The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-10-27
AN ACTORS RECOLLECTIONS.
Experiences of Joe Jefferson and His Parents in
an Old-Time Barn. Storming Tour.
November Century.

November Century.
After a short season in Chicago, with the
varying success which in those days always
attended the drama. the company went to
Galena for a short season, travelling IN open
wagons over the prairie. Our seats were
the trunks that contained the wardrobe
those cld-fashioned hair trunks of a mot
tied and spotted character, made from the
skins of defunct circus horses. TO what
base uses we may return These smooth
hair trunks, with geometrical problems IN
brass tacks o%rnamenting their surface.
would have made slippery seats even on a
m~acadamized road, so one may imagine
the difficulty we had in holding on
while jolting over q rough prairie.
Nothing short of a severe pressure
on the brass tacks and a c~onvuisive grip
of the handles could have kept us in posi-
ton; and whenever a treacherous handle
gave way our company was for the time
being just one member short. AS we were
not an express mail train. of course we were
~freshments; the only difficulty was the re-
freshment. We stopped at farm-h0uses on
the way for this uncertain necessity. and
they were far apart. If the roads were
who had tender hearts n tough limbs
jumped out and walked to ease the poor
brutes. Often / have seen my father trudg-
ing along ahead of the wagon, smoking his
pipe, and | have no doubt thinking of the
next town, now and then looking back
with his light blue eyes, giving my
mother a cheerful nod which plainly said:
Pm all right. This is splendid; nothing
could be finer" If it rained, he was glad
it was not showing; if it showed. he was
thankful it was not raining. This cOntented
nature was his only Inheritance; but it was
better than q fortune made in GaleDa or
anywhere else, for nothing could rob him
of it.
We travelled from Galena to Dubuque on
the frozen river in sleighs-smOother work
than the roughly rutted roads of the
prairie, but it was a p~erilous journey, for a
Sloppy Sloppy 'p and na unsafe sas ~ W Seu would would 's sem me-
times hear it crack and see it bend
under our horses feet; now a l~ong-drawn
breath of relief as we passed some anger
Gus spot. then a %convulsive grasping OF our
nearest companion as the ice groaned and
shook beneath us. Well, the passengers
arrived safe. but, horror to relate. the sleigh
containing the baggage. private and public,
with the scenery and properties, green cur.
tumbled into the Mississippi. My poor
mother was in tears, but my father was In
high spirits at his good lnck. as he called
1t, because there was a sand bar where the
sleigh went in, so the things were saved at
least, though in a forlorn condition. The
opening had to be delayed in order to dry
the wardrobe and smooth the scenery.
The halls of the hotel were strung with
clothes-lines, and the costumes of all ma
tons festOOned the doors of the bedrooms,
80 that when an unsuspicious boarder came
out suddenly into the entry he was likely
to run his head into a damp Roman shirt,
or. perhaps. have the legs of a soaking pair
Of red tights dangling 1a around his neck.
board helmets Jared the worst. They had
succumbed to the softening influences of
the Mississippi, and were as battered
and out of shape as If they had gone
through the pass of Thermopyl@. Limp
leggins of scale armor hung wet and de-
jected from the lines. low-spirited cooked
hats piled up In a corner, rOugh-dried court
coats stretched their arms ont, as II In the
agony of drowning, as though they would
say, Help me, Cassius, or / sink" Theat-
rical scenery, at its best, looks pale and
shabby in the daytime, but q well-wOrn set,
after a six-hours' bath in a river. presents
the most wOe-begone appearance that can
marine had so mingled with each other
that the horizon line had quite disappeared.
NV father had painted the scenery. and he
was not a little crestfallen as he looked
upon the ruins: a wood scene had amalga-
mated with a Roman street painted on the
back of it, and had SO run into stains and
winding streaks that he said it looked like
a large map of South America, and pointing
out the Andes with his cane, he humorously
traced the Amazon to it's source. OF course
this mishap on the river delayed the OPEN
ing for q week. In the meantime the
scenery had to be reprinted and the ward
robe put in order: many of the things were
ruined, and the helmets detied repair.
After a short and, l think. a good season
at Dubuque. We travelled along the river to
the different towns just springing up in the
West-BurlingtOn, Quincy, Peoria, Pekin
and Springfield. In those primitive days,
/ need scarcely say. we were often put to
severe shifts for a theater.
In Quincy the courthouse was fitted up.
and 1t answered admirably. In Terre Haute
q large warehouse was utilized. but in Pc
kin we were reduced to the dire necessity
of acting in a pork-hOuse. This establish
ment was a large frame building, stilted up
on piles about two feet from the ground,
and situated in the open prairie inst at the
edge OF the town. The pigs We're banished
from their comfortable quarters and left
to browse about on the common dur
ing the day, taking shelter under their
former abode in the evening. After under
going some slight repairs in the roof. and
submitting to q thorough securing and
white-washing. the building presented
quite a respectable appearance. The open
ing play was "Clari, the Maid of Milan"
This drama was written by John Howard
I fayse 70 a aRe p has SOM nv 81 mo aIer' on this De- De-
casion. played the part of Clari and sang
the touching ballad.
Now it is a pretty wcll-established fact
in theatrical history that if nm infant has
been smuggled into the theater under the
shawl of It's fond mother, however dormant
it may have been during the unimportant
scenes of the play, no sooner is an in
teresting point arrived at. where
the most perfect stiffness is required,
than the dear little innocent will break
forth in lamentation loud and deep. On
this occasion no youthful humanity dis
turbed the peace. but the animal kingdom.
in the shape of the banished pigs, asserted
! the symphony of Sweet Home" commenced
they began by humping their backs up
against the beams. keeping anything but
good time to the music; and as my mother
plaintively chanted the theme Sweet
Home" realizing their wi cruel exile, the
pigs squealed most dismally. OF course the
song was ruined. and my mother was i'm
tears al the failure. My father, however,
consoled her by saying that though the
CrnntiuO was not unite in harmonv with