The San Francisco call., 1908-04-05

started in TO say
tIt was In 1884. Hoey and I were in
San Francisco at the Bush street thea
ter playing in the sketch which Hoyt
later expanded into The Parlor
Match Il was our own company and
we had come across the continent with
it, We had variety olio and closed
with this skit. The Book Agent And
we were getting the business, too Jay
Rial was managing the house for NJ 3.
Leavitt, who was east. When It came
to settling up with me on the FIRST
night-the house was packed-Rial
showed me wire from Leavitt order
ing him to deduct 5 per cent because
one of our best men had left us IN the
middle west and hadn't sobered up yet
Leavitt figured that our show was dam
aged wet goods. so TO say I refused
to accept the cut and wired Leavitt
about the business we were doing I
told him that If we had Sarah Bern
hardt in the company we couldn't get
any more people into his theater- He
ignored my wire but addressed another
to Rial. confirming his first and stand
ing pat. Each night I made formal
refusal to accept the cut money and
each day funds were settling lower. 1t
was case OF bluff with me. though
Rial himself declared I was right and
admitted that the show was as good
as IL needed to be. He said that the
cut was pretty keen hnanciering in
view OF the success of the attraction
On Wednesday night had just 5000
left. 1t was sort OF nest for a stormy
day. and hated to see 1t go.
After the show we always met at
Gunst's little cigar stand In Kearny
street to talk shop That night there
were Frank Sanger; Charlie Reed. who
was playing at the Standard across the
minstrels; Nose Gunst. Nat Goodwin
and another man whose name I never
did know. Some one said poker. Good
win was iend. and so were the rest
Of US. We went upstairs and started to
play. Hoey dropped in. but as he never
dallied with cards he only looked on
and brought US drinks now and them
spent my $500 for chips. By o'clock
the next morning I was shy my $500;
had o Us in for s700 more. and the
limit had been raised to $40. Hoey
couldn't stand il. for he knew we
needed the money, and I ieft pretty
badly myself With a yawn Hoey de-
clared he was for going to bed. But
I'll make you a cocktail first he said.
he put in everything he could find We
drank the result, however. and Hoey
went out Then 1 began to win- They
couldn't catch me at all and by o'clock
that afternoon. when the game broke
up, had redeem rcy s7oo worth OF
paper and was clinking $1,000 in my
pocket.
Then went around to the theater.
was all stuck up a.1d independent
Rial was there, and gave him my ulti-
matum. No pay tonight. no play !
said. He was up against It. BY
o'clock the theater was full I told
the boys not to go in until I said the
word and I showed them the money I
had won. They all stayed out At S:15
Rial said. You win. and I'm glad of 1t.
I'll pay you according TO the contract
and send my resignation to Leavttt.
And that is exactly what he did. Leavitt
tried to keep him. but Rial refused to
reconsider his resignation, and Hall,
now OF Oakland, I think 1t was. sue
ceeded him.
Il shudder to think what would have
happened il I had not won that
money. / would have had to take what
1 could get from Leavitt to square my
debts: the company would have broken
up. and there would have been no
Parlor Match nor any Evans and
Ho5y.''
The first time Evans was in San
Francisco was when Tony Pastor
brought a little company OF speciality
artists to the Bush street theater in
1879. Evans was song and dance man
then
Ten years before he came to San
Francisco. where now he is so we'll
known, he played the role of Bob the
bootblack in Frank Mayo's New York
production OF The Streets OF New
York" That was his professional debut.
Three years later. In 1872. he started
out with his first partner and the team
name was Niles and Evans
we split $50 weekly between Us for
about four years. and then We struck