St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-08-01

" - Cured in Boston Dec.
80, 1893. Russel's Boston Gazette of that
date contains an advertisement of the en-
tire performance. as given at the Federal
Street theater at the time. The first
piece was 'OrOnOko; or the
Royal Slave" At the end of the
second act there is song of ''The Gay
Negro Boy" in character, and this was
given by Mr.. Graupner, a member OF the old
Federal street company. The famous pan
tomime of ''Gil Bias" had been introduced
that Christmas week, and although the
house was hung with mourning at that time
on account of the death of Washington.
such was the applause given to the song of
1.-THE Negro Boy that he had to bring in
his little bench and sing his story over ard
over again and again.
The chord of popular sympathy had been
struck for lonely and enslaved race. The
next popular negro song was called ''The
Battle of Plattsburg." Dramatic history
tells us that this was originally sung by an
actor, vulgarly known as Pig Pie Her
BERT" at theater in Albany in 1915. This
song made such decided hit that the en-
thusiasm of the audience became unconurol
liable. From that moment it was
a popular favorite. 1t had
long and successful season, and
was the chief attraction at this theater and
elsewhere. There was another noted indi-
vidual of the day, one George Nichols, a
clown in Western circuses, who became
very popular in that section of the country
He lived after Herbert The following are
a few of the other names represented
among the pioneers Of the burnt cork come
dams and vOcalists: Robert Furrell, who,
it is said was the original Zip Coon; Sam
Tatnall, who sang a song called 1.-The
Back Side of Albany" in 1928; Barney
Burns III song called My Long Tail
Blue' and ''Such a Getting Upstairs" Bill
Keller. Enam Dickson, Tom Blakely.
Leicester, John Smith, George Washington
Dixon. etc. In those days negro acts were
occasionally performed on horseback in cir
cuses as well as on the stage. In this way,
between unbounded admiration on the part
of the public and speculative fear
on the part OF managers, this kind of per-
Torrance struggled along here and there
until the late T.. D. Rice. the acknowledged
father and founder of the Ethiopian COM
edy, came to the front He at once filled
the bill and the theaterS, too, wherever he
appeared, and sustained his success for
thirty years afterwards. A brief sketch of
this renowned negro comedian may not be
uninteresting. L. ID. Rice was born in the
city of New York. May 20, 1905 At an
early age he learned the trade of carver.
joined a dramatic association and went to
Kentucky under the management of n. M.
Ludlow, a well-known Western actor and
manager. While member of this company
he displayed considerable talent as an imi-
tatOr of the negroes in their peculiarities
and eccentricities, and was at length an
nounced to make his first appearance in a
NoI,n ont,
Prior to this, however, he had played both
i'll New Y DIRK and in the West many low
comedy parts with success, but not until he
commenced his negro singing and burlesque
operate performances was he considered of
sufficient note to render his name attractive
In the fall of the year 1882 he made his
Ethiopian debut at the old Bowery theater,
New York, i'll the character of Jim
Crow" This character, both on account
of its novelty and the excellence of its rep
reSentation, attained popularity unequaled
by anything of the kind before or since.
Rice, during that season, is said to have
brought more money into the BOwery
treasury than any other American performer
during the same period of time. After a
most successful career in New York, Boston
Philadelphia and other cities, he visited
England i'll 1886. and performed with great
applause at the Surrey Uondon), as also in
Dublin and Cork, creating Juror unpre-
cedented even in the annals of the British
stage, and almost literally driving for
time from the boards such favorites as
Macready, the Woods and other distinguished
performers. While in England he married
Miss Gladstone, the eldest daughter of a
former manager of the Surrey theater. He
soon after returned to his native country.
appearing at Wallacks National theater,
corner Church and Leonard streets. New
York, OH the 18th of October, 1887, in his
speciality, the Virginia Mummy For
many years subsequently MI. Rice was
eagerly sought after by the managers and
played as star in nearly every theater
in the Union. His popularity, however,
waned i'll his later days, though he ap-
peared. eliciting much applause, as late as
1854. Stricken finally with paralysis, his
death occurred, after a season of prolonged
suffering, in the city of his birth, Sept. 10,
1860, at the age of 3d.
Mr.. Alfred Bum, in his ''Stage. Both
Before and Behind the Curtain,' published
in 1S4O, referring to Mr.. Rice, says: His
success has been obtained by his prudent
adhesion to the personation of one class of
character-a path, be it remembered, alto
gether untrodden. He has chosen for his
motto, 1t is better to be great in a little
thing than little in great thing and has
triumphantly acted up to the axiom"
The first regularly organized band of
negro minstrels made their appearance at
the Chatham theater, New York city, Feb.
II, 1S43.-N. Y. World
Gone Wrong.
Tid-RitS