The age-herald., 1901-11-09
MINISTRIES SING
 HOME, SWEET HOME
Birmingham Company Strands
 In Mississippi Town,
SHERIFF CAUSED 1T ALL
Took Away the Costumes and the Audience Carried Off the Chairs to Get Their Moneys
 Worth.

| There is a bunch of dissolate coal-black gentlemen in Meridian, Miss. They are singing song of Home, Sweet Home" or Birmingham, My Birmingham" The world made "Goo Goo eyes" at them. They went away with a minstrel show Then the world was harsh The man in l the box office made Goo Goo eyes, at | the vacant space outside the little win dow, but there was no merry response in the way of quarters and half dol- | lars.
 | Then the sheriff came and the consta- ble-not one, but many. It costs some thing to give a minstrel show-even in Meridian. The box office receipts van ished-in payment for the required H. l cense, and then other debtors came. The box office had done all it could do. It | could respond no more, and a grim piece of paper-labelled attachment-was serv- of red suits and high hats accompanied the grim piece of parchment away from the tent.
 They Wanted Show.
 Then there arose a mighty storm of anger from the few who had been kind to the box office man. They wanted show-but show there could not be. What would a minstrel show be without dress suits and red hats, and there were no suits of any kind left. All paraphernalia had cone with the attachment, and the sheriff and the constapie. The audience then set about to get their moneys worth. They took chairs and | tent poles, and everything else that the sheriff neglected to conhscate. There was night. There was not even a schooner of beer nor a game of craps. If there is not | something doing there will be a process sion of negro pedestrians from Meridian to Birmingham. The following special dispatch to the Age-Herald from Me- rldian tells the doleful story:
 King and Bushs colored minstrels of Birmingham have been up against a hard luck streak for the past week and last night it culmnated in the breaking up of the show before the performance began.
 Were Held in Macon.
 The company arrived in the city day before yesterady from Macon after being held in that city several days for lack of funds to get away They marched i'm mediately from the train to a street pa- rade and attracted considerable attention. When they came to put up the tent for the night show they found they did not have all their equipment and would not | m, ula axr, the first night.
 | Yesterday morning, however, they got l up the tent, and in the afternoon gave another street parade and free concert ir preparation for the night show.
 The Sheriff Came.
 "At night, just as the show was to commence, it was interrupted by party composed of Sheriff Dick Jemson Police man Hand and Movette. Constable Price and Deputy Constable Edmundson, who came to collect the license that was due both the city and county. The box office receipts were barely enough to cover this detail of the business, and the manage ment thought they could proceed with the fun.
 | AnOtncT lHbciEuptiOh SdihS1 iiOWSfci which found them out of business This time it was a writ of attachment in the hands of Constables Price and Edmund son, sworn out by two of the members of the troupe, who claimed that the man. agement was indebted to them for back pay amounting to $50.
 There was no money on hand to meet this last demand so the officers had to seize the property of the show. and the red Prince Alberts the bass fiddle, bass drum and a number of property trunks were loaded up and carted to Justice Kleins office.
 Carried of Chairs.
 "At this juncture the audience realized that they were out of pocket the admis- sion fees and were to get no show for their money. Pondemonium reigned for a time, while the audience carried off chairs and tent paraphernalia.
 "The show is stranded and the travelling management has telegraphed to the own- CTS at Birmingham telling them the cir cumstances. Relief is expected today"