
 

 
 <3 
 
 ^ultjbU;
 
 American actor Series 
 
 EDITED BY LAURENCE HUTTON
 
 AMERICAN ACTOR SERIES 
 
 THE ELDER AND THE YOUNGER 
 
 BOOTH 
 
 BY ASIA BOOTH CLARKE 
 
 . BOSTON 
 
 JAMES R. OSGOOD AND COMPANY 
 1882
 
 Copyright, iSSr, 
 BY JAMES R. OSGOOD AND COMPANY. 
 
 All rights reserved. 
 
 UNIVERSITY PRESS: 
 JOHN WILSON AND SON. CAMBRIDGE.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH l 
 
 PART II. 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH U 7 
 
 INDEX lSl 
 
 22252(17
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 JUNIUS BRUTUS BOOTH Frontispiece 
 
 From a Daguerreotype taken in 1848. 
 
 FAC-SIMILE OF PLAY-BILL 21 
 
 JUNIUS BRUTUS BOOTH AS "POSTHUMUS" . .42 
 
 JUNIUS BRUTUS BOOTH AS RICHARD III. . . . 73 
 
 LETTER OF JUNIUS BRUTUS BOOTH 95 
 
 EDWIN BOOTH 117 
 
 EDWIN BOOTH AS "RICHELIEU" 155 
 
 From a Portrait by John Collier of London.
 
 PART I. 
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 1796-1852. 
 
 " And Booths were created for the entertainment of the people, 
 and were much resorted to." VIEW OF LONDON.
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 JUNTOS BRUTUS BOOTH was born on the first day of 
 May, 1796, in the parish of St. Pancras, London. His 
 grandmother, Elizabeth Wilkes, was a relative of John 
 Wilkes, and through his mother he inherited the blood 
 of the Welsh Llewellyns. 
 
 The Booths and Wilkes of Clerkenwell were hon- 
 orably known in their time ; the house of Bishop Bur- 
 net, an historical old building, was the birthplace of 
 many of the Booths, and the yard of the ancient church 
 of St. John of Jerusalem still contains the gravestones 
 of their descendants, on which the names of the two 
 families are frequently intermingled. Ruin and demo- 
 lition have been busy, the black mould of years is over 
 the narrow streets and byways ; but the little court 
 keeps its name of "Booth," and the graves in the 
 narrow slip of church-ground seem likely to last till 
 doomsday. 
 
 Richard Booth, the father of the subject of the 
 present sketch, was educated for the law ; but, becoming 
 infatuated with Republicanism, he left home, in com- 
 pany with his cousin John Brevitt, to embark for Amer- 
 ica (then at war with England), determined to fight in 
 her cause. Booth was taken prisoner and brought 
 back to England, where he subsequently devoted him-
 
 4 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 self to the acquirement of knowledge and the practice of 
 his profession. If any punishment was inflicted for his 
 disloyalty, it has never transpired. He lived in affluent 
 circumstances in Bloomsbury, and was a scholar of repu- 
 tation, though of eccentric character ; but his vaunted 
 love of Republicanism rendered him unpopular both as 
 a lawyer and as a man. He kept a picture of General 
 Washington in his drawing-room, before which he in- 
 sisted that all who entered should bow with reverence. 
 
 The other young rebel, Brevitt, escaped to America, 
 fought against England, was made a captain, and sub- 
 sequently married a Quakeress of Baltimore, readily 
 transforming himself into a Friend and an American. 
 
 The subjoined copies of letters on the subject of this 
 patriotic enterprise entered into by Booth and Brevitt 
 may be interesting here, the original papers forming 
 part of the collection of the Wilkes papers, now in the 
 British Museum. Richard Booth at the age of twenty 
 addressed the first to "the great Wilkes." The De- 
 fender of Liberty sent it immediately to the father, 
 John Booth, who after perusal returned it with a letter 
 expressive of his own views of the conduct of his son 
 and nephew, vouching for their integrity and respecta- 
 bility, but evidently in much distress of mind. The 
 reply is highly significant. 
 
 To jfohn Wilkes, Esq., Princes Court, Westminster. 
 
 PARIS, Oct. 28th, '77. 
 
