The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-02-27
Uncle Jim Thompson Goes TO See
AiGa-EIis Opinion Of the Opera.
Correspondence Cleveland Leader

Correspondence CleVcanG LeaQerJ
On Friday evening last Max Strakoscb's
Italian Opera Troupe presented for the first
time in this city Verdi's magnificent opera
of Aida" to a large and enthusiastic au-
dience. Uncle Jim Thompson, the member
from Montgomery, was present, and after
the performance, meeting the old Bourbon
in the office Of the United..Sta Hotel, in.
noccntly asked him if he had attended the
opera, and what he thought of it. Taking
a huge jack.knife and strip Of "plug "
from his pocket, and carving-a "chaw" OF
tobacco into suitable dimensions, the old
gentleman. in his slow, battling style, re-
piled as follows:
Eyes, | went TO the opery; paid dollar
m half fur seat in the pit and fifty cents
more fur one O them thar opery-glasSes.
Thar was most half my per diem for that
day used UP, young man, just fur nothin
but theater show. Yes, and now come
to think on it had to she'll out quarter for
Lie.bret.toe, b'Iieye they called it; notbin
on airth buta derned old book, and half Choc-
taw at that. But, come 10 find out, if it hadn't
been fur that thar book l wouldn'ta known
not one word @ what the whole cuSsed muSs
was about. from fust to last, fur if you'll be.
lieye il, they wasn't single one o the per.
if they had, 'twouldn't made no difference,
fur in sted o. talkin' they sung of the
whole piece, and without 10 pinch of Il tune,
ucithcr. They had band, to be sure: but,
bless you, they didn't pay no more 'tention
! 10 it nor Digger Ipjun would to mcetin'
house origin, but every cussed one Of 'em
jest who0ped it up on his own hook to suit
himself Arter got little used to it !
managed by readih' The le-bret-toe half the
time, and watchin' the show the other half,
toe keep the run o. the thing purity consldc-
rable well. The name O the piece was Jadv,
though 'twant spelt that way no how, and
it was kind O. heather performance from be-
einnin' to end. Thar was king, and a
lot O. priests and soldiers and prisoners
and women folks-tbe whole derned lot
o. 'em kinder butternut.colored 'cept one %
the women, and she was jest as purity as a
picture, though she would looked better
! to my mind if she'd had q kind o.
Christian clothes on instead of bein' xiv.
cred with spangles, and gold, and sicb, like
Darber-rariau. Then there was lot O. tin
cunels and elephants put up on poles, and
SIGH like nonsense. But the singn' was the
| funniest part of the whole business. One O.
the butlernut. coIored women aud the goods
lookin' gal was both in love with lcetlc, in
significant sDuffcolored chap what didn't
seem to be worth pint O. cider, for all be
put on So many airs, and them two women
would sing at each other fit to take your
head of, By finger! Then the leetle
snuff colOred chap would come. In and
put bis hands on his stomach and double
himself up and yawp at both of 'em a:
if he had right smart fit o. 'wind.colic
and they would screech back again as i
they had it too, and finally the whole dumb
founded crowd would jiue linking, priests
soldiers, prisoners, and Women-foks-an
howl and whoop and scream and heller al
together for all the world like lot o cullereG
people at 2 protractcd mectn', and then jest
US would begin to be rally afeared that
they'd all bust, the curtain would so down,
and we'd pass little spell o. quiet.
"Ob, no, it v asu't bad show, young
man, takin' everything into consideration
but I'd a heap ruther see Streets o New
York. or Gal Waguer's Niger Min>trels,
any day in the week"