The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1897-03-11
BLUE AND THE GRAY
BRAVE MEN WHO MET ON THE
FIELD OF BATTLE.
Thrilling Stories of the Rebellion
Old Soldiers and Sailors Relate r emi-
niscences of Life in Camp and on
the Fic1d-Incidents of tho War.
Confederate Theaterz,

|
the value of well-reguIated amusc
ments at Il time when Tie people ware
wrought up to the highest pitch of eX
citement, and all reputable actors
found no difficulty in securing exemp
tiOns after the passage of the conscrip,
law. Among the stars on the Confed
crate stage in those days were w. ii
Crisp, the father Of the late Speaker
Crisp; f. r. Dalton, Theodore Hamil
ton, and Sam Hubbard. Among the Ia
dies were Mrs. Crisp, Miss Jessie
Crisp, Miss Eloise Bridges, and the
Waldron sisters. These favorites OF
the public appeared before the foot
lights in various cities, but, as rule
they alternat ted between Richmond and
Atlanta.
What were the plays on the South
err wartime stage? Perhaps the mos
popular were Camille" THE Marble
Heart" "The Romance of Poor Young
Man." "ROlla," LA Tour de Nesle,
London Assurance" ''The Serious
Family" NAVAL Engagements "BoS
and Cox" "Corsican Brothers" "Lucre
tia Borgia," "Black-Eyed SUSAN" and
others familiar to the theater-goers be-
fore the war. Comedy seemed to have
the preference. The people had sc
many serious things to worry over that
they did not care for tragedy. Sc
Shakespeare became back number
and there was no demand for his mas
terpieces. Yet some of the Confeder-
ate theaters would have been equal
to the task of rendering Shakespeare.
Mr.. Crisp was an actor Of renOwn, and
Dalton and Hamilton were fair TRACE
dians. Mrs. Crisp and her daughter
possessed rare talent, and half dozen
others might be mentioned who would
be players of note on the stage of to-
day.
The last year of the war found the
theaters in bad fix. The property
men and managers were in despair.
| To dress these stage ladies and gentle
men in fashion suited to their differ
ent roles was an impossibility. So Ca
| mile went through her struggle with
| consumption and other things in front
of delighted audiences attired in a cos
tune which would have been more be-
coming to her grandmother, and ROlla
| looked not only like the "last Of the
| Peruvians," but like bewildered gen.
| tleman who had come to his last shirt
and was wondering where he could get
another Still, the theaters drew bet
f,,-. ho1 b.,
throw away, and they tried to get rid
of it.
Sometimes it was very inconyenient
to attend these places of amusement.
Soldiers with muskets and bayonets
were stationed thG.e to preserve or
der, and when the audiences filed out
officers were on hand to force every
man to show his papers. Frequently,
"a young man with his best girl would
find that he had forgotten his docu-
ments, and a squad of soldiers would
then escort the two to the lady's house.
and then carry the gentleman before
the provost marshal for an explana-
tion.
Generally, whenever play was pre-
sented, the prettiest actress in the COM
pany would come out between the acts
bnd recite "My Maryland" or some
other war poem, and wave Confeder-
ate banner. This feature of the pro-
gram always drove the soldiers wild
with enthusiasm. A few original plays
were placed on the stage in those STIR
.,;r 10 Mo-. ,1o
land, of Atlanta, wrote ''The Soldiers
Return" and John Davis, an actor,
produced "The Roll Of the Drum"
These dramas had more or less merit,
but were not destined to live.
In Atlanta the theater became trou-
blesome problem shortly before the
siege. The city was filled with SOL
diers and refugees, and with them the
play was emphatically the thing. 1t
was their only amusement, and the
rougLs crowded the theater in such
numbers that the better classes remain
ed at home. About this time the city
gas works had to shut down because
Sherman had cut off the supply of
coal. The theater, therefore, used tai
low candles. kerosene being unknown
in that region. This was picnic for
the soldiers. Every private in the gal
lery fastened his eyes upon the candle
Immediate under him, and contiscate,l
1t when the guards were not looking.
More candles had to be lighted, but
sometimes the house would be in dark
ness, except for the footlights. Scan
dalous things were done during these
periods of artificial twilight. Good peo-
pie protested, but the city was becom-
ing a camp, and there seemed no rem
edy.
Just when affairs were coming to
their worst, however, Mayor James NJ.
Calhoun did what no mayor ever did
before in the history of the world He
issued an order closing the theater, and
pledged himself to use all the force at
his command to keep it closed. There
was tremendous uproar. But the
MAYOR was firm. He admitted that he
was outside the law, but he claimed
that it was case of neceSsity-that the
theater must be closed or the city
would become Il whirlpool of vice and
crime.
The best people upheld the mayor,
and the Confederate Vice President.
Alexander II. Stephens, in Il written
opinion, justified his action. The the
ater had to suspend indefinitely, and
the players packed their things and de-
parted for other cities. A few weeks
later the citizens were lodging shells,
for the siege was on in earnest. The
old theater did not reopen until some
of Sherman's soldiers gave an enter
tainment in it, and when the Federals
started on their march to the sea, the
building was destroyed in the fire
Chicago Times Herald.
News from Richmond.
The following dramatic story of how
the news of the surrender of Richmond
reached Washington is told in vol
dme OF telegraphic tales by w. J. John