Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-10-06
OESBREf EVENING NEVIS
BOuCICaULI,s ~sHAUGnRAUN."
HOW TIE CHARACTER or "coN"
SUGGESTED ITSELF To TIE
DRkNATIsT.

Ofall the stores 80 far told about
the playwright, Dion Boucicauit,
aothin- to ny mind, says New
York Star writer, : hsif 50 amusing
Is the manner in which he came to
write the Irisa drama which he r.
gained As his greatest success. The
character OF s.Con the ShaugRuu"
was taken from real life, and sug-
gested itself to Boucicault under
peculiar circumstances. At the
time he had Tor many years been
absent from Dublin, and returned to
that place 10 Ill a three weeks en-
gsgemenl ia the eli Theatre Royal
which was afterWari burned down.
The individual Hho furnished tie
subject Tor tile plot vas fellow
known all over the county as
''CsntheriE' Jacs, " who eked cut \
precariCus existence by following
the mail coaches from one town to
another. He wss aitirgd eNsctiy
Ike Con-" aui lie was often
known b run from twenty TO thirty
mile behind the anil coach with
Gu; stopping. Ca the way he kept
up an uHeCaslug Hisp!ug on his
fiddle, ''urti was generally reward
ei by shower ofcoplers and small
silver : the passengers.
Buucicau!t wss a. oESn in ''Ihe
Colleen BaWn" Il o'clCck on that
particular night. Early In the
morning be tTJvc to the country
resiIeu-u u a wealthy friend, liar
Is thirty miles away, and IA re-
Iaiueu with The lsllsr until nearly
) o'tlOli; Ia tIis eve Ming. Then his
hCst h4Tlesaui u szst trOttrr. att.
undertook 90 take lle sc.1s up 10 tie
city Ia good srasJu. They had pro-
ccticj on the Journey about hitren
miles when n tlIgud storm bgyke.
The trot;er b-c4me frishleag-i 1t thu
lightning aud became uumauase-
aide. When il Has finally got un-
der control L was found that Il had
sprsined leg and that IL was i'm
uussib,e 10 reach Dublin that night.
There were no railways ut that lime
within many mile. BOucicault
was frantic, aud ag.rwaud adm.ttes.
that he heard, in Imagination, the
cries u tins gallery g0is At his non
appearance. Wills bo.h gentlemen
were abusing their tai fortune tie
hedges bef.Te them opened aud beth
heheii "Cautii=gn' Jsck.H BouCi-
cault's friend 30 onte seized the
vaZahJnd and offered him > ru.ueas
n be would u.g, borrow or steal
.horsr that gGu'g take them To Dub
iir. Jack unused 2 moment, then
mu,terius 10 him-eli, "Tber, = Ohly
van heTs- ~. can 40 i, " lac disap-
peared silently in Tie darkness.
Fully ten minutes cllpsed before
Jack maize his appearance, ami the
Two began T. think re had lc.gotteu
-henI. lie b.lugit with him
rearing animal, on SEEING which
B0ucicaul-'s frieal grew aluust
Shite with fear. aWhy. - he SAID.
that is 'NeveF tnlud what il
is," said jack grufiy. .'Just help
g-v g. a1IEGss The LssIe" The work
vas done in sileEct; lien Jack.
taking the rcius and warning the
Iilieg Two "a keep Stil, drove Eapi Ely
toward the city. On reaching the
-ireCts the animal scrtsmgl with
fright, Lui Jael; gr-ei him on, aud
E0Gcic4Eit reached tie dressing
nom 20 the theatre just a. the
Orchestra sIrurk up the overture.
Jack not only eot h's5 guinness butG
considerable sum from the actor.
The main p0int uf the story lay ia
Tie fact that the animal Jack had
stolen wss Tsct- SOr-g, theprOgeTiy
u n wC.l-known member Of the Irish
peeragc. II had teen entered for
n.s stake In Luslsut, aud many
thousand pounds had teen wagered
upon IL. Jack got the animal back
10 the Stable AMI carefully gr0om-d
It. The horse did rlce two weeks
later and won. Tire story % that
fheen mile ridc 70 Dublin and
B0ucicault's fist Introduction TO
Con was never told. however, until
many years l4.er, when ''Thu
Shaugraun" was produced.