The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-03-05
Tur SPECTACULAR DRAMA.


us,pl, Dciil hicd the Bowcry Boy.
~, IN, c.st side Of Elizabeth street. mid
,o.v,,n howard aud Canal streets. l.
N't d,sr In a grclt brick wall that r.scs high
h,,,d. and ga the night looks bllck and
IN. seen ~ dayl ght, the little door bears
I,,n...,. # mt. Ia usage. l. is worth while to
-.,.,tnat little door Ia the evening, II adtuis-
- o,p he gained, for II Is the entrance TO one
', SO Yotk's beet known institutions. As It
lima omen II discusses a short flight OF steps
,.,d,ne down. and after YOU have gone down
,Aose steps you are stopped by a white. haired
man. who suddenly emerccs from little dimly-
l,eh,sd room at the right. IL you have the
nacess,ry credentials YOU are permitted To go
n.bt.h means 20 up, for just in front IA a
.,a,rcase leading no to another door. This
opaned. YOU enter very large room. so gloomy
~, ,ou cannot clearly define lite boundaries, 80
lo,v that AT nrst you cannot see the ceiling, and
"a Allied With unnumbered strange and uncouth
.hincs that YOU are almost bewlldcred by them.
Through that door by which you have just en-
,ered have passed the elder Booth aud tho
.turdy Forrest, Charlotte Cushman and Mrs.
shaw, and very many others now dead, aud very
80, others now living. That little door Is the
1t,ee entrance to the lowery Theatre, and that
,ast. dark. weird space lie the stage Of the Bow
States. compared with which the stage Of the
Academy oi.Music and that OF Booths Theatre
are small.
Assort energetic centleman'appears. "Come
H." says Manager Mason. for It IA he. "Come
r.sht IL; this way; don't fall over the plank.
There you are. Come In here where 1t Is warm"
lie opens door and leads the way into room,
10 which elegant furniture, weather beaten
boxes, heaps Of clothing, and all the odds aud
ends VI an actors OUTFIT are strewn. bright
Gre burns In the crate, before which sits a man
In cool summer clothing, who IL slowly but
surely changing himself from a good-looking
rhre man to black plantation negro. An
other man sits by a table. He Ia broad Shout
de'cd and fat backed "a the clio, e-ntting red
lauucl shirt shows. The table before him is lit
orally covered with pistols, cartridges, bullets,
powder cans, percussion Gaps, and big knives.
Leaning against the table are three or four rinos
Of different slos.
PRANK AND MS DOC.
"Let me Introduce you TO Mr.. Frank Frayne."
SAYS sir. Mason. The man in the red shirt rises
quickly. and as I've turns you see handsome,
though rather rugged face.
I'm right pleased to see you" he says, with a
eouth western drawl and The clasp Of his hand
Is yer, arm. "rhstll do. Jack" he saws sternly
:
Ore. aud rrowls ominously. Lie down. sit
dawn, gentlemen he continues. IL don't
Row whether you can nnd a place, though;
everything is lying around loose"
Here were two important members OF what
che glering handouts called THE Frank Frayne
RIDE Team" who were to PLAY In one ~ the
cory, powdery, suifurous dramas that delight
The heart Of the Buwery boy" The principal
Character seemed utterly unlike the typical
"InJun killer" Hat his surroundings were very
real. The guns were not the highly ornamonted,
sntteiins weapons that usually appear on the
stage. They were well worn, and battered, veri-
tlDle shootin rous."
