Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-11-26
w THAT would you sey of who owned with
w pride to criminal record including

Nv /HAl WOULD Sty OF d man VINO owned W1tn
w pride to criminal record including
three hundred and twenty of arson,
twenty eight hundred and fifty murders, thousand
and twenty-five of kidnapping four thousand
thefts hundred and sixty successful attempts to
blow up buildings with dynamite few thousand cases
of bgamy, and the sinking of two three hundred
Ships say nothing of five six thousand lesser crimes,
such strangng children, breaking up happy homes,
wreckng banks, driving women into the streets, and
betrayng friends whose meals he had eaten and in
whose homes he had been welcomed visitor 1t would
not be stretching the point would it, to that you
would regard such something of villain? And
it would not be stretching the point much further would
it, to say that he was the biggest and most deeply dyed vii
lain in America, if not the word Permit then, gen.
tie reader, to introduce myself to you. that man!
Since l lad of fifteen l have made careful
study of vainy, and have practsed it in its almost
every FORM have found the life attractive and relent
lessly interesting; much SO, l make bold to
ture, than life of moral recttude and impeccabity
might have been. And it is with this in mind that
now, by way of defending vlainy, make these "con-
fessons to public that is all too prone regard rascal
ity as being devoid of all heart and art
Vilainy on the contrary, have practised it, is
really delightful occupation, joyous, pleasurable
pastime, replete in humanness, and full of the things
that make life worth living villain to reach the true
heights of vlany, must be both scholar and gentle
One cannot be consummate villain merely by
understanding the component parts of ntroglycern
by wearing SLOUGH hat and coat collar upturned
Vilainy, like painting, medicine, law, any of the
other professions science, and understand
ing and appreciation of and ability it salts
factorily to a only after trying and
lengthy period of arduous apprenticeship.
| once knew whose object in life to impress
on the public the fact that he great villain who
went to his early grave with his purpose unattaned be-
cause Nature had given him an inaid frown that he
could not eradicate, try he would And the public,
wearied of his eternallv stern look merely smiled to
itself and said "He thinks he is villain; but that
lasting frown bellies him. No villain scowls all the
time Another eager asprant to the of vllany
whom met some years ago in the course of my travels
failed in his ambition in similar through his
natural vainous look This anything but paradox
for your really truly authentic villain your villain de
luxe, does not-aye cannot-have what the world
knows this selfsame "villainous look" Only the
worlds heroes privileged to enjoy that look per-
feet villain may not look the villain any more than a
proficient burglar may look the burglar.
Before going further with these confessions however
must put the police off my track by stating that my
viainy and the villainy with which am concerning
myself here is stage villany Stage vany is, neverhe
less not entirely ineffective mirror in which behold
the trend of actual vlany The stage holds the mirror
up villany does the other natural emotions.
Sometimes indeed, holds the mirror up far ahead of
time, in the instance of play called "Taken from
Life produced quite few years ago In this play l,
the role of the villain, blew up building with dyna
mite, the time of the explosion of which regulated
by just such piece of clock mechanism supposed
to have been employed the recent Los Angeles outrage
During my long adventures in stage viainy, enbrac-
ing the portrayal of something like five hundred differ
ent and distinct roles, have been villains of every
and color under the l have the gamut from