The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-03-04

| Of the few old-time variety acts that
has survived the innovations of mod
ern vaudeville They will also see in
their more or less familiar sketch, /" The
Georgia Minstrels,' the epitome of as
much hard luck as is often crowded
into the earlier years of those who come
"from the ground up.
For over thirty years have James Nc
Intyre and Thomas X. Heath wandered
| this country over, portraylng In their
own way the southern darkey's charac.
| ter. Black-face teams have come and
gone, and many have gained not little
fame and fortune, but none have sur
passed Mcintyre and Heath in their
stage stories of Uncle Remus' brethren.
vaudeville, in which they have led the
procession for SO many years, and be-
come stars Of magnificent produc-
tom entitled "The Ham Tree" Next
season Klaw & Erlanger will put them
at the head of company of seventy
FIVE players, and if you doubt it they
will casually hand you an engraved
card bearing the legend to that effect.
Then they will explain that Heath has
saved barely 100000 and that McIn-
tyre has saved not a cent more. "But
And then, if you have the time, they
will lean back in their hotel chairs,
light huge minstrel cigars and regale
you with "reminiscences and tradition
such as no two other eXminstrels can.
They know nearly all about hard luck,
and they play The Georgia Minstrels y
with feeling almost akin to pain. -
eff you ever knew Billy Emerson,
you must have known us, because Nc
Intyre and Heath opened with Billy
Emerson at the Bijou theater, New
| orb INyyx nf mr.
ducing their narrative.
We'll, did you ever hear the story
about Emerson and Manning and the
goldheaded canes?'
at isn't the happiest story in the
world,' says Mcintyre; sit 8 sort OF
hard luck all the way thru; but it shows
the wit of Billy Manning, who used t.
be Emerson partner along in $50
Manning was the greatest wit in the
business. Emerson, on the other hand
had big reputation and everybody
knew he was good before he came on
but Manning was too good for the rube
and could only make a hit when the.
stayed in big town a week or so.
"Anyway, after they had been out ;
Emerson organized the Gold-Heade'
Cane and Big Sunfower Minstrels, am
went one way, and Manning organize,
the plain Billy Manning's minstrel
and went another. Four weeks the,
travelled by different routes, Emerson
doing all the business and Manning do
ing nothing at all. ;. ;,
Mr.. Mcintyre, Manning meets an
other troupe-Skiff & Gaylord s min
strels, which is bac ked by Coal Oh
Johnny. Manning is on his way t
P1ckway, Ohio.
Manning and Gaylord come tc
. gether and have a talk about business
=, 1t seems that Gaylord is going to thi
= bum town of Pickway the very mex
r night, and he says to Bill Manning:
- Now, Bill, I want you to announe
me from the stage, and any time y
X playing in front of you, / II annOunG
e the approach of your show
e "Wcll.' drawled Mcintyre, 'tl
d next night was the town-and it WI
:, cold--end stormy-and bad night
l. and there WASH t enough for to shOy
:, SO they dropped the curtain. Manning
'c troupe was going out Of town the neg
morning OH the very train that brougi
in Gaylord s show After they shoe
ct hands; GAYLORD said: tee'-'
Ii g Manning, did YOU announce N
I'd from the stage last night?'
c- ''Cully, | was JUS goin to a
~ nouncc yo' show when he went out
Is. answered Manning.
M CAN tic audience that Mannir
u had, - elucidated Heath, twas one pc
son, and that one vas he. -
~ n, Now, Manning, continued NJ
S.. Intyre, was having nothing but di
Do ;sSters all the time. He hadn't pa
%. any salaries, and the organization W:
about all in on the day they landed
nc to Covington, across the river, whe
I'M they We're going to play on Monde
1t night. Meanwhile the Emerson sho
III III had closed Saturday night after dol,
!" $4,000 on the week in Cincinnati. {
ma Sunday evening Manning took wa
he over the Rhine
". "To Schumaun s; it was a great 7
10 sort in those days. observes Heath.
IL eyes, Schumann s, that IS where
%. went. And gathered around two b
tables he found Emerson and about Fl
teen of his Gold Headed Cane and B
Sunhower Minstrels. Emerson seem,
= mighty glad to sec Manning; he hadn
heard about Manning's hard luck, al
he introduced him to all the poop
around and had chair brought rig
as up next to his own. And then Enc
q, son takes his gold-headed cane al
Ell raps on the table for drink. Al
ne ne tells his old partner about the big We,
IN he s just fnished;s and then the drin
come in and as soon as everybot
SIS says: Here's looking at you, Ma
Ell ming resumes his intimate conversati
m with Emerson.
II, "To get the proper idea Of II
e. story,,' Mcintyre warns. "y.ou must
OF member that Manning is sitting rig
lis next to Emerson. Well, pretty so
on the minstrel on the other side of Emt
IN son raps on the table with his gol
or headed cane and orders the drin
he Pretty soon another gold headed ca
e, raps the same way, and all the tir
lie Manning is very busy in confdenti
n, conversation with Emerson. But fin;
u "a ly the last gold headed cane has rapp
"a and it s UP to Manning to buy.
70 CHOW, Manning was one of the me
sensitive souls in the world. Il
re. nature is as tender as woman's, b
of his wit is big enough for half a doz
ne ordinary men. So, still keeping up
's- business conversation for the benefit
I'm the rival company, he puts his hand ov
ny his mouth so that only Emerson C
@. OF hear him, and he says:
IS. Bill, YOU, just rap for me; air
ar 'sAlong in 1873 Mr.. Heath and
,ct closed the circus at Alabama, Cath
pe getting So apiece week doing so
III III and dance in the concert We had
es- little money and lots Of ambition; 50
70. get our $50, capital stock together a
at organized Mcintyre and Heath's M
M Strels. ~ ss
be GIVE went to store and we paid
nd cents apiece for our yellow plug h;
IN and 25 cents apiece for our linen du