Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-24
A STRING OF CITY BEADS.

Hotel Keeper With q Big Heart-The
West Is Sending Back Her Capital
Amateurs Strike Out Success In Sheri-
dsn's Rivals.
The Grape that futtered on the door Of
the Hotel Anderson yesterday was but tiny
token OF the great grief occasioned there by
the news of Mr.. Beams death at far-awsy
Savannah. Edward L. Bean was one of the
best known of Pittsburg hotel men, and his
success. won by q thorough knowledgeof OF the
business, hard work and a hereditary predispo-
sition for hotel keeping was quite remarkable.
Mr.. Bean was Pittsburger TO the core. He
was born in Bayardstown in 1S43, and the old
fashioned house where his family lived at that
time is still standing on Penn avenue. - His
father for a time conducted the National
Hotel on Water street and then the Red Lion
Hotel on Sixth street. In those days the
National and the Red Lion were considerable
hotels and important stations IN The stage and
! river routes of travel from the East to the
Great Lakes and the Ohio Valley. So young Ed
ward Bean naturally had an early acquaintance
with the hotel business. He did not take to it
at first, however. The river captured him and
he served as engineer on boats running between
this city and New Orleans and St Paul till
about the close of the war. when. with Captain
McKinnie, he started in as mine host in hotel
at Fort Wayne From there he went to the
st. Cloud in Philadelphia, which he conducted
with great success from 1873 to 1885 In the
latter year be once more joined hands with
derson. It is not unfairto his associates to say
that the Anderson's prosperity is largely the
result of his efforts and ability.
Born Hotel Keeper.
Mr.. Bean has been in poor health for some
time. and when he went South he realized that
his condition was precarious. Nevertheless
his death was a good deal of a surprise to his
friends here. Mrs. McKinnie, who Is his sister,
and his brother, George Bean, Of Chicago, had
been with him for the last six weeks, and were
about to bring him north by easy stages TO
Philadelphia, when he finally sank and died.
Mr.. Bean was a bachelor. His quiet
habits and somewhat reserved manner
kept him from forming the promiscuous ac-
quaintance that SO many bonifaces acquire. but
be had many warm friends aud know how big
his heart was. OF his business he had COM
piete mastery down to the smallest details, and
in hotel management as in some other things
it is the small matters that count most, and
over these Mr.. Bean kept the closest watch.
His early experience on the river also was of
value to him in the mechanical department Of
attached to his partner. also came from the
river. by the way, and they both no doubt
found the knowledge Of humanity that life
on the water, be it salt or fresh brings Of help
to them In catering to the dear public.
Mr.. Beans Big Heart.
II yon have frequented the Anderson at all
you must have noticed quiet man OF medium
height and smooth shaven face who nearly al.
ways stood in some corner of the lobby or near
the desk. evidently observing closely all that
went on around him. That was Mr.. Bean. /
don't believe man in genuine distress ever ap-
preached Mr.. Bean for assistance in vain. 1t
IS well known that hundreds of hard-up, en-
barrassed, and generally miserable mortals
have been succored by Mr.. Bean.
A DAor hA<R.
he bought railroad ticket for a man or gave
him day or two's board and lodging was that
he was being told the truth. When tale of
woe had been poured into his ear his usual
query was, accompanied with q searching
glance: Are you telling me the TRUTH can't
For example, a drummer who had squan-
dered his substance, and possibly some Of his
day and begged for loan. The story seemed
straight and Mr.. Bean was about to grant the
request, when suppose he detected something
suspicious. for he SAID sharply: you've been
drinking this morning"
The petitioner denied the impeachment pro.
fusely, whereupon Mr.. Bean coolly dismissed
can smell liquor on your breath-and il you'd
lie about one thing ] can trust you about
nothing"
But be helped more than he sent away, and
his generous heart and open hand will be
missed often and deeply by host Of people.
Coming Back to Pittsburg.
The advice "go West young man" was good
enough when Greeley uttered 1t. but he would
be somewhat astonished il he knew how many
Western men come back to the East when
they have accumulated little money to 20
into business here. \ real estate and business
broker said to me yesterday: II have had
more commissions from Western men to get
them stores and mercantile enterprises in
Pittsburg than 1 have been able to fill. For
inat n WAstern n
me to get him an interest of q certain size In
some good grocery OF general store in or about
Pittsburg; and two brothers from Mankato.
Minn.. are equally anxious TO get hold OF .
tolerably large truck farm in Allegheny county.
The former Is an old Pittsburger who Is home.
sick, guess, but the other two are, as far as
know. Western farmers, who have been i'm
pressed with the possibilities of truck farming
in the neighborh0od Of great manufacturing
CITY. 1t is fact that Western capital, strange
though It may seem, and contraryto the rule as
we have known it for many years, is TO con-
siderable extent seeking Investment in Pitts
burg and the adjoining territory"
The Rivals, by Amateurs.
Amateurs in all the arts never fail for lack Of
daring. And 1t was somewhat audacious for .
little band of amateur actors in Allegheny to
choose Sheridan's classic "The Rivals" for the
amusement of their friends in Mrs. John
Haworrh's stately residence on Stockton ave-
nue. last night But they were certainly justi.
fed for they handled the drama with unusual
ability and kept the audience really and truly
in constant merriment the evening through.
They stuck to Sheridans text pretty faithfully
and consequently the play occupied more time
than if they had used Joe Jefferson's version,
which some unkind wit has said reminded
Sheridan Twenty Miles Away" The stage
cupied one end of the large draw
ing room, and was tastefully draped
and unusually well lighted. The scenery was
ofo.A hi,
a street IN Bath and the Kings Mead Fields.
The full cast was as follows: Sir anthony
Absolute, Mir. James Werner Scalfe; Captain
FauikIand, Mr George McFarlane Gait; Acres,
MIR. Riddle Dewhurst Haworth; Sir Lucius
OF iggsr, Mr.; Oliver Perry scaifs. Jr.; Fog.
George s: % MeFarlans Gait; Ms. Malaprop. , Mis-: M
Price; Julia MstufLLe Miss Rankin; Lydia
Languish, Miss Haworth; Lucy, Miss Young.
The programmes, by the way, were very prettily
ribbon.
Artistic Audacity Rewarded.
Almost everyone of the actors gave evidence
of having studied the superb performance Of
1.-THE Rivals.n recently given in this city by the
Jefferson Florence company, and consequently
the by-plays and business, the facial express
sion, and general department of the performers
showed far more artistic sense than we look tor
usually in amateurs. Especially noteworthy
and very amusing was the acting of Mr..
r. D. Haworth as Bob Acres. Mr..
Haworth has undoubted talent in comedy
and he could not have done better than
TO copy with rare faithfulness as he did the
greatest Bob AcTes the world has ever seen,
which Mr.. Jefferson has created. Even to the
almost trivial motions and accent Mr. Haw0rth
reproduced Mr.. jefferson at times. and Alto
pether his work was exceedingly clever. Miss
Price made Mrs. Adldprop very amusing, but
perhaps looked a little TOO comely and youthful
Tor that grim old ''she dragon" Lydia Lam