Waterbury Democrat., 1901-03-30
heatr1caI Chatfer
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BY BRANDON.

Digby Bell. one of the chiefest of the White Rats, is also a Lamb, Buffalo. Blue Rabbit and an Elk, and he is to have q new vaudeville sketch writ ten for him by Ernest Seton-Thomp- son. author of Wild Animals l Have known
 III:
 William A Brady has purchased a farm near Asbury Park, where he Will provide quarters for the live stock nSed ill his various productions. Bar nuns ''happy family will be rivaled when the bloodhounds, ponies and donkeys of Uncle Toms Cabin. the horses cows. sheep and poultry of three Way Down East companies, and the doves and SongDirds of "Lov- CTS Lane'' are all domiciled in har- monious juXtaposition.
 :,:
 Phoebe Davies. who is to personate the title role when William A. Brady and Joseph F. Girsmer produce Bet sy Ross in Philadelphia, April 15, has been making exhaustive research and has formed personal acquaintance among the ClaypoOls and AshmOres. who are lineal descendants of the fair Quakeress who made the first Ameri- can flag One delightful old lady. q granddaughter of Betsy Ross. remem- bers her distinctly. and detects strik- ing personal resemblance between her and the actress who is to impersOnate the mimic character. Like the famous heroine of revolutionary times. Miss Davies is petite of figure. with the same dark brown eyes and hair.
 Er,,a pl young village minister so naturally in Clyde Fitch'S Lovers Lane." has been re-engaged for that part next sea son. A good many people have writ ten to the management lnqulrlng whether he was ever q clergyman. MT Hastings protests that he was not, but confesses that he was q Canadian bar riSter and solicitor. who. upon receiv- ing his SheepSkin Straightway turned its face toward the wall and yielded to q long cherised yearning to go upon the stage. Actors are not always what they seem. Spike HennesSy never cracked q real safe. Few of the pugil- iStic stars are real fighters. No relia- ble eye witnesses came forward that the late lamented Steve BrOdie jumped from the bridge. If anxious inquirers could see Mr Hastings playing pool ar the Lambs club after strengthening out the affairs of his. little stage par ish. their faith in the realities of the drama would be rudely shattered
 :l:
 Last week the White Rats present eq at Roster and BiarS perhaps the most startling cycle act ever seen. It was done by Hill and Silviany. and had never been seen in Ameri- can theaters except at few perform ances at Keith'S. when they quit work on account of the illness prevalent among the Rats at that time. Hill had been just long enough in the cOun- try to join the Rats. and when he left Keith's his wheels were held. and he lost several weeks work while the Rats were getting ready for him. At Roster and Bials an unusual story concerning him was told by a man in one of the boxes. When the act came on he exclaimed. By jove. that's the same fellow," and when Hill had made q descent of twenty foot ladder on one wheel with his wife on his shoulder. the Onlooker rc- marked: You think that is pretty good but 1 saw Hill do this act on an ocean steamship With the vessel shak- ing from the throbbinS of the engines pretty good sea rolling. and in ordi- nary clothes. 1t cost me the price of his passage and his wife'S. which I assure you was more than 1 paid for this seat. I saw him practicing about decks on that one wheel. He did not seem to stay on it more than second at 8 time. I chaffed him and he of fered to bet that he could ride down q stair on one wheel without falling of. and would carry his wife on his back. l thought it was q bluff and could not get my money out soon enough. We'll. he did it as easily as he did that which you have just seen. Including refreshments, it cost me just $21S."
 Fl:
 As briefly reported before. the spe- cial car of Ed F. Davis's Uncle Toms Cabin company caught fire on March It. and four members of tine company were, burned to death. The disaster occurred at : o'clock in the morning near Olive. Mont. The company was ,on tits way from Spokane. Wash. to <TMissOula. Mont. and the car was at tached to the rear end of l Northern Pacific train. The fire is supposed to have been caused by defective fiue in the stove of the kitchen. that was located in the front end of the car. The rear end was partitioned off solid Sly, and served as stable for the live stock used in the play. The company, numbering twentytwo members. occu- pied the center of the car. When the flames were discovered by the porter. 2 the members were asleep. Hastily they found escape cut off 1n both directions. it being impossible 40 pass through the fire at the front door. The train was stopped and the ear detached. and the other passengers aided in the rescne of the actors. Most esof them crawled out through the win Nows, clad only in the night clothes. z1 1hree members, however, were burned ta death in the car. They were Min Ate Herst. cook. aged 2S years. of Mitchell, Ind: Bert Reed. musician, Sired 22, of Columbus, Kan. and Rene <{hcnsse, musician, aged 24, of Kala- 21Q1oO, Mich. John Baelmens, musi- s4ns aged 24, of Parkersburg. Ia, was
 badly Injured that he died few Egurs later at the Missoula hospital.