THE 8EMLWEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA.
NTH I
IGHT
inn
4
Some of the screen
stars risk death every
week in order to pro
vide sensation lovers
with thrills-women
of film drama will
try any stunt once
NE way of earning u living Is lv
Jumping from oiio speeding train to
another; by riding motor cycles off
open drawbridges; by running pell
mell over moving freight trains, only
to clutch an overhead cnblu and to
bang suspended In midair; by grap
iillnc with an Infuriated man In the
V 1 ca,) of onrUMnmK locomotive, and
i In n hundred wnvH rlsklnc life and
limb. Tbla Is what scores of motion
picture actresses and actors do every
day with hardly the wink of an eyelash In the per
formance of the stunts.
It Is all In answer to the cry for realism in tho
movies which has recently been raised by directors.
Realism Is now a watchword. Above all, the pro
duction must be realistic. The directors argue
that tho public has become tired of faked dangers
and mechanical feats that make ordinary scenes
tippcar hazardous. The desire for realism may bo
jail right for the public and the director, but It In
bard on the performers.
Patrons of the pictures nre so familiar with
scenes depleting rough riding, descents of mountain
sides on horseback and leaps from cliffs In which
tho rider falls clear of the mount and In other ways
flirts with death that they never stop to think ot
the real danger Incurred by those actors who dare
ho much for tho silent drama. Of course there are
certain pictures in which the danger Is faked. But
those pictures are almost equally balanced by the
iklnd which depicts a real dnnger encountered to
accomplish the desired result.
Jumps From Moving Trains.
"When I first began to Jump oft moving trains,"
Kald Helen Holmes, when asked for her Impressions
of daredevllllng In the films, "I must confess I was
somewhat timid, but now I tnko It as something
whl h must bo done to complete tho picture.
in one picture In which I worked about six
it Jiiths ago I went through the action with my
eart In my mouth, and for a moment at least 1 felt
like quitting. It wns a railroad picture In which
I was to drive n big engine ucross a bridge which
was to bo blown up as tho engine readied the mid
dle. "A torpedo on tho track about twenty feet from
Itho spot where the dynamite charge was placed to
(wreck the bridge was to give nio my signal to dlvo
jfrom the cab to the river thirty feet below. From
Itho moment that tho englno reached the wooden
'trestle I kept thinking what would happen If tho
torpedo did not go off and I should bo carried down
(Into tho wreckage.
"The run of about thirty yards seemed Intormln
able, but everything worked according to plans and
I mndo tho dlvo safely, but I was slinking like a
leaf when fished from tho river. I was so fright
ened I could hardly keep myself atloat.
"But now I have become so used to risking my
neck that I accept It as a mutter of course. It Is
much like tire case of an nvlator when ho starts fly.
lug. At first he Is cuutlous and only makes slight
ascents and safo descents, but soon the spirit of
'daring enters his soul and he Is looping the loop
uud doing spirals 2,000 feet In the air, and other
dangerous stunts."
Danger In the Quicksand.
There was Marlon Swayne, who thought It pretty
h ml when she was called upon recently to allow
herself to bo rescued from quicksands on a treach
erous bit of plcturesquo Florida beach. It would
not sufllco to bnvo her burled In a sand bolo on a
solid portion of tho bench where sho could easily
bo extricated without danger to herself. Gcorgo
Foster, Plntr, who was directing tho five-reel fen
ituro entitled "Tho Net," Insisted thnt tho best re
Ifiults could only bo obtained by having tho star
caught In tho real quicksand.
Outside tho range of the camera a groun of men
were ready with planks and rope to rescuo the
actress In case tho scene as planned miscarried and
sho should need other help than that offered by
Bert Doluncy, tho leading man and hero. Miss
Swuyno was reluctant at first to try tho scene, but
finally consented and timidly went out to tho
treacherous sandbar. Tho feeling of helplessness
that came over her when her feet sank slowly from
binder her without means of staying thorn alarmed
tho screen star. As sho sank to the waist her fea
tures registered n genuine fear, and nt this point
Itho camera man began "shooting" tho scene while
tho gallant hero with a stout rope lassoed her. It
required all bis strength to drag her from tho sands
which were engulfing her. When on solid ground
'again Miss Hwayuo with u tremulous voice said:
i "I supposo on tho screen that will look easy, but
I don't care to try It over again."
Leap From High Cliff.
1 Wide puMlclty was onco given to a stunt picture
In which a trained acrobat jumped a horso from a
.hilltop Into a chasm, Indicting Injuries upon him
self and tho animal and getting Into trouble with
tho Immune society officials. This man was not a
regular member of the picture company, butwus
engaged at a big price to perform the daring act.
Anna Little had a somewhat similar experience,
Inlthough part of It was not done Intentionally. Un
Ider the direction of Frank Bnrzngc, a glutton for
realism, Miss Little was to slldo down the sldo of
,a cliff somo seventy feet high on horseback to
lescape a band of Indians In pursuit, The rldo
called for a skilled equestrienne, unlllnchlng cour
uge and a suru-footed horse, It was Impossible to
trehearso tho scene becauso the director knew that
after having gone through It onco neither Miss
Llttlo nor tho horse could be persuaded to repeat
the action.
