Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1902-04-07

of similar companies touring the coun-
try. The second company organized
was called the kentucky minstrels"
and was composed of T. c. Booth, Har-
ry Mestayer, Frank Lynch Reorgan-
izing they took in Whitlock, Barney
Williams and Charley" White. Sue
ceeding troupes were the Ring and
Parker minstrels," the Congo min
strels," afterwards known as Buck
ley's New Orleans serenaders,' and E.
2. Christy's minstrels, consisting of
E. p Christy, George n. Christy.
Thomas Vaughn, L. Durand Enom
Dickerson and ''Zeke" Baclzus The
latter company first appeared in Pal
mos opera house Cartons theater)
New York, in 1886. The Ethiopian
serenaders,' with j. Dumbolton as
manager, also went to England. So
great was their success that they were
summoned to sing before Queen Vic
toria, and each performer received a
beautiful crest ring as a token of her
maiesty's approval. Dumbolton took
a second company TO England shortly
afterward.
A company organized about that
time in Philadelphia and calling them
selves the virginia serenaders," was
composed of Jim" Sanford (Cool
White), Richard Myers cole Bull My
ers) and Robert Edwards The ''HaT-
mOnians," containing Frank Lynch
and l.. v H. Crosby, Whites Serena
ders, who remained in New York from
1916 until 1857; the Sable Brothers,
were members, and the Sable Har-
monians, " including Plumer, Archer,
Jim" Farrell, Nelson Kneass, the au-
thor of Ben Bolt, and Joe Murphy
were well known companies of that
time The best known and perhaps
the most successful company was the
"Original Campbell minstrels,' as it
became known later to distinguish it
from the many companies which took
the name Campbell. John Campbell,
hotelkeeper of New York, who or
ganized the troupe, finally went to law
to protect his name. In his company
were William B. Donaldson, Jerry
Bryant, John Rea, later Judge Rea of
Paterson. N. j.. James Carter, Harry
Mestayer and David Raymond.
The First Performances.
BanjOs, tambourines and bones
were the principal musical instru-
ments of the first minstrel companies.
Some one invented the ''jawbOne"
which at first was in fact the jawbone
of a horse or mule to which small
bells were affixed The performer
scraped upon the loose teeth in the
/ jaw with file or small piece of
iron, and the grating of the iron on
the teeth mingled with the jingling
of the bells was the music Negro
comic songs, sentimental slave songs
and series Of wild negro chants were
the principal songs of the original
MINISTRIES.
Performances, at first consisting of
a few songs, jokes and humorous stO-
ries, were improved by the addition of
Jig dancers. The bone player usually
an Adonis and the much admired
member, was called "Brudder Bones"
while the tambourine player answered
to the name of Julius The middle
man was always Sam Johnson The
style and dress of the minstrels soon
changed, the plantation darkies Of
the SOUTH in checked shirts, striped
trousers and straw hats of the first
part being replaced by the dandy ne
groes OF the north in full evening
dress of the second part Later the
plantation costume gave way entirely
to the evening dress, being retained
only for the comic sketches and
farces in the olio.
With other improvements comets,
flutes, double basses, violOncellos and
accordeons were added to the orches-
ira. One instrument whose use was
confined almost entirely to the min
strels and which disappeared with the
fall of that amusement was the melO-
phone 1t resembled a guitar, with
accordion reeds inside and bellows
within to furnish the power for the
reeds Most Of these instruments, of
which, perhaps, not more than one
hundred were ever made, occupy
places in museums. Fred Buckley's
melophone is now owned by Frank
DumOnt who still uses it.
Fosters Songs Win Popularity.
About 1850 Stephen G. Foster began
to write his famous songs, which, sung
by E. P. Christy and other popular
Ministries, took the country by storm.
Nelly BLY,, Nelly Was Lady Oh, SUI
sauna, Nancy Trill, Way Down Upon
the Swanee Ribber, Massa's in the
Cold, Cold Ground, Old Dog Tray, Old
Uncle Ned, Old Kentucky Home, Will
lie, We Have Missed You, Old Black
Joe, Come Where My Love lies
Dreaming, and Hard Times Come
Again No More were all favorites
| which added to the popularity of the
MINISTRIES who sang them Foster,
who was the author Of about one hum
dred songs, died in poverty and with
out care in 1864 at the age of 81.