Omaha daily bee., 1909-04-04

TO know how we could get rid Of our bottle
friend without q break In the performance.
The Texan leaned against the bar. per-
fectly at home. and crossed his high-heeded
boots in a comfortable attitude. The audi
ence Uttered.
Then our unsalaried actor saw several
barroom loafers at a table playing an
Imaginary game Of cards, but without real
cards. as public card games in Texas were
forbidden by law. The Texan pulled UP a
chair, sat down at the table. drew a greasy
deck from his pocket and dealt everybody
a hand. The loafcrs had too much respect
for the town marshal TO take up their
hands and moved g~ingerly away. leaving
the friend Of Joe Morgan alone in his glory.
The Texan finally became disguised. walked
down the runway and disappeared"
Money I'm a "TOm' show.
Uncle Toms Cabin is said to nave
taken in more money at the box office
than any other theatrical performance in
the world. Outside the larger cities It
seems to be as popular as ever. Among
it's most devoted patrons are church people
who could not be induced to attend other
theatrical performances.
The tent show has grown to be the most
popular way Of prescribing Uncle Tom"
and is more easily managed than an opera
house show. one man without experience
in the theatrical business started a Tom"
show with a cash capital of $3.50. That was
fifteen years ago in Nebraska He now
has a fortune of $4,000.
The street parade with its ponies, allie
gorlcal figures, its Torsy, its Little Eva,
its b~loodhounds and its brass band is the
strong drawing card. The shrewd manager
serbs a complimentary ticket TO the head
OF each farmer family within a radius of
ten miles Of the town where he shows.
ut is a certainty that II ma goes the
children will GO" said a manager, land the
thing to do is to get the children to begin
begging ma to take them The compli-
mentary ticket does the work.
"A Tom show seems destined by fate
TO be the target in the business of getting
stung real good and hard, probably because
of its humble story " said a Tom vet
eran. Now what would you think OF a
deal Of this kind:
I'm Kansas my cars we're in a railroad
yard where was paying the railroad
company for service and protection. In a
lot more thar a block away was a fool
colt
Caught by Grafters.
"Ona of nv dogs began barking, the colt
began running and went into a parp "lre
fence cutting itself badly. In a jiffy the
town constable tied up my snow upon
oomnlaint of the owner OF the colt, VINO
sued ma in a Justice of the peace court,
where I was stuck for $3.50 damages. l
could have beat the case by appealing 1t,
hut the cost of delay and litigation would
have amounted to more than $50, which l
Maid and left town with murder In my
heart.
"In another Kansas towp the band In the
street. parade scared a spatined old scare
crow I'm a livery stable lot. The skate trlec
"a ,ump a fence and fell and broke it's
mock stung? Well, l guess yes; just $40
worth. If there are ~grafters In the show
business they are driven to 1t by this knd
of injustice"
Tho manager of q tent show pays close
attention to the weather, especially IN the
southwest country, where a tornado is
likely to, form in an hour and oiow tne
feathers off a chicken. Threatening clouds
are watched closely and IL danger Is sus-
peeted the audience is warned to leave
the tent.
often there are jocular individuals who
tell the people that they are being tooled
and that there is no danger The Snowman
meets this with the bluff OF having mis-
workmen begin pounding stakes and
loosening ropes with as much noise as pos
sible. II the audience Is dismissed and
the tent down and sent the performers to
roasted.
IT missed it once in western Kansas
said a Snowman, land came near getting
lynched. The clouds were the worst l
ever saw-pea green and fuzzy orange all
mixed together. 1 got the crowd out and
the tent tdown and sent the performers to
the car.
n storm. In about twenty minutes
I saw 300 people headed by the mayor
and the town marshal trotting toward
the show ground. We held a pow wow
made 1t plain we were on the square and
offered to put on the show II the crowd
would help put up the tent and the seats
They agreed. and we put on a show that
tickled 'em to death"
BIoodhOunds unknown.
The genuine bloodhound is unknown In
a tom" show. He is so small in size
and so lacking in appearance of feroeity
that he would be a failure as a drawing
card. Inc uOB COHlHlOiiS SSN
Dane, and he fills all the requirements.
The dogs cause much trouble by fight
ing among themselves and attacking
strange dogs. once locked In combat 1t
is not easy to pry them apart. Ammo
MIA is usually held to their noses to make
them loose their hold.
These dogs soon learn the business OF
the stage, and ten minutes before their
entrance they begin an uproar of baying.
THE piercing scream of Liza as she starts
across the ice is the cue that makes their
clamor widest. and they never miss the
cue.
one tom company has had five Evas
from the same family, the father being
an employe in the Chicago postoffice. The
oldest is now happily married and lives
al Oklahoma City. When these girls
reached the age OF II or IL years they
were taken out of the show business and
placed in school,, where they seemed to
be brighter pupils than other children.
The Liza of this show was the wife of
the manager. She looked after the well
fare of the little girls, taught them their
lessons regularly two hours a day, and
took them to Sunday scuool every Sun