This sceno was to bo tho big thrill In the picture.
Much euro was taken In prepurlng It. Three cam
era men were stationed to catch the slide from
three different angles, thus Insuring u good pic
ture from nt least one of the machines.
Barely Escaped Death.
Careful Instructions had been given tho actress
:nud sho started on tlio slldo. At first tho horso
i -.I... - r
NEW AMERICAN COUNTESS
hesitated, but urged on he braced his forefeet and
prepared to reach the bottom In safety. Every
thing moved swiftly, the camern men ground their
mnclilnos and the director shouted encouragement
through bis "megaphone. But about twenty feet
from tho bottom the horse caught his foot In a rock
fissure, stumbled and burled Miss Llttlo over his
head. Sho Hew through tho air head first, landing
In a clump of mesqulto bushes more than ten yards
away.
Spectators rushed to her side, expecting to find
her either dead or seriously Injured, but aside from
tho shock and a number of scratches she escaped
unhurt. The dumb actor In the scene was less for
tunate, suffering two broken legs, and had to bo
shot.
This untoward Incident In mnklng tho sceno
cnused a comploto revision of the scenario.
Miss Gertrude McCoy is known as another dare
devil of the screen. She gives a good account of
herself In every branch of athletics, besides being
a skillful driver of a motor car. Miss McCoy drives
her own machine and has used It to advantage In
many of tho pictures In which she Is starred. Her
most recent exploits have been In connection with
what Is known In tho movie vernacular as "water
stuff." Strange as It may seem, tho stunts In her
latest picture do not show up with the samo dan
gerous thrills that really characterized their mak
ing. This Is often tho case In motion pictures;
what looks bard Is often easy.
Foolhardiness Meant Injury.
A "water-stuff" picture which almost put Miss
McCoy's life In Jeopardy was taken for "The Islo
of Lovo" and was made near Jacksonville, Fla. In
one of the early scenes of the photoplay the star
yields to the temptation to go bathing In a pool
upon a rocky bit of coast. The shore nt the point
where tho picture was taken happened to be made
up of myriads of shells and pebbles compressed
Into a crumbling, Jagged stone formation. Tho wa
ter, moreover, was far more shallow than Miss Mc
Coy suspected.
Despite tho warning of her director, Edwin Mid
dletou, sho Jumped boldly Into tho water, cutting
her feet, ankles and legs severely." She was too
good a picture player, however, to stop while tho
camera was grinding. Although suffering from a
number of extremely painful cuts she bravely fin
ished the scene. This eplsodo, which certainly
was not down on tho program, laid her up for near
ly a week,
As tho final "punch" of "Lost In the Everglades,"
wjjlch Is part of "Gloria's Romance," the film serial
The new countess of Sandwich,
formerly Miss Alberta Sturges, the
daughter of a Chicago banker and a
stepdaughter of the lnt,e Francis II.
Lcggett oi New York, Is scarcely
known In her native country. Her
mother. Mrs. Lcggett, went to Europe
to live many years ago, and Miss
Sturges was educated In Paris and
made her debut In London 15 years
ago, when her mother became ono of
tho lavish hostesses In the American
colony who Inaugurated the brilliant
regime of King Edward as soon ns he
ascejided the throne.
The late earl of Sandwich and his
nephew, the new earl, had u serious
disagreement about the Inclusion of
tile American girl Into the family.
The bridegroom's father, Hear Ad
miral Victor Montagu, who died last
January, and his wife, a daughter of
the earl of Hardwlcke, fully approved
of the marriage. Yet even they could
riot win over the old earl. Sixty-six years old and n widower of two marriages
when George Charles Montagu made Miss Sturges his bride, Lord Sandwich
vowed that, although he had never had any children, lie would take unto him
self u new wife at once uud defeat Miss Sturges' plans of becoming countess
of Sandwich by bringing up u family. He plunged nt once Into the gnyetles
of society, accepted Invitations right nnd left, but soon found this to be a bore,
while his new nlece-ln-law succeeded In Impressing him with the fact that sho
had married her husband for love and was, after all, a charming lady.
In which Blllle Burke Is appearing, a perfectly good
soven passenger automobile Is driven straight out
Into the Atlantic ocean off Palm Beach, Fla. This
may bo termed recklessness or pure extravagance,
according to one's point of view. Needless to say
the damage done to the car by Its Immersion In the
salt water was considerable.
To prove that the film manufacturers aren't tho
only people who can be reckless, Miss Burke wore
n Lucllo creation that had been specially designed
for her use In the picture, and utterly regardless
of tho certain ruin of the frock sho hopped out of
the runaway auto as It clenred the first line of
breakers, found herself up to her knees In the surf,
laughed gayly and then waded ashore.
Auto Jumps the Gap.
In order to eliminate as much danger as pos
sible, this scene was carefully staked beforehuud;
that Is, everything was simplified, A sloping plat
form was erected at the place where the leap was
to be made and well re-enforced. Across the ditch
some thirty or forty feet away a pile of brush wood
had been placed to break the fall as the car landed.
