The Devils Lake world and inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1915-1920, 1916-09-14

Tho stunt worked 10 perfection from
the pictorial standpoint. When the
water got up to q necks, the director
turned loose scores and scores Of rats
which had been captured especially for
the occasion and threw them into the
water with us. As I swan around,
there were rats everywhere, to the
right Of me, to the left Of me, before
me and behind me. Several climbed
up into my hair, others chung to my
dress, some bit me in their frenzy.
However, I had no other feeling save
anger at the little beasts, and did not
mind it particularly, although n Of
the other players who was watching
the taking Of the scene, q beautiful
young. girl, tainted dead away.
Another stunt l did caused much
newspaper comment, but Afforded me
really a most pleasant time. The story
called for me to get into a captive bal
loon and while I was in the basket
alone for the villain to come up and
cut the rope, thus sending me away in
to the unknown. A balloon was hired
and anchored on the edge of the PAIL
sades on the New Jersey side of the
Hudson River. The aeronaut before
the taking of the scene instructed me
on how to use the ripping cord. Ev-
erything went off to perfection. The
villain cut the rope, and the balloon
shot into the air, drifted ove the
Hudson River, sailed majestically sew
eral thousand feet high above New
York, crossed the East Rive" and then
went out over Long Island. I vas so
pleased with the beautiful view as
the balloon floated along, that I for.
got all about the ripping cord until
l sighted the Atlantic Ocean and be-
ly descend, I would soon be far out
owe the water. 1 pulled the cord
and the balloon descended into a
Long Island marsh only a few steps
from the ocean. 1t was surely a mar
row escape. In no time at all the
roads We're jammed with automobiles
coming up at full tilt to see what it
vas all about. In the meantime my
director. Mr.. Cashier, was nearly era
~ with worry. He wired to every
point he could think of on Long Island
asling for information about me. In
due time he was notified Of my sue
cessful descent and five or six hours
later had Joined me, making a record
breaking trip by motor car from New
Jersey.
Speaking of the balloon makes me
think of another stunt we worked
with that same balloon. 1t was an
chored on the edge of the Palisades
again and they worked something in
to the script which made it impera-
tive for me to go down the anchor
rope hand over hand. AS the balloon
was q good many feet in the air, it
was not a particularly nice stunt to
do, but, protecting my hands with
gloves, I made the trip without acci=
dent. The worst thing about it was
the way that balloon sw'ayed in the
wind. It was continually swinging
back and forth, as though I waas in
a giants swing, but ny experience
Gs q trapeze artist proved helpful, and
1 kept my eyes upward all the time.
In the exploits of Elaine" they had
me climb q church steeple and strug
gle with the villain up near the very
top. This was very unpleasant as
my feet, though encased in rubber
rsoled shoes, would slip time and time
again, and I had to save myself by
grabbing hold Of the lightning roc
connection.
l have several times been bound tt
q railroad track with an express trair
charging toward me at full speed. L
is necessary for the player to hav'
absolute confidence in the director IL
a chse like this. AS for me, eac:
! time as l heard the rails click undel
the wheels of the approaching train,
was serenely confident that the direc
efrr6r Was looking after me. T believ'
that the fearless person is usual!
a fatalist. I know that I am, and eacl
stunt that.I do I am absolutely conf
dent that I am going through it sue
cessfully. This feeling is. .absolutel!
essential Without it, I know that
would have perisned long before now