The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-01-26

Until . Grabbed EnEIishman Under-
took to Change IL. Hive. when the
Hero of the Great Tragedy Became
q Laughing stock.
"The most ludcrous mishap I ever
witnessed on the stage" said an actor at
a little supper party the other evening,
occurred one night years ago in a small
town In northern Iowa. / was new in
the business then and had joined a weird
transforming company headed by an old
actor Of the name Of Fitzmorris.
1--WE had blood and thunder repertory
q yard long, but our chief attraction was
| m Irish melodrsma called Lion Hearted
Larry. or the Cotter's Oath
at had the usual plot Of canned Irish
melodramas-the honest but financially
embarrassed peasant, his beautiful daugh-
ter, the poor but gallant lover. otherwise
Lion Hearted Larry. and the villainous
landlord who insists on the daughters
hand or immediate eviction for the whole
family.
THE great scene OF the play was the
rescue by Larry of the beautiful daugh-
ter from the castle Of the villainous land
lord, at the climax Of which the heroic
lover was fred upon by a file Of British
soldiers. At the report OF the guns the
white shirt which he wore was suddenly
suffEsed with red.
"'You are wounded the heroine cried.
"'Yes,' replied Larry, but tits true
Irish blood. ever ready to be shed for the
cause Of Erin
This rather irrelevant remark, togeth-
er 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 filed
with a solution OF cochineal and fastened
under Larry's arm. At the right moment
he gave 1t q squeeze, and a crimson tor
rent poured over the shirt, which had a
piece OF waterproof cloth at the back, the
front being renewed for each perform
ance.
1--WE were playing a weeks stand at
the little Iowa town | have already mem
toned, and the day before Lion Hearted
Larry was put on Fitzmorris gave the
property man careful instructions In re-
gard to preparing the material for the
blood effect.
whether the prop man had conceive
ed some grudge against Fitz we never
ascertained. He was a era bbed old Eng
lshman, and perhaps he didn't like tho
tone of the play-anyhow, he went into
the scene loft. where q 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 II II 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 or
chestra played few bars OF tremolo mu-
sic. Larry emerged with the beautiful
colleen on his arm. and up jumped the
ambuscaded soldiers. Bangl went the
guns, and you are wounded" shrieked
| the heroine.
"'Yesr 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 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 a club and
| began a frantic search for the prop
man. but that individual had disappeared,
and we saw him no more during our stay.
1.-The episode broke up the performance
and ruined our business for the balance
OF the engagement. I'm told that Fitz-
morris was afterward known as Green
Blood Fitz' on the north Iowa and Wis
consin barnstormir circuit. Orr
leans Times-Democrat-