Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-03-25
TRAGEDIES BACK IN 1876.
THEY WE'RE PERFORMED ON
THE STAGE IN DIsADwooD.
Hamlet was Murdered Every Night
ut Jack Langrishe's Theater.
Trial and Execution OF an As
snssin by Vigilantcs.

which the people OF Deadwood city
were INDUCED IN 1876 was theater,
says Leander Richardson, In the New
York Sun. It was conducted by Mr..
Jack" Langrlshe. an actor and mana
ger who had been browsing along the
outside edge Of the frontier prior to
the discovery Of gold in the Black
Hnis. and who continued so 10 browse
for a long time afterward. Mr.. Lam
Rrishe was an innovator. He would
tnke quite as many liberties in his IN
depreciation OF Hamlet al Nj Willard
has taken In his. have aesn both
portrayers, and ! am inclined TO the
opinion that OF the two Mr.. Langrishe's
was perhaps the most original, as II
certainly was tho most arduoua.
Mr.. Lanerishe not alone played the
prince OF Denmark in his tragedy but
he also performed a number OF other
roles, and all Of the members OF ms
company. OF whom there were eisft'
did similar duty. The star, however.
went considerably beyond the others
in that he added to his lnbors as an
actor the combined task Of selling
tickets at the box Office, painting much
Of the scenery. stage managing and
productions. and getting out the hu-
Refreshments All IN ALL | do not think
there have been very many organiHn-
lions devoted to the exploitation OF
Shakespeare. Wayne Ellis, sheridan,
j. J. McCloskey aud other classic
writer's FOR the stage that could hold a
candle TO tho Lonsrishe company IN
come respects.
The Dendwood theater was construct
ed mainly Of unplunod boards. and II
had canvas roof. TIE seats were
long wooden benches without backs or
arm rests and there WAS no gallery.
Such a Huperiluous and afistocr0uc
article as wooden door was never
dreamed OF. The bare ground WAS
quite good enough for ordinary use
The stage was olcvntcd about SIX feet
md the opening was not large. There
was u drop curtain with picture
labeled Lake Como, probably to nbNi-
ate the quite simple apprehension
that II might represent large green
tomato, and there was scenery OF the
kind that Is warranted to TIT any
stage" excepting tie one on which II
Happens to be placed The orchestra
consisted OF cottage meiodcon, ana
the 1uvenie man Of the company was
musical conductor and All the mualcl-
Rns, In the pathetic scenes In which
he was not cngaged on the stage this
young man would put out the tremolo
stop In his mel9deou and contribute
untold agony to the situation. The
tremolo stop also served 10 give effect
to the proceedings OF the heavy villain,
and IN turn II ushered from this ehlll
existence to IA life beyond the fragile
and acriptural Little Eva. lndeed, 1t
was the hardeat worked part uf the
whole show, and II possessed faaci-
nation FOR the Juvenile man that was
almost painful. To see him rush out
from underneath the stage. give a tug
at tho trsinOlo stop play woirdly
through 1--WE or elk minutes OF dramatic
anguish between Lady Isabel ana her
dash underneath the stage again In
time to be on at the end of the act, was
trent worth having. There Were, In
fact, Il good many treats worth having
In that thratcr
on one evening IN particular n reY
of US felt frolicHumo aud in need Of
dissipation, and concluded we WAulI
drop in blaso men about town thnt we
arc, to see ''Hhc streets Of New Autk.
There was quito q crowd In the house,
10 which the admission was $3.50 pay-
able IN currency or gold dust, for the
weighing OF which there was a pair Of
sculca In the box office window Our
party consisted OF California Joe, Wild
I'm, Mr.. Myers and myself, The
audience. quite naturally, was made up
mostly Of men. but there were two
or three mining camp damaels In tho
house. ana one OF these distinguished
herself Char00tcristlcaiy before the
evening was over She was named
Kitty Austin, but had a more compre-
henslve At Tor general use, the cN-
IRENE direcineaa OF which, | regret TO
say excludes II from repetition here.
MISS Austin was the pretuest, and pos
sihly at that period the most elegant
girl In camp, Il need not OF necesslty
be inferred that there was a very vlo-
lent competition IN Dendwood rs to per-
aonnl loyeiincss or manners en- reggie,
In a young and boiling metropolis
whose society factions were led on one
Side by Calamity Jane. who kept q
GAUGE house, and on tho opposite a'de
by Miss .Auatin who kept another,
there might not pcrhapH, be expected
90 exist the cXoluHivc hnulcur, tho ie-
fined lenEuor. OF the eAtrcme gcnulity
OF speech cultivated In the onuto East
But there was rivalry, nevertheless,
Miss Austin VIVA admitted to hold III,
palm In the matte. OF looks and ward
robe, having had the forethought 10
bring her trunk with her lila matter
OF clothing was Il thorn IN the side OF
Calamity Jane. Who had departed frnrI
Cheyenne for tht Black HiiiF quite 81,
had ON OF the time, which included a
suit OF mans clothing and progressive
jag. To facilitate her progress, Jana
hired horse and buggy from Chey.
enne livery stable Keeper Tor va lone
drive" which, IA point OF fact, iustlnsd
the torn, inasmuch aa Il cxtpndod
nearly 100 miles hefre the ambition.
young woman was Obliged TO give w
the properly and Join wagon train
But N Miss Austin could outdresi
and outlook the other female inhahi
tanta Of Deudwood, Calamity Jan,
could outride. outdrlnk, outahoot Mis-,
Austin. These claims % superiout,
she was wont to demonairnte. once II
while, by first consuming quantity
OF the liquor sold In her own e-tahlteh
ment to awaken her ambition ara thei
mounting hOrac man fashion 1nf rid
INK up and down the street wow tini
like an Indian. As a fitting wind-ul
FOR these harmless little bursts OF limo
cent enthusiasm, and merely 10 shov
that there was no GOODNESS, lane woul,
usually shoot In all the windows o
Miss Aiisun'a ,aunted temple OF Terp
lichuro
On the evening In question Miss Aus
I'm came down the center aisle OF Mr.
Langrishc's theater clothed in splen
iHs vF mr. tsN