Evening Star Newspaper, September 22, 1935, Page 52

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., SEPTEMBER 22, 1935—PART FOUR. — WHEN BARNUM BROUGHT JENN LIND TO WASHINGTON ¢ By John Clagett Proctor. S HERE have n so many out- standing m¢ who have con- tributed their wit, humor and other pleasure-producing tal- ents toward the entertainment of the American public that it would be a difficult matter to determine the one person who has accomplished along this line more than all the rest. Naturally, the question is & | gebatable one, but, after all, it is| quite safe to say that if the matter | were decided on the basis of historical | data, no one would stand higher for what he accomplished in the amusement fleld than did the cele- brated showman, P. T. Barnum. Barnum was not a humorist, a mu- gician, a poet or a writer of fiction of note. nor did he to any extent personally perform before the public, but he had the genius for seeking out and producing for the people’s pleas- ure the world's best talent as well as freaks of nature, curiosities, mon- | strosities and, indeed, everything to amuse and please mankind in gen- | eral, and to do this he frequently | ‘went to the greatest amount of trouble and expense. ‘That at times he did put over some rather raw deceptions on the public is generally agreed, and not denied by the great entertainer himself who believed—as he is credited as having said—“that the people like to be humbugged,” and with this thought in mind naturally he did produce some sensations which were not al- together genuine. Generally, however, his deceptions were cleverly worked, as happened to be the case with his tent signs, one of which read: “This Way to the Ingress,” and the other “This Way to the Egress,” which got the crowd into one big tent and then decoyed them to the outside, much to their astonishment. But the Ameri- can has always been a good sport and for a long while those thus deceived were responsible for passing the joke along and working it on thousands of others no better informed on the meaning of words than themselves. But all this brought pleasure, en- Joyment and happiness into the hum- blest of homes for a trifle of expense, for, after all, this noted Yankee was | no different from all the other per- | formers or producers of entertain- | ment we might mention in not being averse to charging for his services. But he at least gave the public its money’s worth and no one could con- sistently ask for more, PHINEAS TAYLOR BARNUM was born in the town of Bethel, Stats of Connecticut, on July 5, 1810, and died in Bridgeport of that State Apri 7, 1891. Like thousands of others who had humble beginnings and who ac- complished much during their lives, Barnum had hard sledding in his early life, and the usual amount of difficulty in acquiring a higher edu- cation. But in the end—and it is not unreasonable to say—his name was known farther and wider than that of any other American, including the name of Washington himself. An illustration of this is given in an :interview which once took place between Gen. Grant and the great showman, in which Barnum said: “General, since your journey around the world you are the best-known man on the globe.” “No, sir,” the general is said to have replied, “your name is familiar to multitudes who never heard of me. Wherever I went, among the most distant nations, the fact that I was an American led to constant inquiries whether 1 knew Barnum.” Barnum first entered the show busi- ness, in 1835, when he purchased for $1,000 Joice Heth, who claimed she wes once owned by Gen. Washington's father and that she nursed the gen- eral-when he was a baby, Her re- puted age at that time was 161 years, though a post-mortem examinaticn following her death, early in 1835, disclosed that she was only-about 8 years old at that time. Shortly after the great showman ob- tained control of the venerable Ne- gress, he started out on the road with a juggler and equilibrist whom he had picked up in Albany and renamed Signor Vivalla. Soon he was on his way to Washington with the Signor and opened here on January 16, 1836, to a house said by him to have not exceeded $30. Needless to say he lost money, since he was not to receive anything for Vivalla’s act until $100 had been taken in at the box office. However, his impressions of Washing- ton 100 years ago are worth repeating. He says: “As this was my first visit to Wash- ington I was much interested in visit- ing the Capitol