Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1901-05-29
TRUE IRISH BLOOD.
Ludierous Mishap That HAppsssd One
Night on ths Stage

OF al httle supper party the other
evening, occurred one night years
ago in small town in northern Iowa.
l was new in the business then. and
had Joined weird transforming COM
pany headed by an old actor of the
name OF Fitsmorris. We had a blood
and-thunder repertoire 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, his beautiful
daughter, 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 res
cue by Larry of the beautiful daugh-
ter from the castle Of the villainous
landlord, AT the climax Of which the
heroic lover was fired upon by file
OF British soldiers. AT the report of
the guns the white shirt which he
wore was suddenly suffused with red
You are woundedv the heroine cried.
Yes replied Larry, but It's true
Irish blood, ever ready to be she'd
FOR the cause of Erinp This rather
irrelevant romark, together with the
CORY shirt front, never fuiled to
bring down the house. Needless TO
say, the character Of Lion-Hearted
Larry was assumed by Mr. Fitzmorris.
The business of the blood was
managed very simply" continued the
story-teller. a small rubber bulb was
fllled with solution of cochineal and
fastened under Larry's arm. At the
right moment he gave it a squeeze.
and a crimson torrent poured over the
shirt, which had a piece of waterproof
cloth at the back, the front being re-
newed for each performance. We
were playing weeks stand at the
little Iowa town | 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 Ftz We never ascer-
tanned. lie was a grabbed old Eng
lishman, and perhaps be didn't like
the tone Of the play-anyhow, he
went into the scene loft, where 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 Fiizmorris
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 up jumped the smbus-
caded soldiers. Bang! went the guns,
and You are wounded shrieked the
heroine Yes shouted Larry, press
ing the bulb, but It's true IriA
blood lie never got any further.
Ills 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 so
amazed at 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
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
ance and ruined our business for the
balance Of the engagement. Pm told
that Fitzmorris was afterwards known
as 'Green-Blood Fitz' on the north
Iowa and Wisconsin transforming
circuits."-N. o. Picayune.
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Nou OFficope Eforfod