Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-12-15

Joe Jefferson Tels, In an Entertsiu,-
Way, of q Queer Incident IN His r,,,S
Career.
Joe JtFtrson, in December Cnnry
We now entered upon a course Of d.
most primitive acting, going from town >.
town and giving entertainments in -.
dining rooms of the hotels. As there w..
no papers published in these smai. vl!sg.,
there were no printing Offices, conseo1s,
ly no bills; so flaming announcement
our arrival in bold handwriting wee
played in the three important points Of -.
town, viz: the hotel, the pOstofice AID -
barber shop. II fell TO my duty, benz
adept with the brush, TO write, OF rsit1.
paint, these advertisements. TIE n',,.
were acted in costume, but without scer,,,
or curtain. The nightly receipts 80.
small-iust about enough to get rs hon
place TO place.
Oar objective point was toe tovBa
Liberty, Miss, bat there was some te.
Guilty in getting there, as the distance VI
greater than we could accomplish in IDA,
A farmer who mad been to the thester m.
night before for the first time il lis Es
was so struck by the performance ,5stb be-
proposed TO have his teams brOugb. 10 ssd
take us to his farmhouse, about ,vs1,y.
five miles distant. According to BIS .5p.
gestion We were to rest for day. give an
entertainment in his barn, and so 70 On to
Liberty.
But" said my mother, 'ycu tell ne
there is no other house there bat your 5Ra.
What shall We do for an audience '
well" said the farmer, "sll ny family
will come. to begin with, and there ls a
dozen or more on 'em; then there's eight
or ten farmhouses close by, and Il one OF
your men will drive there with my son
and blow the horn they will sll come, for
there amt one on 'em ever seen a play be.
fore. I'll ensure you a fall barn
So the matter was settled, and We ac.u.
ally played in barn, the house that We
stayed in beiEg the only ore in sight. L
seemed in vain to look for an audleuce 10
such lonely place, but the farmer wss
right. Soon after the sun had gone down
the full harvest moon rose, and by its din
light we could family see family groups Of
people, two and sometimes three on a
horse, coming from all directions over the
hill-now a wagon with a great load.
Some of them walked, but all were quiet
and serious, and apparently wondering
what they were going to see.
Those who have travelled through the
Southern States will perhaps remember the
kind of barn we acted in; there were two
log houses joined together, with an open.
ing between them, which was hoored and
covered in. The seats were arranged ou,
side in the open aiT-benches, chairs s5i
logs. The double barn on each side 70;
used for dressing rooms and for masrg
entrances and exits, while the opening vss
devoted TO the stage The open air Vas
well filed, containing an audience Of about
so parsons. Our enthusiastic sdmirer, the
farmer, collected the admission fee, dol
lar being charged and freely given. The
plays were THE Lady of Lyons" and
The Spectre Bridegroom" The farm
er had supplied us literally with
candles, sn that the early part
of the entertainment was brilliantly lila
minated, but the evening bretzs bad
famed the lights so fercely that by the
time the farce began the footlights had
gone. The little flaming ministers" bad
al splutteIed out, 20 "The Spectre Bride
groom" was acted in the moonlight.
1t was curious to watch the effect Of a
strong emotional play like Tine Lady CT
Lyons" upon an audience that had never
seen drama before; they not only were
much interested, but they became excited
over the trials of the hero and heroine;
they talked freely among themselves, snd
at times to the actors. One old lady IN
sisted that the lovers should be "allOwed
their own way" ard a stalwsrt young
farmer warned the william not to interfere
again, "if he knew what was best for him. -