Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1886-04-23
STAGE REALISM.
REMARKABLE THEATRE PERFORM
AkcE IN pENvER,S EARLY DAY.

The Siege of Lucknow Produced In Fine
Style-The Night when the Soldiers
Had the House-Touching or a Loaded
Cannon.
AT Denver, in the winter of 1868, the
principal theater was run under the man
agement OF John Iangrish. At that time
some 5000 Union soldiers were stationed
there. The soldiers took great interest in
the theatre, and were its principal, or at
least its mostisnthusiastic, patrons. Every
night the house was crowded-particularIy
the gallery-with soldiers. To please the
boys in blue, Mr.. Langrish put on the
aSiege of Lucknow" Both men and officers
took great interest in the piece. They
were determined that it should be pro-
duced in fine style, The soldiers made a
lot of bombs to be used in the fort scene,
the officers allowed two cannon to be
brought TO the theater for use in the fort
and about fifty men armed with muskets
volunteered to act as the attacking army
OF natives. for two or three days previous
to the night when the piece was to be pre-
sented there We're more soldiers at work
on the stage and about the theatre than
helpers of any other kind. They bossed
dLi tue WdTllke preparations.
H FIRING WAS TERRIFIC.
Thegreat night came, and the soldiers
had the house. Not only were they in the
gallery, but they also filled the. seats and
the lower floor. Mrs. Isangrish took the
part of Jessie Brown. When the attack
was made on the fortthe firing was terrific.
Then bombs began to fall into the fort.
These were balls of yarn containing gun
power. In order to produce good effect
the reckless soldiers wko made theseimita-
ton, bomb shells had placed in eachnearly
half a pound of powder. They made a re-
port as loud as the largest China bombs.
The bombs made it mighty hot for poor
Jessie Brown. In less than half n minute
herdress was on fire in two or three places,
and everybody expected to see her beat q
retreat. But those with her in the fort
smothered her burning dress and she stood
her ground.
The superstition was, among the people
of the theatre, that the amor was not
loaded. The printing of the pieces was to
be flashed, and a drum was TO be struck to
initiate the report. But some soldier had
slipped into one of the annon a cartridge
containing about two pounds OF powder.
When those in the fort began to reply to
the fire OF the attacking party this cannon
was touched of, and it blew a hole
through the side of the theatre nearly
eight feet square. This excited the soldiers
In front, and those in the gallery began
firing their revolvers up into the ceiling,
while those below turned loose into the
floor. In a few seconds the whole place
was so full of powder-smoke that one
could hardly breathe or see. The lights
presented the appearance of street lamps
seen through a dense fog. The excuse that
the soldiers afterwards made for Kidding
the floor and ceiling was that all was sc
much q a real battle that they forgot
where they Were, and SO began firing be
fore they realized what they were about.
That night all 4the boys in blue felt that
they got the full worth of their money
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