Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-05-11
A DRAMATIC HISTORY.
Mrs. James Oates Leaves her Hus.
band, Tracy Titus.

She Applies for DIvOrce-The
GATES Operate Company split
in TWO-RIval TrOupes 20 be Or.
ganized-A MOther-im.LRW, A Sis
ter.tm-Law and an IagO in the Box
Office Cause the Trouble.
San Francisco Chronicle, April 23.l
Alice Orcenia Merritt, afterward Mrs.
Oates, now Mrs, Titus, was born in Nash.
vile, Tennessee, in l849, which makes
an estimate of her age easy to Califor-
MIA admirers. The beginning of her
public career has little rosy tinge Of
romance. Her first marriage, in 1865,
just after the cruel war was over, was
the finale Of boarding school filtration.
She was then just sixteen. James A.
Oates was young, handsome and tai
ented actor, leading man at the old the
ater in Nashville, place of amusement
whose glory was waning when the rebel
lion began, but which had seen on its
boards at various periods all the great
actors OF the last half century. She
was then at school at Edgefeld, a
suburb Of Nashville, just across the
Cumberland river. She had seen her
ideal behind the footlights in velvet,
tinsel and bright tin armor, and sighed
that heaven had made her such a man.
The handsome actor wooed her se-
cretly, married her in Gretna Green
fashion, then returned to the buskin,
while she renewed her studies in the
school room more diligently than ever. A
year later he was engaged as leading
man of Woods Thester, Cincinnati, and
lett for his new post, taking his young
wife with him. Mr.. Oates played one
year successfully in Cincinnati. After
that i'll health compelled him to leave
the stage entirely, and he was thereafter
great sufferer until his death from
consumption, in July, 1871. Those
were sad times for the young wife which
followed.
ORIGIN OF THE OATES OPERA TROUPE.
During the vacation of the following
season Mr. Oates took party of theat-
ricsl people into the rural districts Of
Illinois, intending to go through course
OF country tragedy; in other words, to
storm the barns of the farming local.
itiess which he penetrated. Their first
point of attack was Rockford. Here
Mrs Oates Joined them not long after
ward, and the company, which was made
up Of unique theatrical odds aud ends,
labored with such light dramatic mate.
rial as Pocahontas, Formosa, and
few other trihes of similar character.
This organization was the germ from
which this splendid Oates Opera Troupe
has since grown. Still under Mr.. Oates
management it went to st. Paul, then
moved southwark once more through the
small towns Of Illinois and Indiana,
through Cincinnati and Kentucky to the
extreme South, where the following win.
ter was passed, doing much the same
class of theatrical work, and earning an
extremely moderate amount of money.
Returning ,northward, Mr.. Oates was
taken sick ut Rome, Ga, and sent for
Mr. Titus to join the troupe as its man.
ager This was in the winter of l869-7O
From that time to this Mr.. Titus, who
had considerable experience in Chicago
with Grau and Strakosch, has controlled
THE FORTUNES OF THE TROUPE,
and largely helped it to achieve its rrea,
success He brought them north tc
Philadelphia, where a successful en-
gagement was played at the Chestnut
Street Theater, then under Laars
Keepes management, May Howard anc
Moses Fish having been added to the
company, From Philadelphia to New
York the transition was easy. Here the
troupe played burlesque to profitable
business for four weeks, the managers
beginning to feel by this time that theil
future was pretty well assured. The
season Of 1901 was spent in the
South, the repertory having been in
creased by the addition Of THE Fail
One in the Blonde Wig" The summer
Of 1871 was passed in the Canadas. Ii
July Of this year Mr.. Oates, whose il
health had compelled his frequent alb
senoe from the troupe, died at the Crane
Central Hotel in New York. The rela
tons between him and Mr.. Titus haC