CHAPTER IX.
SEASON OF "66-"67.
_An Interesting Prayer Meeting_.
Julia Dean Hayne"s final appearance closed the fourth season of the Salt Lake Theatre, counting the opening one which only lasted from March 8th, "62, to the end of April, about eight weeks, the Irwin season of "63 and "64, the Pauncefort season of "64 and "65, and the Julia Dean Hayne season of "65 and "66.
Up to this time the only compensation the stock company received was a pro rata dividend of the benefits given at the end of each season--no one had been put on a salary. The stars, of course, got good liberal percentages or salaries, but even the leading people of the stock company realized but a very meager compensation from the two performances that were gotten up as benefits, one for the ladies of the company and the other for the gentlemen--the two nights" receipts were aggregated and divided up among the company according to their respective merits or worth to the management. These two benefit performances alone probably aggregated twenty-five hundred dollars, which, divided up among about thirty performers, actors and musicians, did not prove satisfactory to a number of the company--more especially some of the orchestra. As a consequence, the ensuing season approaching, the salary question came to the front again very strongly, and the "management" found a well-grounded reluctance on the part of the company to enter upon a new season"s work without a certain and satisfactory compensation. This feeling was even stronger among the orchestra than among the stage players, a number of them being quite outspoken in their sentiment: "No pay, no play." The princ.i.p.al agitator among the musicians was Mark Croxall, the brilliant young cornetist recently from England. Mark could not see the propriety or consistency of playing to help pay for the theatre. He had not been used to that kind of thing in England, and although he had been playing but a very short time as compared with the majority, both of the orchestra and the dramatic company, he vowed he would play no longer without a stipulated salary. This, of course, aroused all the others to a certain show of opposition. The leader of the orchestra, Prof. Thomas, or "Charlie," as he was affectionately called by his familiars, was probably as dissatisfied with the existing regime as Croxall or David Evans, the second violin, who was another Britisher of recent importation and quite p.r.o.nounced in his views about the way the theatre should be run. Prof. Thomas was not of the stuff that kickers are made of, and could doubtless have been managed with the majority of his orchestra had it not been for the recalcitrant Croxall, and the equally pugnacious Evans. The dissatisfaction spread rapidly and alarmingly to the management, until the entire dramatic company as well as the orchestra, was in a state of semi-rebellion. All the actors and most of the musicians had other occupations, as I have stated in a former chapter, and now the number of performances and rehearsals had increased their work to such an extent they could not see how they could give satisfaction to their various employers and keep up their work at the theatre too. Some of these declared it had to be one thing or the other, the theatre now demanded the greater part of their time, and the employers had in several instances intimated that they would have to give up the theatre or be replaced in their employ by others. Mr. David McKenzie, the leading man of the company, held a clerkship in President Young"s or the Church office; "Joe" Simmons, our juvenile man, and Horace Whitney, the "old man" in the company, also held clerkships in the same office; Mr. W. C. Dunbar, the Irish comedian, was a clerk in the "t.i.thing office," so their time went on whether they were working in the "Church offices" or at the theatre; of course all their night work at the theatre was extra work, but the day time they put in at the theatre they were not docked for at the office; but with the other leading members of the company it was quite different; the hours they spent at the theatre in the day time was a positive loss to them. Phil Margetts was a blacksmith, Lindsay and Hardie were carpenters, Evans and Kelly were printers, and so on. So that several hours each day spent in rehearsal meant a heavy tax when at the end of each week they were docked for time lost, so there was a committee appointed to wait upon the managers, Clawson and Caine, and present the situation. The managers being only employees of Brigham Young and not proprietors or lessees, pa.s.sed the company"s grievance up to their chief. The managers saw plainly that a crisis had come, and a new departure must be made. "The President," accustomed to having things his own way, and with confidence in his influence, thought he could effect a compromise, or adjust the matter without much trouble or cost, so in pursuance of this idea a notice was posted for all the company and orchestra to a.s.semble in the Green Room of the theatre on a certain evening to consider the question of salary. There was no tardiness on that occasion, even "Jim" Hardie, notorious for being tardy, was on time. Every employee of the theatre was there from the managers to the night-watchman. The orchestra was in full force, and the ladies of the company, even to the smallest utility, were there, all inspired with the hope of being put upon the theatre salary list. The Green Room was found to be too small to accommodate all the company, so the meeting was shifted to the stage, which afforded the necessary room. President Young called the meeting to order, and requested the company to join him in prayer. It is customary in the Mormon Church to open all meetings with prayer, even political