The San Francisco call., 1910-05-22

! has been hshtened by as many years
of song.
Fogarty was an errand boy for big
| jewelry firm in Brooklyn. His brother
helped him get the job. Brother has
stuck to the place" said Fogarty, land
since I left has climbed up to be the
manager and a part owner. But I rus
tied around with packages and kept
time by humming songs and learning
new ways Of locomotion; new steps.
I got 81 a week for packing jewels to
my betterS. At night 1 was in some
demand for charitable entertainments.
( My father was a Hibernian, of course.
and belonged TO St. Patrick organiza-
tions and was there" with the pike
vielders all the time. He let me prac-
tice on 'em, and, Injured as all Irish are
to suffering. they seemed to like it. I
had a good voice then-that was be-
sing and dance for nothing almost any
night 1 wanted. 1t was good practice
for me and after awhile 1 used to get
paid. Gradually I got as much as
three and four jobs a week at IS a
night, and that made 81 per from the
jewellers look pretty small. I found out
about that time that it isn't the amount
( OF work you do that counts. It is the
way you do It. L got 81 a week for
running several hundred miles with
bundles in my hands. AS long as there
were clubs willing to pay me more for
20 minutes energy l concluded that
I'd better develop the higher priced
goods had in stock The first week
that had six engagements in it quit
the store with my sS4 intact. Said
to myself, Frank, that'n keep you for
two months at the jewelers. rates 1t
wasn't a very daring risk 1 ran. So
I jumped the job
At that time Lehman was the big
vaudeville magnate in New York
Everybody. including William Morris.
waited for him. Morris was his office
boy, in fact. Fogarty concluded to call
on Lehman. Il figured that if I was
good IN clubs and at entertainments of
that kind I ought to be good enough
for a vaudeville show
when / broke into Lehman's office
I got an awful shock. The anteroom
was full. The office boy behind the rail
that was William Morris-stood
guard of an inner sanctuary where
none but the chosen were admitted, and
they walked in hat in hand, breathless
and some scared Usually they came
out defeated. There were, it seemed
to me, about 100 walters. I Joined the
crowd and stuck for half an hour. Then
I left with an idea. I wrote Lehman
a letter, in which 1 neglected to tell
him that 1 was II years old and looking
for job / said had called upon him
twice, but had failed to get his ear,
into which 1 wanted to pour a matter
of business and Importance. The fact
that il was important only to me did
not seem a truth that required airing
so il was suppressed. I received in
reply a card inviting me to call at II
O'Clock of a Wednesday The card
passed me through the gate where Nor
ris sat-he used to look so comfortable
in that chair that the name Morris
chair was soon afterward invented
and got into Lehman's Office. I told him
everything I wanted to in about 10
seconds and found myself out on the
street wondering whether he was in
earnest when he asked for my address.
Thursday evening received message
from him to go to work at Keith's Bos-
ton house for $50 a week That's how.
broke into the vaudeville business"
~ HERE was a long time, however, |
during which Fogarty was out of |
vaudeville. He hit burlesque lit |
tie. doing white and black and mono |
logue and song and dance stuff for four |
years with "Fads and FoIlies."
After doing stunts all over the
east I came back to New York and
asked for 800 a week. The best
they'd offer me was $50, so / said
nothing doing. and commenced again at |
my club work and soon afterward be-
came a political speaker
Frank explained to me very care !