The Mormons and the Theatre Part 8

The Lingards followed Hernandez in a brief engagement of three nights, June 12th to 14th. The following week was filled in by the Hernandez and the Carter-Cogswell contingent of the Salt Lake stock company. J.

M. Carter and his wife, Carrie Carter (nee Lyne-Cogswell) had recently arrived from Denver and had been added to the stock company, which had been weakened materially by the loss of several of its prominent members. Hardie had gone to the Virginia City theatre; Lindsay had gone on a visit to England and had withdrawn from the company for a time; Miss Alexander had also drifted away to the East, so that when the Carters arrived and sought engagement, the managers readily availed themselves of their services. They played here for a few weeks and at the close of the season went on to California.

On July 3rd, Edwin Adams made his first appearance at this theatre. He opened in the character of "Rover" in "Wild Oats" and played in addition, "Extremes," "Enoch Arden," and "William" in "Black Eyed Susan." Mr. Adams filled out a week with great satisfaction to our theatre goers, the managers, and the company, and with very satisfactory financial results to himself. He was a gratification to both eyes and ears a brilliant actor with a melodious voice, and in appearance the ideal actor.

The following week John McCullough, who had with him Helen Tracy as a leading female support, played a notable engagement, rendered more so by the fact that Edwin Adams was retained to appear in conjunction with Mr. McCullough. They gave "Damon and Pythias," with McCullough as "Damon" and Adams as "Pythias," and notwithstanding McCullough made an excellent "Damon," so convincing was Adams as "Pythias," that the critical Salt Lakers declared it was "Pythias" and "Damon" on that occasion, putting the brilliant Adams ahead of McCullough in their admiration. Adams played "Iago" to McCullough's "Oth.e.l.lo" and even strengthened the favorable opinion of him. For their closing performance together, "Hamlet" was given with Adams as the Prince and McCullough as the King. Miss Helen Tracy lent some l.u.s.tre to the triple alliance and this engagement is remembered as one of the most notable ever given in the now historic theatre.

Just how it chanced that McCullough and Adams got dates so close together, the one immediately succeeding the other, I have forgotten, but as Adams was going to the Pacific coast and McCullough and Miss Tracy were going East, I presume that their meeting here was purely accidental.

They were very glad to see each other, "John" and "Ned," and decided to have a good time while they were together; to that end Adams, who was in no great hurry to get to San Francisco, decided to stay over during McCullough's engagement and play in some of his pieces with him, which he did as stated above. The combination was a strong one, and no doubt helped McCullough's engagement, as this was his second visit; but the primary object of the combination was evidently to have a good time. We had an actors' club here at that early day which must not be forgotten.

On January 16th preceding, Milton n.o.bles played the "Marble Heart,"

appearing as Raphael. n.o.bles was then a young actor, comparatively unknown. He was on his way to the East, where some years later he became widely known through his plays of "The Phoenix," "From Sire to Son," etc.

There was at this time residing in Salt Lake a gentleman by the name of Bentham Fabian. Fabian was widely and favorably known for certain peculiarities. He was extremely fond of the theatre, and every actor was his friend. He was one of those versatile fellows that could turn his hand to many things. He organized a public library here, which he called "The Salt Lake Exchange and Reading Rooms," and he was the librarian. It was while Milton n.o.bles was here that Fabian worked up a "benefit" for this library, at which Governor Vaughn, (then Governor of Utah), recited Poe's "Bells," and n.o.bles and the writer gave the third act of "Oth.e.l.lo" (in evening dress), n.o.bles reading "Iago," and the writer "Oth.e.l.lo." There were several other numbers by Fabian and others, and music by the Military band from Fort Douglas. One of Fabian's strong peculiarities was that he loved his pipe and gla.s.s and occasionally his courtly bearing and Chesterfieldian manners would get a little lopsided and obscure. This benefit, being a sort of royal occasion with Bentham, he had a fresh keg of beer in his den behind the library, and after the entertainment was over he invited all the performers (except the "band") to go and help drink it.

