p. 167

164.

often behekd travellers, well equipped, on their
shaggy steeds, (either covered with mud or
dust, as the season prevailed,) with a blanket
over the saddle, a huge pair of saddle-bags, and
a halter on the horse, dismounting at the va-
rious old inns then abounding along Market
street, hitching their horses to the old red sign
post, and walking into the bar-room to inquire
for entertainment for "man and horse," which
the weather-beaten signs of revolutionary ex-
istence still indicated might be procured. The
poor horseman of that day, when dismounting
to walk after a journey of three weeks, would
move with legs apart, "as if the rogues had
gyves on," cramped and doubled up by their
long position on the horse.

Mr. Aaron Phillips, a native of Philadelphia,
and for many years connected with our various
theatres, both as actor and manager, had been
acting at the West, doing tragedy with all his
might. He roposed to accompany the lady in
her contepmplated journey, like another Sadi,
"over moor and mountain." But the journey
was a Herculean task. It was proposed to pur-
chase horses as a more pleasant mode of tra-
velling than the ublic vehicles, which went
only a certain distance without any change of
horses; and there was always a day's delay in
each village or town to procure a fresh wagon
to go on with. Being on horses, and not being
tied to time, they could journey at their leisure
with less fatigue than in a jolting stage wagon,
and view the beautiful valleys or majestic moun-
tains as they choose while jogging along.
When they arrived in hiladelphia they could
always sell their horses at a profit. It was the
latter end of August when, with much labor,
they reached Bedford, in Pennsylvania. Being
fatigued by the ride over the Alleghany moun-
tains, Phillips proposed to take a nap and bait
the nags before proceeding on their way to-
wards Chambersburg. Miss Denny agreed to
feed the horses, it being midday, but she would
not take her siesta. Phillips would have his.
To sleep he went, and Miss Denny, as soon as
the ostler brought out her horse, started on her
journey, leaving Aaron in his leaden sleep.
She reached Chambersburg before he left Bed-
ford. In truth, she proved the best and most
enduring equestrian of the two. They per-
formed the travel thus in two weeks and a half.
They sold their horses at $25 profit a piece, and
Miss Denny wended her way to Albany to her
mother's house, after a pretty good performance
on a side-saddle. Mrs. Drake had not only a
strong physical development, but she had
equally a generous heart and mind.

Apropos to our subject, we may as well say
here, that the present popular and highly ta-
lented actress, late Miss Dean, now Mrs. Julia,
Dean Hayne, is a descendant of the Drake
family. Her mother was Miss Julia Drake,
daughter of old manager Drake. She was the
first native born tragic actress that electrified
the Western audiences by a high order of talent.
For many years he wore the crown of tragedy
and comedy in Kentucky with undivided
honors; but she subsequently shared them with
her sister-in-law, Mrs. A. Drake.

A young lawyer by the name of Frazee, of
Lexington, became enamored of Miss J. Drake,
"wooed and won her," but did not wear her
long. Mr. Frazee soon dies, leaving his widow
in the bloom and beauty of womanhood. Her
suitors were many after this event, but finally
she bestowed her hand on Mr. Dean, an actor
in her father's company. The issue of this
marriage was the resent very clever and me-
ritorious actress, whose wide spread fame has
received the critical sanction of the American
audiences; and which would seem to confer
on her the appellation of a legitimate star!
Professional judges have unqualifiedly conceded
this distinction upon her merit, and we so re-
cord it in our annals. If the Western actors
have been often ridiculed for ranting propen-
sities, it cannot be denied that many of the
Western proteges have became conspicuous on
the Eastern boards, and may yet roar in im-
passioned numbers upon the London imported
boards, for the lumber of which the latter are
constructed doubtless grew in North America.

Mr. Andrew Jackson Allen, in his theatrical
records, makes a small mistake when he speaks
of the Wests. He confound Mr. West, who
was in the Chesnut Street Threatre in 1810-'11,
with Mr. William West, one of the founders
in conjunction with old Bignall, of the Virgi-
nia theatres at Norfolk and Richmond.

