Omaha daily bee., 1886-12-27
A TALE OF TWO LIVES.
Alice oete, and Trocvw. THU,

-.
Philadelpha yesterday records tho im-
pending death of Alice Oates, the once
famous opera bOune artistic, Tue dis
patch states that she is slowly sinking,
and that her physicians say there is no
! hope of her recovery She is paSslno
away victim of consumption Mrs.
/ Oatcs-wc called her by that nsme,
| though she has had u dozen othcrs-must
| be now well on to forty years old She
! began her stage career In Chicago, aud
therefore Chicago has something of an
| interest in her. According TO Charley
! Clayton who is an authority ON such
matters, her first appearance on any stage
! was as an obscure chorus girl at
! the old Canterbury music hall on Dear
| born street The fair Alice plodded along
IN her humble way, and finally being cast
Tor the leading part in II burlesoue.
Field of the Cloth of Gold. " at Crosby'>
opera house in 1867, she made n great hit
Alter the very first performance she be-
came star and was 50 billed. Old Chi.
cagoans will remember the "Field of tho
Cloth of Gold" 1t was the first OF tho
ERglish-Spoaking comic operas follow
ing in the French school OF ToStce and
Aimee, and tho idea that any American
girl could get of all this fun in English
was Il novelty They went at il with
wild whoop. Just about tins time"
says Deacon Clayton, Alice married
James \. Oates. She was billed for
N
Oates. '" The Herald writer remembers
her we'll, as in April, 1872. she was
playing over on the West Side Mt
what is now Shclby's academy Ii was a
Monday night and great house Ii was
betoie tho days of bill boards and all that.
Monday nights were great III those daNs
tho biggest of the week. What is now
the Gault house was then the Sherman"
and strangers were told that all over the
river was ruins" The only hotel was
the Sherman; the only thcatcr open was
the Halstcd street affair, and there was
Mrs. James A. Oates Opera company"
Oates died of consumption in 1874. Ills
widow succeeded to his business. and
took care of her bank account. IL was
something like $l2, 800 at that inc.
one OF the men she subsequently met
wa, was Tracy w. Titus, u Chicago boy.
or 6i, when he sold tickets at the great
sanitary fair held here, aS all know, for
the benefit of soldiers in the war. There
is pretty good joke, by the way. !,
that, :" said a friend of Clay
ton who was near. "Do you rcmem-
on to the Saturday racket" Mir.
said: 90, go ahead; wasn't in tLe
deal; though | had the chance"
man, what they did. Out of that Satur
other fellow made 81, ,00O each in less than
ninety, days: They set aside one day,
| think it was as Work.
ngman's Day, on which the adj.
mission was to be 25 cents. Well, now,
who would remember that distinction?
IN All other days 1t was 80 cents. For
wo years 80 cents came to be understood
Is the regular price of admission. But
III Saturdays il was % cents. and that
ne general public did not know. They
you'd plank down half dollar get 4
Icket, and meyer wait for change. Tracy
5000 on that little deal Before that.
lowcvcr Titus had been gallery ticket
pan al one OF the theatres. He was
here before Sharpe or Redfeld Now
on laugh. m not' going back of the
ood. l know Rodtield came in about
ne time of the revolution of 'gs, but
titus was really there before that. 4.
AS matter OF fact Tracy Titus began
is theatrical career with Alice Oates. He
'aS hired by Mr.. Oates to be agent and
of the Oates company. Any
ow, the grass roots had not sproutcl
bill had hardly dried-bc-
ore an adjacent justice of the peace had
iyen the fair Alice to Mr.. Titus.
lhls brought the two to San Francisco
1873. Alice Oates was then II star Of
and orbit. She could select
loon, or dispute the field with Saturn.
he twrled her fingers under the nose of
ohm Mccullough, and told Millionaire
a!Ston, of the Bank of California, then
he angel of the stage, that he
as miserable "old jacias" Mrs.
ateS was then at the very zenith of her
'ospcrity. She had in July, 1878, S23,OJ0
the Union National bank of Chicago,
o 600 in the Boatnien's Savings bank
St Louis, a lot in New York worth
1000, and her pocketbook was never
npty. She had her company with Il
'od route ahead, and was rich prosper.
IS, and, like people IN her condition.
ucg. Tracy Titus, the eX Sanitary Fair
IN was her husband and treasurer. He
&t met Emily Melville, to whom he
opposed 2 business arrangement to go
Australia. She accepted. A company
Is formed; they went, and for
o years they were the great amusc.
mt success of the aniipodes. Tracy
Lus, who sold gallery tickets in 1866,
lde Sl5O,00O in Australia in two years
* Thompson, the great antipodul
ok.maker, got the most of it, A racing
bic, dog cart, tandem and Miss
llyilc got the rest.
lr. Titus is now an invalid AT the
erman house. He had u benefit the
cr day which netted enough to send
q to Los Angeles, whore even his most
leful friends expect TO leave him
ce Oates is dying in Pmlade!DhIa.
ere is lesson in these two lives some.
ere who on the stage will be the first
Dr Diit Inv itY