 SIR, You will certainly be much surprised at the 
 receipt of this letter, which comes from two persons of
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 5 
 
 whom you cannot possibly have the least knowledge, 
 who yet at the same time claim the Honour of being of 
 the same Family as yourself. Our conduct has certainly 
 been in some respects reprehensible, for too rashly put- 
 ting in execution a project we had for a long time con- 
 ceived. But as it was thro' an ardent desire to serve 
 in the Glorious cause of Freedom, of which you have 
 always been Fam'd for being the Strict and great De- 
 fender, we trust the request we are about to make will 
 be paid regard to. As Englishmen, it may be urged 
 that we are not altogether Justified in taking arms 
 against our native Country, but we hope such a vague 
 argument will have no weight with a Gentleman of your 
 well-known abilities ; for as that country has almost 
 parted with all its Rights, which have been given up to 
 the present Tyrannic Government, it must be thought 
 the Duty of every true Briton to assist those who op- 
 pose oppression and lawless Tyranny. And as the peo- 
 ple of America are composed of men who have still the 
 spirit of their brave Forefathers remaining, it becomes 
 all who are Englishmen to exert their utmost efforts in 
 their behalf, leaving their Country for that purpose ; 
 being no more (as we presume) than the Romans, in 
 the war between Octavius and Anthony on the one 
 part, and those illustrious worthys, Brutus and Cassius, 
 on the other, going from the army of the Tyrants to 
 serve in that of the latter, and therefore equally justi- 
 fiable. 
 
 " Dulce et Decorum est pro patria mori, 
 Sed pro Libertate mori, Dulcissimum est." 
 
 The manner in which we have conducted ourselves
 
 6 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 has been so very extraordinary as to be scarcely cred- 
 ible, but we are assured the Bearer of this Letter will 
 convince you of its Authenticity. In short, we left 
 England, and all the advantageous prospects we had 
 there, purposely to go and serve in the Army of the Sons 
 of Liberty, the brave Americans. In order to complete 
 the Enterprise we came from London under a pretence 
 of going on a party of pleasure to the Camp at Warley 
 Common, but instead of proceeding thither, we went 
 immediately for Margate and thence to Ostend, and 
 have since arrived here, where we came to wait upon 
 the Gentlemen who are Agents for the Congress in 
 America, in order to the full completion of our Design 
 of getting appointed officers in the Provincial Service, 
 but for that purpose have since found it necessary to 
 procure a Letter of recommendation from some Gen- 
 tleman in the Interest of Liberty in England, and un- 
 derstand from Mr. Arthur Lee (who has promised to 
 interest himself greatly in our behalf), that no recom- 
 mendation will be of more service to us than yours. 
 Our request therefore is, that you will condescend to 
 give one in our favour, directed to that Gentleman at 
 the " Hotel de la Reine, la Rue des Bons Enfants, a 
 Paris," which you will please to deliver to the Bearer 
 hereof, as soon as possibly convenient. And the favour 
 will be gratefully remembered, and the name of Wilkes 
 be always held in the greatest respect and veneration 
 by, Sir, 
 
 Your most and obed' Serv'ts at command, 
 
 R. BOOTH. 
 
 JOHN BREVITT.
 
 THE ELDER BOOTff. 7 
 
 To John Wilkes, Esqr. 
 
 Nov. sth, 1777. 
 
 SIR, I cannot but express the deepest concern when 
 I reflect on the Imprudence of my Son and Nephew, 
 in taking the liberty of addressing you without your 
 first being apprised of it and your approbation for so 
 doing. My uneasiness is not a little heightened when 
 I consider to what Length their unguarded youth may 
 lead them, and the various expressions which their 
 thoughtless Pens may have made use of. I must assure 
 you, sir, nothing could be more foreign to mine and to 
 their Mother's inclinations, nor could anything stimulate 
 them to it but their looking up to you as the sacred 
 Protector of the greatest Blessing on Earth, fair Free- 
 dom, and your invariable struggles for the Protec- 
 tion of it. 
 
 I cannot, however, but flatter myself that should at 
 any Time a correspondence take place between you 
 and Mr. Lee, and these two youths be the subject of it, 
 that you would speak of them as children of those who 
 stood foremost in Friendship for you, and who are not 
 a little happy in the connection of Blood with which 
 we stand. 
 
 . . . These youths, sir, have, as you are pleased to 
 observe, to lament their not being personally known 
 to you ; but I bless God, the best of characters can be 
 had of them from Persons of the greatest merit and 
 Fortune. 
 
