The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1895-08-23
The Acrobat Under Ether.


street last evening. A song and dance
man OF the breakneck school had lust
been operated upon. From the dental
shop the artist went to the receiving
hospital with the tooth he wanted
pulled still in place, while DIR. Morris
and his assistants swept up large buck
etfuls of broken glass and set the fur
niture Alright.
The trouble was all caused by Thos.
johnson, the knockabout artist, imag-
lning himself on the stage while under
the influence of ether. In fancy the
quiet little man saw the glare of the
footllghts and the applauding multi
tude in front. He heard the inspiring
music of the orchestra and the voice of
his blackface partner gasping out the
refrain of the old time song and dance.
Then when the breaks and fip-iacks
came in, Johnson turned himself loose
with startling result.
Before they could subdue the aero
batic vocalist he had damaged the
office to the extent of about $50 and
shattered the nerves of three able
bodied men who tried to stop the show.
The police and patrol wagon arrived
and the minstrel performance ended
without the usual screaming afterpiece
Mr.. Johnson first called on DR.. Nor
ris yesterday morning He had an
aching molar which he wanted remov-
ed and the dentist undertook the lob
At the request of the patient the den
tist administered laughing gas and
tackled the tooth. While under the
influence of the gas, Mr.. Johnson did
not develop any eccentricities of move
ment other than to struggle slightly.
Late in the afternoon he returned, how
ever, and asked to have the root of the
tooth extracted. He explained that
his constitution was too strong for gas
and suggested that chloroform or ether
be given him.
The patient was in the chair and in
a few moments lapsed into uncon-
sciousness. Morris picked up pair
of forceps, but just then Mr.. Johnson
made graceful gestures with his hands
and warbled:
What pleasure there is dancing in the sun
light,
When all around me seems to smile.
With that the PROSTATE acrobat
gave the instrument shelf kick, and
those around him did not seem to
smile. Before the dentist, the doctor
and the assistants could realize. what
was up, Johnson had leaped from the
chair and waltzed out into the parlor.
Striking picturesque pose in the cen
ter of the room, he sang:
Oh, how hate to tell but then must:
Within her heart place my trust.
Twas sitting in the garden, where the little
butterfly reposes,
How love her none can tell, it was love among
the roses.
A somersault goes with this verse
and Mr.. Johnson did not cut the act.
Lightly as a bird he rose in the air,
but in turning his feet collided with
the cut glass shades on the chande-
lier. In his befuddled condition, the
artist must have taken glass for deaf
ening applause. At any rate, he re s.
ponded to the encore with 'Down
Where the Honeysuckles Grow"
Morris and his friends made a rush
for the song and dance man, but he
eluded them and, threw double twis-
ter, which landed him in the middle
of the sofa, swapping both the side
pieces in twain. The three men then
piled onto the artist, but he rammed
one leg through a Japanese screen and
sang:
Sizes my darling, she's my queen;
She's the fairest one Eye seen.
With three gentlemen at his back,
Mr.. Johnson could not execute the
steps nor any of the ground and lofty
tumbling which accompanies this dit
ty. But while struggling with bis
keepers, johnson managed to trill the
refrain of "McGinty, the Swell of the
Sea-" without much regard to time
and measure and breaking two gilded
chairs.
Down by the seashore flirting with the girls,
Using our spare time picking sea shells and
pearls;
! AS stroll by the ladies make way,
Here comes McGinty. the swell of the day.
There were no sea shells for the artist
to use in illustrating his song, but the
cuspadors fully answered the purpose.
He cleared the rooms with these and
smashed two plate glass mirrors and
one vase. By that time Mr.. Johnson
khad exhausted his repertoire and like
wise his wind. He was again recap.
tured and sent to the hospital. The
ride in the open air revived the young
man, who had no recollection of the
performance he gave while in trance
Johnson used to travel with Billy
Emerson, the famous minstrel, and
was regarded as one of the best in the
business. DIR. Morris says he would