The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1900-03-28
A ROUSING CONCERT.
THE ScEliE WHEN EMMA NEVADA
SANG IN HER NATIVE TOWN.

| An Ovation In Austin the Like OF
Which Probably No Other Singer
Ever Experienced - Kisses and
Wedding Cake as Souvenirs.
! A prominent theatrical manager OF
New York, who has conducted the Amer.
lean tours Of many famous musical sturss
in speaking of the odd incidents and ex-
penseS he has encountered in his career,
said:
"lhe funniest western stand l ever
made was in Austin, New. l was with
Nine. Emma Nevada. and Austin IL
her native town. Mr.. Mackay had found
her up there in the mountains and had
sent her abroad for 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
60 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 go back to Europe almost
Immediately.
81 want to give a concert in Austin,
Nev.,' she said.
Il almost fell ont of my chair. 1t
isn't possible | gasped.
I'm make 1t possible
"'The expense wu,ld be enormous. We
could never stand it..
"I don't ask you to stand it. l will
pay everything-any amount-only take
me there. They say l am ashamed Of
them. | will show them
"Well, she got her way. l thought It
was sheer lunacy. But Nevada was
willing to pay the bills; SO Ne went. We
had to leave our private car several hun
dred miles from Austin and take COM
mon coaches on u narrow gauge road
that climbed over the mountains and
walked with its head down like a 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 go 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. good
share of the crowd went to Austin with
us, but it wasn't anything to the crowd
that met us at the station. Everybody in
the town and all the country round had
turned out, and they were the queerest
crowd | ever saw-miners and cowboys
and Indians and 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 lfe-at
somebody else's expense. Talk about en-
thusasm! 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. a well
seasoned manager, a brand new thrill up
and down my back.
"Thcre WAS only one carriage in Austin
then, and we had to drive quite dis
tance to the town. Nevada and ! had
the carriage, and the rest of the company
went along in big wagons. Then came
the crowd on horseback, in wagons and on
foot. We drove along ticklish mountain
road at a galop, and every little distance
along the way there were bonfres 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
in and good percentage of the grown
people, and, by Joe, she acted as il she
liked it. had thought l knew her, but
she was a different woman up there In
he mountains.
"We gave the concert in the church.
The minister and l. with the assistance
If the whole population, numbered the
cats and made out tickets. Tickets sold
It 81. but the house wouldn't begin to
lold the crowd, and almost any old price
vas offered for seats. When the doors
opened. there was a stampede. There
we're 30 men in the crowd to every wo-
nan. Most Of them kept on big felt hats
md wore their trousers tucked into high
,oots. They didn't pay any attention to
he aisles-just walked over the high
'ached seats. l stood in the pulpit, and
was funny to see that mob playing
nnpfrog over the seats and making for
ront pcws regardless of the numbers on
heir tickets
Nevada had some Of her swcllest
lothes with her and came out blazing
With jewels and wearing a Paris gown
hat had cost her $1,000. never expect
o hear anything again like the greeting
hey gave her, and know she never
gain sang as she did that night. She
ang and sang until her voice literally
ave ont, and the crowd saw that she
ouldn't keep it up amy longer. Then
hey chcered and started for the stage in
bunch
"Nevada spread out her hands and told
hem that II they'd wait until she went
nd put on heavier. high nccked gown
he'd come back and kiss them all and
i've every one of them piece OF her
'edding cake. She had just married DIR.
'almer, and she had packed trunk full
( wedding cake to take to Austin. She
an off to the dressing room and in lit.
C while came back in dark gown. We
rought the cake In In big pans, and she
lllilled both her promises. The crowd
'as wild with delight and would have
'hooped it up all night IL their Emma
admit told them she was worn out.
"The next morning the whole town
hrned out to take us to the station, and.
hough that was II years ago. believe
be mountains must be echoing yet with
ner 'Goodby, Emma" Nevada said she
'ouldn't have missed that visit for all
be money she would make that season.
nd it was. by long odds. the most enter
.,,.,, hnI IN,