and other public build- ings. I also satisfied my curlosity in | seeing Clay, Calhoun, Benton, John | Quincy Adams, Richard M. Johnson, | Polk and other leading statesmen of the time, “I was also greatly gratified in call- ing upon Anne Royall, author of the Black Book, publisher of a little paper called ‘Paul Pry,’ and quite a cele- brated personage in her day. I had exchanged The Herald of Freedom with her journal and she strongly sympathized with me in my persecu- tions. She was delighted to see me and although she was the most gar- rulous old woman I ever saw, I passed a very amusing and pleasant time with her. Before leaving her, I mani- fested my showman propensity by try- ing to hire her to give a dozen or more lectures on ‘Government,’ in the Atlantic cities, but I could not engage her at any price although I am sure the speculation would have been a very profitable one. “I never saw this eccentric woman again; she died at a very advanced age, October 1, 1854, at her residence in Washington. THERE was incessant snow in ‘Washington during Vivalla's en- gagement, and I was so unexpectedly a loser by the operation that I had not sufficient funds to return to Phila- deiphia. After much hesitation, and with a deep feeling of sadness and humiliation, I pawned my watch and chain for $35, promising to redeem it within a month. Fortunately, how- ever, Mr. Wemyss arrived on Saturday mornirg, bringing with him Lucius Junius Booth and Miss Waring, after- wards Mrs. Sefton. Mr. Wemyss loaned me $35, and I redeemed my watch, paying $1 for the use of the money a few hours.” The Washington playhouse, where Barnufn introduced Signor Vivalla to the audience, formerly known as the Theater, was located on Indiana ave- nue between John Marshall place and Sixth street and had just reopened under the management of F. C. ‘Wemyss. Soon, however, in 1847, Barnum made another visit to Washington, and this time with much better success, for this time he brought with him Tom Thumb, a Bridgeport dwarf whom he had engaged for exhibition purposes five years before, when he was but 5 yedrs old, but whose age the showman advanced to 11 years for business reasons. Tom Thumb's real name was Charles S. Stratton, but Barnum thought “Gen. Tom Thumb” sounded better, and so thereafter this was his name. He appeared here a number of times, but upon this par- ticular occasion the National Intel- ligencer of April 19, 1847, said: “Gen. Tom Thum has drawn nu- merous and fashionable companies to his popular levees at Jackson Hall during the three days and nights of his uhsbmm, in this metropolis, The t Triumph of Great Diva Unequaled by Any One in Artistic Field Before or Since. |general is a most symmetrical per- | = sonage, and although formed in one | of nature’s smallest moulds, is & per- fect specimen of humanity—polite, fascinating, agreeably acute, enter- | taining and at times merry as a | cricket. To Mr. Barnum, his worthy | preceptor, guide and companion, is | the Lilliputian monarch indebted for | his entree into all the courts of Eu- rops, his excellent training and that pre-eminent success which has at- tended him in his late tour, where | Emperors, Kings, Queens, princes, dukes and the elite of London and Paris looked upon le petit monarque with astonishment and admiration.” When Tom Thumb had reached the | age of 26, Barnum conceived the idea that in order to boost his advertis- ing power and, of course, to increase the box-office receipts, the celebrated midget must have a wife. And so, up in Middleboro, Mass., he sought Mercy Lavinia Mompus, or Bonpasse, the name of the French family from which she was descencded. Her name did not suit Barnum, and he substituted for show purposes that of Lavinia Warren, and Tuesday, February 10, 1863, she was led to the altar of Grace Church, | New York, by the gallant Mr. Thumb. At this time Miss Warren was 32| inches in height and weighed 29 pounds, while Tom Thumb was slightly taller, though when first ex- hibited he measured only 2 feet in height, which, however, ultimately was increased to around 40 inches. Commodore Nutt and Minnie War- ren, the bride's sister, two other fa. mous midgets, who used to come to Odd Fellows' Hall in this city and | who were subsequently married, served as groomsman and bridesmaid. Both | of these were even much smaller than the contracting couple, but unusually well formed for little people. ANY an old-timer wil] still recall when these noted Ilttle people came to Odd Fellows’ Hall, which stood on the site of the present building belonging to that order, on Seventh street between D and E streets. This was then one of the most beautiful | halls in Washington, and no one who ever saw the beautiful, massive chan- deliers which,_hung from the ceiling | of this amusement place will ever for- get their sparkling, dazzling beauty. Amateur plays, professional per- formances, dances and all kinds of | entertainments were given at Odd Fel- lows’ Hall and here came the seven Sunderland sisters, with hair reaching to the floor; Punch and Judy, the tat- tooed man, the fat woman, the sword- swallower and all the freaks that ususlly make up a side show. And here also came the man who played such sweet music on glass goblets, which we never hear today, although the tone and the harmony produced were just as mellow as the xylophone or any other musical instrument. Barnum brought so many famous artists and attractions to this country that to say which was the greatest or most important would depend largely upon the way one’s mind might hap- pen to lean. Some would unhes- itatingly say Jumbo, while others, | with a musical turn, would say Jenny Lind. And probably the more cul- tured class of people would say the latter were right. Jenny Lind, “The Swedish Night- ingale,” was the sensation of her period and Barnum early signed the diva up for 100 concerts at $1,000 each and, according to the agreement, he deposited $187,500 in a London bank, an amount sufficient to pay Miss | Lind as well as the orchestra leader and for incidental expenses. Her first concert given in this country took place at Castle Garden in New York and the tickets sold amounted to $17,864.05, some of which sold as high as $25 apiece. Jenny Lind made her first appear- ance In Washington on Monday, De- cember 16, 1850, The building in which ‘she sang was specially con- structed on the site of the National Theater, which had burned to the ground for the second time on March 5, 1845. Messrs. Willard and Reeside erected the hall for the purpose and the event was an epoch in Washington musical life. The morning after “The Night- ingale” arrived in Washington Presi- dent Fillmore called at her lodgings and left his card, the diva not being at home. The next day she returned the President’s call. Both this con- cert and the one given on Wednesday, Upper, left: P.T. Barnum Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper. Top, center: Tom Thumb and ]lfl%bo the Elephant Also Brought to Town by the Shozoman. L 4 , an early sketch from Frank Ruins of Barnum’'s American Museum, New York, July 13, 1865, from a sketch in Harper's Weekly. Upper, right: Jenny Lind. Lower, left: Jumbo and the baby elephant. Center: The old Odd Fellows’ Hall on Seventh street, where Gen. and Mrs. To m Thumb and Commodore and Mrs. Nutt (Minnie Warren) were frequently ex- hibited. Lower, right: wedding costume. num tells us he noticed in the au- dience Henry Clay, Benton, Foote, Cass and Gen. Scott and nearly every member of Congress. The following day Mr. Webster, Henry Clay, Gen. Gen. and Mrs. Tom Thumb in [!he arm of C. F. Cleveland, Repre- sentative from Connecticut, who es- | corted her into various parts of the Capitol and grounds. She also visited | Mount Vernon, accompanied by Col. | Theater by this wonderful singer was an affair many Washingtonians never forgot. Acccrding to an article writ- ten by the late Aloysius Mudd for the Columbia Historical Society, “the au- dience began to assemble as early as 6 o'clock, and when at last the appear- ance of Miss Lind gave to reality the place of pent-up expectation sht was greeted with a burst of applause which fairly shook the stout walls of the building. Silence was at once restored and as the beautiful strains of the “Casta Diva” came clear and liquid from the lips of this queen of song a deathlike stillness prevailed. When she finished there was a torrent of | applause which was repeated again | and again. “Her next was a trio for voice and two flutes, called ‘Camp of Silesia’ composed expressly for Miss Lind. The flutes were played by Messrs. Kyl2 and Seide. “In this piece she imitated and sue-{ passed the most exquisite tones of the flute by her finer cadence. Nothing could excel the brilliancy of tkis per- formance and it fairly set the audi- | ence wild. | “The bird song and the echo song were given with marvelous accuracy and a sweetness of melody perfectly unimaginable until heard. “At her second concert she