ones where those present are all of the household of faith. Brigham offered up a fervent prayer, asking the blessing of the Almighty upon that meeting, and each and every one present, that they might all see with an eye single to the glory of G.o.d, and the building up of his Kingdom here on the earth. The prayer over, the President arose and in a brief but very adroit speech, told the object he had in view in building the theatre, the recreation and amus.e.m.e.nt of the people, thanked those who had contributed to that end, whether as actors or musicians, told them that they were missionaries as much as if they were called to go out into the world and preach the gospel, and the Lord would bless their efforts just as much if they performed their parts in the same spirit. He understood there was some dissatisfaction, however, and some of the brethren thought it was too much of a tax upon their time to continue to do this without proper compensation. He called on the brethren to state their feelings in regard to this question that he might judge what was best to do in the matter. It seemed as if the prayer and speech had almost made them forget that they had any cause or grievance to present, or it had blunted the edge of their courage. Every one was expecting to see Mark Croxall, the princ.i.p.al agitator, get up and make a statement in behalf of himself and the orchestra; but Mark"s courage, like that of many another agitator, seemed to have sunk into his boots, when the ordeal came; he opened not his mouth. So the second violinist, David Evans, who was a shoemaker by trade and a cripple from birth, pulled himself to a standing position by the aid of his crutches and spoke to the question. He told how hard he had to work, and what a loss of time the rehearsals and plays occasioned him; being up so much at nights, he could not get up very early in the morning--and could not but lose several hours every day. Besides, he said he did not think it right and just, when the theatre was taking in such large sums of money at every performance, that those who furnished the entertainment, whether in the art of music or the drama, should be expected to continue to do it gratuitously. It was a bold, fearless, manly speech and coming from a man who was obliged to sling himself along through life on a pair of crutches, and a recent comer from the old country, it sent a thrill of astonishment through the company and fired some of the others with a spark of courage, too. Mr.
Phil Margetts, the leading comedian, arose and made an explanation of his case; then a number of the other fellows followed suit. A sort of "no pay, no play" sentiment pervaded the entire company. President Young saw here an end of the old method; he discovered that a new deal would have to be made with his actors if he wanted to continue in the amus.e.m.e.nt business, so he tried an expedient. He was evidently a little irritated at Evans, the crippled shoemaker, who had presumed to take the initiative in the affair and express his views so fearlessly, inspiring the others with a little of his own courage, but Brigham did not show the lion"s paw but spoke in rather a patronizing way of Brother Evans"s crippled condition, and said it was right that he should have some additional pay, owing to his misfortune of being a cripple. He told Evans he could have anything he needed out of his private store; that if he would leave his flour sack there, it should be regularly filled, and whatever else was there he was welcome to what he needed of it. This savored a little too much of charity for Evans, who although badly crippled in his limbs, was by no means a weakling in his brains; and hurt a little by the President"s patronizing manner, he arose and said about as follows:
"President Young, I have had my flour sack at your store for more than a month, and every time I have gone in to try and get it filled, the clerk has told me the flour was all out." Evans"s unique relation of the flour sack incident injected a spark of humor into the proceedings; a suppressed t.i.tter ran through the crowd, and even Brigham, although nettled at this unexpected sally, could not repress a grim smile.
That the reader may better understand the flour sack incident it must be explained here that what little pay the actors and musicians had been receiving for their services through the benefits was not all in cash, but store orders mostly on the t.i.thing store. The cash receipts of the theatre up to this time and indeed as late as 1870 were probably one-third of the gross receipts, the other two-thirds consisting of orders on various stores or t.i.thing pay, which consisted of all kinds of home products--so that when the "benefits" were divided up among the company each member got about one-third of his "divvy" in cash and the other two-thirds in store orders and orders on the t.i.thing office. Evans was the possessor of an order on Brigham Young"s private store, and he felt chagrined that he had been so often with that order and failed to draw it. Flour was flour in those days, running as high at one time as twenty dollars per hundred, but the uniform church or t.i.thing office price was six dollars per hundred, which was what the actors had to pay for it, but it was doled out very sparingly to them at times when it was commanding high prices in outside markets. With these orders they drew about all their provisions from the t.i.thing store. Artemus Ward amused the world by telling how the Salt Lake Theatre used to take in exchange for tickets cabbage, potatoes, wheat, carrots, and even sucking pigs through the box office window. It was perhaps nearer the truth than he himself suspected, for these t.i.thing office orders were good for all these things.
