Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-04-12
BLACK FACE SHOW
BY CLUB MEMBERS
Minstrel Performance Greeted by
Large and Fashionable
Audience.
A NIGHT OF MIRTH AND MUSIC
Good Singing, Funny Jokes. and
Several Novel SpeciaIties
.-McNish a Feature.
A NIGHT OF MIRTH AND MUSIC


Harper's theatre last night, but every
seat in the house was taken. When
it was over there was not one in the
audience but felt that he had just seen
the only show of the season.
The popularity of the actors may
have had something to do with the
size and the appreciation of the au-
dience, but there is no disputing that
Extraordinary talent was exhibited by
several of the perpetrators and the
boundIess mirth and enthusiasm
aroused came from the head as we'll as
from the heart.
The songs were new and proper and
delivered in real. black face fashion.
The Jokes were all new. or at least had
a new application, aud the take.offs
on prominent people were smoking
hot. The stage settings were lively
and appropriate, containing liberal
display of the clubs colers, white
and red.
Pretty Stage Arrangement.
The boxes were draped with bunt-
| ing. The performers, who numbered
80, were arranged in rising tiers dur
ing the first part, Strasser's orches-
ira, led by Prof. G. F. Toenniges, be-
ing at the top. and the last man being
almost hidden among the decorations.
There were four end men on each
side. All, even to the orchestra, were
BACKED and all wore full evening
dress. The end men wore black
gloves and white vests, while the
others wore white gloves and black
vests. The interlocutor, William
Highball (F. A. Head, occupied a
raised seat in the center of the stage
1t was planned to dress the stage
/ for the first part with special set
ting. The decorations were ordered
from Chicago firm, but when they
arrived Wednesday they were found
to be so old and worn that the
club minstrel committee refused to
take them out of the express Office.
The stage and boxes were decorated
by Warren Reck and j. R. Tuckis, the
latter the we'll known window trim
mer.
Who the Performers Were.
The performance was presented by
the following members of the club:
j. Q. Paddock, Joe NJ Rosenfield. G
A. Price, j. T. McKennan, H. E Van
Duzer, w. j. Sweeney, Warren H.
Reck, c. A. Stoddard, H. H. Cleave-
land, Gus Tegeler, Myer A.. Loeb,
Samuel Edwards, w. A. Rosenfield,
e. Nj. Kerns. Fred A. Head. Guy Bow
man, j. HI. Colligan, II. S. Gable. j.
S. Wilbert, L. NJ. Totten. Allen H.
Head. DR.. r. NJ. PeaTce. Hugh E Cur
tbs, Z. G. Chamberlin, d. E. Noftsker.
B. ID. Connolly, assisted by l.. M Cas-
teel, Addison Gest. w. A. Andersen,
Will Collins, F. c. Koos, G T. Porter,
H. S. Mitchell, Louis Rosenield,
Frank E. McNish. John S. Stewart,
H. K. Collins, A. j. Stibolt, A. w.
Bowen and Z. Z. Mangold.
AS the curtain rolled up the entire
company sang the chorus of the
''Blue and Gray" with inspiring vim.
each waving a ministu American
flag, the whole affording a pretty pic
ture. Then followed in quick success
sion the evolutions of the end men,
introduction of the principal ends and
the grand Introductory overture, etc.
The First Part.
William Highball Ct. A. Head) was
interlocutor; the bones were handled
by Heinie Scratcher (Mr. Colligan).
Erastus SNOWFALL (Mr. Connolly, |
Sawof Depew CIV. A. Rosenfeld)
and Huckey jackson Oh. K. CoIlins)
and the tambos by Mr.. McNish. |
George Washington johnson (Mr. |
Totten), Abraham Lincoln Smith CDR. |
Pearce), and Alexander Dumas Brown |
(Mr. Curtis).
The first part musical numbers
were as follows: "Sweethearts and
Roses" Peter jackson Rogers (Mr.
Edwards); "You Told Me 1 Need New
er Work No More" Heinie Scratcher
(Mr. Colligan); selection from the |
opera Foxy Quiller," by a sextet, |
F. A. Head. Messrs. Chamberlin. Ed |
wards, Koos, H. X. Collins, and Van |
Duzer; "Coon, Coon, Coon Willie
Dumping (Mr. Mangold); 1.-The Star
and Flower" Medicine Man (Mr. Van
Duzer); "Oh. Oh, Miss Phoebe"
Erastus johnson (Mr. Connelly);l
'Sing Me Song of the South" Al
bert Henry Williams (Mr. Stewart) !; |
closing chorus, "My Jersey Lily,
company.
Abe Rosenfeld, who was to have /
appeared as principal on the tambo
end, was detained at home by the ILL
ness of his wife. His absence was
severely felt by the company and re-
GREETED by the audience. He was /
down on the program as Willie Dump-l
ling, Mr.. Mangold consenting at the |
last moment to sing his song, and /
Mr.. McNish, who directed the stage, |
going on the end in his place. The |
inability of Mr.. Rosenfeld to take |
part also necessitated the abandon
ment of the operate sketch, "Micky-
Do and Bum-Bum," in the olio.
McNish Helps Ont.
Mr.. McNish, however, made up for |
the loss of this number, opening the /