The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-05

the manager: "Do you know you
have a fine play herel Read this" and he
handed him the fourth act. Mr.. Palmer be-
gan glancing over it, but soon read atten-
lively, and as he read tears ran down Ills
cheeks as they have since down the cheeks
of hundreds Of thousands at the mimic woes
of the poor blind girl His mind was soon
made up. He would produce the piece and
| make his fortune with it, and he did both.
As is well known, 1.-The Two Orphans"
not only filed the Golfers of the manage
ment, but also made Kate Claxton's reputa-
ton as an actress. and had not little to do
| with advancing Mckee Rankin to the posi-
| ton he now holds As to actual figures the
records show that the receipts during its
run averaged 81 900 week.
| Turn over the leaves little further and
here you come to "Rose Michel" a play
which first brought its author or adaptor,
Steele Mackaye, into prominence, and indl-
! rectly led to the building of the Madison
| Square and Lyceum Theaters, for without
Mackave neither would have been built, or,
at all events, would have presented an al
together different appearance. A few more
pa2 es and the season of lS7S-79 is reached,
and with it a mass of information relating
to that most popular play of its popular
author, Bronson Towards Bankers
Daughter 1t had another name and was
essentially another play when it was offered
to Mr.. Palmer and it took the united labor
of A. r. Cazauran, Howard and Mr..
Palmer himself to get it into its present
shape 1t had, as all know, long run, and
has not yet altogether retired from the
stage.
French Flats, " "TheDanicheffs," Daniel
Rochatn "rhe Lights o London" and the
Partisan Romance are some of the plays
winch catch the eye as the progress Of the
theater is traced through the bulky port
folios Each play has ample space accorded
to 1t and of each a mighty interesting article
could be compounded.
1T is AMONG THE AUTOGRAPH LETTERS
and biographies, however, that most would
prefer to linger. Here is Charlie Thorne's
scrawling fist, writing letters complaining
of this, that or the other after the manner
of the leading man, or promising amend
ment for the future after some par
tlcularly aggravating outbreak Here
is Dion Boucicault's regular and
precise autograph and interesting
and characteristic are the letters to which
his name is signed. He will not send his
autobiography says he, for that may be
found in numberless encyclopedias and
stage biogi aphical compilations He sends
instead an account of how he wrote Lion
don Assurance" and an amusing account
it Is, not unmixed with pathos and alto
gether not differing Overmuch from one of
his own Irish plays III its mingling Of tears
and laughter. There is a letter from the
great French dramatist, Octave Feuillet,
and one from Sardou; Mrs. Tracy's delicate
script is to be found here, as also Clara
Morris characteristic scrawl. A letter
from poor Burroughs, who persisted in the
Brooklyn rheater fire, has a sad signifl-
canoe, while one from Sarah Jewett recalls
the days when that charming woman was
i'll the heyday of her youth and prosperity
as leading woman Of the leading theater in
America.
And 50 the book is closed and by its care
full guardian, who has looked after it for
Mr.. Palmer from it's infancy, it is replaced
in its portfolios and consigned to the big
safe. "What will he do with itP The
answer comes pat. when die" says Mr..
Palmer, sit shall be left TO one of the public
libraries of this city and by preference to
the library of the Actors Fund, should that
by that time be placed on a substantial
foundation. That it will prove interesting
and Instructive to the future dramatic his
torian l have but little doubt"
what did it costP That Mr. Palmer is
smilingly unwilling to say, but from an
other source it is learned that up to the
present time not far short if not a trifie in
advance of $1,000 has been spent upon it,
How much more will be required before it
is completed ii would be hard to say, but it
is safe to assume that before the end is
reached $4,000 will have been spent. BY
no means a trlfe for the history of little
more than a decade of one theatre but
then the way of the "extra-illustratorn is
hard. HORACE TOWNSEND.