Wichita eagle., 1890-02-01

During my long professional life / met
him frequently" adds Mr.. Jefferson, ''and
should say that much Of his unhappineSs-for
he was very unhappy man-caIne from an
irritable temper, under little control
From advance sheets of this article we
quote the followlng-an am using illustration
of Forests ungovernable temper:
"At the conclusion of the Richmond en-
gagement," writes Mr.. jefferson, the COM
pany journeyed TO Washington, where we
were to open with Forrest as Metamora-a
character that he detested, and one that the
public admired. Forrest was always in a
state of intense Irritation during the rehear-
sal and performance of this drama Irregu-
larities that me would have overlooked under
ordinary circumstances were now magnified
TO an enormous size, so that when he donned
the buckskin SHIRT aud stuck the hunting
knife of the American savage In his wam-
pun belt he was ready to scalp any offending
actor who dared to cross his path. The cop
per colored liquid with which he stained his
cheeks might literally have been called war
paint
'At the rehearsal the poor property man,
old Jake Search, got into dreadful state of
nervousness, and everything went wrong.
The tragedian naturally held me, as stage
manager, responsible for these accidents, par
ticularly as the unlucky Jake would conceal
himself behind set pieces, or mysteriously dis
appear through traps as each mishap &C.
CURED. In the midst of this dreadful con-
fusion, principally brought about by his own
lll humor, Forrest turned on me, saying that
he would not act that night, and strobe out
Of the theatre / hurried through the front
Of the house, and heading him off in the alley
addressed him, as nearly as | can remember,
In the following words:
"'Mr Forrest, before you decide upon this
Eep let me state an important fact, that per
baps has not crossed your mind He saw
was in earnest and stopped short to listen, as
l resumed: ''Mr. Ford, the manager, is alb
sent, SO must take his responsibility to the
PUBLIC on myself The blanders the stage
this morning have been unfortunate, perhaps
eulpabie, but you must pardon me for saying
that your excited manner and somewhat IN
reasonable demands have contributed not q
little TO confuse the company and bring about
this disorder But be that as 1t may, there
Is another and still more important matter to
consider. Every seat in the theatre Is taken
for tonight; the audience will crowd the
house in expectation of great dramatic
treat, TO which they have been looking for
ward for some time.
"'n you decline TO act, and so break your
contract with the public, what course is left
for me. Why, only this: l must wait for the
vast concourse OF people TO assemble, and
then go before them and explain the reason
of your nou-appearance. | shall have TO
make clear statement Of the case, and say
that you have refused TO act because there
were some slight discrepancies and IRREGULAR
ties in the rehearsal. The public are, you
know, quite unreasonable when their diver
sion r checked, and it is likely that they will
toe indignant at the disappointment, failing
TO see the reason as Clearly as you may have
done Now, consider for a moment. Under
these circumstances viii ii not be more mag
unanimous IN you to overlook tie snortconi-
ings and go on with the rehearsalr
He paused for a moment and said: i will
not go back TO the rehearsal. l am too much
excited, and my presence on the stage now
win only make matters worse: b1t II you will