The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-10-29
BY JOHN MAoUIRE.


UP without intermission until we
reached a large oval-shaped tent,
wherein piano was doing duty for an
orchestra and stentorian voice cried
out, Swing your partners. Al-le-man
right" Before We enter the temple
OF tent, say-of Terpsiehore, / must re-
late the story of Sam Lewis pickanin-
ny, referred to by Badly.
In the early days of my theatrical
management in Montana, having then
control of all the theatres and halls
between Minnesota and Washington, /
was playing Miss Phosa McAllister
and her company over my circuit, OF
which BoZeman was then one of the
best twO-night stands, for, in addition
10 the city, there was Fort Ellis. d
large military pOst-in fact then one OF
the largest in the west, quite close to
the town, which always literally pat
roniZed the theatre. Our play an
nOunced for this particular night was
East Lynne" To be sure, it had been
played there several times before. and
as there were certain precociouS chill
dren to be had in every town, some of
whom had already played little Willie,
BoZeman was no exception. During
the early part of the day the child re-
hearsed the scenes with Miss McAlis-
ter, and with gratifying success, for
this child, a little Miss Frazer had
been Master Willie half a dozen times
before. Night came; the theatre was
packed, and while the third act was in
progress I-then in the box office-was
informed that the child had not as yet
put in an appearance. | wasn't at all
disturbed by this announcement, as !
knew that the child's home was only
few doors from the theatre and that
her people were merely waiting until
near the time the child was wanted to
be on hand. Presently another messen-
ger came from the stage informing me
that the stage manager had just re-
ceiVed word from the parents of the
Frazer child that we couldn't have her
services as she was inn in bed, and the
doctor said she had measles. Here
was a dilemma No child, and Lady
IsabePs great emotional scene entirely
depending on this Indispensable
prop" / was cudgeling my brains
What to do. and went to the door 10
find If there was q yOungster among
the audience that we could fix up for
little Willie. Not Onel Just then,
Badly. who had only a short time be-
fore arrived on the Helena stage. OF
which he was pilot, happened along.
For heavens sake, Badly" said l,
'go over to Sam Lewis, the barber
and tell him | must have a child here
i'm less than ten miDutes-boy or girl
cuts no figure-but hurry along, and
don't come back without one. Any age
from . to 10 years old will do. and you
take it through the stage entrance and
ask for the stage manager, to whom
you'll deliver the child.
The play progressed. but before the
act drop went up il was explained 10
Miss McAllister that there was a
-
would be necessary TO cut out the
child's talking part and cOnfine her
self TO the business of the scene, some
thing frequently done in thes perform
ance of this play where regularly
trained child is not available. The over
tuTe now ushered i'm the coming act.
with its familiar wall. when other lips
and other hearts" Madame Vine en-
tered and, raising little Willie, whose
back up TO this time was toward the
audience. she Rugged him close and
then holding him at arms length from
her. little Willie thought the situation
truly cOmical and, looking over his
shoulder the big audience. he grinned
pleasantly, at the same time displaying
a double rOW of 'iVOTies," and two
piercing black eyes. and nOtwithstand-
ing the fact that his little kinky black
curls were covered over with kind OF
a Lord Fauntleroy wig. and all the
grease paint i'm the establishment had
been prOdigally smeared over his face
makir5 him look like one of these
cheap bronze colOred plaster cupids
ItaliaIs hawk about the streets, all
useless. nothing could disguise this
Ethiopian oherub whose natural tint
was of 81 Est ebony. To cap the eli
max, soldier i'm the gallery yelled
out, "A niger in the wOoduile there
sure" The hilarity of that audience
battles all description, and the recoi-
lection of, which was the cause Of
Baldy's ebullition- that startled the
nights stiffness in Las Vegas.
Before parting for the night We ar
ranged for visit to the Rancho next
day.
Early in the morning Badly was
on hand, and as we meandered ranch
ward by the creek toward this famous
resort, Badly, who had been i'm his
youngest manhood on this very ground,
even before Salt Lake City was found
ed, then following trapping and hunt
ing, it was customary for the noun
taiheers 10 go long distances for trad
ing purposes. With this intent, Badly
jouTneyed downward from Snake river
and south of Salt Lake-still onward
until the old Santa Fe trail was struck
Here where now stands the Rancho
was a favOrite meeting place for In
dams and traders on account Of haV-
ing plenty of feed and water The pei.
tries and shells from the north were
traded for the famous textile fabrics
of the Navajos. Sometimes they eX-
tended their visits as far as the mis-
siOns, where a wholesale system of
trading was done la Rob Roy, when a
bunch of horses of any other desiFa BILE
prog" was desired.
Badly was on one of these excursions
when he arrived among the Shoshones
at Snake river. Here he married a
SnoshOne squaw. with whom he pro-
ceeded to the Great Salt lake, where
he purchased of the Utes commOdious
lodge. with the necessary poles, etc,
and, being now rich in mules. and all
things necessary for taking his ease
with dignity he took unto himself an
other wife, as by mountain law allowed
and, thus equipped with both his bet
ter halves. attired in all the glory of
beaded buckskin, he went his way re-
joicing After many days journey he
arrived at the Meadows. Arriving at
the Rancho and sitting under the shade
of an immense fig tree l got Badly s
story. Yes said Badly. here is the
very spot where we planted our 'Tope,
and while resting up our ponies l de-
termined to camp here for some time.
Meanwhile. one day / left the camp and
went 10 hunt deer i'm the mountains. 1
was away two nights, and the third
day the shutdown saw me approaching
what is now The Rancho and where
my camp was situated. Crossing the
creek / was not a little disturbed at
seeing fresh Indian signs. which led on
the opposite side i'm the direc-
ton of my lodge, and my worst
fears were realized when, on coming
in sight of the little plateau where the
conical tops OF his white lodge ought
to be. | saw nothing but blackened