San Saba County news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1874-19??, 1892-06-10

BOOTH AS HAMLET.
had devoted himself to old comedy. It
was thus that the late Mr. Florence
had become identified with him. As
rule Jefferson's receipts in this line
were large, but as a result he found
that the increased expense of a first
class old comedy company outdid the
increased receipts.
With play like rip" he would go
around the country at an exceedingly
slight expense, at the same time doing
/ very big business. This IS ut least broba-
bic. 1t is true that the public shows
good deal Of WEAKNESS over the revival
of dramatic 'chestnuts," but it may be
different with a man of the celebrity
of jefferson.
The singularity of the matter is the
more a good actor is versatile the less
he is apt to impress himself upon the
public and make money. The late E.
L. Davenport was one of the most
versatile actors that ever lived lie
could play tragedy, high comedy farce
or burlesque at will, and was equally
good in all of them. He was recognized
as great actor, but he never succeeded
very well pecuniarily. The same was
true of the late NV WallaclS, and, in
fact, of Lester Wallack himself. for
though that actor was best known
through ''Rosedale," there was hardly
an artist on the American stage who
had appeared in so many different
pieces. HIS roles numbered between
400 and 500. Boucicault, who made an
enormous amount of money, frittered
himself away during the latter part of
his life in lot of different parts, and
he died leaving very little to his widow,
or rather widows.
The one part men have generally
been the gamers. The late Mr.. Sothern
was closely identified with Our Ameri-
can Cousin, and it never seemed to
pail upon the public. Occasionally he
would take a fling at something else,
but the change was only of slight du-
ration; he would always return to the
best known part because the people in
sisted upon it.
Mr.. Booth has played Hamlet four
times as often rs any other part of his
repertory, and vet to the very end of
his active career he could always draw
twice as much money in that part as in
anything else. In fact the public had
ceased going to see him in anything
else, when he suddenly stopped acting
through increased feebleness.
Frank Mayo. after smashing around
in the legitimate drama and then in
sensational plays, found 4 part to suit
him in ''Davy Crockett He suddenly
began to make money; he stuck to
"Davy Crockett" year after year AT
last his receipts went down to hardly a
paying standpoint and Mr. Mayo took
to the legitimate. He desired to be
appreciated in Macbeth, " and plays Of
that sort. lie was a dreadful failure.
He had played the one part so long that
he could not play anything else well,
and, although he tried "Nordecll' and
other things, his case seemed to be
hopeless.
So, therefore, while the compensa-
ton may be large in keeping at one
thing long, it is always a great danger
Louis Harrison played Ty Foo for
five years. lie played it too long He
found it difficult TO get back to any.
thing else, and even now the manner
of Ty Foo often comes to him.
James F. Mafitt has completely sunk
out of sight, from the fact that he h as
stuck to the part of the Lone Fisher
man year after year, and even he fol-
lowed another man. Harry Hunter, who
had been doing nothing else for eight
or nine years, when lie died at it. And
George Fortescue in the same way
played Catherine in that burlesque
season after season, until it got so that
people would have him in nothing else,
and will not have "Evangeline" with
out him. In fact since he went to Aus.
tralia with Edward E. Rice, .'Evange.
line has been gradually going to the
dogs.
Ada Gray is another old-timer. The
dear creature has been playing East
Lynne" ever since the war, and there
are chroniclers whose veracity regard
ing most things can hardly be doubted,
who say that she first played it about
1850, right after Lucille Western began
her meteoric career with it Z
But even Ada Gray cannot lay claim
to being the real old woman of the pro-
fession; there is one left who beats her.
That one is Mrs. e. C. Howard. 1t is
marvellous thing to relate that this
woman still lives, and yet was in the
original cast of Uncle Toms Cabin"
about 1852, She was the
original Eva, and then she became the
most famous of Topsys.
1t has been estimated that she played
in Uncle Toms Cabin over 10000
times. but that estimate is too con-
sentative one, for it must be remem-
bered that in the old Barnum's Museum
times they gave two and sometimes
three performances n day. 1t is very
likely that Mrs. Howard played in
Uncle Toms Cabin fifteen or eigh-
zen thousand times. Atvarious times
,he had taken every part in it