The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-10-06
In THE OLD
MINSTREL DAYS.
RecOllections of Billy Birch, Char.
lie Backus and Dave WambOld.
A Veteran Eurnt-Cork Artist Tells of the
Famous Partnership Started in San
Francisco Years Ago.

biicu anu SlldIll c DdChGS, WIFI tuey
sang their songs or played the Virginia
CupidS, who listened with all attention to
the sweet notes of Dave Wambold. to the
deep rich voice of poor Sam Wells when he
sang The Old Sexton, or Simon the Cellar
er. and to the songs of other members of the
San Francisco Minstrels, will read with
interest the following from a statement re-
Gently made by Billy Birch to writer for
the New York Tribune:
mo, SIR declared "Billy" Birch, the
veteran burnt-cork comedian, to the writer,
''the minstrel profession isn't what it used
to be by half l went upon the stage over
forty years ago and l have seen many
changes since then. OF course, I've had my
trials and fluctuations like most everybody
else, but I've also experienced a great many
joys and some pretty respectable triumphs
l started in as comic singer and had been
before the footlghts for several years be-
fore | met Backus and WambOld in San
Fran cisco. They had organized a company
and one day Charlie Backus came to me and
asked me to Join them. At first | held back,
not thinking there was enough money IN
the business for three partners. But finally
l was persuaded to cast my lot with them
and the firm name became Birch, Backus
and Wambold On the first night we opened
in San Francisco the house was packed with
an enthusiastic audience. We did 4 big
business for several months and then the
people of the Golden Gate began to get
little tired of US, though we changed the bill
every night.
WISE,
sReinu pisa in opr dav and oeueratiop
we decided it would be the proper caper to
give the San Francisco public IL rest for
awhile and we did We divided the COM
10 the mines each Marty going in onposite
diroct;one Paolno ard bic man nsnaiiv
want 10 tno sn"tbarn 6istrints whiIa Van
hold ana and the rest of the comnanv
,ysnt nnrtb I tau Won we nSad to ba va soma
glorious times in those early DAYS among
the miners. Sometimes we performed in a
rough slab sbanty. sometimes in a dingv
cabin and NOT infreouently on a little knoll
or bluff. in tile omen air with the stars for
our foOtliglts. We would give the whole
show inst the same as if we were playiug
in an Elegantly annointed theater Every
miner in the camp. and from ueighboring
camps. would attend our performances
and bring his entire family if he had
anv. The seats were 81 apiece and none of
fLen was reServed eycent on benefit occa-
sinnc which 7 must rnnfeSs were nrelfv
tnIerabIv treatment I myself thought nnth
inc of taking a benefft about once every four
mr. five wpeI,s and other members of the
comnanv enioved the same privilege. lust
think 81 II those hig oven hearted dippers
apiuvad moving THAR dollars wnrtn nf 1ust
tn ma IN SOC ne ont M onr mnnlyev-shines
and of thai very neriod here in New York
I'ifv a man couli gPt int1 the same class of
enfs rtainment for p onartar' I never in NV
life saw snch easily amused men ms those old
CaIifornia miners were. They did not try
to s,nnress their baartv lauohiar when any
of ne soid a GOOD THING 0r did ANYTHING
funnv And t6eir annreciation encouraged
ne r. occnmnlish our hest Rut tnev had
rough wav Of indGing when our performance
Ivas mot Unite I'M 10 the mark and they didn't
hesitate 10 hiss when they didn't like any,
thing
SENTIMENTAL.
up,o,, ,,,o m, JVon,hoId rsad n oo,cb
+I,o,,, ,i,h nc son,imantai md nathntic
80, ynn i,now what a nacuiioriv sweet
ndS n,oiio,u ,nioa no nod No Vofca eyar
anu liie,tom W. nd =. ,rha ant a
',, $500 for,arG 70 sine the Miners
o'Id a. IrI ,'aII f"r rnonent and then
H . ,"idS 49, ~ Snun tn bre,tbIaSs 81
80 Pofaraq he fniobed a bar of any sad
mdn',ior Soog nf fhe dav Won womid see
evdrv man wininr his ewes. Great pobs of
LIQUID grief as Backus used to say, would
roll down their bronZed cheeks and gliSten
on their boards. The sight sometimes made
my own eyes moist in spite Of my efforts TO
keep cheerful. Wambold had the same
magic pnwer years later over his more re-
fined Eastern audiences. In his line VAN:
bold has never had an equal, and l doubt II
he ever will have. There was something
magnetic and electrical IN his personality
aside from his wonderful voice and his Won
derful management Of il.
In those days we had another excellent
man in our company by the name of Sam
Wells. Probably very few theater-goerS
now remember Sam, but he was famous
then, and very valuable man in the min
strel show. He had heavy bass voice, and
his imitation of clap of indignant thunder
was about as good as the genuine article any
day in the week. Sam used 10 sing old
Black Joe and such songs where he could
employ basso profundo with effect. During
eli the time he was associated with us he
acted as interlOcutor, and he was q good
one. He could anticipate the point OF a new
gag or Joke tha' one OIL us "ouIu pefpetfate
as quick as nasn, ana so govern MS own
questions ana fepIles. Ioor Sain' NUM-
per OF Years ago, me- MS utatn III NeEaua
by Delhg thrown from morse ana STRIKING
iii i,,. heau a.aIiiSt UoM .ge.. Ile was NOV
kllleo ou!rieht, put nc uleu ne" uaIS later
from MS injuries
THE MINING CAMPS.
"Well, after making our circuit of the
mining camps, which generally consumed
about six weeks, we would return to Frisco
with clean profit above expenses of any,
where from $500 to $1,000 Backus would
get back to town with an equally good, If
not better showing. Daring our absence
our city patrons would begin to miss u.s. and
WISH US pack 10 the O!u SJinu, ana so Wnen
we began another engag- ment in Frisco we
we're certain that we would not play to
empty benches. We continued in this man
ner for several seasons in California, and
finally decided to come East We arrived in
New York somewhere in the middle of the
sixties, and secured an establishment in
Chambers street. We were successful in
the metropolis from the start, but after
few years we realized that we were too far
down town, and accordingly we leased the
building in Broadway, between Twenty
| seventh and Twenty eighth streets, now
| known as Herrmanns Theater. There, for
number of years, we had career of unin-
terrupted prosperity
THE LAST TO JOIN.
II was the last man to join, as partner,
the San Francisco Ministries, and | was the
last man out of the concern. You know l
finally bought out Backus and Wambold,
who thought they had made money enough.
| They botn went TO Europe soon afterward
| for lew months sojourn, and they urged
me to accompany them. | wanted to go very
much, but had the show on my hands, and
at that time my mother, who is now over so
| years cid, was i'll, and consequently it was
fpr m Tn Ia |