Mr. J. West, of whome we have spoken in our
history of the Philadelphia Stage, was not the
West who fitted up a temporary theatre in
Lexington, Kentucky, in 1797. Prior to 1809
there was no theatre proer in that then new
State. Mr. Luke Usher, in 1808, produced the
first regular dramatic performance in that
beautirul country.

Mr. J. West, of the Chesnut corps, came
out to Placide's company, in Charleston, S. C.,
about 1809, from the Plymouth Theatre, Eng-
land, at the instance of Mr. Hutton, a very ex-
cellent actor, who died in the green room of
the Charleston theatre of the yellow fever.

The story that the exile Duc d'Orleans, sub-
seqently Louis hillippe, King of the French,
wrote a petit opera, or we suppose a musical
drama, while a resident of Lexington, on the
suject of his fate and exile, for Mr. West,
may have been true, but it must have been
Wm. West, the old Virginia manager.

John Smith, Jr., of Arkansas, who wrote
out Allen's records, in the Atlas, of New Yorkm

apends a very interesting account of the Duc
d'Orleans to Allen's statement, which he re-
ceived himself in 1817, from the late Mr. John
Bradford, who was a contemporary in Ken-
tucky of the royal exile, and from whom he
received and preserved some of the Duke's
operatic sketches. We, however, doubt the
robability of the exile's piece being acted at
that period by any regular cors, maugre that
Mr William West and Captain Turnbull were
there. The last time we saw Turnbull were
there. The last time we saw TUrnbull was at
Quebec, in command of an English merchant
brig, bound to Belfast, Ireland. Mr. T. was
author of the Wood Demon. A Grenchman
banished to a country where neither a theatre

nor a ball room exists will soon expire of ennui,
Spirit rapping would not save him.

On Monday, November 26, 1821, Mr. William
elby made his first appearance at the Walnut,
as Macbeth, with tolerable success, as far as the
acting was concerned, but if we remember
rightly the recepts did not pay the expenses.
On Tuesday evening, Nov. 27, a benefit was
given to the widow Baker and her children.
She was in great pecuniary distress. Her hus-
band had died in the summer at Washington,
D. C. They both had been members of the
company. They came from England and
seemed very respectable people, but were not
performers of any talent. The pieces were the
"oor Gentleman" and "Valentine and Orson."
Receipts $457.

During this season the performances were
every night. On Thursday, Nov. 29, the
"Mountaineer" and "Miss in her Teens" were
acted in order to introduce a young English
lad, by the name of George Frederick Smith,
as Octavian and Captain Flash. This precocious
talent did not seem to be appreciated, and he
did not apear again. We thought he was
older than he looked.

On Friday, Nov. 30, Mr. James Wallack was
to have appeared as Hamlet, being engaged for
six nights. But he had the serious misfortune
on the morning previous to be thrown from the
driver's seat of a post coach, where he had
seated himself for the benefit of the fine mor-
ning air, and had his leg badly broken in two
places. He had left New York that morning
Nov. 29), very early for Philadelphia in the
maill post coach. They reached Brunswick
safely. There he breakfasted, and while in
good spirits and humor, enjoying his outside
ride, he met suddenly with this dreadful com-
pound fracture, which threatened extreme
lameness, or loss of limb entirely. Through
skillful surgery he was restored in time to a
locomotive state and a symmetry of leg that
enabled him to resume his rofession. This ac-
cident spread a gloom over theatricals for some
time. It was felt by the Walnut street man-
agement, whose business was meagre, and who
hoped to have repplenished their treasury in a
failing season. On Saturday following, Wal-
lack was to have played Macbeth. Of course,
on the receipt of the news of the accident,
"Hamlet" was at once postned. In such a
dilemma no adequate substitute could be found
to supply the place of the fascinating J. Wal-
lack.

Henry Wallack hired a wagon from Mr.
Carter's livery stables and went to New Bruns-
wick in the hope of being enabled to remove
his brother to our city, where he could enjoy
the best medical advice; but his injuries forbade
that course. The most eminent surgeons of
Philadelphia repaired to the scene of distaster
to afford aid in this lamentable event. "Rob
Roy" was to have been played on the Saturday,
but that was also postponed in consequence of
the absence of H. Wallack.

In this exigency Mr. Pelby was at hand,
awaiting placidly for the time of his next ap-