A QUEEN AND A CONVICT.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18924, 12 February 1927, Page 9

A QUEEN AND A CONVICT.

STORY FROM SEATTLE. A BOGUS RUMANIAN. (mou oi'a own coEaESro::DEST.) SAX FRANCISCO, *Jj. Strange tilings liave happened iu America—tho land of tall stories —but few can cap one recently eiu.ctcd at Seattle, where, entirely unknown to her or to any other member of her royal entourage, Queen Mario of Rumania was the guest of a paroled convict from San Qucntin Prison, on the night of November 4th lust in iSeattle. Not only did the Queen lean with regal grnciousness upon the sleeves of a hired Tuxedo worn by her host as ho escorted her to the stage box of a crowded theatre, but she also chatted with him in an amiably democratic manner for fully twenty minutes. And she probably would have chatted considerably longer had not a "faux pas" arisen in the conversation.

It was this social error, which may solve the mystery of why Queen Marie departed from the theatre so abruptly—in Queenly dignity, it is true, but nevertheless precipitately. But her host from San Qucntin Prison, California, to descend from tho courtly to the vernacular, docs not worry. Having proved that if a cat can look at n queen a convict can go a lot further he returned to Ban .Francisco and told his story with great gusto. And with him, by way of a supreme climax, came 000 dollars in cash —representing his net profitits from the adventure. These amazing disclosures as to Queen Marie's Seattle visit—tannine the newest and perhaps most amusing chapter of her series of Western misadventures—were narrated by the Queen's host himself when ho reappeared in Sau Francisco, and ho produced telegrams and photographs in ample Bupport. Tho brisk and wholly naivo entertainer of royally, it was disclosed, is Siut S. better knov.i- to tho boys over tho San Francisco Bay at Sail Quentin as "Sammy." It is hardly necessary to explain that Sammy is a promoter, and in this occupation ho knew no limit. He departed from California with the stage properties of a girly-girly show ho had been promoting, not withstanding the existence of a chattel mortgago thereon.

World War Airman. For this the Judge scut liira to San Quentin for ono to ten years, but there was much, it appears, to mitigate tho offence. It was tho first time in seventy-two years that such a section of the criminal code had been invoked successfully. Moreover, Sammy says he was shot down while flying for France during tho World War as a member of the Lafayette Escadrillo, and has the scars of his wounds for proof. And so, tho authorities wcro somewhat lenient in his enco and paroled him after he had served a year. Wearing a pri3on-m»de suit and with but five dollars in his pocket, but with his promoting spirit uaquenched, Sammy blithely turned his back on San Quentin and came back to San Francisco. That was a few months ago. Late iu October he turned up in tho office of an attorney who was present when he related hi 3 Soattlo adventure to his friends in the Caiifornian metropolis:.

"George,", said Sammy, "You've always boon a swell friend to mo. Now, all I've got in the world is ten dollars—just borrowed it from a bellboy at my hotel, in fact. Lend me 35 dollars more. J. havo a big deal on in Seattle and havo to get thero right away." "What are you (joing to do—clop out with Queen Ifarie when she arrives thereP" asked the sardonic lawyer. "Sure," responded Sammy, "now did you guess itt Now, that girl has got talent, George, and I'd like to encourage it. I even bo able to swing a Chautauqua lecture tour for her, or something, whatP" Unfolds Scheme. "Why not got her to divorce the King of Rumania and marry her?" suggested the attorney helpfully. Nevertheless, supposing that Sammy was "kidding," he advanced him tho lonr.. And Sammy, with tho 45 dollars and a parole board permit to leave the Stato ternporurily in his pockets, took tho net train to Seattle.

Onco there, Sammy's first ctep was to look up all tho Rumanians in town. There- proved to be forty-three men, women, and children of that nationality. Sammy talked to each of them, and this is whnt ho said: "Folks, your great and noble Queen will soon be in our midst. For the honour of Rumania, you must do all in your power to make her visit to Seattle a pleasant one. But we Rumanians—need I say that my grandfather was a Rumanian general of great distinction—we also can profit by her royal Majesty's visit. Let us get up a big benefit for the Rumanian orphans and invito the Queen! Now, all together—nine rousing chcer3 for Rumania!"