Governor Vaughn having a prior engagement, declined, but the rest of us adjourned to the library. Fabian, eager to treat "the boys," made haste to tap the keg, but there was a decided uncertainty about his manipulation of the mallet and tap, which plainly indicated that he had already been tapping something. So Cyrus Hawley (Judge Hawley's son) rather impatiently and dramatically exclaimed, "Give me the daggers!" (the mallet and tap), and taking them from Fabian with the air of an expert tapster, he proceeded to drive the tap; he made a misslick, and in an instant he was covered from head to foot in foamy beer. His nice clothes were apparently ruined, and he was roundly sworn at for wasting so much good beer. After stopping the flood, there proved to be sufficient left to make all hands merry and happy.

About this time Fabian, who was a great projector of schemes, succeeded in organizing an actors' club, to which he made us all pay tribute, not only the actors, but a number of other professional men and good fellows were made members, and when the transient "stars"

came along, we generally contrived to give them a good time, although our quarters were not so pretentious as those of the Alta or Comcial clubs of today. During the Adams-McCullough engagements these actors were the guests of "the club," and dear old Fabian was in his glory.

Fabian was the president of the club, and he certainly wined and dined McCullough and Adams to their hearts' content. On their closing night we had a great carousal, even Miss Tracy did not escape. It was a memorable night truly. Everybody present seemed determined to give "John" McCullough and "Ned" Adams a royal time, and they had it.

"Care mad to see a man sae happy; E'en drowned himsel among the nappy.

Kings may be blest, but Tam was glorious, O'er all the ills of life victorious."

_Burns' "Tam O'Shanter"_.

The stock company played one week, even after this brilliant triumvirate had united its course, with Mr. and Mrs. Carter doing leads. That they could hold the interest of the public after such a combination of talent as Adams, McCullough and Tracy dropped away from them was not to be expected. In looking back at it from this distance, the wise thing for the managers to have done would have been to close the season with that extraordinary engagement, but the Carters were here and had a play or two to exploit, and struggled through a week when the management were glad to close the season, with the Pioneer holiday, July 24th. Here was another case of playing all summer, for the theatre only remained closed about ten nights, opening on the 10th of August. The advent of the Carters into Salt Lake and their engagement at the Salt Lake theatre was not devoid of interest. It was well-known to many that Mrs. Carter (Carrie Cogswell) had been the wife of the veteran tragedian, Mr. T. A. Lyne, who was very much perturbed at their presence here. He declared that she had come here expressly to annoy him, and nothing could convince him to the contrary, so when after a short stay here, Mr. and Mrs. Carter and their son, Lincoln J., now the celebrated Chicago playbuilder and manager, took their departure for California, Lyne's heart was joyful.

There were two children, a boy and a girl, the offspring of the Lyne-Cogswell marriage. The court, in giving Lyne the deliverance which he sought on the grounds of desertion, gave him the custody of the two children, and he had them in Salt Lake attending school, and he was very apprehensive that the mother might kidnap them. So when she had departed without any signs of having molested the children the veteran was happy, for he never dreamed they would return, but alas!

for the contrariness of human nature, in this he was doomed to disappointment. Lyne had been for the second time a widower when he met Miss Carrie Cogswell. She was about sixteen and he about fifty.

Lyne at this age was an active, fine-looking man with hair as dark as a raven's wing and a very commanding presence. Miss Cogswell was enamored of the stage and soon became not only Mrs. Lyne, but "leading lady" for Lyne. After some years of married life, and two children had been born to them, there came a cloud in their sky. In the same company chanced a young man by the name of Carter, whose father, Jared Carter, had been a leading light in the Mormon Church in the Nauvoo days. Disparity in age and incompatibility of temperament between Mr.

and Mrs. Lyne gradually brought about a separation and divorce. By this time both had sought and found new matrimonial alliances. Mrs.

Lyne had some years now been Mrs. Carter and Mr. Lyne had found consolation in a French widow whose Christian name was Madeline. Such was the situation at the time when the Carters made their first visit to Salt Lake, and the veteran tragedian having settled down in Salt Lake to end his days, was in mortal dread of the Carters fixing their future home here too.

CHAPTER XV.

SEASON OF '71-'72.