sang for the first time in America the ne- tional song of ‘Hail Columbia,’ to which her unrivaled voice, accom- | | panied by Signor Benedict’s powerful Cass and Col. Benton personally called | Washington and Mr Seaton, editor of |and admirable orchestra, gave the upon Miss Lind. T IS related that when she visited the Capitol both Houses of Con- gress were in ression and that she took | the National Intelligencer. Here a | book was taken from the library and | given her, signed by the illustrious | Washington himself. | The concert given at the National The Wanderer Returns “Mique” Casey, Barnum’s Grandson, Ready to Si BY JOHN JAY DALY. ICHAEL CASEY is in town— "Mlqui"‘ Casey, the Wan- derer, 'who has been all up M and down the face of the earth, sailing the seven seas, riding the rods, a deck hand on tramp schooners, janitor in Chicago flop houses, singer of grand opera on the radio and a circus. ng or Frolie. < lion tamer with the | Michael Casey, native-born Wash- | mgonian, is the grandson of the late P. T. Barnum, the greatest show- man America ever produced. The same blood courses savagely through the veins of his grandson, here today una gone tomorrow—always in search ' of aaventure. Romance? That left “Migue” stranded years ago when his sweftheart, Marion, the lion tamer, was killed by Nero, the lion in love with the lady. But listen to the tale of “Mique” Casey, Shanghai: Mique Casey is & familiar figure in the Vieux Carre at New Orleans, the Barbary Coast district in 8an Fran- cisco, all the big ranches in the wild and Woolly West, and on the boards of the vaudeville, burlesque and legiti- mate stage. He started out in life to be a concert pianist, stopped his course at the New England Conserva- tory of Music and hit the highway of | excitement with Spider Kelley, bound for Shanghai Red's. Casey's first stage appearance was with the Theater Guild production, “He Who Gets Slapped.” He played with Lionel Barrymore in “The Jest.” He was with the original Province- town Players where he first became acquainted with Eugene O'Neil. When Casey played in Theodore Drieser’s “Hand of the Potter” he met up with Ann Harding and her former hus- band, Harry Banister. They got him to write his first magazine story— so that Casey now ranks as an actor, singer, musician, cowboy, hobo and short-story writer. The man is nothing if not versatile, but, above all, he is a wanderer. “What does it get you, staying in one place?” he asks, and gnswers his own question: “You might as well have a change of scenery.” On the air, “Mique” Casey estab- lished a reputation as Enorico Martel, the Strolling Tenor, broadcasting from & St. Louis station. He was known in other broadcasts as Michael Casey, the Irish Tenor, and the Wanderer. just in from | December 18, were attended by the President and his family and every| Once, while on a tramp schooner member of the cabinet, and Mr, Bar-salling from Singapore o Malay, ’l [ MICHAEL CASEY, The “wanderer,” just in from Shanghai. Incidentally, he's the grandson of the late P. T. Barnum. Casey took lessons in astrology from | & Chinese cook—who had read a ty- | phoon in the stars. That knowledge | set the wanderer up in London as a | professional in the trade, reading | horoscopes. When depression got “Mique” Casey, as it did others, he went to work firing locomotives, breaking bronchos in rodecs, logging in the lumber camps and selling dogs from house to house—to lonely persons who wanted pets. Also, he sold rosebushes, singing his way across country. Bouad for China, whatever “Mique” Casey does, he remains & singer from frst to Jast —=a sweet-voiced singer of popular melodies and grand opera. He has sung in night clubs and beer parlors, in theaters and churches, just for the love of it. Back home, “Mique” Casey has no more idea of settling dowa than he has of going to the Italo-Ethiopia wars, As he explains, “that would make me a soldier of fortune. And soldier of fortune is nothing more nor less than a glorified bum—or, rather, & successtul hobo.” If anybody offers him a stage, “Mique” says he’ll remain in Wash- ington leng enough to sing his Mtest ;!. “You Gotta Do What You Gotta & highesf effect. “It was supposed that the great crowd of high and humble whicn flocked to the first concert. notwith- standing the unheard-of, but neces- sary, prices was moved chiefly by curiosity to hear one so renowned in song and who had won so many hearts by her goodness. But when a greater crowd filled the immense hall