Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1905-09-04
A THEATRICAL TRICK
IT FOOLED JOE JEFFERSON, ANO II
FOOLED THE PUBLIC TOO.
The Story of an Ovation That Was
Given to the Great Actor ON One
Occasion When He Was Playing

1.-THE best story on Joe jefferson was
printed during his lifetime, and
the kindly old gentleman himself went
to his reward without ever having
heard it," said the advance agent, for
none of the people around him ever got
up nerve enough to tell him that he had
been taken in along with that dear pub
lie whose attention we heralds OF art
were %endeav0ring to catch.
1T was years ago in Baltimore JEFF
ferson opened on Il Monday night in
'Rip Van Winklc,' and, although he
was always a prime favor.te with the
ater goers there, neither the attendance
that evening nor the advance sale Of
seats for the week had been over good.
The folks in front of the house cast
their eyes over the ticket rack II
came to the conclusion that unless
something unusual was done the receipts
would not be as large as they should
be. Well, when the business end OF a
show reaches that point things are H.
able to be doing in the good old con
line within a very limited space OF
time, and the boys on J%efferson's pay
roll. II they were not the sniftiest at
that sort of thing, were certainly not
the slowest in the profession. We put
our heads together and arrived at the
conclusion that what was needed for
good, fat press notices was some re-
markable popular manifestation OF ap-
probation Of genius. don't mean the
clapping from the orchestra nor the cat
calls from the gallery, but something
that would set the town to talking. we
thought long over the various schemes
suggested, but none of them appeared
to be Just the proper one for the pur-
nose. Suddenly the Office boy, who was
as retiring as the usual run OF once
bows around a theater. butted in WITH
Say, why don't you have him dragged!
".Dragged-what's that| asked.
"sWhy, have him rushed after the
matinee this afternoon by a howline
mob of admirers. Have them unhitch
his horses and drag him of to his hote|
with their own hands. And say, gee
whis. I've got it! Let the bunch thai
does It be Johns Hopkins boys!
"aThat amt bad for the kid remark
ed the assistant treasurer patronlzlhg
". but where are you going to gel
your Johns Hopkins boys? You don
think they're lying around waiting e
turn themselves into a bevy OF Roman
chariot >chasers, do your
"aOh, say, you're dead SLOW repIfec
the office boy, with every indication
OF disgust. Come with me down OF
Marsh Market space. anG In ten MIN
utes I'll have you the greatest Duhcl
of students you ever saw /.
mot knowing the town very wei
then, l was puzzled at how Hopk'h'
students were to be found on Marsl
Market space and said SO. :,
WHY they amt students at all
explained the all knowing Office boy
They're buns. the worst lot OF cai
chasers in the town. and there ar
hundreds Of them. For 30 cents a hea'
for the day you can get all of them yo'
want. Get thirty or forty, dress theh
up in store clothes that you can get d
n old costumer's-baggy trousers al
turned up at the bottom, short coat
with a southwestern exposure, dink'
hats with colored bands. jaunty itti
fried egg caps and sassy, s~lap-oh-'ne
wrist sort of canes-and the restli D
easy money 49,,
1--WE began to appreciate the feasibiI
ity OF the scheme and soon were con