"iouil excuse me. gentlemen" said Mr.
frayne. "if 20 on with my work. I've got to
load my little arsenal. There's a good pair OF
pistols" he continued. picking up one Of a brace
Of long, dincy Colts navy revolvers. An |
can do some very good shootin' with them. or
course you'l think I'm riggin', but It's true,
when say that o'n put up i've apples
tIeks. ana let man hold two-cept piece IN
lhs Ringers, and then with this revolver shoot
we I'VE aIples nd al erward the two-ceut piece,
AZ thirty-hve feet, within eighteen seconds. I've
Snue II often, ana VI your come up to- morrow
afternoon III do II for YOU. don't saw can
o. II by gas light did II for some OF the gen-
,ltmen OF The press IN WASHINGTON"
Authentic newspaper accounts substantive
cur. hrayne's assertion, which was made after
-" But You'll stay and SEQ us shoot this EVENING"
That's right. You'll eet lots Of smoke In your
eYes, and it'll be pretty NOISY here, hut that's
what the novs Ike. II draws nrst rate. How
nng have been IN this sort Of business7 About
w. Years. used to DC IA tue regul r rgitimats
l'on,o, and Claude Mclnoue. I've supported
'lr1e hclH0tte 10 Charlotte rhompsons Pau
me- but hless your heart, wouldn't do II. I'm
cut ~ that line now and couldn't play such
Characters at all. How did come to take up
The shooting huslne simply because / saw
there was money ia It. You see ! was born In
Kentucky, aud used n be a good shot wears ago
NanY's the Tin cup I've shot from IA mans head
~ those old Kentucky odroerues. so L got
~ 10y uGed ~ thdi would give my wife and boy
taxes we'll"
AN IMMENSE STAGE.
Leaving the actor 10 dress for the FIRST act Mr.
Mason led the way to the stage. II want YOU to
see The run we have here" he said. /" Here
II 49, II begins no there 30 feet above us, and
" about $50 feet In all. The stage is 100 feet
eep, aud tue wiudings OF the run are at least 30
Iset more he ron IS vide plank walk
rer wall, so arranged wiih painted canvas that
II looked Ike natural mountain road. :" Frank
used TO ri his horse up and down there, but
BE- lost his old pony II lckberry,' and the oiher
nght when ne tried TO ride new one down the
beast Jumped on, luckily when near the bottom,
COW. Come up here and see the old traps" he
continued, leading the way. up the winding
paul ~ proven iohk walk beiore tue plat
I4 W u the paint of veKe reached.
Here's an old timer Mr. NJ son said, point
ne 70 an old nre engine, covered with the dust
~ time. st'noing in corner. That's the Old
engine they used to here yeaTs ago when
Nose" was the nero Of the hour. And here's
he Old ship that WIS used In the Wizard OF
The Wave It's twenty feet long, and used 10
be completely rugged" 1he old relic was hung
igh above the platform. Here" said the stage
manager, pointing 70 an enormous aste board
goose that perched solemnly on dismantle1
wooden locomotive here is the original goose
mat WAS used nv pnOr George Fox In his DantO-
mime Of Mother Goose lnat locomotive was
l-ed IN the play through ny DAYLIGHT aud
heres steamboat. eighteen feet iong, that Is
used m Pomp' But come down, want YOU to
Bee old Poppy Stewart. He has been cas- engi-
', IN tins theatre for forty years. and knows II
b heart
Going to his little once the manager sent for
he gas engineer. A ruddy faced, bright eyed,
Willie bearded, patrarchal man came, nd smiled
lTand.
PEOPLE or THE PAST.
"Well, know the whole story" said he. for
I've seen the old theatre for over thirty eight
Years. There's been some great actors here In
ny day. In fact there are mighty few sctors Of
inv fame who did not start here. There was
Booth, the old IN n, not Edwin, he never played
ianolin and Charlotte Cushman, and
DID, Mother Shaw, and Mrs. w. @. Jones
and Old Tom Barry, who recently died, and then
alter, T.. l.. ID NEWPORT and Frank Chanfrau.
lester and James W. Wallack and John Gilbert
lscI To DO In the stock here. The H1vels
made their nrst appearance here. Hamlin I'M
ported EN-. Birnev Williams used to be a SUI
peraumerary mere. His father was doOrman in
rolice station, and his name was o Flaherty.
W OH, BirncN w lll'hms l. better name than