked in their absence,
providing that he attended school regu-
larry, and took his two violin lessons a
week from the master whom his brothers
had engaged to give him instruction.
They always treated him indulgently,"
said neighbor, who lives in the house
with the brothers, to a CALL reporter.
Johnnie could go in and out when he
liked, and the cupboard was always open
for him 10 eat just when he felt like it..
But the little Italian musician was not
satisfied with the hum-drum existence
which his surroundings entailed upon
him, for the fact was that he bad taken
advantage of his brothers absence 10 fire.
quent cheap theateIs. and as cOnse-
Quence had become infected with pas
sion for the drama. Unfortunately it was
not the higher walks of the Thespian art
that fascinated johnnie, but blood
curdliDg melodrsmas Of the Evans and
Sontag" type.
The lurid attractions of these spectacles
A. l. a.
and talk of nothing else. just as in
Nicholas Nickleby" Miss Petowker of
the Theater Royal. Drury Lane, nearly
drove all the little Kenwigs into fits when
she let down her back hair and recited
weird and fearsOme pieces" IN their back
parlor. so johnnie Panelle would invade
the kitchens of his nelghO0TS and fascinate
and horrfy them by faithful and panto-
mimic portrayals of the bood-curdling
deeds he had seen performed at certain
dramatic resorts.
At last the boys mania became too over
powering for him to brook any longer the
bare simplicity OF his humble surround
ings. He fed from the haunts of his child
hood Just as he had seen many of his
favorte heroes and heroines do to slow
music on the stage.
johnnie did not flee very far, however.
His brothers suspect that he is hanging
about in some OF the haunts frequented by
his stagestruck companions south of Mar
ket street, for the young Italians flight
has brought forward prominently the fact
that there are in this city a number OF
boys whose ruling passion is the cheap
meiodrama.
A gang Of these hopeful youths are
known as ''melodrama boys" and among
this brotherhood the elder Panelles have
sought their lost sheep. Several of the
BOYS have owned to having lust seen
Johnnie" and il was to induce some of
them to be more explicit that the reward
of So was offered. Up to Yesterday after
noon, however. ithad not produced the de-
sired result.