Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-01-31

Actors Who Early Utilize Their Talents.
MARKS and the BIoodhountis.
Was ever bit by bloodhoundsf" echoed
Fred Wren, the vereran comedian, as he and q
News reporter chatted together the other day
"!cok here, and here, see the scarsf | have
marks all over my body from them, and vet |
never got n scratch from them in earnest.
nave two big holes III my right leg, but got
them by interfering in fight between two
olooGhounds, Ono made Il grab at the other
dog AMI caught me. The others are from
snaps made at canes, umbrellas and SO on"
" es, no repliec, i'll answer to q question,
Il have quit the show business, and I'm going
to make brick"
MIR. Wren sat in his Office at eight White
building Some years ago lac bought farm
at Lancaster and finding that u brick clay
bed lay beneath the surface soil, has organized
company, and tho merry Marks promises to
make as much money in brick as he made in
his long theatrical 'areer
How did you come to buy "a farm2" he
was asked
TEE WEARING FOR A HOME.
Because | wan-ed u home. Not that a
home was any use to me. for | was hardly
ever home. But all actors have the same
longing. They all like to speak of home
They say my home with tremor i'll their
voice when thousands of miles away. 1t is
one OF the bright 81 ots in their memory. Joe
Jefferson with all his wealth and his beautiful
home finds it no home 70 him, for he's there
but rarely What arc Booth and Barrett and
all the rest but tran ps-wandcrers Oh the face
OF the carthf tell you I'm tired of 1t oil. and
I've settled down here in my home and going
to make brick. I've got a nice home nice
wife, nice children, nice cook and nurse girl,
and I'm going to er Joy the rest of my life"
How old are your
About 40" Then falling into reminiscence
Mr.. Wren continued: Its long time ago
since took to the stage. Father had a good
business here as vessel painter Old residents
will remember hun. There were nine of us
and all but VIII took to the stage Nv
brother George ran away to Cincinnati and
headed company with Barney McAuley
He came back in two years and father for
gave him, aud then gave him permission to
put up little stage in the barn. That was
Oh Seventh street, above Maryland; | don't
know but the old barn stands there vet. Our
first play was Bon bastes Furioso,' then we
played Timothy Toodles,' Burton's old play,
and he afterwards took me and taught me it
well. The Swan family were with us, and
tell you we played 20 crowded houses, for it
was cheap. That went on for year. then
in the winter of 80 and 80, George conceived
the idea of taking Us ON the road. We PLAYED
'Toodles,' Loan Of a Lover Crossing the
Line, MILDLY Ashore Jenny Jones' "A
Tinker and Tailor and several other English
comedies of the day We went through Can
ada and Michigan, doing well, got back home
and started out again. That company was
the Wren Juvenile comedians, eight of the
Wren family in it, and we had good show.
We played before President Buchauan's
cabinet in the winter of 81 and '5S''
HIS LEGITIMATE" CAREER
Mr.. Wren talked away entertainingly
about his theatrical career before the war,
told OF his appearance III Barnum's museum
that was burned after Lincoln was killed; OF
the long run made IN Laura kcan's theatre
with Midsummer Nights Dream with Fred
as Puck. 1t was run OF four months, the
longest then KNOW III this country Then
he told of his enlistment Us u drummer boy
on his twelfth birthday lii the SiXty-first
New orh, of how nc was disabled at Nal
vern Hill and spent three months at Car
yer hospital, and O. how he went into the
navy after he was mustered out.
After the war he went TO New Orleans, to
Tom Piacide's theatre, in which l37 people
afterward found q fiery death, tho theatre
where Matilda Heron, who made $500, GOO as
Camille, made her first great hit in the
character
Once before he forsoos the stage. and went
into Denton d Cotter's store to learn to be p
musician, but inside of q year was back in
theatrical harness. He married Maria SuIly.
whose father then owned the New England
hotel, now the Fill more house. He traced
bis course In an Interesting way until the
time when he entered the '.stockn at the
Academy i'll this city. And here all theatre
goers In Buffalo take up the history of Fred
Wren and 1T is no use telling them anything
about it.
Those were the haicyon days, when rare old
Ben Rogers and Frei Wren were the old and
young comedians.
And | wish, says Fred Wren 1.-The old
stock days were come again. They gave an
actor home; now Lie is IA well dressed tramp.
believe if the Meeches were to make the
Academy stock house and get some of the
Did people back again they d ill it every night
TO the doors And believe it's coming that
way. The best actors are tiring of the life.
suppose the owl club Of Chicago, or the
Press club of Minneapolis or some other big
city does give a fellow u banquet It's an
honor, of course, buG the actor comes to it
tired out, no brilliarcy left in him, and he'sup
and away in the morning again with rush.
Six hundred odd miles from Denver to Omaha,
6OO miles again TO kansas City, rush, rush,
rush; it wears ones life out. So I'm not
going to make fun any more. I'm going to
make brick"
After four season. in the Academy stock
company Fred Wren too: Che road with "On
Time," and in the latter part of 70 struck
his great success "Cncie Tom," and stuck to
1t for Eve years. lie bred his own blood
hounds and always went armed to shoot IL
they tackled rnnn -RnTnln Nnus