Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1897-09-23
MONUMENTAL CHURCH. RICHMOND

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MONUMENTAL CHURCH, RICHMOND.
the gifted pen of Edgar Allen Poe.
One thing is certain, and that is that
the picture of Rev. DR.. Armstrong and
the picture of John Wilkes Booth are
SO much alike that every observer will
declare that they are not resemblances,
nor iikenesses, but counterparts.
The monumental church manifests
many strange vagaries of construction.
II stands in a quiet old churchyard
fronting on Broad street, upon the
slope of a hill which was at one time the
center und 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 whereOn it stands is
held in reverence by the people here,
because it constitutes part of a block
of ground bought by Thomas Jefferson.
and by him dedicated as the site of an
institution of science and bellies letters
after the fashion of the French acade-
my.
There were people in Richmond who
shook their heads with doubt and de-
was converted into a theater. They
were not croakers, without cause, be-
cause the theater was destroyed by
fire few years afterwards. The his
toric block was then divided, and the
new Richmond theater was erected
upon one corner of it. The second thea
ter followed the fate of the first. The
new theater was a short-lived enter
prise, but it became famous rapidly
because the actors who appeared upon
its stage were the greatest of that day
and generations; and the Richmond
theater was regarded as the cradle of
the dramatic art, which was then in its
American infancy.
Z. Placide was we'll known in the
dramatic annals of the early years of
this century, and the performance given
in the Richmond theater on December
20, 1911, was for his benefit. 1t WIS
looked forward to as Il great event, and
the social life of the Old Dominion was
enlivened with expectation. 1t was an
nounced that the English custom of
presenting pantomimes at Yuletide
would be followed by the presentation
of a new piece called Raymond and
Agnes; or, the Bleeding Num-" 1t was
further announced on the bills that It
would be 1.-The last performance of the
season."
There was grand throng in the
Richmond theater when the curtain
went up that evening. The governor
of Virginia was there, with his official
staff. 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
bejeweled. There were successful
tradesmen, 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 overfiowing, and there were very
nearly 900 people in the assembly. For
that time and place it was a great au-
dience; the greatest that had ever as
sembled in any city in the south.
In those days chandeliers were made
with lamps, instead of gas or electric
ity. as we have them nosy.- 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 flame ignited one of
OF the strips of painted canvas. That
was the beginning of the awful ending
OF that gay evening.
There was a 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 a
pause for moment; but the flames
grew stronger. They cracked and
roared. Wider and wider, and larger
and larger grew the fiery serpent. 1t
devoured the tinsel coverings of the
ceiling of the stage. Screen after screen
went away in puffs of fame. each add
ing heat TO heat. and doom to disaster
Within ten minutes-think of it
within ten minutes the theater was a |
mass of flames. The tragedy was as
speedy as it was complete. The tongues !
of fame swept from the stage. FASTENED |
forward by the air from rear doors and |
windows. and like demons rushed after /