The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-03
4 RAMBLE AMONG MINSTRELS.
"Reminiscences or Billy Birch and . Long Line
of Predeceasora.

OF Predecessors.
To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-Sir: Consid-
cradle has been printed of late as to Billy
Birch. the San Francisco Minstrels, s. C.. Foster,
md Bob Hart. A writer tells a correspondent
that bob Hart was not entitled to be consid.
cred in the same class as a minstrel with Birch.
Bernard, and wambold." What is to deter
mine 7 This: There was nothing of the min
strel. the colored man. or the plantation in Bob
Hart" What was there OF the minstrel, the
eolored man. or the plantation" In William
White Bernard)i He did not sing, and he did
not dance, beyond filling up occasionally in a
walk around. His business was to sit In the
middle and play the dictionary against both
ends. In being a tenor singer. Wambold was
necessarily a minstrel, though possibly never a
negro minstrel. But what was he during the
years he travelled in white face with negro
minstrel troupes. before joining Donaldson's
band at Hope Chapeli What was he when no
did Dutch in black face. first in the olio with
Bryant's and next with his own San Franciscos.
Es5 Broadway. where he doubled with William
Henry Rice. the prima donna, who did the trick
II i,at,a sin ee It ti is Snsed that Maat once @t S ala his
stump speech in white facet Backus travelled
for years in white face. His strong hold was in
white face even with the San Franciscos.
Hart was late as a stump speaker. To. begin
troupes, The speech which a correspondent of
THESuN credits to him was that of Add Ryman,
original Senator" Both were bright men. and
Ryman had II conscience. There IL n vast deal
i das Gr fer that r en- .ne theTe Is ali f tho mors ::f nha
Ing" Whatever he was on IT,: Hart was a
"fakir" of the stage. and especially as n Item
That Billy Birch was the last of the Ministries,
old line or new; that the min of minstrelsy OF old
other darby life that could be caught; that It
fourished best when the anti.slavery agitation
here Of former slaves from the South showed 1t
to he q sham: that ,troupes of old were composed
factor; that the introduction of - foreign dances
and Dutch: Irish. and other characterizations
the negro minstrel stage Is a modern innovation
are all as far from possible demonstration as. I
fancy, Is the h st Eit that NJ Charley HHotkHTs
first OF his name in negro minstrelsy, in this city,
he was = cousin OF Gerrit smith and the grand:
seminary President, Stephen Collins Foster. it
may be added, was the son Of an early Mayor OF
Pitisburg or Allegheny who was intimately allied
by marriage to President Buchanan, and James
Robert Sutherland WAS n son OF a clergyman.
n nnis h@p h ns I w nns's onro wins info or mri' b " a Me most rs.
liable man, George W, II. Griffin, the minstrel
hNsso, interlocutor end partner Of George Har'
C,mpbcln. and Richard VI. IIoolcy.
There was, no need 10 go South for models, for
gally after 1880, but from choice; There was
never nny ey.slayc influx here. Minstrelsy, was
s s.MiSGT' m nnd C E%W Yor X M s4GsI t were e't tno wise isi' "a
he rufiicd by the slavery agitation. They were
wont to support seven permanent troupcs to the
ono Nv Boston. which cel!cd its first stationary
hand Ordwny's Fiolinns. by tho way. SO impor'
tant was dress that II alone saved minstrelsy In
1914. 1t would have died hut for cOstuming the
first part ana Introducing into the olio laccs that
cost more per ounce Than they do now by the
pound. But for the darkcncd face. the negro
would scarcely have been in II ut all. what with
plain;ivc Scotch and Irish ballnds in the first
part and simulated English and Italian opera In
the second. All this established Dumholton's,
KncasS's. and Chcisty's MINISTRIES. II was
Kneass Who caiolcd Foster, u fiagco!ct. plsyer,
wore failures. The son OF AN orchestra player,
Kneass was u musician, but spry ms u com
poser. wasting no time over changing some
other mans melody nv so much as n note, q la
"Ben Holt, " which Is Gcrnnn.
Tho dark deed OF organizing u minstrel troupe
was done In n Cltharine street boarding house
by four men who had wcaried OF individual
dancing behind burnt cork on the tailhoard OF n
circus wagon. Two were personally known Ia
me, as also were u brother OF u third and tho
two daughters nt the fourth, one OF whom he
and likewise knew tall Edwin T.. Christy and
Stephen Foster. scant ofheight and rather spare.
AZ TO the story that one Of your correspondent
was introduced 10 Foster Mt the very moment
that Christy came in and offered him Els to be
allowed to put his name on "Old Folks at
Home" and that Foster. hard up. jumped at the
chance, take my word for II that. when profes
sionals contemplate u cheat. they may give
themselves away in the wine cellar. but are
shady of spots so public as u music store, with
sober ears acutc. After Christy threw himself