Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-02-16

court every day." Mr.. Miller advised.
But who will guide me?" I asked.
"I1l go with you" said MI Miller.
And it was settled, but l learned after
wards that Miller "rehearsed" his en-
trance and exit several times without
telling me anything about it.
''Of course you know this isn't my first
time on the stage" said Miller, "Oh, no.
l appeared with Fred Stone the last time
he was here. It was in the circus scene"
Somehow or other, Ad Miller is getting
more like Lightnin' Bill Jones every day.
(Get the idea?)
At the close of the first act, Mr.. Miller
and Mr.. Allen escorted me back stage.
The courtroom was just being put to-
gether. ceiling was being hung. The
"clerk" of the court was placing the
judges docket on the bench and busting
the judges chair and bench. (The
Judges bench and chair is busted better
in this show that it Is in many real
courtroom / have been in.)
Mr. Allen took us on the stage and in
troduced US to the court reporter and
The sheriff.
shall take my hat OFF," asked Mil
Ter.
Sure, take it off," answered Allen.
"Now sit down on the bench near the
witness chair" directed Mr.. Allen. You
will get by all right" he said to me.
About that time the sheriff sat down
in a chair near a table, put his feet on
it and began reading a paper The court
reporter sat down at her table. The
clerk went to his desk
And then the curtain went up.
Miller whispered to me, How do you
feel?8
Like -" I whispered.
'T know, I know" he laughed in a
whisper.
The footlights blinded me at first.
Gosh, how glad l was I didn't have any
thing to say.
Miller poked me in the RIBS and said:
There is Nelson Trowbridge laughing
himself sick at US"
About that time, the sheriff raped and
announced, THE Judge"
As 1 have covered courts for n dozen
years, and then some, rose just Ike
do each morning IN Judge Collins
court when he takes the bench.
Judge Townsend didn't pay one bit If
attention to the press. (These actor folk
are all business. No time for play with
these people.)
1
strong enough to support me while
greeting the court, I settled back on
the bench again and tried to conceal
myself behind the witness bench.
Then Bessie Bacon as Margaret Davis,
the actress wife who wanted n divorce
quick, arrived IN the courtroom and the
comedy began in earnest.
| looked up at the clock on the left
wall and would you believe tit wasn't
running. Just like 4 real clock In real
courtroom.
When I began to feel more Eat home"
began to study and think. Here was
Miss Bacon conyulsing an audience and
yet she didn't appear to be acting. She
was no different than hundreds Of women
who appear in the courts Of this county
with the exception there is no love affair
between the witness and the court.
The sheriff Of the court in this play
was the important party just as he gen
orally is In a real court room. The
clerk generally has a sense Of humor
and so has the clerk in "Lightnin'"
After the court retired and then reap
peared. I rose to my feet with perfect
calm, wasn't troubled in the least that
time
Does a reporter have to stand in
real court?" AID Niller asked me.
'He sure does" I replied.
Then Milton Mobiles as Lightnin' Bill
Jones arrived on the scene IN his old
Army Uniform. The house went wild"
Then for the first time / felt the
warmth" Of the audience A something
came stealing over the footIights the sec
ond that Lehtnin Bill came on the stage.
While the Applause was going on Mr..
Mobiles noticed AID Miller and myself
He didn't step out Of character and
passed Us Up as y we hadn't been there.
There IS 70 rooca for Kidding or fooltrg
in this company. The play IS tbs thing
you know.
watched the facial expression Of
Ligt tn:a Bill and for the l,ee Of ne :
couldn't tell when Eli was Bill and when
Mobiles was Mobiles. The transformation
was so complete.
felt the response Of the audience
when Bill and John Marvin began to
stampede the city orafters IN the court
c.o... heard rnG e IS q 'auF1ter and
+Han-thea as IL by n ~ic I saw under
the artistry OF Mr.. Mobiles. the chuckle
and the laugh Of the audience melt into
suhducd sob MS MI told Mn TINT he
would go back to the soldiers home and
stay there until, until.
And I want to tell you that all the time
that Milton Mobiles back is TO the audi
ence in this scene he is acting" every
minute. His facial expression changes
and follows the action Of the Play just
tLe sane Wet C. TIE -LL-c.-c1 aoc5 ~
%-1ce q: aor.
M..To1 Uob,e5 = Tic 1ctor evc:y NM
ute, giving AIS audience tie vezy best