The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1917-04-21
TORCH KNOWS
THE OLD WORLD
HAS HAD VARIED EXPERIENCE
DURI-C HIS SHORT
CAREER

AhC "
a: the Hippodrome last week, is an
interesting character to say the
least. Regarding conditions in Rus
STA, the place of his nativity, he has
the following to say:
although political strife and So
cial tumult were common in Rus
sia," says Mr.. Torch, 1.-THE situation
has never been as black as it has
been painted"
Theodore Lorch was born in FL
gin, ILL.,, of a MISUNDERSTANDING
ish father and a French German
mother. His father ran away from
his home in Russia at the age of
IS. Lorch's grandfather was a
general in the Russo-Turkish war,
and governor of a district neal
P%etrograd. When Torch was one
year old, his grandfather died and
his father left for Russian in re-
sponse to a call from the Father
land in which he was notified hat
as governor of the district of New
ra, near the capital city. Lorch's
father became very wealthy through
projecting a railroad which con
trolled the salt output of this dis
trict. which was very rich in the
mineral.
Torch was surrounded by all the
luxury and signs of wealth that
Russian rubles could purchase. He
was sent to the Imperial gymnasi-
UNI at P~etrograd and at the age
of 10 years was at the head of one
of the departments at the institu-
ton. Car Nicholas, who recently
abdicated, was one of the students
in the gymnasium, and was person
ally known to Torch. Nicholas
graduated the year Torch entered.
1t was at this time that Lorch's
father was suddenly stricken. re-
sulting in the loss of his wealth,
and the loss of his reason. He died
when Torch was IA years of age,
and the son and mother came to the
United States. The young Rus
sian could speak not a word Of
English and his mother was forced
to take up the occupation of a
dressmaker to support herself and
son. When he left the country in
which he had seen SO much of
wealth, luxury and social position,
Torch automatically renowned his
claims to a place in the Imperial
army and the rights reverted to
his cousins, both of whom are in
the government service. One cousin
is with the Cossacks, the famous
mounted troops, and the other with
the equally famed Hussars. A posi-
ton as an officer with any of these
regiments would have been open to
the young man, but he preferred
instead to make his fortune in the
United States. An uncle, George
Lorch. is an official in the Bank of
Moscow. There are other relatives
of wealth and position, also.
When Lorch arrived in the Uni
ted States, after fourteen years alb
sence. he could not speak a word
of English, but was ambitious to
learn. He Immediately started to
night school and in three years
passed the course. Part of the
money he used to make his way
through school was earned while
he was engaged as a page in the
house of representatives, 39th ses-
sion. at Springfield, Ill.
When the Spanish-American war
broke out the young soldier of for
tune enlisted under the Stars and
Stripes in company c, fifth Illi-
nois regiment. He served through
the entire war in General Frederick
Grants division and upon being
mustered out entered the theatrical
business, which has engaged his
attention ever since. For twenty
years he has been in the show
business, during which time he has
written many plays. staged and di-
rected all of the productions in
which he has played, rehearsed the
plays, and has been the leading
was % years of age. The Lorch
theater in PasSalc, n. j., is his own
private property. Owing to the
war it is at present presenting
moving pictures and vaudeville, al
though for many years it was de-
voted to legitimate drama and
plays of recognized worth.
A cousin of Lorch's father was
one of the wives of the Sultan of
Turkey in Constantinople. She es-
capped what she regarded as a life
of shame by punching out one of
her eyes with a pencil while in the
harem. She was forced to enter
the place when she was captured
on the streets of Constantinople by
the Sultan's soldiers. After she
had thus marred her own beauty,