Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-11-26
THEATRICAL GOSSIP.

y
Few members of the dramatic profession
VINO are absolutely unspniled ~ life behind
The fogliEhtS- Determination ana rcSo-
lutiou tina; knows no such word a. fail
are iadeii5Iy stamped on Mr. MacDowelrs
strong. handsome face. and when one IS IA
niiii1r with sGInc Ct the dangers and haz-
ARDS that he has encountered and overcome
during his life the demonstration is clear
how nature came To put the light of d;,uIt-
less courage in his clear. frank eyes.
Mr.. MasDoweli is a New Jersey boy. and
when Ee arrived at The age Of twelve ran
away from home ard went TO sea He
smugs'ei himself aboard a vessc! bound
for the West Indies. and when he was dis
covered vas put to work as a cabin boy.
He Was strong. energetic fun of daring
ana Hy strict attention 10 duty worked his
way along, until at fifteen he was c1assed
a an able seaman. He had the usual UPS
and downs Of sailors life. and when
eighteen years old Lad the first opportunity
to show the kind OF stuff he was made of.
hlie bound from the West Indies to New
York aboard The ship John LenthaI they
struck a f.ightfUl storm off Cape Hatteras
and for seven days were AT the mercy Of
the r9EiuE elements.
During that time they had driftcJ nine
hundred miles to sea. one afternoon the
trSt male feI from yari-arm. breaking
his Les. and NacDowell was assigned %
Sail ON the fOreyard. and he lei cight
sailors M On TO the shrouds 10 tie fore
yard carrying a coil Of running rigging
over his right arm. 1t was in January;
everything was covered with ice: they all
had on sea boots. rubber coats and sou'wrs-
tiers, and Whom he got into the yard his
feet slipped, and he eraspe1 at what he
supposed "a be 4 piece of standing rigging,
hut which proved to he a piece of running
RIGGING. The result was that he fell but
had presence Of mind enough to holj on 20
the coil Of rigging tina; was thrown over
hlS arm with his teeth and both hands.
The ward from where he fell was ful1y
sixty feet from the water. and. although IT
was all done as quick az a flash he was
convinced in his mind that nc was
dropping 70 death As fate would have f..
H. struck the water instead of on the deck
as he g. 1d expected. and Their he knew he was
saved. The ship was lying to al the time
and he vas hauled aboard by the line that
Re held in his hands and teeth ard when
landed on he deck was more dead than
alive The sailors rolled him around for
haif an hour TO get the water out Of him
end when he ragIine1 consciousness and
The captain had poured some LIQUOR down
his throat. he souud that mis- hands were
cut and bleeding. while all Of his lower
teeth were pulled cut of their sockets AMI
hung ever ids lip The captain told him
To press his teeth hack in place. which he
dill. and for three days he was obliged to
keep his Jaws set firmly together and hi;
mouth fun Of alum water. In that way he
succeeded in saving his teeth. That little
experience gained for him a permanent
berth as first officer and that rank he
maintained until h gave up sailing when
he was tweEty-onc wears of age.
In l>aN ne became a member Of the sock
company at the Boston Museum, and in
two seasons worked his way up from Gtil-
Sly man to doing second heavy business.
cdvins the Boston Museum. he went west
and for number of years played there in
various organizations. In 1SS3 he became
raem tsr If Fanny Davenport's company.
an1 played with her two seasons as De ST
r:eus in Fedora" He left Miss Davenport
and Joined the Madison Square Theater
forces and for ifty-twO weeks played the
part Of brigade Surgeon Fielding in VIII
lam Gillette's Held by the Enemy"
Early in 1856, while playing in Baltimore
with the last-uamtd company he received
telegram from Fanny Davenport who
was in SavaI nah. asking him to PLAY lead
ing business in her company. He imme-
Giaieiy wif"d his ace ptance. and out OF
this professional relation came the closer
al VI husband ard wife.
Fiv- yctrs ago John Philip sousa was
a. Fed ny Francis Wilson to write the music
to a HbrSttO of J. Cheever Goodwin. Sol!sa
al iAat time was anxious 10 obtain a hear
Ing as q comic opera composer. and h en-
tered upon the work with 50 much en-
'tuslasn that ne soon completed one act
ana part Of another. At this point the
Comedian and the composer disagreed upon
t,fmS and arbitration was found impossi-
lie. wilson has ncE-r been accused of DO
Ing a SQ--GthFift, ard his lnvariable ruI.
vas TO purchase outright ami never paw
4 NaitieS- SpuSd refused to take less than
~" Tor three-act piece, and Wilson re-
IL-'' I" pay mp'e than Sl.Wr. Accordingly
IN s.gT@1i to disdEr= q. a nd Sousa NM mis-
music back in his portfolio. while Wilson
secured another composer The opera was
hFaily produced under the title of The
b.Nil = Deputy. and has been forgotten
NJ " Tor som years. About this time Sogsa
S!2H-a contract With new publishers who
a. m"nd"i a composition of him at once
II E4 N.f# hon
e. imposed for the Wilson opera and dig
siHs II out Of mass Of Mss. ha sent it
H'I tin-i TO the publishers. Some DAYS
later SpuSd was in Chicago, whore he VII
nsSsef performance Of the spectacle
America at The Auditorium. During the
play drop curtain was used on which was
painted a representation Of the famous OH
III cry Del Within six weeks after IFS Duh
H"atl"1 The Liberty Bell had melted
S"usa more than Wilson off red to pay him
Tor an entire opera, and up to date has
pam The composer $1,000 in royalties, stil
making him handsome returns every
H"n'h- That one musical number would
nave carried the opera that Wilson did not
buy to triumphant success.
Peop,e have frequently commented ,,,o,,
me nappy tides that John Philip Sousa has
@iPAti TO the many marches that have
brought him fame and fortune NJ a.,
ihqlnerent book has achieved a reenec+atIa
sal" through the potency of am aII,Tirg
NE ana many a creditable effort has been
opSlu'eI bl the Ill advised choice Of q
name S"usa's titles have always possessed
the merit OF being unique and original and
nave generally been the result of some
cnatn Of circumstances.
ms Semper FIcelis" March was written
I"I ana dedicated To the United States ma
Eihe corps. while SOusa was its han1mastsr
anu ti.e proud boast 81 the sea soldiers was
ti-at tney had the finest band and the hand
y NEST stand "f colOrs in the United States
SyINL,t- rms march is always played by
'ht Marine Band on reviews and is timed
;" 'h1t tha THO of the march which utiI-
r. the iuI drum and trumpet corps in adj
citlon 10 he band proper. is PLAYED i'm front
"I lH' reviewing officer. The march is es-
Sei''.aIiy military in character ana it's title
Vas taken from the motto Of the marine
The High School Cadets" The Ma
t.'4al Fencihles and The Corcoran
'adsjs' were all named for military or
carnations in Washington. D. C.. as evil
ctnce Of friendship on the part of The com
I"N'r Manhattan Beach was written ar
thai famous summer resort and dcdicarad
To the owner. the late Austin Coroin for
whom Mr.. Sousa entertained a high regard
and admiration