The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1918-04-11

spent my time in bringing mp to dzrs
my neglected correspondence.
Tommy loves to be amused. and be-
ing Yank. they turned to me for
something new in this line. i taught
them how to pitch horseshoes. and this
game made great hit for about ten
days. Then Tommy turned to Amer
lea for new diversion. was up In
the air until happy thought came to
me. Why not write q sketch and break
Tommy In as an actor2
Une evening arrer -1ignfs OUT wnen
you are not supposed to talk. / impart-
ed my scheme in whispers to the SOC
tiop. They eagerly accepted the idea
e fo.mlpsy nty wn,q sfosh s6r, c1npans sn .-o
for further details.
After parade. the next afternoon
was almost mobbed. Everyone In the
section wanted a part In the proposed
sketch. When informed them that Il
would take Mt least ten days of hard
work to write the plot, they were bit
teriy disappointed Immediately got
busy, mnde a desk out Of biscuit tins
In the corner Of the billet. and put up
a sign "Empey & Wallace Theatrical
Co." About twenty OF the section.
upon reading this sign. Immediately
applied for the position of ONCE boy.
accepted the twenty applicants. and
sent them on scouting parties through
out the deserted French village. These
parties were to search all the attics for
discarded civilian clothes. and any
thing that we could use In the props
of our proposed company.
About i've that night they returned
covered with CRIME and dust, but load
ed down with miscellaneous assort-
ment of everything under the sun.
They must have thought that 1 was
going to start department store.
judging from the different things they
brought back from their pillage.
After eight days constant writing /
completed a two-act farce comedy
which / called 'aThe Diamond Palace
Saloon" Upon the suggestion of one
Of the boys in the section sent proof
Of the program to a printing house in
London Then assigned the different
parts and started rehearsing. David
Belasco would have thrown up his
hands in despair at the material which
1 had to use. Just imagine trying to
teach Tommy. with o strong rockney
accent. to impersonale a Bowery tough
or Southern negro
Adjacent to our billet was an open
field. We got busy at one end of 1t and
constructed q stage. We secured the
lumber for the stage by demolishing
80 old wooden shack in the rear af
our billet
The first scene Was supposed to rep
resent a street on the Bowery In New
York. while the scene of the second
act was the interior of the Diamond
Palace saloon. also on the Bovery.
In the play I took the part Of Aba
Switch, q farmer. who had come from
Pumpkinville Center. Tenn. to make
his FIRST visit to New York
In the first scene Abe 5vitch meets
the proprietor Of the Diamond Palace
saloon. a ramshnckle AFFAIR which "a
the owner was a financial loss.
The proprictor's name was Tom
Twfstem. his bartender being named
FYllem Up.
After meeting Abe. Tom and Filiem
Up persuaded him to buy the place.
praising 1t TO the skies and telling
wondrous tales Of the money taken
over the bar.
While they are talking. an old Jew
named key Cohenstein comes along.
and Abe engages him for cashier. After
engaging Ikey they meet an old
Southern negro called Sambo, and
upon the suggestion Of key he Is en-
gagged as porter. Then the three Of
them. arm In arm. leave to take pos
session OF this wonderful palace which
Abe has just paid $1,000 for. tCur-
tain-)
In the second act the curtain rises
on the interior Of the Diamond Palace
saloon. and the audience gets its FIRST
shock. The saloon looks like a pig
pen. two tramps lying drunk on the
floor. and the bartender In q dirty
shirt with his sleeves rolled up, asleep
with his head on the bar.
Enter Abe. Sambo and Key. and the
fun commences
One of The cha ;acters IN the second
act was named A.; dway Kate. and
had an awful job to break In one Of
the TommIes to act and talk Ike n
woman.
Another character was Alkal nke. an
Arizona cowboy. who just before the
close Of the play comes into the saloon
and wrecks 1t with his revolver.
We had eleven three-horr rehearsals
before I thought II advisable to pre-