Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-07-06
THE JEFFERSON FAMILY.
Some Remin iscences of It's Members,
Including Charley Burke.

Including Charley Burke.
Written for The Evening Star.
There stood, many, many years ago, In
Washington on the south side of Louisiana
avenue between Az and 9th streets north
west, an old ramshackle building, originally
a bowling or ten-pin alley, called 'Copp
Saloon" This was reftted as a theater,
and therein the writer first was admitted to
the acquaintance, intimacy and friendship
of Rip Van Wrinkle jefferson and ais half
brother, Charley Burke. Joe jefferson, ST..
had married the mother of these remark
able boys. Every member of the Jefferson
family was remarkable, for that matter;
they were all full and trimming over with
talent.
In those days up In New England, where
blue laws were enacted, and even in some
other sections of the country, actors-play-
er folk, as they were called-were down on
the same social level with circus clowns,
bearded women and snake charmers. Peo-
pie would go to see them, laugh and ad-
mire, but they We're not to be tolerated in
their homes
But Mr.. and Mrs. Joe Jefferson were
everywhere exceptions to the general rule
She was handsome, graceful dignided
elegant gentleWoman, in all that the term
ever implied. She was model Of deport-
ment and propriety in public and pr1vate
ne. ehe was genuinely and unaffectedly
plous, and 1t was her inYariable rula-.;n
flexible as the law of the Modes and Per
sians-that of a Saturday night when the
curfeW tolled the knell of departing week
uay ana the dawn of the Sabbath down
was rung the curtain and the audiences had
10 1lie out. In those early DAYS of Wash
instoh nobody dreamed that In the future
ittle Joe Jefferson would wake up from n
MY Years steep or so in the CatterskiJls
ana go a-hshing with a President of the
United States Va @iie
MT. ana Mrs. Joe jefferson and the chill
qren, little Rip and Charley Burke We're
naren,s guests at the table of the writer's
parents. and a brother elder hv ton
years We're their p1ayfellows. and we often
played Hide and Whoop" amid tha ebnst
~ scenery of the theater when no rehear-
ono VS. 7.a Oh burke had ten talents to the
oile VI young jefferson, which the generous
ana uhenVious half brother .Our Toe /"
always admringly conceded Charley uas
1ull OF fun and mischief. Had he been old
His ts sn.r ne eoaid not have inherited more
! ms taIents and character and. alas. nhvs.
ical constitution were mainly derived fro,,
the mother of both these wonderful bove
II possibly could in the faintest degree
present the effect of the realism of old
Joe Jefferson's and Charley Rnrke,S o oio
ing would indeed feel the deed was ito
own reward. was us
The first time 1 attended the theater and
Sd" ana heard old Joe he enacted the
role OF The Golden Farmer" The cnrtsin
Went up and sound Of a cobbler hammar-
Ing out bit of sole leather on his Lnao
was heard and voice singing a ditty In
ma
When that voice was heard the sinaar
was out Of sight, but when he came for-
ward to the footlights "the hnuse rosa 70
MIN MIN and ne bowed and bowed. endeavor-
ing TO speak and deprecating the ovation
1t was scene to be witnessed: imnossibIa
to describe That was the bows father
and the mother was equally as great. on
1 Ierer noaT nt5d or on n He was an immense
all the round Of comedy chara cters in,
Guiding Dromio and Malvolio. But the
erea6est comedian on any stage was Char
AS Joe Jefferson jr., stands s,,nren,e as
the only Rip Van Wrinkle, so stands his
half-brothers representation Of that email
~ pathetic character with King Lear.
Grandfather Whitehead in Mark I.emon;s
play of that name. Many years after
Charley Burke's death the writer then IN
Liverpool, England, saw the play at the
Liverpool Iheater One of the most re-
nowned Of European emotional actors as.
sumed the part, but he was far inferior to
Burke. Next to his chef d'oeuvre of White
head came Billy Lackaday and there was. is
ana can be no other. In Bob Acres, Sir
Pertimax Masycophant, Tackleton. 1.-THE
Toy Merchant" the whole range and
| gamut, from the minor scale of humanity
even into the heights Of Shakespeare's Gre
| atoms, he was equally great. This is I'M
| derdrawn. as all will attest who knew him.
| POOR Charley. victim of consumption
IN the mere dawning of his wonderful pow
ers. one morning dropped in on us-the
| "AitS. ohN hiS Dfotner-1n our law Office
on 9th street northwest He settled into a
chair. coughed painfully. recovered his
breath and said: well, boys. am going
| out on professional tour to San francisco
and elsewhere, to be gone a long time and
perhaps forever. 1 have a presentiment
VIII never get back alive-never see you
boys or old Washington again. 1 want
you both TO see me tonight make It q
point-at Riley's Varieties here on the ave.
| nue. (between 9th and 10th streets, per.
haps for the last time. Here are tickets
1 shall look for YOU
OF course we both were there His i'm.
personation was his favorite one, Billy
Lackaday.- He played 1t better than evel
before, and though the house applaudet
his work, we, knowing what we did of the
condition of his health, could not but BIZ
sad and in some places were moved te
tears. We never saw Burke after thai
night He died in San Francisco. d.
She 0ndisnantly)-'But you had no bust
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