The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-05
GLASS EYES AS COLLATERAL.
Their Advantages as Pawns at
COnyiyfaI Meeting

Everything carries its compensation
with il. even glass eye" said J. J. Saxon,
| the stage manager of a St. Louis summer
! garden, who has an artificial optic, and,
| being jolly fellow, doesn't care who
knows it.
II have got good deal of amusement
| out of my bum lamp and l expect to get
more before l die. How did lose my eye?
| Oh. there isn't any story in that; it was
| shot out while l was hunting near Mem
( phis, Tenn. years ago. OF course, l had
rather have a real eye than this thing, but
| SO long as l haven't got it / make the best
! of it. Louis Raymond whom you probably
remember as an actor man, also has a
glass eye, and he and l used to be to-
gether grea deal. I'll never forget one
night when Lou and / and George Denham
and Jack Cheviot and Phil Branson we're at
Uhrig's Cave (this was a long, long time
ago.. and we were dry-dry as local op-
ton town after midnight. We were all out
Of funds and We were too lazy TO go to
the manager and ask for an advance of
salary; we thought it would be funnier to
stand off the waiter Lou called the man
over and said: Am / good for a round of
drinks?'
=" You'll have to see the boss. said the
waiter
Amt all of US. collectively. gooi For a
drink said George Denham.
g You'll have to see the boss, said the
waiter
Wen give you security said Lou.
and with that he pulled out his eye and
laid it on the table. The waiter jumped,
and before he could recover from his sur
prise I removed my eye and placed il
alongside Of Raymond's. Then George Den
ham took a full set of upper teeth from
his mouth and contributed them 10 he pile
OF collateral
I'm in on this said Jack Cheviot,
and he unscrewed his wooden hand and
placed it on the table with the eyes and
teeth
You can't leave me out, said Phil
Branson, and after fumbiing with his
mouth awhile, he produced one false tooth.
''The waiter weakened and We had a
credit as long as We cared to ask for it,
1T used to be a favorite amusement
with Raymond and me to shock strangers
with tapping our eyes with fhe rims OF
our glasses. 1t makes a most uncanny
sound. and the man who can watch It I'M
moved must have nerves of steel
Il never thought of organizing 4 club
of glasseyed men, but l think it might be
done. Once when Raymond and l were in
New Orleans we were being waited on by
a waiter with a glass eye, and got to talk
ing about the coincidence. A man sitting
at an adjoining table heard us, and got
into the game by showing us that he also
had glass eye. Then the waiter came
back. and we gave him drink on the
strength of his eye, and he went out and
told the barkeeper. who sent in friend
Of his who was similarly equipped We
five glass-eyed men spent the evening TO-
gether.
- glass eye costs from - 10 80. You
can buy a German eye for 81. but 1t isn't
worth while: they don't last any time. A
good eye ought to last year. The salt
tears wear EN- OFT.
by the way / wrote TO my wife not
long ago. and told her to look through my
trunk, and send me anything she found
that she thought / might wear while in
St Louis. OF course, meant clothes, but
she took me literally, and by return mail
1 got box containing one of my extra
eyes"