The Critic and record., 1891-04-10
THE CRITIC ABROAD


the company to which he belonged by
Johnston's men. The youngster was taken
before the General who asked in the kind
est tones.
"Well, my boy, what is your mother
thinking Off She knows you have run
away aud ioincd the army
"Well, Gincral, IL do not be maxim
much av er difference which side do be
be lightin' on. I'd ies as soon be lightin'
wild yez as agin yez an me mother Is used
ter me bcin away by this time, shure."
well You should he at home and TIL
send you there and the good old man
did.
The Irish lad is now highly esteemed
police officer In this city who has accumu-
lated considerable property here, and II is
with feelings of affection that he speaks
of the General who sent him back home
tO his mother.
One December day, ten years ago, from
a New Hampshire village, was mailed a
parcel destined to a far-awav English
home. II was sent by lady to her little
niece i'm Lancashire and contained holi-
day present Through misdirection the
package never reached its destination aud
the Dead Letter Office the article
was opened and found to contain
a toy elephant, which was placed in the
museum of the Office. Years rolled on.
Ills elephantine highness hobnobbcd
with the thousand and one curiosites
that filed the museum.
one day this week he, with anumber of
bis brother specimens, was boxed no and
sent to adorn the miniature dead letter
Office at the Departmental Fair now in
progress at the Congregational Church.
Placed by the side of an unclaimed box
of silk socks from Jerry Simpsons
Kansas, the elephant attracted considera-
BILE attention. Yesterday evening lady
walked up to the booth CHANGING over
the curios her eyes fell upon the toy and
She eXclaimed
"Why, that's my elephant
Miss Bradford in charge of the booth,
asked her number of questions, which
the lady answered identifying the present
which she had sent so long ago from her
Northern home. II is striking coinci-
denCc that the lady's visit to this city
should be at the very time that the Gu
rious contents Of the Dead Letter Once
are on exhibition.
A ruddy-faccd man he was of Falstaf-
fan build, ioval aud unctuous laugh
and a twinklng eye. As he stood in
front of Wizards, surrounded by a group
uated by expressive gestures in which q
smoking cigar took q prominent part
Every action indicated the actor. II was
Odcll Williams, the well-knOwn character
artist who for twenty.one years has been
conspicuous figure ON the comedy stage.
He is now with the ~. $. Mall com
pany playing the part of the village post
master, Joit 4Unns5H,decr, in which some
people zee a resemblance to the Postmls-
ter.General.
Mr.. Williams will be remembered as
| the Jadge in Chanfrau's Kit, the Arkan-
saw Traveller" q character he interpreted
| for five years with great success.
1T is not gen orally known" said Mr..
| Williams, THAT the originals of the
| Judge and the Major We're frequenters of
| HanCoCk's historic saloon on pennsyl-
yana avenue. The author of the piece,
gentleman named Spencer, and a resi-
dent of Washington, was much inter
| ested by the efforts Of these Southern
| patriots to obtain drinks without being
| under the necessity of paying for them
| The roles were first subsidiary, but Mr.,
| Chanfrau saw they were great character
hits and had the parts so expanded that
| eventually they became distinctive fea-
lures of the performance"
| Where didyou obtain that wonderfully
accurate Southern dialect" asked some
| one.
| why, ] heard nothing else in my
younger days" replied Mr.. Williams
81 was born in Old Kaintuck, sab. When
the Arkansas Traveller was originally
produced was the humble property man
| in Boston theatre Dan McGinnis anG
George Wilson originally played the part,
of the Judgeand the Major but soon after
ward had aspirations, and as nature ha6
blessed me with character face and 6
rumbling voice, | had little difficulty in
achieving considerable success as the
| Judge.n
Mr.. Williams, during his varied career
has been IN the stock in Cincinnati, st
Louis, and Louisville. He was conspicu
| Ous as character actor as early as tn,
palmy days of Frank Evans and Georg,
Davenport. One of his more recen
hits was the Oid CdmpaigHcr in BartleN
Campbell's "CliO, hit quite as great a,
the one he made as Danny Mann in th,
colleen Bawn" and EcheiS in Caste"
"There is just one thing that you re
porters have overlooked" said gentle
man who was present almost every day
during the progress of the Kincaid trial
"and that is the prudent and courteou
manner in which United States Marsha
Daniel Ransdell and his deputies guarded
the courtroom. lie not only gave hi
personal attention to it, but all those I'M
der him seemed to exercise so much dis
cretion. There were very few times tina
Judge Bradley had to call upon Deputy
Joyce to Ventilate the room or preserv,
order.
"Then, again." continued the gentle
man, "the judicious mannerin which thosl
who attended the trial was very noticeable
The friends of the prosecution as we'll a
those of the defense were impartially pro
1 NTi1 swift tiYtNn Ia
court would have been overcrowded, a
there were hundreds who came who neve
even had a chance to look at the inside o
the room, There were many, as yOI
probably noticed, who came purely out o
| curiosity or to have loaiing place for al
hour or so, and il is certainly surprisin.
how the bailiffs could always decide win
to admit and who to refuse, but they dit
so decide promptly, and never made
mistake"
Baseball Is a funny institution AM
some of the writers Of the game, who's
first acquaintance with ii is but fey
years old, make me tired, said an old
timer yesterday. For instance" h
con tnued, "here is clipping from tn
Cincinnati EHqHirer of Il few weeks ago:
1T was the popular prices and progres
slve spirit Of the American Association
that helped TO make baseball the ma
tiOnal game. The League has been
grand institution, but il has received ma
terial assistance from the Association
The League moguls are now treading o.
very thin crust. If they destroy tn
American Association, as it now seems t
be their aim, the whole baseball structur
will come tumbling down about their ear;
Any player that works to tear down tn
American Association is u fool. 1t wa
the competition between the League an
American Association that brought u
baseball salaries 10 where they are no.
and made IL the best-paying profession !
America. Before the American Associi
ton was organized q ball-player who r,
cciyed ~ 800 a season was a star
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