The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-06-25
ASTOR PLACE RIOT.
Story of Sequel of Celebrated Actors
Row

! Astor Place Opera house riot, in re-
| Spouse to the request of friends:
On May %. $780, there disappeared
the last vestige of Clinton hall. on As
tor place New York City, and since
| then the Mercantile Library building
/ has covered its site. But this Clinton
| hall was the original Aston Place
Opera house. In 1919 it was the finest
theatre in the city and located in what
was the most intensely respectable
residence part.
In the Astor library there is pam
phlet published within a month after
! the fatal night of May 10, 1S49 with
this impressive title page:
ACCOUNT OF THE
TERRIFIC AND FATAL RIOT
AT THE
NEW YORK ASTOR PLACE OPERA
HOUSE, ON THE NIGHT OF
MAY 10. 1919,
WITH THE
QUARRELS OF FORREST AND
MACREADY,
Including all the Causes Which Led to
That Awful Tragedy, Wherein
an Infatuated Mob Was
Quelled by the Public
Authorities.
Sudden Death or Mutilation of More
Than Fifty Victims.
The causes which led to it are as fol-
lOWS- III 100 EuNlI + OIIeSb was the
bright particular star of Gilfert's Bow
cry theatre. Methods were crude, but
the financial results at least were sat
iSfactory. The actor soon left the clas-
sic shades of the Bowery and offered
his famous prize of $500 for tragedy.
Mr.. Stones .Metamora" was accepted
and later in another competition DR..
Birds Gladiator.
In 1927 Macready, who was then 4S
10 VII Of ni1it
of fault-finding, made his initial bow
to an American audience. But in Phil
adelphia they interpreted some of his
caustic remarks as an insult to the
public
In 1885 Forrest visited Europe, and af-
ter long tour on the continent ap-
peared as Spartacus in Drury Lane
theatre on Oct. Il, 1886. He met with
success everywhere and received many
courtesies from eminent literary men
and from those of his profession par
ticularly from Mr.. Macready. On his
return to the United States he was
feted at Philadelphia and offered con-
gressional nomination at the hands of
the New York Democracy. In was in
the summer of this year he made his
famous 4th of July grafton.
In 1874 William Charles Macready re-
turned to America, but there was then
growing rivalry between the two ac-
tors. Mr.. and Mrs. Forrest went to
London in 1915 for a second time to
fulfill an engagement. During their
visit, which lasted two years, an open
rupture occurred in the friendly per-
sonal relations that had existed till
then between the two men. and to the
subsequent zeal with which his friends
espoused the Americans quarrel was
due the eliminating unfortunate riot
of Aston place.
The English failed to renew the cor
dial reception they had previously ten
dered Forrest, and. according to the
chronicler of that day. the ungovern-
able .tragedian was beside himself"
At Edinburgh he visited the play
house, and it is said Kissed Macready's
Hamlet from box. The insult was The
cause of bitter newspaper controver-
sy. After this Forrest, when attempt
ing to play, was Kissed by the entire
audience, and later he failed to secure
an engagement in Paris.
Deeply Inundated, he returned home.
but the American press cheered him
with sympathetic words, and the fight
waxed warmer.
Macready again crossed the Atlantic
in October, 1S4S. and on the 30th of that
month played in Boston. His recep-
ton there was disappointing, for For
rests friends We're present to avenge
the wrongs suffered by the American
tragedian abroad through the English
mans influence, it was believed
Macready decided to come to New
York. where Forrest was playing to
crowded houses. Niblo and Hackett
leased the Astor Place Opera house
and billed Macbeth for May Z 1919.
Forests friends were in evidence at
the first performance and Missed the
actor off the stage. The special squad
nf Il, Il 81
Mayor Woodruff the next day pro-
tested against another performance,
but the lessees insisted on their rights,
demanded protection and referred to
their $500 license as the basis of the
claim. Reluctantly the protection was
finally granted.
The English actor had some support
ers, and among those who earnestly re-
quested him TO continue and promised
him an enthusiastic reception was
Washington Irving.
In anticipated of trouble however
General Sanford ordered out eight
companies of militia, but there was not
any increase of the police force.
Long before o'clock the crowd be- |
gan surging toward the entrance. In
half an hour the theatre was crowded |
and the sale of seats suspended. On the |
outside, filling the street, was a mob |
in the intensity of its anger. Finally |
it began to storm the opera house. and |
the police gave way before the terrific !
onslaught. Three minutes later there |
was charge by a cavalry regiment. |
1t was met by a volley of missiles
stones, broken bricks, pieces of wood !
and the horses, maddened with fright, |
turned and forced their riders into ig-
nominious retreat.
This was succeeded by the bayonet
charge of the infantry The crowd.
aroused TO fury, retaliated. With half
4 dozen soldiers lying wounded on the
pavement, the command "F'irer' was
given. and twenty citizens fell to the
ground, some killed, others MORALLY
few manned for life There
was a second volley, and the crowd
surged back. Twenty-Five dead and
thirty injured was the nights record
It is singular fact that there were
,nly seven women in the opera house
audience
The performance ended in confusion,
md the disgraceful riot was at an end.
ARTHUR L. TITCOAIB,
New York