Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1895-06-21
OLD TIME SHOWS.
Some RecoIlections of Little
Falls' Emusements in Pact
- Z: ,% % b years. N -.

Little Falls seems likely to be
blessed with an abundance in the
amusement line this summer. Both
opera houses have several bookings
and Others in contemplation. In
other years. a show was the grand
event In the current history OF the
town. Theatrical companies did
not come around very frequently.
and rarely stayed more than three
nights at the most. In those days
a show was waited for with eager
ness and was a subject of discussion
long after it's departure.
The Breyer Comedy company was
one of those making frequent trips
to Little Falls in the later seventies
and early eighties, and was always
greeted with good houses. The
company long ago broke up.
Amateurs fiourished ten and
twelve years ago, as they do now,
and in Among the Breakers"
"Above the Clouds" Little Brown
Jug" and other plays, demon
started that the town was possessed
of much latent dramatic genius.
billiard & DemOtt's circus marked
an event of great Importance, so the
small boys of 1878 thought. Rarely
a large circus came to Little Falls
then. When people wanted to see a
circus real bad, they went to Brain
erd or st. Cloud, which FOrepaugh
regularly visited. Later, commence
ing with Robinson's, the big shows
came.
Among the early minstrel troupes
were Oglesby's Troubadours and
Billy Barlow's MINISTRIES. Oglesby
was relative of the Illinois states
man, ex-senator Oglesby. He was
killed in Missouri few years ago in
q woman affair. Barlow was a
great favOrite, and had a habit of
asserting that the business men OF
the town could not hold a candle
to him, naming each business man,
which was then considered the
quintessence ut humOr. There were,
of course, half a dozen or SO "Orig-
inal'' Tennessee and Georgia min
strels. But the minstrel show of
former times, composed OF horseplay
and alleged wit, has passed away.
Those who remember the celebrated
Little Falls Pleasure Club. will re-
call its memorable trip along the line
OF the L.. F. Sd. Some of the towns
visited probably remember it yet.
The advent of the Marble Dramatic
company recalls the evening, years
ago, when they played kathleen
Mavourneen" in the Vasaly hall on
First street. That evening was
made memorable by the disaster
which befell j. Ross Workman.
While the audience was entranced
by the sorrows of Kathleen, JOS.
Hamlin put his head in the door and
yelled, Gross Workman fell down
the we'll and broke his leg" This
cast a gloom over the evening. Ross
claimed that "three men TUX me
bodily and threw me down the
pOomp." 1t was the impression,
however, that it was three drinks
and not three men that did the job.
Speaking of Ross, who is now at
Rochester, Judge Richardson lately
received letter from him. He
takes gloomy view Of things, even
hints at suicide, and does not seem
at all satisfied with his present place
of abode. He says he intends to
leave Rochester, but will not return
to Little Falls.
AS good wine improves with age
SO does Billy Marble and his
talented and versatile wife with
each year they remain upon the
stage. More than sixteen years
have passed since we first heard
them, during which time they have
always been favorites, but it seems
to us that never before have they
given such excellent satisfaction as
they did during the three days they
were here last week. Their audi
ences increased with each night and
had they remained much longer they
would no doubt have taxed the ut
most capacity of the hall. Their
troupe is in excellent one; Will Atkin
son, Mr.. Marbles partner, and his
vivacious wife, being bright pleasing
players and with Chas. Hatfield,
made whole team by themselves.
They will be greeted by a full house
when they return nextfall.:-[Benson
Times.