 Your ob'dt humble S'rv't, 
 
 JOHN BOOTH.
 
 8 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 "John Booth, Silversmith," further adds that he has 
 exerted himself at the election at Brentford in Wilkes's 
 behalf, and will use his interest, which he flatters him- 
 self is not inconsiderable, at a future time, not far dis- 
 tant, when he will also aid by a personal appearance. 
 
 He offers for his acceptance a piece of plate, not to 
 obtain favor (meaning the restoration of his son and 
 nephew), but in grateful return for what " I and every 
 lover of Freedom owe to you as the Friend and Guar- 
 dian of our rights." 
 
 These rebellious missives served to keep alive that 
 fire of patriotism which found expression when, in later 
 years, Booth named his sons Junius Brutus and Alger- 
 non Sydney. He married a Miss Game or Gam, 
 whose relatives now living in South America trace their 
 descent from an old hero of Agincourt. Mrs. Booth 
 died at the birth of her third child, a daughter. 
 
 Junius Brutus received a classical education, and 
 early showed a decided taste for drawing and literature. 
 He learned printing, but abandoned it for the law, and 
 for a time remained in his father's office, transcribing 
 from his dictation dry and turgid documents. Evin- 
 cing a desire for the navy, he was rated as midshipman 
 on board the brig " Boxer," commanded by Captain 
 Blythe. The vessel's destination being changed from 
 the Mediterranean to the American coast, his father 
 dissuaded him from going ; and in an engagement with 
 the enemy the " Boxer " lost all her crew, excepting a 
 cabin boy. 
 
 Not possessing that universal genius generally attrib- 
 uted to those who attain eminence, Junius Booth es-
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. g 
 
 sayed one art after another, and, feeling the insufficiency 
 of painting, poetry, and sculpture, his ever restless mind 
 found its true element in the art of the actor. Avow- 
 ing his determination to adopt the stage, he left his 
 home against the wishes of his father, and made an 
 engagement with Mr. Penley at Deptford. He began 
 his professional career as Campillo in "The Honey- 
 moon" on the 1 3th December, 1813, at a salary of 
 one pound a week. He afterwards accompanied Mr. 
 Penley to the Continent on a professional tour of some 
 months. 
 
 The life of a strolling player, although beset with 
 difficulties, possessed certain charms for the young 
 aspirant, but he now yearned to try his talents in the 
 metropolis. He had met with encouragement from 
 many persons of taste and judgment, and accordingly 
 applied to different London managers for an engage- 
 ment, among others to Mr. Harris of Covent Garden 
 Theatre. All efforts proved useless, however, and he 
 reluctantly accepted an offer from the Worthing and 
 Brighton Theatres for the season commencing in the 
 summer of 1815, under the management of Mr. Thomas 
 Trotter. The following letter is from Anthony Pas- 
 quin (Dr. Williams), and not without interest here. 
 
 BRUSSELS, June 9, 1815. 
 
 DEAR SIR, I have received your letter. As to in- 
 terfering further between you and Mr. Harris, I have 
 only this answer to return, namely, that he is, and will 
 be, the governing judge of what concerns his theatre ; 
 and I have done all that I can at least immediately do,
 
 I0 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 by introducing you to his notice. The rest remains 
 with yourself. In your engagement at Brighton during 
 the summer, I would recommend it to you to play some 
 of your best parts, such as Richard the Third, Norval, 
 Sir Edward Mortimer, but particularly Richard for 
 your benefit, as there may be many eyes directed to- 
 ward you, in pursuance of the favorable report which I 
 deemed it necessary to make of your exertions. I have 
 not the honor to know Mr. Trotter, the manager, but 
 am persuaded he will see clearly that you are far above 
 the common class of theatrical tyros. 
 
 You have learning and a proper sense of your present 
 critical situation ; then use both to the furtherance of 
 your dramatic reputation ; but do not attend to the 
 suggestion of every trifling observer, but rather act from 
 your own feelings with an occasional reference to that 
 great model of real perfection in many characters, Mr. 
 John Kemble. But above all preserve a modest de- 
 meanor, though you may feel internally vain, as all men 
 have vanity, with this distinction, that the blockhead 
 renders his weakness apparent, and the sensible man 
 does not. 
 
