The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-04-27
HOTEL LOBBY GLEANINGS
NICK ROBERTS, AN OLD-TIME MIN
STREL MAN, In THE CITY.
He Grows Interestingly Reminiscent
with q Reporter-Stories from
the Hotels.

Nick Roberts, an old time minstrel man,
who has been identified with almost every
kind of public amusement during the last
forty-five years, from the old wagon circus
to the modern spectacular fireworks exhi-
billions put on by Pain Brothers, is at the
Grand. He is here to make the contracts
for the production of Pains 'Pompei' in
this city during the first week in July.
Mr.. Roberts has had a long and varied
experience In the amusement business and
last night at the Grand he recalled some in
teresting "reminiscences. AS a boy OF thlr-
teen .he joined a wagon circus In Chicago
and stayed with Ii for several years till he
had opening with the Rumsey & New
comb Minstrels as property man. In 1853
he went abroad with the company.
"Rumsey & Newcomb were the first min
strels to go abroad said Mr.. Roberts.
with a smile, land they met the experience
that usually comes to the first people to ex-
pertinent with a proposition, for they were
stranded high and dry in a few weeks. OF
course they expected to make a great hit
and everything looked encouraging when
we started but the show did not take well
even in London. where they thought they
would do big business, and when they
went over on the continent they met still
worse luck. In Berlin they were denounced
as frauds, for the people expected to see
real negroes and could not understand the
black-face turn at all. Finally they
reached the end of their resources and but
for a good angel back here in America, who
sent Newcomb a thousand dollars to bring
his company home, there is no telling what
would have become of us, AS 1t was we left
one of the company behind, and left him
married to his washerwoman, at that! He
owed woman little money for doing his
laundry work and she had him arrested.
thought he would get out of it by playing
the injured lover. He squeezed out a few
tears and managed to make the judge un-
derstand that he had expected to marry the
woman and that she was doing him great
wrong by having him arrested for little
debt The judge took him at his word and
had him married In the courtroom. We
left him behind, and never did learn what
became of him.
After we came back to this country
Rumsey and Newcomb separated and the
latter organized a minstrel troupe which
was very successful for several seasons.
He had a great company and some OF the
Gilmore, the great band leader, was the
musical director of the company, and among
the others were Jim Dooley, the bones,
one of the finest comedians of the old days;
]. H. Raynor, baritone; Campbell and
Castle, the basso and tenor who later be-
came famous in opera, and Billy Arlington
Newcomb himself, the tambo.' was one of
the finest all around comedians 1 have ever
known.
elm 1869 the Newcomb minstrels played in
Indianapolis during state fair week, at the
old Metropolitan Opera House, which was
located on the site of the present Park
rheater recall that week a Niv 1at h ne
been pursuing US all season. One of the
members of the company was married and
had his wife with him part Of the time,
hut rrnVa hn In nnn y mr.
always played to poor business. We opened
Monday of that week to a good house and
had another good house Tuesday. Wednes-
day, Thursday and Friday were to be the
big days of the fair and we expected
crowded houses. Wednesday morning the
wife of that member joined him and that
fairgrounds. A boiler exploded, killing
several people and injuring a number of
others. and as a result we had to close the
theater that night and had small houses
"Bill Leake, an Indianapolis man, who will
be remembered by the old citizens, and 1
week and we cleared just s4OO.25. When we
came to divide, cut the odd quarter in
two, and L still have my half of it,"
In the early seventies Mr.. Roberts took out
the first Humpty-Dumpty organization that
was put on the road and was with it
for several years. Later he became half
owner of circus and was fairly on the road
wreck en- route to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and
lost everything he had. Out Of the entire
circus outfit not a thing was saved except
one small pony and the performers, and the
latter were, Of course, useless without the
tents and ring paraphernalia.
SCI have only been abroad twice." said Mr..
Roberts, In summing up his experiences,
''but 1 have been in every nook Of this
country, and / have been up against some
pretty tough luck, but can say one thing
1 have never reached the point where /
couldn't get a good square meal whenever
was hungry"