Omaha daily bee., 1916-10-01


lMY tens OF thousands OF per-
XI1 sons from divers parts Of
49, the western hemisphere.
eXNRS principally, however, from
the commonwealth of Ne
braska, to be entertained during the
course Of the summer and fall, by the
musical travesty known as "Coron-
ADDS Hysterical Bull" in the vast and
echoing halls OF King Ak-Sar- BEN
den, Twentieth and Burdette streets.
Every year tens of thousands are
entertained here by some phantasma-
gorical production by the home talen
wonders, who come scampering on
of the various occupations Of life
every Monday evening during the
season, just to entertain Nebraska's
population, and let them know that
an Omahan will work without pay
At any time for the entertainment,
enlightenment, edifcation and gen.
. eral ,merriment of Nebraska people.
So 282 men, boosters every mothers
offspring of them, appeared at this
den Monday evenings for period
Of nearly four months and staged
this magnificent production, half his
torical phantasmagoria, half blood
eurdling initiation, just to give Ne
braskans and other visitors to Omaha
something pleasant to think about
for 4 month or two.
The vehicle on which their work
was hung was "Coronado's Hysteri-
cal Bull" OF course, the bull didn't
play as big part as did Coronado.
The plot, props and effects were de-
signed by Gus RENEE. The lyrics
were, emitted by Miles Greenleaf.
George F. West was responsible for
the ritual with which thevisitors were
all sworn in as loyal knights of the
realm, Prof. Sigmund Landsburg,
concocted the music and Oscar
Lieben was the architect of costumes.
Ben F. Thomas was grand multi
Shis year. There must always be a
grand mutt in every Ak-Sar-Ben
show, and the grander the man
chosen, the grander the mutt. F.
w. Fitch was the scribe who trailed
along with the mutt to see that
none Of his august words were lost
TO posterity. Bert c. Miner and
William Wappich took turns in the
part Of the prophet, for what is a
court Of q mutt without q prophet
or an oracles Oscar Lieben, J. R.
Cain IT,, and William Wappich,
were interchangeable in the part Of
che seer, with Lieben and Wappich
taking the part most of the time
during the season.
No sooner had the thousands of
visitors been duly rolled in the stu
pendous barrel, marched through the
concentrated cyclone on the second
story. Of the den, hammered through
plate glass windows, and bumped on
<nse. steel screens, than the bugler
announced the coming OF the grand
mutt. Every head in the vast hall
was instantly barred, and visitors and
local members alike stood at atten-
ton, The mutt with his retinue Of
attaches appeared. preceded by bug
lers, banner bearers, and in a gen.
eral iourishing burst Of magnifi-
eence.
When they marched to the great
stage at the north end of the hall,
che multi took his position back Of
u small altar. babe the multitude be
seated, and then and there made
them all loyal knights Of Ak-Sar-
Ben.
Here the seer, usually Oscar Lieb-
en-, came slowly upon the scene, an
aged and bent figure, leaning his tot
tering form upon q staff. In his
hand he carried . crystal globe as
big as q mans head He tottered
over to little table, placed the globe
upon it, whereupon it instantly be-
came Illuminated in bright red.
As the seer gazed into the crystal
depths of the globe, he began to see
again the great drama OF the progress
OF Nebraska from a treeless desert
upon which the red eye Of the sun
looked pitilessly for ages, to the mod
ern day Of agricultural plenty, mil
lion and half of people, and high
degree of civilization, educational and
general culture. All these things he
reviewed in a dramatic speech as he
stared wild-eyed into the bright red
crystal. As if his eye was sweeping
/ the ages, his oratory slashed through
Nhe centuries, and brought the listen
ers down to the modern date, the birth
OF Ak-Sar-Ben as a booster organize
tion and its twenty-five years Of prog
yess,,s
Again this feeble patriarch's mind
suffered lapse, and he seemed to
hear again the bells Of the royal court
OF the tabled King Tartarrax, the
mythical king toward which the In
dian guides in centuries gone by, led
Coronado and his band Of Spanish
cavaliers
Even as the old seer vanishes from
the foreground the bells Of the tabled
court chimed, the curtain was with
drawn, and there was this tabled
court itself lying before the gaze.
i, In rushed Jack Alvord, taking the
part OF the tabled King Tartarrax.
Charley Gardner played the part early
in the season, and his big musical
voice was much applauded. Then he
had to drop out for a time, and Chief
Henry Dunn took the part as we'll as
he could for time, but since he had
the operation year ago, he has not
been especially enthusiastic for these
laborous stage stunts. Jack Alvord
was then decided upon, and Jack made
good Not SO huge in stature as
Dunn or Gardner, his voice neverthe-
less carried well, and he made a very
king of the tabled tribe Of
red men.
So in rushed King Tartarrax roar
ing about the jangling of the Internal
BELLS" for he was growing tired of