The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1895-05-10
HIS IS 4 PHoNooRApH VOICE.


II IL Not Pleasant. hut IL Takes Hold q
the Was Cylinders
Away out in tho extreme north
western part of the city near the
Milwaukee railroad tracks Silas
Loachman puts ia four or hvo hours
every day singing at the top Of his
lungs, though not q soul is in hear,
ing but his wife. When hc gets tired
Of singing, he varies the proceedings
by preaching a negro sermon or
gives an imitation of an Irish wake
and altogether conducts himself in a
way that would lead the neighbors
to consider him q fit subject for a
lunatic asylum if there were any
neighbors, but there are not. This
Is tho very reason Mr.. Leachman
chose tho lonely spot for his resi-
dencc. No n ever goes out there
to hear him sing, and yet he is get
ting rich at it. He earns something
over $50 every day, though he
sees one of his auditors.
Mr.. Leachman sings for phono-
graphs, and as he has a monopoly Of
the business in the west he contrives
to keep busy and has even been
heard to express a wish that he were
twins. He has better protection in
his monopoly than a copyright or
an injunction or unlimited legal tai
cnt could afford. Nature gave him
the peculiar qualities that enable
him TO reproduce his voice perfectly
on the wax cylinders. Hundreds Of
people have attempted to break in
ON his profitable monopoly, but tho
results Of their efforts put an effec-
tual stop to their attempts. And SO
MIR. Leachman goes on enjoying the
monopoly and reaping the profits
thereof.
There are four other men in the
east that do work for the phono-
but while they have to have
man to play the piano while they
sing, another to make the announce
ment, another to change the cylin-
ders and a fourth to keep the ma
chimes in order, Mr.. Leachman is
the entire show in himself. Further
more, he can gives an unlimited num-
Der of approximations, while the
other four men are limited to q few
specialties each. Mr.. Leachman is |
) natural mimic, and therein lies the
secret of his success. He sings bal
ads, negro melodies and Irish, Chi
and Dutch dialect songs.
He plays his own accompaniment
IN the piano and takes care of the
machines. He prepares three ..rec-
as the wax cylinders are call
d, at one time. To do this three
monographs are placed near the pi-
mo, with the horns at one side
'ointing away from the keyboard at
n angle Of As degrees. The horns
to be placed very carefully, for
fifth of an inch makes a great diff
erence in the tone the cylinders
will reproduce.
When the horns have been adjust
d exactly right, Mr.. Leachman
eats himself ut the piano, and turn
ng his head away over his right +
boulder begins to sing as loud as he :
an, and that is pretty loud, for he
) a man of powerful physique and
as been practicing loud singing for q
our years. He has been doing this :
york until his throat has become ;.
.llcused 50 that he no longer be- =
exhausted after singing a
hort time. As soon as he has fin I
shed one song he slips off the wax :
ylinders, puts on three fresh ones
Without leaving his sea- and goes
on singing until a passing train
ompels him to stop for a short time.
In the four years he has been in
he business he has made nearly
1000 records. So great is the de-
land for them that he cannot fill
Is orders. 1t is such exceedingly
ard work that he cannot sing more :,
han four hours a day. He gets IS :
cnts for every cylinder no prepares.
lie has a rcpertory Of APO pieces,
nd his work is put on the market
nder a score Of names. He has a
charitable memory and after once
q song can not only repeat
lc words and music correctly, but
Q can initiate cxcellently the voice
expression of the singer.-Chi-