davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1927-10-02

rested and sent to the dungeons at
Vincennes. They attributed these ar
rests to treason within their own
ranks. Will they kindly allow me to
inform them that those arrests were
solely due to the clumsiness Of their
chemists? When you send spy into
a foreign country, you should not
equip him with soap made of potas
sium ferrocyanide or toilet water that
contains lead acetate.
When most of their agents had been
arrested. the Germans finally realized
that their invisible ink held no secrets
for us. Then they began the use of
solutions of organic silver compounds
and, when possible, proteinates PRO
targoD. We had quite job finding
q suitable means of revealing these.
We did it, however. by using nitrate
Of silver (mixed with a solvent). There
was soon new slaughter of German
agents.
And yet those gentlemen took ad-
mirable pains to protect themselves.
Neither on their persons nor in their
luggage was found anything that had
the slightest resemblance to a vial o.
ink.
Then it was that M. Bayle--one of
the great chemists or the age ana
head of the laboratory of criminal
ntiflcation--succeeded in detectinG
in socks and in shoe laces a triflinG
amount of silver salt. Each sock con
tatned but few milligrams Of it, but
that was enough for a German spy
to soak it in glass of water and thus
to obtain chemical ink very hard to
detect.
The Germans had more up their
sleeves.
One fine day we happened to notice
that several suspicious-looking people
whom we were watching did not send
Evening star., 1927-10-02

Reading Stars of long ago to keep
these theater stories going. I find
news that moves me. cannot know
how it affects you. 1t is not my for
tune, or fate. to know you, but you
may be my old friend, Tom. Dick,
Devil. If you are woman, I know
that I would please you more by writ
ing of your ancestors-by telling how
King Charles 1 kissed your great.
great grandfather goOd-by and gave
him a gold sword when he (the great
great t-grandfather) and his consort.
who was Lady Mary Anne (who used
to carry the Queens train) sailed
from England to take up a royal
grant of 10000 acres in Maryland or
Virginia. 1t would please you did
write how that male ancestor built a
castle of brick from England on Ma
chodoc or Mattawoman Creek, and
WAS instituted high sheriff and hang.
man Of the county. It would please
you, lady fair, did write that he
travelled to Colchester or Piscataway
in a coach-and-four, and with black
positions with cockades In their COON
skin caps. But there are not 80 many
American ancestors of that kind as
are talked of when ladies expound the
glory Of their family.
I cannot find enough such ancestors
to make q story every week. Most of
our ancestors came with less snlendor.
Evening star., 1927-10-02

''This kind Of crime Is especially
Ioathsome, because its perpetrator, the
criminal, runs almost no risk. He
may pretend to eat as he strolls along.
One bite Is enough to break the point
Of the pencil which he has previously
hidden in a slice of bread. He leaves
the bit Of bread wherever he is to
start the f1re-on a pile of cotton. in
a factory, on the wharves OF port
then he peacefully strolls off. ,"
The Journal Official Of the Swiss Re-
public in its issue Of November 16,
1918. publishes. a report of the findings
of the grand jury Of Zurich. There
one may read the following statement:
1.-THE inquiry into the bomb affair
has brought out the fact that German
diplomatic representatives in Switzer-
land employed messengers to carry
bombs and explosives into
this country which were destined for
Italy, ."
During the war great use was made
Of secret correspondence. 1t often hap.
pened that such information was of
use only IL the enemy did not know
that 1t had been discovered. Take, for
example. the document printed on this
page. It Is the type of report sent
by resident German spy in Paris to
his chief. 1t tells him that $4,000
men have been sent to the Italian
front. From this news the German
general staff must decide: % To
what part Of the Italian front? (2)
Are :hey shock troops? II so, in what
section will drive take place?
BY referring to the various maps Of
the front and by piecing together
various bits Of information that bear
on the same point-they are able by
the process of deduction to decide,
without any chance of error. the exact
Evening star., 1927-10-02

and when they landed at Port Tobacco
or Dumfries were glad to get job at
chopping wood and hoeing corn to pay
back their passage fare. But l do the
best l can to please you--without
working. No man in Charles County,
Md, or King George County, Va, dis.
likes work more than /. But I keep
on trying to bring to you recollections
of when you carried q malacca cane
and wore tight boots, a beaver and q
blue broadcloth coat with velvet col
lar and gilt buttons.
THIS, from The Star October 27,
1862: "Mr. Pishey Thompson,
formerly a leading bookseller and re-
spected citizen of Washington. but for
the past 20 years the London CORE.
spondent CT the National Intelligencer,
died recently In England, aged II
years"
From The Star, March II, 1868:
Another Old Citizen Gone.--Maj.
Samuel :yington. who has for the
past two years been in charge of the
Columbian ArmOry, died at his late
residence on Missouri avenue yeSter-
day afternoon. Maj. Byington at one
time filled a responsible position at
the Washington Arsenal and had been
for the last 35 years a resident of this
city with the exception of brief
s1aee as superintendent of the armory
Evening star., 1927-10-02

