The morning call., 1894-06-24

and orchestra leader, father of the Allen
sisters, now favorites on the American
| stage. Allen was dark-skinned English
man, with hair as black as a ravens wing
although he was quite al old man In the
sixties. Some OF his cronles called him
BLACK Jack" on account of the hue Ot his
hair and skin. He had been a sort of row.
ing manager in England during his early
years, picking I'D amusement snaps In
London ana taking them into the prov
Inoes-something after the fashion that
Dickens describes in his "Old Curiosity
Shop" He had heard the story of COur-
taine's aristocratlc origin, and one day he
burst or: after party had repeated it TO
him, speaking with strong English
accent:
Marks o. Waterford be blowed. Who
are you speakin' to? What are ye givin'
me? / knew CourtaiDe when he was a
kid. His name was Jimmy Curtin, the
son of an Irish plasterer, that lived in the
Tower Hamlets. London. / found him
dancin' for coppers in the publics that are
plenty enough in that quarter, | can tell
you. AS he was bright little chap and
could handle his feet well, besides doing
bit of a song on pinch. l engaged him
from his daddy 10 go down to the country.
He took with the yokelS, and l made
good bit of no oney out of him. l must say.
He's turned out pretty we'll in the per-
flesh has Jimmy, and it's pity he lushes
O. Waterford being his dad is all bOsh."
One would be inclined to accept the
Waterford origin. however, if he had
met Courtaine in a lucid interval. He
dressed with fine taste when he put his
good clothes on" he had an urbane, gen.
tlemanly manner of address, he spoke
pure English. free from slang and almost
from colloquialisms. When his unfor-
tunate liquor habit was alluded TO- at
such times, he expressed a feeling of
adherence. and wished to God he could
be cured of it. Had the Kelley cure been
in vogue during Courtaine's time he might
have rid himself of the demon; but 1t is
question if his constitution would not have
sufficed in the struggle.
Harry" a well-wisher said to him one
day, you are man yet In the prime Of
life and with many years before you.
Why don't you pull yourself together.
exert your will-power and cali halt on
this drink question ?"
Courtaine looked at the speaker and his
eyes assumed a melancholy expression. he
was a eonsummate actor.
Listen, my friend" he said. after a
while, land l will try to make you under
stand my condition. Imagine a man
antly supplied with food. What persua-
sion of friends. what exercise of will
power on his OVID part could prevent that
starving wretch from snatching and de-
vOuring the food before him? | am that
poor Wretch, and ain drawn toward liquor
as the furnishing man is toward food.
Heavens! l cannot describe to you the
torture feel In the effort to refrain from
drinking. My only safety is in being forciby
restrained. in fact, | am SO much victim
of the habit and my whole system SO SYM
pathizes with it at when l see party in
the act of drinking any stimulant | feel
the influence of 1t In my own sense Of
TASTE"
Others have confessed similar state of
mind and body TO this. In their case it
may have been disease, and they are to be
ptied; but in the actors case, those who
knew him best considered he romanced,
and acted the hypOcrlte, for 1t was we'll
known that when he felt drawn to play
the drunken role, he prepared fer 1t. He
| laid away all his good clothes carefully,
and selected ragged suit, so ragged as to
be beyond injury. and that might properly
be worn by Jem Bags, the wandering
minstrel. invested in this tOggery, he
walked arm in arm with Baechus for many
a night. and went down into depths from
which be only emerged when nature was
nearly exhausted; and then by kindly
| policeman he was conveyed TO the station,
and subsequently to the County Jail.
Courtaue was continual disappoint-
ment to his manager and the public. He
was as unreliable as Sims Rseves-but not
from the same cause-waS said to have
been in bis London concert engagements.
Yet SO iDdulgent were the San Francisco
public that whenever Handsome Har.
ry" reappeared after long spree, look
ing 50 jaunty in the bravery of a well-fit-
ting costume, the house rose to him
in tumultuous welcome. Some were I'M
kind enough to say that the actor had these
welcomes" in view when ne was carouS-
ing. and was vain and weak enough TO
think they were worth the breaking down
of his health by debaucherv.
The time came when his wife, Emma
Grattan, worn out by her husbands con-
duet, left him and returned to Europe to
follow her profession. After her depart
ure Canrtaine went down in the profess
siOpsl gamut very rapidly. and rather af-
fected the minstrel crescent at last with
another noted professional called Miss
Fanny Russum, whose father was Recorder
of The city at one time. Miss Russum's
friends were much opposed to her going