Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1897-09-18

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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,
| aor likenesses, 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
part of the history of the city, sad
| even the ground whereon it stands is
held in reverence by the people here,
| because it constitutes part of 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-
probation when the academy building
was converted into q 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
it's stage were the greatest of that day
and generations; and the Richmond
theater was regarded as the cradle of
he dramatic art, which was then in its
american infancy.
e. 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
&c, 1911, was for his benefit. 1t was
looked forward to as a 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 the last performance of the
season."
There was a grand throng in the
Rinh ,k,ha 49,,
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, sillIed, 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 filled the theater
to oyerfowing, and there were very
nearly 900 people in the assembly. For
| that time and place it was a great au-
SICdlSoI ludb lldu ever dS-
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 now. At the be-
| ginning of the second act boy on the
stage pulled up into the flies overhead,
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 cry of fire" when the
little fame 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 flame, each add
ing heat to heat, and doom to disaster.
| Within ten minutes-think of it
within ten minutes the theater was n
mass of flames. The tragedy was as
| speedy as it was complete. The tongues
of flame swept from the stage, hastened
forward by the air from rear doors and
windows, and like demons rushed after
and upon the struggling, suffering