Evening star., 1909-05-16

SAVED BY MENTAL SUGGESTION
John Mason who plays the hypnotic
gambler in The Witching Hour at the
Belasco Theater this week. says he might
have been drowned off Staten Island last
summer had it not been for dose o,
his own medicine in the way OF mental
suggestion from w. II. Duffey, the anna
teur who recently made a record swim
from the battery to Coney Island.
The actor and the swimmer, who are
cd friends, met at the Terra Marine Inn
on the south shore, where Mason spends
the hot days, and decided upon a long
distance swim.
when we were we'll out from land, "
says Mason, II felt my strength begin
ming to fail. and a big lump came in my
throat Duffey noticed my condition and
we swan back nearly to the dock. wher
he looked me over.
You're in good trim,' he said. You're
a much stronger swimmer than You be-
lieve you are. Now. I'm going to stay
here and you're going to swim out there
and back again all by yourself. keeI
| up your courage and you'll enjoy II i'm
mensely'
| Il started, but when ! got about the
| same distance again l felt the same cold
| chills. and then l took one big swallow
of salt water. | was actually on the
| point of going down Suddenly l felt the
| influence of Duffey and almost uncon-
! sciously began to swim easily again. My
| strength began to return. and in a little
while ! was heading for land. Hall
way back | met Duffey, who. taking M
| chances, had really been within a shor
| distance of me all the time. But / haC
| believed him to be way in-shore, and the
message of encoura cement he sent to mt
had. l believe. been genuine case ol
mental telepathy.''
SPANISH CHORUS GIRLS. = Since
the opening of the summer opera
season at the New National Theater con.
| siderable interest has attached to Anita
and Gertie Barretto. the two little Span
ish girls whom Milton and Sargent Aborr
| discovered in the chorus of the Metro
politan Grand Opera Company.
The mother of the Barretto sisters died
| when they were mere infants. At that
/ time they lived in Seville. SPAIN their
birthplace A little later the father was
| unexpectedly called to London, and not
knowing how long he might be parted
from his daughters placed them in the
Convent of the Sacred Heart in London
expecting to have them return with him
when he had finished his errand. The
nuns took such an interest in the girls
that he permitted them to remain. and he
returned to Seville alone. At this time
Anita was five years of age and Cert tie
three.
The sisters remained at the convent
until their education was almost COM
plete, when Anita. through the assist
| ance of a girl friend. escaped and went
to Italy, where she began studying for
the stage. The father discovered his
daughters whereabouts and took her
back to the convent in London. A Sec
ond escape was perfected through the
assistance of an old watchman who
afterward introduced the ambitious girl
TO Nine. Jou, singer in the choir of
Notre Dame
After some public appearances in
short dramatic sketches and private en-
tertainments, Anita secured a position at
| the Opera Comique. but finding the
work beyond her strength. Joined a COM
pany en- route to Itay, with which she
appeared in "Cavalleria Rusticana'' Tor
! six weeks, when her father again dis
| covered her.
Senior Barretto decided to let Gertie re-
main at the convent. and took Anita to
New York with him. Through the in
| fluence of Sig. Giovanni of the Metropoli-
| tan Opera Company. Anita secured an en-
| gagement. and in addition to her work In
the chorus was chosen uuderstudy several
| times although she was never fortunate
enough to appear as a principal.
\ little later. Gertie, who Is now but
seventeen years of age, joined her sist sr
| in New York and became a member of
the Metropolitan Grand Opera chorus 1t
was at the Metropolitan that Milton