Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-04-19
A PHONOGRAPH VOICE.
From the Chicago Daily Tribune.


Away out in the extreme northwest
ern part of the city, near the Milwaukee
railroad tracks, Sllas Leachman puts in
four or five hours every day singing at
the top of his lungs. though moi soul is
in hearing but his wife. When he gets
tired of singing he varies the proceed
ings by preaching negro sermon. or
gives an imitation of an Iiish wake. and
altogether conducts himself in a way
that would lead the neighbors TO consid-
err him fit subject for lunatic asylum
if there were any neghbors, bur there
are not. This is the very reason Mr..
Leachman chose thee lonely spot for his
residence. No one ever goes out there
to hear him sing, and yet he is getting
every day, though he never sees one of
his auditors.
Mr. Leachman sings for monographs,
and, as he has a monopoly of the bust
ness in the West. he contrives to keep
busy, and has even been heard to eXpress
a wish that he were twins. He has bet
ter protection in his monopoly than a
copyright OF an Injunction or unlimited
legal talent could afford. Nature gave
him the peculiar qualities that enable
him to ieproduce.his voice perfectly on
wax cylinders. Hundreds of people
have attempted to break in on his prof.
table monopoly, but the results of their
efforts put an etfectual stop TO their at
tempts. And so Mr.. Leachman goes on
enjoying the monopoly and reaping the
profits thereof.
There are four other meniin the East
that also do work for the photograph,
but while they have to have a man to
play the piano while they sing. another
to make the announcement, another to
change the cylinders, and fourth to
keep the machine in order, Mr.. Leach
man is the entire show in himself. Fur
thermore, he can give an unlimited num-
Der of representations, while the other
four men are limited TO a few special
ties each. Mr.. Leachman is natural
mimic, and therein lies the secret of his
success. He sings ballads, negro melo-
dies, and Irish, Chinese and Dutch dia-
lect songs. lie plays his own accom-
paniment on the piano and takes care of
the machines. He prepares three 'rec-
oTds," as the wax cylinders are called,
at one time. To do this three phonO-
graphs are placed near the piano with
the horns at one side pointing away
from the keyboard at an angle of 10
degrees. The horns have TO be placed
very carefully, for fifth of an inch
makes a great difference in the tone the
cylinders will reproduce.
When the horns have been adjusted
exactly right Mr.. Leachman seats him
self at the piano, and, ulning his head
away over his right shoulder, begins to
sing as loud as he can, and that is pretty
loud, for he is "A man of powerful physi-
que and has been practising loud sing
ing for four years. lie has been doing
this work until his throat has become
calloused so that he no longer becomes
exhausted after singing short time.
AS soon as he has finished one song he
slips of the wax cylinders, puts on
three fresh ones without leaving his
seat, and goes right on singing until a
passing train eompels him to stop for a
short time. In the four years he has
been in the business he has made nearly
100000 records. So great is the demand
for them that he cannot fill his orders
1t is such exceedingly hard work that he
cannot sing more than four hours dav