Smyrna times., 1899-09-20

company and play at the Lyceum, he
would be very apt to invite DIR. Grewer
who was his first tutor in minstrel life,
Bud if he saw the doctor present, he
would be very apt to sing his old-time
ditties, which he sang during the war,
namely: 81 Am Just as Happy as the
Big Sunfower that Mods and Rends
in the Breezes;" also sing Glove
Among the Roses" He would possi-
bly, invite the doctor upon the stage
to sing with the troupe what used to
be the opening chorus of Growers
Amateur minstrels:
Hurrah, white folks, hurrah white folks,
Listen to the darkies squall;
Sing fo' de white folks, sing fo' de white
folks,
Sing fo' de white folks all.
''The doctor also would probably be
invited to sing:
Old Joe, old Joe, old Joe,
A kicking up hind and fo'
Yaller gal kicking up hind old Joe.
''While the doctor is not as young as
he used to be, when he sang these
songs during the war he was about
twelve years of age, which was thirty
eight years ago. The doctor was born
in 1S4S. When the doctor sees such
old-timers as Billy Emerson, with
whom he spent his boyhood days, rid
ing in an express wagon, and when he
thinks of the days when Billy Emer-
sons father gave up the post-office,
and Mr.. DonOhO and Frank HAZEL were
appointed instead. Mr.. HAZEL WI
studying law under Thomas Bayard, at
that time Senator of Delaware, and
latterly minister to England under
Cleveland's administration. ''Oh this
makes me feel as though was boy
again, said DIR. Grewer, "and you
bet your life, honey, could sing from
morning until night and never get
tired when l think of my old friends
and the song Billy used to sing MY
Old Virginia Home After Messrs.
HAZEL and White had received the ap-
pointment at the post-office, Frank
HAZEL composed little verse, which
was sung all over the streets and which
went by the tune of Maryland, My
Maryland
s"While / was enrolled in the army" I"
said the doctor, "and while we were
waiting at any time to be ordered to
serve our country, | interspersed our
little drama by forming a company
known as Growers s Amateur minstrels.
We first played i'll Judge Cummins'
old barn, next in building belonging
to Ex-Governor Temple, of Delaware,
where we had such spectators as ex-
Governor Temple, his wife, Colonel
Wilmer, of my regiment, who at the
time was provost marshall of the State
of Delaware, his wife and children, the
families of ThOmos Bayard, of Will
mington, Del, Senator Salisbury, of
Dover, Del, Governor Salisbury, who
at that time was governor of the State
of Delaware, including Frank HAZEL,
the Denny Brothers, Smyrna, Del,
all the attorneys at law of Smyrna and
Dover, and all the most prominent
Peach growers from far and near were
our spectators. The members of the
company were as follows: Charles w.
Hates, attorney at law, of Philadelphia;
the twin Denney Brothers, bankers,
brokers and attorneys at law, Phila-
delphia; DIR. Jos. Van Gasken, who is
now at Luling, Texas; DIR. Benjamin
TolsOn, who is somewhere in the west; !;
Cummings, merchant of Smyrna, Del. !;
Bill DonohO the son of the postmas er
at that time, who has since become
very famous throughout the world as a
minstrel; William Campbell, who
ranked when 1 last heard of him as an
admiral in the United States navy;
William FAIRIES, or Dutch Bill, as he
is better known in Smyrna, Del, is
now, l understand, minister of the
gospel, and his cousins, William A.
FAIRIES and Ike FAIRIES, are at present
both undertakers at Smyrna, Del.
John Baggs, the son of Merchant Tai
lor Baggs, was the last / have heard of
him in the west, and owned a large
gold mine near San Francisco; Clay
ton Temple, son of Ex-Governor Tenn
pie, the last | heard of him he was gen.
eral g. marine corps of the United
States navy; Ed Wilmer, at that time
son of the provost marshal of the State
of Delaware, his father also was col
Onel of my regiment, the Sixth Della
ware; the last l heard of Ed Wilmer
and his father they owned a large
brickyard near Poughkeepsie, n. Y.
two of the Primrose brothers, who have
been noted all over the world as min
strels, at that time living in Smyrna,
Del, and members of the company
one of then being a violinist and the
other one doing song and clog dane.
ing act. Another one of the members
was Billy Lauterbach, who was going
to school at the time, and when L las
saw him at the Broad street station,
Philadelphia, some fourteen years ago,
I introduced him to my wife and h'
informed me that he was Presbyterian
minister; his brother Charley was
there at the time and going to school,
but left for the west and engaged in
some large railroad enterprise, Joe
Baynard, at that time in Smyrna, Del.
was an assistant express boy in the
Adams Express Company with Billy
Emerson, and spent part of his year.
with me in Cumberland, Md, as an as
sistant and orderly for Captain Enocl
Spruance, who was quartermaster ser
geant under the Fifth United State