After the t.i.tter had subsided Brigham arose again, and answered Brother Evans that he was sorry he had been disappointed so, but there really had been a great scarcity of flour during the past month or so, but he would see to it in the future that he would meet no more disappointments. To Brother Phil Margetts he made an offer to come and work in his blacksmith shop (Phil was running one of his own) and then he need not lose any time; his pay would go on whether working in the shop or in the theatre. Brother Lindsay could bring his carpenter tools to the theatre and he could find plenty of work for him to fill up the time between the rehearsals. To others he made similar propositions; but these suggestions were not in harmony with the feelings of the company, who thought they had given their time to Brother Brigham long enough, and now contended with Brother Evans, that as they were furnishing the amus.e.m.e.nts for the people, it was only right that they should be paid for their services, so the result of the meeting was that the company was put on salary. Salaries ranged from $15.00 to $50.00 per week, one-third cash, the balance in store orders and t.i.thing office pay.
CHAPTER X.
SEASON OF "66 AND "67.
The season of "66 and "67 opened on September 8th with Alonzo R.
Phelps as the star attraction. Mr. Phelps opened in the character of "Damon" and made a fairly good showing, although he appeared to much greater advantage in some lighter roles, and particularly as "Crepin,"
the Cobbler, in "A Wonderful Woman." His engagement lasted two weeks, when the Irwins returned after an absence of over two years. They opened on September 29th, just in time to get well ready with a repertory of plays for the approaching conference. Their engagement lasted up to November 15th, when they departed for the East and Salt Lake was never favored with a visit from them afterwards. "Sel" Irwin "died young in years, not service," after very intense suffering for several years from rheumatism, which virtually made a helpless cripple of him. He died in New York in 1886, being only a little over fifty years of age. His widow, Maria Irwin, still survives, and up to a recent date was playing in a road company. Harry Rainforth, her son by her first marriage, who was a mere boy of sixteen when they played their first engagement in Salt Lake, has been for many years manager of the Pike Grand Opera House, Cincinnati, the a.s.sociate and partner of "Bob" Miles. It was during this last Irwin engagement that Miss Nellie Colebrook, who later on became leading lady of the company, made her debut. Her first appearance was in the comedy of "Dominique, the Deserter." The first line she had to speak was, "Oh, I"m half dead with fear," which was literally true of Miss Colebrook on the occasion. She was shaking like an aspen leaf in a strong wind, but her nervous condition fitted the character remarkably well and the lady sailed at once into public favor. Miss Colebrook was tall and stately, with a very winning face and musical voice; she went rapidly to the front, being especially well suited to many of the leading roles. Mrs.
Lydia Gibson, the leading actress of the theatre, died on January 8th, 1866, a little less than three years after her first appearance. This left a vacancy in the company difficult to fill, and afforded Miss Colebrook many excellent opportunities in leading roles, which she always filled satisfactorily, so that by the time Pauncefort returned to play his third engagement--after an absence of more than two years Miss Colebrook was doing most of the leading female roles.
After the departure of the Irwins, the stock company finished out the season without the a.s.sistance of a star, playing from November 15th until after April Conference. It was during the conference that our old friend George Pauncefort, suddenly and unexpectedly to most of us, returned from San Francisco after an absence in that metropolis of more than two years. He opened a return engagement on April 16th in "Don Caesar de Bazan." The season was virtually over after the April Conference, but notwithstanding he played to splendid business, he gave repet.i.tions of his previous plays and won out splendidly on a production of "Arrah Na Pogue," in which he had played "Col. O"Grady"
during a successful run of this play in San Francisco.
