Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-12-31
sPEAKER cR1srss rAruEn.
He was an Actor of Genius and was
Killed In the War.

nc was an Actor of Genius and wa.
Killed In the War.
A correspondent of the Galveston
NeDs writes as follows: Seeing in YOU
columns of to-day that the remains Of
w. Ii. Crisp, father of the prominent
Georgia candidate for Speaker, lie in an
unknown grave in Dallas, has brought
back to the mind some "reminiscences oil
the dead actor. IL was while a student
at the university of southern state
early in the "iifties" that the writer first
saw W. H, Crisp. The actor came to the
little university city at the head of a
small theatrical company Of which he
was manager and chief actor. The
little company of barn stormcrs con-
sisted Of Mr.. and Mrs. W. II. Crisp, their
young daughter Cecilia, Master Freddie
70. F.,l tall Scotchman, who acted the
heavy, a slim, sandy-hared youth as
super, and red-headed danseuse
named MacGregor.
II is astonishing how, with such a
meagre company, Mr.. Crisp hanged to
present such variety of great plays in
really creditable manner. For two or
three weeks the large hall he temporarily
lifted up as "a theatre was crowded
nightly with an intelligent and enthusi-
astic audience. Learned professors
with their families, throngs Of citizens
with their wives and daughters, and the
students en- masse would 60 to see this
marvellous actor and his charming wife
portray Othello and Desdemona, Mac
beth and Lady Macbeth, The Stranger
and Adeline, Claude Melnotte and
Pauline, Ingomar and Parthenia, and a
dozen other great plays.
The genius of Crisp and his wife,
despite their feeble support. shone out
IN every act, and the curtains always
tell amid tumultuous applause. w. il.
Crisp was the best stock actor this
writer ever beheld. He was at home on
the stage, no matter how difficult the
role he attempted or how untoward the
circumstances. He and his wife were
great favorites with the students, and
we often wondered why man of such
talents should be at the head of strolling
players. Many of us have learned since
that talent or even genius cannot govern
circumstances nor control fate. We had
not then read lViihclm Meistor. The
students attended Crisp's performances
so assiduously that there was marked
falling oil in the standing of every
young man in mathematics and the
dead languages, though some improve
ment in history, rhetoric and belle
lettres.
The result was that after about three
weeks the venerable president of the
university, at Sunday morning PRAYERS,
10 which tho students strolled i'll rather
late, took occasion, before Offering up
his prayers, to deliver lecture or
homlly on the evils of the stage, the
eyil lives OF actors, and the demoralizing
effect our attendance was having on our
standing in differential calculus and
comic sections. He went back to Greece
and gave us history Of the art of act
ing and its origin, and wound up by
all concerned that unless at
tendance at recitation was more, and at
the theatre less punctual, a great many
VINO were sleeping under the sound of
his voice would be sent home. This
woke everybody up, and from that day
there was falling off in receipts at Mr.
Crisp's box-otiice. Soon after he closed
his engagement and took his company
to larger southern city, where they
played some time very successfully.
One of the students was so captlvated
by the red headed danseuse MacGregor
that he went with them-was gone
three weeks but when he got back he
had got SO far behind in his calculus
that no neyer rejoined his class, but left |
college and went to studying law. lie
was afterwards killed in the war.
Mr.. w. Fl. Crisp finally went with his |
family to New Orleans, where for some
time previous to the war he was man
ager Of the Gaiety Theatre, and managed
II we'll, seldom acting himself, though Il
better octor than many professional |
stars who played at his theatre. With |
out knowing, the writer supposed Mr..
Crisp was an Englishman or Scotchman,
but he was so cosmopolitan and withal |
SO refined in manners it was difficult to |
say what his nationality was.
At the outbreak of the war, all his |
sympathies being with the south, he
left the theatre for actual war in the |
southern army. His son, being a very
young man, also went in the army. |
where he became captain of an artillery |
company, and has since distinguished |
IN Congress as Democratic |
leader. The writer lost sight of the
father at the outbreak of the war and |
did not know when nor where he died |
until to-day. He only knew he
the army and was true as steel
to the south. He was capable Of great
things as an actor. 1t is reasonable |
supposition that the close of the war
found him poor and his family sepa-
rated, scattered, and perhaps some Of
them dead.
We know his son by energy has risen
10 eminence in Georgia. Perhaps the
father in trying to build up again drifted |
to Dallas and died there. Poverty laay
have prevented the marking of his |
grave, but without doubt worthy son
If Il noble sire will have this done. Per-
maps it does not concern the great public |
why il has not been done. Dallas is |
lonored in having the ashes of so great
IN actor and learned man as w. H. |
Crisp within her soil. Perhaps he did |
lot deserve q monument; certainly he |
loes not need one now. But if the son |
has inherited the talents of his father, it
$ not difficult for him "the applause of
istening senates to command"
Ar RANDOM.