The morning call., 1893-09-04
IRVING'S PEOPLE.
Four Score Actors for His
Support.
VETERANS AMONG THEM
They Bring Six Hundred Tons of
Stage Furnishings for Their En-
gagement in This City.

| cars, three PultmanS ana Jay cOacn
dashed past Sixteenth-Str station yester-
day afternoon, thereby disappointing a
party of newspaper men who had gone
across the bay to intercept the members OF
the Irving company.
There were eightY-three theatrical people
on the train, twenty-four women, two
children under 10, who have already en-
| tered upon professional life, and fifty
seven men. They were weary and dusty
lot, as they frankly confessed, crossing
the bay. aud they have been travelling
continuously since they embarked from
| Southampton thirteen days ago.
They have been escorted from New
| York by Henry E. Abbey. After stop OF
a few hours at Chicago the party journeyed
westward to Kansas City, thence TO Den
yer and on to this city By the Union Pa
| ciic and Contra Pacific. The weather
was excessively hot, especia lily during the
last Two DAYS of the trip. All uttered
| from the high temperature except Daddy"
| Howe, as the other members of the troupe
affectionately term the veteran actor, who
is in his eighty-third year. He stepped
| iauntily off the feTry-bOat the gayest and
haDplest OF the party.
| Mr.. and Mira. 81. j. Loveday, formerly
| Irvlng's financial manager, and Miss War
dell, who is Miss Terry's daughter and
| whose stage name is Allsa Craig, were on
| the pier TO meet their cOnfreres. Aztec
tlonate salutations were exchanged and
there were many caresses for Daddy"
| Howe and even for younger mem Ders OF
| the party. Their location had been ar
ranged in various parts of the city, and
| the inevitable confusion regarding The in
| divdual luggage ensued.
The first portion of the personal accou-
terments to be landed was an immense
ruck piled SO high with hat boxes that it
attained the dimensions of an SIS load of
hay. Even ten-year-Old Leo Byrne, who
plays tile child in Beckett" and the boy
prince in Charles l." had his bundle
! of headgear. Hand in hand with dainty
little GIacie Webb, aged Z he chased after
| the older ones to claim his hatbox, without
| which he could not maintain his Tnespian
dignity.
The hat question settled, Henry Howe,
with Kate Phillips. Maud Milton and Mr..
and Mrs. Haviland. drove to the Occiden-
tai. Henry Abbey. William Terriss, Miss
Millward and Brom StOkar, the stage
manager, went to the Palace. The minor
performers we're scattered around town.
The Langham sheltered thirty, and the In
ternational. the Melville, the Knicker-
booker and other hotels received the bal
! ance.
In the meantime the stage furnishings
were being unlOaded at the Oakland mole.
| The scenery and properties weigh SIS
tons. aud comprise every article used in
the production of the various plays. Even
the paper and envelopes which will figure
| in the different scenes is brought from
| England. Nothing Is left to be provide
from the properties Of a local theater
| Every trlt1e has its place, and can be pro-
duced from Its box at moments notice.
In his attention to details is a source of
! lrylngs success as a manager. He has
| brought with him from London all such
| subordinate attaches as are usually en-
ployed by travelling companies In The diff
ferent towns
the mob. who walk across the stage, and
| occasionally shout "hurrah." have places
| on the regular payroll. and Irving pTides
himself on the fact that his mob knows
! how to cheer.
Henry Howe had not been in his room
five minutes when a request for an inter-
view brought him downstairs without a
murmur. A beautiful old man, with an
unwrinkled face, an snow white head and
| the air Of an Anglican Bishop, his simplest
| utterances have subtle charm. de has
been continuously on the stage since 1885,
and with the exception Of three American
tours, has played always in Lo ndon.
G2He seemed surprised when asked
II lie had no desire to retire from the
stage. and said that his aSnnual six weeks
vacation gave him all th g rest he needed.
1t is plain that the theater is his life, and
he evidently hopes to die in harness. Howe
is hale and vigorous yet despite his 50
years. and has no thought OF dissolution.
/
come 1t will be like eXtinRuishment of a
| light.
Howe was born a Quaker and ascribes
his stage success to the drilling OF his elo-
cution master at Aekworth school, Qua
ker academy in Yorkshire. There he was
classmate OF John Bright, whose early
oratory was fashioned by the same
teacher of elocution. Howe's theatrical
life commenced under Macr eady, whose
protege he was. He talks interes tinely
about actors of bygone generation. he
has seen their beginning and ending and
| holds his own with actors young enough
TO be his grandchildren.
| He has appeared on the stage with
! Charles Keene, and has played the lover
to Nine. Vestris, Mrs. Nesbitt, Mrs. Ster-
ling and Mrs. Charles Keene. For years
| his rendering of Joseph Surface was
famous in dramatic circles. and he exces
as Francis in "Richeleu." as Petruchio,
| ard in scores of leading parts in historical
! plays.
William Terriss does the heroic in Irv-
| ing's company. He is well known tor his
stage beauty, the more singular because
his private appearance is the reverse of
beautiful He is dark, of medium height,
| well proportloned. but hardly we'll featured.
The "trip used him up, and when he
reached his room yesterday afternoon he
Immediately went to bed.
In private life he suffers by comparison
with Henry Miller, Herbert Kecey and
| other beauty men of the American stage,
but with his warpaint ON he will doubtless
be the idol of the San Francisco as of the
London lady patrons of the theater
Two jolly members of the company are
enscOnced in a corner suit at the Occi-
dental. They are Kate Phillips, the come
dienne. aud Maud Milton, ditto, but who
says she is anything" in her present en-
gagement. Miss Phillips is charming
little blonde, of quick wit and sharp retort.
MISS Milton Is stately, fair and handsome,
and played an engagement in this country
some years ago with Nine. Modjeska.
Both have been connected with the Irving
Company Tor three seasons and are full of
praises for its management.
Henry E. Abbey, in brief interview.
declared that apart from the eat the trip
across the continent had been devoid of
Incidents. lie took occasion to deny the
telegraphic statement, published some days
ago. that he had taken a contract 10 man-
age Patti for a season, and intimated that
the rumor had its origin in desire TO ad-
vertlse the diva.
Brom Stokar, the stage manager who
has been lrvng's assistant for ten years,
= hor