"Arrah Na Pogue" drew good houses for three or four nights, and closed the season of "66 and "67. Robert h.e.l.ler got in a three nights engagement, commencing May the 20th, while the company was getting up in "Arrah Na Pogue." He was the first to introduce the mysterious second sight illusions and succeeded in bewildering and mystifying the patrons of the theatre to an unusual degree.
During the last engagement of Pauncefort most of the opposite roles to his own were a.s.signed to Miss Colebrook, who had in the past year, since Mrs. Gibson"s demise, divided honors with Miss Adams, and owing to her more stately appearance had been entrusted with many of the leading lady roles and was an established favorite. Pauncefort, who had never met her before (her debut having occurred after his departure for the coast), was much surprised and pleased to find a new and attractive leading lady in the company. He took an especial interest in her, and she was cast for all the leading roles during his engagement, beginning with "Maritana" in "Don Caesar," and including "Lady Macbeth" and "Ophelia." Pauncefort discovered that she had exceptional dramatic ability and encouraged her in every possible way; for "Miss Nellie" was not over-confident of her own abilities, and suffered keenly from nervousness or stage fright, especially on the first time in a part; and to receive encouragement and compliments from a star of Pauncefort"s acknowledged l.u.s.ter was doubtless sweet and flattering to the lady, who as yet was all unconscious of the impression she had made on the susceptible George. "The fair Elizabeth has caught my eye, and like a new star, lights onward to my wishes."
Possessed of a sweet and loveable disposition and a musical voice added to her charms of personal appearance, Miss Colebrook was a general favorite, not only with the public, but with the company. She had numerous admirers, and several rival aspirants for her affections, both in the company and out. With what surprised and ill-concealed chagrin they viewed the growing attentions of the reigning star can better be imagined than described. The princely George had enrolled himself in the list of her devotees and it was very much in evidence that he was enamored of the lady, for George had a keen eye for the beautiful, and "a free and open nature, too," most susceptible to female charms, so he entered the race with the others for the fair "Nellie"s" hand. While he was considerably older than any of his compet.i.tors, being now close onto fifty, he probably had the advantage over them all in looks, being generally regarded as a handsome man, and most decidedly he had the advantage of experience, for George had been a gay Lothario. He seemed in a fair way to carry off the much-coveted prize. Notwithstanding the disparity of age, the fair "Nellie" seemed strongly attracted to the princely George. Playing "Ophelia" to his "Hamlet" and "Lady Macbeth" to his "Macbeth," and a long series of opposite characters to him, he had not failed to make a powerful impression on her, and if she had been left to herself without guidance or counsel, there is little question but what Pauncefort would have won her; but her mother had more penetration, and could see the objections which "Nellie" either did not see, or care to raise, so the chief arbitrator of the Church, President Young, was appealed to by Miss "Nellie"s" mother to decide the case for them.
Brigham decided very quickly and positively against an alliance between his fair leading lady and the "stock star," with a great big emphatic _No_. He had formed a strong prejudice against Pauncefort during his first engagement, owing to his reputed intimacy with Mrs.
Bell, which was rather flaunted in the face of the community on their arrival in Salt Lake. So this ended the Pauncefort-Colebrook romance.
During this engagement, Pauncefort played in addition to his previous repertory "The Dead Heart," "Man with the Iron Mask," "Lavater," and "Arrah Na Pogue." The latter piece closed the season on June the 15th, being the fourth performance of the piece. Very soon after, Pauncefort purchased a horse and chaise, fitting himself out with gun and fishing tackle for a long jaunt. He headed for Portland, giving readings by the way--hunting and fishing by day--and evenings entertaining the towns along his route. How far he got with his one horse chaise is not exactly known, but the probability is he traded it off before he pa.s.sed the Utah border line, and took the stage for Virginia City, Nevada, where he played for a short time and then drifted over to the coast, and finally got lost to view.
