Nick Carter Stories No. 148, July 10, 1915; The Mark of Cain; or, Nick Carter's Air-line CaseCarter, Nicholas (House name)
General
Nick Carter Stories No. 148, July 10, 1915; The Mark of Cain; or, Nick Carter's Air-line Case
Carter, Nicholas (House name)
Detective and mystery stories, American -- Periodicals; Popular literature -- Periodicals
The play is staged wherever shelter can be found--in schoolhouse or some
large barn, or, more likely, in the dance hall, for nearly every
settlement has such a place. The settings are easily procured. A plank
across the tops of two barrels may serve either as a terrible abyss or a
shaded silvan walk.
The following morning the all-star troupe rolls out of its separate and
individual blankets, cooks breakfast in the open, jumps astride burros,
or tumbles into a wagon and makes for the next-night stand.
Roughrider’s Story of German “Wild West.”
Herman Kepple, a circus rider, whose home was formerly in Afton, Okla.,
at one time with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West circus, and for several years
a member of a German “Wild West” aggregation, has just returned on
account of the circus having been broken up by the war in Europe. Kepple
says that he was more than sorry that he had to return, for his monthly
salary with the German show was equal to a small fortune. The big circus
was composed of close to 2,000 persons, and rifle shooting, riding, and
other “dare-devil” stunts, such as made the stolid Germans gasp, was
Kepple’s specialty.
As soon as war was declared, the Cossacks with the show were placed in
prison, the English and Japanese actors were taken into custody, and
most of the German members had to join the colors.
Still the management tried to keep the show going, using neutral actors
and Germans who did not have to join the army, but the attendance grew
less and less. Then, as a last resort, they began the production of a
spectacular scene known as “Europe in Flames.” This showed--with the
crash of big guns and the clash of steel--the progress of the war, and
the supposed ending, all leaning in favor of the Germans.
Kepple was supposed to be a royal hussar for a while, then an English
soldier and prisoner of war; at times he played dead, and was carried
off the field. The beginning of the spectacle pictured the cause of the
war, and ended with a general drawing of swords and presenting of arms,
with the kaiser, of course, being the last one to draw his weapon. This
last was always received with many cheers.
Another Oklahoma cowboy, A. W. Beasley, and Arma Reuter, from Texas,
were with the same outfit. Kepple says that Reuter returned to Texas,
but does not know what became of Beasley.
Always the Germans won in this mimic war. Even so, the populace soon
tired of it, for the real war was carrying off thousands of the nation’s
sons. The owners decided to disband. Kepple and Reuter concluded to join
the German army, but when they found that they would have to renounce
their own country, they backed out.
Negro Finds Rope with Cow Attached.
A negro, Arthur Chairs--his name was part of the set--brought into the
Memphis city court on a charge of larceny, carried with him a minstrel
joke that Dan Rice used to knock ’em off the seats with years ago. It
was so old that it became new when viewed in the serious light in which
the negro placed it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account