The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-04-02
The ddlehita aiIy Eagle Thursday ddurue Apr,I 1896

| 4ON IeS VIII nave 10 lot luEy CdH-
not help themselves"
! When locked in a cell he became more
quiet, but kept repeating:
They think / am crazy. but am not.
! 1 will hang at O'Clock tomorrow"
! VI. de Reszke was seen in the wings
while the second act was still in pro-
! gress. His hands was cold and his
manner one Of deep concern, although
| he retained his self-command. He said:
II was suddenly conscious of some
| one rushing on the stage and he said
to me: Stop, 1 want to make a speech
l called: Ring down the curtain for
! hate brutality and l knew a scene must
! follow My one desire was 10 prevent
/ the audience from seeing it. 1 mad no
! idea what would happen, but l must
! say my gre3 test regret is the man did
not stay far enough within the line 70
have the curtain drop between him and
/ the audience"
! AS NJ. de Reszke said this he was OBJ
! liged TO again go on the stage. when he
| accomplished some of the most brilliant
! work he has ever done in Chicago, not
withstanding the strain he had under
gone.
! Nine. Media was scarcely less self
! possessed. She was standing in the
wings and witnessed the whole affair.
Immediately after the act and sitting
in her dressing room. she said:
81 was terribly frightened. Every
thing passed swiftly. 1 did not know
what was going TO happen next. When
| began to sing il was through Jeane's
kindness 1 was able TO restrain myself.
He commanded himself for mysake,
and that is what helped me to get
through. He caught my hand tight in
his and said: 1t is all right, Melba !:
everything is quiet and he seemed SO
stead and self-pOssessed 1 was able to
get through. But no one has any idea
what ii is TO command ones breath
and sing after such a fright as that"
Mme. Melba'5 manner w&s also one
Of self-cOmmand, though evidently the
result Of an endeavor to keep up until
the opera was over.
Back of the scenes everything was in
4 state Of supreme excitement. The
dressing rooms of Nine. Melba and NJ
de Reszke were besieged by members of
the company who had FASTENED from
the auditorium Of the theater and from
the hotel. One of the first to get back
Of the scenes on the conclusion of~the
act was SignOr Bevignani, who made at
once to inquire for Nine. Melba. He
smiled and told Of his vain endeavor to
get the man off the scene.
when he told me-" said the conductor
"Of his desire to make a speech, / asked
him as pleasantly as 1 knew how, -
please go out quietly and let us con-
tinue. Bur unfortunately for himself,
poor soul, he did not agree with me. In
my long career ! have never seen any
thing of the kind happen, except in
Russia, and there on several occasions
lunatics have rushed upon the stage,
but it was always during a curtain cali
al the end of the act, and when they
tried to embrace some one of the sing
ers"
Poor little Mile. Bauermeister, who
took the part of Gertrude, was trembl-
ing so that it was fortunate she had the
cane which she carried in the part TO
support her, for she needed ii. But with
her usual kindness Of heart she stopped
bewailing her own fright when she
hands at work. The stage was cover
ed with groups of excited people. each
giving his own version of what had hap
pened. Some Of the women of the
chorus were so frightened they were
huddled together in dark corners Of the
stage, peering about as if they expected
still another lupRtic to make his appear
ance
At the conclusion of the act, after
which the singers were warmly recalled,
the excitement behind the scenes trans
ferred itself in measure to the foyer.
Friends of the singers who had been
resting at the hotel were making earger
inquiries, and three women were sitting
on a leather-covered sofa with their
faces buried in handkerchiefs.
1t was not really until the conclusion
of the third act that the audience SEEM
ed to recover from the shock that mo-
haa ell
diately on the lowering of the curtain.
or, indeed, during the final strains of
the chorus, the applause began. NJ. de
Reszke's I'm Exile" allowed the oppor-
tunity. He was called out five times.
the men cheering, the women waving
their handkerchiefs and rocking to and
fro.
Rothmann was stretched out upon a
bench in his cell at the Harrison Street
police station, but talked freely with all
who questioned him.
When an idea struck him forcibly he
would get up and face his inquisitors.
He is tall. broad-shouldered, and erect,
and has keen intelligent face.
Everybody thinks 1 am crazy" said
he. but it's their error. They will know
different tomorrow. am the bona ffde
Messiah. and by the plan divinely or
dained these police viii hang me at
o'clock tomorrow. They viii have 10 |
do il and can't help themselves. Then !
the world Will be free. Tomorrow night !
every man in hicago will believe in God. |
Il went to the Auditorium tonight 20 |
announce myself l had TO do ii and /
want them all to know who l am. |
have got the biggest brain in the world. |
and l can look at a man and tell just 1
what he iSthinking about. l have read 1
political economy al my life, and I /
know what everybody has thought and |
written.
Two weeks ago at the Young Mems |
Christian association I heard the word /
which became the keynote OF my life |
md OF human destiny. \ speaker said
hat it was ignorance that made the 4
world degraded. That was the word I
vas waiting for-ign0rance.
since l got il l have been working
,ut my plan 10 set the world free"
ROthmann says he is % years old and
laS been employed as a printer by Bene
iicJ. He says he was born in Mount
Clemens. where he has a brother and
sister living. He says ne was editor Of
he Monitor a. that place when he was
6 years of age.
Last week. he says. he sent reams Of
'opy TO the New York sun explaining
lis theories. He save his boarding
,lace as No. i24 La ale street.
R0thman says he called the last week
ICop+iouad On UDsCb+b D,-,N