The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1900-09-15
TRUE IRISH BLOOD.
Luaic7ous Mishap That Happened Ons
Night On the Stage

The most Iu01cf0us mlsnap 4 eVeE
witnessed on the stage" said an act
or at a little supper party the other
evening, Occurred one night years
ago in a small town in northern Iowa.
I was new in the business then, and
had ioineda weird transforming com-
pany headed by an old actor of the
name Of Fitzmorris. We had a blood
and4hunder repertoire a yard long,
but our chief attraction was an Irish
melodrama called Lion-Hearted
Larry, or the Cotter's OATH 1t had
the usual plot Of canned Irish melo-
dramas-the honest but financially
embarrassed peasant, bis beautiful
daughter, the poor but gallant lover,
otherwise Lion-Hearted Larry, and
the villainous landlord, who insists
on the daugdter's hand or immediate
eviction fer the whole family. The
great scene Of the play was the res
cue by Larry Of the beautiful daugh-
ter from the castle of the Yillainous
landlord, at the climax Of which the
heroic lover was fired upon by a file
Of British soldiers. At the report Of
the guns the white shirt which he
wore was suddenly suffused with red.
sYou are woundedP the heroine cried.
Yes replied Larry, but tits true
Irish blood, ever ready to be shed
for the cause of ErinE This rather
irrelevant 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 MI. Fitzmorris.
''The business Of the blood was
managed very simply" continued the
story-teller. A-smaA rubber bulbwae
filled with a solution of cochineal and
fastened under Larry's arm. At the
right moment be gave it a squeeze,
and a crimson torrent poured oVerthe
shirt, which had a piece Of waterproof
cloth at the back, the front being re-
newed for each performance. We
we're playing a weeks stand at the
little Iowa town I have already men
toned, and, the day before Lion
Hearted Larry was put on Fitzmorris
gave the property man careful in
struction in regard to preparing the
material for the blood effect. Wheth-
er the prop man had conceived some
grudge against Fitz we never ascer-
tanned. He was a Grabbed old Eng
lishman, and perhaps he didn't like
the tone of the pIay-anyhow, he
went into the scene loft, where a lot
Of colors were kept mixed, and filed
the rubber bulb with bright green
liquid paint. That night several
bitches occurred, 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 it was in
its proper place, and a moment later
was on the stage. There things went
all right up to the climax. The cas-
tie was entered, the orchestra played
a few bars of tremolo music. Larry
emerged with the beautiful colleen on
his arm, and upjumped the ambus.
caded soldiers. Bang! went the guns,
and You are wounded!' shrieked the
heroine. Yes shouted Larry, press.
ing the bulb, but 'tis 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 au.
dience nearly peeled the paper off the
walls. Fitzmorris himself was 50
amazed at the phenomenon that he
was unable to move, and stood there
transfxed, his arms outspread and his
mouth wide open. On that tableau
the curtain fell. Then he came tt
himself, grabbed a club, and began a
frantic search for the prop man, but
that individual had disappeared, and
we saw him no more during our stand
The episode broke up the perform.
lance and ruined our business for the
balance Of the engagement. I'm tolt
that Fitzmorris was afterwards knoW1
as |Green-Blood Fitz' on the nortl
Iowa and Wisconsin transforming
circuits. "-N. o. Picayune.