Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1899-06-09
A GUYED REPORTER.

about ten years ngo," said n man
who used to be n newspaper reporter
out west. II got a queer assignment
from the city editor of the Chicago pa
per that paid me wages. Frank Perley.
who's now the 'impresnrio' of a trav-
cling comic opera outfit, blew into Chi
cage ahead of Barnum's show. He got
the thing going pretty well from the
jump.
I'm the first place, he told all Of The
city editors that the star panther Of the
show was going tc have an liberated
tooth pulled ont by n local veterinary
sharp on the Sunday morning follow
ing the arrival Of the show in town on
Saturday night. Each paper sent a man
down to see this performance. and Per-
ley got gobs Of reading space for his
chow out CT il.
"The panther had an liberated tooth
all right and put up n highly interest
ing scrap when the animal doctor de-
taclied the molar. but the thing certain
" did fit in mighty pat for a%nte-exhibi-
ton space grabbing all the same.
"Then Perlcy blandly suggested to
the city editors that it would be a good
scheme for each of them to send n man
TO the show for the purpose of writing
nm Accordingly interesting Sunday spe-
cial on Circus Life Behind the Scenes.
All of the city editors side stepped on
this proposition except the city editor
of my paper, who thought it would be
a good thing.
81 was picked out for the job. 1
couldn't precisely Gee why l should get
the assignment. for l wasn't notable as
n spellbinder or u covercr of freak as
signmcnts. l found out afterward why
tho task was poked Mt ME. l was n very
humble quantity on the paper and
noted all around for the sweetness Of
my disposition.
"There was to be a put up job, and l
was singled out as a good thing, not
liable to get mad and tear things loose.
IL went TO the show grounds with
Perley for tho first afternoon perform
ance Of the ca rs. Perley took me
around to tho mems dressing tent and
introduced me to Nero. Nero was the
huge chap who took the titular role In
the big Fall of Rome spectacle that
preceded tho show.
Nero asked mo what kind of a
make up 1 wanted for the spectacle. Any
old make mp, / told him. So he started
ia to help me tog out as a Persian
prince.
when he got through with me, l
guess 1 had on a good $50, 900 or $780,
600 worth of clothes and other gear at
least l felt as if l had. The long tapes
try robs l wore was incrusted with hun
dreds of large diamonds, sapphires, ru-
bies, pearls, emcralds and such. The
scimiterthat swung from the side of
me was jewel hilted up to the limit,
the tall, cloth of gold head thing that
Nero gave me to put on WIS also a blaze
Of jewels, and, finally. the kingly nae
that / had to pack around me as a part
of my equipment-it weighed about 80
pounds-was 50 thickly studded with
precious stones that l wondered what
chance I'd have of getting away If I
bolted with the thing.
''Now, an easy role in the spectacular
show was dished out to me. All l had
to do was to stretch out on a gorgeous
gilded palanquin, with my head resting
gracefully ON one hand, and be carried
around the tent in the grand, triumphal
procession by IL Roman soldiers with
Connemara faces on them. There was
nothing hard looking about that, and l
breathed easier when l found that, aft
er all, l wasn't expected to hop out into
the center of the main ring and do a
limelight skirt dance alone and unaided
"'All yOuse is got to do. said Nero,
who was, by all odds, the finest looking
broth of a man that l ever saw in my
life, is T. lay still on de top o. de ca
lash an keep your bead closed, sect
Youse is got a purity part. Don't grin.
Try an look as if youse had just been
t'rowed down by a barkeep, an youse'n
look ugly. all right
when the moment arrived, l hoped
aboard of the palanquin, the 10 Roman
soldiers got hold of the legs Of the
same, and l shot up in the air. Looking
down e the side, it seemed to me as
If l was about a mile upin the air, and
shuddered to think Of what would
happen TO me s~upposing the ~ Roman
soldiers decided to strike for more
wages while they had me in that elsvat-
ed position on the palanquin.
"But the blare of the music and the
bowls Of the boys in the seats drove
these ideas ont of my head l stretched
out as per programme, with my huge
mace beside me. and tried TO look as
Eavage as possible-for, you see, i was
supposed to be a captive Persian prince.
swiped in one Of the eastern raids Of
the victorious Roman army.
THE thing went pretty well for the
first part of the trip. The boys in the
seats threw it at me pretty hard, of
course They didn't like that recumbent
attitude Of mine. They regarded me as
-. If. fs.- i'll.