The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1905-08-02
JEFFERSON SIDE LIGHTS
Anecdotes Told About Origina-
tor of Rip Van Wrinkle.

u.r1es on "a Reporter - Why He
prew the Line on a Tank In the
nrama-An Experience With Yale
s+,dents Who Interrupted Him-His
voudnegs For Walking.
Tho last illness of the late Joseph
ro4arson led to the telling of innu-
,orable anecdotes. The aged actor had
-, oventful life, possessed a keen sense
- brmor and was very fond Of re-
oonnttng his adventures, says the Phil
odoInhia Public Ledger. Stories, there
soro were told by him as frequently as
Of him.
81 have been told that you are very
civ of interviewers and very hard to
interview" asked a reporter Of Mr..
jefferson some time ago.
THAT all depends upon the manner
IN which am approached" replied the
oo+or That reminds me Of an expert
snce I had some years ago in a western
cltv. 4 card was brought to me, and
vent down into the parlor to see the
sender AS I entered the room a tall
vorth. with long hair pushed off his
4orphead and turned behind his ears,
surveyed me with cool and patroniz-
ing air. / was really quite embarrass-
Cd by his lofty and superior manner.
"You desire to see meY asked. He
oursed up his lips and, with another
rool survey, gave me a patroniZing nod
without word.
by this time l was quite crushed.
He leaned back in his chair and, taxi
ing notebook and pencil from his poe
ket. prepared to put down what might
have to say. His unruff1ed manner was
now quite intolerable, and determin-
ed to be revenged upon the earliest OPP
portunlty.
His first question, without looking
at me, was, How old are your
II replied at once, 'Ninety-two.'
He had to look at me now, and a
faint glimmer of sympathetic surprise
oyerspread his hitherto immovable
face
"Ninety-two,' he said. You really
don't look it
''No; carry my age very well. And
how old are your
This came so suddenly upon him
that he was quite taken aback and re-
piled, "Twenty-four.'
Indeed" said l. You don't look It,
now took out my notebook and pen
ell and fired off list of questions that
fairly took his breath away. In less
than FIVE minutes I had drawn from
him the population of the town, its
principal products, the name of the
mayor and the general statistics relat-
ing to its prosperity. l then babe him
good evening"
Jefferson had a prejudice against
elaborate scenic effects. Not so his
son, Charles B. Jefferson, who was for
merly his manager. That gentleman
is an apostle of realism. More than
that, he introduced the tank in the
drama. The Dark Secret" languished
until he put tank in it. That one ex-
perlence made Charles Jefferson a firm
believer In the business policy of Civ
ing the public whatever it demanded,
good or bad, on the stage.
When he preached the subject of the
tank to his father the latter looked at
him in silent disgust. A few days Ia
ter, when the old comedian heard the
scenes read in which the tank was to
figure he sighed and said
Well, my boy, it's bad, very bad, but
I'm afraid they will have to go and see
it, It's too bad, too bad. L suppose
the public must suffer They can't
help themselves"
And then when they went to look at
the tank, very much against the actors
and the younger man, IN
his zeal in showing how the thing
worked, fell in and had to swim out,
Joseph Jefferson said it was a just
punishment. He then and there wash
ed his hands of the tank. A few
months later Charles cOrnered his IA
Their alone one day and told him he
mad an important proposition to make.
Il have an idea," said he, "of how
We can rejuvenate Rip and make it
one Of the most popular successes Of |
the day"
More Of your NONSENSE"
NO nonsense at all. You say your
self that a play, to be perfectly done
The story of the play should be com
pleteIy acted. Now in Rip part of the
story is told and not acted"
What do you mean?"