The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-27

snow-white horse and the tomatoes were
soft and ripe. When Jurius refined up
before his own door stream of what
appeared to be blood had stained Billy's
TANKS, and Mrs. Booth, thinking some
ruffian had stabbed her lord. played
the tragedy queen without studying the
lines.
Among the most intimate friends of
the Booths We're Mr.. and Mrs. Edward
Thayer. Mr.. Thayer, who came to this
city in 1S49, and has trodden the boards
here for forty-fiye years, is sharing the
fate of California writer's; he is sick and
poor, and is forsaken and forgotten in
his old age. The Booths, Mrs. Sinclair,
John Mccullough, Lawrence Barrett
and James Murdoch were his friends
and his contemporaries: he has sur
vived them all, and to the public he is
more dead than any of them. Mr..
Thayer remembers, as il it were yester-
day, when Edwin Booth essayed great
tragedy part for the first time. The
play was Richard Ill., Booth was
dressed for the stage and was waiting
in the wings. Ned" he said to Thayer
in the popular slang of the day, Il am
trying it on the dog
NO USE FOR WOMEN.
among men," Mr.. Thayer goes on to
say, Edwin Booth was jolly good fell
low. He could drink with the best of
us. hut when it came to the women he
hadn't bit of use for them. He was
a handsome boy and the ladies We're
wild over him. i have carried him
messages and notes enough to turn any
mans head, but he never responded and
would never meet any woman If he
could help it. 1t was the strangest
thing in the world the rest of us used
to think. Why, women were scarce out
here in 50, and, tell you. they usually
had things all their own way. l wonder
if there are not some grandmothers In
San Francisco now whose cheeks might
burn with the remembrance OF the way
they courted the handsome young
actor?"
Mrs. Thayer confirms what her hus-
band says regarding Edwin's taciturn-
ity toward women. She herself played
with him many times. and even played
Ophelia to his Hamlet the first time
that he undertook the great role which
won for him SO much fame and arec-
tionate admiration. Mrs. Thayer says
th~t notwithstanding her close associa-
ton with Booth in his work she never
exchanged twenty words with him out
side the lines of the plays.
The home of Junius did not at all
suit Edwin as a domicile. There were
always women about, and that was a
state of things not to be endured. With
a number of other young actors ne took
a house well out of town at PipeSv1lle,
on the Mission road, and the party kept
bachelors hall together. At o'clock
in the evening they used to come gal
Looping up to the theater on horseback,
a gay cavalcade, and all with knightly
top boots half way to their hips.
Mrs. Thayer remembers June as an
athlete; he was tall and well built; he
had the grace which was common to all
the Booths, and he was exceedingly
fond of boxing and fencing. He was a
grave and quiet man. prudent and con-
sentative, a good actor and faithful
friend. The death of his young wife
Swallowed his life, and if he was less
enterprising and brilliant actor than
Edwin, he was none the less beloved by
those who were fortunate enough to
know him intimately.