Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-06-28
ORIGINAL DEFECTIVE

no critical estimete Of the talents of the company
| now performing in the city. Among the indications
OF the growth OF our city in refinement and inteli
gence. we know OF none OF public nature so fatter
ing as the marked success OF this opera troupe. The
opera in all enlightened communities is the acknowl-
edged criterion OF public taste in the polite arts 1t
| is certain that the NEST famed portions of human
society have never been educated beyond a point
| from which Music and the Drama have been looked
down upon as inferior tastes, inconsistent with
| the progress OF wisdom and morality.
The article then goes on to refer to greater
singers having appeared iu Sacramento as
early as 1858 and adds, that ia that year
such artists Gs BaIilli-Thorne, Brignoli and
Lamont "deigned to visit us. Their failure
was unfortunate, since it augured the certain
avoidance of all similar enterprises among
managers in the future. In this city,
through bad management, but chiefly because
society was not prepared by numbers or pol
ish for the encouragement of Italian opera,
the engagement proved disastrous"
The same article Gays that the legitimate
drama had hitherto found cold lodgment
on our soil, chiefly because of the inadequacy
OF the stock performers. (What would the
writer think of the condition of things IN
1SS2-a condition to which the public has
become Injured under the vicious star system
The same article credits Barney Williams
and wife with the most pecuuarily successful
engagement ever played here, and next the
versatile Mrs. Wood. Murdoch, Of all the
tragedians who had visited the coast, had
carried away the most money.
HISTORY sTRAIGHTENED OUT.
By mere chance Tier the papers of those
days were Indifferent as to notices of amuse-
ments, snd many successful engagements were
neither advertised ror 'noticed" y we
find interesting data. On the even
ing OF February 7th, 1853, the ticket
sale for the fist concert by Catherine Hayes
(Kate Hayes) the great Irish songstress,
took place at the Orleans Hotel. Colonel j.
B. Starr was auctioneer. The scene was a
novel and exciting one. -Four hundred seats
in the Congregational Church were to be sold.
The first bid for choice was $780, and the
bidding rapidly rose to 81, 900 and finally first
choice was sold for 81 200 to Captain B.
D. Fry, for the Sutter Rifles, the
tsen crack military company of the State.
The Rifles presented the seat to Captain
Sutter. This paper gloriied loudly over the
sale and said all the people were congratulate
ing each other "at the glorious manner in
which the afflicted city had maintained its in
teglity, through good aud evil report" This
is explained by the fact that Hoboken. a
rival town, was just ther provoking Sacra-
mento, and had sent down wealthy men to
buy the favorite seat away from Sacramento
and thus shame this city, Kate Hayes In
April also (probsbly between the 10Th and
21st) 1858, sang in the saloon Of the Orleans
Hotel, and the tickets were So and So. One
concert was for the benefit of ''the firemen."
She was supported by Mengis, Herold
and Chenal. Lee & Marshal were
then running circus here at 81 admission.
In March this paper had o local announcing
that Proctor the tragedian, Venua, King and
Woodward, were about to construct theater
so by so on Third street, between and ), on
the site of one commenced some time before,
and abandoned La our frat paper We placed
the opening of the Sacramento Tkeater
(Third street, between 1 and j in March,
1858.
THIS +" "oTHER " THEATER,
Which was to be completed by May lst,
drew new attention to the authentic rec
ords," which have always been relied upon
here. and we discovered that these reliable 2"
statements were wholly unreliable and that
the new theater 1.-THE Sscramento) was opened
May 9, 1858. This paper announced the
event on that day thus:
1.-THE NEW THEATER
Opens tonight" The next day the theaiel
was duly advertised. j. Proctor, Manager /;
c. A. King. Stage Manager, and w. Venua,
Superintendent. The play for the 1Oth was
1.-THE Stranger" with Proctor, Mrs. Wood
ward, MCGOWAN, Spear, King, Mrs. Claugh-
parauette were 81 and the lit 81. 1t was at
this house, and not the Forrest, that Lola
Montez appeared (July 5. 1853. with
Miska Hauser violinist and Charles Che
nal performer on the "Piano Ruase," and
Charles Eigenschenck violinist and Autist.
July 14th 9. A King had benefit tend
cred by J. w. Winans, j. Il. Hardenbergh,
B. F.. Hastings, Samuel Colville, c.. l.
Hutchinson, W. Bausnan, II. b. Living
ston, G. G. Sackett and others. Lola =
volunteered, aud ligned MARIA de Landsfeldt
Hull" Sophie Edwin, Emma Edwin.
Ernest Herold, Jos. Proctor and wife and
Others volunteered. j. wes September IA,
1853. whe-. Jsscas = NGt.3e,z appeared in
Sacramento, and at this house. His engage
ment proved a dramatic triumph. Space
will not suffice to go further into
detail in this retrospect than we
have, and which has been done TO correct
popular errors among pioneers. and to bring
prominent dramatic people into this record.
Among these, in 1884, we may add the
Rousett family lin ballst). Mr.. and Mrs. f.
NJ. Kent, Mrs. Rosalie Pelby, Miss Julia
Pelby, Alexina Fisher Baker, Hudson, the
Irish comedian. We close this return to old
dates with the final note that in March, 1854,
lively contest for week or more, for pat
ronage, prevailed between Matilda Heron,
at the Sacramento Theater, and Madam Anna
Bishop. with Bochsa Composer and harpist),
at Dr. Bsnton's church. while Lee x Mar
shalps circus fought both contestants for the
peoples money.
Our first papsr gave the dates Of chief
events from 1s49 to and including the year
1865. In cur next we shall resume cur dates
from that year.