Evening star., 1949-02-23

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gard" Miss Gillars said.
In desperation she went to a
restaurant and arranged to get her
meals in exchange for tipping
menus.
That was Christmas week.
can't remember the year." she
testified. II just remember sitting
in the restaurant on Christmas
day and how sweet every one was
to me; how the waiter gave me
a package of cigarettes as his
present"
Just before New Years, however
she related. she got a telegram
from the MY Girl" company in
New Orleans asking her If she
wanted to rejoin it.
Joined Vaudeville Act.
"Of course, I had lost gooc
deal of my pride by then and
was only too happy to accept the
offer. I played on to the end
I'd learned my lesson, you see."
She next joined a vaudeville act
which did straight dramatic
sketches, she said. She played
Loews circuit but was unhappy
II was always torn between the
need for funds and the desire te
do something worth while in the
American theater," she said.
Miss Gillars testified she visited
Paris in 1929, but did not explain
where she got the money for the
trip.
In January. 1898. she related
she decided to 60 abroad again so
II just bought a ticket TO Africa
Worked as Mannequin.
Her ship stopped first at Cher
bolfg and she decided to revisit
Paris. ....- ....ss. ..:-.s:~ -
IT just wanted to see it again@
to see the Louvre and the beauti-
full bridges of Paris which have al
kWaysebeen like music tome sszs.a
She was acquainted with the
American Consul in Algiers, "Mr
Touchette. Miss Gillars related
and she asked him to help her
find a job there.
IT told him I wanted to get
close to nature-with a lot OF sun
shine" she said.
She worked first as tutor for
a small child in an American fam
lily in Algiers and later became a
mannequin for a Madame Zegue
the finest coutourier or dressmak-
er in Algiers." Later. after her
French improved, she became
sales girl and earned 1000 francs
a month.
How much was that in Ameri.
can money!" Mr.. Laughlin asked
II really can't say. Mr.. Laugh
lin" she responded. "One Of thu
first things you must learn wher
you go abroad. you know. is tt
stop thinking of foreign currency
in terms of the American dollar
Visited 1tal1an CltleS.
In 1884 she arranged to mee1
her mother in Budapest and went
there via Florence, Rome ane
Venice.
did you spend much time ir
those places?" Mr.. Laughlin asked
Certainly not as much time as
those beautiful places deserved
you know" she responded.
From Budapest she Travelled with
her mother to Hamburg and for
the first time set foot on German
soil.
II told mother that it.had been
an age-old dream of mine to study
music in Germany" Miss Gillars
testified. II was too depressed at
that time about conditions in
America. I loved New York. but
felt my future could not advance
there.
Mother agreed to finance my
music lessons for a year. I rented
an apartment in Berlin and found
a piano and a teacher and prac-
ticed diligently eight hours a day
Then I got a letter from mother
saying that because of financial
treverses she would be unable to
help me further.
"The next step was to go to the
pawnbroker with my jeWelry."
Lived With Newsman's Widow.
Shortly thereafter, she related
she met the widow of Hooper
| Trask, former American CORE
spondent for the New York Times
in Germany. He had been killed
a short time before in an auto &C
cident.
Mrs. Trask asked her to live
with her as a companion, she re-
lated. In 1885, she went to work
for The Berlitz school In Berlin