The season of '71 and '72 opened on August the 4th, only two weeks after the closing of '70 and '71. The Lingards were the opening attraction; they played only two nights. The Lingards consisted of Horace W. Lingard, Alice Lingard, his wife, and "d.i.c.kie" Lingard, a sister to Horace. They played short cast pieces and did not require many members of the company. The repertoire included "Caste," "The Weaver of Spitaefield," "Morning Call," "A Happy Pair," etc. They were followed closely by Kate Newton and Charlie Backus of minstrel fame, who stayed two nights; and these were succeeded by the Hyers Sisters, a colored concert troupe, who gave five concerts, opening August the 9th and playing up to the 13th.

On the 21st Joseph and Mrs. Murphy made their debut in drama--the medium being a hash-up of improbable incidents put together to string Joe's specialties on. He played a sort of stage detective and disguised variously as an Irishman, a Swede, a Dutch Girl, and a n.i.g.g.e.r. This was the first performance of "Help" on any stage, and should have been the last, if merit alone counted.

The Salt Lake Theatre was made the bridge to carry a number of new dramatic ventures across the quicksands of dramatic speculation.

Afraid to make the trial of a new play in San Francisco or New York, they have brought them to Salt Lake to "try them on the dog." "Help"

ran three nights, 21st to the 24th, and was fairly launched on the dramatic sea, and Joe Murphy was no longer a blackfaced comedian but a versatile actor of the Irish comedy persuasion. "Help" served Joe faithfully for several seasons and put him on Easy street, financially.

August 25th the Stock Company, strengthened with the Cogswell-Carter troupe, resumed. J. W. Carter was engaged to play leads for a time; McKenzie was absent, Lindsay was gone, Hardie had deserted, and the management were in sore straits for a leading actor. The Stock played from August 25th to September 25th, when Mrs. Lander opened a star engagement in "Mary Stuart," continuing one week, during which she gave, in addition to "Mary Stuart," "Camille," "The Hunchback" and "Marie Antoinette." Mrs. Lander was at this time one of the bright particular stars of the American stage. She was a woman of superior intelligence and rare dramatic talent and played a fine engagement.

After the Lander engagement, the house closed for a few nights, to give the Stock company a chance to prepare for the approaching October conference. The management could always count on packed houses during these conferences, and it was like giving money away to engage any stellar attractions at these times, so the Stock company was up against their work once more. On October 3rd they opened and played through conference, to the 9th.

On the 10th Robert McWade made his first bow to a Salt Lake audience, in "Rip Van Winkle." McWade had a very good reputation through the west in this character, and drew a very good house for his first night. If we had never seen "Jim Hearne" as "Rip Van Winkle" we might have thought more of McWade, but the impression Hearne made in the character was so strong and still so fresh in the public mind that McWade's "Rip" did not become a favorite. He played some five nights and then the Stock had to go alone again for a while, so on the 16th they resumed and played up to November 7, only relieved a little by the j.a.panese jugglers, who put in an hour each evening for a week, from October 23rd to 28th. On November 9th, Johnny Allen and Alice Harrison opened a four nights' engagement, closing on the 13th. On the 15th the Stock resumed the even tenor of its way, and played una.s.sisted up to December 10th, when J. M. Ward came in with "Through by Daylight," and got through by gaslight in two nights. Jim Ward was a very versatile and capable actor with a racy Irish brogue, that was suggestive of the "ould sod." He has had rare experiences in theatrical life, and they would make a volume of interesting reading, but as he is still having them, being yet upon the stage, it is too early to add his experiences to the general history of the stage, especially his matrimonial ones.

An entire troupe of juvenile actors followed Jim Ward's advent into Salt Lake City. Whether Jim was in any way accountable, we are not advised; they were called "The Nathan Juvenile Troupe," and put in one week from the 15th to the 20th.

Oliver Doud Byron followed them, opening on December 21st, and playing till January 3rd, "Across the Continent," being his piece de resistance. Ben McCullough filled out the week. Eliza Couldock, who was in delicate health, and had been left here by her father after their last engagement, was now called in for a week to a.s.sist the Stock in a production of "Uncle Tom's Cabin." Miss Couldock was cast for the character of Eliza. The writer, who was playing George Harris and Legree, well remembers how nervous and poorly the lady was during this week's engagement. She was over ambitious and worked beyond her strength, and it was evident she was in a decline. This was her last appearance, poor girl, and it was not long before we were paying the last respects, and with loving hands laying her gently i' the earth, alongside of dear Annie Lockhart, whom we had performed the same service for only a short time before. "Lay her i' the earth and from her fair and unpolluted flesh may violets spring."

