180.
The first managers of the great theatres
doubted the policy of allowing him to act at
all as he was not reliable. Indeed his disap-
pointments of the public were too numerous.
Yet such was their love for the man and actor
that they readily forgave him.
We do not wish to perpetrate falsehood but
to endeavor to correct false impressions or at
least to defend those as far as we can whose
memories are ssailed wantonly and who seem-
ingly have no friends left to defend their cha-
racters against malign insinuations and libel-
lons charges. We therefore assume in our
premises that Booth was an hones man simple
and plain in manners abd pure in principles.
When those polar stars of man which were in-
tended to guide his conduct in all business and
social relations were by Booth violated he was
for the time being clearly non compos mentis.
That he was a drunkard in any sense we deny ;
that he would take a glass when mingling in
society as his feeling were social cannot be
denied which sometimes superiduced his crazy
freaks. We would simply ask what motive could
have induced Booth to so frequently disappoint
large audiences whereby he would more than
any one else concerned be the pecuniary suf-
ferer? It was thought and asserted by some
that in imitation of Hamlet's ruse these antics
were put on. But if they were it was at the
expense of his purse ; and Booth when sound
was tolerably careful of the debtor and creditor
sides of accounts. When in his hallucinations
he was not so careful. He once rode one of
Jerry Fog's circus horses through our streets
of a Sunday dressed in one of the equestrian's
spangled flies and thus as mad as a "March
hare" he rose up the steps of the Arch street
theatre and surround by a crowd of boys
drew from his pockets a handful of small
change and scattered it amongst them-on the
pavement like another Robin Roughhead when
he was proclaimed a Lord. This was the effect
of sheer insanity as he could walk talk and
ride as only a sober man could have done. At
this time he was placed under the medical
treatment of Dr. Rush of our city who can
substantiate what we here avouch. This gen-
tleman entertained a most exalted idea of
Booth's genius and talent and we desire no
better proof than the judgment of so disstin-
guished a physician and citizen as Dr. James
Rush.
Mr. Joseph Cowell in his "Thirty Years
Passed Among the Players" assails Booth
without much reserve on the same score as
thus : "Kean's irregularities were coarse and
brutal but their ill effects recoiled exclusively
upon himself. Booth's involved the destiny of
those nearest abd dearest. For years he
sheltered himself from their consequences by
assuming madness ; and the long practice of
this periodical 'antic disposition' like Ham-
let's ended in its being I believe partially the
fact."
Mr. Cowell in the latter part of this opinion
qualifies the charge of an entire assumption of
madness.
Now it is well known that all Kean's brutal
irregularities were purely the effect of dissi-
pated habits. Booth's---however his princi-
ples may be viewed---were owing to the oppo-
site causes.
Booth was a temperate man in theory and in
practice. He was a Grahamite in diet. For
days and months he never ate any other arti-
cle of food than the freshest vegetables---never
any meat or game---and his drink was cold
water. We have been at his residence at
Baltimore and his table was only thus served.
We have lived at the same hotel with him and
never saw him partake of anything but vege-
table food : his drink was water. On the ad-
vantages of this mode of living he would
dwell with forcible arguments and strongly
recommended its adoption to his friends.
In the winter of 1837 we conducted the the-
atre at Washington City for F. C. Wemyss.
Booth played two or three star engagements
with us and always filled the house with the
elite of the city's fashion. Members of Con-
gress constantly paid their devoirs to him.
One of the delegates from Georgia---the Hon
Mr. Glasscock---was excessively attentive to
him and would frequently have him to dine
and sup with him.
On one occasion Mr. Glasscock gave a very
splendid supper consisting of canvas-back
ducks turkeys oyster dressed in every imagi-
nable style wines of the most various and
choice brands etc. We were present by invi-
tation but Booth did not partake of any article
but salads celery &c dressed by his own
hand and he drank only water.
If Booth's faithful attendance to his engage-
ments could have been relied upon instead of
the thirty thousand dollars of real estate with
EN