The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-06-12
FoRD's OLD rHEATER.
Historical Sketch of the Building
Made Famous by Blood.

Baltimore, June LII am advised
said John T. Ford, speaking of the col
lapse of his former opera house, ''that
what | left is still standing the
walls and the roof are all right. The en-
tire mischief was done by the floors put
in after the building was taken out of my
hands. 1t was built in 1868, on the site of
the first Baptist church erected in Wash
ington. bought the church and altered
it into sort of concert hall After
years use it burned down, and 1 built
this theater on the site, tax
ing in more ground. James j.
Clifford was the architect, and George r.
Calls of Baltimore did the brick work
Mr.. Calls, by the way, was the builder
also of the Western Female high school,
The walls were from two to three feet
thick, and the seating capacity was
nearly 700 No accident, save the fatal
one that terminated its career, ever hap
pened in it while / managed it, and it was
often packed to repletion. 1t was very
popular in war times, and President
Lincoln, who was fond of dramatic enter
tainments, frequented it; in fact, it was
his faVOrite place of amusement in Wash
ington. Another frequent visitor was
Gen. Custer and the audience would ap-
plause him vigorously whenever he en-
tered Many other federal generals and
celebrities of the time were among its
patrons, including Gems. Sicl1les and
Grant. The latter had been invited by
Lincoln on the night of the assassination
to form one of his party, and had accepted
the invitation, but changed his mind for
some reason, and left that day for Phila-
delphia. When these or other popular
favorites showed themselves they would
be cheered by the audience. The house
had but two seasons, and they were I'M
eventful. 1t was opened by Lucille
Western, and almost all the noted stars
of the day played with me in it. Forrest
played there, and during its first season
John Wilkes Booth filled an engagement
as a star, He was the only one of the
Booths who performed within its walls
He did not appear during the year of the
assassination. The last week of its
existence Laura Keene was the attraction
and Edwin Adams was to play the follow
ing week; but on April IS, 1865, the day
after the murder of the President, it was
closed by the government.
Il attempted to open it two months
| later when r. NJ. Stanton, Secretary of
War, seized it, and from July to the next
session of congress, it was used by the
war department. When / resisted seiZ-
ure, l employed Henry Winter Davis as
my counsel, and among my champions
was Horace Greeley, who editorially de-
| clared in the New York Tribune, that
Mr. Ford had right to use his own
property to pay his debts and support his
family. AT the assembling of congress, a
bill was introduced by Thaddeus Stevens
to purchase the property from me. It's
seizure was based on a preteXt that the
government wanted to use it, but really
rose, am convinced, from a sentimental
desire to keep the scene of the Presidents
tragic death free from what was thought
the dissertation of putting it again to
theatrical uses. 1t was occupied when |
first sold it, by the war department as an
| anatomical museum to illustrate every
kind of wound that could be
received in battle, and every variety of
resulting hurt and sore, together with an
exhibit of explosives ana their effects. [
do not know to what uses it was put after
ward, or in the service of what depart
ment. twas regularly pulled out inside,
three or four floors put in, and u well, as
they termed it, in the center, for the pur-
pose of supplying light and ventilat ton.
IL was the digging about this, under
stand, that caused the collapse. Some
remarkable condolences are connected
with the building. Its architect, Mr.
Clifford, built also the Booth homestead in
Hartford county, Holiday Street theater
and the opera house in this city He built
it solidly, as the state of what was his
original work amply testifies. Then its
collapse with its awful sacrifice of human
life taking place on F'riday-the day of
the week when the tragedy which gave it
n grewsome fame throughout the nation
occurred, and the day of Edwin Booths
funeral-the end of life that tragedy
did so much to darken Just about the
time, too, when the assassination has been
brought viVidly to public recollection