The Minneapolis journal., 1902-02-10
BEGAN At THE PENCE.
Melbourne MacD Theatrical
Career Started Here.
REALISTIC STAGE FIGHT
West Nearly Had Serious
Consequences.

Melbourne MacDowefl, who opened a
brief engagement at the Metropolitan
theater last night, made his first appear
ance upon the stage in Minneapolis as a
member of the Bryton-Carver stock COM
pany, at the old Pence opera-house.
Moreover, his son, who is now member
of his fathers company, was born here;
and this afternoon Mr.. MacDowell pointed
out to the boy the little house in which
he first made his debut upon the stage of
life. 1t is still standing and fronts upon
First avenue N, in the rear of the West
hotel. The hotel however, had not been
built then.
MacDowell, fills, who is the youngest
man in the company, is cast for the Oldest
part in the play, that of Eusebe, the
church sexton. 1t is his first part of any
consequence, and he plays it well. He
comes by his ability naturally, however,
for Mrs. MacDowell' his mother, was one
Of the famous Irving sisters; and her
sons name appears upon the program as
George Irving. She is now dead.
In his Minneapolis stock days, Mac
Dowell, of course, was young man, but
he was prime local favorite, and to-
gether with his "sparring partner"
BILLY" Lloyd was we'll known by all
the house habitues. His name is William
Melbourne MacDowell, and he was fa-
miliarly known, not as Melbourne Mac
Dowell but as "Billy Mac" The two
Bills were great friends; and, as their
salary in those days .Was not munlfcent,
they usually had about one bill between
them. However, they managed to make
| it serve.
| In speaking of his early Minneapolis
| experiences last night, Mr. MacDoWell
| told of a practical joke played upon him
| by the late Colonel John T. West. then
proprietor of the Nicollet hotel. Said
| he:
1 was standing in the Nicollet House bar
room one morning. talking with Joe Murch.
| when Colonel West came in. We were play
| ing 1.-THE Ticket of Leave Man" that week.
| I was cast as Dalton, and Lloyd played
| Hawkshaw, the detective. In one act OF the
| play we had a rough and tumble fight; and VS.
| used to do our best to make it realistic. l
| had been Graeco-Roman wrestler in Canada,
and Lloyd was no s|ouch, so that we really
| put up pretty good go.
| The colonel walked up to the bar and turn
| ing to me, said: Billy, l thought you knew
| something about wrestling" "That's right .
1 answered. well he replied, II was just
! talking to Lloyd and lie says he's going to
| throw you right over the footlights tonight.
| Says you've been getting too Internally
bright, and he's going to teach you a lesson
"If he told you that, colonel" l retorted,
! my advice to you is to come to the show
| tonight, for you'll see the most surprised
| man you ever saw in your life, and he won t
| spell his name MacDowell, either
| The colonel smiled, and walked away. Then
| he hunted up Lloyd and told him l had
promised to make monkey of him when it
came time for the scrap. OF course, we
neither of knew that a joke was in
tended, and the result must have provided
lots of fun for the colonel and his friends,
although it looked pretty serious for me, for
about five minutes.
When the time for the fight came Lloyd
| made his speech. "Now, Bill Dalton he
said "it is my turn Then we grappled, and
the scrap was on We went down together
rolling into the footlights. They were gas,
in those days, and I had all the hair singed
off the back of my head, and got my back
we'll scorched into the bargain. Lloyd was
| burned too, and we were both Of us about as
mad as we could be. We rolled around that
stage in way that set the house in a storm
Of applause, and finally I got Lloyd around
the neck and choked him. Then I raped his
head against the stage floor; and finally, stood
over him for the picture" as the curtain
descended g.
When l rose to my feet however, Lloyd
didn't get up. He had tainted and had to
be carried to his dressing-room before he
| revived. That little fight came near getting
| me fired; and it was some time before we dis
covered that it had all been due to one Of
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