A COMIC " STAR " FOUND.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 16, 16 July 1910, Page 15

A COMIC " STAR " FOUND.

HUMOURS OF THE SEAKCH, Dear Sir, —Re Comedian. Tve a face that makes everybody laugh if I only smile at them. I'm coming up to see you in the morning. I Faithfully yours, In the course of his search. lor a comedian to take the part of Bolandyl, the Post-master-General aud Assessor of Taxes In the j "Two Merry Monarchs," at the Strand Theatre, Mr Austin Hurgon received many letters and post cards of a more or less humorous character from unknown "funny" men in and around London. There is apparently, says the "Pall Mall" of April 2S, many a histrionic genius, taken at his own value, born to waste his talent on the unprofitable air of a London suburb. Mr Hurgon has now, of course, found the man lie sought—a comedian who will be known simply by the name of Smith—the mysterions visitor who revealed himself and his capacity for the role at the Strand at midnight on Monday, after some hundred aspirants for the part had been given a trial. The search, anxious though it has been, has liad its humorous side, not the least in the communications received. The writer of the letter quoted above Is a tailor in one of the ancient boroughs up the Thames. "He came np yesterday morning," Mr Hurgon told a respesentative of the "Pall Mall Gazette." He certainly has a funny face, and we engaged, him as one of the trumpeters. Then there came a couple of post cards:— "Dear Sir,—l have been told my performance of Julius Caesar was very funny. Can 1 sing for you? "Have you seen my Hamlet?" "I am not prepared to say the signatures (they are those of very well known actors) are genuine, but we regard the post cards in the light of a joke, whoever sent them," Mr Hurgon added. A MODEST "GENIUS." Overweening modesty is not one of the failings of another applicant who wrote from Plumstead:— "In reply to your advertisement for a funny man I think I would suit you, as I am reckoned by my friends to be a genius. What stops mc is money. I would not leave my employment, but'l think if I were given a part I could fill it, as I make comic pieces from my head. Can sing fairly well If you would like to try mc you would have to pay expenses." The next man dropped into rhyme:— "I am the fanny man Of this or any other age. Malts .people laugh, I can, I can, I'd very soon become the rage. "The public ought to see mc act, The public ought my voice to hear; And then —the house that's tightly packed Would very, very quickly clear! "My n<uno is Eoby, Albert Ed., So fetch mc, pr I'll come instead! "P.S.—Please excuse mc A(u)stin, but its Hurgent; beg pardon, urgent." From a West Lgndpn a.ddress came the following:—"Dear Sir, —Seeing your advertisement, there is a man in this house who is very funny to look at. He has been on. the stage before. Ask for Gussie." Smith, the selected, is rehearsing assiduously for the opening.

A. RACIEST AKGEIr. THH FBENCH CONVENT BTEATXDS, THE STRANGE UFE-STOEI OF SISTEK CAHDIDB. There Is more than meets the eye in the story of the extraordinary operations of Sister Candide — a story in which there have been several developments since tlie flrst brief cabled news of her dramatic downfall from her high; place in the social and political world. Until all the facts are obtainable, which will not be lor many days yet, there Is no excuse for supposing Sister Candide to have been another Madame Humbert, but merely, at first, anyway, a victim of her own temperament, and of the moral overstrain of ihaving untold thousands of pounds unquestionably confided to her sole keeping by the lazily charitable. Here is her whole story to date. Somewhere abont twenty years ago a short, thick-set peasant woman, with shrewd, kindly eyes, who wore the dress of a religious order, appeared in Paris. No one paid much attention to her at first, but her evident earnestness and enthusiasm in the cause of charity soon attracted attention,' and when she developed a scheme for a great organisation for the care and cure of tuberculous children, she succeeded in interesting a number of wealthy and philanthropic persons, who

