News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-10-11
SCAPEGRACE LEW BRIMMER.
Actors Anecdotes of the Banjo Player
who Died in Jail in CauHjoharie.

81 knew Louis Brimnner very well. -
said Billy Birch, speaking of the min
streI who died in jail at Canajoh4rie
lately. HE was fine banjo player
and a good singer years ago, and 1--we en-
! plOyed him while we were at No. 5S5
Broadway, New York, but his habits
made it impossible to depend on him.
He had talent, and might have made
good deal of man if he had improved
! his chances"
Lew Brimmer's last appearance in
New York. " said Sandy Spencer, "was
in my music hall in the Bowery in June
last. He was born in COoperstOwn for
! ty-two years ago, and came to New York
in 1861. Among people who heard
him when he was banjo soloist at Henry
| Woods MINISTRIES at No. 514 Broadway,
| there is but one opinion. He was the
best banjo player in the country. He
could draw wonderful music from the
banjo up to the last. But if you hired
him on Saturday for a Monday evening
engagement in New York, he was as
likely to be in Pittsburgh on Monday
as here.
81 remember" said an actor, ''that
when Lew Brimmer was with the San
Franciscos, Backus was summoned to
Rochester by the sudden illness of rel
alive, and Bernard said: Mr., Brimmer,
want you to play the end Il came
here to "plunkett'' pick the banjo,
Lew answered. We'll, Bernard says,
this is a case of "must," and you have
got to play the end He rehearsed in
splendid shape, but at y o'clock in the
evening he had not appeared. Bernard
sent all over for him. At $50 o'clock
he came stumbling in, peculiarly Jolly.
There was no time for a change, and
they knew he had good nerve, so he
went on with the rest, but he was too
hilarious for the stock Jokes, and. be-
sides that, he was in Backus clothes.
which would go twice around him, and
was the most ludicrous object you can
imagine Now the trouble begins he
said. as they took their seats, and that
brought the house down. The San
Franciscos have that phrase vet at the
top of their bills. How do you feel.
Mr. Brimmer? Wambold said 4 feel
like a hired man, Brimmer replied. and
his cOmical appearance, and the abs ence
of Backus, made the remark so apropOs
| that the house went wild. But bis stay
with the San Franchises was short.
! One night he went ont to sing old Zip
| Coon in a friGhtful condition. Wam-
bold tried to call him off the stage. but
he wouldn't come. Then they rang the
curtain down. Before he went home
that night they handed him his envelope
with a notice of his discharge. He
looked at it and tore it mp. On Monday
he was on hand for rehearsal as usual.
Birch looked at WambOld and Wambold
looked at Backus, Hasn't he got his
notice p Wambold said. 'Of course he
has, Backus replied, I saw Billy writ
ing it. Well, give him another week
and then we'll serve the notice ON him.
When the second notice was served he
tore it up and came on again on Monday
as before. The partners called him in
again and told him he must know he
was discharged. DO Won mean this .
he said. yes, sir. We'll, a Jokes a
Joke, with great earnestness, but if you
do that again, I'll quit.
Il got acquainted with him and his
hOmely stub dog in California"
said a variety actor. 1.-The dog used to
90 with the boys when they went out
for time. When the dog was iutoxi-
Gated he would go off and hide himself
until hewas sober"
II was with him in Massachusetts,,
said another, travelling with a provin-
cial company, when he came that joke
on the young English actor. There
were not many dressing rooms, and the
/ Young Englshman was dressing behind
/ the wood front with which the stage
was set. Just as the fellow was in the
midst of his toilet, standing with his
back to the audience, Brimmer blew the
/ whistle and the slides were RIM back
/ The audience cheered tremendously,
but the slides were hurried together
again. The Englishman had never
looked around or noticed anything.
"'Excuse me, he s I'D to Brimmer a
moment afterward, but that fellow that
was just on made mighty good hit. ="
''JOhn Toppin, treasurer of Harry
Miners new theatre, of New York, ;"
said another chad a characteristic ex-
perience two or three years ago with
Brimmer. He found him on tramp in
Connecticut, took him to a hotel, reno
waited him, and brought him to New
York. Toppin hired a theatre for a
benefit for Lew, and finally sold the
whole house. On the day of the perform
ance Brimmer began drinking, and
when evening came was in an awful
condition. As he saw the crowds press
| ing into the theatre he said to an ac-
! quaintance. Il hope they'll have a good
! time An hour after he took a train for
| the West. It was two years afterward
/ that TOppin found him in n wretched
/ plight warming himself behind a stove
| in Sandy Spencer's Live and Let Live
and fixed him up again.
7