New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-07
EARLY WANDERINGS.
A BITTER ORDEAL FOR THE YOUNG ACT

In October 1852 the elder Booth babe fare
we'll 10 his sons and set forth on his homeward
journey Before parting with Edwin. whom nc
had determined 10 leave in California. he spoke
70 him gravcly and indicated the necessity oil
learning the art of acting amid circumstances oi
comparative independence.
The elder Booth travelled to New-Orlcans and
there filled an cngagrmcnt-thc last that ne was
destined 10 play-at the st. Charles Theatre. end
ing it on November 10, 1852. with Sir Edward
Mortimer and John Lump. in The Iron Chest
and The Review" He then embarked aboard a
Mississippi steamboat, the Cheneworth. for Gin
cinnati At starting there rain and ne got
wet and caught cold That illness he only 30
far observed as to retire to his cabin and his pcd
where he lay, in silence and alone for more ''''l
forty eight hours. out with care, laDor anu
pain and with the struggle Of nat ms rctcent
firm. and unwilling 10 be burden or an annoy,
ance to any one When at last he was vlsi' cs
he was found to % DYING His dra, Tear of his
age He was born on May l, 1916, IN 81 railcr r
Parish, London) His body was brought nome Tor
burial and his grave is 10 te bis memory
erected by Edwin Booth. who devoted 10 'uu'
ilal duty the gaips Of the first SUCCESSFUL en-,
igagcment that he played after returning "
the East. IT,. Coli.
Much iifervened before that return: nc u%r,,
fornia period of Edwin Booths caIecI-iIn1 nuS
of trip to Australia and the Sandwich ant,mn
extended from the summer Of ls3? 70 'he auuun'"
of 1850 At first. after his father uepTr'u no,
there was brief period Of Tat,ng D.. n nct me- e..
an engagement with d. Maie Sar 10 aoi psrs in
vo ar" s"' picccs Mir. Waller was the star.
During that engagement Edwin acted lago Tor me
first tine 1t proved an mnfortu caTy trayeIlpq
storms and general discomfort, ana ternihaihS III
disaster.
Booth now pcnnibss. managed TO make his way
md i.ppn IN N
no arrived in forlorn condition. His brother Ju-
MUS had received later intelligence from home
Their father body had nern sa wants so w"rs net
he considered. If they saw good fortune III Iii.
fornia they would do we'll to remain there lhnt
was the counsel from home, and by mat they oe
tcrmincd to aD1dc.
WINNING FAME IN THE GOLDEN STATE.
Edwin Booth now became member OF
dramatic company under his brothers manaqc-
ment. 10 play utility" parts at . theatre caiicu
tie San Francisco Hall. Farces and burles1ncs
were given at that place, and IN those the reaoS
and versatile player took an active share. oie
OF his hits at that time was made AZ Danhy 'oA'
in negro farce produced by the ChaP'na"
Family Another his pcrsonation OF Ilupic'
q local celebrity, whom he reproduced IL iarce'
ard so we'll reproduced that the counterfeit pre-
sentiment proved both popular and rcmunera'iVc
Mr. Plume was pleased TO signify approval ana
tO
ng to the actor his hat cont, and CATERS
more important success was made py, l'ooth az
the same time in Shakespeare's Petruchlo. winch
Stem by step in that little theatre he toiled up
ward The work wos hard, the discipline irksome.
the drudgery various and incessant; put this was
n comrnde. he acted RchA5d ILL., The success was
magical The city rang with his praises. Even
the pblegmatc .Junius was surprised ana dcllgh,cu
at that outbnrst of tragic power, and he straight
6x;sab brofhpr's
NJ the great characters Of Shakespeare: Most
Of them Booth had studied. Many of them he
had ceen as acted by his father, from whom ~ was
his privilege to learn and to whose genius and cx;
ample he was ever deeply indebted lie ACCENTED
the opportunity and he proved equal 10 NJ ,e
Macbeth. and those impersonations caused a popu-
lar excitement unprecedented in the drama,lc ne
OF California Crowded houses applaudcd MN.
The generous II not always ndiclous entn"siTTln n
of the Press encouraged and chccred him. Inc
sympathy of brother actors stimulated him 70 new
exertions He became the favorite OF the theatre
going public and made an impression on 'ne s, Sa.
Of his time which Deep strong, true ana des-
tined to endure.
A TRIP TO AUSTRALIA WITH LAURA KEENE.
A new theatre, the Metropolitan. was presently
opened near the San Francisco Hall. with Cath-
crime Sinclair Mrs Edwin Forrest-ohit juno,
1891 az manager and Mr.. James f. Murdoch as
the first star. The new house handsome, well
APPOINTED and managed by al intellectual and ac-
compiished womsn--soon csptivated the popular
fancy. Public attention was diverted from inc
old theatre: the business there grew bad: the com
pany dwindlcd the place was finally abandoned
TO negro mirstrelsy: and Edwin Booth-after ta1-
~. service OF the Metropolitan for about year
determined 10 20 to Australia. That was in 1884.
The Australian trip including an episode OF pro-
fessional experience at the Sandwich Islands. the
Samoan Islands and Tahiti, occupied nine months.
Booth was accompanied by ID. c. Anderson ana
Laura Kecne; and il arranged that those
three were TO constitute the nucleus OF company
to act in Sydney, Melbourne, and wherever else tho
star Of adventure should guide them.
Arrived at Sydney the dramatic adventures soon
found an opening. Booth made his first appearance
as ShylOck-actinc that part for the first iine-and
played successful engagement Then the party
proceeded 10 Melborrns WHERE they WGrg ,% rss
Kccne was ended Finally the actor took passage
for San Francisco. in vcss"l that vas 10 sop ~
the Sandwch Islands Accompanied by A .nHG
Honolulu hired the only theatre in the town and
remained there two months-producing Richard
H.. The Lady Of l-yons AID other pieces. Roe
characters. acted Pauline. Most Of the dramatic
company slept In hammocks rugged up in the theatre.
y.ooth himself went about and pasted his posters on
the was-not to save expense, but because he found
that the native boys whom lie employed 10 do the
work ate the paste lpoipoi and threw away the
paybils Some prosperity rewarded the actor \
cludcd 10 return 10 San Francisco. On his arrival
there Catherine Sinclair offered him an engagement
n, the Metropolitan Theatre, where he reappearcd,
playing Benedich in Much Ado" At a later
date Booth aud that actress formed partnership
to travel and act. which was distinguished by one
incident Of ,in'ercst-the first production in
Catherine Sinclair was The original Marco in this
country. Booth the original Raphael. and Mr.
Henry Scdey, son Of the Boston actor, w. IT.
Sedlcy Smith the original Voltage That novelty.
as /. then was, met with acceptance bountcous'
and It's presentation which occurred at Sacra-
mento. was the most important event of the dra-
matte season Of $50 in California.
FOLLOWED by FIRE on THE PACIFIC COAST
The partnership soon ended and Booth then
started other wandcrings. This time he
journeycd from Sacram,n,o into the adjacent
mountains with a srolling manager named Mou-
ton, who had organized q dramatic company and
provided wagon for its transportation, and also
brass band TO make music by the way. Booth
travelled on horseback, hating now and then to
act, and so making the mountain circuit The
expedition met with fiuctuating public favor but
it was uniformly attended by one startling inri-