The log cabin Democrat., 1916-09-20

The stunt worked to perfection from the pictorial standpoint When the water got up to our 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 swam 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 clung to my dress, some bit me in their frenzy Howtver, I had no other feeling save anger at the little beasts, and did not mind it particularly, although one of the other players who was watching the taking of the scene, 6 beautiful young girl, tainted dead away
 Another stunt I did caused much newspaper comment, but afforded me really 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 Pali- 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 of to perfection. The villain cut the rope, and the balloon shot into the air, drifted over the Hudson River. sailed majestically sev- eral thousand feet high above New York, crossed the East River and then went out over Long Island. 1 was so pleased with the beautiful view as the balloon fioated along, that for got all about the ripping cord until l sighted the Atlantic Ocean and be came conscious that if did not quick ly descend, I would soon be far out over the water. 1 pulled the cord and the balloon descended into Long Island marsh only a few steps from the ocean. It was surely nar- row escape. In no time at all the roads were jammed with automobilists coming up at full tilt to see what it was all about. In the meantime my director MT. Cashier, was nearly cra- zy with worry. He wired to every point he could think of on Long Island asking 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 1 breaking trip by motor car from New Jersey.
 nf hn ho1 think of another stunt we worked with that same balloon. It 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 i rope hand over hand As the balloon was good many feet in the air, it was not particularly nice stunt to do, but, protecting my hands with gloves, l made the trip without acci- | dent. The worst thing about it was the way that balloon swayed in the wind. It was continually swinging back and forth, as though l was in a giants swing, but my experience as trapeze artist proved helpful, and l kept my eyes upward all the time.
 In the Exploits of Elaine" they had me climb a church steeple and strug- gle with the villain up near the very top. This was very unpleasant as my feet, though encased in rubber soled shoes, would slip time and time again, and I had to save myself by i grabbing hold of the lightning rod connection.
 l have several times been bound to a railroad track with an express train charging toward me at full speed. It | is necessary for the player to have absolute confidence in the director in case like this. AS for me, each time as I heard the rails click under l the wheels of the approaching train, was serenely confident that the direc- tor was looking after me. I believe that the fearless person is usually fatalst. I know that 1 am, and each stunt that I do I am absolutely conf dent that am going through 1t sue cessfully. This feeling is absolutely essential. Without it, I know that would have perished long before now