Trapper Bags
Three-Legged
\ Range Outlaw
“Gimpy"’ Coyote, Terror
Among Stoek of Nevada,
Dies With Boots on—
Bride Also Caught.
. Ely, Nev., Feb. 24.—The wild west
a is no more. No longer in Nevada Is
* the boast heard from the lips of Black
Bart and other desperadoes that they
would never die with their boots on.
They died as they lived and are no
more.
Only the desperadoes of the ani
mal kingdom claim a charmed ex
istence in their outlawry now, and
when it was said by the ranchers of
White l’ine county thut no trnp
would ever hold ‘‘('.impy.” three-foot
v cd despoiler of countless barnyards
and the cause of an annual loss of
- $500 in that vicinity ftiany believed,
even as -they believed the ribald
mouthings of Black Bart. They oven
went so far as to say that the bullet
was never made that would lay
"Gimpy” low.
From the almost' impassable
stretches of White Pine couqty came
the rumor recently that "Gimpy,” the
"killer,” was dead—dead with lii3
boots on. as it were.
This week "Gimpy’s” hide is on
the way to the fur market.
Crippled Desperado.
"Gimpy's" life was only a coyote's
life, and his hide was only a coyote's
hide—somewhat larger and more val
lo than others, perhaps, hut the
^Jwlaw has taken his life ami his hide,
and only the story remains—the al
most legendary tale of a three-footed
desperado of the last frontier:
How "Gimpy” lost his left front
foot Is not of record, but bis ability
to steal into a barnyard, even by day,
snatch a turkey or a chicken and
A make a getaway into the hills is well
v known.
Ranchers knew him from his work
long before they ever say him. Phil
Aljets got the first view of "Gimpy’s”
three legs three years ago, and
"Gimpy” got his name.
While lying down and pretending
to sleep, as all the wolf family do to
\ make an easy catch, a big house cat
m came out of Arthur Smith's Oeorge
town ranchhouse. The tomcat came
too close, and "Gimpy” grabbed him.
As Tom escaped, torn and bleeding.
"Gimpy” came into full view, and
Phil keeled him over at the first shot
from his rifle. “Gimpy,” wounded,
fled.
Bore "Charmed” Ufe.
He was seen frequently after that by
cowboys and ranchers, but never
when anyone had a rifle. Meanwhile
barnyard fowl, pigs, sheep and oc
casionally a prize calf vanished.
"Gimpy" was blamed.
A prize was put on his head. A
half dozen government trappers went
after him. They tried traps and they
tried poison. "Gimpy" would pack
off the poisoned meat, and In so doing
- lie was listed In government statistics
as dead. But “Gimpy” survived.
A few weeks ago a new trapper
drifted in. A week ago there was
^^■ftGimpy" in the flesh—and his good
'front foot In a trap. It had snowed
for many days before. Chickens
stayed too close to the barnyard, and
"Gimpy” became hungry and care
less.
The trapper was* glad to see him,
but “Gimpy” was angry. The "kill
er” was tethered to a light drag an I
put up a terrific battle. But the trap
per tapped "Gimpy” on the head and
sent him to his happy hunting
grounds.
Johnny Bell Identified the carcass.
Left front foot gone; creased across
nose—not shot in shoulder, as sup
posed. It was "Gimpy.”
A few yards away in another trap
j was I'aullne—"Gimpy's” bride. She
C was not known by sight or name.
* But she was traveling with him, ns
this was the muting season. Call her
’ Mrs. Gimpy.” if it suits you better.
The heads of the "Gimpy” family are
no more.
Hteptoe Valley is freed of “Gimpy,”
the "killer.” He died with bis boots
on.
Harvey Introduces Tea
t as White House Custom
' London, Feb. 24.—How the British
national custom of pausing for "after
noon tea” was introduced Into the
White House at Washington to the
virtual disruption of White House
routine was revealed by Ambassador
George Harvey upon his return from
the debt-funding conference at
Washington.
"I don't suppose afternoon tea had
been served in the White House slnce_
it was built." Ambassador Harvey
raid, "and when I first nsked for
s afternoon tea the servants did not
what I was talking about. They
soon caught on, however, and there
efter there was considerable rivalry
among the servants as to which
should serve me my tea.”
Tea In America, where it Is the
custom to dine early in the evening,
is not necessary, the ambassador said,
but In England, wh#re the dinner
hour is much later, tea Is a lifesav
ing bridge for the gap between lunch
mid dinner.
Trial Marriages Taboo
in Atlanta, Asserts Judge
Atlanta, Ga., Feb. 24.—Trial mar
riages, considered the proper thing In
t'hlna, Hkranla, the South Kea
Islands, TImbucktoo and a few other
places, are taboo In Atlanta.
They wore declared so by no lees an
authority than Judge Johnson, In
recorder's court.
Willie Hurbert and Bessie Clark,
who appeared In court and gave the
same address to the usual question,
were asked whether or not they were
man and wife.
