The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-04-11
HARRY PERRY'S
EXPERIENCE.
How BE Failed to Play the Part Of
Hero.
CChicago Inter ocean,

iCnicagO Inter ocean,
For real, downright series of mis-
haps, with the element Of comedy
Astounding therein. I think the expert
ences Of Harry Perry, erstwhile boni-
face Of the Empire. a few weeks ago,
cap the climax.
The speaker was one of o group that
had gathered in the smoking room Of
one Of the down town clubs the other
evening after dinner. and which, be-
tween puffs, had been RECALLING one
another with yarns that ran from gay
TO grave. but mostly gay, judging from
the peals of laughter that had come
from the room. When the last speaker
had finished, there was a general de-
mand that he tell the story Of Perry's
adventures, and he proceeded TO do so,
as follows
L guess all you fellows know Harry
Perry, he remarked. looking around
at his auditors. In case there are any
OF you that don't however, III preface
my narrative by saying that he is an
all-rOund sport. q partner of Social
Smith, and is known to every rounder
IN Chicago. Perry and Curt Gum had
2 little difference Of opinion a short
time ago. I don't know what about
nor do l care. Anyhow. it was decided
by a bet
Bet you hat you're wrong, said
Gum to Perry.
" Hat nothing answered Perry. Bet
you a case of hats I'm right
You're on said Gum; and the bet
was recorded.
1t turned out that Perry was right
al h..
/ told him TO go 20 the hatter's and pick
out a case Of hats 10 suit himself. Perry
did so, and the next day a dray backed
up to his house, with case of hats on
II that doomed up as big as a house.
Perry had picked out a hat Of every
variety the halter had in stock, and
he must have had enough to give him
a change every day for two months.
"A few nights later Perry thought
he'd dress up and go out and dazzle his
/ friends with his gOrgeousness. He put
( on a new suit of clothes. a new =IC0
/ overcOat, and, To crown all. he picked
| out fine silk hat from the case that
/ he had won from Gunn-
1 / think this outfit viii hold 'em for
a while says Perry to himself, as he
/ complacently surveyed his reflection in
| the glass before starting out I GER
( tainly am a warm baby, for sure and
/ then he went out and called cab, and
/ his night of adventure was on.
/ Perry has never been able to tell all
about the experiences Of that night. He
I went to q theatre, and later accom-
{ panied some friends TO a buffet on
4 Dearborn street Sitting at a table
Z next TO him was big Duke Fields, the
/ leading German comedian at the Or
( pheOn, and with him was a bunch Of
( actors. II was pretty warm when
( Perry went into the place, and he had
taken his overeoat off and thrown it
! across a chair. Suddenly he became
/ aware that something unusual was 60
ing on. There was a big noise, and
Fields and his party ran out. Perry
/ was told that the OrpheOn theatre was
/ burning, and decided to go over and
( look at the blaze. But his OyercOat,
/, the new 500 wrap, was missing. In
/ its place was a coat built for a man
about twice the size of Perry, and he
/ could have wrapped himself up in it
| twice. and then had room to
1 spare. 1t trailed on the floor when he
walked. and it had about seven differ
/ ent shades Of yellow and green in its
! well worn texture.
Il know that coat, said the man
aver of the buffet when he could con-
AlUA llA0 NNANEu lArA AyAnN # ANANAs'
coat, and he's put yours on by mistake
in his hurry and left this behind.
Perry looked disguised and giOOmily
told the manager to take the vaudeville
garment and put it away. He wouldn
wear it TO a dog fight. And so, with
his new suit and shining silk hat he
went out into the cold night and start
ed toward the blazing Orpheon the
atre. BY the time he reached the the
atre the flames had been got under
control. but the smoke was pouring out
OF the entrance, and a miniature Nj
agaFG of water was falling from the
building where the streams from the
engines were playing The sight walked
the heroic instinct in Perry's heart
! The more he looked the more he felt
that it was incumbent on him to get
into that theatre and rescue the people
that he was certain were imprisoned
there awaiting him. He started fOI
the entrance, and the police roughly
pushed him back Then Perry was
J convinced that there was a conspiracy
to prevent his rescuing those impris-
Oned souls and he shed tears as he
imagined their terrible plight.
III save 'em yet he muttered tC
: himself They're waiting TO be saved
and III save 'em.
Perry cautiously CROPPED his way
around into La Sale street and Their
down the alley to the stage door OF
the OrpheOn, and was soon inside tbs
theatre and looking out from the wings
at the ruined interior He was salts
fed then that everyone in the place
: at the time had been burned to dealt
and shed a few more tears over tht
0 terrible fate that had befallen them
He turned TO TetTace his steps wheI
he saw a heap of something that from
its outlines he was satisfied was wo
y man. He rushed toward it, and taking
4 off his hat, bowed profoundly. /
proved not to be a woman 1t was tn
big bass viol belonging TO one of III
/ orchestra members. It was keen dis
appointment to Perry, because he wa
keyed up to the point where he ~
that he simply must save someone
life. He let the bass viol drop an
stood IooIziner a Is rnOur0fullv. As II