The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-11-11
A Theatre Comfque Goes Up. and th'
Manager Refuses to Come Down.
The Louisville Courier of Sunday morn


Manager Refuses to Come Down.
The Louisville Courier of Sunday morn
ing contains the following: ~
"The Theatre Comique terminated its
brilliant career rather ingloriously last
night. In short, this popular rendezvous Of
the gay and festive portion of the commu-
nifty collapsed in the very zenith of its
splcndor, leaving a large but not very ap-
preciative audience to mourn its untimely
end and their irreparable loss. The par
ticulars of the 'smash-up' are about as
follows: .a.. -.#.. .fr
ga few days ago Mr.. Manager Lea left for
the interior of Indiana with the cream OF
the company, and entrusted whatever was
left of the Theatre Comique to Mr.. Davis
to run to the best Of his knowledge and
financial ability. The departure of Mr..
Lea and the bulk and baggage of the COM
pany gave rise to sundry grave suspicious
among those who had an insight to the
green-room, and thenceforward the clouds
lowered thick and fast on the doomed insti-
tuition. Mr.. Davis soon perceived that his
was an awkward dilemma, and that the
storm brewing was likely to burst before
the week closed, and wreck the entire craft.
ain this frame of mind it was not par
ticularly strange that he sought courage
and consolation to meet the impending
disaster in the flowing bowl. For several
days past Mr.. Davis has stared fate in the
face, and appeared quite Indifferent to the
elimination 80 near at hand. He seemed to
care but very little whether. school kept
or not and last night the Theatre Comique
opened with bold front. The flaming
posters announced a grand combination Of
new faces, with famous Dutch comedian
Is the star feature for the nights per-
formance. As usual on Saturday nights,
large audience assembled, comprising
nearly every class Of the male sex, from
public officers down to newsboys and
,hoeblacks. While they were eagerly
awaiting the rise Of the curtain n scene was
being enacted at the treasurer's Office, down
stairs, which was destined to involve an
entire change of the programme.
eThe members Of the orchestra having
observed the extent of the audience, and
knowing that the treasury had thereby
been replenished, quietly walked down to
the clerks office and demanded their salaries,
refusing to sound an instrumental note
reluctantly forked over, and no sooner had
they been satiated than the bill-poster pre-
sented his claim and sternly enforced its
immediate liquidation. Following these
unexpected demands came the company in
force, all demanding pay or no play
This was too many for Mr.. Davis, and
taking his hat and dmoney-box, he vamoosed
the ranch The members of the company,
fully comprehendihg the situation, went up
to the sgreen-room,' and packing up their
wardrobes, deserted the building, leaving
the audience to wait and wonder at the un-
usual delay in the rise Of the curtain.
sit finally leaked out that the company
had abandoned the theatre and the treasu-
rer's office was vacant. The scene that fol-
lowed this interesting discovery battles
all description. The heterogeneous mass
poured out, and soon the ticket Office was
besieged with the deluded audience, some
of whom demanded the immediate return
of their money, while others took it III
good part, and left wiser, if not better,
men, The clamor was kept up in front of
the building for nearly an hour, when some
wag circulated report that there was an
opossum lunch at Schad's, when the crowd
rushed pell-mell to the sumptuous repast,
only to be sold again. After the discom-
6ted audience had dispersed, somebody put
out the lights and closed the institution.
"Officer Bob Seay was called upon to fer
ret out the absconding treasurer, and in a
very short time captured the unlucky Da-
Wis, who was making giant strides towards
his hotel. He was conveyed to the Jail,
and Monday morning the second act will be
played in the city court, and all who were
in attendance last night are expected to ap-
pear as supernumeraries. We might add
that the assets of the treasurer will fall
far short of the liabilities of the institu-
-