Last week N. Luciento, in his
notable series of articles recount.
ing the adventures Of secret serv.
ice operatives in the war, told
how the allies were saved on the
sea by the use of mysterious
20 Q-boats''-armed vessels dis
guised as freighters. manned by
British officers Of high rank dis
guised as tramp sailors-and how
this eXpedient enabled the British
to sink a large enough number Of
submarines to turn the tide in the
crisis.
NJ. Lucieto also explained the
real reason behind the German or
der to sink neutral as well as
allied ships without trace-this. he
set forth, was in order to obtain
the passports and identification pa
pers Of passengers and members
of crews for the use of German
agents in impersonating neutrals
in the allied countries.
Evening star., 1927-10-02

pieces. Great was his amaZement at
finding carefully secreted in little
grooves in the wood Sc metal tubes
having the outward appearance of PEN
ellis. Each pencil was wrapped either
in a sheet of black paper or in a map
sketched out on tracing paper.
IAN examination of these maps
established the fact that they were
careful reproductions of maps num-
bers $4,000 and $4,000, Of the series is
sued by the Italian general staff.
THE expert proceeded to open one
Of these objects and discovered that
it would explode anywhere-even
under water. This new type Of
bomb would have blown up the Ital-
ian hydro-electric plants. especially
those in the Simplon-Mont Cenis dis
trict. They would be most destruc-
dive If dropped into n canal"
Evening star., 1927-10-02

Charlotte Cushman's Romeo. So
marked was the impression made that
she was at once engaged by Thomas
S. Hamblin as leading lady at the
Bowery Theater. New York. .
At her best she was an actress Of ex-
traordinary vigor and talent. No
spectator Of her acting says Mr.. Win
ter. ever, till her powers were on the
Wane. missed the sense Of her orig.
inality, vigorous and startling person.
ality. She wrought the labor Of her
life with a profound, earnest, passion
ate and virtuous sincerity. She
touched, in a thousand parts, the
springs Of gentle charity, and, with
all her faults and failings, she was
not only one of the greatest elemental
forces Of the dramatic art, but a large
hearted, tender and magnanimous
woman She died in New York City
May 7, 1877. In 1857 Miss Heron be-
came the wife Of Robert Stoepel, a
musician Of note, but their union
proved unhappy and led 10 a final
separation in 1859. Their daughter
Bijou is now we'll known on the stage
as Mrs. Henry Miller"
John 8. Clarke: "John Sleeper
Clarke was born in Baltimore, Md,
September 3, 1888, of English ances-
try. His father died when he was
very young, and his education and
training were left to his mother. He
was trained for the practice Of the
law, but all his inclinations lay in the
direction OF the stage. and. after a
few profitlesS months spent in the law
Office Of Elisha B. Sprague, in Balti-
more. he decided to become an actor.
His professional debut was made as
Frank Hardy In Paul Pry' at the
Howard Athenaeum, Boston. when he
was Is years of age. In August, 1852.
he became a member of the stock
company at the Chestnut Street The
alter. Philadelphia. and so rapid was
his advancement that. in January fol-
lowing, he succeeded John Drew, the
elder. as leading comedian Of this the
alter. In 1854 he became first low
comedian at the Front Street The
alter. Baltimore. but in August. 1855.
he returned to Philadelphia as leading
comedian at the Arch Street Thearer.
I'm 1859 he was married to Asia.
daughter of Junius Brutus Booth.
He retired from the Arch Street Thea
ter in 1861, and made his debut in
New York, at the Metropolitan OPP.
era House, on May Is, 1861, being
seen for the first time as Diggory in
The Spectre Bridegroom.' In 1864.
Mr.. Clarke, in conjunction with Will
liam Stuart and Edwin Booth, assum-
ed the management Of the Metropoli-
tan Opera House, rechristened the
Winter Garden Theater. Until 1867
he appeared at the Winter Garden
Theater for several months In each
season. being seen as one of the
Dromios in A Comedy of Errors
as Paul Pry, Bob .Tyke, Bob Briefly
Maj. De Boots and Lord Sparkle. In
October, 1853, in connection with his
brother.in.law, Edwin Booth, he pur.
chased the Walnut Street Theater,
Philadelphia. In January, 1866, Booth
and Clarke leased the Boston Theater.
and were thus, at one time, the man
ayers Of theaters in three principal
cities Of the country.
I'm October, 1867. Mr.. Clarke ap.
peared at the st. James Theater, Lon.
don, as Maj wellington Boots, and
SO cordial was his reception that he
decided to become a resident of Lon
don. At the Princess Theater in Feb
ruary. 1868. he was seen RS Salem
Evening star., 1927-10-02
BY THE RAMBLER.

