Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1869-07-23

CbUei OIfStnat name U! tue american
Theatre" many deligh,ful hours were passed
II 1t by our citizens OF the olden time In wit
nessing the finest displays Of the hisirionic art
that Washington has ever afforded. The site
of the building was once occupied by the Jail
OF the District, "a two-story brick building,)
which was abandoned in lsJ3. Nciuirk. who
murdered his wife and children by stamping
them to death, was taken from there October
y, let2, and hung, the scene of the execution
being The ground now occupied by the south
wing OF the Capitol. ABOUT the year ls2l,
Wood and Warren. eminent actors of
that period. started the project of a the.
ter here, and the citizens taking hold OF
the MISTER with will, a joint stock company
was raissd, under whose auspices the building
dss royed TINS morning was constructed. II
was used fer theatrical purposes for nearly
twenty years. Within its walls the inimitable
'Joe JeffeI son." the grandfather of the present
.Old Rip" nightly convulsed the audiences
with his admirable personaIiors of Crack,
in The Turnpike Gate" "Paul Pry," and
BILLY Lackadsy," while the streets echoed
his jolly chorus, Its my delight of
shiny night, at the season OF the
year" Hre, too, e" Jim Wills" with
out rival as "Epperkin" In "S,rigs of
Law rel and as s.Cornelius O'Drdimus," and
Joe Cowell, one Of the joliesi Of them all,
filled the house with D sterous laughter.
In those days, about IS years ago. 4 comic or
sentimental song between the play and farce
was deemed Indispensable and Wills famous
Lord Lowell who stool at his castle gate
acombing his milk white steed~ Sss nightly
encoIed for AZ eLtire seasen. Besides these
eminent votaries OF Momus, Eberle, Hadaway,
and John { sfton divided the honors of the old
time play gcers. Here, too, hourished the
'originat jim Crow" Rice (not Dan OF clown.
ish fame) but the first man that showed the
young darkey sports OF those days how 40
wheelabont and turnabout and lump Jim
Crow" or sigh orer tre charms Of "Lubly
Rose, Coal Black Rose"
In the light tlllad the "American Theater,,
echoed with the merry voices OF Clara Fisher
and Mrs. knight, the sprightliest OF chamber
MAIDS In tragedy and high comedy, Fanny
kemble, (wbo msde her deout in this country
at this theater,) Fancy Jarman, Mrs. s. Chap
man. and host of eminent actresses made
classic those boards, 81 late so often desecra,ea
by the vulgar wit OF burnt cork or the nashy
performances OF ne Canaan, In this house.
so, Forrest, Cooper the elder Adams, In
geIsoll, the peerless ssRichard" OF the elder
Booth, ard the unapproachable "Stranger'
OF the sad.faced Palmer, contended with
graceful rivalry for honors in dramatic art
Junius Brutus Booth was to play Richard
The III one night and after the audience
had waited half an hour for the curtain TO rise
they were surprised to see BOON brought
on the stage so drunk as to be almost unable 10
stand and supported by old Joe Jefferson and
Mr.. Willett, his son.in Law. 1t was afterwards
discovered that he had been found in that con.
dition in fence corner at the old 1ith street
race course, and bror ght in Just time for the
performance. Although rather weak in the
knees at first, he recovered d after the FIRST &C;
and almost excelled himself as Richard.
Under the management. Of Jelfercon and
MacKer ze, between ie25 and 1851 Waship-.
ton was supplied with slIrs OF the first maeui
tnde. Mrs Burke, tue mother OF our famous
Charlie Of "DgSory" fame, and of the prese OF
Joe Jefferson, she having married while here
Ino. Jefferson, on OF old Jee and father OF our
Joe. The Jenersons resided in the heuse nd
in il, we believe, our Rip Van Winkle celebrity
was horn.
The Ravel family, since so celebrated. ano
then so much superior to the present changed
company, first saiuted a Washington audience
in the Canterbury" then the ilshior able re-
sort Of members OF Congress and the "good
society" OF those days.
Occasionally in the old time there would n,
respectable row there. One night, ve
remember, an honorable Southern NJ c., feeling
his liquor somewhat, and under the influence
OF some fancied grievance, while sitting in the
first OF tier' Of boxes, as it was then called,
drew pistol and amused himself by popping
shot one" in the shape of a bullet, at an actor
then performing on the stage. The ball grazed
the actor and made hole In the scenery, which
ended the exploit. except that the honorable
member after apologiZlng. was bound over TO
keep the peace.
Old citizens now relate how in their youth.
full days they used to climb to the roof of Nc.
Dermott's coach shop-which then stood on
the corEer OF 9th street and Louisiana avenue
and thence over adjoining roofs to q window
in the third tier, and, effscting an entrance,
view the performances on the clear.
About le35 the National was built as an sup
town" rival, but the "American' under Ward
and Wemyss ran first rate company for two
or three seasons, but finally succumbed, and
the house took the more stylish appeIIation of
the washington Assembly Rooms" Then
fashionable assemblies, or select daucinp
parties We're given once in two weeks under
the younger fashionabies Of that day
During this time the "Washington Thespian
Corps hourlshed. They were com posed OF
aspirants for histrionic fame, and youue print
ers formed the "bone and sinew" OF the COM
pany. They usually got up performances
"For tue benefit Of the Poor Of Washington n
or the ''benefit of Mrs. Anne Royall," who was
notable but rather superanuated editress.
who published sThe Huntress," weekly
paper, on Capitol Hill. The rumor ran. in
those days, that neither "ths Poor nor Mrs.
Anne Royall ever realized the financial pro.
ceeds OF such performances, because q boun,i-
ful supper and trimmings were general sarved
during or after the performance, for the pur.
pose OF sustaining the histronic and intsllect.
uaIpowers Of the Thespans, the cost thereof
oeing deducted from the proceeds as q portion