The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-05-04
Stranded American Fun-makers il
PARKWAY Bohemia.
(Chicago Tribune.)


''Dick earle, Johnny Hyams and /
went over to London with The Belle OF
Bohemia company said Dave Lewis
of the La Sale. 1.-The Belle didn't catch
on, and presently we found ourselves out
Of work. We were not alone Forty-SlN
chorus girls and fifteen or twenty men
were in the same fix.
Just then the brilliant idea came into
the head of a London manager that ne
Belle of Bohemia would certainly make
a great hit in Prague, the capital OF 30
hernia The idea was so foolish thaL II
looked good TO all Of US Besides we mad
nothing else to do, so we all jumped az
his offer to take us over to the cont
nong. Well, If we had met with a severe
frost in London. we struck the har9 7ISSso
part of an arctic winter IN Prague Inc
Pragites couldn't understand a word we
said. of course. and they didn't seem a
bit amused at any of our DUMB gags
about long enough to get our grips I'M
packed
was planning to skip out and leave US
stranded. so I hustled over to see the
American consul He got busy ana
forced the manager to give US al tOurIn-
class transportation back to LONDON
Then our troubles began
7 was the only person in that bunch of
actor people who could speak word OF
German or anything else but English. l
was also the only one that had any
mOney-about 500 in all. SO as l was
the only means OF communicating Out
desires to any of the i0habitants and was
also the only hope Of food en- route I
was naturally an important and extreme
Wen they drove us all down to the
Z railroad station in a herd and loadeu US
( all-baggage, chorus girls, comeqSlanss anu anu
/ ry-indiscriminately into a lot OF box
cars. Then we Travelled across country 70
[ the Rhine, IN which we were to sail Tor
| thirty-six hours until We reached the
Hook of Holland. The fun didn't begin
until we got off the cars and marcheo
down to the dock to take the steamer
/ I'VE were all tired, more or less dirty,
/ and badly discouraged. When We
/ reached the dock the steamer was load
/ ing and we were barred out by long
pole, pivOted at one end and moved up
/ and down-like the bars over railroad
/ crOssings-by big German with al
| sorts of junk pinned to his uniform one
( of the chorus girls, who was almost over
: come with fatigue, sat down on TOP OF
her suit case in SUCH position Ihat NJ
/ the pole had been fully lowered It would would
/ have struck her. The big German guard
! waited until she had closed her eyes
| Then he raised and suddenly lowered the
pole, which struck her lightly on top OF
II couldn't stand that, so I went over
TO demonstrate with him. We inter
| changed some compliments IN German
! Finally I got mad.
g 'Du bist Elm Lump 1 said.
/ THE guard grew white and trembleo
with rage Then without saying &
word. he started away on a run, com
ing back shortly with a big policeman
who promtly proceeded to put me under
arrest. Ile rest OF our party were ACf
ror-stricken when they saw their only
hope being hauled away to jail.
IS Get on boar dthe boat said t.
them. III be back in plenty. Of time
Don't worry. We've got two hours be
| fore the boat starts
I was taken at once before the burgo
master-another fat, comfortable ioOkinl
old boy The policeman went on ant
explained that IN calling the guard ell
Lump I had insulted the imperial gov
eminent, the guard being government
servant
s'The burgomaster looked at me. 'Fo
an American, he said in German, n
, don't look like such a desperate charac
! ter
q Thank you, your honor I said. oni,
speaking in German. The old chap hal
had no idea that I could either sDeal
| / or understand German, and the lde
seemed to tickle him. He dismissed tn
policeman and the guard and told me Z
| climb UP on the bench with him. l ex
I planned that I interfered only to pre-
vent the guard from insulting woman
. He agreed that I did right. FINAL
we got on such good terms that he sen
out for two stems of beer. He also du
up two OF the strongest pipes 1 eve
tried to smoke. We sat there and talke
about things in general for an houl
! Meanwhile I was growing terribly nerv
/ Gus for fear / should lose my boat Blu
! J I didn't dare say anything about break
ing away.