Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-11-16
LOSE FAh( IND MONEY
Cherry Sisters No Longer Rich
Nor Popular With the
Plsy.Gosrs.
DESCRIPTIONS theatrical Managers
and Tricky Lawyers Play Upon
Their Vanity.
Made Big Money While the
ReigniDg Joke Of the
Country

most conspicuous headlines in New
York and Chicago papers will constitute
an exciting climax. The account OF how
they acquired one OF the finest proper
ties in Linn county and filed 1t with
luxurious furniture and bric-a-brac,
only to become the victims OF every
shrewd manager and a%dventurer, and to
finally sacrifice the elegant home and
retire once more to their humble origin,
will constitute an ending sufficiently sad
to be interesting. Then. too, the FREE
5Quent libel suits and repeated offers of
marriage from fortune hunters ear be
set forth and worked up with almost
unlimited possibilities in the hands OF a
clever writer.
The girls are said to be practically
dead broke" again, their only remain
ing property consisting of the clay farm
in the hazel brush in which they COM
menced their meteoric career. This has
been due to their guilelessness and gull
libility. They have been fleeced by this
manager and that. and this confidence
man and that, until little remains Of the
former glory. They appear to have been
susceptible to any cunningly planned
appeal to their vanity, and fell easy
victims to fortune hunters. They sim
ply couldn't stand prosperity.
Few people realize just how humble
was their beginning. and therefore few
give the girls full credit for what they
have made Of themselves. Why, it has
been but a few years-not more than a
half-dozen-since they were left orphans
with no Inheritance but a hazel brush
pasture on a clay hill between Cedar
Rapids and Marion. There were five.
c~hildren-all girls. Like Topsy, they
Just grew Ignorant, homely, unedu-.
Gated, utterly devoid OF taste or the
semblance OF refinement, they were yet
unsatisfied with their surroundings and
were fired with ambition to become
somebody. AS they trod the little by
paths thru the hazel brush in driving
the cows to and from the pasture, they
thought and dreamed Of what they had
read in cheap novels about actresses,
and themselves longedffo the day when
they could join the galaxy OF theatrical
stars.
Fnally-no one knows Just how-they
prepared and practiced q lot OF special
ty performances, consisting of songs,
dances and homemade skits. Their re-
hearsals were conducted In the barn on
the farm until they felt sufficient prog
ress had been made to appear on the
stage. They started out in the stormiest
kind of transforming, and gradually
small audiences commenced to straggle
lin.
Some in a town that had q
real opera house instead OF q school
house for a theater happened to see the
girls, and was impressed with the idea
that the very righteousness OF their ef-
III N3x.AT--S - y, o,fFoaf ctnCdritvtF with
which they regarded the laughter ere
ated by their antics. would constitute
an attraction both novel and amusing.
He asked them to play in his opera
house. q manager was developed and
presently the girls had launched fortn
on career in earnest.
Their success was marvellous. Not
withdrawing they were bombarded with
stale vegetables and lei fruit. and
laughter and ridicule frequently gave
place to rio in the opera houses In
which they appeared, they seemed rot te
realize that they were mere freaks and
Ito become more and more imbued with
the idea that they We're genuine actress
es. Their fame spread and gradually
Il the papcrs entered into Ferious editorial
controversies as to whether the girls
were crazy, honestly foolish or merely
consummate actors, cutting up gro
tesuue antics and making monkeys o.
themselves because they realized 4
would bring them money. I believe they
were honestly foolish, but that ID neither
There nor there.
Their fame and wealth grew hand II
until finally they were given {
jtong engagement by Oscar Hammersteir
Ian his fine New York theater. Indeed
T. plans were on foo once for them e
make a tour Of Europe. They visited al
J. the great cities OF the United States ane
appeared in the principal theaters with
out ever 5once giving a performance tina
, drew a. crowd for r other reason thar
/, that-they were regarded as a huge%1oke
Three years ago the girls were
wealthy. When they returned from tn.
engagement with Oscar Hammersteil
they had dozens of gowns OF finest i'm
ported silks and fancy fabrics. Thei
wardrobe 80 completely eclipsed that o
. the wealthiest Cedar Rapids womer
!, that the latter could not go much al
!. think Of attempting to compete with 1t
Yet they had no style, n h costlies
gowns, when on them, looked positivel!
ridiculous. They fattered themselve'
{, they were cutting a great swell and de
{ sired to enter society. They bought {
property on the main road between &c
dar Rapids Ind Marion for S, 5000, which
was soon worth easily $4,000. Thel
filed It with all manner of costly furnl
Iture and bric-a-brac and INDUCED in In
Vulnerable bits OF extravaganza ant
Injuries. But they could not shine so
) cially, and there was no use trying
They were still a huge joke to others. n
matter how seriously they regarde,
themselves.
At Lac they fell victims to their owl
VANITY. By playing on their vanity
/ first one interruptions manager, thel
!, the other. would fleece them unmerciful
!. ~. until at lart they were compelled i
! sell their elegant home on the main roa,
|, and retire once more to the humble cab
in in the hazel brus. In the midst OF TIL
rustic surroundings OF cow.paths etc
Little. II anything ID lett OF their for
mer %fortunes.
{ -Four girls usually Travelled togethe
e on he road. leaving one behind I
keep house They are out SWING ex
hibitionnsomewhsre. this year, bur the
are no longer the popular fad they ono
sWsfs,yand asessDmDellsd 81 nsess I