YOHN S. CLARKE, Laura Keene,
J. w. Wallack, jr.; E. L, Daven-
port and Matilda Heron played
~ at the Washington Theater. cor
ner of Eleventh and c, and at
Growers Theater, between Thirteenth
and Fourteenth, in March. 1853. An
advertisement in The Star, the first
week Of March, 1853. told that John S.
Clarke would play two great come
dies by Blackstone, presenting with
malicious wit the contrast, from q
humorous point Of view. Of married
life and single life" In "single life"
Mr.. Clarke was Peter Pinkey, the
bashful bachelor, and Miss Alice Gray
was Kitty Starlight. In Married
Life" Mr.. Clarke was Henry Dove,
the married man.
During his season at the Washing
ton Mr.. Clarke played Somebody's
Coat" Hes Jack Sheppard" Peter
Waxen in Luck" and other come
dies. Laura Keene, at Growers,
played "She Stoops to Conquer"
'School for Scandal London Assur-
ence," "Old Heads and Young Hearts"
mo Rest for the Wicked" The Spec
ter Bridegroom" and The Rivals" I"
These were named as members of her
company: w. e. Blake. c. Walcot
G. Wheatleigh. c. Peter, Mr.. Levick
and Mrs j. Brougham.
The following is from an advertise
ment in The Star Monday. March 16,
1868: Growers Theater-The great.
est combination Of tragedy stars ever
effected in America will appear this
evening in Shakespeare's tragedy Of
'Othello. The distinguished TRACE
dian and character actor, J. w.
Wallack. jr., and the greatest living
t"agedian and versatile actor, E. l.
Davenport, supported by the talented
Rnd beautiful actresses, Emily
Ncstayer and Ada Parker" Others In
the company were Charles Barron. II.
II. Hall and w. II. Bokee In The
:'tar's advertisement Of the Washing
TN Theater was written: The great
tragic actress, Matilda Heron, in her
world-renowned character Of Camille"
The names John S. Clarke, Laura
Eeene, Wallack, Davenport and Ma
aida Heron have a place in your mem
ory They were famous when they
lved, and their fame abidcs with men
who knew them Their fame j.; his
tory which may be read by men
younger than we. Even If younger
men have not read of these persons.
they must have heard their seniors
speak Of them. 1t seems to me that
no living actors name is known to so
many men dS fkleW tHe IdiHeS tldFke,
Davenport Wallack, Laura Keene
and Matilda Heron. Though the
names are familiar to you. the life
story of these actors may not be, and
! will give you short accounts OF them
which are in the National Cyclopedia
of American Biography. Let us first
read Of Laura Keene:
She was born in England in 1910,
her right name being Lee. She went
on the stage when a child and was
long a faVorite al the Lyceum Theater,
London, then under the management
of Nine Vestris. She was married
10 man named Taylor, from whom
she separated, but not until she had
borne him two children. She came to
the United States in 1852 and ap-
paared at Wallack's Theater. New
York, in the character Of Albino Man.
6eville in The Will She remained
member Of the Wallack's Company
for some time and then for brief
Aeason travelled as = star. During
Evening star., 1927-10-02
Cys Stage Linked With Actors Famed Throughout C0untr

