The sun., 1908-01-19
EDWIN BOOTHS EARLY HOME
MARYLAND FARM WHERE NE
AND ms BIOTHERS LIVED


sThe revival recently Of the timeworn
warn about John Wilkes Booth sJIli Deing
alive this tirne. ] believe. in Brazil-re-
minded me of a DAY replete with Terninis-
ccnces Of the Booths that passed down in
Maryland Last summer" observed a man
who gets about good bit.
Il had some business with a lawyer in
Belair, Md. Bela!r is the county seat Of
Hartford county. Belair is an old, slun-
bersome little town that is reached from
Baltimore something like twenty-five miles
distant-by very snaky. haphazard sort
of narrow gauge railroad that runs from
Baltimore to York. Pa.
They're rather proud of their new brick
court house in Belair and when we'd fin
shed our business my lawyer friend took
me through the building. The best room
In the building is the county court room.
Its walls are graced by many portraits in oil
there are half hundred of them. l should
aay-of persons who were born in Hartford
county and who went forth into the world
and did something notable. Finally we
came to remarkably well executed portrait
that was hung directly to the right Of the
Judges seat. After one glance at this por-
trait gave a start My lawyer friend saw
me- start and he smiled.
-'You know. of course, who that tsp he
said to me.
Il had been an anchorite il those Inca
ments were not familiar to me. It was
unquestionably the best portrait in oil OF
Edwin Booth that had ever come upon,
and have seen many portraits Of the great
actor. It shows Booth as an old man,
grave, melancholy, almost morbid, but
il is a marvellous, speaking likeness OF the
man as he was in his final years; and l
know, because saw him often in those
years.
Booth gave the county that picture a
couple Of years before his death. my lawyer
friend explained. It was painted by a
Baltimore artist Of note.
This county, you know. went on my
lawyer friend bit reprovingly. seeing me
puzzled, was the home Of the Booths
so il was! l remembered then, but
vaguely. But was not prepared for the
heap Of Booth memories that followed.
You see,' my lawyer friend went on,
Edwin Booth had a great regard through
out his life for Belair, and particularly
for the county court house. just about
where you are standing now, or near it,
very first appearance upon any stage.
This was in the old county court house build
ing. that was torn down a few years ago.
Booth-this was away back early in the
'4Os-then lived with his people at the
Booth homestead three or four miles up
the county, not far from Fountain Green.
They were giving some ameteur theatricals
during the holiday season.
~
asked to play one OF the good parts In the
performance. There was no hall in town
large enough to accommodate a crowd OF
the size that was sure to turn out to see son
of Junius Brutus Booth perform on the stage.
so the county authorities permitted the
affair TO be held in the main hall Of the old
countv court house-and that hall was right
upon the spot where We are standing.
Edwin Booth-a boy Of fifteen or sixteen.
as say-then made his first public appear
ance as an actor. wish could remember
the name of the piece in which he played
on that occasion, but l can't My father
had a handbill OF the performance, but It
disappeared long years ago. My father
was present on that occasion. he used
often TO tell us Of Edwin Booths strange,
palid beauty as a boy, of how he was the
best and the quietest and the most self
contained of the Booth boys, and 80 on.
He said that it was apparent to all OF the
older heads who attended that performance
that the fires Of genius burned in the boys
melancholy eyes. and they predicted greater
I things for him than had ever been attained
by his father, Junius Brutus, who. big
hearted man that he was, left wild name
in these parts.
AN Of this was 20 interesting that Z en-
gagged a rig and with my lawyer friend
drove out from Belair to the old Booth
homestead. II would he difficult to imagine
a more gloomy place than this old home
stead II stands far back from a narrow ,
side road and is entirely screened from |
he view of passers by on the road by
thick forest. Woods. in fact, surround the |
clearing Of perhaps thirty acres upon which |
the homestead, a rambling atfair, is built.
The house is rambling. because Junius |
Brutus Booth kept tackinR little additions |
on 10 il, as new members of his family |
made their appearance in the world. The |
homestead iS now occupied by an agreeable |
family with an exceedingly Irish name. |
The farm itself is not of sufficient richness |
10 furnish these present tenants with a |
livelihood, and so they exc out by taking |
summer boardeTs into the old Booth home |
stead.
The summer boarcers that met there |
did not appear to he very conscious Of the |
fact that they were lOunging about on |
ground that was associated with the up
rSaring Of remarkable family. The |
tenants themselves, in fact, had no very |
no relics Of any sort of the Booths about the |
place. IL seemed difficult to imagine how |
he elder .Iunius BrItus Booth could ever |
have been content TO rear his family upon |
such remote and all told. dismal patch OF !
ground.
This did not seem 30 singular however. |
Tfter bad heard the Harfcrd county view, |
UR the aldPr Junius BrItus. II seems that |
oven if he we're highly regarded there for |
his talents. his devotion to his family and /
many other fine qualities which he pcs
seRsel. he w8s never looked upon as entirely |
= sane mAl. They tell some strange stories
about him.
- suspect that the well known inclination
toward the bowl which WIS possessed by
Tho elder Booth accounted for many Of the |
ecCentricities which 80 puzzled and startled /
tie good Hartford county folk Of his day !
Hn was an eytravagant and thoroughly |
reckless man when in his cups, & every !
body knows, and the traits which came out
when nc was in that condition could not
havc failed TO arouse the wOndermknt OF
people who, certainly at that period, knew
none other than the simple life.
For example, the folks down there sly
that Junius DrItus the elder was forever
making dramatic entrances into Relair
wien he was not in the least expected.
When he was playing in Baltimore nc would
embark upon "A bit Of a spree. and while
in thaf shape would be seized by a sudden