The record-union., 1893-12-25
EARLY-DAY 4HBAqRICALS HERE.
San Francisco Was Not In 1t With
Sacramento.
How the Lanfented Charley Thorne
Made a Stake at the Old Tehama
Theater in 1850.

A writer in one of the San Francisco
papers of few days since related long
narrative given him by the late Charles
Thorne, the veteran actor, on the occa-
sion of his last visit to this coast, three or
four years ago, in which Thorne told of
his theatrical venture in Sacramento in
1850, and how he made piles of gold at the
old Tehama Theater here. After refer
ring to a trip to New Orleans, Thorne
said:
This brought me up to the time when
j made the most important movement OF
my life-migrating with my wife and
family to California in 1850"
"How did you make the trip? BY the
Horn or the Isthmus route?'
1--WE lett New York on the steamship
Ohio for Aspinwall, crossed the lsthmus
and took sailing ship at Panama for San
Francisco. We were seventy days going
this part of the journey. Think of it
two months and quarter in huddled
passenger ship on the broad Pacific. L
had enough of the blue, the broad, the
ever-free' on that trip to last me some
time.'
'The steamer McKim was year COM
ing here from Panama. You had moth
ing to complain OF"
perhaps not. l grumbled good deal
at the time, though. However, we reached
this city in good health, and on landing
were joyfully hailed by friends from
every quarter of the Union. 1t made my
heart swell with pride and satisfaction, L
can tell you. Such a greeting compen-
sated fully for the length and discomtorts
of the voyage. There was no theater for
us in San Francisco, and so we started on
ho cfo To
opened at the Tehama Theater in 'PiZarro'
and The Swiss Cottage to $1,000. L was
amazed. l began to think / had come into
possession of Fortunatus' purse, and need
only put my hand in as often as pleased
and l would be sure to find gold. The
theater was filled every night thereafter
while we played, by most interested
audience, until, at the end, with light
hearts and a very heavy purse, we re-
turned to New York from a country that
had proved to us a veritable Ell Dorado"
You have made good many trips to
and from California"
''Sir, l have made twenty-four trips to
this land of promise. [ only stayed long
enough in New York, when l first went
back from California, to organize small
company for the Tehama Theater, where
l had struck pay dirt at first. l
brought out the Chapman Family, Char
ley King, Dave Anderson, Seymour and
one or two others whose names l have
forgotten, and we started in with vim
on the legitimate and melodrama. We
throve well.
There was a funny incident connected
with Seymour's playing Nose IN Califor-
nia' during my second season at the Te-
hama in Sacramento. He had to get a
monkey and bear for the business, but
was puzzled where to look for the ami
mails, or where to get the dress for those
who might act the parts. Seymour,
said I to him, there are no monkeys in
California; I know that very well,' he
replied, but l must have JOcko i'll the
play. He Is supposed TO come from the
isthmus.'
"You would have laughed to see us try
to get up this monkey. We first encased
boy in pair OF brown tights, sewed on
an imitation tail, put a red soldier coat,
such as organ-grinders' pets wear, on his
body, and Dave Anderson undertook TO
do up the face with Spanish brown.
When this figure of fun came on the
stage he was received with roar by the
audience, who demanded to know what
it was. Seymour, who was playing Nose,
could hardly forbear laughing, but at
length he told them it was nondescript
he had bought at Chagres. For a bear
we had negro dressed up in skins bor-
rowed from a neighboring stable. The
head was well concealed by a pasteboard
mask, bat the huge hands and feet would
show themselves in spite of all attempts
at concealment. The audience laughed
till almost exhausted. Nose in Califor-
MA was great success, but L confess
think this was chiefly owing to the bear
and the monkey"
"You say you could not find any place
in which to act when you arrived at San
Francisco, and had to go to Sacramento
for an opening. Was the river town
ahead of the bay In theater facilities at
that timer"
Certainly. Sacramento had taken the
lead. The Tehama Theater was the best
IN the country, and was managed by the
well-known Mrs. J. II. Kirby, who after
ward became Mrs. James Stark. 1t took
San Francisco quite while to get thea
ter equal to the 'Tehama.' 1t was at this
theater Mrs. Bingham, Mrs. Hamilton,
Mrs. Kirby and Mrs. Mestayer first made
their appearance in California; also,
Atwater, Ned Bingham, Byers, Downie,
McClosky, Stark, Zabriskie and poor
Ninson, of whose death you may have
read the other day in the New York pa
pers. / believe they are all dead" con-
tinued the veteran with a noticeable tre-
NOR in his voice, ''all dead. Their scenes
have been shifted for the last time and
their curtain falls to slow music"
SorroWfuI "reminiscences were coming
across his mind like sudden mist over
fair landscape, when the current of his
thought was changed by question, sud-
denly put:
"Nas your theatrical experience in San
Francisco equally successful with that in
Sacramento?"
Good business enough, but not up tc
the Sacramento mark. That was the tor
of the cam, the rich cream of the
Days of old. the days of gold,
And the days OF torty-nine,
81 Cl,nr1rrr 4