Mexico weekly ledger., 1889-03-28
FAYETTE'S NEW THEATRE.
It's Formal Opening Saturday
Night in the Presence Of the
State Dignitarles.


Two LEDGER men were present
at the opening of the new Opera
House at Fayette last Saturday
night, by the Kate Castleton Com
pany in "a Paper Doll" The town
was full of people, the State dig
nitaries and many of their families
being on hand, besides thirty or
forty members of the House, and
delegations from Moberly, Paris,
Sedalia, Hannibal, Keytesville and
many other places. Fayette has
not seer such a day for years, Wis
itors from every direction being
present. Ofthe new Opera House
too much cannot be said. 1t is a
gem-in fact, the best appointed
theatre in the interior of the State.
The building is five stories high
and was erected at a cost Of $40
600 to the stock company that
built it. The seating capacity is
1000 and the stage is 35x6O feet.
Two hundred gas jets illuminate
the house, which is heated by
steam. The decorations and
scenery are as fine as could be i'm
agine1, and at once strike the eye
as something new in art. The
entire interior is decorated, which
gives a grand effect. H. D..
Hunter, of this city, is the architect,
and he certainly did a splendid
piece of work. The day that the
house was finished, Hunter was
the biggest man in Fayette, except
Col. John D. FOLSOM, the chief
stakeholder in the concern and
originator of the scheme to build
it. Hunter thoroughly under
stands his business, as other arch
fleets present asserted. The
scenery and decorations were by
Gee. H. Johnston, of New York,
who has a high reputation as a
scenic artist and decorator, There
isn't a theatre in the city'o OF New
York that will surpass the Fayette
Opera House IN the matter of
artistic decoration. Col. Tolson
and his co-workers are to be con-
graduated upon the success attain
ed in the completion Of their
theatre.
Every seat was taken at $3.50 q
ticket, the management paying the
company $4,000 for the perform
ance. The company is a good one
and Kate Castleton is exceedingly
clever. Prof. Johannes Goetze,
Of Moberly, furnished the Or
chestra, which was of course first
! class.
Gov. and Mrs. Francis and Lieut.
Gov. and Mrs. Claycomb occupied
the left lower box, while State
Treasurer E. T. holland and family
were in the lower right. Other
high State officials were also in
boxes and all seemed to enjoy the
entertainment. Fayette being the
old home of Mrs. Francis, and Col.
Tolson being a member ofthe State
Democratic Committee from that
(the Sixth Congressional district,
explained the presence of the Gov
%ernor's party at the opening of the
new house. The Jefferson City
delegation came down on a special
train.
The LEDGER men were disap-
pointed in Fayette. We expected
to see an ancient, dilapidated cid
town. Instead, we found that she
had taken upon herself a boom and
life was apparent on every hand.
One of the finest court houses in
the State is in Fayette. Her public
square is almost entirely composed
of new brick and stone-front bust
ness houses of the latest architect
ural style and beauty. The church.
es and many Of the private resi-
dences are large and elegant struc-
lures, all giving evidence of wealth
and prosperity. The people are
clever and hospitable and all seem
to be happy. Such a town is bound
to succeed.
OF the newspaper fraternity pres
ent we met B. F. Blanton, of the
Paris appeal, Joe Burnett, of the
Paris Mercury, c. p. Vandiver, OF
the Charlton Courier, VIM, Smith,
formerly of this city, representing
the St. Louis Republic, John Mea-
CHER, the Globc-D Democrats wild
Irishman, VIM. Ruffe, of the Glas-
gov Missourian, Wallace J. Davis,
Col. Lon V. Stevens, Joe ?. John
ston and several others. The LED
GER is under renewed obligations to