Telegram-herald., 1886-04-18
Memories Of Edwin Forest On
the Grand Rapids Stage
SQUIla's OPERA HOUSE LONG AGO.
Rate Saisborfs FIRST Appearances -
Sir rs . lie Jiu anu Alice
Oates ln tns sasley CITY
The Saosa .e Machine


aas El.e.i a. oaG conversation ied on, siih
"reminiscences ~ the esod OILS days aeu
you e)ail occaps fashionable seat a
s4uues olefs hoase tor nny CENTS Iais
8ll ll4strv has been talked and ~ritten
.8oal unai % undertake 20 ssy anything
original about It ~ its history seems uigh
impossible The robust i5rm 0f salyini
brosslt 10 nefuegy the time in lso7. when
Edwn Forrest appeared a. ~qaifes in
-Oihell0 Jack la1e and "C0uolauas
As that aas neariy twenty years ago MEM
Org Is Zoo faulty 90 compare the departed
rFageilan 3ith the iiiustrious Italian With
oul fear of doing the former injustice. This
Impression remains. that physically Saiginl
j. gery nzs Forrest vas. EndoHed will
strong magnetism ne Was very strlelng
ant attractive man on tue stage A. little
areh'n smusgied myself la the gallery the
night Forrest Appeared ia "0thello' and
orsathlrss aud worried with apprehension
that might be discovered aud eleCied With
out ceremony, / auxlOusly awaited the ap-
eaTanev 0f The great actor. A he strutted
upon the stage Rth measured tread and
dignihed mieu be thrilled me With the same
emotions that Stiyiui did lie had then. it
seems strong magnetic power. for like the
mtsmerisI be- hai me thoroughly under his
influence until the spell. was broken by the
tail of the curtain on The PROSTATE forms OF
-'Otheiio and Desdemona How For
rest did make Our lalr stand with his rag
ing cultural aud sc all imagined that 20
galt aai roar was the slhlltUitY Ofdramatic
art Many of the Old theatre patrons in
commenting upon the renned style and
finished and not 60 -sy elegant methods of
vigorous style Of VI forr.~. would not be
acceptable today
This IS digrestin somewhat from local
reflections bat indirectly the comparison
aiade had itS inciWency in Squlres old
F opera house. that Is OF coarse, tne Forrest
+ side ot lt.
I II would be almost impossible to refer
7 consecuuvely 90 the many incidents IN the
/ history Of the old Canai-st. theatre Every
T resident of the old dAys las his version of
+ dozens OF them. for they used 10 be there
every night The stock company would
B plAv here three months at time, and tO
profitable business We all knew the actors
+ and actresses, that L many families here did.
+ Now there was McFarlane who remember
PLAYED here all one winter think 81. The
NcFarlanes were very popular and full
/ houses and rich benefits were plenty. The
+ old timers will remember Bob Meldrum,
+ how popular he wa, and what promising
actor but he died IN the very hey day of his
genius which had Just commenced. lis
sad TO refer 10 II, parted and over genial
I spirit but the truth will not shock nor cast
"A shadow of disrepute on thy memory Ii
was too much bending OF the elbow that
I killed poor Bob.
II was al Sluiers opera house that Nate
E Salisbury made his first appearance on the
( stage The play Was. "fOCahOntas. and
ate had 10 rush on and say Sire il
.i A Nate and / walked up street the
other night 20 The Morton he said. u
I have been saying 10 ever since. Ii was right
F up there Jim Oates lived with his wife
I Alice. continued Nate a. he pointed To
. room over Mnnsons [ Mon ticket office
! wonder If the fat. much-married, worn
. out and broken down Alice Oates remembers
/ her happy life here IN the Valley City with
poor old Jim
Squiers opera house had an eventful and
. quite profitable career, but for some cause
or other 10 began TO run down about lo6o
while Luces hall gradually secured The
best attractions and became the popular
amusement place. Squie continued to
furnish q variety entertainment until in
1850. 10 was destroyed by tire and Iuce's
ball had a monopoly of the amusements
and tatleued the bank account of it, wealthy
owner
The writer recollects a somewhat ridicul-
/ Ous incident in his personal career which
occurred at Squiers shortly before IL was
/ destroyed II was the custom of the man
asement, which was then giving "A speciality
I periormUnCe. 20 givea free matinee Satur-
. day afternoons to 1.-THE school children
Many OF them remember we'll and the
blooming sparkling lassies in short dresses
. are HOW ln The enjoyment of matrOnly
. woma1hooi. with little bright-eyed cherubs
tuspng az their skirts to bless their days
+ one Saturday was a notable one for me-
/ through some circumstance ! had formed
f the acquaintance of Charles Adams. a Ger
. man comedian Charley invited me 10 90
on the stage with him and help increase the
( properties ] went ON. blacked up. and was
assigned a position and told to black an old
shoe while the principals were doing what
We would term IN vulgar parlance a very
rotten act Ny schoulmates. bows and
girls were in front and of course they
giggied and shouted. ! felt a little pat ont
because bad NOT line 20 SAY. Charley
guyed us. There were several OF us urchins
+ supporting him The act closed With the
Introduction Of sausage machine. ana iu
It were thrown several dogs which went
through The trap door. over which The ma
chine re-fcl. while AZ the end
links AMI links ot property sausage were
ground out if was my misfortune. in my
restless manner to provoke Charley in some
wsy So that the effect of his act was greatly
impaired. and Tor vengeance he precipifated
me through fhe machinery down under the
stage much to my embarass and hl-
initiation ! can hear the siggling and
shouts which greeted this performance ring
f ing iu my ears set 7 suraked out into the
street stfb ghe black partially washed from
nos face and enieavorsi hv = circuiious
route ta reach home Tifboui meeting any
of ms companions. If was uo use they
met ne had their laugh anl iose az MY eN-
pense and taos it
fsnr one wh0 resided her. m along n
Hl ~ - has Che courage % wade through
this 8rf p be Hia remember tbe fiue when
they used to ran a very cheap variety
theater = Empire ball on Cana street De-
was more 0r |ess f-1wuel upon hv eminent
lF respectable peop4e. and b. notable in th.
memory which surteeis ifs abandon nent
in rhe face fsat Prof Davis use3 io holi
forth there Fub BIS frainei dogs and bis
s1n Caar.e T. nor Ihe not0rio-s sni
wealthy Individual ~ Alvin Jos n fame
Used ta ielf around riraopt a nickel
in bis gorsef hUle expecting thar within
ffecn years thereafter 20 wanid - wearing
diamonds ss lsrEe as fhe kohino8r and
sporting seven Thousand dei sr watch
Sabeerrn to fhe events Ifu.iei -o there
have ..een variety taesters ~ sa1rt careers
7n Iyar street one was on tte senfh side
~ the street. ard fea other stood where Pie
frfr rr-ntirr aa~rrsrr 81 ,arsta.f