The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1869-07-16
aJANE SHORE"
An Amusing Instance Of the Great
p0yyer Of Good Aetfng.

Y
The occasion was the benefit night Of
Mrs. Phillips. That lady was playing JANE
SHORE, in Maturin's tragedy of that name
| The house-and the Front street theatre il
q large one-was crowded. In the first
tier, on one side, In front seat of the boz
adjoining the proscenium, was conspicuous
Ithe bufiy form of a sailor with large, rec
-. he was well-known to many of thu
audience as Captain Hugg. the prosperous
owner and master of an eastern shore oys
ter schooner. He was watching the play
| with Intense interest and feeling, as was
manifest from the tears that coursed down
! his weather-beaten cheeks He also fire.
quently placed his right hand nervously
| upon his left breast; but whether this &C.
ton had any connection with his sympathy
for the heroine of the play, or was the re
suit of prudent concern for the wallet full
of Baltimore and Ohio railroad shinplasters
he was known to carry in that region, the
sequel will show.
| 1t is proper to state here, that, although
the date of these occurrences was long after
tia money panic of 1887 known as the
'tshinplaster era") had subsidized, and the
banks had fully resumed specie-payments
vet the Baltimore and Ohio railroad com
pany, by some financial legerdemain, KEEP
the community flooded with its one anc
two dollar bills, which were almost the
only currency used in the smaller trade
transactions of the city.
The play had proceeded to the scene il
the last act where Shores beauteous wife
| (late the omnipotent mistress of Edward
the Fourth, but now by Gloster's cruel ed
let, an outcast wanderer in the streets will
none to give her food or shelter comes
upon the stage, utters q heart-renderins
monologue, and falls exhausted with starry
alton and fatigue, to the ground. AS the
accomplished actress proceeded in the melt
ing relation of her woes the audience were
so rapt by her beauty and misfortunes tina
but few Of them observed the demonstra
tons of Capt Hugg's passion. That gal
liant son of Neptune rose slowly to his feet
convulsed with the throes of o might sym
pathy, and with fearful eyes and batet
breath listened to James pitiful story
When, at length, she dropped to the ground
seemingly in the last extremity of exhausted
nature, the captains compassion reached
climax, He sprang from the box to thu
stage, bent over her PROSTATE form, jerket
from his pocket his capacious wallet, tor,
it open with trembling fingers, exposing
to view its piled-up treasure, and exclaim
ed, in q voice choked with sobs, and tremu
lous with unfeigned emotion:
'Look up, Mistress Shore, look up! B,
Cd, madam, you shan't while I've Bal
timore and Ohio railroad shinplaster in m.
pocket-book."
What followed beggars description. Fo
a moment the vastaudience remained hush
ed, as if from involuntary admiration of tn
big-hearted sailors generosity and gallan
try. Then, as the righteousness of tn
scene seemed to flash suddenly upon them
there arose such clamor of stamping feet
clapping hands, pounding of canes, shouts
roars, yells, shrieks, and screams of laugh
ter, rs never before or since shook the wall
of any theatre.
/ In the midst of the uproar, Manager We
myss made his appearance, politely ex
planned to the audience that Miss Shore
wants would be duly administered to, an,
succeeded in leading him off the stage
Several Intellectual attempts were mad
to proceed with the tragedy, but the audi
ence was too thoroughly imbued with tn
mirth occasioned by tho sailors illusion t
settle down to anything serious. Each of
tempt of Mrs. Shore to regain their lost at
tention was only greeted with renewed con
vulsions of laughter, and cries for Captain
Hugg, The shrewd manager only succeed
ed in restoring q semblance of order b
starting the orchestra in full blast, an
ringing on" the ballet, after which roa,
ing farce was tolerated.