Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-25
BY GEORGE JEAN NATHAN

speculated
In aThe Attack the soldiers had fired their volley into
the nihists the STAGE that the n1hlStS
ranged against the right wall of the and the sol
ders against the opposite wall After much experiment
ing with the germ of the thrill during which such aug
menting devices the failure of the rifles to work at
the first shot thus prolonging the agony were dis
missed being possessed of sufficient effectiveness
and novelty it decided that thrill might lie
obtained by exhibiting play OF similar nature IN
which the soldiers guns pointed almost directly at the
audience. After experiments the thrill was
nursed to strength follows
The title of the piece During the ArrlStlce
founded on tale of Guy de Maupassant. The theme:
Two innocent Frenchmen fishing outside the fortified
tons surprised by German soldiers commanded to give
the enemy the password into the Notifications, and,
upon refusing shot after the other The thrill:
First Frenchman led off into the woods o stage and
shot. His companion alone, white trembling. teeth
chattering eyes bullying with fear The soldiers return.
The password! No! The Frenchman, crying for mercy
for his babies sake is placed down stage lin line with
the audience). Eight rifles are leveled at him. Fire.
and eight streaks of fame flash directly in the audiences
the ddled body of the helpless old Frenchman
falls before them. The thrill produced by this subtle
artce of firing the at angle that intensified the
audiences alarm by causing 1t actually to feel the dan
ger of the fire-spitting rifles, turned the trick.
TN years past thrill had been secured by showing
part of regiment being laid waste by the ravages
of fearful plague The idea of the death of these stall
wart though defenseless soldiers before the field of
battle could be reached by them projected the
shudders successfully that the thrill decided
that the germ of the idea might be cultivated again to
a much more horribly impressive conclusion.
How to lay low great body of men in dreful, ter
rible reentlessly fatal way? First the idea of
venge desired by of their number Someone
among them must wish to kill off the regiment. The
latter moreover if the thrill be gained must be
Of the murderous plot against it. Secondly how
to kill? Inocuate the regiment with germs! The Cata
logue of deadly germs was gone through slowly,
carefully. and one after another species of germs
was dismissed not sufficiently terrible in effect.
II At last-hydrophobia! And the result
piece called lie Beau Regiment" in which
man out of revenge and malice inocuated the
III great file of soldiers with hydrophobia germs via
their supply of drinking water The narrowing
II thrill quality Of the resultant situation may be
imagined. This thrill, indeed, is regarded by
Gugnol authorities as of the most quiverng
ever exploited by them.
THE horror of the spectacle of physical pain and
n suffering has been studied out to the mi
nutest detail by these nurses of the thrill. The
in which this phase of the thrill-horror
/ business is approached may aptly be indicated
in the narration of the operations connected with
of the newest and most finished (sic) products
The agents of Maurey, the major general Of the
4 thrill purveyors, came to him day last year
Il with the that several men had banded
II themselves together to present at rival play
II house in Paris thriller that would outthri and
i outshock anything the Guignol had dis
4 closed I'VE will wait replied Maurey calmly
1--WE will what these pretepders invent
and then we will beat them at their own inven