Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1910-08-20
PANTOMIME TABLEAUX
Local History Finely Presented
at Music Hall

a pDOPP4AB pAACo w az A-
north 20 Lake Champlain and Can
ada. There were real savsges about
here in those days, and a picture of
life here was shown in the FIRST
tableau presented at Music Hall
Thursday evening. A series of SIX
''Pantomine Tableaux" made up the
entertainment, which represented
Woodstock in war time, some stirring
scenes farther back in the past; a
husking bee, and Woodstock In
August, 1910. Music and dancing
lightened some OF the shivery scenes
from the last century, and everybody
applauded them all without a
shudder.
This is the first attempt TO present
the popular pageant idea in Wood
stock and it was very successfully
done. Woodstock was never a
storm centre at any period of the
states history; the Indians let us
alone, but there were peaceful hap
penings of real interest, full of life
and color, if not very warlike, and
those who arranged these pictures
made the most of their material.
The performance moved smoothly.
the costuming, grouping and light
ing were done with charm
ing effect and with much careful
attention TO historical accuracy
The audience was delighted be-
yond doubt. The stage folk and
the people before the footlights be-
longed to Woodstock, and the one
seemed to be an inspiration to the
other in the Interpretation of
stirring and sentimental scenes from
local history.
The program opened with a musi-
cal number, "The Sun Dance" by
the Woodstock Inn quartet, which
introduced the tableau. "The First
White Visitors TO Woodstock Green,
August, l704." The curtain rose
ON an Indian camp, showing a wig
wan and a campfire IN the usual
pr mitive surroundings; the spot
may have been Elm street or the
park two centuries ago. Enter a
band of Indians leading several
white children. They dance about
the fire, and being good pantomime
savages they omitted the traditional
war whoop and really seemed to be
under good control, not even blink
ing at the electric lights, which they
didn't have back in l704. The
tableau concluded with beautiful
dance by Miss Craven, in the cos
tune of an Indian girl
A brief note in the program
says that this was a real incident in
local HISTORY, the tableau representing
the Rice children, captured by a
band of Iroquois in Groton. Mass
and led through the Queehee valley
on their way to Canada.
A baritone solo, Two Grenadiers, -
by Mr.. Stephen Townsend of Bos-
ton, followed. and he sang second
time in response to repeated ap-
plause.
The second tableau showed How
Vermont Paid it's Taxes when New
York Collected Them" This was
about l765, when The New York
government claimed the New Hamp-
shire grants which included what is
now Vermont, but New York s
authority was stoutly resisted A
raising" was in progress as the
curtain rose, showing a party of
early settlers piling timber on timber.
A much-uniformed and much-hated
New York tax collector appeared ON
ON the scene with an official paper
which he served on the defiant leader
of the party, Capt e. A. Spear.
Capt. Spear tore up the detested
document, the officer was seized, tied
to pole and dashed with willing
hands, which applied The Beech
Seal with patriotic ferEor and
strength.
The Inn quartet played two selec-
tions and the third tablesu, "A
Woodstock Wedding in 1900" one
OF the most beautiful and effective
pictures of the evening, was pre-
ssnted. A wedding party was
grouped ON the stage; the minister,
Col f. s. Billings,) had just CON
clnded the marriage ceremony, and
the bride, Miss Mary c. DANA in a
charming old-fashioned gown, and