True stories of old Houston and Houstonians: historical and personal sketches / by S. O. Young. Page: 55

HOUSTON AND HOUSTONIANS 55
ward bound vessel only a day or two before. When I asked
him if he knew of the danger before he started he laughed at
the question and said that he knew as well as an experienced
sailor could know how slim the chances were for success.
"But I would have gone anywhere that any other man would
have gone at that time. I was not desperate or anything of
that kind, but I was young and felt my oats. I felt at that time
that I could do anything that any other man could do, and
since I realized that something must be done quickly to save
those men, I jumped in that boat with no thought of anything
else than the fact that we were going to save them."
Strange to say, the Galveston News gave only a brief account.
of the daring rescue and passed it off as if it had been only an
ordinary, everyday occurrence. It was really a gallant thing;
one that only those familiar with the dangers of the sea can
appreciate at its full value. Had it been during these latter
days when so many mock heroes are getting Carnegie medals
every one of those ten heroes would have been decorated, and
what is far more to the point they would have honored the
medals by accepting them instead of the medals honoring them.
Of all the ten, I believe only Sjolander is alive. I have always
had a warm place in my heart for him, but after I heard his
story he advanced several points in my estimation, if that be
possible. The next time he comes to town I am going to get a
full list of those gallant men and publish it so as to do their
memory some tardy justice.
EARLY SHOWS IN HOUSTON.
W xrHETHER the war was responsible for it or not, the fact
remains that for several years after its close society
was in somewhat of a chaotic condition and "most
any old thing went," just so it was not outside the law. Men
of fine social. standing engaged in business that they would
shun today, not because there is anything radically wrong with
these things, but because they are now in the hands of professional
people and are not considered just the things for
business men of commercial and social standing to engage in.
To illustrate what I mean I will state that the first organised
vaudeville show ever in Houston was organized and managed,
not by a professional showman, but by Ed Bremond, the son of
the great railroad builder and capitalist. Just why Ed ver
thought of such a thing no one knew, but he did think of it and
he made a great success of it, too. That show was the "Acad
emy of Music" and was one of the most popular places in Ho1t