The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1903-06-25
.STORIES0F MAJOR POND
His Experiences as a Manages
Of Celebrities.
TWICE ACTED PART OF GOOD ANGEL

How He Becnme a CAN BOY In a ST.
Louis Theater and Helped Char
Iotte oushmnn. the Actress-Pushed
Mark Twain In harrow 20 keep
Him Moving = Novel Experience
with Ian MncIaren.
The late Major james Burton Pond,
author. soldier editor and the most re-
markable manager Of celebrities the
world has ever known, as d boy assist
led his father IN aiding slaves to escape
lnorthward, their house being d station
for slaves, says the New York Ameri-
can.
After serving his apprenticeship in
Fond du Lac, Wis, Major Pond began
Ito set type on the Herald Of Freedom
lat Lawrence, Kan. There the "call'
came to him as it had come 70 John
Brown. and he became one of those
who made history that will live to the
end Of time as raider in the little
frontier town Of Kansas. This was in
1856. AS d member Of Browns band
The carried one of the Sharp's rifles
known as the Beecher Bible for the
reason that the guns were shipped
west by abolitionists as Bibles.
i Major Pond was one Of the pioneers
Ito Denver ana Pixies peak in 1859.
When the civil war broke out he en-
listed, rose from the ranks until he
was made a major and in 1863 was
one Of the seventeen survivors Of a
band Of it8 Union cavalrymen who
were attacked By Quantrell in the Bax-
ter Springs massacre. Next we see
him in Utah. the proprietor Of the first
gentle paper there, the Salt Lake Trib-
une
When Ann Eliza Young apostatized.
Major Pond was delegated to 90 with
her to Washington, where she told her
story Of Mormonism TO congress. Then
the genius Of the major ats a manager
became apparent He at once saw the
possibilities Of making money with
Ann Eliza Young Ms a lecturer. He
yielded to the wishes of Denver and
let her speak there first. OF this ex-
perience he said: Il GOT the school
room, charged $3.50 a ticket, sold 400
tickets and took in 5000 that evening
/ remember when she was to appear
in Denver | went to the house and did
not know her She was dressed up
and well, she looked pretty. The lead
ing Methodist minister-she had been
converted By a Methodist and so they
claimed her introduced her TO one of
the largest audiences ever seen in Dem
yer.
Il have never found 80 earnest a
talker. the major said afterward II
have heard a great many too. She
had cause. She was in dead earnest
She was able in two years from that
time to leave Utah with her children
and her family, and she never re-
turned.
Major Pond was a good angel on two
notable occasions In the life Of Char
lotte Cushman, the great actress. The
first was when from a tramp printer
he became a call boy In st. Louis
theater at 81 week He began the
night Charlotte Cushman opened her
engagement as Lady Macbeth. She
had complained that the boy who carr
ried the basket containing her jewels
had loitered She needed some one she
could rely upon, who would walk faith
fully by her side with that precious
basket 10 the little lad Pond fell the
honor
so that night l walked home with
Charlotte Cushman, the great actress"
he writes, carrying her basket to her
room in the Planters House. | did
this until became i'll and was obliged
10 send a substitute, who brought the
basket on Saturday night After the
play, when the lights We're turned off
with the exception Of the dressing
room, | heard Miss Cushman asking
for me. | replied, and she came across
the stage to me, hoped / would not be
III and put coin in my hands.
scratched about and got to where there
was sufficient light to discover that
was the owner Of a twenty dollar gold
piece. ! changed my lodging that
night"
Years passed before the call boy and
the actress again met. He was giving
entertainments in the Boston theater,
and they were meeting with great sue
cess. Suddenly he thought Of Char
lotte Cushman and offered her $1,000