at Harpers Ferry. He has filled sew
eral corporation offices, as public
school trustee and member OF the
board of aldermen, with high credit"
Same date: Committed to the Old
Capitol-The following persons have
been committed to the Old Capitol
prison within day or two: E. +.
Ford. ]. c. Gunnell. John Taylor. B.
Rowell, +. s. Murray. +. Ostrander.
T. NJ Williams and r. Newman. They
are charged with giving information
to the captain tMosby) commanding
the recent raid on Fairfax Court
House by which Gen. StoughtOn was
captured. Henry Snyder, Jacob Lewis.
Isaac Kohn and E. NJ. Holtzman. who
were arrested some time ago and sub
sequently released, have been rear
rested and confined in the Old Capitol.
October 81, 1862: "Orders have been
issued for mastering out OF the serV-
ice the 6Oth Ohio Volunteers, one
wear regiment made prisoners not
long since at Harpers Ferry and since
kept at Chicago on parole. Though
the time of this regiment is not quite
out, so insubordinate and otherwise
useless has it proved at Chicago that
it has been deemed best to get rid or
it, as being utterly worthless as a
whole, with as little delay as possible
October 81, 1852: THE Sustitute
Market-Quite a number OF substi'
tutes have been obtained in the DIS
trict of Columbia by citizens or Mary
land who have been drafted into the
militia regiments. The prices paid by
the farmers in the lower countles are
said to be very high. We have heard
of S275 given for one. the lowest, and
81 900 offered for another. The enlist
ments for the District regiments have
been very encouraging, but no DOUBT
the secesh proclivities of the lower
MARYLAND farmers will retard them
by this purchasing of substitutes.
There was a Concert and Reading
at Odd Fellows Hall. Seventh street,
Tuesday. March II, 1868, for the Or
phan Boys Asylum. PrOfs. WeSsert,
Spanier and Scheel played the piano,
flute and violin; ]. Tabler sang "kath-
leen Mavourneen," ]. Mccullough re-
cited "Shamus O'Brien" ana Matt 4
O'Brien sang 1.-The comic Irish song.
the Fine Ould Irish Gentleman. A
piano solo. "The Harp That Once
Through Tara's Hail." was played by
Master Richenbach. I wonder If that
little fellow grew to be the Fred Rich
enback l knew as a salesman in the
old Knabe warerooms on Market
Space and who had a daughter with
golden hair that hung rar down her
back! At that old-fashioned show
there was "a wonderful exhibition Of
ventriloquism by the famous magician.
John Wyman."
Advertisement, March II, 1868: '"The
Occidental is the name of a new hotel
and restaurant just opened by Messrs.
c. p Munsell and H. NJ. Bennett at
the house lately occupied by Henry
Willard as a residence, on Fourteenth
street just north of the Avenue" 1t
must have been quite a place. There
were lace curtains at the windows and
the floors were covered with brussels
The wallpaper in the bar was
green and gold and was done by
ohm Alexander"
Evening star., 1927-10-02

the season Of 1855 she managed the
Metropolitan Theater, New York, and
after another tour OF the country as
sumed direction Of the Olympic Thea
ter, New York. in 1856. That theater
had been built for her, and she opened
IL with AS You Like It.. She CON
tinued to manage the Olympic for
seven years, many OF the ablest and
best known players OF the time
being members of her company.
Many new plays were produced
at this theater under her man
agement, among them Our American
Cousin which was given for the first
time on October IS, 1858, and ran
without interruption until March %,
1853. The Seven Sisters, first pro-
duced on November 26, 1860, ran for
l69 nights Miss keene resumed
travelling as star in 1868, and was
playing at Ford's Theater in Wash
ington on the night that President
Lincoln was assassinated by John
Wilkes Booth. She visited England
in 1868. but soon returned TO America
and for several years directed a trav-
cling company. She was a skilled
and conscientEYs actress, but her
powers decsyeo as she grew old. and
Evening star., 1927-10-02

