Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-09-29
7. }. Medill, President of Com
pany, and Mayor Schaffer,
Address People at Park.
FIRST SHOWS ARE GIVEN
Program of Free Attractions Declared
Best Vaudeville Acts Ever
Seen in the City.

evening. Notwithstanding the unfa-
Vorable weather conditions, there
were a number of people out at the
park in the evening. and the first pro
gram of the free attractions was given
III the grounds. The exposition com.
pany had as its guests for the even
ing the members of the TTi-City Press
club, and when the newspaper men
arrived at the grounds about SIS, the
announcement was made that the for
nal ceremonies of opening the expo
sition would take place, and the
crowd gathered in the grand stand.
Hon. T. j. Medill, president of the
exposition company, mounted the
raised stage in front of the grand
stand and made a brief address, in
which he spoke of the exposition
project, its history. and its aims. He
referred to the labor of preparing for
the first annual exposition, and of the
high character of the entertainment
provided. Mr.. Medill voiced the gen.
eral sentiment. that fair weather is
all that is required to make the week
one of the most notable in the history
of the city.
Mr.. Medill introduced Mayor II. C.
Schaffer. who as the head of the mu-
nicipality, made a brief address. vel
coming all visitors to the city and
consratulating the city on the enter
prise of the Rock Island Expositiori
company. He spoke of the time and
labor given by professional and bust
ness men of the city in the interest
of the project, and commented on the
TACT that their efforts were not made
with the hope of financial reward but
for the purpose of advancing the city's
Interests generally, and developing to
greater degree the good feeling that
exists between Rock Island and the
other cities and communities within a
radius of 100 miles. He spoke of the
fact that the exposition is certain, if
the weather is favorable, to attract
thousands of visitors to the city dur
ing the week, and he expressed the
belief that the attractions offered will
repay any visitor for the time. trouble
and expense of paying the city a visit.
Mr.. Schaffer concluded by again well
coming all visitors, and expressing the
hope that every exposition visitor en-
joys himself to the fullest extent
First shows Are Given.
The first program of the free at
fractions that are to be given every
afternoon and evening of the wcel;
at the exposition, was presented last
evening, and while the program was
not given i'll it's entirety. The unani-
nous opinion of those present was
that the people Of Rock Island have
never had the opportunity to see such
great vaudeville performances as those
presented at the exro park. There
are eight big acts in the vaudeville
program, and any One of them is OF
sufficient merit to repay any visitor for
the time and cost of admission to at
tend the exposition grounds.
Some Real MarksmanshIp.
The opening act of the program is
an, exhibition of craftsmanship that
the word marvellous hardly describes
This performance is by Myrtle G.
Byrne and company. Miss Byrne is
announced as the champion woman
rifle shot of the world. and she GER
tainly can shoot. and shoot straight
not only with a rifle, but with pistols
One has TO be a good shot to break
an inflated target placed between the
heads of two men, when these men
place their faces within an inch OF
each other. And that is only one OF
the remarkable exhibitions she gives
Captain Byrne. another member of the
company. is also remarkable marks
man. and one Of his stunts is to cu
with rife bullets the buttons by which
his wife's opera cloak is held. He
begins by shooting off her hat. ther
one by one the buttons holding the
garment at the front, the shoulders
the elbow. the wrist, are clipped of
by bullets, and the garment falls a
the feet of his wife, who has beer
standing facing him, a living target.
The finale of the act is a selection
from Home Sweet Home" played OF
xylophone. But the metallic bar!
were tapped. not with the little ham
mers usually used. but with rifle bul
let's. fired by the two principals of thu
company The music was in almos
perfect time, and the exhibition proved
a unique and highly interesting one
The Trained Seals.
One of the most interesting acts o
the program is the performance b.
Captain Webb's trained seals Ther'
are five of these curious animals ant
their performance is wonderful. Som
of the stunts they do are performed
with astonishing precision, and thei
antics are among the most interesting
features of the exposition. One of tn
seals is a genuine clown. and O
course is the star performer of tn
company. This is the act that ha
been featured for some time by tn
big circuses, but Captain Webb ha
added number of new features.
Entertaining Aerobats.