Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-10-04
Captain Charlie Barr is a peach.
COL. JACK HAVERLY..
Some "Reminiscences of Famous
American Character.


New York Sun.
Col. Jack Haverly, who died in Salt
Lake last week, was a stirring end very
American character He started with
nothing, we believe; yet he had made
six CIR seven fortunes in his time He
was only SIS, and it is likely enough
that if fate had spared him. he would
have conquered Fortune once more and
would have abandoned her gayly once
more. If ever a man liked to match
with Destiny, net for beers" like
Mr. Kipling's American but for Big
stakes, Col. Jack Hayerly was that
man. He would make u pie of money
in theatrical enterprises, in which he
was extraordinarily successful; then
lose it in trying to make it bigger in
games he did not understand or which
other men knew better, the New York
Stock Exchange and the Chicago Board
or Trade, tor example. re ndd pIen.y
OF the pleasure of winning, and of that
pleasure of losing, the next, in Mr.
FOX estimation to that of winning
1t might be argued with reasonable
plausibility that Americans are the
greatest fatalists in the world; the
readiest to take the chances" and the
least giving to whining when the cards
go against them. From the point of
view of the political economist or the
moralist, thrift, saving and content
ment with a modest competence are to
be encouraged and the propensity to
gamble and to speculate is to be con-
demned. We stand by the copybook
precepts, yet it is only honest 10 con-
tess that there is something of Jack
Haver,y in most of us. american life
is still so fluid. the range of opportun-
ity so great, the national temperament
so buoyant, daring and hopeful, that it
Is easier for an American to try his
luck again than to sit down snugly and
enjoy what he has. The fun and the
excitement of the game are more than
the game. there are Americans, and
plenty of them, who will lose all they
have in some magnificent scheme and
make much less fuss about it than a
Paris shopkeeper would make over
bad twentyfranc piece. IF at first
you do succeed lose and try again."
may be said to have been Col Jack
Hayerly's motto. Not the safest in the
world. but it gave him a pretty inter-
estins and brilliant life.
At Is he graduated from the news
boys or newsmans business in Toledo
into the show business, of which he
knew nothing. He already had a lit
tie money and he had GEAR ideas.
Along came Happy" Cal Wagner, a
new forgotten minstrel. with strand
ed company. Make me your manager
and I'll stake YOU" said the boy to the
old hand. Done said "Hsppy" Cal,
who had no choice. The young mana
ger spent money in a way that made
peoples eyes stick out, but he gave
good show and he and Happy" Cal
made money for five or six years. Then
they parted; and Haverly soon began
on his own hook. He collected Haver-
ly's Minstrels, emigrated to Chicago
and captured it. Haverly's Minstrels
and Hooley's theatre, which Haverly
leased, became nearly as well known as
Chicago. He reaped money and fame.
His theatre was crowded, and shoes,
eravats, paper collars, We dare say,
were named after the triumphant
young Ohioan.
He kept getting more theatres He
became the theatrical trust before
trusts in their present sense were
known. He had three theatres in New
York, one in Brooklyn, two in Phila-
delphia. three in Chicago, three in San
Francisco. In those great days he
made or is said to have made $4,000
or $4,000 day. Among his employees
were AL" Hayman and Charles Froh-
man, mighty men of the theatre to-day.
He had so much money he had to do
something with IT, He bought silver
mines in Leadvlle. where he founded
mining exchange and a driving park.
He speculated in pork. He wrestied
with Wall street and had a bad fall.
He owed 100000 when he got through.
/ He was soon on his Ieet again with
! his Mastodon Minstrels, combination
/ of unparalleled noise a1d numbers. II
was too much Of a good thing, as we
| remember it. That sea of burnt cork
was altogether too large for most con-
noisseurs in negro minstrelsy; but 1t
made prodigious hubbub. Haveriy
stirred up London with that and other
shows. His career as manager in this
| town is still in fresh remembrance, If
anything that relates 10 that evane-
scent world Of the theatre can be fresh