Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1855-01-02
SM(inntsota Glmts,
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 90, 1854.
NEGRO MINsrRELsY.

News from New York of a late date informs us
that Wood & Christy's Minstrel Hall, in Broad
way, has been destroyed by fire. This will be as
much matter of regret to tn, public, as of Pc
cuniary loss to the proprietors, for negro. min
relsy has for the last seven years held fore
most rank among the amusements in that city.
"Daddy Rice" as the originator of this species
of entertainment, is famliarly called, gained
fortune in This country and Europe, where his
performances were very popular. He had the
honor of performing before the Courts of St.
James and ST. Louis. BY unlucky operations in
stocks, however the bulk of his fortune. was los.
to him, and in his old age the inimitable dclnea-
tor of ''The Mummy" ''Jumbo jun i" and s. jim
Crow," is dependent upon the amounts which his
engagements afford him.
After Rice came many imitators, Smith, Will
lock and the Elder Chrsty being the most success
full. These gave rise to others, and for number
e years there nave been at least two, and some
times four of these Minstrel Halls open at once.
Those now in operation, are Bulkley's, Woods,
Perham's, Whites and Wood & Christy's, the one
lately burned.
The elder Chris:y having by some disagreement,
allowed his engagement with George to end, the
latter Joined q rival establishment, and casting
his whole effort and popularity int, the scale,
soon compelled his former manager, by reason of
the falling off of business, to close his DOORS and
with the greater part Of his band to embark for that
golden land. where the dreams of many arc reali'
zed, and the hopes of others disapponted-Cali-
forna.
This slight opposition removed-George now
cn;oycd at his new Hall, all the smiles that had
greeted him in the old place-in addition to the
new friends who are nightly crowding the house
to sufocation. We venture to say that no person
of his age ever enjoyed the appreciation and coun-
tcnancc of so many of the beauty and fashion of
the metropolis as he. No one public performer
of the day ever excrted such command over the ri
sibles of his audience as George. That the ladies
deemed him irresistible, is proven by the associa-
ton of dentists, (at the meeting held in n York,
by members of that profession, to sympathize
with DIR. Beale the Philadelphia dentist) that a
lady under the influence of ether, supposlng her.
self to he at the concert, cricd, go! dear George
how should like to kiss him. He did not add
whether she desired to kiss the sable representa-
tive of the thick Tipped African, George in pro-
pr0 pcfsOWd.
1t is well known that when these performances
were FIRST presented to the public, they were not
patronized by the elite but now the Fifth Avenue
is largely represented in their Halls. No one pre-
tends to visit New York without seeing some
band Of these minstrels, and the pilgrim to Mec-
ca is not more sure to reach the shrine, than is the
stranger in "Gotham' to find the ''nigger sing
er.o
But we would not weary our readers with such
dark subject, and had not the fire occurred as it
did, We SHOULD not at this time, have recalled the
pleasant hours we have passed, listening to their
negro melodies and Southern love ditties-bye the
bye, there is considerable counting done at such
places, under such influences, among the audi
ence.
included in the destruction, was the getty AS
sembly Room''-built some years ago, by the
same Meigs who lately s'lifted" some hundred
thousands of dollars in San Francisco thereby de-
fraudng some men who had been unwise enough
to trust him. We commenced with the smoke and
frc--continucd with the negro mania-but have
ended with the blacklist event of all. So ends our
discourse.