Morning journal and courier., 1884-07-10
Dickens on tho Stage.


 From the New York Graphic1
 l ''It was in forty seven," said MT. c. W I Ceuldock, lat the Birmingham theatre, and l Charles Dickens and Mark Lemon of Punch ! and George Cruikshank, the artist, came ! down from London to play one night for ! fund. It was to buy Shskespeares house al l Stratford and make an endowment for some ! poor author who should live in it and show E the place to strangers. No, I don't know ! whether they obtained all the money or not but they raised the boxes from half a crowr ! to half guinea a-d had damned house."
 ''Who were they. and what did they play P Dickens was e-manager-actiVe, conl- potent and watchfuI. He kept them all in order. Mark Lemon would bs in the wings telling funny stories te Forster and Leech and anybody, and he kept them laughing all the time he was of. Lemon was very fat. Very! The rich humor bubbled from him. Every body liked Lemon I don't remember what he played, although ought, for I held the book for them. I WAS leading man, of tie theatre, and it wes in the summer season, and they didn't know who I was. The play l! It was rare Ben Jonson's Every Man in his Humor.' Dickens played Captain Bobadel lie was 8 p1CtuT0 III HIS CEoS5 anu Cdpltdl actor, full of life unlike anybody else. He gave me the idea of a smart business man, and WAS dressed in an ordinary tweed suit. l have heard since that he used to dress loud, but he didn't then. He stood about five feet nine or ten and was we'll built When there was too much noise behind Dickens would call out sharply, Order! order order ' and the Mark Lemon story telling party would adjourn to another coign of vantage"
 tWho were the other members of the Guild ?''
 'Forster played 'Kitely' He was dead imitation of Macready. John Leech, the great artist of Punch, auether. No, neither Lamar Blanchard nor Douglas Jer- rold were in it. Georgs Lewes, the husband of George Eliot, was member, and Egg and George Stone, both artists of prominence
 Egg, rather think, ranked as A. R. A. Stone used to paint pretty peasant girls in impossible dresses, unlike anything that ever walked the earth. He painted The Momentous Question a pia!ure illustrating an incident from CrabDes Tales. It was a hit. Mrs Cowden Clarke, who compiled the Shakespeare Concordance, WAS one of the ladies' and Miss-I forged her name-Sas another. I rather think she was one of the ladies of whom Mrs Dickens was 8 little jealous No, can't remember her name." How did Cruikshank look ?"
 "A short mau looked like an old sailor :; H0uld1 hAO CudtbSs dO0 LOuu LII 5HSSCb4uB OuO faces on scraps ot paper which he erumpled up mostly as eoca as finished and threw away in dark corners. He never forgot the lines of an object he hal once drawa, he said. No, there was little or nothing fof to do
 Dickens conducted the stage at rehearsal and at night, and merely held the book at the prompter's desk. l anleyed it immensely then, and enjoy thinking of 1t now. When the piece was over was sent for to Dickens' dress1ng-room. Lemon and he were togeth- CT. We are greatly obliged to you, Ms. Couldock, for your care of us and he6 your acceptance of that small retI.A, pointing to a roll on the chimpeyzpieqe: There is also something for thq call boy, which you will oblige gs by handing to him. I took the call boy's package and requested MT. Dick ens to accept tue other as my tribute to the cause they were engaged in. Nothing more
 was said but both looked surprised and Dick ems bowed, and when I left the room both gave me cheery hond shake and pleasant
 good night Mr. Ctopdock' that was likely to live is young mans remembrance 'And in old one's, too ?"
 "Tes, IL has in mine, though that's not much. They came back again one night for some othar purpose than to play The Merry
 Wives of Windsor Lamon played 'Falstaf' ~ithout stufiug, and Dickens played Justice Shallow. Dickens asked for ne I was living at Birmingham then, and held the oook for them again. They kusw who was then, and Dickens sooiogfRed prettily for having offered me the money before. It was very Hioe and Lemon had some capital new stories to telIwhich I enjoyed aud carried away to repeat to my eronies in ga indifer- ent manner. Everybody outside wanted their autograph. and obtained helf dozen sets. 4 aoSd deal of laughing over it. You don't believe in this kind of rubbish2' said Crnikshank. didn't attach much value to autographs in those days. aad didn't keep them I wish had aoW. They would be interesting 60 Icek at from associations" "Did you meet any of them afterwar6s?''
 q was member of the Mulberry club held at the Wrekin near Cayent Garden The ater. Elton, tho aqEer, was perpetual chair man. Bad although I saw very little of Dick ems or Mark Lemon, I met Lamar Blanchard and Douglass Jerroll almost nightly. Rlaneh- ard was meat winning in his manners and 8 fayorite with all. Poor fellow, he killed himself. The loss Of his wife affected him so kesaiy that he made his way out of the muddle that way. Jerrold spoke in short, snRppy, iucisive sentences, and yss Ike in repsrtee. 1prefer veal ta aH other me ats, said club msp. 'ERotist,' said Jerrold, at the othef end of tAe fsbis. Have yoa read my Decent inse He'll p said Horne. No,' roared Jerrold I would rather see it. Those are not new to you, but they are specimen bricks of the men. He dide'k yaean to be unfriendly in his keen Wis. but it may also be said that Aa psEsr missed bulrs-eyes by holding back the shot"
 Do you recall anything of Jerrold's that you have not seen in print, Mir. Gouldlock ?''
 Perhaps not, though thsss may be knew to type. When TaIfanRds Glencoe was pro- duced tbeFe VAs large gathering afterward at the Mulberry. A man named Boyleton or Banton said the grand scenic effect Of the piece in which the clans suddenly appeared from behind set rocks from fxsnt to back of the stage, and at & a;snsi failed ta carry him away. t9-unfortunate,' said Jerrold q only saw,' continued Boyleton. men in front, boys midway and, and dummies at the hack; saw the sky borders come down aad the beam supporting the scenery go up; how was it with you, Jerrold p No beam in my eye, my boy Be2lstes was staunch Pro- testant, end caFsed King James for bloom ing Fapist A member named McKeown was as true Roman Catholic, and the discussion quickly drifted into fierce battle of polemic personalities. T spit ppoA James and the whole Jacchia cSaI, roared Boyleton, And I spit upon William and all his theivlaG Orange ped orowd,' shrieked McKeewn, 'Spittoons for two, waiter,' cried 1errold to the departing Francis aaaVe the din The roar of laggbssf brought peace, and James ac6 William and the political and relgious aspects of the massacre ai Glencoe were sup posed to sleep at the Mulberry for that night
 f.Hieasant memories, Mir. Couldock."
 tsYes They come like shadows and so depart. The gout and myself are never