Daily Republican., 1880-01-13
LIGHT ON A Dark sUBSECr.
the AmaxiBg PFeAts Of tho negro
Mfuatrel Business.

| AHdhsN Wv
The AmaEing PFents of tho Negro
Mfnstrei Business.
A few nights ago we had q talk with
Harry Chappam, who is managing Bar
low, Wilson, Primrose 4 Vests Minis.
trels. He Is perhaps the best posted
man on negro minstrelsy in the coun-
try, and gives us some interesting
points: ..
"Ths highest salary ever paid to q
negro rdnstyel," hs said, sis $500 A
week, And this has been paid but twice
Is far % know. Billy Emerson re-
csived 1t for q trip through the country,
and his manager made money out o'
him. OF course he had his travelling
expenses besides. We are now paying
Cal. Wagner $500 week, and 1t pay.
us to do IL. His name is immense, and
he Ia inimitabls In his line. This is a
salary larger than Grant used to get %
President OF the United States, and 10
equal to the combined salaries OF two
and a half Cabinet officers, three Min
listers to foreign countries aud hall
dozen Governors OF States. 1t 10 over
s25, 900 year, and all expenses paid.
And all Cal has TO do Ia to black his
face at night, crack jokes with the boys
on the stage and sing q character song
or two."
-, not the other members OF the
ompany get as muchi"
''Our four lea ling men are partners
the business. None OF them draw
alaries, but divi ls the earnings. Their
prodts will 60 to : 90 a day cash. The
how will easily III ke 100000 during
he year, counting in the salaries Of
=. four partners. The other perform
era get from $25 to 5000 week, Sam
Price, Of course, leadi z them all. You
see it pays to black the face"
what are the expenses OF Q min
strel treupef"
at would run, should say, from
$3.50 to 5000 q day. It costs ns to pla'
about $3.50 a day, including the sala-
ries Of this four proprietors. II we in
cluded them it would run up to 500
or upwards. One advantage that we
have is that We can play several nights
in one city, and change the programme
every night. This saves railroad fare
and gives us better rates at hotels. We
olaysd here six nights and will play at
Macon six nights"
"What are your receiptsi"
at Is poor show that can not get
over $500 a night. Ours goes up over
81 900 often. We have plased for
twenty-nights and have had to turn
away people every night. ! have seen
a minstrel business in San Francisco 90
up to over $1,000 a week, or about
Si, 800 night. We shall average this
season 800 to $500 night"
"What was the biggest minstrel bus :
iness ever donel'
"That is a hard question to answer.
| went out with Jack Hayerly's compa-
ny, and carried it from Maine to Mexico
for four seasons. l paid him $50, 600
clear profit one season, and $50, 900 for
the other three seasons, SO that in four
years he made $3.50, 900 in net cash out
Of one company. The company OF min
strels Is what gave Haverly his start.
He began life as peanut boy-was
then apprenticed to . tailor-then be.
came railroad butcher, and finally as
boss of variety show in Toledo, Ohio.
He was doing nothing and didn'tamount
to much until he met Cal Wagner, who
was just beginning to make note ss
minstrel. Haverly went in with him,
and the show started out under Happy
Cal.' It made money. but Haverly and
Cal couldn't agree and dissolved right
here. Haverly then organized q COM
pany with George Wilson as his end
man, and Primrose and West as his
dancers. We picked Barlow up in Tex
as, where he was in a variety show,
and put him on the end from Wilson.
With this crowd, backed up by first
class quartetts, we made Haverly's for
tune. Be Is now the biggest manager
In the country. He CANDLES very des-
.psrately, or he would be very rich
man."
"Who is the richest minstrel man in
the country"
"Cal Wagner. In spite Of his fail
ures as q manager he has put aside
over 100000. He will be very rich
man If he lives, as he has q good wife
that saves his money. II Billy Emer-
son had not gambled and drank to
such an extent he would have been all
that a man wanted. He is still good
for $400 or $500 q week, and may come
out all right. Poor Lew Benedict, who
was one of the handsOmest and bright
est men that eve- corked his face, has
scattered fortune from his fingers, and
is now end man in female minstrel
troupe. Barlow is young yet, but will
bs rich man. He has probably $780,
600 slowed away, and can add that
much a year to it If he wants to. de
has a lovely wife, who travels with
him Wilson is married also, and his
wife is with him now. He Is better of
than Barlow, perhaps. Primrose and
West are laying up money rapidly, and
have no bad habits. As a dancing
team they are considered the best III
the business. .-"Atlanta Constitution.
Congregational.
In the U. 8. Senate, yesterday, the
bill increasing the pensions OF totally
disabled soldiers and sailors was report
60 and placed on the calendar. Sever