Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-03-08

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Whether it was the name of
the layout or the facts in the
the pratical crew get
ting their dollars week and
cakes out of The CorSair |
never could quite figure out but n
something other has always NM
made think of its finish like IN1Nh
the wreck of some old storm " wv
torn waterlogged ship. I've IN
many of them when I was - m
young fellow before I drifted *
out here into the hills-crafts =
that would founder and founder
about and keep afloat goodness
only knows how long after their natural summons
to Davy Jones locker. They'd creak and groan
and make affirm pile of noise till the finish
came and then they'd settle down with scarce
ripple bubble and it was all off.
That's the way it was with The Corsair | saw
both ends of the play made and what | didn't
see got straight from old man Harris and from
Bert West himself There's no doubt Bert worked
like Chinyman keeping the outfit moving, but
somehow, can't help but think of him as
skipper sailing under sealed orders, who turned
barrator when the seal was broke and the papers
stared him in the eyes and who planted his
craft for the beach combers. l don't know as |
blame him either, but for long time old man
Harris packed gun and looked meaner than
growing nor wester every time he heard Bert
West was heading this way.
A mine? No, indeed, no street The Corsar
used to be about the best opery company that hit
this whole western country from Omaha to the
coast. They played everything that was worth
hearing - Pinafore, the Queens Handkerchief,
Gypsy Girl or Bohemian Gal whatever they
called it, and Chimes of Normandy and Fra the
Devil and the Cigarette Girl and
1.-THE Cigarette Girl What not Carmen"
ventured.
Yes Carmen, that's it, and that famous Japanee
opery and the where couple of swans tow
a raft with the chief dame it; and pretty near
everything you could think of in grand or or
binary or funny opery But they had one they
called The Corsair that skinned them all, eastwise
the boys thought, and so the whole layout was
called The Corsair Opery Company.
Every year late in the fall they'd drop in on
us here in Salt Lake for weeks stop on the way
to the coast and then along in March they'd blow
in for another week. And then everybody would
. come in from the camps way up as far as Park
City and down to Eureka and all about and we'd
see the shows every night and whistle the tunes
around town next day. We generally gave them
actors a pretty good time, too. Chiefest of those
who used to drop all work and just camp on the
trail of that opery company was old man Harris.
him that owns this hotel bar where we're sitting
now and the game around in Plum alley. Things
was lively in those days and Martin Harris was
a mighty strong card-had big gambling house
right on this street with brass band to cheer
the boys up, and other games scattered all around
and a big saloon right where this one stands now
only it was three times the size of this.
Folks used to whisper around that Harris hadn't
any special keenness for music and that it wasn't
entirely the humor in them that brought him to
the grand operys night after night. And when the
show would move on to Pocotello Butte
some business affair just dragging him along that
wav at the same time the boys would wag their
heads and allow that Madam Favette was the me-
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