Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-12-22
sETCHELL's Hoo-Doo.
Sophie Worren-Knight Relates an Incl
dent of the Long Ago.

dent of the Long Ago.
There are many Sacramentans who can
recall pleasant recollections of evenings
spent before the footlights of the Metropol-
itan Theater in the palmy days of the early
sixties, when the Worrell Sisters Sophie
and Irene) and Dan Setchell, the come
dian, held the boards" at varying inter
walls. The holiday number of the New
York Dramatic Mirror contains cleverly-
written Renaissance from the pen of
Sophie Worrell NOW Mrs. Knighi), con-
nected with the company's last appearance
here, of steamboat explosion on the Sac
ramento river, and the tragic death of
Setchell few weeks later. The lady
writes:
When Tom Mcguire was the first thea
trical manager of the Pacific coast, he sent
| a company from San Francisco to play an
engagement in the Western towns. Dan
Setchell was the star, and Charley Thorne's
sister, Irene and myself were members of
the company. We sisters three were young
girls then, and this was really our first
series of efforts in the profession.
Mr. Setchell was PLAYING Captain Cutie
in ''Dombey and Son." sister Irene Flor
ence, and l had assumed TO be Susan
Nipper.
Mr.. Setchell had a bright, intelligent
Chinese boy for valet named Ching, who
was perfectly devoted to him. While at
Stockton, Mr.. Setchell and party spent
day in hunting returning about o'clock
in the evening with fine lot of game,
among which was brace of hare.
Just touch of sentiment had made Mr..
Setchell and myself quite like incipient
| Invpro n hQ nf
mother, however. Upon his return to the
hotel from the days sport, Mr.. Setchell
came directly to our rooms to tell me of his
wonderful good luck and show US the
game. With my mothers permission, he
rang the bell and sent for Ching, who
shortly made his appearance at the door.
his face beaming with smiles. Mr.. Setchell
gave him the bundles of game, among
which was the brace of hare. Ching
turned deadly pale, and threw himself
upon his knees and forward upon his face,
moaning piteously, and refused to touch
the hare. After little Intellectual coax
ing, Mr.. Setchell commanded him to at
once take the game to the kitchen to be
cooked.
In an indescribably detected manner,
holding the hare at arms length, he slowly
turned away.
Mr. Setchell remained, and was relating
the days adventures when the proprietor
of the house came to the room to tell him
that the cook, who was Chinaman also,
had positively refused to touch the hare
because of a Chinese superstition that it
was an omen of disaster, or illluck at
least.
We played the engagement at Stockton,
and two days later took steamboat st Sac
ramento for San Francisco.
81 1aor 10
the boiler burst wrecking the boat and
killing three members OF our company;
| Will Stephenson, handsome young man,
who was heir to an immense fortune. which
came to him one week after his DEATH Mr..
Meyers, the second comedian, who was
found hanging by his head in the smoke
stack, and the leader of the orchestra, who
was hit upon the head by some flying OBJ
| ject, and when found was quite dead. Mr..
Setchell was blown off his feet into the air,
but received no injury nor loss but hat
and cigar.
Poor Ching came running into the ladies'
cabin where my mother and | were sitting
with sister Jennie. then little school girl,
crying, and in en- expression of the greatest
distress, said:
"Mrs-Mrs Worrell Me tellee you
about hale Me tellee You about that hale
No goodeel No goodeel'
| The passengers were taken from the
wrecked beat to farm-houses adjacent to
the shore, physicians were telegrsphed and
people came to aid in caring for the dead
and dying and wounded.
The next morning another boat had been
sent to transport US to San Francisco. The
news of the disaster had preceded us, and q
great crowd were waiting and watching at
the dock ard landing, among which were
many who were looking for friends and
loved ones who were on the steamboat, of
whose fate they were uncertain
| My father was snxiously waiting tor his
dear ones. 1t was reported that l had been
killed, and as we stepped ashore hearty
cheers and congratulations upon our mirac-
ulous escape came from the scores of
friends who were gathered there. Mr..
Setchell and the Worrell sisters were great
favorites in San Francisco at that time.
Two weeks later Mr.. Setchell aud bis
favorite Ching sailed on the ship Trieste
for Australia 1t was wrecked and the two
were never heard from again.
Does the traditional Chinese supersti-
ton concerning the hare count in this true
tale, or should it be regarded as simply
coincidental in its relation to the Oriental
belief in the unhappy presence of the i'll,
omened brace of hare?