The Portland daily press., 1892-12-22
A JUVENILE HORDE.

Six Thousand Street Urchins Swarm Into
Metropolitan Playhouse and Make
Away with Everything Portable Within
Reach-A Pandemonium.
Fully {, 1000 shouting, screaming, chat
tering, cheering youngsters attended the
performance of .sThe Scout" given for
poor children at Niblo's, and outdid the
Indians as regards noise and drowned
the reports of the pistols with their en-
thusiastic yells.
Such an audience has never before
been inside the walls Of a playhouse.
There were boys there with dirty faces,
and boys whose natural color did net
give one an opportunity to see if they
were dirty or not Little girls were
there, too, some white and few black,
and they took as much delight in the
performance and made as much noise
as the boys.
The doors of the theater were besieged
as early as 7:30 o'clock, and by $50 there
was tremendous jam about the Broad
way and Crosby street entrances. Once
the doors were opened there was no use
trying to collect tickets. The boys SIM
ply swept everything before them. In
an incredibly short time every seat con-
tanned at least two occupants, and every
available place from which the stage
could be seen was occupied.
The boys hung on the posts like mon
keys. occupied the stairs, stood on the
radiators, and if it wasn't for the ten
big policemen who were there to preserve
order there is no knowing what they
would have done. The youngsters talked
to each other from all parts of the house.
ebay, Yaller!' shouted one urchin
across the gallery. "Did you see me.
brudder?' NAV" came the answer.
"Hully Moi" shouted back the first
speaker, sme mudder will slaughter
me-" Eli, Red shouted another young
ster, where's Mixer" sob, he's down
in the parkay eating oats" came the an
swer.
1t was 10 o'clock when Congressman
Timothy j. Campbell came before the
curtain and addressed the boys. At
least he tried to tell the boys TO be good
citizens, but they heard him not, and he
concluded in pantomime.
One little girl wearing a big red hat
occupied chair all by herself in the or
chestra. ''Take off your hat, Mag!"
shouted the little one behind her, but
she paid no attention, and in an instant
that hat was sailing down the aisle.
When she got it back 1t was in ribbons,
and to quiet her cries policeman lifted
her into box, where she spent most Of
her time sticking her tongue out at the
other girls.
How the boys cheered when the cur
tain went up! They applauded DR..
Carver like mad, and when he threw
the villain in the big tank they yelled
furiously. The comic Irishman and the
darby pleased them immensely, and they
marveled at DIR. Carver's aim when he
broke all the bottles in the saloon with
rifle balls.
The actors soon discovered that it was
useless to talk, as they couldn't be heard,
and they went on great part of the
time in pantomime. No villain was ever
more heartily disliked than Cherokee
Jake, played by Mr.. Sommerfeld. One
boy in the gallery threw half eaten APP
pie at him, and an Indian picked it up
and finished it. In the fourth act cries
came from all parts of the house to
throw Jake into the river. There was
tumultuous applause when the horse fell
through the bridge, and there was more
when the play was over. It took just
seven minutes for the house to empty,
and it seemed a miracle that no one
was hurt. Had one boy stumbled while
coming down the gallery staircase the
result would have been appalling.
After the house was emptied Manager
Comstock went in and viewed the wreck.
Every other row had broken seat, and
in one place an entire row was demol-
ished. The urchins broke open the opera
glass machines and carted off the glasses,
and in some cases took the machines
and all.
'Well," said Mr.. Comstock, ''they
had good time, and don't care as long
as they left the four walls and didn't get
hurt. New York Herald