New Britain Herald Newspaper, September 18, 1925, Page 27

Myster ot Wikes oot Ctimes & G MONE O g.JflkhU\fi\U‘l’ufl]lff&» <..Jfliuugp ECRETS of the Amer: fcan stage, untold for 50 years, are revealed by Otis Skinner. The actor who hus starred with Edwin Booth, Madame Mod- jeska, Augustin Daly and Lawrence Barrett has turned author in his opulent years. He has searched the memory of five decades to let the public in on the little secrets held in common by those who grimaced on the other side ot the footlights, Porhaps the moet Important of Skinner's memoirs i his volume, “Footlights and Spot- lights,” is his story of the burning of the cos- tumes of John Wilkes Booth, assassin of President Lincoln. This story, edded to history for the first time, 3 set down In the words of Garrie Davidson, falthful property man of Edwin Booth, John Wilkes’ brother, Davidson told the story to Skin. Bemt #On Jeaving his dressing-room, about 12 o'clock, My, Booth gave me orders to wake him at 3 in the morning. After the lights of the theater were out, 1 lay on a cot in the property-room, but b2 oourse I couldn't sleep, The day hud been ptormy; sleet was beating on the window-panes and strange sounds came from every part of the big empty theater, I was glad when the time fame for the call 7 mounted the stairway to his apartment and foade, some strong coffes over a spirit lamp In b lbrary. This done, I opened the door to the hpdroom. He was lying partly dressed and in & Beed sleep. #Mr, Booth hed one peculiarity—he was con- and {rritated it suddenly awakened from pometimeg he would throw the nearest #xttcle at hand at the one who roused him. REMOVES WEAPONS ¥Xs ¢ precaution I removed the pipe and book it which he had smoked and read bimselt to Kwep—even his boots I put out of the way, then T shook him gently and told him it was time. ®As 1 expected, he sat up in a daze and reached ok something to throw at me, but it was only a fash. For & minute or two he sat sort of studying the bedclothes, very thoughtful. I fetched the Eoffes. After drinking two cups of it, he asked: #'8¢m snowing, Garrie? |, ¥ Yes, sir.’ | ¥1 helped him into his coat. \ ¥ “Where shall I go, Mr, Booth? I asked. © Mo the furnace-room,’ he sald. “ ®Taking the lantern I had left outsids his door, X led the way across the black stage and down tq the furnace-room. Near the furnace was a Jarge trunk, like a packing case, tied with ropes. Mr. Booth told me to get en ax. I cut the cords end knocked oft the top of the box, t/ckety and old. “There lay the costumes of John Wilkes #ll musty and smelling of camphor. PILES OF COSTUMES *There was no tray in the trunk— ‘were just packed up solid, and on the top of the plle were some gwords and wigs. These. after a ’ moment or two, he 1ald asids on the overturned 1 LY trunk cover and commenced taking out the cos- tumes, “The first was a Louis XVI coat of steel-blus broadeloth. fle turned it about at arm's length as if. he were trying to picture his brother's figure in dt, and remembering when he had worn it last, Then he handed It to me. “‘Put it fn there,/ he said, polnting to the heater. 1 opened the door. '"Twas a shame to destroy anything so handsome! 1 looked back at him; he was as still us u statue, walting, Thers was no help for it. I shoved it in. It settled down on the biaze with a sort of hiss—a bit of lace at the sleeve caught, and the coat was In flames. There was a black-beuded Hamlet hauberk which Mr. Booth turned about curiously before passing to me. It didn’t need much guessing to know how bard it was for him to part with it. Then there came some 'shape’ dresses—Elizabethan —silk stockings and velvet shoes. They may have been worn for lago—he had played the part. There were cavaller's costumes like those used In ‘The Hunchback’ and 'The Duke's Motto,'! Those had seen service and showed their wear, for John Wilkes' most successful performances, with the exception of his Richard the Third, had been in the romantic plays. METAMORA “Done up in a cloth was an Indlan dress—genu- ine thing—with a photograph of John Wilkes in the same costume, dated Richmond, Va., 1859-60, L guess that was Metamora. “Ie came across a package of letters wrapped in a handkerchlet and tied with an old ribbon. As he examined their addresses, 1 shot a glance over his shoulder and saw that they were directed to Wilkes in @ woman's handwriting. “He had looked at only a few, when his eyes flashed, and setting his jaws, he stepped over and threw the package on the coals. I've often won- dered who had written those letters. No one will ever know. “Presently he drew out a lonz, belted, purple velvet shirt, ornamented with jewels, and an arm. hole cloak trimmed in fur. Both garments were creased and worn in places. Hs sat down on the trunk with the things on his knee and for a while he didn't move—just sat looking at the costume; then he broke down and eried Iike a child, FATHER'S, T0OO “'My father's’ he sald. ‘Garrle, it was my tather's Richard 111 dress. He wore it In 8 miruster, £ave hi Sgve him Boston on the fivst night aletter to Barnum I went on the stage as Tressell.’ *“*Don’t you think you ought to save that, Mr. Booth?' I asked No, put it in with the others,' he said. “By and by ft was nothing but ashes. I feit as it 1 had assistfd at a crime. “He didn't linger 80 long now. He was eager to see every fragment destroyed. 1 turned the flaming stuff so constantly with the long turnace poker that my face and hands were scorched with he took the iron rod from me self. k the trunk to pleces, and that pes that bound it, was the finish. We Ofis He sat down = on the trunk with the thin his k ot A o move Modjeska stood watching the snaky rims running through the ashes, then he told me to shut the furnace door. “‘That's all,’ he sald very quietly, ‘We'll go now.’ “I looked at my watch; it was nearly 6. “The morning was still black and stormy. Soma- where & loose shutter was banging against the side of the buffding and booming through the empty gallerfes.” BARNUM AIDS Unique, perhaps, among those actors wha achieved fame, is Skinner's story of his atart. Ha was projected upon the American stage by none other than P. T. Barnum, the circus man. Skinner's parents were New England Universal fsts. They objected to his plans to become an actor, but withdrew their objections when he showed his determination. His father, a minister, gave him a letter to Barnum. Barnum in turn gave him a letter tes titying to his aebility, of which Barnum knew nothing. Skinner, fhem 19, bearded Willlam Davidge J a producer of 1877. Davidge Insisted he had Jobs. Skinner produced the letter from Barnun With almost equal alacrity Davidge produced a contract for Skinner to sign. MAKESHIFT BEARD Skinner's story embodies the growth of tha stage. It is rich In anecdotes of the early duys when the play was not the fAinished product it is now. In his early days of barnstorming (Skinner d not use the word) he wap cast to play the purt of & man who wore & heavy beard One night he forgot to prepure the beard. “Here, 1l fix you,” said an Incorrigible fak named “rooks, Skinnef states. Diving Into h coat pocket, Brooks pulled out a package of cut tobacco and removed two liberal wads, whi. pasted to Skinner's jowis, made convincing mutt chope. After an essault upon the heroine in the t act, however, all that rémained was a dark bro emear on each cheek. Later in his climb Skinner was starred with (Copyright, 1924, by NEA Servi Madame Modjesk had been In the silence, after she ¢ asked: \What was 1t?" reclted the alphabet fn Polish,' she city was plaster word: Modj How C. F. Frohman T of the Lusitania, rewrote Balzac to suit his . who died with the einke Her leading man {n her nner's chapter desc inder Frohman's management, CHANGED S( F man had a horror of death scenes, *“Had ha produced King Lear, 1 belleve ha would have hed 1t to end I * Skinner writes. In the production of dramatization of La Rabouil- Colonel Philippe Brideau dies t the peopla don't ¢ here to see Skinner Frohman protest o he changed the iX you ne — and Skinner east bit fazed, “why 1 when people did not kno woman or a toothpaste this story TEACHING RECITATION Henry W Another interesting o ed in these words “On the eve of th cred “You owe every- g thind tome 1 have Madan a made you" “We were In a jovia on 1 she knew a littlo writes. “He said: £ht Interest us, the mir! As sure as we stand k at on a nest governor of Kentucky. halr there is just one more ident of the United States! It has it, now sobs and he gamut ce, Inc.) No. 41 P — Willan®” Muldoon, Likes to Wrestle RLANDO, in Bhakespaire's 0 “As Tou Like It probebly brought Otis Skinner more fun than any other plot, if one judges aright by his memoirs. In this part he tarows a wrestler, Impresarios usually feature some known a.'lete as the wrestler. During the World's Fair in Chicago Bkinner was invited to play Orlando at an open-air performance. Sandow, the strong man, had been announced for the part of Charles, the wrestler, He was running an athletic show In town. When the idea was broached, he sald: “Mo? I can act anything in the world.” Then he demanded to know what he was to do. He was told he had a bout with a tellow named Skinner, and the actor ew him, “He what?" demanded the strong man, “He throws you—it's in the pla “Nobody can throw me,"” declared Sandow. “But that's ths way it's In the play.” DIDN'T WRESTLE “That's all right. Change the play and 1 wrestle,” was Sandow's ultl: matum. Shakespeare wasn't changed, and Sandow was another star that didn't play, On another occasion & semi-pro- fessional prizefighter from a Pitts- burg roling mill was hired as Charles. The town was placarded with signs: THE WRESTLING CONTEST TONIGHT WILL BE BETWEEN OTIS SKINNER OF NEW YORK AND JAMES DUNKELLY OF ALLEGHENY James' one line, “Come, where is this young gallant that is 8o desirous " was spoken in & penny-whistle voice that evoked a smile from the audience. They went at it tooth and nail for awhile, but when Dunkelly, at Skine ner's signal, obediently did a parbols over Skinner's shoulder to the floor, an admirer from the gallery shouted: “Ah, Jimmie, I could do you my. seif.” to lie with mother earth, BATTLES MULDOON At another show Willlam Muldoon, now New York state boxing come sloner, appeared as Charles. The Elks had bought out the house in Baltimore and Muldoon had volun- tered as an added attraction, Muldoon falled to appear at rehear. sal and sauntered in about 10 min- before the curtain went up. Skinner and he agreed upon a fall, owing to the lack of time were forced to work out the details of the match on the stage, led nyself at his massive * Skinner says, *and to my azement found mysel bounding n es if I was a rubber 1 was lifted, gently waved in the air tully on my feet. Then I began to t 1 tackled him from ed every portion d set down care- side and *‘Finish it. I'm all In,’ 1 gasped. “Giving me a strange look, he lumbered down on the grass mat and deliberately put his shouider to the foor. 1 fell on his chest. . 1 reached the dressing- room Muldoon was sitting on a stool calmly smoking his relighted cigar, not a hair ruffled. “After a moment he sald, ‘Skinnef, ¥Ou got some of the damndest holds on me I ever maw.'" e ———— SRk St s M