"Well, not perzaetly,” Hurbert re
plied. "But we's engaged.’’
"Fifteen dollars for you, Willie, and
your fiancee will have the opportunity
I of paying $t> and costs or 12 days.
' Trial marriages don't go here—not
while I'm Judge!"
One Pickerel Eats 400
Fellows Put Into Pond
i Hartford. Conn., Feb. 24.—Frederic
re'tSe*T’. Wolcott, president of the Connec
ticut Fish and Game commission,
tells of placing 400 pickerel, each
f half an Inch long, In a pond within
the state and 21 day4 later only one
fish was there, having eaten all its
fellows. „
A Sigh for Green Whiskered Drama!
----By O. O. M'IXTTRE.
Czechoslovakian Insect plays. Rus
sian Souris and mighty Shakes
pearian tragedies are tine. They get
my vote.
Still—
There are times when there Is s
stinging hunger for the good old drag
’em-out days, the days when the slap
stick smote the baggy pantaloon with
a resounding whack. Bald pates were
only bald to be whanged with the
stuffed club.
Only a few high spots remain in
New York of that delectable period
when green whiskers were funny and
a lady's bare back was to be slapped.
Fourteenth street has one of these
shows and the Bowery has two. They
cling to the old traditions.
Perhaps the seltzer siphon isn’t
comical any more to the majority
but I belong to the hapless straggling
minority. I thrill to the olio with its
forest back "dropr
The whistling of birds: And from s
tree drops Limbo, the Frog man. in
marvelous green spangled tights
Even now I am tilled with wonder as
to whether he really uses oil made
from fishing worms to keep him sup
ple.
Those Halcyon Days.
In the halcyon days, program boys
sold peanuts and Fifl La Mont hawk
ed her pictures between acts. In the
lobby there were for sale prize pack
ages of Indigestible sticky pop corn,
and ’llelnie passed among us with
trays of foaming lager. Everybody
knew Hcinie. They even kidded him
from the stage. Where, O, where arc
the Heinies of that heart-warming
era?
The Beerbohm trees and Salvlnls
come and go. but the straw-colored
wigged comedian with a telephone In
his vest and a neck that seemed to
disjoint is about lost to us forever.
It was a frankly friendly audience
in these days. The bass drummer diu
not have to be a human dynamo—
hitting skillets, ringing sleight bells,
tooting whistles, etc. no Dear me
drum, tapped the triangle and, when
the comedian stooped, he rubbed the
eCHf*"*'
.woiuOT ^
VaH 1£c
-f/vll-Or
<i.ve v««
r*T
And from a tree, drops Umbo, the Frog Man, In marvelous green
spangled tights.
sandpaper blocks to give the tearing
effect. And we dropped from our
seats with laughter.
The orchestra chewed tobacco un
abashed. And something happened
on the stage each night to make them
laugh.
The opening scene: ' The Beach at
Riviera."
Here Come the Girls.
The naval lieutenant In white flan-,
diels and gold braided cap—walking
briskly. He wonders where the girls
are. And he no sooner gives voice
to his wonder and here they come.
Some chewing gum, many in tights,
led hy Izzy Bloated, the "rich Wall
Street broker.” Izzy with a hearty
paunch and bald.
It appears that Izzy is giving the
girls a party at the Riviera, lie has
eluded his wife mid hero they nil are.
They sing: "That Looney, Spooney,
Riviera Moon"—and. as Izzy Is under
a prop palm tree with Isitta Vampire
in his arms, there is a screech off
stage. Mrs. Izzy has arrived on the (
private yacht. You can hear the;
waves splash.
The next scene shows Izzy dis
guised as n waiter at a Paris cafe. !
Into the cafe comes Mrs. Izzy and the:
handsome naval lieutenant. You
know the buffoonery that follows.,
The ancient gags, the venerable |
wheeze and the smack of the puffed
bladder over Izzy's pate by the
proprietor. But Izzy has to serve
them, and O! how he hates the pretty
naval officer.
Between the first aiul second acts —
the illustrated song. “In My Old
Texas Home Tonight.” Ityt a soul
left his peat. Some eyes worn moist
ened at the tawdry lyrics. Y'ou saw
the prisoner in his cell and then the
dream pictures of the wide open
spaces of Texas—and the little cabin
hut with mother putting the light in
the window for her wandering boy.
Perhaps you were not affected. I’ll
tell the world I was up In the balcony
shedding honest tears. I wrote home'
before I went to bed.
Komanre in the Ads.
There was even romance in the
scrofulous scarred curtains. Ads of'
25-cent dinner places, chewing gum,
$1 bottle perfume, and yea always,
the pawnbroker ad—"Jake Treat*
You Hight!”
The plays were plotless and the
tunes were boldly swiped. The pro
grams show the humor of that day.
The characters were named thusly:
Kull-i* -Mump— But * Wit guy!
Afla!eh K*t*enmeF*r—Ha lives on the
avenue
Chief Fr*id of His Wtfa—Courtety of
the cigar utore.
