The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-05-10
PRESENCE OF MIND.
Another Instance Showing Its Value
to the POssessOr.

10 IOSScssoTs
'In time of an emergency" remark
ed an elderly man in group of talk
ers, "I would rather have presence OF
mind than gun"
81 fancy the gun might do more harm
than good if there were no presence
Of mind with it." admitted another,
says the Washington Star.
(Which reminds me of story cor
roborating the wisdom of the first
statement" said a third who on an
appeal from the others continued.
Something like ten or dozen years
ago." he said, 81 was in a Western
town of 10000 people or so, and it hap
pened that a show was billed for that
night Having nothing to do, and not
knowing anybody in town, l took In
the show. 1t was a transforming
troupe of Thespians doing a repertoire
of Observation-Disclosures and the conse-
quence was they had nearly full
house. Everything went along very
nicely, except the peculiar actions OF
the leading man, who seemed to be
drunk, or getting that way very fast
CAS- no effort was made by the man
agement to suppress him, the audience
after while took a hand and began
to hiss. This brought matters to eli
max at once, and with an oath the
actor stepped to the center of the stage
and, whipping out of his clothes pair
of revolvers, he announced to the audi
ence and the people on the stage in
the calmest and coolest manner posi-
BILE that the time had come when some
body had got to die, but that he was
not yet decided who it should be. Some
body started at this, but he said that
the first person who rose to go out
would be shot Everybody in the house
seemed to be paralyzed by the mans
ccolness. and nobody moved. know
[ sat we'll down toward the front. and
would have given up my place willing
ly to anybody who asked for it, but
when I looked up at that cold face and
those two guns pointing down my way
I preferred to take chances on remain
ing as I was
For at least minute the actor adj
dressed himself to his trembling audi
! ence and then deliberately selecting a
conspicuously white-haired man in the
very center of the house, he command
! ed him to rise and be shot. Otherwise
| he would shoot promiscuously into the
crowd. At this point in the proceed
| ings I am willing to st7te without bias
| that I never was in the midst of so
much suppressed excitement. For a
second the house was as still as death,
| and then as the White-haired man be-
| gan to twist about as if he were going
| to obey the actors command, a women
| shrieked. and as a half-dozen followed
suit and tainted. the actor suddenly
| disappeared from the stage. nobody
knew where but he was gone, and the
panic was averted though everybody
made break to get out as fast as pos
sible.
"The curtain went down quick then,
and the management white and scar
ed came out and announced that the
| actor had gone crazy over the loss of
his wife. and that. thanks to the pres
ence of mind of the STAGE carpenter
that gentleman had hurried under the
stage ard pulled the trap on which,
fortunately, the crazy man stood. The
fall bed rendered him helpless. and he
was then waiting at the stage door to
be taken away by the authorities"
(Which proves what I said in the
first place" said the elderly man with
an air of pride, and the proof was &C
cepted.