Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-03-22

break his shackles, the Southern
Uncle Tom fervently calculated
"Sah was born a slave, l have
lived a slave, and, bress de Lord, l
hope to die a slavew This was too
strong even for the most ardent
shareholders. You would see them
turn around, wink and smile all
over the house. So, seeing that
neither the blissful spectacle of
radiant orange groves, wherein the
negro reclined, whilst golden fruit
was showered upon his head, nor
the rhapsodies of Uncle Tom, would
attract the public, l determined to
bring out the simon-pure article.
My wife owned slaves, but had no
feeling in the matter as regards this
play, save that l think the spectacle
recently presented at Booths Thea
ter of Legree whipping women in
and out, ought really to be ex-
plunged.
negotiated with Harry Jarrett
for the play at the time l speak of.
My theater had been losing money
hand over hand, but Uncle Toms
Cabin, right there in Baltimore, did
an enormous business. Just before
| produced it | was accosted in the
street by my lawyer, who advised
me not to bring the play out, say
ing that | would surely get into
trouble. Irevised the MSS, how
ever, cutting out what | thought
would prove peculiarly obnoxious,
and rewriting some of the parts.
Mrs. Howard, Mr.. Howard and
their Cordelia, were concerned in
the performance, and strange to
say, for it was not in my line-wss
the Uncle Tom. The role of Marks,
the lawyer, was assigned to Sleeper
Clarke, and he made such a hit
that he started out on his career ON
the strength of it. had raked up
all sorts Of situations from old
farces, etc.-anything to cover up
the real drift of the play with fun
and frolic-and the result was COM
pletely successful. The people
laughed so over Olarke's mishaps
as Marks that they lost sight of the
more solemn and earnest slavery
element.
"Everybody's Friend, or A Wild
ow Hunt" was, by the way, a great
go when produced it at the Vari-
cites Theater, in New Orleans. 1t
was admirably cast. Charlotte
Thompson was the Mrs. Swan
down; Sara Stevens, whom | met
on Broadway the other day, the
Mrs. Featherly; the same Mrs.
Chapman, who is now acting Mrs
De Boots, at the Fifth Avenue,
played that character, and SOthern
was the Felix. SOthern was Just
as fond Of his joke then as he is
now remember he insisted on
having an Angora cat in the basket,
saying he could not act the Bangle
scene unless a real cat was provided.
A cat was found, although l won't
swear to its Angoraship, and the
consequence was, that the animal
stuck its head out, with that stupid
expression which a cat can alone
assume, and brought down the
house and Sothern. The next
night he substituted a guinea pig,
| with quite as disastrous results. 1t
was in New Orleans that Sothern
originated the now celebrated
Brother Sam letter, which he intro
duces in Dundreary. All! New
Orleans was a fine theatrical town
once, but that day is over. When
last managed the Varieties, once
the finest house in the country, not
even excepting Wallack'S, the city
was so given up to the "White
League" and politics generally,
: that there was no place for amuse-
ments. Moreover, the citizens of
the past are gone, impoverished by
the war, and the generous planter
is replaced by purely business men
from the North or elsewhere, who
come to make money, not to spend
it, and who want to know what
they are going to get for their cash
before they disburse it. New Or
leans has lost its Texan trade; all
the riches Of the Red river country
are turned in the direction of st.
Louis, and the once "Paris OF
America is quite another place
from the city where the planters,
coming from the surrounding
parishes, and from up the MisssiS-
sippi, would spend all the proceeds
of the sale Of their cotton, and,
perhaps, sell one or two of the
"niggers" they had brought with
them before going home again, The
halpyon days for the theater there
would seem to be over, They were
brilliant, though, while they lasted.
About Notable People.
New York Sun.
The Earl of Beacopsfeld ia one