Rose Evans came to us for a second engagement, after the "Uncle Tom"

week, and played from January 8th to the 27th, repeating her former repertory. Stock company put in the following week alone, then followed E. T. Stetson for a week in his melodramas, "Neck and Neck"

and "Old Kentuck." This puts us along to February 7th, '72, when the Stock played another week without any star; then the Stock got a week's rest, the time from the 15th to the 20th being filled by Purdy, Scott, and Fostelle's minstrels. Refreshed with a week's vacation, the Stock company started in afresh on February 22nd--great George's birthday--and played till April 9th, getting through another conference without the aid of a star. Here the company had another brief respite while "The Child American Concert Company" filled time from April 10th to the 13th, when the company resumed their labors and played up to the 20th. On April 22nd, Mr. and Mrs. F. M. Bates began a stellar engagement which ran three weeks, up to May 11th. Mrs. Bates was the lead horse in this team, and the repertory was selected to give her prominence as the princ.i.p.al star, and the announcement should have been _Mrs._ and Mr. F. M. Bates. She played "Pigeon the Torment,"

"Camille," "Leah," and "Lucretia Borgia," and all the great popular roles for tragediennes, and was the first to introduce to us the great historic play of "Elizabeth." The Bateses made a very good impression and were so pleased with the result of their engagement that they remained in Salt Lake during the ensuing summer. Blanche Bates, now a very successful star under David Belasco's management, was with the Bateses then, and as she had not been christened Blanche, she was just called Baby Bates.

May 13th to 16th was filled by Berger's Swiss Bell Ringers, and Sol Smith Russell, who was then doing specialties with the Bergers little dreaming of his "Poor Relation" or "Peaceful Valley."

A few nights of stock followed this, and not proving strong, the Bateses were re-engaged and put in another week, from the 22nd to the 28th, introducing some new plays of lighter caliber.

May 29th the Majiltons put in a date, and the stock then played a lone hand up to June 8th. Billy Emerson's minstrels held the boards June 10th, 11th and 12th, and Joe Murphy came and gave us some more of his "Help," 13th, 14th, 15th. Stock put in another week alone, 17th to 22nd, when Charles Wheatleigh opened a return engagement, 24th and played till July 1st. Wheatleigh gave "Lottery of Life," "Flying Scud," "After Dark" and "Arrah Na Pogue." That was Charley Wheatleigh's farewell, we never saw him more.

The Bergers and Sol Smith Russell had swung around the circle and came back for a second engagement. They found Salt Lake a congenial and profitable place and put in another three nights with us, 4th, 5th and 6th.

James M. Hardie, who had just returned from a long professional engagement in San Francisco, played a two nights' engagement, opening in a play called "Early California." Season closed June 8th. "Jim"

Hardie left Salt Lake for the East soon after this his last appearance here, as it proved, for he has never since returned. After playing in support of stars several seasons, "Hoey and Hardie" starred for several seasons in "A Child of the State," but it was not a money maker, and after several losing seasons the firm of Hoey and Hardie dissolved, and Jim cast about for a new "angel." Hoey's "old man" had been the angel in the "Child of State" venture and it was understood at the time that after making up some rather heavy deficits, he grew weary and refused to put up any longer for "The Child of the State."

Hardie had some money which came to him through his wife, who had an annuity, but "Jim" had a strong touch of the "canny Scot" in him, that always impelled him to let someone else "put up," In time he found a new "angel," and one more to his taste, for this one was of the female persuasion, and Jim always was a favorite with the ladies. He caught a society woman who was stage struck and wanted to star; she had the money to pay for the privilege, and this was just such a snap as "Jim"

