The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-03-20
Steve Rrodie Says
He's On 1t Again.
HINKEY DINK DID 1T.
Story Of Bridge Jumpers
Fake Demise.

Inc great New Yorker arrived in town
early in the morning anticipatory of
a weeks engagement at Lothrop's He
registered at the Waldo House and was
all day the centre of an aGmiring CO.
terie. who thronged around, hoping to
profit from his wide experience and
perchance to pick up a few odds and
ends of Chimnie Fadden dialect.
In the latter particular they were dis
appointed Chimmie and his pictur-
esque tongue exist. only in fiction, but
every now and then in speaking, Brodie
let's drop certain vigorous expressions
and pieces of slang which wildly recall
lower New York.
LIZ Steve Is not stellar attraction of
the first magnitude, it is not because
ne does not shine. He is a literal me-
teor or brillianoy. His collection of
diamonds is rivalled only by the crown
Jewels of England, and Steve does not
hlde them away. He wears them
where they win dazzle the beholder.
On f1artng red necktie bright
enough to scare all the bulls in Spain
or ireland. is cluster of diamonds as
large as dollar This setting of gems
Is composed of three ooncentric horse
shoes. One such diamond horseshoe
would indicate successful freQuenter
o. the race track; two, prosperous
Temmany alderman; but three huge
diamond horseahOes all In q bunch, in
dieateS nothing else but Brode.
But this headlight, although the most
prominent article of Mr.. Brodie s
adornment. is not his only piece of lew
elfy. He has numerous studs, each
IN itself q, small searchight, flashing
niger rings and cuff buttons as large
as the aforementioned scarfpin After,
the snow, when Steve has retired. the
Waldo safe will be well worth cracking
any night this week. All this goes 10
show that Brodie did well not to look
before he leaped.
After a cordial greeting to his visitor.
Mr.. Bnodie began to talk about his
show. Yes, that shows all right. It's
another case Of Old Homestead The
Two plays are much alike and they're
Just what the public wants to see. This
IS my sixth year with On the Bow
cry. Am I making money? Just look
AZ THIS Its cinch" Here Mr. Bro
die pointed to his headlight
What makes the play go? WHY.
that bridge scene most Of all, Ii al
ways takes That jump always fetches
them. Sometimes it fetches me.
THE last time I dove from the top
OF the stage in Boston, the guy that
fixes the mattresses took a night off
and l landed on the boards. Now LET
me give you tip right here said MI.
Brodie in confidential tones to the in
terviewer, IF you ever take a high dive
make 1t in water, not boards. It's
hundred to one shot that I'd rather
jump from the real thing than do that
fake dive at Lothrop's.
Another act about my show that's
all right, is the saloon scene. That al
ways takes. No one has to go out be-
tween acts In my show. It's all on the
stage. And when l say it's all on the
stage, it goes. It's all real stuff In that
saloon scene there is keg of whisky
and two barrels of beer drunk every
night. Most shows put up fake booze
in the bar-room scenes. My first stage
manager wanted to DO the same But
| wouldn't stand for 1t. I told him I
didn't believe in working a con game
on the public. We give the real thing
at my place on the Bowery, and / told
him the real thing should be on tap
in my show, too. Besides, it makes the
acting better and we can always get
supes to play the part of buns SO as
to get a drink"
Mr.. Brodie makes it such a point Of
conscience to have the real stuff ra-
Their than the counterfeit in his bar
room scene that he has repeatedly re-
fused to take his show into Maine
where the prohibition laws would ne
cessitate the use of property drinka-
bles. On one occasion, the Massachu-
sets excise laws came near getting
him in trouble. The company'S train
was delayed and the show was late
in opening. When the bar-room scene
came on it was after eleven and the
local police came upon the stage de-
tsrmined to stop the sale Of LIQUOR
over the stage bar. 1t was a trying
situation but in the end Steve's long
experience in dealing with Tammany
policemen triumphed and the show was
allowed to proceed.
1t will be a year ago the first Of
next April that the bridge Jumper
played his great hoax on the
newspapers of the country. When
asked to explain the circumstances
Brodie was at first reticent. You
mean my decease"' he interrogatcd
solemnly. THAT is a topic I never dis
cusc. Besides, it was all due to FIinI5y
DinlS." But when The Spy man stated
THAI he, too, was an intimate friend
Of Alderman HinlSy Dink of Chicago,
Brodie warmed up and recounted the
trying experience as follows
THE trouble all originated in New
York. It was the time the Chicago
y l.
dred strong, visited that city during
Van Wycks campaign for the mayo,-
atty, The Chicago boys were led nv
Carter Harrison, Cap Farrell, Hinky
Dink' Kenna, 'Bathhouse John |
Coughlin, Johnnie" Powers of the
18th and a few of my other friends
The tip came from Tammany to show
them a good time and we did
"Of course they all came down to my
place on the Bowery. Hinky Dink was
the liveliest Of the gang. He SAMPLED
nearly everything in my stock and got
feeling good. At last he got braggine
about his taste for wine. Said he couId
tell the brand Of every kind of wine hl,
the taste. 1t made me tired to hear . |
Chicago man giving the Bowerv bo,rs
pointers, so | filled up his glass with
cider, and Hlnky swore it was the
SWEETEST champagne he ever drank. The
gang gave him the laugh, and HinISy,
Dink went home to Chicago swearing ~
get back at me. "
well, about the last Of March .
year ago, l was playing In Chicago az
course ! went to Hinky Dinll's solno,,
on Clark street, and lived there a . io,,r
as l was in town. IIinky DIM, 80
hospitable, and he didn't fill me mn o'a
champagne either, The last dav of ~
stay he was so hospitable that no bnSS
to see me to my berth on tho + nIoa
Shore limited, where lay sick ali an
way to New York. Then he got g., 1 ,ii
work on the wires. The next dav Ills ,,ls
paper in the country told OF NV 1917
and printed little obituaries Saw I'LL ~
NOSE IN ,opl's We're peaches. They were
90 When I pulled into the Grand Union