ENTRUSTED TO HER LARGE SUMS OF MONET, and who did not trouble themselves to find out how it was spent. As a matter of fact, there was no need until recently to bother much about that, for at first Sister Candide displayed excellent managing abilities. She established a great hospital at Ormesson, and at San Salvador she started a sanatorium, which, soon became famous all over France. Soon after ehe took possession of the latter property, a valuable anti-rheumatic spring was discovered, and Sister Candide sa-w in it a source of immense revenue for her charities. She built a great hotel there which was designed for wealthy sufferers, and she planned to devote the profits from their fees to the extension of her work for poor consumptives. She secured .the services of Dr. Leon Petit, a leading French medical man, as secretary of her enterprises, and for a time it seemed as if nothing could hinder the progress of her philanthropic schemes. THE FIRST BREATH OF SUSPICION against her methods came a few years ago, when a wealthy patron left her a large legacy. Un.ier the French Jaw the beneflclary under a cha-ritable legacy must satisfy the Department of the Interior thaf the financial administration of the charities to be helped is financially sound. Sister Candide was unable to supply the necessary information, and she lost the legacy, but no one seems to have paid much attention to the, incident. Sister Candide continued to receive the support of wealthy and charitable people, and she continued to extend her enterprises. She impressed ex-President Loubet so much that he gave her the Legion of Honour. It was this continual extension that caueed her downfall. Had she been content to go on modestly, her charities would probably have been running to-day, and she would still be an honoured member of the Parisian community. But HER APPETITE FOB CHARITY GREW with what it fed on. She desired to do more and more, and she committed herself to expenditures which she was unable to meet. When her creditors became pressing she resorted to decidedly Irregular methods to satisfy them. For a time she was able to stave off the crises, but now her arrest has been caused by a flrm of jewellers from whom she had obtained articles worth about £24,000.

Soe» represented to this arm that she would be iABUE TO ©ELk THE JEWEIjS TO WEALTHY PATRONS of her charities, and. she arranged to obtain from the firm a liberal commission to be used for her charitable work. Apparently she made no attempt to find customers for them. Instead, she pawned the jewels under a false name in London, and then in her anxiety to raise more money she sold the pawn tickets.

The Jewellers pressed for payment, and failing to obtain that, asked for the names of her customers. Then they learned that she had pawned their property, and lier arrest followed. On the evening of her arrest Dr. Petit hanged himself In his consulting room, leaving a letter in which he said that he epuld not live to face the inevitable exposure of Sister Candide'a methods. Since Iher arrest it has been discovered that she was NOT REALLY A NUN. Many years ago she belonged to a teaching order whose members made only annual vows, which has been disbanded long ago. •On taking up her charitable work she continued to wear the religious dress, no doubt because she found it a valuable assistance In raising money for heT schemes. Iα spite of the apparently fraudulent nature of her operations, however, there is no evidence that she profited personally by them. As far as is known, she led the most abstemious life, and devoted her whole time and energy to the work she had undertaken. There are many Parisians who believe that she was driven, into her illegal courses by a gang of sharpers, who Induced her in the first place to make some slight slip, and then held over her the threat of exposure. Those who are opposed to her, however, point to THE SUICIDE OF DB. PETIT, and declare that unless something much worse than is known now is in the background, he would not have been, afraid to face the music, particularly as his connection with the homes was purely professional, and he had no responsibility for the financial management. It is estimated that at least £1,200,000 passed through the hands of Sister Candlde. She received one gift of £320,000 from Mine. Lebaudy, and she was constantly dealing with sums of £5000 and £10,000. Her business methods may be imagined when it is stated that she often carried about as much as £1000 in notes, and made payments of large amounts without taking receipte. Her accounts were quite intelligible, and when she was questioned on them by the examining magistrate she replied quite simply that she had always hoped for a miracle to enable her to balance her books. "I HAD NO INT.EKTION OF CHEATING ANYO-N'E," she said. "Every one of my creditors would have been paid 'if they had been patient. The good God would not allow any one to suffer for havjng helped my good work for His poor. My conscience is quite clear." In the meantime, Sister Oandide is a prisoner In the .St. Lazare gagl for women. Dr. Petit, her associate, is a suicide, and •the institutions which she established are Jd danger of ruin. At the homes for children, the other night, there was nothing to eat but bxead, and only half-a-day's supply of that. Before it ran out, however, one. of Sister. CauOide's supporters came

£g£VU£T.& SMS. ffTTTfpTfefl. -frfrnag (0 tpqt ift- gnftygfor a few days longer. This home contains about three hundred . children who have benefited immensely by their stay in it* and who will probably lapse Into disease and poverty again, if the liome is closed. Sister Candide stm believes that the miracle will happen, and that all will be well, but t3ae French authorities are trying to trace the relatives of the children with a view to Bending them borne again.