A dozen years later he was discovered by some American actors in j.a.pan, keeping a roadside tea house for travelers with a set of pretty j.a.panese girls for waiters. He married a j.a.panese girl and latest reports credited him with a fine young j.a.panese colony of his own. A picture of himself and j.a.panese wife and three children in the possession of Jack Langrishe"s widow at Wardner, Idaho, was shown to the writer there recently, and was a strong verification of what had been told by parties who had seen Pauncefort in j.a.pan. George had let his beard grow and was quite a patriarchal looking man when Joseph Arthur met him there in 1880. Pauncefort died in j.a.pan in 1893, leaving a j.a.panese wife and four semi-j.a.p children. George Pauncefort missed the greatest opportunity of his life by not joining the Mormon Church; he had all the natural endowments to make a great patriarch.
CHAPTER XI
SEASON OF "67-"68.
On the first of August, this same year, "67, C. W. Couldock made his first appearance at the Salt Lake Theatre, supported by Jack Langrishe and his company from Denver, where they had been running a stock company. It was an unfavorable time for opening, in the hottest nights of summer, but there were no resorts in those days and it was not so hard to get them into the theatre as it would be now. Langrishe had a full road company and was traveling through to Montana in his own teams, the Union Pacific Railroad not being nearer than Rawlins at that time. The company comprised Mr. Couldock and his daughter, Eliza Couldock, John S. Langrishe and Mrs. Langrishe, Richard C. White (he of Camp Floyd fame, referred to in a previous chapter). The Langrishe company played a week, then went to Virginia City, Montana. Couldock and his daughter returned later and played a long engagement as stock stars.
On the 5th of September, Amy Stone, supported by her husband, H. F.
Stone, began a stock star engagement which lasted a little more than four months. Opening the regular fall season on September 5th, by the time the fall Conference came on, October 6th, the Stones had the stock company up in a very attractive repertoire of plays to present to "our country cousins" attending the Conference. Fanchon, Pearl of Savoy, "Little Barefoot," "French Spy," "Wept of the Wishton Wish,"
were leading favorites in the Stone repertory, and proved to be very popular, serving to keep the exchequer in a satisfactory condition.
Their engagement lasted until January the 6th, 1868. Amy, if not a great actress, was at least a fascinating one. She was blessed with a superb form and an attractive face; she fairly reveled in parts where she could wear tights and display her shapely form, and it must be frankly confessed that "the folks" loved to see her in that kind of attire. She was more at home in it than in an evening dress with a bothersome train; there was a freedom of movement and a candor of expression about Amy that was positively refreshing, and we all liked her and got along with her with very little trouble. "Harry," as her husband was always called, was not a brilliant but a good, useful actor, and had a good knowledge of her plays, and could direct the staging of them. Besides, he attended to the making of engagements, and the financial end of the business, and as he was devoted to Amy, they were apparently one of the happiest couples I have ever met in the theatrical business. The Stones were a very prudent and saving couple, and by the time they had finished a four months" stock star engagement, they had a very handsome deposit in the local bank, and they left Zion feeling a very warm affection for the Saints, and so went on their way rejoicing.
On the night immediately following the close of the Stones"
engagement, January 7th, Mr. James Stark opened in John Howard Payne"s play of "Brutus, or the Fall of Tarquin." This was the first presentation of this play in Salt Lake. Mr. Stark made a fine impression as Brutus. He followed it in quick succession with Richelieu, Damon, Jack Cade, Alfred Evelyn in "Money." His engagement lasted two weeks and closed with the play of "Victorine, or Married for Money." Stark was a very talented tragedian of the Forrest school, and his engagement proved quite popular and successful. He went to San Francisco, and played an engagement there, and returned to New York by the Isthmus, the Overland railroad not yet being completed. Mr. Stark had a brother, Daniel Stark, a pioneer Mormon, who settled at Provo among the earliest settlers of that place. James, who had not seen him for many years, availed himself of the opportunity his Salt Lake engagement afforded him, and arranged a meeting with his "long lost brother" (?). He paid Daniel and his family a visit, and was most hospitably received and entertained. The family made much ado over him, and Daniel, like his namesake of old, "prophet-like," sought to show James the error of his ways, pointing out to him the emptiness and effervescence of dramatic fame, and the poor illusive thing that was as compared with the real joys and blessings of the Latter-Day Gospel. "Jim" accepted it all in good part, but he could not see "eye to eye" with his elder brother Daniel, but he promised to consider seriously what he had heard and bade them a loving goodbye till they could meet again. He rather expected to play a return engagement when he left here, and see the folks again, but he never returned. Stark died in New York before the close of the year 1868, in his 50th year.
