Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-11-23
A MANAGERIAL USHER.
How Adah Menken First Came to PLAY
"Mazeppa."

How Adah Menken First Came to PLAY
"Mazeppa."
A friend OF Manager Miles. saws the
Cincinnati Enquirer, was astonished up-
on entering the Grand Opera House, the
other afternoon, to see that gentleman,
hat in hand, showing party of ladies to
their seats. AS he returned to the lob
by his friend queried "Helloa, Bob,
have you become an usher?' ''Oh, yes,
was the response, II can do anything
around a theatre. [ painted a scene
once" DO you think you could draw
a house?" asked his friend. We'll. I
don't know" replied Bob, ''but I've seen
the time 1 could, and against opposition.
too. So, they can't say that I didn't
quit playing until the people got tired
of seeing me. Do you know, he contin-
ued, that played Mazeppa once, when
in this city, at Pixies Opera House, with
Kate Fisher at Woods and Kate Vance
at the National Theatre in the same
play, and burlesque of Mazeppa run
ring at the Palace Varieties, with a
mule for the fiery, untamed steed?
Fact, l assure you. The people were
Mazeppa mad that week, and got over
$500 for my share of the receipts" :"
That was doing pretty well,' was the
friends answer. DO you know, he con-
tinued, that | never hear the play of
Mazeppa mentioned that [ don't think
of poor Adah Menkenr' That's natu-
raj enough" said Mr. Miles, though if
1t hadn't been for me, she would never
have been heard of in the part" How
was that?" was eagerly asked. Well"
replied Bob, "Adah had been out West
here, trying to star it, and played the
Jewess in the Council Of Constance, at
the National, to empty benches, had
been made captain of Dayton military
company, and had played Pauline to the
Claude Of Ed. Booth in Louisville, but
all to no purpose. She couldn't clinch
on, and she fell back on the variety bu-
siness, which brought her to Albany, N.
T., where she was discharged for incom-
potency after the second night. | was
playing an engagement there at the
time, and though had but slight ac-
quaintance with her, she came over to
the house and wanted to play for my
benefit on the following Friday night.
The manager thought very poorly of her
ability and warned me against her. but.
as didn't want to hurt her feelings 1
thought to frighten her off by saying,
Well, Adah, you can appear at my ben
eft it you'll play Mazep.' Good
enough, said she, III do it, At that
time she didn't have money to pay her
board, and she was anxious to do any
thing that would give her chance to
make herself stout with the managers.
and enable her to earn living. | paid
her board, and gave her book of the
play before she left the theatre, but as
the time was too short for her to study
the whole part, for she had dreadful
poor study, we arranged that she should
only go in for the gallant Tartar in the
first act, and | would finish the play
Thursday morning she came to rehears-
al, and we bound her to the horse. Be
fore he got half way up the runs, by
some mishap they fell down, and he and
Adah were precipitated to the stage.
We pulled the runs apart and got them
out. Neither was hurt, though Adah
had tainted, and when We brought her
to and fixed the runs, she refused to re-
hearse the ride any more saying, Let it
60 until tomorrow night, and then if I'm
killed it will be before the audience
When the night she was to appear came
she went on and slouched through the
lines, as she did ever after: for, till the
hour of her death she was never guilty
knowing all of Mazcppa by heart. Well,
dressed up as an attendant, and the
play went on fairly until we came to
bind her on her horse, and then she be-
came SO limp in our hands that looked
into her face and saw that she had faint
ed 1t was no time to quit then, howev-
er, so we tied her to the horse as best
We could, and started her up the runs.
She made the ascent in safety, and, as
soon as the curtain fell, l ran up and
unbound her and carried her down to
the stage. The audience was applaud
ing like mad, and laundering its demand
for her to go before the curtain, but it
was not until | bathed her temples with
water and forced half glass of cham
pagne down her throat that she revived
and was able to respond to the call
That" said the genial manager, who has
helped more dramatic aspirants to plac-
es on the stage than any other man in
America, was the turning place in her
life. Mazeppa soon after made her ia
nous and wealthy, and l was glad of it,
for she was good soul, and in the days
of her prosperity she never went back
on her old friends" Just then another
party of ladies came in, and Bob started
off and escorted them to their places
with as much gallantry as he was wont
to display when describing to Pauline
his palace by the lake of Como.