The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-03-23
HAS0NLY MEMORY
Old Minstrel Sadly Recalls Days
of Affluence.
Years Ago the Pet Of Royalty, and
Earning Thousands, Today Mere
Iy Regarded az an "oId
CoIored Man"

Leaning against the side Of NOV
ing picture theater on Broadway,
a crippled old man, with white
hair and deep lines I'm his face,
stood the other day, bearing little
resemblance to the man who was once
the sensation Of the English amuse-
ment world, the pet Of royalty, and
maker Of money In such quantities
that 1t was said Of him he only slipped
the bubbles off champagne, leaving
the drink itself to hangers-On.
Not a handful of people know Of his
former glory. To the passerby today
man."
But to the Old Timer recognition
was immediate. He was none other
than George Bohee, who, with his
brother, Jim Bohee, was a feature OF
Jack Haverly's Colored Mastodon min
strels In this country 40 years ago and
who In the early eighties took Eng
land off its feet with the Introduction
OF negro minstrelsy, banjo playing
and soft-shoe dancing there.
The story Of George Bohee is more
timely now because Of the recent visit
of the prince of Wales. For when the
present princes grandfather, the late
King Edward, visited this country as
prince of Wales, banjo playing was fHs
hobby, and he later took lessons from
the Bohee brothers, and often COM
manded them to appear at royal en-
tertainments.
George and Jim Bohee were mulat-
} toes. They were splendid singers and
clever dancers. They always ap-
peared together In silk costumes Of
gay colors, high> silk hats, and with
banjos hung over their shoulders.
They were for years with Haverly's
MINISTRIES. In 1880 they decided to
g0 to England, little hoping for any
wonderful success there, but desiring
to see the world and to try their luck.
II was In England at the period"
says the Old Timer "The success Of
the Bohee brothers was instantaneous.
1t was remarkable. The soft-shoe
dancing and banjo playing took Eng
land by storm. It became the rage.
just as the jazz Is the rage here now.
They were wooed by the big music
halls and played a string Of them every
night, going from one to another
\ "King Edward, who was then prince
of Wales, always had a hobby for the
banjo. Nobody had ever played 1t In
England as the Bohee brothers did
and he summoned them early in their
career there to play for him. The
BOhees appeared at royal parties given
by him and by the duke of Richmond
and to Queen Alexandra.
81 remember that one of the Bohee's
great songs In those days was "a
Boys Beet Friend Is His Mother"
Sounds slushy now, but 1t was a great
brothers certainly were the class.
They drove down Piccadilly, tandem.
with an attendant in livery that would
knock your eye out.
when Jim Bohee came into the
Gaiety or Criterion bar he would Or
der champagne and never drink any
thing but the bubbles. That's a fact;
he would simply drink the efferysscent
top and let the greater part of the
wife E0iHdin glass;
"T remember one day meeting Jim
I'm the Criterion and reminding him
of an incident when he was with Hav-
erly's MINISTRIES. 1t happened in
Kalamazoo, Mich. Jim was leading
the parade In startling costume, car
rying huge drum-maj or's stick which
he was whirling and twirling like
mad.
"a frisky young colt was tied to
post, and when the parade came down
with bands going full pressure and
with Jim cutting high jinks in front,
the colt reared up on Its hind legs and
fell over dead. That's q fact.
"Well I asked Jim II he recalled
that and he let out roar Of laughter
that amazed those present. Jim had
cultivated an English accent and
eliminated anything approaching the
boisterous laugh or expression. Con-
seauently when he lapsed into an Or
binary whoop It caused a stir, and he
apologized.
"All this came to my mind the other
day when / happened TO see George
Bohee, ghost Of his old self. He
made hundreds of thousands OF dollars
I'm his day. I think he makes q living
now working around movie houses. I
stopped to talk with him and i re-
called the days of forgotten glory.
Those were the days he said sadly.
II forgot to say that the fall of the
Bohees began with the death of Jim.
Jim died lust about the time their
popularity began to decline, and
George couldn't revive the old-tima
admiration OF the amusement world"