The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-02-22
. old DAYS RECALLED.
Mr.. Milton Mobiles Tolls OF hls
Caroor In Wheeling.
THE PROSPEROUS SEASON Of 1878,
Under tho old Stock Company sys.
LONESOME Account OF Members OF
tho Company--aIr. Mobiles Career
slneo and hts Success as a Play.
wright.

THE yoars between 1873 and 1895
, constitute nearly one.third OF mans
allotted span." said Milton Mobiles
thouehtfully to an ISrELLlaEScER 70.
porter last evening alter tho play.
Pretty coon l shall begin to think Of
myself as back number"
But aside from a sprinkliug OF gray
in the mustacho aud hair Of tho speaker
there was nothing to indicate tho effect
Of bearing years. Ills figure is tho Same
aa OF old, his eyes as bright aud mcrry,
his voice rs clear and musical, aud his
personality as magnetic ne when, boy
Of twenty odd years. no spoke tho first
limo ever spoken on tho stage OF the
Wheeling Opera House. Tho play was
shakospoaro's. "rhe Tempest" tho date
October ., 1878. 'H
1t was good, all.round company"
said Mr.. Mobiles, "fully equal in all 70.
spects TO the stock companies then
playing in such cities as Cincinnati,
Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Buffalo, Toronto,
etc. Many OF them have paid tho debt
oil nature. Mary S.oayens. the leading
lady, John p. sutton, the heavy mnn,
I. NJ. Saltc, afterwards known as Charles
NJ. Theodore. and Edmund Langley
have joined tho silent majority. Mary
Loduski Young has steadily maintained
her position rs q leading lady, loved
and esteemed for the beauty and in
tegrity OF her private life. rs she ia ad.
mired for her artistic performances.
She has never married. Fanny Prestige,
who was then Mrs. Hague. is still in tho
profession. She was capital soubrctte
and excellent vocalist.
Some OF the older theatre gocrs may
remember Mrs. Hague's beautiful baby
girl, then less than year old. The
child grew to beautiful womanhood,
and died very suddenly about three
years ago OF pulmonary complaint.
Hattie whitney was Mrs. John Sa phorc.
She and her husband are still in the
profession, and doing well. Walter
Treyille, the juvenile, good actor and
an accomplished gentleman, went
abroad permanently some fifteen years
ago. Harry Clifford. the low comedian,
l havo not met Tor many years. but he
is still in evidence, l believe.
That first season lasted about ten
weeks. The stock company played for
about four weeks alone and then APP
peared in support OF stars. OF the stock
performances. following The Tempest
! can recall The Honey Noon The
Lady OF Lyons. The Robbers. The
Drunka,d, Marble Heart Nick OF the
Woods. Katherine and Petruchio,'
Dick Turpiu. Irish Emigrant,' Tom
CrinSle, and 'Black.eyed Susan To
these must be added dozen or moro
farces and musical burlesta..
Toward the end OF the season we
produced local drama, or rather IN cd
play localized, and called it The Work.
ing Man OF Wheeling The following
stars then appeared in succession for
six nights each: Oliver Dowd Byron,
Elite Henderson, Mary Mitchell and
John Albaugh and Edwin Adams.
terminated my engagement i'm
mediately following the Adams engage.
ment, and l went to the New Park
Theatre. Brooklyn. as leading man,
opening in support oil John McCul.
Tough. The following season, lS74-5, l
went as leading man to Colonel Woods
museum. the leading stock theatre Of.
Philadelphia. For my benefit, in Jan.
uary, 1875. made hurried dramatizu.
tion OF detective story, introducing a
lot OF comedy characters. | called it
Jim Bludso, afterwards rechris,ened
It The Ph9nix'). l introduced nov
city in the way OF the story writing
scene, 3 satire on cheap, sensational
literature. in which occurs the now
famous catch phrase: And the villain
still pursued her To nv own surprise
the entire performance went like wild
fire. Within torty-eisht hohrs | had
offers OF star engagements from two
Philadelphia managers, followed BY
others from Baltimore and Washing
ton. made an amicable arrangement
with Colonel Wood to terminate nv
engagement in the stock, and at once
entered upon a career which, in small
and unimportant way, constitutes
part OF the stage history OF tho gener.
atom"
S "Did you at once organize company
OF your own
"No; I starred for two seasons in all
OF the principal cities, supported BIZ 10.
cal stock companies. l played The
Phoenix principally, but frequently
gave performances OF The Marble
Heart rip Van ,Winklc.' 'rhe Rob.
bers. David Garrick,' etc Then, in
1877, permanently organized my own
company. with which have appeared
continuously since"
You write your own plays?"
Eyes; make specially OF writing
and producing my own plays exclusive
ly. The PhGni1' was followed In tho
order named by "A Man OF tho Penple,
INTERVIEWS Love and Law. From Sire
to Son. "A Son OF Thespia.' and For
Revenue Only All have been success.
full and are still in my repetory. / oc.
casionally place some OF them out on
royalty, ia specific territory, where they
will no. interfere with my own organi.
cation"
Milton Mobiles ia probably the only
man now before the public who has
been permanently successful in the
combined capacities OF actor, author
and manager. lilo is an agreeable con.
vcrsationalist, well informed on many
subjects. nm ardont politician, and a
true American. He ia quiet nd incis.
i've in speech, bu. modest withal, and
not given to undu!y emphasizing tho
personal pronoun; which cannot DO
said OF Nil members OF his profession
who have achieved national promi.
nence.
He is highly esteemed for his inte..
ritv nf nh N lnan INN, L. LIZ.