The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1881-09-01
An Actor on the Stage.

arm OiiceIudl thompson, VINO Is SIa-
toned in the Madison Square Park, was
called to large crowd of people, who
were assembled on the east side of Mad
ison Square Park. The officer hurried
to the place and pushed his way through
q crowd of 500 persons. who were gath
cred about the Bonded form of man,
whose long, wavy locks of snow-white
hair and heavy silvery beard gave him
the appearance OF an octogenarian. The
man was leaning upon worn umbrella,
and while every limb shook with appar-
emit lntirmity he sang in a trembling
voice the beautiful song, 1.-The Village
Blacksmith The officer. who was at
this time quite near the singer. beheld
his tattered clothing. his muffied throat
and old slouchsd hat. which he held in
his hand. One by one the charitable
persons in the crowd approached the
singer and dropped few pennies in his
time-worn hat. The singers voice was
sweet and plaintive and the crowd rap
idly increased in size. The officer, see
ing that the man was obstructing the
public highway by collecting so large
crowd about him, ordered the man to
s'move on" The singer replied: 81
am hungry and tired, won't you please
let me sing little longer that I may
earn few penniesp' The officer knew
his duty, and taking the man gently by
the arm started to lead him away. They
had walked but a few steps, the singer
in the meantime trembling from head
to foot and advancing with seemingly
great exertion, when the policeman no.
ticed that the singers heavy beard was
false. Quickly the officer tore it from
his face, exposing the '.make-up.'' The
officer then seized the snow-white wig,
and in an instant the singer presented
very different appearance. His face
was painted in a manner that would do
credit to the well-known Joe Jefferson
when acting in the role of Rip Van
Winkle. His light moustache was pow
dered, and, in fact, his disguise was.
complete. When the large crowd which
had been listening to the singer saw that
he had fooled them and that he was
strong and healthy Englishman their.
rage knew no bounds. Cries of ssHang
him!'' MOB him!'' ssTar and feather
him!' were heard upon every side. and
were it not for the timely appearance of
Policeman Price, of the Twenty-ninth
Precinct, serious trouble Nigh have en-
sued. The two officers hurried the
singer off to the station house of the
Twenty-ninth Precinct. and this morn
ing he was arraigned before Justice
Bixby in the Jefferson Market Police
Court, charged with vagrancy. He told
his Homer the following story: envy
name is Henry +. Fairweather. I am
an Englishman, and for sixteen years
was overseer in the London Postoffice.
left the postoffice a few years ago on
account of i'll health. / am an actor
and elocutionist by profession. l have
played in all the best theatres in Lon
don as Dick Deadeye, as the Captain
and as the Admiral in Pinafore.' III
have often played in the Olympic Thea
ter in London. During the past eight
years have been chairmaster in the
st. Paurs Cathedral IN London. was
also in the piano business in Thurlow
Place, London. recently failed in
business and the choir of st. Paurs
Cathedral presented nue. with a purse
OF tl3with which to come to America.
where hoped to make some engage
ments at good theaters left nv wife |
and four children in London to settle |
up my affairs and started for America
in the steerage of the steamship Lar
dena. On June 80 | landed at Quebec |
after having endured all the horrible |
pains incident to Storage passage in
a crowded steamer. I then went to |
Montreal and accompanied by Mr.. Spar
row, manager of the Theater Royal of |
that city, | journeyed to the metropolis |
where / hoped to find employment. I |
had in my pocket just e. and about |
twenty letters of recommendation to |
prominent men in this city, two of
whom l now recall-Mr Steinway. the
piano manufacturer, and another piano
dealer by the name of Schriemer. ri
put up at Astor Place Hotel and started /
out to form aequaintances in the me-
trop0lls OF the new world. met with
disappointment on every hand, and
finally called on the English Consul. He
said he could do nothing for me, but he
sent me to the ST. Georges Society. at
No. 4 Morris Street. This was nv last
hope- but here, too, was doomed to +
disappointment. The society would not
assist me. This was YESTERDAY after
noon. I had been living at restaurants
~ SOHeo pei udy lOT Two weeks
and then | was penniless. was too
proud to sing upon the street without a
disguise. | could never bring myself
TO ask person for penny but thought
i ! disguised myself to represent an
aged man and then sang some nice songs
upon the street some persons might drop
few pennies in my hat. 1 went to nv
room in the Astor Place Hotel and re-
moving my clothing donned the old
garments You now see on my person. /
hen made up my face to look like an I
Did man and then tied on the beard and
WIG which you now see before ron in
he hands Of the officer. Taking this
oid umbrella ventured out and soon
.ound my way to the Madison Square
Park. I began to ring. and made nv
Foice tremble as much as possible. / f
lsked no one for penny, but accented I
With many thanks the few pennies that j
we're dropped into my hat. / had not +
'ang long when the officer arrested me. F
would not have done this had { not Il
,een starving. The prisoner told this |
tory while large tears crept down his !
'heeks and while he was otherwise Wis 4
bly, affected. lie saii he had eaten q