Evening journal., 1905-05-08
JEFFERSON SIDE LIGHTS
Anecdotes Told About Origina-
tor of Rip Van Winkle.
INTERVIEWING AN INTERVIEWER

DtAAA1--AA experience Win lAAc
Students who interrupted Hiu-Hia
Fondness For Walking.
The last Illness Of the late Joseph
jefferson led. to the telling Of innu-
merable anecdotes. The aged actor had
an eventful life, possessed a keen sense
Of humor and was very fond of re
counting his adventures. says the Phil
adelphia Public Ledger. Stories, there
fore were told by him as frequently as
Of him.
Il have been told that you are very
shy Of interviewers and very hard to
interview" asked a reporter Of Mr..
jefferson some time ago.
''rhat all depends upon the manner
IN which am approached" replied the
actor. THAT reminds me of an expert
ence had some years ago in a western
city. A card was brought to me, and 1
went down into the parlor to see the
sender. As 1 entered the room a tall
youth, with long hair pushed of his
forehead and turned behind his ears,
surveyed me with a cool and patroniz-
ing air. l was really quite embaTass-
ed by his lofty and superior manner.
'''You desire to see meT l asked. He
pursed up his lips and. with another
cool survey, gave me patrOnizing nod
without a word.
by this time l was quite crushed.
He leaned back in his chair and, tax
ing notebook and pencil from his poe
kot, prepared to put down what might
have to say. His unruflled manner was
now quite intolerable, and determin-
ed to be revenged upon the earliest op-
portunity.
His first question, without looking
at me, was, How old are your
Il replied at once. 'Ninety-two.'
"He had to look at me now. and a
faint glimmer Of sympathetic surprise
overspread 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.'
"Tndeedr said ]. You don't look It.
now took out my notebook and pen
ell and FREQ of a 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. / then bade 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 a tank in it. That one ex-
perlence made Charles Jefferson a firm
believer in the business policy OF Civ
ing the public whatever 1t demanded,
good or bad on the stage.
When he broached the subject Of the
tank to his father the latter looked at
him in silent disgust. A few days la
ter, when the old comedian heard the
scenes read In which the tank was to
figure, he sighed and said:
"Wen, my boy, it's bad, very bad, but
I'm afraid they will have to so 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
inclination. ard the younger man, in
his zeal I'm 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
ther alone one day and told him he
had 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 nonsenseT'
mo nonsense at all. You say your
self that a play, to be perfectly done,
the story Of the play should be com
pletely acted Now in Rip part of the
story is told and not acted"
''What do you mean?"
why Rip tells, you know, how he
crosses the river, jumps in and saves
the girl from drowning. Now, why not
act that instead of tell It? We could
have a tank you could come out in a
/ boat and dive in to rescue the girl. The
sight Of Joe Jefferson climbing up a
bank out Of real water with wet
and limp girl in his arms would draw
the public like a magnet. What do
| you think OF it?'
"Joe Jefferson said he thought 1t was
the biggest piece of impudence it had
been his misfortune to hear for a lOng
time.
Il really think father was angry
with me for the suggestion" said the
manager as he laughed over the re
I membrance.
Joseph jefferson was interrupted IN
an odd manner during his last appear
aIee in New Haven, Conn. He was
playing in "The-Heir-at-Law" as Dr
Pangloss, the tutor, and, as usual in
that city, the house was generously
filed by Yale undergraduates. 1t was
December and just before the Christ
mas examination, a time when most
students are "b0nlng" hard, and fol
that reason perhaps the stage tutoi
seemed even closer to them than JET
III. ferIII