Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-02-22
A ROUSING CONCERT.
THE SCENE WHEN EMMA NEVADA
SANG IN HER NATIVE TOWN.
An ovation In Austin the Like of
which Probably NO other Singer
Ever Experienced Kisses nnd
wedding Cake as Souvenirs.


wedding Cake as Souvenirs.
A prominent theatrical manager of
New York, who has conducted the Amer
lean tours of many famous musical stars,
in speaking of the odd incidents and ex-
penses he has encountered in his career,
said:
"The funniest western stand l ever
made was in Austin, Nov. | was with
Nine Emma Nevada, and Austin is
her native town. Mr.. Mackay had found
her up there in the mountains and had
sent her abroad for a musical education.
She succeeded, made name for herself
in Europe, and Austin was bursting with
pride She came back to America, sang
in the east with great success, but didn't
20 west. The Austin people didn't like
that, it seems; said she was stuck up
and had forgotten her old friends Neva-
da heard about this feeling, and one day
she came to me. We were in Chicago.
and she was to so back to Europe almost
Immediately.
81 want to give concert in Austin,
New she said.
Il almost fell out of my chair. 1T
isn't possible gasped.
I'm make it possible
"'The expense would be enormous. We
could never stand it,
"'l don't ask you to stand it. | will
pay everything amount-only take
me there They say | ain ashamed of
them. will show them
well, she got her way. ! thought it
was sheer lunacy. But Nevada was
willing to pay the bills; so we went. We
had to leave our private car several hun
drcd miles from Austin and take COM
mon coaches on q harrow gauge road
that climbed over the mountain and
walked with its head down like II fly
About four or five stations before we
struck Austin people began to board the
train.
did Emma Gomez they'd ask the con
ductor, and he'd point out our crowd.
They would 20 back and tell the people
on the platform, and everybody would
howl for Emma until Nevada would go
out and talk to them and shake hands
with everybody she didn't kiss. A good
share Of the crowd went to Austin with
us. but it wasn't anything to the crowd
that met us Mt the station. Everybody in
the town anu all the country round had
turned out, and they were the queerest
crowd l ever saw-miners and cowboys
and Indians ald ordinary conventional
people, all shaken up together and all
wild with excitement.
by that time | was glad we had come.
| was having the time Of my life-at
somebody else's expense. Talk about en-
thusiasm! ] never knew what it was be-
fore. and never heard anything like the
shout that went up when that young
woman stepped off the car. Everybody
yelled her name and cheered and cheer
ed. and she stood and threw kisses and
laughed and cried. There wasn't any
fake about it. ! wouldn't have believed
there could be so much genuine feeling
anywhere in the world. 1t gave me, well
seasoned manager, u brand new thrill up
and down my back.
There was only one carriage in Austin
then, and we had to drive quite o lis
lance to the town. Nevada and | had
the carriage. and the rest of the compar
went along in big wagons. Then came
the crowd on horseback, in wagons and IN
foot. We drove along a ticklish mountain
road at galop, and every little distance
along the way there were boniires burn
ing. Say, it was great Nevada didn't
get any rest before evening. The crowd
wanted her, and it would have her She
must have kissed all the children in Aus
tin and good percentage Of the grown
people, and, by Joe. she acted as if she
liked it. had thought / knew her, bur
she was a different woman up there t.
the mountains.
I'VE gave the concert in the church.
The minister and |, with the assistance
of the whole population, numbered the
seats and made out tickets. Tickets sold
at 81, but the house wouldn't begin to
hold the crowd. and almost any old price
was offered for seats. When the doors
opened, there was a stampede. There
were 90 men in the crowd to every wo-
man. Most of them kept on big felt hat
and wore their trousers tucked into high
boots. They didn't pay any attention to
the aisles-just walked over the high
backed seats. l stood in the pulpit, and
it was funny to see that mob playing
leapfrog over the seats and making for
front pews regardless of the numbers on
their tickets.
Nevada had some OF her SWEETEST
clothes with her and came out blazing
with jewels and wearing n Paris gown
that had cost her $1,000. | never expect
to hear anything again like the greeting
they gave her, and ] know she never
again sang as she did that night. She
sang and sang until her voice literally
gave out, and the crowd saw that she
couldn't keep it up any longer. Then
they cheered and started for the stage in
bunch.
Nevada spread out her hands and told
them that if they'd wait until she went
and put on heavier, high necked gown
she'd come back and kiss them all and
IL 1