The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-08-30
DRAMATIC AND LYRIC.
George Pauncefort Speaks
From Japan.
GRACE HAwTH0RNE's PLAYS.
An Interesting Letter = East Lynne
and Queena-Brirtle Silver
Kate Castleton.

Who does not remember Pauncefort?
The very sound of his name brings back
an era in our home theatricals which
despite the innovation of modern
methods and the incursions OF modern
stars-must always stand as the golden
period in the history of the drama in
Utah. 1t is over fifteen years since
Pauncefort disappeared from the haunts
which knew him so well, and went no
one knew whittier. A year or two ago,
some traveller in oriental climes aston
ished the professional world by writing
to a Philadelphia paper that he had en-
countered the missing actor comfort
ably spending his declining days as the
opulent master of cosy seraglio in
Japan. His old friends here have heard
nothing more since that time. They
will consequently be not little surpris-
ed and pleased to read the following ex-
tracts from letter written by Paunce-
fort to his friend, Phil Margetts, and
received by him last week. The letter
is addressed TO both Mr.. and Mrs. Mar
gets, and dated Race Course. Yoko-
hama, Japan, July %, 1885,
(. Heaven only knows" it begins,
''whether this Will ever reach you, be-
cause the chances and changes of this
life are so varied and changeable that
perhaps you may have departed from
this sphere of our being, thoroughly
tired OF it. That don't think so. how
ever, is evident by the address of this
letter. The family of Margetts are
silent family as far as | am concerned;
I thought were l to address letter to
the comic friend of my Salt Lake youth
dear old Phil, would he put his pen to
paper to drop me q lively shake of the
hand? Let me now here without say
mg more, express an earnest hope that
the family are all well, prosperous and
happy. -.
Lake friends, among whom may class
John B. Kelly j ohm 7. Game and David
y. Calder, with the big fiddle OF the
early Salt Lake orchestra.) Remember
me kindly to Miss Nellie Coiebrooke,
Mrs. II. L. King. Gam Hayward and
family, Joseph Bull. w. V. Morris,
Henry Maiben, C. r. Savage and wife,
Ii. McEwan and wife, Robert Neslen,
John Squires, Claude Give, Richard
and Henry Margetts, Hyrum and John
Clawson-in fact to everybody that L
knew, and not by any means fCrgettlng
Dunbar of the bagpipes."
After some further lines OF rather n
personal and private character he breaks
OUT in his usual galvanic exuherance
and exclaims: Behold me now at my
residence on the cliff with Il beautiful
view OF the sea and coast line; within
i've minutes walk OF the sands and
plenty of sea bathing, with race course
to the right, with splendid country
view and what is always charming, a
continual stretch o. green verdure. Our
vegetables are capital and cheap. The
fruit is not first-claSs, but it is varied;
plums, peaches and necterines are i'll
now. The japanese grow apples and
pears but queerly-I think they want
the true knowledge of the John b.
Kelly system of grating and budding"
Abiding to theatricals, he says:
LET me tell you l acted the other night
and covered myself all over with glory.
| never played better, and | made up
very well too-for an old mani he is
now about sixtyfiye) l should y, for
the character played did not
look like an old veteran by any means.
Oh vanity, vanity
He apparently laid aside the task OF
writir g for sometime for his letter con-
cludes under the date OF August the
3th, by remarking that from all extract
from San Francisco paper, he has just
learned that the tlgs were half-masted
in salt Lake OH the 4th of July. He
wiuds, up with an appeal to Mrs. Mar
gets, which may will stir up some of
rhe veteran class he addresses: And
aow in conclusion, my dear friend, let
me ask YOU II you can't coax. wheedle
or coerce some of my old friends into
dropping me letter."
We trust some OF these old friends will
insInuate to Pauncefort. that he owes it
TO them and to Salt Lake to make us
yet another visit before he dies. Fancy
theoId timer eception ,oldand new timers
would accord him. could he be seen
stepping upon the boards once more as
Manuel or Lagarderel