The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-02-02
SalOme Dancer Who Caused Stir
Makes a Confession.
Had Never Seen Dance Before
Giving 1t in Topeka.
PRESSED INTO SERVICE
Came to Do a Song and Dance
Turn.
Says It Was First and Last EX-
perience as SalOme.

How a pretty and clever actress who
lad never witnessed the Salone dance
and not even heard the music, COM
pletely fooled Topeka people, was de-
nounced by the clergy and her dance
inspected by every policeman who could
see it and every time he could see it,
became public today when Edna Dav-
export, who does a clever singing and
dancing stunt at the Novelty this week
confessed that she was the imitation
Salome dancer seen at the Majestic last
winter And she swears it was her
first, last and only Interpretation OF
the famous dance.
Back of the story of Miss Davenport
debut as a dancer of Salome is a story
of a missed tram and night of worry
on part of Roy Crawford and ]. NJ.
Kearney, managers of the Majestic
theater last winter when vaudeville was
the bill at that playhouse. Mile. Joyce
GRAY, who was to do the dance, decid-
ed to miss her train at Denver and
did miss It. 1t was up to the manage
rnent to produce the advertised Salome
dancer and Miss Davenport helped them
do it.
Billed to do a coon song and dance
she learned of the trouble when she
arrived in Topeka. the morning before
she was to begin the week, her first
as a dancer of Salome. The joyce
wardrobe had arrived and by the use
of burglars tools Mr.. Kearney opened
the trunks and secured the clothes
for the dance.
Them says Miss Davenport, 1t was
Up to me. We did not have the music
so / hunted up some music at the 10
cal stores which sounded to me like
Salome music should sound. When
returned to the theater I found box
of battered brass cuspidors- They were
to be hung around the stage to burn al
cohol in, l later learned. That first
day was the only day it was enjoya-
BILE. After that it was anything but
funny I was so ashamed that / moved
from the hotel to a boarding house on
q side street to keep people from seeing
me.
"Then when people began to de-
nounce me I wanted to quit 1 didn't
have to do that dance to make wages.
I had a good act I know and people
would see me at the hotel they would
say, There is the singer After be-
gan to DO Salome they would look and
dancer. But Mr.. Kearney and Mr..
Crawford kept begging me and I was
easy so I went on with it.
"Oh, the trouble 1 had. Everything
went wrong. Then Wednesday the
MANAGEMENT cancelled one of the acts
and and i had to do nv coon song and
dance too. I did six turns day. Tired?
Well. rested all the next week to make
up for it,
Mr.. Kearney and I had a code of
signals. He stood in the back of the
house and if he moved his hand slow
ly across his face it meant Make the
dance very tame, police on another in
spection" tour If. however, he held out
fists 1t meant make it strong Then
he would stand there with a piece of
paper, watch every dance and tell me
new things to do next time. How I
ever got through it 1 don't know, but
we did not have any trouble to speak
of.
"I have since seen Gertrude Hoffman
in Salome and know more about the
real dance than 1 did then. But 1
learned my Salome in a way far diff
ferent from that used by any other
dancer of it. have never done Sa-
lone at any other time and l never
shall
Miss Davenport was denounced at the
Riederwolf evangelistic meetings which
were being held at the Auditorium ana
as the result of this announcement her
printed reply to the criticism and her
dance packed the Majestic at every
performance. new record on
" eek's attendance was established. No
one outside the management knew un-
I'll after she left town that Miss Dav-
export was not the real and only
"Salome lady" Then it leaked out and
was known by chosen few.
This is her first visit to Topeka, the
scene of her Salome triumphs, since
the triumph. She has clever act and
her singing is good and the songs are
liked. She will make more friends
here this time than she did when she
danced Salome. When Messrs. Craw-
ford and Kearney think of Salome they
heave a sigh of relief that the dance
is now in the junk pile. And Miss Dav-
export is real reformed Salome
dancer.