Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-01-02
PIZARRO.
A Sensational Incident from an Old
Play er's Notebook.

EAhy oE'b NOLesDoOR.
Pizarro was one of the most pop
ular of stock plays. Ny brother
LENS Rolla was his best tragic
character; when dressed for the
part, he looked every inch an In.
dian chief. Once we produced this
tragedy with real Indians for the
Peruvian army. The effect was
very striking, but there were some
unrehearsed effects not set down in
the bills. | had bargained with a
chief for twenty.four Greek Indians
Ito furnish their own bows, arrows
and tomahawks) at fifty cents each
and glass of whisky. Unfortu-
nately for the performance, the
whisky was paid and drank in ad-
vance, causing a great degree of
exhilaratiOn among our new Supes.
They were ranged at the back of
the theater building, in an open lot,
during the performance of the first
act; and on the commencement of
the second they were marshaled
into the back door and posted upon
the stage behind the scenes. The
entrance of Rolla was the signal for
a "shout" by the company, carpen-
ters and scene shifters; the Indians,
supposing their time had come,
raised such a yell as l am sure had
never before been heard inside of a
theater. This outburst being
quelled, the scene between Alonzo,
Cora and the Peruvian chief was
permitted to proceed to its termina-
ton uninterrupted but when the
scene changed to the "Temple of
the Sum-" disclosing the troops OF
Rolla, (his "brave associates, part
ners of his will, his feelings and his
fancy drawn up on each side of
the stage in battle array, the plaud-
its of the audience were answered
by whoops and yells that might be
and no doubt were heard mile off.
Order being partially restored,
Rolla addressed his army, and was
greeted with another series of
shouts and yells, even louder than
those which had preceded. Now
came my turn to take part in the
unique performance. AS "High
Priest of the Sum-" and followed
by half a dozen virgins and as many
priests, with measured step, timed
TO slow music l emerged from be.
hind the scenes, and "with solemn
march "perambulated the stage, in
dumb show called down a blessing
on the swords Of King Ataliba and
General Rolla, and in the usual i'm
pressiye style, looking up into the
front gallery, commenced the "In-
vocation to the Sum-" Before the
time for joining in of the chorus |
found | was not entirely alone in
my singing. A humming sound,
at first low and mournful, and ris.
ing gradually to forte, greeted my
ear; and when our chorus did join
in the strain, it was quite overpow-
cred by the rising storm of fortis-
simo sounds which were issuing
from the stentorian lungs of the
savages; in short, the Indians were
preparing for battle, by executing
IN their most approved style the
Greek "war song and dance" To
attempt stopping them we found
would be a vain task; SO that after
amoment or two of hesitation, the
virgins made a precipitate retreat
to their dressing rooms, where they
carefully locked themselves in. The
King, Rolla and 0rano stood their
ground and were compelled to sub.
init to the new order of things,
The Indians kept up their song and
war dance for full half an hour,
performing the most extraordinary
feats ever exhibited on a stage, in
their excitement scalping King
Altaliba taking off his wig), de-
molishing the altar and burning up
the SUM AS for Lem and | (Rolla
and the High Priest), we Joined in
with them, and danced until the
pcrspiration fairly rolled from our
bodies in large streams, the savages
all The time flourishing their tcma.
hawks and knives around our
heads, and performing other little