The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-12-13
VI T.
FOOTLIGHTSCAL
SHANK And BEAR
Former Indianapolis Mayor
and Trained Bruin on
Vaudeville Stage.
HE HAS A M0N0L 0GUE
There Was Something Doing Every
Minute While He Was
City Head.
HE HAS A M0N0L0 GUE

Indianapolis, Dec. 12-It is now Samuel
Lewis shank, actor, and no longer mayor
of indianapolis. Monday night at Kan
sas City Lew Shank will make his debut
at the Empress Theater in vaudeville.
He has a contract for forty-two. weeks,
which will take him to all the leading
cities of the country.
His act will be a .nonologue entitled
.The Cost Of High Living and the High
Cost of Living" His turn" will be
accompanied by comic motion picture
film which has been especially prepared
to illustrate the many experiences which
will be included in his talk. His press
agent announces that no copyright has
been taken out on the monologue.
Always Something Doing.
During Shank's four years Qess five
weeks) as mayor of Indianapolis there
was something doing every minute"
His reign was more spectacular than
his abdication of office, when, rather
than face a general strike Of the team
sters, with the labor men pulling him
this way and the business interests yank-
ing him that he stepped down and out,
saying: The darn thing worried me
so, by golly. that I couldn't get decent
nights rest" The business men were
threatening impeachment proceedings If
he did not avert the strike.
The mayors determination to get out
was confided to a reporter at his storage
house while he was teaching a duck
to swim in tub of water" and he was
having more fun than goin' TO a cir
GUS
A short time ago some friends who had
just returned from the West presented
the mayor with a black bear cub The
mayor was delighted, and he said:
Takes Rear Along.
by gosh, I'll just take the critter
with me on my vaudeville trip, and if /
don't make a hit, maybe the bear will"
Not long after Shanks became mayor
the basement of his home became in
tested with feas. He appealed to the |
health board. |
"Gol burned if there amt ten million |
of 'em down there" he said. And now
to make matters worse, Sarah says II
, icn't get 'em out, she'll leave me-"
C"Sarah'' is Mrs. Shank.) /
Somebody suggested that putting a !
goat in the basement might solve the |
problem. He tried 1t, but the Humane |
Society got after him and he gave that
up. Finally, he had to move out and |
turn the house oyer to the contagious |
5isease department for fumigation-
Shank once found a model servant
He hired colored man to do couple |
Of days work. When that was finished |
The man took up his quarters in the
basement and refused to be fired He |
sid everything without being told.
Only objection had to him. said |
Shank, 'he insisted on getting drunk /
every Saturday night and smoking my
Decent cigars in the parlor. But finally \
got used to it Oh, he was Jewel"
Won n TuE-of-War.
Shank is an athlete. Once, when he
Ras attending a fair at Rushville, there
was to be a tug-of-war. One of the
teams was a man short when the time
arrived. The captain, sizing Shank up.
without knowing him, came forward and
said:
Say. mister, grab hold here and help
Is out
SURE said Shank; and he threw off
his coat and seized the rope. His
strength won the contest.
The captain nearly tainted when,
alter. he was introduced to the guest
" honor.
Shank had some original ideas about
sealing with Sunday closing of saloons.
The city ordinances gave him the power
o revoke saloon licenses. At the trial
If one man Shank asked:
How long since you attended church,"
Something like ten or twelve years."
he saloon man replied.
Well" said his honor, your license
IS suspended until you bring me a GER
tificate from some active minister say
ing that you have attended divine wor-
ship at his church"
Now He's n Churchgoer.
Following the next Sunday the man
appeared with the certificate, and said
he liked the service so well he had de-
cided to keep his place closed and go to
church every Sunday.
Shank says he will never forget his
frsa 20 here he
turing his high cost of living crusade.
He tells of occupying $50 a day suite
at the Hotel Astor, getting more mail and
kilograms than any other guest, and hav-
ing his picture taken seventeen times in
one day.
As mayor he made war on automobile
speeders. The first one he caught hap
pened to be personal friend and the
mayor let him go. At another time he
arrested the son of an old-time &C.
uuaintance, an attorney. The lawyer
thereupon swore out a warrant charg-
ing the mayor with violating the speed
laws when he made the arrest. To make
matters worse. the case was brought be-
fore a country justice, fifteen miles from
the city. The squire liked the fun so
much that he made the trial last over
two days. In the end the mayor was
acquitted.
Tied NuptiaI Knots.
Mayor Shank was much sought to tie
nuptial knots, and he did it wherever
he happened to beat his auction rooms,J
the City Hall, at home or at police
headquarters where sometimes he was
interrupted in a pinochle game. He in
variably turned the fee over to the bride.
Mayor Shank was named as delegate
to the Republican National Convention at
Chicago. He left the city with some
thing like 500 in gold for expense money.
Hearing that the Chicago hotels were
charging excrbitant rates, he stopped at
Gary, Ind, and put up at a hotel there,
from which place he could run into town
in a short time.