The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1900-03-03
TRUE IRISH BLOOD.
Judging from the Color There
Could BE No Mistake
About That.

1.-THE most ludicrous mishap l ever
witnessed on the STAGE" said an actor at
4 little supper party the other evening
occurred one night years ago h a
small town in northern Iowa. | was
new to the business then, and had
joined weird transforming company
| headed by an old actor of the name OF
| Fitzmorris. We had a bloodand-
thunder repertory yard long. but our
| chief attraction was an Irish meo-
drama called Lion Hearted Larry; or
the Cotter's Oath 1t had the usual
plot of canned Irish melodra mas-the
honest, but financially embarrassed
peasant, his beautiful daughter, the
poor, but gallant lover, otherwise Lion
Hearted Larry. and the villainous land
lord, who insists on the daughters
hand or immediate eviction for the
play was the rescue by Larry of the
beautiful daughter from the castle of
the villainous landlord, at the climax of
which the heroic lover was fired upon
by a file of British soldiers. AT the re-
port of the guns the white shirt which
he wore was suddenly suffused with
red. You are wounded the heroine
cried. Yes replied Larry, but it's
true Irish blood, ever ready to be shed
for the cause of Erin!' This rather ir-
relevant remark, together with the
CORY shirt front, never failed to bring
down the house. Needless to say, the
character of Lion Hearted Larry was
assumed by Mr.. FitZmorris.
1.-The business of the blood was man.
aged very simply" continued the story
teller. "a small rubber bulb was filled
with solution of cochineal and fast
ened under Larry's arm. AT the right
moment he gave it squeeze and Grim
son torrent poured over the shirt,
which had piece of waterproof cloth
at the back, the front being renewed
for each performance. We were play
ing a weeks stand at the little Iowa
town, | have already mentioned. and
the day before Lion Hearted Larry
was put on Fitzmorris gave the proper
ty man careful instruction in regard to
preparing the material for the blood
effect. Whether the prop man had
conceived some grudge against 'Fitz'
we never ascertained. He was a grabbed
old Englishman. and perhaps he didn't
like the tone of the play-anyhow he
went into the scene loft where lot of
colors were kept mixed, and filled the
rubber bulb with bright green liquid
paint. That night several bitches oc-
CURED, and everybody got nervous and
excited. When the time came for the
rescue scene Fitzmorris got into his
costume as quick as he could, felt the
bulb to see that it was in the proper
place, and a moment later was on the
stage. There things went all right up
to the climax. The castle was entered.
the orchestra played few bars of
tremolo music, Larry emerged with the
beautiful colleen on his arm, and up
jumped the ambuscaded soldiers.
Bang! went the guns, and You are
wounded!' shrieked the heroine. Yes
shouted Larry, pressing the bulb, but
It's true Irish blood He never got
any further. His ample shirt front had
suddenly turned emerald green, and
the howl of laughter that went up from
the audience nearly peeled the paper
of the walls. Fitzmorris himself was
SO amazed by the phenomenon that he |
was unable to move, and stood there |
transfiXed, his arms outspread and his |
mouth wide open. On that tableau the
curtain fell. Then he came to himself.
grabbed club and began a frantic
search for the prop man, but that in
iividual had disappeared. and we saw
him no more during our stay. The cpl
sode broke up the performance and ru-
ned our business for the balance of the
engagement. I'm told that Fitzmorris
vas afterward known as Green Blood
Fitz' on the north Iowa and Wisconsin
transforming circuit. IN. o. Times
Democrat.