The National tribune., 1881-12-24

! both intellectually and physically he differed
in marked manner from all elephants we had
previously seen. The animal was composed of
four United States officers, which certainly gave
him unusual rank. One leg was the major be-
fore mentioned, the second naval officer, the
third captain of cavalry, and the last leg was
by a happy thought of the astute manager
"taken off" by an army surgeon. quantity of
straw formed the body, tusks and trunk being i'm
provised from the somewhat meagre resources of
our property room" The whole was covered
ingeniOusly by five army blankets. Indeed, the
elephant, considering the difficulties surmOunted
in his creation, was, as seen by the light of the
"footlights," consisting of four candles set in
bottles and empty conlensed-mlk cans, pro-
nOunCed by the critics of the Libby Prison
Chronicle "a masterpiece of stage mechanism"
The stage was erected at the northern end of
the kitchen and was formed by joining the four
long tables. The curtain was made by a number
of army blankets sewed together and was in two
parts, parting in the centre and being suspended
by small rings to q horizontal wire over the
heads of the orchestra. 1t could be drawn to-
gether and apart at the managers signal bell
Ample space was provided for the dressing"
and green" rooms, and although the scenery
was not gorgeous extensive it was sufficient
for the dramas produced during the season The
audience were ex xpected to bring their own seats
there being standing room only" as conspicu-
ousy announced on a placard posted in front by
the management
One of the best performances ever given was
on Christmas Eve 1868 That night the room
was crowded with men, who, away down in their
hearts felt a homesickness that needed some
mental physic such as we proposed to give Our
poor fellows thought of their wives and children
if not indeed, of sweethearts in the North, and
perhaps, our play did them good.
AS might be expected, the handling of the
scenery was attended with considerable difficulty
and the patience of the manager was often sorely
tried in his efforts to impress upon the scene
shifters the impropriety of pushing out bridge
to connect with the hall of a drawing room. Nor
did the shifters, as the manager repeatedly ex-
! planned to them, seem to realize the Importance
while performing their duties of keeping out of
the sight Of the audience. Indeed, the pathos of
play was at times seriously marred by the au-
dience distinctly seeing pair of cavalry boots
coolly walk off with a forest
1t happened one evening, when it was deter
mined to compliment the Efficient management
with a rOusing benefit that the two officers whose
duty it was to personate the hind legs of the ele
| phant were unable to appear, on account of sud-
den illness, and their places had to be filled at
| the last moment by two other officers, who vol
unteered for the emergency. This was an ac-
knowledged kindness the part of the volun-
! teers, but their acceptance of the parts without
sufficient rehearsal proved exceedingly embar-
|
trous to the elephant himself, or, to speak more
accurately, themselves. At the appointed time
however, the elephant appeared, his entree being
greeted with the usual round of applause. In
! spite Of the lack of preparation the wonderful
| tricks of the animal were very creditably per-
formed and enthusiastically recognized by the
! crowded house. The anxious manager in the
wings was happy as he gave the signal at last for
exit. Most unfortunately at this vital moment
certain strange conyUlsive actions Of the animal
revealed the painful fact that very positive diff
! ference of opinion existed between the fore and
! hind legs as at which side of the stage the exit
! should be made. In vain the perspiring manager
hissed from the wings, To the right, gentlemen
for Gods sake to the right" murmur of ex-
citement ran through the audience the convuI-
sions OF the animal grew more and more violent
and excited people in the audience shouted
| loudly:
"The elephants got fit"
"The monster is pOisoned!'
play the hose on him.
"D0wn in 'front.'!
"POlice!"
| perfect babel ensUed, in the midst of which
the seams of the blankets at last gave way and
the shrieking audience witnessed the extraordi-
nary spectacle of an elephant walking off in four
different directions, each leg ercely gesticulating
at the other and exchanging epithets certainly
more pungent than parliamentary. The despair
| ing manager had no alternative but to ring down
the curtain, but in his excitement he pulled the
wrong rope the sky fell down on the heads of
| the orchestra and the show ended for that even
ing. The manager being a strict stage disciplin-
aran at once called meeting of the several
sections of the elephant the result of which was
that three of the legs resigned and the remaining
leg the major was reduced to "supe"
One of the most exciting events in the prisons
history the famous tunnel escape of Febru-
ary, 1864, by which one hundred and ten of the
prisoners gained their iberty-or rather about
half of them-ffty Of the number being retaken
outside the Richmond works while endeavoring
to reach the Union lines, the writer being among
the unfortunate number This funnel which II