After the Stark engagement, the stock company continued the season, starting off with a series of annual benefits which by this time were given the leading actors of the company in addition to salaries.
January the 23rd, D. McKenzie "Benefits," playing "Huguenot Captain,"
with an Olio and a farce to conclude. February 4th, John S. Lindsay "Benefits" and essays Hamlet for the first time. The farce that followed Hamlet was "Boots at the Swan;" think of it, "ye modern school actors." A five-act play and a farce, this meant being in the theatre from seven o"clock till midnight, but the people stayed to see it all, and many of them would have stayed till morning, if we could have kept on playing pieces for them. J. M. Hardie "Benefits" with "Jack Cade," Miss Colebrook with "Leah," etc., and so the season ran along without a star from January 23rd till April the 23rd, when the company was stiffened up again by the accession of Mr. and Mrs. George B. Waldron, who played up till May 16th. On May the 19th, Madam Sch.e.l.ler opened in "Pearl of Savoy," gave us "Pauline" in "Lady of Lyons," "Enoch Arden," "Lorlie," "The Phantom" and "Hamlet." Madam Sch.e.l.ler was Edwin Booth"s "Ophelia" during the one hundred nights"
run of Hamlet at Winter Garden Theatre, in New York.
Very naturally the Salt Lakers conversant with the facts were anxious to see her in "Ophelia," so Lindsay who had recently played "Hamlet"
for his "benefit," was admonished to prepare himself for another go at the melancholy Dane with the new "Ophelia;" and in due time we had the novelty of Sch.e.l.ler"s "Ophelia." She was irresistibly charming in it, in spite of her German accent, which in moments of unusual excitement was quite p.r.o.nounced. Madam Sch.e.l.ler proved to be a pleasing and accomplished actress and filled a long engagement at the Salt Lake Theatre. She was accompanied by her husband, Mr. Methua, who was a skillful scenic artist, and put in a lot of new scenes for the theatre during his wife"s engagement. Here was a model couple, courteous and refined; they left many warm friends in Salt Lake at their departure, whose best wishes for their success went with them. Unhappy to relate, this worthy and respected pair died of yellow fever during the deadly siege of that disease at Memphis in 1878. "United in life, in death they were not separated."
On January 9th, after playing three weeks Madam Sch.e.l.ler was rested for a week to give an opening to Charlotte Crampton. Crampton was a genius and in her younger years had astonished the dramatic world by her histrionic gymnastics. She affected the male characters almost exclusively--"Hamlet," "Richard III," "Shylock," "Don Caesar," and in "Lady Macbeth" and "Meg Merrilles" she rivaled the great Charlotte Cushman. The writer remembers seeing her when a boy at the old Bates"s Theatre, St. Louis, which was her home. She was erratic as a comet, and her eccentricities were the town"s talk. How often she was married this deponent saith not, but remembers that at the time he saw her playing in St. Louis in 1857, she was the wife of a Mr. Istenour. When she appeared here in Salt Lake City in 1868, she was far past the meridian of life and was accompanied by her husband, "Mr. Cook," young enough to be her son. The novelty of a woman essaying those characters was a strong one, and served to draw out good houses. She played "Hamlet," "Shylock," "Richard III," and "Don Caesar," which with two repeats, filled up her week.
Crampton was a woman rather below the medium height, and looked insignificant dressed up for those male characters, but when she got animated she made you forget her size, and at times she seemed to fill not only the center of the stage but the entire stage. She had pa.s.sed the zenith of her fame some years before she made this trip to the coast. She bore all the evidences of an erratic life and premature age; her sun had nearly set when she played with us here; and after her departure for the East, we heard but little of her. Charlotte Crampton"s engagement was like the flashing of a meteor across the dramatic firmament. Like the elder Booth, she was notorious for her eccentricities, and in genius was akin to him. "How close to madness great wits are allied."
After the pa.s.sing of this meteor, the steady star, Madam Sch.e.l.ler, resumed her reign, reappearing as "Laura Courtland" in "Under the Gas Light." This was the first production of this play in Salt Lake City, and it had an unprecedented run, going for an unbroken week to full houses. As an index to the personnel of the company at this time, June 16th, 1868, we append the cast of "Under the Gas Light."