Down a sloping piece of ground approaching the
Jumplng-off place Miss King came with lightning
speed in her llttlo machine and took the leap while
the cameras clicked. She lauded without serious
mishap In the pile of brush, and beyond a severo
shaking up nnd a few bruises was none the worso
for her experience.
"It's the huts and Ifs connected with such stunts
as these," she remarked later, "that mako the dan
gers undergono really greater than they seem to be,
If something had gone wrong there might bavo
been n very different story to tell. But and hero
the but conies In 1 suppose It's all In the duy's
work, so 1 have nothing to complain of," sho con
eluded with a laugh.
Tho dangers have also to be faced by tho camera
man. An example Is the recent experience of a
news camera man In Mexico. A plctorinl weekly
representative, hearing that Villa's body was being
brought to Chihuahua tor Identification, hurried
thither.
"From tho time I crossed the border until I re
turned," ho said, telling of his adventures, "I was
a constant target for Mexican abuse. It was not
until I reached Chihuahua, however, that any
physical violence was offered. Theu there was a
demonstration In the market placb despite tho fact
that l was under tho protection of a Mexican army
oincer. bhots were tired at mo and I was glud to
get hack- to tho good old U. S. A. with n whole ckln j
uut l got some pretty good pictures, after ulL"
RUSSIA'S LATEST HERO
Zl
Gen. A. A. Brouslloff, commander
of the Russian offensive against the
Austrlans and latest hero of the czar's
realm, is sixty-four years old and
looks forty-five. BrusllofT lives by
nerves, strenuous work and n sense ot
duty, lie eats very little. He regards
dinner as a necessary evil and It Is
finished In not more than 20 minutes.
Immediately nftcr, he goes to the work
room of his head of the stuff and they
are occupied together till late at night.
Tho soldiers worship him. Ho
never courts popularity among them.
He Milks to them seldom nnd then
with a matter-of-fact abruptness, but
In his few words lies a knowledge of
the soldiers' soul; a skill In finding
the direct roud to the soldiers' heart,
which could never bo taught, but
which must be deeply rooted In the
man himself.
Bruslloff's physical endurance at
sixty-four Is said to be amazing. Even
now one of the best cavnlrymen In Europe, he can outdistance expert and
youthful horsemen. Weather does not exist for him.
He Is noted for his laconic orders. "Hold out, whntever hnppens !" And
they hold out. No frenzied attacks, no tempestuous canonado will drive them
back when such an order has been given. There Is In currency the following
soldier's remark:
"What, retreat? Impossible! We are Bruslloff's !"
HUGHES' CAMPAIGN LEADER
William Bussell Wlllcox, the new
chairman of the Republican national
committee, who wns chosen by Mr.
Hughes personally to manage his cam
paign, Is an entirely self-made man.
Ho was born on an upstate New York
farm, never saw a city till he was
seventeen, went to New York 30 years
ago and Immediately took nn active
Interest in politics. He has held three
Important offices, In each of which he
distinguished himself us an energetic
and capable public servant.
He was park commissioner under
Mnyor Seth Low In 1002. Two years
later President Roosevelt appointed
him postmaster of New York, and on
tho creation of the public service com
mission In 1007 he was selected by
Governor Hughes as Its first chair
man. He retired nt the expiration
of his five-year term on Februury 1,
JOltt, after having virtually completed
the contracts for the new subwuys
which ure now being built. It was during his administration of the department
of parks that Mr. Wlllcox, who Is always a most forbearing man, proved that It
was not Impossible to prod him out of a state of courtesy. Onq of the subway
contractors had squatted In Bryant park nnd despite Mr. Wlllcox's most
engaging smiles and politest requests refused to move. One day the commis
sioner of parks uppeared on the scene with ISO husky laborers, a strong police
escort and n number of wagons, and without further parley proceeded to tear
up and cart away all the obstructions.
CENSOR OF ARMY NEWS
MaJ. Douglas MacArthur, who
has hevn tippolnted military aid to the
secretary of war and military "cen
sor" of tho war department, Is a born
executlvo and ono ff tho recognized
military experts of the genernl staff.
Major MacArthur comes from a
military fumlly. Ills father, Lieuten
ant General MacArthur, made a name
that will go down In military history.
In 1809 n competitive examination
wns held at Milwaukee to fill a va
cancy In West Point. MacArthur was
one of the candidates. He outdistanced
his competitors and won the appoint
ment. When ho was graduated from
the military academy, In 1003, he was
number one In n class of 100. He was
sent to the Philippines as second
lieutenant of engineers nnd partici
pated In u number of campaigns In the
Islands.
In 1001 he was sent as military
observer during tho Russo-Jnpuiieso
war, later traveling through China, lndo-Chlna, Java and India. As captain of
engineers he participated In the first mobilization of troops on the Mexican
border In 1011. Ho went with General Funston's troops anl participated In tho
occupation of Vera Cruz. In 10111 he was assigned to duty as a member of the
general staff corps on duty nt the war department nnd was reassigned to flint
dut' In April of this year.