Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1890-08-07
NOTABLE STAGE DUEL.


. Realistic Encounter Between wilkes
Booth and Tom Conner.
The most realistic stage duel of this
generation was the one fought between
Iobn Wilkes Booth, about year before
no killed Abraham Lincoln, and Thomas
I. Conner. better known and remember
cd as tom" Conner, the gifted brother
of Captain William M. Conner, of this
city, and one of the handsomost and
most dashing stock stars of his day.
oPoor Tom" Conner died nearly thirteen
wears ago at Georgetown, Col, where he
was starring but nobody who ever saw
him fight Wilkes Booth with two-handed
swords on Boswlck Field can ever for
get the comb bat.
Both men were athletes, and each, for
the the love of fight pure and simple,
SO far forgot himself on the boards dur
ing their famous engagement at De Bars
Opera house, in st. Louis, that the audi
ence rose to its feet, night after night
in an agony OF suspense, and first Rich
mond and then Richard would be driven
at swords points over the footlights in
to the ranks of the audience them
selves, which would cheer, first the hero
and then the villain, with wild aban-
don.
But, oh, for the sake of romance and
reality, IL the truth must be known, on
the authority of a veteran manager of
this city, Conner and Booth were both
"faking," and agreed each night before
they went on which should first be
driven off the stage.
Now Wilkes, it's your night" Tom
would say, and then Wilkes would re-
ply, "Why, Tom, you miserable rascal,
/ went off first last night, and then I've
got to get killed, so you'll have to make
that break yourself again, and mind you
do ii we'll, tool Then the curtain would
rise, and as climax to a thrilling trag-
edy in the requisite number of acts
Richmond and Richard would try so
hard to beat down each others guards
and-it seemed-to cleave each other to
the chin that the fire would fly from their
broad swords as sparks from a black
smiths anvil, and, at last, one or the
other would be compelled to respite his
further existence by an incontinent dive
into the ranks of the friendly public
down in the pit.
But pshaw,' says the veteran man.
ager, factors like Conner and Booth
were trained in those days to play part
a night; TO do any thing at all on the
legitimate boards, from dancing meas
ure to battering down broadsword
guard and what they did they did as
we'll as it could be done, too They
didn't act on a capital of good looks.
dress coats, Broadway promenades and
one change of parts season."
Other famous swordsmen of that day
were Charles Foster. popular melodra-
matte actor, and Joseph Brelsford. who
used TO fight in the old Pittsburgh The
alter on Fifth street. now Fifth avenue.
Pittsburgh. with a dash and daring that
curled the hair of the gallery gods and
won the startled appreciation of the
boxes. Harry Perry. who was famous
from Philadelphia to San Francisco, and
was, besides, the first husband of Agnes
Booth. who not so very long ago was
known in New York as ''Aggie Perry"
was another famous swordsman of those
days, as was Joseph Z, Nagle, of Balti-
more. But these men could fight be-
cause they had both the physique and
the training. They were none of your
curled darlings and dress-eoat dudes
n Y. Herald.