 I shall be in England, in all probability, before the 
 announcement of the winter theatres. When you ar- 
 rive at Brighton, seek for a Mr. Sicklemar, and present 
 him my kindest remembrances, for he is truly a worthy 
 man, and his advice and protection may be eminently 
 serviceable to you. 
 
 We are all in a state of military bustle, with the com- 
 mon enemy at our gates. 
 
 Believe me your friend and very humble servant, 
 
 J. WILLIAMS.
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. M 
 
 P. S. Keep the terms of your engagement a secret ; 
 and read at your leisure the part of Achmet in " Bar- 
 barossa." 
 
 To MR. JUNIUS BOOTH. 
 
 Mr. Booth received thirty shillings a week at the 
 Worthing Theatre. He afterward became prompter, 
 which capacity he filled until October. Harley, the 
 comedian, was a member of the company. Mr. Booth 
 finally succeeded in securing an engagement at Covent 
 Garden Theatre, and was announced for Silvius in 
 " As You Like It," instead of Richard, as he had been 
 led to expect. His friends were few, though sincere 
 and untiring in their endeavors to have him placed in 
 his true light, and were indignant that managers should 
 neglect with such determination one who had given so 
 much promise of greatness. He continued acting at 
 that house during the season, occasionally playing sub- 
 ordinate characters, and receiving a salary of two pounds 
 per week. The most important part assigned him was 
 Henry in the " Maid and the Magpie." It was fre- 
 quently related at this period of his career, to the dis- 
 credit of Miss Sally Booth, that she was painfully 
 concerned lest Mr. Booth should be mistaken for a 
 relative of hers, and modestly suggested that he should 
 add a final " e " to his name. 
 
 Pained by the contemptuous coldness of those who 
 surrounded him, and perceiving that no advancement 
 awaited him, he again joined Mr. Trotter of the Wor- 
 thing and Brighton Theatres. He filled the position 
 of acting manager for two guineas a week and a ben-
 
 I2 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 efit; but feeling his position intolerable, he left the 
 theatre in a despairing mood. He had previously 
 been cast for Harlequin, but was prevented from play- 
 ing it by an accident which he met with at rehearsal. 
 He had frequently personated Fitzharding in the com- 
 edy of " Smiles and Tears," and had rendered himself 
 a great favorite in the part. After a brief visit to 
 Windsor, Mr. Booth once more returned to Worthing, 
 where he was immediately re-engaged by his former 
 manager. 
 
 He appeared subsequently at the Brighton Theatre, 
 when Edmund Kean, who was announced for the part 
 of Sir Giles Overreach, failed to arrive, and Mr. Booth 
 was asked to assume the character. The audience 
 was small, and evinced much disapprobation on the 
 entrance of the substitute ; but he had not spoken many 
 lines ere their attention became riveted, and before 
 the close of the play he was warmly greeted and re- 
 ceived every mark of their satisfaction. Murmurs of 
 his "presumption" and "youthful ambition" died 
 away altogether, and he was hailed by acclamations 
 of delighted surprise. 
 
 Mr. Booth played Bertram at Worthing with in- 
 creased honors the warmth of his reception overpow- 
 ered him, so suddenly had the tide turned in his favor. 
 His Richard III. was acknowledged as a great per- 
 formance, and at last the public discerned that the 
 young actor had genius and determination. 
 
 At the suggestion of the Hon. Mrs. Chambers, Lord 
 Erskine, Garrow, Dr. Williams, and others, Mr. Harris 
 was induced to give Mr. Booth a trial-night at Covent
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. j^ 
 
 Garden Theatre, and in a more important character 
 than he had yet attempted there. The letter bearing 
 this news passed Mr. Booth on his way to London, 
 and much to his astonishment he found himself on his 
 arrival announced to perform Richard III., after hav- 
 ing written fruitlessly to every metropolitan manager for 
 an engagement. On Feb. 12, 1817, he appeared as 
 Richard at this theatre, and earned the warmest appro- 
 bation and applause. 
 
 A number of newspaper criticisms of this perform- 
 ance are here appended. 
 
 " Mr. Booth repeated his performance of Richard 
 last night with increased success, and amidst the rap- 
 turous plaudits of the audience. To all the principal 
 scenes he gave most forcible and masterly effect, and 
 may be said to have already established himself at the 
 height of his profession. On ' Guy Mannering ' being 
 given out for this evening, there was a general call for 
 * Richard ' again, on which Mr. Abbott announced that 
 the managers intended ' Richard the Third ' for per- 
 formance again on Monday night. The house then 
 rang with plaudits in anticipation of the further delight 
 to be afforded by so exquisite a performance. Among 
 the personages of distinction present, we noticed their 
 Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, 
 who appeared highly delighted with the fine acting of 
 Mr. Booth." Feb. 14, 1817. 
 
