Omaha daily bee., 1910-05-29
PASSING OF F0REPAW'S BEAUTY
RecOllectiOns of a BIT of Circus Bnm-
boosting Worked by
Press Agent.

When Louise Montague, the famous
$1,000 beauty" died in New York recently
the star reporters pulled the high-speed
levers on their imaginations and wrote
pretty fair stories about her and her
career A few Of them, too, walled in deep
organ tones, that just oozed tears, over the
pathetic ending Of her life. She had made
unhappy investments and the like and they
contrasted the poverty OF her last days
with the gilded glory Of those when she
focused public attention.
All this read well, but It couldn't stand
the litmus paper test of accuracy. Miss
Montague never made unfortunate invest
ments that dragged her down because she
never had any money to invest
The whole scheme Of the $1,000 beauty
was merely big bit of circus bamboozling
and It made such hit because it was
pulled off in the early days of gold-brick-
ing the public. 1t is true that Barnum
had fooled the people from the start Of
his career, but he was alone in this decep-
ton. No one seemed to have the brain
to fake in the willy way OF Phineas T.
At last, however, somebody In the Fore
paugh employ hit on this scheme and 1t
took like fire. The most beautiful woman
in the country was advertised for and
contest started. The winner was to get
IL
pearance in the Forepaugh parade and the
Grand Entree' INTO the circus ring.
The press was worked" with uncommon
ingenuity. The whole country talked of
the contest for months and when Louise
Montague was finally officially selected
and tagged with the title OF the most
| beautiful woman in the world, the great
public all over the country was wild to
see hec.
| A circus street parade is always an event,
but those Forepaugh professions estab-
| lished records for the crowds they drew
and the early appearance OF the spec
tators. These would be on hand hours
ahead of the time, so to secure the best
points of vantage.
| And then, when the parade hove in sight,
the excitement was as great as II the All
koond OF Swat was on view, and much
more intense than the appearance OF the
president would produce.
! Miss Montague was seen sitting on a
throne on top OF gilded globe, symbolical
of the world. She was flamboyantly ar
rayed, and the whole float was OF the ex-
travagant, giided gingerbread style that
circus men delight in.
1t was the best OF fun to stand in u
crowd and hear the comments that followed
a first sight of Miss Montague. She was
a pretty woman, but not uncommonly so. II
was understood that she was a chorus girl
In one of George w. LedereTs shows. and
Forepaugh hired her to pose in this pulchrir
tudinous way for only a little bigger SAT-
airy than she had been paid in comic opera.
| II she had appeared unheralded, the null
titude would have considered her a rather
pretty girl and thought no more of It, but
with the expectations at fever heat, the
sight OF this $4,000 beauty made for criti-
cisms, amusing and Jeering. ] have no
doubt that Miss Montague heard them, but
they never caused her face, to break from
that front row. chorus girl smile Of hers.
She lasted out the season with Forepaugh
and then returned to tho stage, where the
advertising she had received got her good
parts She played with more or less sue
cess for some time. but for the last ten
years or so she wasn't before the public
She lived quietly with her son in New York
and all the stories of the vivid and pathetic
contrasts OF her career that have been
printed Of late are merely that much news
paper flapdoodle.
The whole affair is interesting merely
as showing the credulity OF the public. II
is not as simple minded now of course, but
the right kind OF a fakir can still fool It.
as witness the recent vogue of some amaz
ing press agent stunts. They didn't al
cease when Mansfield translated TO another
world, stopped throwing mutton chops fol
Paul Wilstach 10 write about or Anna HEX
took her last milk bath. StiI It is safe Il
say that there will never be a theatrlea
hoax of the magnitude Of this $4,000 beauty
one.-Cleveland Leader.