Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-08-20
A BLIND MINSTREL.
SAM WESTON WORKED WHEN HIS
SIGHT HAD FAILED.
Els LITTLE DAUGHTER HELPED hin.
The Child Played His New Songs,
That the Father Might Learn the
Airs, and Read His Payt to Him
Until He Memorixed 1t.

The man who from choice or other
wise, almost nightly sits in front of the
foot-lights, hearing songs and stories he
has often heard before. seldom finds any
thing in the performance that awakens
in him any great degree of interest. A
too-frequent attendance upon such enter
tainments has surfeited him. and it all
seems stale. fiat, and Improbable" Oc-
casionally, however, there is something
that creeps into the performance that
touches a responsive chord within him,
and makes him forget just then the
mimic stage, with all its glitter and tin
sci. as his thoughts dwell upon sctnes of
real life which have been conjuref I'm his
mind. Sometimes it is a song that car
ries him away from the light-hearted au-
dience-a plaintive melody that bears
him off. and leaves him amid surround
ings which have almost bsen forgotten,
but which now. as he hears the sweet
voice OF the singer, are brought before
him until he seems to live again DAYS
gone beyond recall. Again, 1t Is lace
he sees. a cOuntenance so different from
those which usually appear on the other
side OF the foot-lights, that instantly a
strange interest is awakened as TO this
man. woman. or child, whose lot lies IN
other paths than his.
I was sitting last week in one Of the
front-row seats at the Roof Garden, when
Just such a face appeared, and my atten-
ton was Immediately attracted to It's
owner. and for some minutes my eyes
were for the stage alone. A dark-haired
girl. seemingly u or IL years OF age, maue
her entrance, carrying In her mana
violin. She was clad in a plain red dress,
cheap I'm its texture, her shoes were
broken. and her hair hung loose upon her
shoulders. Ny nearness to the stage en-
abled me to note particularly the express
sion of the child. There was something
so sad about her face, and the sort.
brown ewes had such an earnest look in
them. that a hush seemed to come over
tbe entire audience, and /, as did every
one. waited for what was to Follow. lhen
her elder sister entered, attired as poy'
and after a. few lines between the two
tbe latter seated herself at the piano,
which occupied the left Of the stage ana
the Younger girl. resting the violin on her
shoulder commenced TO play. The strains
yvare low and dream-like at first, and the
eoul of the small player seemed 10 Do al
her music. 49,,
Whom the violin solo was finished a
MAN with the burnt-cork of the Minstrel
mon his face entered at the centre door,
and the scene was changed from one thar
was almost pathetic TO one or comedy
With the appearance or the placK-iace
comedian the young musician was given
the opportunity of speaking lines, ana
this she did i'm a voice almost as low ana
musical as were some OF the strains that
had come from her vi0hn.
About an hour later, as l sat In. the
lobby of Ford's Hotel I saw this same
Girl leading a gray-haired man, while
the one who had impersonated boy fol-
lowed close behind, carrying a violin-case
In her hand. Then I knew that the man
was blind. and that the sad, sweet-faced
girl who led him had in her care
father who was one of those unfortunates
who must go through the world in dark
ness. The man was Sam Weston, at one
time a well-known minstrel, and the two
Girls were his daughters. | made mysefr
known to them. and a few minutes after
ward Mr. Weston was telling me some Oh
the interesting events Of life twenty
five years of which had been spent upon
the stage. AS he talked, in his pleasant
and interesting way, often turning MS
sightless eyes to mine, | would never
nave knONH lIdl anu N"y 49, 80
same to this man, had he not just In
formed me that such was the case.
Eyes" he said, Il am totally blind.
But it has only been in recent years that
] have been denied my sight. Until then
/ could see as well as you
when did my sight first begin to fail
me? 1t was about three and half years
ago: soon after / Joined Hoyts a NIL.
White Flag Company. l knew then that
my sight was going and l have consulted
the best doctors, but none of them could
DO anything for me- They did not even
seem TO understand the cause OF the fail
ure Of my eyes / went on working, but
not a man in that company knew that
Sam Weston was going blind. Day by
day the light about me became less dis
tinct. and / knew that the end meant
total darkness.
my eyes soon got so bad that I could
not read a new song which Mr.. Hoyt gave
me- or some new lines which he added
to my part. But L never told them.
Flora there land he indicated by a nod
of the head his younger daughter read
the lines TO me until L committed them
to memory, and then taught me the songs
i'm the same way, playing the airs until
/ was familiar with the music. | man
aged TO get through that season all right
When the time came next season to join
the company for rehearsals / had u
struggle with myself / knew that | had
no business to attempt 10 play longer,
and yet could not make up my mind
to stay at home. l didn't let my folks
know how really bad off l had gotten"
ut is wonder to me now how I man
aged to get to the depot to take the
train" he continued. II did though.
and 1 Joined the company in Chicago
where We opened. | did not have so
much trouble on the stage. At odd times,
when the members of the company
were not around [ would step off the
distances | would count just the num-
Der Of steps leading from my dressing
room 20 the stage. Once on the stage
would have little trouble. That open
ming night, everything was blur TO me.
/ could see nothing. one reason that the
members of the company did not know
the condition l was In was that 1 was
with them very little, except at the
theatre.
But the end Of it all came I'm a short
time. We were playing at the Madison
Square Theatre New York, and In max
ing a hurried entrance | ran against a
chair with such force that II went clear
off the stage, and ever into the orchestra
OF course. Mr.. Hoyt was wrathy at
such a laundering piece OF business. and
had TO let the eat out of the bag. Then
IT was all over with me. Mr.. Hoyt was
very sorry. for he was quite friendly TO
me-"
The blind minstrel then spoke OF his
daughter, Flora. She first commenced
playing upon the violin, he said, at 6
years Of age. II taught her. myself"
said Mr. Weston. For the past three