The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-11-23
Burton and his "Cuttle.O

Burton and his ssCuttle.O Il
An appreciative critic in the New York
Home Journal, gives the following vivid
"reminiscences of the late accomplished COM
edian, VIM. E. Burton. Tn, recollections
of the salient points of his presentations Of
Captain Cutie, are marked, accurate and
we'll defined: -.-
Least of all, in recalling Mr.. Burton's ca
reer, are we ignoring the request made in
the last words Of "Dombey and Son:"
''Don't forget old Captain Cuttle."
Forget him Never. We "stand by"
once more, to see "Ed'ard Cutie, mariner
of England" roll in upon the deck of his
theatre we witness the first production of
that silver-ware in his friends emergency
and to his friends behalf; and in his angry
establishment at the slight estimation in
which they are held: .t.-..
"No use the money, them spoons and
that watch, no use -" $3.50 e.
And his enumeration of the 'waleables"
to the purse~proud Dombey "to wit and
widelice, one sugar tongs, half dozen
spoons, and watch as is watch, and amt
ashamed to show bis face"
And his snappish resumption Of the ar
ticles, on being requested to shave the
goodness to take these things away, sir"
"Well, if that amt walking iceberg, Ned
Cuttle's grampus."
And the final disposition of the "little bit
of property" as he makes it cover jintly"
to "Wal'r" and "the lady lass"
We see him again "gettin" aggravated,
very much aggravated" and ''bitin" off
| ibis finger nails" to wit the iron hook
which terminates one arm.
We hear his objurgation of Rob the Grin
der, on the delivery Of the last will and tes-
lament of Sol ellis. Il don't see the tesla.
ment-what have you done with the testa-
mony?" X X "What have you
done with my old friend Sol?" X X
\ 81 say what sort of navigation is this ?"
Recollections crowded upon US of that
simple minded and humble admiration of
his friends; of that whole hearted generos-
ity which gives away its all without a
thought, to serve whom he loves Of his
combined sorrow and wrath at the disap.
pearance of I" the ungrateful blessed old
scoundrel," Sol. Gills; of the tenderness and
delicacy with which be pilots Florence into
a bed iroom, when she takes refugehwith
him. .',r ~.
Again of his enormous reverence for the
inscrutable Bunsby; the confidential awe
with which on that amphibious personags
announcing himself-"M My names Jack
Bunsby he explains to the anxious wo.
men. He was christened John; )" the
eagerness and faith with which he hangs
upon his lips for the expression of ian opin-
ion as is an opinion" and the mysti6ed
satisfaction with which he receives that
oracular dictum; "Either she is gone down,
mind you, or she is not, dye see now if
she is, why so; and if so be she's not, why
so also. That's my opinion, and don't
care who knows" 80.
| Mr.. Burton, as general thing, had lit
tie power in touching the deeper emotions;
though, if we may Judge from what he &C.
casionally attempted, he supposed that he
had. But in the character of Captain
Cutie, and especially in that worthy re-
lations with Walter Gay, he opened the true
spring of the pathetic. ~
Nothing could be more simple, natural
and touching than the expression of his
grief on the reception from the unlucky
Ioots Of the news Of the shipwreck
"Wal'r my dear boy, is lost to me forever
Don't mind me. my lad. You don't know
how loved that lad; nobody know'd it.
| l didn't know it myself until now-unti
now. Taint one loss-it's round dozen
Where's the darling, little child with his
curly hair anda rosey cheeks Gone down
with Wal'r! Where's the lad, the bright
and shining lad, that nothing could tire OF
put out? Gone down with War'l! Where's
the fine, noble>hearted young man that cared
nothing for himself, but loved the blessed
world and all that was in it? Gone! All
gone down with Wal'r?" ... ....
Even more impressive than this was the
manner in which he developed to Florence
Dombey the preservation Of her lover. The
awkward and direct way in which he first
introduced the subject: "Oh, if Walr was
only here-but he amt, you know; is be p
His half nervous, half calculated repetition
of the dreadful words drowned, amt her,
the restrained and growing eagerness,
until the pipe even trembled in his mouth, }
with which be unfolded bis story--his de-
light in the happy catastrophe of bis little
plot-were all steps in the progress to that
final ecstacy wherein he triumphantly ex-
claims: "Wall'y's drowned, lady lass, amt
he" ...... ...
Say not that a play-g gains nothing
from bis molly bill of fare. Mr.. Burton's
Captain Cutie was one of those original
creations which add, as it were, to the stock
of human experience. Indeed, we know
not whether, taking it by-and-large, we
shall not come very near being tempted to
pronounce it the greatest stage representa-
ton that we have ever been fortunate
enough to witness. ...