New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-04-30
ANECDOTES OF JOSEPH JEFFERSON.
SOME CHARACTERISTIC INCIDENTS IN THE ca
REER OF THE VETERAN ACTOR.

I last part Of my remarks Just 70 be on the safe
| side. and this is the answer got, delivered in
| all seriousness.
Mighty slow road. sure 'nough. Boun' to
be plum mornin' fore all git dare. But one
OBJ de passengers was a-tellin' me you was the
gen'Pman what once slept for twenty years an
/ reckon if you take one OBJ dem maps We'll be
Car into San' 10 afore you gifts woke up"
Mr.. Jefferson liked to tell OF the only two
occasions in his life where ne appeared before
private audience of one. The first time was in
1888, when his father and a company were try
ing to reach Chicago from New-York The COM
pany was SO short in its fare on a canaIboat
and the captain. who was too religious TO go to
the theatre. said he'd call it square If the com
pany would give him a show in the cabin. The
actors and actresses refused. but Mrs. jefferson
said that little Joe would give him show and
ransom the rest
The captain turned it over in his mind"
said Mr.. Jefferson. in telling OF it, being little
suspicious Of my genius, but after due consid-
Grafton consented. He prepared himself for the
entertainment. the cook and my mother forming
the rest Of the audience. The actors wisely re-
tired TO the upper deck. as they had been aflict-
ed on former occasions. began dismal comic
song called The Devil and Little Mike II
consisted Of twenty-five stanzas each one con-
tanning TWO lines, with large margin of
'whack fol de riddle 1t was never quite clear
whether the captain enjoyed this entertainment
or not: my mother said he did, for though the
rengIous turn OF his mind would naturally sup
press any impulse TO applaud. he said. even he
fore had half finished. that he was quite salts
His HIS second chance for strictly private per-
Iornance was when fishing in the TRANQUIL
waters Of Buzzards Bay. A fishernan's craft
slowly drifted alongside his boat and the owner
demanded:
BE you an actorY'
Yes
wal here's 80 cents. and want you should
l Er0T n Of To-
Accordingly he flung a J0-cent niece over IN
Jefferson's boat!
., He spent so many winters in the South
mat there are many stories to be heard of him
there. There is one Of his conversation with a
colored boy who padded him duck hunting
"hlch ran something like this:
FEM" "a '0u 9oiiie-
NO. John: what IS ftp"
What does you DO in a show?''
.I That would be rather hard to explain"
Vel does you swallow knivesY"
NO; have no talent that way"
knives and forks and fire and de Lord knows
what all; b'lieve he was just a-foolin' me-"
Hes quite capable OF it,
:, Wei, dere's one thing certain: you don't act
How do you know that?"
"Oh, no. you don act in no circus. Won can't
TOOL me on dat. I've seen you git on your horse.
you amt circus rider"
For number of years Mr. Jefferson made
Palm Beach his winter headquarters. He took
an interest in the varied activities of the place
dla annually onered a fine cup for a jefferson
soi tournament. The cup was decorated with
an elaborate coat Of arms No one paid much
attention 10 the arms until the report got our
mat they were the Jefferson family arms, and
several visitors asked the old actor where he
got hold OF such elaborate design.
- Ihose are not my family arms" he said
Fact Is. the Jeffersons haven't got any The dec
coat Of arms"
Al Pam Beach Mr. Jefferson used 10 spend
inuch OF his time on the steel pier which runs
INTO the ocean considerable distance. There IS
a ngure at the resort called Alligator joe" a
naltbreed negro Seminole. in whom the tourists
taAe great interest A Northern woman, newly
arrived. set out one morning TO find this charac
ter on the pier she came across Mr.. Jefferson.
! he was old enough TO look the part and he was
| extremely uncouth in his fishing garb.
Are you not Alligator Joe'2' the woman
1 asked.
The old actors eyes twinked as he looked up
at her and answered:
~. Il confess to the Joe. madam. but deny the