New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-05-25
AIMED NURSES OF THE THRILL
BY GEORGE JEAN NATHAN

4 good one How intensity it, Thus the inventors
speculated
the nihsts across the stage; that IS, the nhls
ranged against the right wall OF the room and the sol
dicrs against the opposite wall After much experiment.
ING with the germ of the thrill, during which such aug
cnting devices as the failure Of the rifles 10 work al
the first shot thus prolonging the agony were dis
missed as not being possessed Of sufficient effectiveness
and novelty il was decided that new thrill might be
obtained by exhibiting play Of a similar nature IN
which the soldiers guns pointed almost directly 40 the
audience After numerous experiments, the thrill was
nursed to strength as follows:
The title Of the piece: During the Arm s'ice'
founded on a tale Of Guy de AlaupasSant The theme:
Two innocent Frenchmen fishing outside the torlIca-
tons surprised by German soldiers, commanded 90 give
the enemy the password into the fortifcation and
upon refusing shot one after the other. Inc thrill;
First Frenchman led off into the woods lo stage and
shot His companion alone whte. trem3IinS teeth
chattering ewes bugiug with fear The soldier return
The password No. The Frenchman, crying for mercy
for his babies sake is placed down stage I'm line with
the audience Eight rifles are leveled at him Fire.
and eight streaks Of flame flash directly IN the audiences
ewes as the rddlcd body Of the helpless old Fren-lman
falls before them. The thrill produced by this subtle
rfce Of firing the guns at angle that intensified the
audiences alarm by causing it actually 70 feel the dan
ger Of the iirespitting rifles, turned the trek
n wears past thrill had been secured by showing
1 part Of a regiment being laid waste by the rarage
Of fearful plague The idea Of the death Of these stall
yart though dctcnSclcSS, soldiers before inc itl o
battle ever could be reached by them projected the
shuliers so successfully that the thrill nurses decided
that the germ OF the idea might be cultivated again 20
q much more horribly impressive conclusion.
How 20 Law low a great body OF men in dlrcui. ter
ibe recntlcsslv fatal way? First came the idea ~ re-
vengc desired bv one Of their own number. Someone
among them must wish TO kill off the regiment The
latter moreover If the thrill was 20 be gained, must be
unaware II emurdcrous plot against It. Secondly how
10 kill? Inoculatc the regiment with germs lhe cata
loguc Of deadly germs was gone through oWly
carefully. and one after another species Of gems
was dismissed as sufficiently terrible I'D effect
Al Est-hvdrophobia, And the result was
piece called "Lc Beau Regiment, IN which
man out Of revenge and malice Inocula'ei The
great file Of soldiers with hydrophobia germs VIA
their supply Of drinking water. The narrowing
thrill quality Of the resultant situation may be
imagined This thrill indeed is regarded by
Gui-nol authorities as one OF the most Quterns
ever exploited by them.
THE horrorof the spectacle Of physical .,a anil
suffering has been studied out o. Tie me-
nutc~t detail bv these nurses Of the t.1.. Tie
manner in which this phase Of the thru rr.r
business is approached may aptly be 'n.. a.ei
I'm the narration Of the operations connD..e. "i,l
oncoi thcucwcst and most finished SD pr .t.',
The agents Of Maurey, the major general 0 iae
thrill uurvcvors. came 10 him one day L..' yea.
with the news that several men had LED
themselves together 20 present al q rt.- play
house I'm Paris q thriller that would outt.-.. ana
outShock ANYTHING the Guignol had eyer ais-
closed. We will wait. replied Maurer t'.H.
I'VE will what these prctenter- .n'