! Scudder in The Octoroon' and later
| starred with the piece through the
English provinces. During his ex-
| tended connection with the Strand
| Theater he played DR.. Pangloss,
Ollapod. Bennington Jones and Bob
Tyke. He played Toodles, which is,
perhaps, his finest creation as an ac-
| tor, for 200 nights without Interrupt
| ton. when 1t was first produced at
the Strand Theater. He did not re-
turn to the United States until April
II. 1870, when he opened an engage.
ment which included all Of the most
important cities of the country. His
reception everywhere took the form
Of an ovation. and in Philadelphia
he played fifty nights to standing
room only. On March 9, 1872, he
opened at the Strand Theater, London,
as Ollapod. and in the following year
he assumed the management of the
Charing Cross Theater. London, and
at that playhouse was seen for the
first time as Bob Acres, in The Ri
vals.' His last profitable visits to the
United States were made In 1879 and
1884. Eccentric humor, pathos, re-
strained power and splendid fidelity
to nature are Mr.. Clarke's essential
attributes as an actor. AS a brilliant
and versatile comedian, he has had
no superiors and but few equals
among the players of the last 80
years"
In the Encyclopedia Britannica the
biography Of Mr.. Clarke ends thus:
"He retired in 1880 and died the cath
of September. 1899. His two sons also
were actors"
IN one of the old theater rambles,
two, three or four years ago,
gave you a Geographic, or life-writing,
sketch of E. l.. Edgar Loomis) Dav.
export, and l will make this sketch
short-as sketch ought to be. Mr..
Davenport was born in Boston in
1916. He was given, and he accepted,
excellent schooling and began as an
actor at Providence, r. l.. in 1886, as
Wellborn, in "A New Way to Pay Old
Debts" the elder Booth being SIR
Giles Overreach. He was a valued
Boston theaters. In 1847 he accom-
panied Mrs. Anna Cora Mowatt to
England, "and was the principal sup.
port Of that accomplished actress dur.
ing her engagement abroad" Return
ing to America, he played star roles in
Shakespeare. In 1859 he was manager
of the Howard Athenaeum, Boston,
and the Chestnut Street Theater,
Philadelphia. His biographer says: |
His place in the annals of the Ameri- |
can stage Is a conspicuous and hon. |
orable one. Polished, refined and |
scholarly, and always hard and con- !
scientious worker, no actor OF his day |
possessed greater versatility. He |
showed excellence in all that he es-
sayed and in some characters he was |
superb" He was married to Miss |
Fanny Vining, English actress AMI a |
cousin of Mrs. John Hoey and Lester |
Wallack. They had 10 children. I be.
lieve all of them were actors and |
Some were notable-among them hav-
ing been Fanny Davenport. Blanche.
an opera singer; May. who became
the wife Of the Rambler's old friend,
William Seymour. a first.rate actor,
who comes to Washington now and
then; Edgar Davenport and Henry |
Davenport. E. l.. Davenport died on
his country place at Canton, Pa, in
September. 1877.
Evening star., 1927-10-02
BY CHARLES LUCIETO
OF the French Secret Service.


TN counter-espionage there is one
axiom the truth Of which is con-
stantly being demonstrated-the
Take, for example. a 420 shell,
the most colossal thing achieved by
the Austro-German artillery manu-
facturers, and the average French.
man will say: LAS a weapon of de-
struction this is perfect. Nothing
could be better Yet the Germans
made something much better! The
glass blowers in Thuringen FAR outdid
Krupp, Skoda. and their corps Of en-
Eineers.
Thanks to these glass.blowers. Ger
man agents in foreign countries pos
sessed an Internal machine that, to
Judge from results, was a hundred
times more destructive than even the
420s. And you could carry it in
your pocket, 1t weighed exactly so
Granmes. But it could. if the enemy
so desired. blow up a factory. n canal
(some of these were vitality important
to us), a powder factory, a ship, or
a munition dump. lit was a
pencil,
You know as we'll as I do that
pencil doesn't take up much room
You can leave it anywhere q.
even in a pocket, when that pocket
isn't yours, or in a brief case &.
when the brief case doesn't belong to
you! 1t was unfortunate that those
pencils were always turning up
sometimes they were discovered in
a consignment of cotton. sometimes
in the middle Of a munitions dump!
Certainly those were strange pen
ellis {. pencils!
1 first got wind Of them when l
was in Switzerland--the exact date
was August 10. 1916--as ] opened the
Gazette de Lausanne, and an article
caught my eye. from which / quote:
Acting on word received from the
italian government, the department
Of justice Of Vaud, with the aid of
Prof. r. A. Reiss, head Of the lab
oratory devoted to scientific detective
work at the university, examined the
trunks and suit cases left in the
parcel room in the main railroad sta
ton in Lausanne.
"a certain wooden box was the
only item to attract the attention Of
NJ. Reiss. It was opened and he
discovered that it was empty.
Still unsatisfied NJ. Reiss had it
taken to his laboratory. AS the
sides of the box seemed unusually
thick. he decided to take them to
Evening star., 1927-10-02

her iast days were embittered by pow.
erty and neglect. She died in Pater.
son. n. j., November 4, 1873"
X n X
MATILDA HERON: Matilda Agnes
Heron, actress, was born in Lon.
donderry. Ireland, December /, 1880.
Her parents emigrated to the United
States when she was still child, and
settled in Philadelphia, where her
father died soon after. One Of her
brothers was for many years president
of the Heron line of steamers, plying
between Charleston and Philadelphia.
Matilda received careful education.
From childhood it was her desire to
be an actress, and she became n pupil
OF Peter Richings, whose influence
was long visible in her acting. She
made her first appearance on the stage
at the Walnut Street Theater, Phila.
delphia, February II, 1851, as Blanca
in 'Fazio.' During the month follow.
ing her debut she studied the char
acters of Lady Macbeth, Juliet, Ma
riana in The Wife Pauline in The
Lady Of Lyons and others, and In
1859 appeared at the National Theater,
Washington. d. c.. playing Juliet to