The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-05-10
A CLEVER
Anecdotes Of . Negro Impersonator wit
Very Little Conscience.

- "tTS0 MEL
Anecdotes Of = Negro Impersonasor with
Very Little Conscience.
From the Chicago Herald.
Ben Collins, the minstrel who died re-
Gently, wa q remarkably clever man In
his line. He was Of the minstrel firm of
Hawkins d Collins, and was possessed of
q special knack IN versiflcation. The
songs which he wrote made the reputation
OF many specially people. Poor Ben was
improvident and when he would sit down
and dash OH q song or recitation he would
dispose Of Il for a pittance and give up all
credit OF authorship. Collins was his own
worst enemy and he was called away In
the prime Of life full Of promise. He was
always fond of a good time and for this he
would sacrifice everything, though he
never forgot his old mother and he used
to send her money whenever he had il.
He was always ready to write a poem or
song, o. Once, FOR instance, he ran
across j. w. Kelly, the idol Of the rolling
mill men In New York city. Both were
fiat broke. They sat in a small beer
saloon on the Rialto, with no prospect of
In came n s~erio-comic lady who wanted
a new song. The place was f~requented
by authors, n she kne this. She spoke
to the bar-keeper OF her mission. He
called Collins up. Collins agreed to write
the song and have il ready In the after
noon. She wanted the music as well as
the words. He could not write music, but
Kelly nudged him and he said il was all
right. While Ben wrote the words Kelly
borrowed a nickel from the bar-keeper.
purchased "A sheet of music paper and
filled IL full of notes u rests at random.
The scrio-comic paid S. for the words and
''music,' and the two Bohemians were
enjoying their beer as the serio-comic was
learning that the music was no music at
all. This man Collins would dispose of
his clever verses for little or nothing, but
the purchaser had no guarantee that
a half dozen othets. For instance.
he wrote for Tony Pastor the popular
song "Rcmember, You Have Children of
Your Own and when Tony proposed to
sing i at his own theatre on his return to
New York he discovered that four serio-
comics and motto singers had been warb-
ling IL in the metropolis for weeks. This
took the wind out of his sails.
Once upon a time Ben wrote a very
! pretty poem and dedicated il TO Clara
Louise Kellogg, who was then n popular
star. His friends praised his effort and
urged him to submit il To the diva. He
called Mt the theatre where she was play
ing one day and handed the poem 10 Miss
Kellogg's manager. He was delighted
with IL as q ''booming" chances and cheer
fully gave Collins SIS for il. In his inside
pocket Ben had a duplicated copy and when
the manager excused himself to go up the
street ON railroad business Collins wen,
up to Miss Kellogg's apartments, raped
at the door and said to the maid who
answered his rap: "Young lady, Miss Ke,.
logg's manager has no time to read this
poem of mine. which is dedicated to her,
n he asked me to come up and hand IL
to her personally. Here il Is, and here is
my card" Miss Kellogg glanced over I'll.
| the man a ten dollar gold piece-I can't
read il now" Ben took his twenty-five
dollars and was having "A good time with
il when the diva and her manager met
and compared the duplicates of the poem,