The San Francisco call., 1898-03-04
FELDMAN WAS
 4 FUNNY MAN He Was One of Big Ber- tha's Troupe of
 Com edianS. One of His Acts Nearly Caused the Wreck of the
 Stage.
Appearance of Woman Who Claims He Was Engaged
 to Her.

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 suicide at 52S Eddy street last Tuesday
 was one of the most picturesque TO- mancers who ever imposed upon the credulity of a local newsgatherer. | Feldman arrived in this city about | two years ago and first gained promi- hence when he claimed to be a member of the famous house of Peel of England and heir to the title.
 | Young Sir Robert Peel was visiting | the United States at the time, and Feldman boldly asserted that he was the real Sir Robert, and that the young
 man over whom New York swelldom was going into raptures was in reality his younger brother Sir Herbert Peel. | Feldman detailed the family history | with such marvellous accuracy that a | prominent Englishman who was visit l ing this city at the time and was lnt1- mately acquainted with the Feels, was deceived by the story.
 Before this Feldman, who had long been ambitious to scintillate before the footlights, secured an engagement at SIP a week at well known Kearny street variety theater, whose destinies were presided over at the time by the notorious Big Bertha. Feldman played an engagement of four consecutive nights with such success that the manager was compelled to cancel the engagement in order to save the building from de- molition.
 Feldman made his debut as a voca- list his first appearance earning for him a small but choice selection of potatoes and other momentoes of dis esteem. That gave him an idea for a funny act" which he proceeded to arrange for the following night. Feld- man secured the services of half a dozen street arabs and, supplying them with an assortment of vegetables, sta toned them in different parts of the house.
 Donning a costume consisting in part of a ball catcher's body pad and mask, Feldman made his entrance and pro- ceeded to dole out comic ditty. This was the signal for his assistants in the body of the house, and they proceeded to present their compliments with a heartiness that nearly knocked the re- cipient through the scene.
 It was a great hit, and Feldman was in raptureS. Visions of princely sal ary floated through his mind, and he adjourned to the 'parlor," where he proceeded to mortgage himself to the house for weeks to come by buying wine for Big Bertha" and her friends. Bertha was willing to accept the wine, but she would not accept the attention that Feldman insisted should go with it, so when he persisted in declaring his regard for her, the heavyweight man. ageress picked up the diminutive come dian and threw him bodily down stairs.
 This threatened to terminate his stage career, so far as that house was concerned, at least, but the next day Big Bertha was repentant, and, send ing for Feldman, induced him to go on again that night.
 He had hardly reached the center of the stage before he repented, for, be- fore he could utter a eingle note, car rots, cabbages, eggs that were over ripe and other tokens fairly rained up- on him. Not only were his assistants provided with an apparently inexhaus- tible supply, but the major portion of the audience, having heard of the new "act." had come prepared to show their appreciation of his efforts to entertain them.
 It was awful, and the lady song and dance artiste, who made her bow after Feldman escaped, slid around the stage like novice on roller skates. Af- ter that the curtain had to be rung down until the scrambled eggs could be mopped up.
 The fourth night settled it for Field man. Before he came on the members of the orchestra deserted their accus- toned places and sought refuge in the wings from which place or safety thev struck up the introduction to the star performers song. Feldman made his appearance, clad in his baseball ar nor. and was swept off his feet by the storm of enthusiasm that greeted him. Everybody in the house was armed, not only with vegetables, but some brought along bricks and cobbles. which were passed over the footlightS with a will.
 A cobbIe fired at the first volley smashed the wire mask and made a dent in Feldman's skull. Others missed their mark and wrecked the scenes. As the enthusiasm increased backs and legs were wrenched from chairs and contributed to the ovation. but it took too much time to diSsect the furniture, and then whole chairs were tossed up.
 Finally the stage hands rescued the funny man and dragged him out of the line of fire It has since been matter of disnute whether he resigned before the order of dismissal reached him, but at any rate that was positively his farewell appearance.
 The last time Feldman attracted nublfc attention was in June, 1896. when he was arrested for petty larceny and carrying concealed weapons. He was convicted 1 Court and on June 27 he was sen- fenced to one years imprisonment in the County Jail. He was discharged i on April 24 1S97 having earned credits l enough to shorten his term by two months.
 day that a Hebrew benevolent society | vo11ld take charge of the remains of Dr. | Teopold N Feldman, who committed sui | eide last Wednesday afternoon, and would 1 burv him in the Jewish cemetery. | Tine stomach of the deceased has been l taken by Chemist Morgan of the Morgue | and he will report to the Coroner to-day. | Autopsy Surgeon Gallagher is of the l opinion that the poison used by the de- ] ceased was carbolic acid or some similar l corrosive substance
 Several ladies called at the Morgue yes terday to see the body. One lady had a l little girl with her and said that she knew the doctor we'll and that he was a splendfd man. Another visitor early in the day was a handsome blonde, who gave her name as Grace Gordon, a divorced woman She informed Deputy Coroner Mccormick that she and the doctor were l engaged to be married yesterday but further as to her relations with the de- ceased she would not speak.
 A little red pocket-book found on the person of the dead man filled with poetry. nearly all of which was selected