Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-24
BY PAUL WEST
Drawing by J. v. McFall


most good. The agent watched his
scheme working. and then went out of
town for few days.
Bomb for Camille D'Arvile
7 HAD the disagreeable pleasure of
devising scheme for booming the
presence of Miss Camille D'Arville in
Pittsburgh l struck upon the
q idea of having dynamite bomb sent to
- II her in bouquet 1t is always advisable
S in such to have the evidence
ready so l went about getting some
sort of bomb made. A policeman whom
let into the scheme told me where
A could get such things-a nice old man
N who sold dynamite and other para
~ phernalia of oil wells. The nice old
entered into the project pleasantly
and turned the bomb to next
s day.
1t pretty thing. piece of lead
pipe some eight inches long, packed
with dynamite and. though l did not
know 1t at the time, practical, as they
say in the theatrical world that is it
csc Logs to would work. l told my policeman
the Driver friend had the bomb, and showed it to
him. l was going to put it in a bou
quet send it to Miss DArvile at the
Alvin Theater, and have her discover it.
She not to be in the scheme, as did not rely upon
her ability to carry 1T through. Ut course she would
notify her maid who would call the police and my
friend be the policeman hand at the theater
WELL when showed wed him my bomb he nearly tainted
deadly! Look-the old fellow has put the full
minatng cap at the end! 1t might go off, and if it did
it would blow the theater to pieces!"
Gingerly enough put it into little vase had in
tending to throw it away as soon as got out of Pitts
burgh as was leaving that night for Montreal; but
forgot about it, and the fact that had deadly bomb
with me never entered my mind again until next day
the train was about reaching the American border
The customs men began coming through the train
amining luggage and | suddenly remembered that in
my valiSe the bomb. Suppose they should find it,
1t would be pleasant for to be caught taking
deadly thing like that into Canada must get rid of it,
Hurriedy opening my valse, took the awful thing
out and put it into pocket. Then started for the
smoker, and as l reached the platform l threw the
bomb far out into the Just crossing the
trese. watched for it to 60 off; but it never did.
A few weeks later, however, l succeeded in working
Miss D'Arville. 1t in New York, and l conided
purpose to the regular press agent of the theater
which we were playing We made together pretty
little affair consisting of cigar box containing little
loose powder and row of matches which would be set
off by opening the box We sent it by mail to Miss
DArville, and sat down to await developments. They
came. There flash in her dressing room that
evening and calls for the police The reporters learned
of it, and the papers day full of the story.
Miss Arve herself engaged private detective
to detect the perpetrators of the foul deed
Other Work Nowadays
PUT the man ahead of the show in those days had
- other work than merely nventng exciting circunl-
it his duty arrange for the transportation of
scenery and baggage to fix scale of prices with
the local manager and look out personally for the
billing of the attraction. This latter duty that
he would in all probability have 60 round the town
with the bill posters of the theater and that his
printing was properly placed
In such cities Pittsburgh, dozen years ago and
more, Saturday nights excursion meant numberless
conflicts between the bill posting brgades of the various
| recall