Tithe Ihmpleknaee—Wstch her dtm
plea!
Uua Uaaolena—lie hasn't an auto, hut
O my!
I M. Batty—Carries hi* own atraifht
Ja'-k-t.
Perclval Prune*—A uliillng live wlr*
And so on! Now and then there was
a cooch dance. And. while unalter
ably bad, it did not compare in vul
gaiity with our South Ke;a island
shimmy shakers of this day.
Sailors and ladies’ maid* made up
a vast percentage of regular attend
ants.
Gold Teeth in Chorus.
The chorus girl gauged her popular
ity by the number of her gold teeth.
There was an odor of stale cigars,
stale beer and cheap perfume. The
gallery gods had the -right of free
speech. Tf a homely chorine appeared
one of them would yell in falsetto:
"O, why do they call me a Gib
son girl?”
And she, good naturedly. would
swish her skirt at them from the
wings as *he made her exit. Hoars
of laughter!
Then amateur nights, when after
the regular show the colorless stage,
struck of the tenements would have
their dream come true and appear in
the spotlight.
Cat calls and hisses did not bother
them. They might lie greeted with
cries, of, "You'd better lie good!” but,
with a certain pathetic manner, they
continued until perhaps forced to flee
from overripe orange# and apple*
which the gallery carried for "ama I
teur night."
Memories awaken the old desires.
Perhaps a visit to the few remaining 1
plays of this sort would burst the
Illusion. Youth is far away.
I.augliin; at Misfortune.
Still, I believe that many of us are ,
tired of many of the weepy, serious
theatrical presentations. We laugh it
the man on the street chasing his
hat. That wss the idea back of the
oldtime burlesque—laughing at mis
fortune.
Analyzed, most of our dramas to
day are glorified versions of "Edna,
the Pretty Typewriter.” The old den
under Brooklyn bridge, with Mol, the
hag, crooning of murder and theft,
is still with us in various disguises.
Our favorite melodrama of the old
days was “Human Hearts.” At the
end of the performance the perform
ers, In costume, walked across the
stage one at a time to receive the ac
colsde of cheers or jeers.
Even today I halo that suave vil
lain with the black mustache, the rid
ing boots which he constantly flickej
with his whip, snd the supercilious
snarl he affected when conversing
with the soul suffering heroine, Beth.
No other villain has inspired tho
hiss and no hero has so wrung the
heart.
I know the fellow who played Hi
Holler in "Way Down East," There
i is still a glamour about him. Much
more to me than there is to John
Barrymore and a lot of others I
could name. And he gave no more
enjoyment.
{Copyright, 1923,>
Town of 3,000 Population
Has 83 Basket Ball Teams
Decatur, Ind., Feb. 21.—This city,
with a population of approximately
5.000, boasts of 83 basket bail teams.
Two gymnasiums afo kept busy from
noon until late at night each day of
the week, except Sunday.
Masons to Move
Children’s Home
Old Megeath Residence to Be
New Location of Loral
Institution.
Members of the executive commit
tee of the Masonic home for children
are planning to move the home into
its new location, the former Megeath
home at 2137 South Thirty-third
street early in March. The home was
donated to the Masonic bodies to be
used as a home for children.
In order to meet expenses which
will la* Incurred in making some
necessary improvements and to estab
lish a fund for the maintenance of
the home. Masonic lodges ami bcot
tisb Jlite and York bodies are to carry
on an Interlodge campaign, under the
direction of the members of the ex
ecutive committee for gifts and
pledges.
L'p until now the Masonic home for
children has been maintained at Twen
ty-second and Davenport streets. The
new home, when completely furn
ished will accomodate more than 100
children.
G. VY. Megeath gave the home to
the Masonic bodies more than a year
ago. It was for years fhe seat of the
pioneer Megeath family and one of
the most beautiful residences in Oma.
ha. bines giving th£ site to the Ma
sons. Mr. Megeath has built a new
home On the Dodge street road and is
'living there r.ow.
—
Kissing to Be Banned.
Rome. Feb. 24.—Rome authorities
nre about to issue a ban on kiss ng in
public places. In the interest of pub
lic hygiene and general orderliness.
1,300,000 Pieces of Direct Mail
Advertising to be Made in Omaha
*
*
\
.'I
V"T"^
■HE American Writing Paper Company of
1 Holyoke, Mass., is the largest maker of
paper—papers for every business and
social purpose. This organization operates
twenty-six (26) mills, each a specialist in one
or a few related grades of paper.
The combined output of the Company’s mills
is 460 tons of paper per day.
The Acorn Press, 1214-16 Howard street, has
been commissioned by the American Writing
Paper Co., of Holyoke, Mass., to produce
1,300,000 pieces of advertising literature. This
part of a tremendous campaign for merchan
dising the Eagle A line, is only the first of
several to be created by The Acorn Press
during 1923.
The Acorn Press -1214-16 Howard St.
% 4 •