New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-02-04
Some of Sol Smiths Queer Experiences When This
Country Was Young

stepped out and announced that Sol Smith
could not appear. being suddenly indisposed This
remark was greeted with groans and Kisses the
audience believing that his indisposition was a
result OF drink Then, according to the contem-
porary account, "at this crisis a raw rough
uncouth. green, COpiah looking creature is seen
TO rise from one OF the most prominent seats in
the house and is heard to exclaim Hello! say.
stranger, look-a ere! I'll be damned il Won
serve me that kind of trick I've walked ALL
the way from Copiah State and paid my dollar
list to see this show. Mr.. Soloman Smith amt
sick. if he is I'm damned, and I'll have O.
fight or look at this showr
with this sudden burst of fmpassi elo-
quence our rough heJtn customer Jerks off his
coat, rolls up his shirt sleeves, and struts down
the aisle swearing that he'll have a fight or sea
that show. All this time the house was con-
vulsed with laughter. and Lem was looking nc 81
ne thought he was going to be knocked into the
middle Of next week. Our Copiahian continued
his way down the aisle. through the musicians
and about the time he mounted the stage the
audience discovered in him the features of the
long wished for old Sol Smith"
This merry wag first saw the inside or q
theatre, in Albany, when he was fourteen wears
oid That was in 1915. The piece was 'sHigb-
idho Keel Not he says in his book las we
see 1t now, cut all to pieces but the whole comic
opera as written by OKeefe" Evidently thev
cut in those days, and in those days too harked
back to the good old times" when things were
done as they should be. Smith himself became
connected with the theatre while he was running
a newspaper in Cincinnati in 1922 At that time
Edwin Forrest was youth in a company there
ana Smith records that the future tragedian
played thre parts in one EVENING" dandy a
negro and Sancho Panza--for the sum of s2l
oiihth ADDS That he afterward learned to charge
better for his services. Smith soon sold ont
ms paper printing farewell editorial Live
honestly, serve God, and take the newspapers"
ana drifted into acting for a livelihood For the
next ten years he never seems to have had
enOuSh money TO last him week. and he re-
1' leu 10 an Sorts OF eXpedents to exc out a
hVlng; but he at least the country and
gathered the material for a vivid picture OF the
strolling players life in those days
In 1925 Sol Smith organized a company and
started in at Auburn, n. Y, to PLAY his
way out West. He opened the theatre at Au-
burn with Damon and Pythias" and records
mat when he came to look over his supers as
syracusan Senators he found them clad in
Roman shirts with their legs bare. The staa 80
manager said he had no feshings and sand9is
TO give Them and pleaded for realism as f SJiius
NO one can deny that it is the correct costume.
the heshings usually worn are intended 70 rnn'
resent resent the bare flesh; here we have the real
.,IiiS; 6ut thls stage manager was evidentiv
aheac of his time, for Smith ordered all the SEW
ators into more decorous costumes
AT jamestown the company brealifasta6 NTH
q man who believed that he sbouId live TC-o,,a
He had been In the habit FOR several vears ne
nahng burnt offerings of sheep. fowls cats
ana dogs, and declared to Smith that one IaT
ne should sacrifice one of his children as soon &c
me Lord told him which one would be most nc
Septaoie: 80 firm was the old mans belief thar
ne would never die that he gave $3.50 for the in
sertion of clause in the deed of a farm he soid
10 a neighbor emitting him TO claim bacIz his
properly at the end of 99s years, providing he
came In person, At Warren the mart e
parked on two skiffs and floated down tbo All
snehy. me young men went ahead and II was
Al ranged mat when they came TO a town worth
playing they would land and hang Wit, q III
on inc bank, so that the second Skin Tnirb9
MP, zoo, and performance be given that night
mere was no booking agency" in those DAYS
sAo consequently no % Der cent" Certsiri., a.