 " The gentleman whom the managers have cleverly 
 procured to be a Richard the Third, at Covent Garden, 
 is surely one of nature's duplicates ; if he be not Mr. 
 Kean himself, he is as ingenious a fac-simile as we ever
 
 !4 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 beheld. We never saw a better imitation. Mr. Booth 
 (so the gentleman is named) has all Mr. Kean's tem- 
 pestuous action in his passionate scenes, and all and 
 more of his familiarity in calm ones ; he has the eyes, 
 face, and walk of Kean, the same stamp of the foot, 
 the same voice, except in its vehement tones, which, 
 instead of being broken, hoarse, and fatiguing, are 
 deep, loud, and coarse. Mr. Kean's tones in the last 
 scenes of ' Richard ' are indeed, as a friend once ob- 
 served, like a hackney coachman's at one o'clock in 
 the morning ; Mr. Booth's are of the same kind, but 
 not in so ripened a state. When we entered the box 
 at Covent Garden, the other evening, and heard Mr. 
 Booth in the scene with Lady Anne, we really were 
 doubtful whether we had not mistaken the house, and 
 wandered into Drury Lane. He leant against the side- 
 pillar, as Lady Anne advanced, in the very attitude 
 that Mr. Kean adopts ; and all his tones, looks, and 
 movements were Drury Lane property. He dressed 
 the part as Mr. Kean dresses it, and made due pauses, 
 starts, and stares, as that actor makes them. Now we 
 honestly confess, that never since we wielded the criti- 
 cal pen, have we at any time found ourselves so puzzled 
 in our opinions of an actor as in the case before us. 
 The two houses have long been running a race of simi- 
 larities, and now, indeed, they are neck and neck. The 
 two Maids and the two Magpies were not more alike 
 than the two Richards. If Mr. Booth has made Mr. 
 Kean's acting a study, and has merely given us an imi- 
 tation of what is in itself but an imitation, then we 
 utterly give him up, and consider him no better than
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. l $ 
 
 the shadow of a shade. But if nature has, by way of a 
 joke, made two bodies alike, and given them similar 
 conceptions and sounds, then Mr. Booth must not be 
 rudely cast aside, because his better half happened to 
 be seen first. It might have been Mr. Kean's fate to 
 have been styled an imitator. There is one thing, 
 however, that we shrewdly suspect, which is, that nature 
 has put both souls into one body : we will not, in the 
 present stage of the enquiry, declare which we think 
 the unfurnished one. Mr. Booth had great difficulties 
 to struggle against on his first appearance. The image 
 of Richard has been stamped by one hand on the 
 minds of all parties. Any copy would be immediately 
 detected, any deviation be instantaneously perceived 
 and opposed. . . . Every personator of Richard must 
 fight like a madman, and fence on the ground, and 
 when disarmed and wounded, thrust with savage im- 
 potence with his naked hand, 
 
 ' And sink outwearied, rather than o'ercome.' 
 
 Mr. Kean has passed this manner into a law, and woe 
 be to him who breaks it. No one but Mr. Kemble 
 can be allowed to parry like a schoolboy, and drop 
 like a gentleman. Mr. Booth was sure of the disap- 
 probation of a certain set of these would-be judges, 
 who would hiss him for misunderstanding his part if 
 he did not follow Kean, and who would hiss him like- 
 wise for copying if he did. 
 
 1 To both their hates must he be accessary.' 
 
 As we felt so puzzled in our opinion of Mr. Booth's 
 merits, we made a point of seeing Richard again rep-
 
 !6 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 resented by him. On the second night he played 
 much better, though still he was Kean, and a full au- 
 dience earnestly cheered him. This strange similarity 
 between the two tragedians is a great misfortune to 
 them. 
 
 ' For both or one of them, the time is come.' 
 
 If they be of equal merits, though this we do not at 
 all believe, the public will hate them both, for it 
 hates equality. 
 
