New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-05-07
THE COUNT JOANNEs.
The Count as " Richard 1.-THE Audience
His Reception-His Voice-His b1an'
ner-Hfs Lesson-His HOrse-Thc Fact

/
His Reception-His Voice-His b1an.
ner-His LessOn-His Horse-The Fact
His Speech-The End.
| Almost every reader of New York or Bos-
ton daily journals has heard of the Count
Joannes, whose real name is Jones, or was,
| before he became a French count Mr..
Jones has been on the stage, and has a
| daughter who is now an actress of considera-
I BILE merit There is an eccentricity about
the count, now praoticing lawyer, which
| has led him into troubles, controversies and
| litigation that would dishearten other men.
| This writer has reported Count Joaunes
as political orator, as pleader for volun-
teers from Northern State at the begin
ming of the late war, and has reported his
court cases. He always had in his orations
| a tragic style, more forcible than elegant
| which marred the effect of his occasional
| CLEANS of very good sense. A week ago he
undertook to play Richard st Niblo's, and
this report from the New York Star will
| show with what success:
About four thousand people were very
badly sold on Saturday night at Niblo's.
| They went for a lark, but found nothing Of
| tuo SUIT. great 1ul, anu
! hoping for a tiascO, a multitude went to
| Niblo's to see Count JOannes essay the role
of Richard. Everybody knew he would
| fail, and such is the peryersty of human
nature that when they found he was rather
| good than bad, they were disposed to be
| angry. The audience was notable and the
occasion memorable. We saw Tom Fields
| just as near the stage as he could get;
Judge Joe Bowling, Judge Bedford and
Superintendent Kelso, the three arch con-
| spiratOrs who worked the old thing up,
together in the front row; District Attorney
| Garvin and his assistant, Colonel Fellows;
| Charley Loew, the county clerk, and Mr..
| GumbletOn, his assistant; Mr.. Mrs. and Miss
Jarrett Surrogate Hutchmgs, L. T. Gerry,
| Rev. Amos Cummings and lady, sitting to-
| gether-a quartette of loneliness and brains;
Henry Bergh ands Wilson Hunt; jolly
John Chamberlain, Hughey Hastings, and
! Feehter with beard; a very beautiful
woman occupied one of the upper
boxes and held perpetual levee, Comp
troller Connolly. General Seward, and
Harry Palmer, Uncle Dan Bixby, Ned
Bowen, of the Bethel, Rev. X. Philip, and
William H. Burleigh, Charley Spencer, who
| had fight with an usher, and talked about
| it all the rest of the evening Judge Nc
Gum, w. .. Bartlett, the great special
pleader; and Rev. Mr.. Hitchcock, Sam
|
| Leader; e. Z. Belnis, and n. G. Uarkins.
| DR.. Helmbold, the great medicine man."
| the hope OF all new papers the friend of tho
| afflicted, and the patron of high art; A. t.
| Stewart, Judge Henry Hilton, and Hon.
! Aaron j. Vanderpool lin a box): Hon. G.
| w. L. Andrews, and Hon. Hank Smith, in
uniform; all the newspaper men, & great
many lawyers, and many strong drafts
| from open windows, which 'led up" to
| colds in the (bald) heads, and made several
| people uncomfortable.
The reception of the count was immense
| but ironio.
Men became boys, boys became imps, and
| together they made such hullabaloo for
| about ten minutes taat the count could do
nothing. Finally he struck patient atti-
tude, and silence reigned.
Bets were freely offered that he would
break down before the third act. He began
| ia 4 deep bass voice, evidently weak, but
| after while spoke naturally, and without
much apparent effort.
His manner was theatric, dramatic,
tragic
SO was his part He gesticulatcd a great
deal, but generally to the point. His walk
was perfectly natural, and therefore I'M
natural on the stage, but his general bear
ing was gentleDanly and thoroughly in
tentioned.
There can be no doubt as to his memory.
He wac almost letter perfect. In the horse
back scene, when the herald came in to an
nounce the capture of Buckin CHAM, the
count said, 'Otf with his head, and paused
The herald, thinking he had forgotten or
purposely omitted the rest, continued his
part, but the count, interrupting, finished
his line. $50 much for Buckingham" and
added, to the herald, "Now 90 on, sir" OF
course this was not lost upon the audience.
That audience, at this point, cheered and
hooted.
A committee, consisting of Judge BOWL
ing, Judge Bedford and Hon NJ. L. Jugg,
Esq, were conducted behind the scenes for
the purpose Of examining the steed.
The steed was originally white. but so
OVERLAND was he with cloths and heraldc de-
vices. with ancient armor and modern
saddle that it was impossible to Judge him.
The committee advised the count to ride in
upon the stage, and he did. The result was
most imposing. In point of fact the sight
of the count on that milk-white and
rather quiet animal was affecting as well as
effective, and stirred the gallery to en-
thusiasm.
The amount of it all is simply this
Joannes was not good enough to hold the
audience nor bad enough to guy. He
played a thousand-fold better than many
more pretenuious actors, and on the whole
very decidedly changed the current of feel |
ing and won his spurs.
OF course he was repeatedly called before
the curtain, and as often asked for a speech. |
The last time he said:
Ladies and Gentlemen-Exhausted as
am | can not find words of thanks for this |
glorious reception. | regard this demon
stration az the voice of the people against |
the few who hoped to crush me. Zap |
plause.J Washington Irving was once
asked TO make ii speech, but declined say
ing as do, II will write you out my speech |
and the sun shall shine upon it. Good |
night"
The count got 500 for his services; Jar
rett & Balmer saved bad week by the |
experiment; the count took new lease of |
life on the occasion, but the audience went |
home wiser and sadder. In point of fact, |
the audience was sold, and we are glad |
of it.
We see by another of our exchanges that |
the receipts at the box Office that night |
amounted to twenty-seven hundred dollars.
Mr. William IL. Day, once of New York, |
now of miplioan but never nf Indiana has