Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-03-09
DIVIDE CONCERT COMPANY
AN INTERVIEW WITH DIVIDE
MUSlN'S MANAGER.
Interesting Details of an Australian Tour.
Mr.. JohnstoD's Heroic
Deed.

its pity, as well as detriment to the
best interests of Fort Worth, that YOU
haven't proper hotel facilities. l was
obliged to leave my wife at Dallas on ac-
count Of poor hotel accommodations in your
city while came over TO your city TO make
the preliminary arrangements for the ap-
pearance of Divide Musin and his COMPANY
of artists in your city March 22''
These were the words of5R e. Johnston,
one.ef the prop1etors of the Musin COM
pa6y, to a GAZETTE reporter as he stood In
the box-ofice of ireenwall's opera house
Flast evening. The gentleman, as is the
case with all travelling people, expressed
himself that Fort Worth, while she exhi-
bited commendable enterprise in other mat
tiers OF public interest was sadly neglect
ing provisions looking TO the building of a
hotel that is sorely needed here.
MIR. Johnston is widely known through
aout the South from his connection with
Divide Musin, the celebrated vlolinist. who
appeared before a Fort Worth audience
about one year ago He is en- route to Aus
tralia Before taking his final leave of
this country, MI. Johnston permitted a re-
porter 10 buzz him for few moments.
do you join your Mr.. Musin soon2u
asked the reporter.
''Oh, no; l seldom see him. Our inter
ests are largely identical, but our ways are
necessarily far apart
My wife and I, after filing few more
Southern engagements, will go direct to
San Francisco. We sail from that point
on the M2riposa about the first week in
April for Australia (Sydney) direct, with
Musln and the entire company. Well, you
can imagine such trip on i $500 ton boat
on choppy sea like the Pacific. l have
never been TO Australia, but have been on
the Pacific and we don't forget it We
cross the Atlantic every summer, but [
sg-g-,F -avrN t,gN
are more than three times as large as the
Mariposa or the Alameda, the Australian
boats; but no matter, we are under contract
for Australia and must go. We have a
splendid contract with J, c. Williamson.
the Australian king of theatrical managers.
He Is an American, though, and the hus-
band of Maggie Moore; you remember
Struck Oil Maggie Well, he went down
there twelve years ago and struck it rich,
and to-day is worth e10O, OO0-that's what
he intimated to me when met him In Lon
don last June
I'VE return to America in September next.
opening at the Baldwin theater, San Fran
cisco, October u. After which we will
make our regular American tour"
Mr.. Johnston related many interesting
incidents connected with his managerial
no doubt, readable by THE GAzETTE's
patrons, an account of which was printed
in The GAZETTE at the time.
During the big Leland hotel fire at Syra-
cuse, n. Y, one-legged man hobbled
down six flights of stairs through flames
and smoke with woman on one shoulder
and cork leg under the other arm. Mr..
was that man, and the woman
he rescued from a frightful death was Ada
Dwyer, a sister to Cora Tanner, the ac.
tress. Mr.. Johnston was sleeping on the
sixth floor of the Leland when the fire
broke out. Waking from sound sleep to
the startling sense of terrible danger he
grabbed his cork leg and hoped out of the
room without waiting to strap it on, leay-
lug $4,000 in contracts and considerable
jewelry behind him. The corridor was full
of smoke, and as he was making his way
toward the stairs he heard women scream
ing for help. He broke into their room and
found two women standing in the window.
One of them, Bridget Doyle, jumped out,
and then Mr.. Johnston grabbed Miss
Dwyer, threw her over his shoulder and,
after hards truggle, reached the street in
safety with his burden. Cora Tanner sent
him q handsome gold medal in grateful
recognition of his heroism, which was
shown TIE GAZETTE man.
Since that event Mr.. Johnston insists
upon sleeping as near the ground as posi-
bic. The gentleman lost his leg in a railroad
accident some three years ago. After
all necessary arrangements for
his company's performance here, MIR.
Johnston left last night TO join his wife at
Dallas.