The Holly chieftain., 1897-09-24


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MONUMENTAL CHURCH. RICHMOND.
the gifted pea Of Edgar Allen Poe.
One thing Is certain, and that is that
the picture Of Rev. d.. Armstrong md
the picture o. John Wllke. Booth are
20 much alike that every observer will
declare GLat they are not resemblaur-s.
nor liE=uesse-, but couHterpaFts.
The MouUU-uta! church mauift,ts
many strange sagaries Of construction.
Il stands 10 d quiet old churuhyar
fronting on Broad street, upon the
siope Of hill which Hss al one time the
center and circumference Of official and
fashionable life In the capital city Of
the Old Dominion. The church itself is
a part Of the history Of the city. and
even the ground where0H it stands 8,
held in reverence by the people here.
because 1t constitutes q part Of block
Of ground bought by Thomas jefferson.
and by him dedicated a. the site Of an
institution OF science and bellies letters
after the fashion OF the French aca6c-
MY.
There were people IN Richmond who
shook their heads with doubt and de-
probation when the academy building
was converted into theater. Thty
were not cr0akrrs. without cause, be
cause the 'hrater was destroyed by
fire q few years afterwards. The his
Fr4t 81
new EEchmoul thcater was erected
upon one corner Of it. The second thea
ter followed the fate OF the first The
new theater was -Short-lhed enter
prise. but it became famous rapidly
because the actors who appeared upon
its stage were the greatest Of that day
and generation: and the Richmond
theater was regarded as the cradle OF
the dramatic art, which was then IN its
American infancy.
L. Placide was well known in the
dramatic annals of the early years of
this century, aud the performance given
in the Richmond theater on December
%. 1911, was for his benefit. II was
looked forward 10 as great event. and
the social life OF the Old Dominion was
eulivened with expectation II was an
nounced that the English castom OF
presenting pnntomimes Mt YuIetide
would be followed by the presentation
OF n new piece called Raymond and
Agnes: or, the Bleeding Nun" 1t was
further announced on the bills that II
would be 1.-THE last performance of the
sousou."
There was a grand thlong in the
[ Richmond thrater when the curtain
went up that evening. The governor
/ Of Nirgiuin was there, with his official
/ staft. There were old-time gentlemen
from the prosperous plantations of the
/ state. statesmen, members of the bench
and bar, family parties, of husbands.
wives and children, bevies of maidens.
the loveliest of girls, and the most
stately of matrons, silked, satined and
I bejeweied. There were successful
tradcsmcn, merchants, seafaring men
and importers. In the rear section. re-
served for them, were poor whites"
and negroes, also present to enjoy the
play The audience filed the theater
TO uveriiowing, and there were very
nearly 800 people in the assembly. For
that time and place il was great au-
dience; the greatest that had ever as
semblcd in any city in the south.
In those days chandeliers were made
with lamps, instead of gas or electric
ity. as we have them now. AT the be-
ginning of the second act boy on the
stage pulled up into the flies overhead,
a chandelier. one lamp in which was
still burning. The fame igi,;ted one Of
of the strips of painted canvas. Tha,
was the beginning of the awful ending
Of that gay evening.
There was cry of fire" when the
little flame was first seen. and the peo-
pie rushed for the single exit. One OF
the actors rushed forward, and assured
the audience that the fire would be put
out without trouble. There was u
pause for a moment: but the flames
grew stronger. They cracked and
-oarcd. Wider and wider. and larger
ard lnrger grew the fiery serpent. 1t
ievoured the tinsel coverings OF the
ceiling Of the stage. Screen after screen
went away in puifs OF flame. each add
ing heat to heat. and doom TO disaster.
At last, the screen nearest the people,
next to the stnge curtain, broke forth
nto flame. Then the CURTIN became
roaring mass, The people rushed
lfrer aGd over each other. in their en-
ieavors 10 escape the terrible fate
which threatened them.
Within ten minuics--think of IT.
within ten minutes the theater was
nass of flames. The tragedy was as
speedy as itwas oomplete. The tongues
Of fame swept from the stage. hnstened
forward by the air from rear doors and
windows, and like demons rushed after
and upon the struggling. suffering
crowd. 1t singed the hair of men and
women. and ignited their clothing. 60
that soon the people Themselves became
. part OF the holocaust. their bodies
burning while they yet lived.
1t was all over in ten minutes; but
during that brief time the governor OF
Virginia and 70 others Of high runk in