The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-02-14

to meet this rental and the ex-
pcnse required to run the hotel. The site
Is excailent for mercantile purposes. so when II
Is reconstructed 1t will again return a fair IN
terest on the investment. The Grand Central
will be missed by many visitors, particularly by
persons from the South and West, with whom II
has been for twenty years q favorite stopping
place. The Southern trade was the last TO Tor
sake it. Ii lost this, 1t did other trade, chiefly
on account OF its location, and also because the
Southern people of late years have recovered
from the catastrophe OF war and are able TO pat
ronize the newer and finer hotels up town.
During tho past few years the Southern
ers have been found basking in the more
gorgeous sulight-tbough 1t Is mostly electric
iight.-of the Hoffman house. the Fifth Avenue
and the Brunswick Not a few Of them pick
their teeth without any false pretense, in the
shade OF the still more expensive DelInonico's;
so, 1t may be said that the Southern people,
when they come to New York these days, have
the best that's going. The Grand Central has
for years been the headquarters for Masonic
bodies visiting the city, and this, with q large
baseball clientage, has been for some time Its
main stay. 1t was on this site in 1850 that the
Free MasonS held their great meeting In Trip
ler's hall.
Thirty years ago or more the Lafarge hotel
occupied this site, and a part OF the same
property was Tripler's hall In this bali Jenny
country, but as 1t was not completed when she
arrived, the golden-throsted songstress was
brought out In Castle Garden, now falling to
decay. Triplers was an immense place, with
three galleries, and, after Jenny Lind dedi-
Gated it to music aud cong, 1t was the
scene of many notable gatherings. Beauty
and fashion, as they existed in New
York at that time, were often assembled in
Tripler's hail at some festival of song or public
function. A fire completely Quilted the place
and the regeneration brought the winter Garden,
occupying the same spot now occupied by the
immense lobby and reading-room of the hotel.
AS Jenny Lind had achieved her first American
triumph in Tripler's hall, on the site Of this
property, SO Edwin Booth, in the Winter Gar
den, met with his first success an actor. The
late William Stuart who had more faith In Booth
than Booth had in himself, engaged him for
a season at this theater, and the young actor
scored such pronounced success that the en-
gagement heightened into years. 1t was early
IN this engagement that Booth played Hamlet
for 100 consecutive nights, the first long run in
this country OF any play with the exception OF
"Uncle Toms Cabin" During his stay at the
Winter Garden, under the management OF Stu
art, he also played Julius Ceser," with his
brothers, Junius Brutus Booth and John
Wilkes Booth, in the cast. He
played here after John Wilkes had
,ance alter the event was received with much
bitterness by many in the audience, because of
the popular recruitment felt toward the name.
Police were stationed in the parquet and CALLER
les and also in the wings on the stage. The
draft riots during the war took place in the
street In front OF this theater, and at the corner
OF Broadway and Third, Immediately above was
the scene of the bloodiest work.
Edwin Booths engagement at the Winter
Garden made both himself and his manager
comparatively rich men. AT all events. Booth
felt able to build his own theater at Twenty
third street and sixth avenue, although he
oyerstepped himself in this business venture
aud lost the fortune he had made at
the theater down town. Before Stuart
and Booth left the Winter Ga rden, viii
II am i. Burton moved in with his COM
pany from the Chambers Street theaier,
which stood on the site of the American News
Compauys present building, opposite the city
hal. Burton had company in every way
worthy of his own great tale hts. Dion Bouci-
cault began his wonderful career with Burton
in his Chambers street theater and played with
him for some time Agnes Robertson, after
wards Mrs. Dion Boucieault, in this COM
pany. so was lester wallack and the great Pls-
eide brothers, VINO were unrivaled in their time.
The present Mrs. John Hoey, then Mrs Rus
sell, was star In Burtons brilliant galaxy.
The veteran Charles Fisher, so long in DAVIS
company, who died recently, was another OF the
Chambers street favorites. Burton made a big
fortune in this theater, but he could not take
his audiences with him when he moved into
the Winter Garden. This was, in part, due TO
the fact that Lester Wallack seeded from
his company about this time and started
best players with him. But whatever the
cause, Burton failed in financial sense
in the house where Booth had achieved such an
artistic and financial success, and Stuart, the
lessee OF the theater, was also heavy loser by
the fire which wiped out this famous theater.
This was the beginning of stuart's losses, which
ultimately became total. He died poor man,
but Que whose accomplishments in literature
and art made his society sought by prominent
people of this country and Europe.
Another interesting character in connection
with this scrap of history was John Lafarge,
who built the Lafarge hotel, which was fol-
lowed by the Grand Central Lsfarge was a
man of affairs at that time. He was a French
man sent TO this country by Emperor Napoleon
as his financial agent lie was supplied
with apparently unlimited means, aud
being shrewd business man is Teputed
to have made million or two here for him
self and his royal principal. He owned a
hno summer residence on the Hudson, some-
where about Tarrytown, and also maintained
one of the best establishments in this city.
Among the business properties which he held,
presumably for Napoleon, were the buildings at
the corner of Broadway and Dey street, where
now looms up Jay Gouid's lofty Western Union
building.