The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-12-05
THEN FEETr"

The late unpleasantness" is respon-
sible for many additions to the hisiri-
onie profession in this country. We
have long since forgotten war man
ayers" and war sctors,' but they sun
exist. Even the great Forrest recruited
mis- army from TIE remains of the
defenders OF the nation, and when
PLAYING at the old Norfolk (Ya-) Theatre
in 1876 he gave employment to youth
who had been carrying a musket On the
Peninsula, and was ambitious 10 carry
smear on ths stage. The youth was JonD
A. Stevens Oliver DOud Byron was the
stage manager. and sam Glenn was the
manager OF the house st that time. Poor
Stevens was sent for the gripsacE, walked
through q papercovered trap and MADE
M with rOsin and tar-all OF which
stood with the resignation OF Sioux Inc
the hope that he would IN time arrive
at the eventful period IN life when ne
would get a line 70 speak. Inc great
tracsdian came, and with him demand
for more utility men. Macbeth" was
the pIav. and the Bleeding Sergeant the
part in which John 4. was 20 make his
lame. He had never appeared IN
Shakesperian role before, and Forrest
gell-known reputation as terror 10
noyices made the young actor very
nervous; and this was not lessened oy
almost every member of the company
telling HIM how important was the part
with which he had been entrusted.
The eventful night arrived, and the
irving ordeal of making up was com
menced. Several old timers volunteered
TO help Stevens, and carefully selected
his dress from the stock wardrobe.
What occurred in the dressing room
was kept profound secret, and stevens
was carefully concealed unl the time
10 20 on. The theatre was parked Win
a sTeltering mass of soldiers and sailors,
almost 10 the entire exclusion of the
E. f. VS.; and. as NAV be supposed,
the audience was q very demDnstratlve
one, the gallery occasionally taxing an
actor by the hand. as II were Macbeth
rolled on its lugubrious way without
accident or incident worthy OF especial
mention uutil the burly Forrest roared
the vell-known lines. Here comes
the good and hardy soldier who fought
against my captivity" Business OF pause
for good and hardy soldier, and then
entered Stevens-who At this time DID
not weigh over one hundred and ten
pounds, although fully six feet high
dragged on by two stalTart superS.
When he reached the centre OF the
stage, the reason he had been kept in
the background was very apparent:
The friends who had made him up bad
selected the longest pair Of tights IN the
theatre. These encasing his attenuated
legs strongly resmbled.a pair OF Zouave
trowsers drawn over . pair OF tongs,
They hung in anything but graceful
festoons around the knees, AMI
caused the unfortunate actors ankles
TO look as il they were on wronR-side-up
His body was inside the shortest possible
Roman shirt. his feet we're in huge
pair OF Turkish slippers, and across
his forehead was q great dauo OF rec
paint, which caused him to look as II
the whole top Of his head had been
chopped of. The sturdy supers con-
froRted the Aspiring Amateur with the
Terror Of the Stage, and both were dun
Forrest with amazement and stevens
with fright. An awful stiffness reigned.
when one Of the gallery gods calculated
in a voice audible through ut the house
"My God look at them feet!
The roars that followed compelled the
stage manager to ring down the curtain.
Stevens was discharged, and, instead 4
holding the mirror up to nature" be
tramped over to Fortress Monroe and
obtained employment in q photograph
gallery. H. J. Charles Davis in the
Clipper.