The Topeka state journal., 1902-04-28

fner boy. He left the army al Cairo
Illinois. where he played the drum in
the orchestra and acted small parts
Later he joined a travelling company. He
played in New York in 1871 and joined
Days company in 1874. Since then un-
til-last year he was at the head Of his
own company He has been seen in
Topeka in "A Poor Relation" Peaceful
Valley" "A Bachelors Honeymoon"
and the last time two years ago, in
Hon. John Grigsby."
SKETCH OF HIS LIFE.
Sol Smith Russell was born at Bruins
wick, No, June 10 1913 While he was
q small boy his father moved to st.
Louis and engaged in business as tin
ner. and made an effort to teach young
Sol the trade But the future comedian
did not take kindly to the manufacture
of CnWare, and was a dismal failure.
FrCrI his earliest youth he had an in
clination to get into the show business,
which was partly due 10 Sol Smith, the
veteran comedian and manager, and an
uncle Of young Sol, who was fond of the
boy and gave him the run of the play
houses with which he was connected.
The fact that he was the nephew of Sci
Smith was also passport to other
theaters, and he spent most of his time
behind the scenes until he was u years
of age. when his father moved to jack
sOnville, Ill, and he was taken away
from his theatrical privileges. but his
tastes remained and he organized
band of boys into kind of a minstrel
club and laid the foundation for his
future career.
1t is said that his comic impersona-
tions at this early age made his show
worth seeing, and gave a hint of his
probable future. AT the beginning of
the war Sol was only Is years of age.
but he lOnged to be soldier. Illinois
was wild with patriotic sentiment. and
after a vain attempt to get his parents
To fer aaa-
away with regiment and marched as
Il drummer for several months At
Paducah, KY, he became very sick A
surgeon came, looked at his tongue,
rolled him over. and cheerfuHy- in
formed him that he would die Sol was
not ready to die, SO he crawled out of
the hospital to a n0rth-bound steamer
at the leVee. and was convened to St
Louis, and from there he reached home
after much hardship and suffering. He
mad a rugged constitution. and the
faithful nursing of his mother soon re-
stored him to health
Instead of having enough of army life
Sol went back to the ar4oy at once
probably because there was such a
field for the display Of his comic Ialent
he wandered from one command to an
other, sometimes well fed and clothed
and sometimes dead broke The latter
was his condition when the little min
strei reached Cairo. He was looking
IOf JOB, and found it al the Defiance
theater, where he did 4 general utility
act at Sc a week, the first regular en-
gagement he ever held He not only
played his part ia the usual war
drama, but he sang comic songs be
tween acts and played the drum in the
orchestra He was so slim and fair
that he was often imposed upon by be-
ing saddled with female part and
costume, both of which he handled ad-
mirably.
His next engagement was at John
Bates theater in Connecticut. where he
sang comic songs between the acts. He
then Joined Bob Carter's Dog Show
on canal boat play house While he
was not leading the canine chorus he
was doing mules duty in moving the
boat In SO he sang at the Red White
and Blue" concert saloon in St Louis.
BY this time he had attracted some at
tention, and he was regularly employed
at Deagie's theater, where he sang be-
tween acts. Afterward he joined the
Peak family, and followed the army into
Arkansas and Tennessee. During all
this hard life he was studying plays and
reading stage literature. and fitting him
self for his future.
AT the age of is he wasi the second
comedian of the old theater at Nashville
and there acted with stars such as
Frank Drew. Maggie Mitchell, Laura