a second time, and at the same prices. it could be justly ascribed to but one cause, and that one the unequeled a'- tractions of the artiste combined with high esteem for the woman. “Her matchless purity of style, sur- passing vocal powers and excellence of private character had charmed the | | audiences and all Washington paid | tribute to Jenny Lind.” | The receipts from Miss Lind's con- | certs in Washington amounted to $15 - 385.60, and the total receipts for the | tour under Barnum were $712.16134 This wonderful singer, appropriately | called “The Swedish Nightingale,” was |born in Stockholm October 6, 1820, | and when on her American tour was ‘m&rried in Boston to Otto Gold- she died at Malvern November 2, | 1887. In 1894 & Dbust of her was un- | veiled in Westminster Abbey. PERHAPS the small boy got more | of a kick out of the elephant | are— “As the Persian Monarch, in which he was to sail, started on Sunday { morning. there was no time tobe lost. 'S streets, when the great |50 another method had to be tried. | At daybreak he was taken out of the audience a bow. gardens, the plan being to march him down to the Miliwall Docks, where it was hoped, being tired with his walk he would step quietly onto the trolley and so be easily shipped on board But, however Mr. Barnum’s agent might propose, Jumbo could dispose and in this instance he was still mor unwiling than on the previous evening to lend himself to the transaction. “As soon as he got into the road he saw that something unusual was agaia about to take place and knelt down to await the issue. The elephants in- side the gardens were also filled with misgivings and bellowed and trum- peted loudly, Jumbo responding with sympathetic sounds. At length he had to be led back into the gardens, wherz, with an unruffied mien, he resumed his wonted occupation of carrying little children on his back and eating buns.” But as foxy as Jumbo might have béen, the cunning of man is supreme and it was not long before he was aboard the ship on his way to Amer- ica. Matthew Scott, his keeper, in | speaking of this trip across the At- lantic many years ago, said: “In the dawn of a fine Spring morn- ing we started on our journey to the New World. The box was drawn by 16 horses and the weight was as much as they could draw. Thousands followed Jumbo to the river bank, ex- pressing their regrets at his departure. The grief of the children was really sorrowful. "AT GRAVESEND Jumbo held a levee, and a very fashionable him bon voyage. Among the party were Miss Burdett-Coutts and her ing, the great actor, and several other well-known ladies and gentlemen. | to his accustomed stall, and to this injured so badly that he died 1o 30 ‘he cheerfully assented. minutes’ time. The writer recalls seeing Jumbo with Barpum’s Circus at Ninth and n was the also present and gave T HAS been said that the beginning of Barnum's entry into the circus business came about in 1863, when he lent Hugh Coyle, a Washington boy a dozen old bears, as a nucleus for a circus which gave performances on the the h street end of the Justice Departmen show was ¢ P. T. Barnum Museum and Wild Animal Ex! bition.” and proceeds were to be divided so that Barnu ceive one-third of the prof share. After receiving his share for several months the great showman thought so much of the enterprise that in two years from that time he started out in the circus business on his own account Barnum was always producing some- thing new and attractive and if it was not the “woolly horse,” said to have been captured by Fremont in the un explored West, then it was Barnu 'What Is It" or something else equally as startling. Always successful in his efforts to please and amuse the public and generally successful financially vet the $4,000,000 estate he left be- hind when he died in 1891 was not acquired without its setbacks and re- verses, including five disastrous fires, among which was the destruction twice of his American Museum in New York City. Indeed, at one time the great show- man was so near down and out that he was practically forced to retire from the show business, which he did for a while, and hired his name to others for a handsome consideration. s schmidt. She early retired from "‘e‘une, too, for a distinguished company | But, again he bobbed up serenely, and stage and settled in England, Whe't|came on board the steamer to wish died wealthy and loved and la mented by & pleasure-seeking public, which he had delighted and entertained for | present husband, also Mr. Henry Irv- more than half a century. ! Pork to & ay Scarce. Jumbo that Barnum brought to his | cakes and bottles of soda water to be country than did his elders. Bat | given to Jumbo on the passage. those same kids have now grown to| “jJumbo was somewhat alarmed at be old men, or approaching that state | first by the noise of the machinery of life anyway, and they will tell 0u | and the rolling of the steamship, but the great excitement that took place |I was always at his side and man- here back in 1882, when this mam- |aged to calm him so that he became moth elephant made his bow to l;quile a sailor when he got his sea Washington audience. | 1egs on. Jumbo had been taken from the i x . ®| “We arrived at last and Jumbo | g:{:l bgw;lofk;lag::m;l&?hnfiert | seemed to be delighted. He trumpeted delight of the American children and | ¢ B e AR much to the sorrow of the children of | " wiheay of the free and the home of the London, many of whom had been|pr ot Wnen Jumbo's house was privileged to ride on his back and |y giteq on the dock 10 horses were B T e o rall, | hiched 10 the car upon which it was o - | placed. Then two of his brother ele- ';nwhwd.lg:ve fearz old lnnd:x‘;, h:he; phants, called ‘pushers.’ put their im- 9 hadgheen for 33 years, at PU% | mense heads to the back of the house up quite & fight against doing so. o And 8t a signal the horses commenced s o0 Rox 12 foet Bigh 16 S| to araw and the clephunts to push tton:u su:sge;u:l:l? c;)-x:;:u.ct:d mr; | and after an hour's m"mw' ‘n:,v = - uare Garden, where be judged from the fact that With 115 | Summber wes reloased from his DAFrow bolts, bars and other strengthening | hero j apparatus 1t weighed upward of % | quarters and seemed so joyful at his PPa T e el dldp it i freedom that he twined his trunk i hom‘:" ‘m'm;': rulatancen _n;“; sround me in an ecstasy of delight. was with difficulty that he was finally | Jumbo is said to have been 11 feet I1anded aboard the steamer bound for |6 inches in height, though “nearly this country. 12 feet” is also recorded. But the At first they tried to drive him in, first dimensions are no doubt nearer the box, but he was not to he caught | in this way, and when they finally got his front feet in the inclosure he lay down flat and stretched out, refusing to go any farther, “The more they led him backward and forward,” an English account tells us, “the more determined grew his resolution not to lend himself to any such immoral proceedings as he perceived were con- correct, since the box made_to bring | him across the ocean was only 12 feet high. But although Jumbo came to Wash- ington several times later on, yet his | life in' America was cut short on Sep- tember 15, 1885, when he was bumped into by a freight car in Canada and killed. At the time the accident oc- curred he was walking along the rail- templated. Tired out at length, the road tracks with his keeper and the | attendants proposed to lead him back 'baby elephant and when struck was ¢ . “One poor old lady gave me several THE Department of Agriculture pre- | dicts that the hog situation will | be better, but before it is better it | will be worse. In other words, the slaughter this Winter is expected to be considerably lower than that of last year. Last year the totals were so low that pork products have reached unprecedentedly high prices. It is expected that by next Summer the stock of swine will be definitely on the gain, but the ratio between | corn prices and the price of pork will have an effect on the total of pigs raised. Judging from corn prospects as of | the first of July, the agricultural ex- | perts predict that there will be an | increase of only about 25 per cent, | which will still fall considerably short | of normal demands. | The Spring crop of pigs this year was estimated at 30,400,000 head, nearly 7'¢ million less than the small crop of 1934 and nearly 21 million | less than in 1932 and 1933. The high retail prices of pork have | had a deterring effect on prospective purchasers, which has resulted in a great decrease in demand, yet, despite this loss of market, the price stays high because of the shortage of stocks. . Indian Wheat Crop Up. NDIA, which sometimes is an ex- porter of wheat, sometimes also is an importer. | This year crop conditions were fa- | vorable, the total harvest being esti- mated at 363,000,000 bushels, an in- | crease of 3 per cent over last year and 2 per cent over the average of the last five years,