KOKO'S RIVAL.

Press, Volume XLVI, Issue 7264, 25 January 1889, Page 5

KOKO'S RIVAL.

George Bignold, the actor, who. likes to keep himself en evidence, has written all interesting letter to the Sydney Morning Herald on a subject which does not. at first sight, perhaps, seem susceptible of humorous treatment, namely, the bungling of the execution of Louisa Collins, recently hanged at Sydney for the murder of her husband. Bignold says that from the actor's standpoint the hitch to the arrangements at the gallows, which was attributed to the stupidity or excitement of an assistant excutioner engaged the evenidfc before, was unpardonable. They manage their hangings much better on the stage. There no such important responsibilities are entrusted to stage hands or supers, but every machinist is trained to his work, and every " effect" is rehearsed before' hand, so that no hitch can possibly occux. If Bignold and his talented Company had had the hanging of Mrs Collins, they would have done it in such a way Bβ to satisfy the most critical audience. ISags of sand would have been utilized to calculate the weight and the stage manager and stage carpenter would have seen that every portion of the mechanism had been - exercised. They might even have had a full drees rehearsal of the performance in character, with Mrs Collins in the principal rob. Kignoldactualiy describee a hanging which he saw performed on the stage in Kngiwid, the effect of which, he says, was startling and intensely realistic. There wa» a real gallows and such machinery as is now used, and to all appearance the man was hanged. This effect was produced by a very simple contrivance. The man dropped the toll length of the rope, but he also dropped the fall length of a wire invisible to the audience, which held him at the waist and prevented the rope drawing taut round the neck. All this mechanism had been tested over and over again before the actor himself consented to rehearse the scene. His weight to an ounce was represented by bags of sand, and the stage carpenter did not rest till there was an absolute certainty of the machinery working without a bitch. To produce accurately the elTect of a hanging, and yet not to kill the man, Bignold contends, is a more difficult thing than to produce death in terrible reality. On the stage, too, there are perhaps a score of . mechanical eifects to be produced in a play, and they all muse be done accurately: but every otage manager would see that the denouement should not fail whatever might happen to progressive effects. Hence, he says, as a player and manager, Jiving amongst and by mechanical effects, he - cannot bnt view with distrust such revolting mistakes aa were made at the execution of Mrs Collins. In short, George Bignold writes a very amusing letter, which la all the more amusing from his evident unconsciousness that it is amusing, at all. The moral of it apparently is that George Big* nold should be appointed Lord High Sμcatkxner for the time being in whatever country he may happen to be! and that any little jobs in the hanging line requiring to be done, should be left to him and hie talented assistants. will perhaps cay that if he sfcenM <"»£»*» the criminate ac effectively as he m«M Shakespeare, he would bewortohlswdtf* in—eand.— Erening Frese, ' >