The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-03-02
4 FRENCH CLOWN.

ChocOlae came from Haiti one Hne
morning and made his debut in private
family as valet. Not successful in this
role, be ran away with Inadame's pet femme
&c chambre and later turned up at the
Nouveau Cirque as clown.
Chocolat is the blacklist Interpretation
of negro on record, the darkest, Joiiiest
translation of laughter extant He Is the
most famous black clown in Christendom
snd the Only one / know whose face is
made I'D for him by Providence without
she addition OF acceptuated lines or eAaS-
geratcd paint.
There are two Cbocolats-in the ring and
aut. In he is got up in white duck or
hannel, ridiculously cut in exaggerated
parody of the latest fashion, with white
cotton gloves, every finger of which is
stretched wide apart from its fellow ano
Used as means Of expressing the most
ridiculous sentiments in the most unheard
Of way He does not do the funny clown
vino antics eternaliy, and whom we all SO
well know. On the contrary, his role is TO
pretend to be fearfully awkward and stun
Bile over everything in and out CT sight ex-
baustiveiy, TO the uproarious delight OF all
the small and large boys in the delighted
audience.
Out Of the ring he is the successful ne
gro, fall of mischief and jokes and dandy
ism ard vanity and righteousness and
good nature. He pats his hat on the back
Of his head at the races, like any other
man, and, his thumbs in his armpits,
struts from the tribune to the betting
stalls with cigar between his lips and q
benign smile for his admirers.
Then there is Foottit, famous for in
venting new situations and conducting
them from the old standpoint, which ad-
mits Of bad French a Panglais, bad jokes
ad libitum and horse play, with round
up CT something really clever. Somer-
saults with F0ottit have developed into
things of beauty and infinite redundancy
forever, and with his little red eyes, and
his long nose, and his clowns getup, with
its grotesque buttons and short wasted
opportunities fully lived up TO, he Is as
delicious d. his little cardboard prototypes
in the shop windows.
In private life Mn Foottit is noted for
his weakness for his friends wives plus
his own; but, regrettable though it may
be, this tra;: Of his thus far has only served
to augment his fame.
Last summer be fed the town with a
lady who jumped through rings for live
hhood, which probably explained her care
1essness as to the necessity of a ring il
private life
Then there is Nedrano. Hc is ring mag
ter al present. Raised from the ranks Of
ticket seller and general factotum, he
cracks jokes nightly in public with Choco,
lat and Foottit
His fame fell in this wise: The Baron
de Reibaci of Panama fame, who was
noted for hi. affection for circus riders and
coryphees. used him at a fancy ball oddly
enough. The ball in question was given
at one Of the most elaborate fin de steele
houses in Paris. II was a fairy scene
Electric light and flowers and money and
hw1an nature filled up the gap made by
those who refused to be present for rea-
sons which were obvious"
The ball was over. Shepherdesses and
Marie Antoinettes and German officers and
vivandieres and queens and Rypsies, one
and ali had removed their masks and were
striving to cool Of in the giant conserya-
tories, whose fountains played perfumed
water, when clown spTang into the
room, but such clown! Flashing with
dazzling jewels, clothed in cloth of gold
and brocade stiffened with magnificent
embroidery and precious stones, but
masked. a dream Of a clown, who leaped
and whiried and turned gigantic somer-
salilts and stole iEnumerahle kisses, then
off again, in and out between the flower
and the electric lights, into the shadow
again, with diabolical gestures of exagger-
ated Importance and lit$e fine suggestions
of Understandable charm and grace lodged
here ana there until they all went mad
over him, snd, like flock of varicolored
sheep, followed him from room TO room
begging him TO remove his mask, but h0
would not. He eluded them again and
again, and finally, when they were reused
to a frenzy of excitement and curiosity, lie
led them 10 the flower twisted staircase
upon which the tapestried walls frowned,
and just as they had their arms about his
neck and were asking riotously: Who are
you? Oh, who arc you, pretty clownt" he
once more slipped from their grasp and
with flashing leap through the viciated
air disappeared. Later, us they sat down
to supper, he appeared among them with
out his mask. 1t was the Baron de Rel
mach.
Later still all Paris rung with the news
of his suicide, which Panama disclosures
induced, and then Modrano remarked to a
friend: There were two Of US that night
] was the clown who executed the pirou-
cites. He went in afterward. He hired
two costumes exactly alike and gave me
my orders. Twas my last appearance in
that capacity. II he had paid me by check,
instead of il bank notes, who knows, Mon
Dieu, but ], too, might have become in
volved in Panama. Stanley Clark in
San Francisco Argopaut.