Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-08-12
NEGRO MINSTRELSY.
Its Origin and Its Early Promoters 0ld-Time
Memories-A Renowned Comedian.
New York Mail

Z NRO4pkl w SonAt Ot HIS TO-
-miniscences connected with the burnt
cork fraternity. This department of
theatricals dates as far back as 1893,
though the first minstrel company was
not organized till 1S43. The earliest in
stance of the Introduction of negro char
acters on the stage occurred in Boston,
/ Dec. so, 1893. kussell's Boston Gazette
of that date contained an advertisement
of the entire performance, as given at
Federal Street theatre 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, member of the old Federal
Street company. The famous pantomime
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
"The Negro Boy" that he had to bring in
his little bench and sing his story over
and over.
The chord of popular sympathy had
been struck for lonely and enslaved
race. The next popular song was called
'The Battle of Plattsburg." Dramatic
history tells us that this was originally
sung by an actor, vulgarly known as
"PigPie Herbert" at theatre in Albany
in 1915.
! This song made such decided hit that
the enthusiasm of the audience became
uncomfortable. From that moment ii
was a popular fayorite. 1t had long
and successful season, and was the chief
attraction at this theater and elsewhere.
There was another noted individual of
the day, one George Nichols, clown in
western circuses, who became very popu-
lar in that section of the country. He
/ lived after Herbert The following are
few of the other names represented
among the pioneers of the burnt-cork
/ comedians and vocalists: Robert Furrell,
who it is said, was the original Zip
i Coon; Sam Tatnall, who sang Il song
entitled ''The Back Side of Albany in
/ 1928; Barney Burnes in songs called
| MY Long Tail Blue and "Such a Get
ting Upstairs" Bill Keller Enam Dick
son, Tom Blakely, Leicester, John Smith,
! George Washington Dixon etc. In those
! days negro acts were OCCASIONALLY per
! formed on horseback in circuses, as well
as on the stage. In this way, between I'M
| bounded admiration on the part of the
! public and speculative fear on the part
of the managers, this kind of perfor
nance. struggled along here and there
until the late T. ID. Rice, the acknowledge
| ed father and founder of the Ethiopian
comedy, came to the front. He at once
| filed the bill and the theaters too, where
ever he appeared, and sustained his sue
cess for thirty years afterward. A brief
sketch of this removed negro comedian
may not be uninteresting: I. ID. Rice
was bonn in the city of New York. May
| 90 1905 AT an early age he learned the
trade of carver. joined dramatic as
ISOLATION, and went to Kentucky und-
err the management of n. Nj. Lud
| low, a well known western actor and man
ager.
While a member of this company he
displayed considerable talent as an imita-
! tor of the negroes in their peculiarities
and eccentricities, and was at length an
| nounced to make his first appearance in
a negro char cter in the city of Louisville.
Prior TO this, however, he had played,
both in New York and the west many low
comedy parts with success, but not until
he commenced his negro singing and bur
lesque operate performances was he con
| sidered of sufficient note to render his
name attractive. In the fall of 1882 he
made his Ethiopian debut at the old Bow
cry theatre New York, in the character of
Jim Crow" This character both on ac-
count of its novelty and the excellence of
its representation, attained popularity
unequalled 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 length of time.
After most successful career III New
York, Boston, Philadelphia and other
cities, he visited England il 1886 and per
! formed with great applause at the Surrey
| London, as also in Dublin and Cork,
creating a Juror unprecedented even in
the annuls of the British stage, and almost
driving for time from the boards such
! favorites as Macready, the Woods
and other distinguished performers.
While in England he married a Miss
Gladstone, the eldest daughter of a for
mer manager of the Surrey theatre. He
soon after returned to his native country
appearing at Wallack's National theater
corner of Church and Leonard streets,
New York, Oct II, 1887, in his speciality,
the Virginia Mummy For many years
! subsequently Mr.. Rice was eagerly sought
after by the managers and played as a
''star" in nearly every theatre in the
Union. His popularity, however, waned
in his latter days, though he appeared,
eliciting much applause, as late as 1854.
Stricken finally with paralysis, his death
occurred, after a season of prolonged suf
fering, in the city of his birth, Sept. 10,
1860, at the age of 81.
Mr.. Alfred Bum. in his Stage, Both
Before and Behind the Curtain" publish
ed in 1910, 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 re-
membered, altogether untrodden. He has
chosen for his motto: 1T is better to be
great in a little thing than little in great
thing, and he has triumphantly acted up
to the axiom
The first regularly organized band of
negro MINISTRIES made their appearance
at the Chatham theater, New York city,
Feb. II, 1843.
New Way to Take Care Ola Babe on the Cars.
saw rather odd thing in drawing