The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-04-23
wings and Jac0bites at the Theater.
TI3ele rade


The cool, cautious Scot, one might
have supposed, would have been the
last person to be betrayed into the folly
and extravagances of theatrical riots;
but, although these breaches of the
peace were not nearly as common in
Edinburg as in London or Dublin,
three-and one with very serious results
occurred about this time, within very
short intervals of each other. Long af-
ter "the 49," the Wings and Jacobites
lost no opportunity of hurting defiance
at each other when they met in public.
One night, in 1749, an English officer,
seated in the pit, called out for the Or
chestra to play "Culloden," a song
which had been written to celebrate the
Hanoverian victory. AS the military
mustered pretty strong the musicians
thought it best to comply. No sooner
was the strain ended than Highland
gentleman rose up and demanded,
"You're welcome, Charles Stuart" The
fiddlers, anxious to show their perfect
impartiality, as readily complied with
tue second as with the first request; but,
like the old man in the fable, they soon
found to their cost that to try and please
everybody was to please nobody, for the
English officers fell upon them, demol-
ished their instruments, and then leaped
upon the stage with the intention Of
destroying all before them.
But the gallery, which was Jacobite,
now took up the cause, and pelted them
SO severely with apples, snuf-boxes, and
ultimately broken seats, that they soon
had in pure self-defense to turn round
and storm their assailants. But ere they
could mount the stairs, the gods had Sc
cured the door; and while they were
laundering with sword and boot upon
the wooden barrier, they found them
selves attacked in the rear. Some High
land chairmen who had heard the row
| in the street, had followed them up the
stairs, and belabored them so heartily
from behind with their long poles, that,
cramped as they were in narrow pas
sage, they were obliged to yield at dis
cretion, and the building was thus re-
prieved from the catastrophe that over
took it few years later. ..
All readers Of theatrical annals will
remember the somewhat ludicrous riot
that attended the production of that
capital old farce, "High Life Below
Stairs" under Garrick's management at
Drury Lane. In Edinburg, as in Lon.
don, the footmen OF the nobility and
gentry were sent beforehand to keer
their masters places in the boxes, and
upon the arrival Of the latter were al
lowed the entree Of the gallery free OF
charge. The Scotch footman was as in
dignant as his English bret at the
rdicule and exposure of disorder in Gar
rick's farce, and proceeded to as great
excesses; first he wrote letters to the
manager, threatening all kinds Of
vengeance if he persisted in the
representation of the piece; then, finding
that fnnctionary did NOT. choose to be
dictated to by people who brought
nothing to the treasury, he speedily car
ried his threat Into execution. As
sembling in force, the servants pro-
ceeded to interrupt the performance
with groans and misses, and then to teal
up the seats. Even with the help Of the
masters, the authorities had some diff.
Guilty in quelling the distunbance-by
which, however, the rioters ever after.
ward forfeited their privilege of free ad
mission. o.. .... .e-.