The San Francisco call., 1909-09-19

northern Florida ragged, sinister figures were
creeping one day last winter. Pale, haggard.
unshorn, they advanced with the caution and
stealthy motion of stalking animals. They paused and
gathered moment at the outer fringe. One of them
carried rife. The others were armed with rough
clubs. They peered toward the locomotive standing
the tracks the station One of them waved his
and, suddenly breaking from cover. they dashed
across the open on the run
Before the engine driver and his fireman were
of danger the little crowd of desperadoes had
covered half the distance, Both stood back as the
rife the shoulder of owner and in another
second the band in possession of the locomotive
The ragged men piled aboard and, with the rife still
holding at bay the and the station master who
had come to the platform, one of them pulled the
starting lever AS the machine passed from sight
around the bend the station master started down
the tracks in the opposite direction.
IN safon sa2Fg 9 IN drs was dasng
in the cab and swarmed the tender Ap-
preaching grade they within gunshot of the
fugItives, and firing began The rife of the
ragged band did yeoman service and several of the
pursuers disabled The answer was volley after
voley from the second engine which was gradually
intervened, and the fireman of the second machine
crawling forward to adjust the coupler, when
there terrific blast of steam from the boiler
and the trailing locomotive slowed to stop. One
of the shots had taken effect. and the fugitive band
continued its way.
short distance ahead was another station and
on receipt of an urgent telegram the railroad en-
ployes hurried bags of powder on a handcar and
started, pumping desperately, up the track They
reached bridge, removed the and piled the
powder beneath the bridge just the flying iron
steed of the ragged band tore up the stretch. A
match applied to the fuse. There was mighty
explosion But the locomotive had crossed the danger
spot just in time and the ragged men safe.
Probably the first impulse OF the ordinary citizen
who witnessed these exciting recently was to
for help At present he can have the thrill all
again in almost any large picture theater in the
country and his only thought will be to applaud For
the whole incident was merely part of the Kalem
sonve obtain which they hired an entire railroad
outfit for day. Preceded by scenes in the stockade
of the southern military prison, the digging of the
tunnel, the oyerpowering of a guard and the fight
arrival of the escaped prisoners in their home
Massachusetts The series of those brilliant
LONG ISLAND TRAGEDIES
On Long island another of the large film con-
Germs, the Vitagraph company, has its studio, typical
of the better equipped factories" Some of the
companies make point OF sending their troupes of
every few months in order to vary the natural scenery
In this place, however, many of the effects OBJ
tanned by painted settings and the Long island plain
capable of producing variety of effects that the
dwellers upon it have never suspected when out
door scene IS necessary.
OF the studio piled high with grown wells, stair
ways, rustic cottages structural trnbers and other
building itself At side the tank, which
might be mistaken for spacious swimming pool but
for prominent which forbade such frivoity as
bathing under dire penalties At the other was a two
stored edice OF concrete with glass roof and glass
extension The explanation for the mysteries already
encountered, he discovered that the tank was
sacred river, lake, pond mid ocean, as occasion
required and that the sides of the extension could be
removed that artillery corps, fire engines automo-
bies and embattled hosts could charge through it
while the motion camera winked knowingly.
This seemed simple, and he proceeded to acquire
information inspecting the building from the mahog-
any quarters occupied by the motion picture dranatis
who turns the mental crank for ideas, to the
room, where mstresses OF the wardrobes turning
cranks sewing machines, and the studio proper
where operators were turning cranks make films
In the actual work of acting for the calico drama
the really big OF the business the stage man
ager. He is the big man he always thought
himself the legitimate boards from which he came
But he has gained mmeasuraby in autocratic manner
range and capacity for vocferous exaspera-
ton by the shift.
He is the car of the studio. and all that apper-
taineth thereto. His material is company we'll
but incorrectly dubbed stock IL in number and
consisting OF proes onal actors and actresses selected
for their excellence in pantomime For heavier
scenes s"supes" may be had in unlimited quantity
His aides are two or three propertymen, who can
evolve you turbine liner of soap box, and have
done IT and a whole corps of painters, whose
work stands until the clicks and datey
metamorphosed into something else. Behold
manager now putting his company through its PAGES
for the production of simple little comedy piece
known as "A Case of Mistaken Identity