The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-04-19

YORK. Nine. Barrett was 80 years old, but
many OF her admirers. finding her at all
unes so sprightly, SO pretty and so youth
Iul In appearance, thought that she had
only just turned thirty. M Barrett, her
husband, served in the war of secession as
a captain OF lnfantry.-JournGl.
The following account of some of the
early triumphs of Edwin Booth in San
Francisco will be READ with interest now
tnat that distinguished actor has probably
retired from the stage
touching Mr.. Booths rumored retire
ment from the stage" said Boston friend,
the first time that / ever saw Edwin
ne was sitting on the prompt table in the
middle OF the stage of little San Francisco
theatre called San Francisco Hall, which
was leased and managed by his elder
brother, Junius He was swinging his feet,
and was dressed in WORKOUT hat, short
monkey jacket, and shoes that told of some
tnlng like pedestrianism. He had come
down from Nevada via Sacramento, and
was penplless, but bright, jolly boy, and
ready to turn his hand to anything that
would yield him money. His brother took
him to his home, then on the hill, and
soon found for Edwin a part in
local burlesque, in which the young
man made up like, and in many respects
initiated, local celebrity named Captain
Plume. Edwin's makeup and acting car
ried the piece, and it helped the thin treas
ury greatly. Following Plume he was
cast for all sorts of small business, and did
everything We'll
mot long afterward Miss Jean M. Dav-
export appeared at the Metropolitan the
atre and made hit as Camille, Charles
| Wheatleigh, now at Days, being the
Armand Duval. After the vacation it was
decided to put Dumas play on again, but
Wheatleigh had left San Francisco, and
VINO should be the Armand was the ques-
ton. Edwin Booth was timidly suggested
by the prompter. Young and old in theat-
rical circles laughed and scoffed at the idea,
myself among the rest, but as desperate
resort he was cast for the part. Well, the
opening night came, and by the tue the
curtain fell on the fourth act, in the con-
else language. of the day. Miss Daven-
port wasn't in it; Edwin took the
house by storm, and since that day
he has had many a great ovation,
but probably never drank in sWeeter
music than greeted his ear that night. His
next great hit was Raphael in The Marble
Heart Mrs. Catherine n. Sinclair Mrs
Edwin Forrest) was out there and had
sent to Paris for dress in which to play
Marco The dress came, and cost Sl.2O0,
and this when $40 was thought a ruinous
price for leading lady's gown. Here was
another triumph for Edwin He played
Raphael so as to set all the city talking, and
raised the fortunes of the theatre. | saw
Edwin make his first appearance as Hamlet,
and well remember his studying the part
on the porch of a house in Sacramento.
During his California experience he played
every kind of part, and his brother Junius
told me that Edwin would probably be an
excellent light comedian, but he had better
turn his back on tragedy. His father
wanted him to learn thoroughly to play the
violin, thinking that he would never be a
good actor, but might make for himself q
leading position in some theatrical or
chesura. Well, time has rolled on, and you
know what their judgments have come to-