It worked. It was so successful, in fact, that Sammy, as Seattle's ncirlyfound leading Rumanian, had little difficulty in persuading tho manager of the President Theatre to use that playhouse for tho occasion, together with the show then playing therein. Tho bargain was that Sammy was to get the proceeds from the night's performance—this to bo split fifty-fifty with the Rumanian orphans. "No Queen, no benefit." Sammy promised convinc"'aii" these detuils accounted for, Sammy then went to a telephone office and wrote a' glowing message. It recited that he, as tho leading Seattle Rumanian, and speaking; for his fellow Rumanians there, could say truthfully that thev loved their gracious Queen more than anything elso in the world, and could she possibly be persuaded to honour them by her high and nugust presence at a benefit for the Rumanian orphans, the poor and fnendle33 children of the unfortunately deceased subjects of her Majesty?

Prayed For Succcs:. This message Sammy addressed to Samuel Hill, then striving belligerently to net as Queen Marie's right-hand mentor abroad the royal Seattle-bound train—and who was left standing forlornly on the platform when tho same train pullet! out of Seattle later. Snmmv filed the message for transmission." Then, with but one dollar and 35 cents—about ."is Cd—betweeu him and starvation, to say nothing of an unpaid hotel bill, he went into seclusion for the night—and prayed. In the morning Sammy got a telegram in answer. As .lie read the message, his heart took a sudden bounce and tried to climb on right up through/his larynx. It bore the signature of Samuel Hill, sou of the American railway King, and read as 'ollows: "Her Majesty graeiouslv accept* your invitation." Nearly f»lliug downstairs, Sammy ordered th" most sumptuous breakfast on the hotel's bili. Not only that, but ho insisted on ordering another for the waiter. Speedy telephone calls from the hotci notified his fellow Ri-mcnian* o!" his succcs*, and they were instructed to make ready to meet their Qrcen at the benefit arranged fcr the following night. Then, as the tost

step by way of preparation, Sammy borrowed 10 dollars from tho hotel mnnager, on the strength of tho magic telegram, and rented a Tuxedo coat. Dazzling Display. Queen Mario was as good as her word, and with the President Theatre packed to the doors by Seattle's spangled elite, Her Majesty appeared at the playhouse doors at the appointed hour, followed by her children, Prince Nicholas and Princess Ileana, and all the other members of the entourage. As sho stopped from her automobile upon a thick, red carpet leading into the theatre, Sammy and his rented Tuxedo were right on the job with ten stalwarts flanking him—his "Bumaninn guard," ho called them. "Don't lot anybody shove mo out of the picture," he had instructed them, and they strictly obeyed this injunction. Sammy not only assisted Her Majesty to alight, but a ■noment later entered the theatre with her, to proceed majestically to the flag and flower decorated stago box. And there the Queen and Sammy, that brash littlo homo boy from San Quentin, stood together and acknowledged with smiling bows tho handclapping of tho Seattle socially elect, the wild Rumanian cheers of the Queen's follow countrymen in the first two rows below, and the playing of Her Majesty's national anthem. It was Sammy's greatest moment, but an even greater was to follow. As the Queen sat down at the conclusion of the applause, Sammy sat down, too — right beside her. "Millard bowed low to his Queen as she was seated in tho Royal box," read a Seattle newspaper account of tho evening. "Her Majesty was gorgeously clothed in a shimmering gown of silver cloth, heavily trimmed with pearls, while ropes of pearls hung from her neck. . •"'

For fully twenty minutes while the play proceeded, the Qiieen and Sammy sat" side by aid s and chatted—"juct as though we had known each other a long time as personal friends," according to Millard's description of the event. Then—

Marie Takes an Out. Suddenly the Queen was seen to rise. There was nothing undignified or unregal about it, of eourse, but nevertheless there was no doubt that Her Majesty seemed to be in a bit of a hurry." To Sammy she accorded a brief nod "of farewell. " And then, with tho other members of her party following, she walked out of the theatre as imposingly as she had entered. "What did I do!" repeated Sammy to a question when interrogated in San Francisco. '"Why, I went right to the box office, of course, and got my share of the benefit proceeds. With all mv debts paid, including the loan for the Tuxedo, I cleared just 900 dollars. The rest went to the Rumanian orphans. Then I came back to San Francisco."

"And what did you and the Queen talk about—just before she left so suddcnlv?" he was asked, and Sammy innocently replied: "Oh, just things in general. Come to think of it, I believe I did say that she ought to make a great hit on a lecture tour, and that I would uot mind managing it." "What was said just before her departure from the show?" "Oh, nothing much." answered Sammy. "She asked what her people in Seattle were doing, and I told her thnt nmst of them were working in fish markets."

For a moment a worried expression flitted across Sammy's ingenuous countenance, and then he added: "Come to think of it, I don't bcl:evc I have anv Rumanian ancestors, after all. As i remember it, my grandfather was a Slovak."