Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-13
COMICAL CORRIGAN,
An Old-FashiOned Travelling Show
man and SentriIouuist.

From. the New Orleans Times Democrat
Il suppose there are more queer byways
In the show business than in any other yo-
cation on earth" said an advance agent.
chatting after the performance a few nights
ago. Il ran across one of the oddities re-
Gently" he continued. Gin the person of a
single-handed entertainer who has been
working quiet little circuit Of his own for
the last twenty years, and Is beginning to
think about retiring a snug fortune yet
1 doubt whether you could find soul in
the city who ever heard of him NV dis
coyery of the gentleman was due to a mis-
laid railroad schedule that forced me to
stop over night at a dreary little country
town in West Virginia. Looking around
the Office OF the hotel, which was also
dining room, reading room and smoking
room, was surprised 10 see handbll an
Euuncing that ComicaI Corrigan would give
one of his welI-known and Justly nopnIar
entertainments at the brick church that
evening. The poster went on to say that
there was nothing about the show to offend
the most fdstldtouS: that it would include
comic and sentimental ballads initial ions
OF Wild beasts. Ventriloquisms, selections on
fourteen separate and distinct musical in
struments. funny stump speech and re-
lined Jig and wing dancing. the whole to
conclude with AN exhibition of prestidigi-
tatiOn or parlor magic
That sounded promising so after supper
4 StuHttEtu around 10 the brick church.
which l found crowded to the doors /
managed to get seat, however, and, upon
my word, / haven't enjoyed myself as
much for years l was transported back to
boyhoods happy days, and for two solid
hours | forgot L had trouble on earth
Comical Corrigan turned out to be a plump
rosy person, with a flexible face and a TO-
vial eye. and his entertainment was ex-
actly what I remember seeing at our old
town hall when | a little shaver of
nine or ten-the same good, old jokes, the
same conundrums. the same stories the
same songs-1 don't believe l missed
single boyhood favorite. In the ventrilO-
quism selection he hauled out the two dolls
i hadn't seen for so many years, perched
them on his knees and began the well-re-
membered dialogue: Well. Sammy. how do
You feel% he asks. With my fingers >
squeaks Sammy. in falsetto. Then Comical
Corrigan whacked him over the head, and
We all roared with laughter. When Mr.
Corrigan announced that he would now re-
cite pathetic recitation by special request
l knew he would favor us with 'Curfew
Shall Not Ring Tonight before he opened
his mouth. and when he asked for a ring
TO grind to atoms and fire from a pistol in
his chaste seance of prestidlgitation. or
parlor magic, l could hardly get mine off
quick enough. l was so anxious to see that
dear old trick done again.
After IL was all over / met Corrigan
and found him a first-rate fellow He told
me he had been doing that sort of thing
ever since 1SS0-drifted into 1t by degrees,
organizing his circuit of towns making
friends of the church and fraternal order
people. and gradually building UP q Glen
tcle that was now as regular and steady as
a clock He sticks to small places, makes
the rounds once a season, and IS welcomed
everywhere as an old friend. He Is under
next to no expense. and If 1t rains on any
given date he simply stays over and gives
the show next night. / thought of the trials
and Vexations Of plotting a big company
over the road" added the advance agent
sadly. and ] envied him from the bottom
OF heart