wanted. So the lady put up the money to put out the show, and she was starred in conjunction with Jim. The firm name stood "Hardie and Von Leer." "A Brave Woman" was the name of the play they chose for the venture; there was a great significance in that t.i.tle. The show went out with a stock of $1,200 worth of special printing, so Hardie himself informed me in New York. They went into the south, but in six weeks the company was disbanded and Hardie and Von Leer were back in New York. Then they got up a cheaper company and went into the dime museums, where they made a little money. The dime museums were very popular just then and a number of good attractions played them. The play of "A Brave Woman," however, was not an unqualified success, although Sarah Von Leer seemed to be, and held onto her partnership through thick and thin. After a while Hardie got a play called "On the Frontier," and conceived the idea of getting a bra.s.s band made up of real Indians. It proved a ten strike, and, after doing a big business with it in this country for two seasons, he took it to England in '93 and made a barrel of money with it. Sarah is still his partner and still stays by him. They built a fine theatre in Manchester, which has been their headquarters for the last twenty years. Mrs. Hardie and her daughters have been back in Salt Lake for a number of years. They have never crossed the ocean to join the husband and father. It must be acknowledged that the dramatic profession is altogether too prolific of this sort of thing. Its tendencies are to draw even well mated couples apart--a hundred cases could be cited; but we will let the reader think the matter over and divine the cause.

On July 31st Jim McKnight, a young fellow of ambition and talent, put on a play of his own writing, which he called "The Robbers of the Rocky Mountains," with an exclusive amateur company. Young McKnight drew on his imagination for his robbers; had he written years later he could have taken his characters from life, with Butch Ca.s.sidy and the whole Robber's Roost gang in the cast.

CHAPTER XVI.

SEASON OF '72-'73.

The season of '72 and '73 opened on August 7th with George Chaplin and Clara Jean Walters as stock stars. They opened in the cla.s.sical drama of "Buffalo Bill." This was a long time before Cody started his wild west show and probably this play was what put him in the notion of starting in the show business. Chaplin made a fine Buffalo Bill, and if Cody saw him in the part it must have made him envious to see another fellow stealing his thunder. The combination ran two weeks, when Stetson came in "Neck and Neck" with us and played a week, presenting also "Daring d.i.c.k" and "The Fatal Gla.s.s." Chaplin had a decided objection to supporting male stars of mediocre ability, and second cla.s.s repertory, and so he generally laid off on such occasions as the Stetson engagement; besides it was a matter of economy with the management; they did not need him, so George laid off during Stetson's week, and then came with his "Seven Sisters" the following week.

George was immense as the big sister and was just a trifle vain over the fact that he could outshine all the women in the company in female apparel.

On September 2nd Ada Gray opened a week's engagement in "Article 47"

and gave besides, "Jezebel" and "Whose Wife." Ada was a pleasing actress, of fine appearance, but didn't seem to quicken the pulse of her Salt Lake patrons, after their seeing some of the greater ones.

On the 9th Chaplin and Walters resumed as stock stars and played continuously up to the 23rd, T. A. Lyne taking a benefit on the 20th instant and playing "Richelieu." On the 23rd Chaplin dropped out of the company, closing in "School," and on the 25th the stock company kept right along with Clara Jean Walters featured through the October Conference and up to the 12th.

On October 1st W. T. Harris made his initial bow to the Salt Lake public; he came from one of the Omaha theatres, accompanied by Annie Ward and Miss Blanche de Bar, a sister of the popular manager and actor, Ben de Bar. Miss De Bar had already grown old in the profession, but proved nevertheless a very useful member of the stock company. She played old women and characters and on more than one occasion proved her agility in spite of years and gray hairs, by doing an Irish jig or a "Dolly Varden" lilt. The rag time had not yet come in vogue or Miss De Bar could have done a cake walk with the best.

"Jimmy" Harris, as he was familiarly called, cut quite a figure in the future history of the theatre as manager and deserves more than a pa.s.sing notice. He was featured on his opening night in an Irish farce, "That Rascal Pat," and made a very fair impression. Miss Annie Ward, who accompanied Harris to Salt Lake, and who at first was supposed to be "Jimmy's" wife or _fiancee_ (from all appearances), was a young woman who had been beautiful, but her face was now so deeply pitted with small pox that she invariably in public kept it covered with a veil, except when on the stage, where she could veil the blemish under a thick coat of grease paint, and, this artistically done, she presented as fair a face as one could wish to look at.

"Annie," 'twas said, had been the _fiancee_ of the great African explorer, Henry Stanley, before he caught the African fever, which tore him away from her and all his early a.s.sociations. Annie found consolation for her bereavement in a close friendship with "Jimmy." So close was their alliance that on their joining the stock company here together, everybody judged they were man and wife, or ought to be.