"UNDER THE GAS LIGHT."
Ray Trafford ............................ John S. Lindsay De Milt ..................................... Mark Wilton Wilton ..................................... Bert Merrill Byke ...................................... Phil Margetts Joe Snorkey .............................. David McKenzie Bermudas ................................. John C. Graham Peanuts ................................... Johnny Matson Station Man ................................. Mark Wilton Police Judge ............................... J. M. Hardie O"Rafferty ................................ John E. Evans Martin .................................... John B. Kelly Police Patrol ........................... Richard Mathews Laura Courtland .......................... Madam Sch.e.l.ler Pearl Courtland ........................ Miss Annie Adams Mrs. Van Dam ........................... Nellie Colebrook Sue Earlie ................................ Alice Clawson Peachblossom ........................ Miss Sara Alexander Judas ................................ Mrs. M. A. Clawson
Summer heat had but little affect on the business of the Salt Lake Theatre in those days of which I am writing. Madam Sch.e.l.ler played from May 10th to August 1st, excepting the one week allotted to Charlotte Crampton, all through the hot nights of June and July and there was no perceptible or serious diminution in the attendance. This can only be accounted for in the fact that there were no resorts in those days, and the theatre was the coolest place in the city. We naturally looked for and expected a rest through August after the long season we had put in, but there was no respite. On the 4th of August, Annette Ince opened in "Julia" in the "Hunchback" and gave in rapid succession "Evadne," "Medea," "Ion," "Mary Stuart," "Elizabeth," "As You Like It," "Camille," and other pieces filling a three weeks"
engagement. She was followed by E. L. Davenport, who opened on August the 27th in "Richelieu," supported by Annette Ince as "Julia de Mauprat," and the full strength of the company. Mr. Davenport gave us his "Richelieu," "Julian St. Pierre," in "The Wife," "Hamlet,"
"William" in "Black-Eyed Susan," "Rover" in "Wild Oats" and "Sir Giles Overreach" in "A New Way to Pay Old Debts." Mrs. Davenport (f.a.n.n.y Vining) appeared in conjunction with Mr. Davenport in this engagement, playing the "Queen" in "Hamlet" and kindred parts, and with Miss Ince in the leading female roles, Mr. Davenport had a supporting company in every way worthy of him. His engagement was a memorable one, as Mr.
Davenport was thought by many to be our greatest American actor. He was certainly a worthy rival of Edwin Booth and had he, like that actor, confined his brilliant talents to the great Shakespearian roles, he would undoubtedly have made a greater name for himself, but he was too versatile and he scattered his efforts on the "Williams"
and "Rovers" and the other trifles that he should have dropped as he advanced in years and concentrated his efforts on a repertory of his greatest characters only. When he played this Salt Lake engagement he had declined into "the vale of years." As Hamlet, he looked older than the "Queen" but he possessed all the fire and animation necessary; as "St. Pierre" in the "Wife," he was at his best, and fairly lifted the audience into enthusiastic demonstrations of applause. It was not long after this that Davenport was pitted against the English tragedian Barry Sullivan in New York. An exceedingly interesting and able criticism and comparison of these two great actors appeared in Wilke"s "Spirit of the Times," headed "The Two Rossi." This was Davenport"s last memorable engagement. He was already an old man and failing fast.
He died in 1871.
"Ay, but to die and go, we know not where, to lie in cold obstruction and to rot, This sensible warm motion to become a kneaded clod, And the delighted spirit to bathe in fiery floods, Or to reside in chilling regions of thick ribbed ice, To be imprisoned in the viewless winds, And blown with restless violence about the pendant world.
"Tis too horrible! The weariest and most loathed worldly life, That age, ache, penury, and imprisonment can lay on nature, Is paradise to what we fear of death."
It will be observed that there was no summer vacation this year of 1868. The Davenport engagement carried us into September, the time for opening the season of "68 and "69. Miss Ince"s engagement following the Davenports was really the beginning of the season "68 and "69.
CHAPTER XII.
SEASON OF "68 AND "69.