The Greeley tribune., 1908-08-26
EVEN IN 1870 THERE WE'RE GOOD
ATTRACTIONS HERE
EIRST DRAMATIC STUNT
This Was All Home Talent But Best
Appreciated Show Ever Seen
Here.-The Play and CAST
are Remembered
Still

In lSIp, 1EScISs ~oS q eOSN
town, although the Merry Musica
| Nuscovites. the klever kalifornia
Kickers and others of that ilk nesel
covered this territory in their wand
erinEs UP and down the earth, anc
there was no, an electric theatre
in the world
But il was good show town, JUS
the same. Ask any ol the old tim
ers If they ever saw ANYTHING &c
equal the "Melo Drama entitled
Handy Andy" wherein n. c Wat
son enacted the part OF Squire Egan
/ that night OF December 10, ls'o
They will asure you that they never
did. That play has become clasic
less on its literary merits. than De
cause it was the Opening OF the
| Greeley Dramatic Association. as
| the bill set forth in touching mead
lines: that 10 headlines designed to
touch the spectator for % cents
There were no ten cent shows IN
Greeley in those days person
had to pay for first class productions
and everyone was willing 10 pay
For it was considerable OF a Ques-
ton how to get through that nrst
winter in Greeley. The colonists
were not people who were accus-
toned to hardships: they had come
from homes OF refinement and from
eastern towns where the inteilec-
tual horizon was broad There was
no particular inspiration in the sage
brush and jack-rabbit- Everybody
wanted to be homesick. but every
body had too much sand And that
was why the Greeley Dramatic Asso-
citation came into being.
Still it was not the only reason
why there was 8 dramatic aSsocia-
ton. The handful states that the
raison d'etre OF this exhibition as
the show is naively referred 10 on
the old poster was the beneHt OF
the Lyceum Library" The bill goes
on to say that the show is TO COM
menes with the highly entertaining
Melo Drama entitled Handy Andy
and to conclude with very anus
ing farce entitled Dutchman'
Ghost. The cast for the 'Melo
Drama" was as follows: Handy
ANDY. j. Higenbotam; Squire Egan,
H. c. Watson: Squire O'Grady, G.
swan: Mr.. Murphy, j. H. karsner:
Dick Dawson, E. H Abbott: Mr.
Furlong. J. L White; Edward O'Con-
nor. A. Wait; Simon. c. Brown:
Farrell. E. Ruthven: MeQuade. H.
W. Lee: Oonah Rooney. Miss E
HANDY: Mad Nance, Miss Gussie
Nichols: Fanny Dawson, Miss Gurtie
Perkins.
or these only H. c. Watson and
E. H. Abbott are still in Greeley.
although H W. Lee whose death
occurred a few months ago had al
way. made his home in Greeley.
Miss Gussie Nichols is no longer liv-
ing. but the other ladies in the cast
are all Coloradoans. though none OF
them are now resident here.
The cast in the very. amusing
farce" was. Hans Barth. ]. Higenbot-
am; Mr.. Burple. J. l. White: Henry,
C Brewer: Charley. ]. H karsner
Mr. Jones. H. ". Lee: Mrs Burple
Mrs Keeler: Catherine. Miss Laura
Nichols These people too are all
scattered and gone although some
of them made Greeley their homs
for a good maay years he keelers
have become Denver residents ant
Mr.. Keeler is one OF the big rail
/ road men of the west
The play was held at Ranney hal
and early hours were fashionable
Doors open at o'clock p. m Cur
tain rises at "A p m Tickets car
be procured at DR.. Tuttle's Drus
Store, Greeley. Col" So conclude.
the long yellow poster that is one
of the relics OF the colony days. Th'
paper belongs to Mrs Niagara Hall
and is. NATURALLY enough. a cherisheS
possession
This was my no means the onl,
play given in Greeley that winte
and succeeding winters Plays wer
popular and everyone With a sparl
Of dramatic talent was pressed int
service H c. Watson figured a
business manager OF the associatio,
and j. n. Karsner as stage manager
! The audience was always apprecia
tive and as the stage properties ant
WAYS and means were known Z
everybody there was never any dis
appointment. There we're some pref
J " rude shifts employed. and the hal
wasn't much and the stage was les
but nobody came 10 criticize. tn
plays were conductive TO sanitr an
were things to be encouraged
/ The colonists were man? OF then
Young men and women. and som
were to be ranked among the peopl
who do things For instance ther
was Young Watson who was after
wards to be representative to III
State legislature and 20 acquire
small fortune from those same nol
inspirasionai prairies- And .her
Was Abbott and Keller and the gir
who became Governor Adams vifs
I. is no wonder that Mrs. Hall take
pride in possessing that old poste,
and there are probably some othe
people in town who are sorry tha
they did not do likewise. and kee
the program OF that earliest OF III
shows given IN Greeley.