 ' Two at a time, there 's no mortal can bear,' 
 
 so said Macbeth ; and a profound reasoner on human 
 actions in the ' Comedy of Errors,' 
 
 ' One of these men is genius to the other. 1 
 
 We shall perhaps hear Mr. Booth applying the last two 
 lines of the same play : 
 
 ' \Ve came into the world like brother and brother, 
 And now let 's go hand in hand, not one before another.' " 
 
 Champion, Feb. 16, 1817. 
 
 " In the course of the present week the managers 
 have performed their full duty in endeavoring by their 
 novelties to dispel the dulness of the season, and to 
 withdraw us, by splendors within, from the fogs, damps, 
 and darkness without. In no country in the world, we 
 believe, is the drama, both as respects actors and 
 writers, at a nearer approach to perfection than in Eng- 
 land. The German stage is intolerable. And if the 
 French exceed us in levity, that levity is founded on 
 passions and feelings which we hope will never have 
 place amongst ourselves. It is to the praise of an
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. l j 
 
 English audience, that they command decency and 
 morality in their dramatic writers, and that even in their 
 lighter moments they never forget their higher inter- 
 ests, and the important duties of decorum, faith, and 
 modesty. . . . But he must be a bold man who could 
 venture to enter the lists with Kean, in a part like this, 
 and who could expect anything from an audience hav- 
 ing Kean before their eyes, but a bare indulgence and 
 pardon. . . . Mr. Booth did not disappoint the ex- 
 pectation of his friends, and appears to have much 
 exceeded the hopes of the audience. He was vigor- 
 ous, spirited, and intelligent. His figure is small, 
 smaller even than Kean's ; his voice in its natural tones 
 melodious, but husky and rough when overstrained ; 
 his countenance is manly, and full of expression ; and 
 as respects mere looks, his face and profile certainly 
 exceed those of Kean." Betfs Weekly Messenger \ 
 Feb. 1 6, 1817. 
 
 These carefully written critiques, as well as those of 
 later date, show how vivid an impression the young 
 aspirant created, although coming as he did in direct 
 opposition to the established and elder favorite, Kean. 
 
 Booth's friends, while rejoicing in his success, per- 
 suaded him to defer further repetition of his perform- 
 ance in consequence of the great excitement and 
 fatigue which he had undergone. As no definite en- 
 gagement had been effected, he was advised to demand 
 suitable terms ; but Mr. Harris reminded him of the 
 salary he received during the preceding season, namely, 
 two pounds a week, and proposed to pay him five 
 instead. This offer being declined, a controversy
 
 IS THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 arose, which Mr. Booth ended by desiring to have his 
 name taken from the bills. Mr. Edmund Kean of the 
 rival theatre, hearing of this misunderstanding, imme- 
 diately drove in his chariot to visit Mr. Booth, over- 
 whelmed him with congratulations, and told him to 
 "jump in ; he had got an engagement for him." 
 
 They drove at once to the Committee Room of the 
 Drury Lane Theatre, where Lord Essex, Mr. Wilson, 
 and Mr. Lamb were assembled ; a paper was drawn up 
 which Mr. Booth was hurriedly induced to sign, not 
 being allowed time for quiet reflection or the advice of 
 others. These gentlemen in their friendly conversa- 
 tion dwelt on the unjust reception of his proposal by 
 Mr. Harris, assuring him that he would have no diffi- 
 culty whatever, as his name was already omitted in his 
 bills. Mr. Booth considered himself entirely released 
 from the Covent Garden Theatre and duly engaged at 
 Drury Lane. Mr. Harris, being apprised of this strat- 
 agem, hastened to the rival house, and expostulated 
 with these gentlemen, but in vain, as they considered 
 Mr. Booth's engagement at Drury Lane irrevocable. 
 The following newspaper extracts are interesting here, 
 and explain the position of affairs. 
 
 " The tragedy of ' Richard the Third,' in which Mr. 
 Booth was to perform the principal character for the 
 third time, was on Thursday night announced for yes- 
 terday evening [at Covent Garden]. Instead of this, 
 however, the play of ' Pizarro ' was advertised in the 
 bills of the day, without any mention whatever being 
 made of Mr. Booth. The audience therefore, somewhat 
 disappointed at not finding ' Richard himself again,'
 
 THE ELDER BOOTff. jg 
 
 called for an explanation, on which Mr. Fawcett came 
 forward and addressed them as follows : 
 
 " ' Ladies and Gentlemen, As far as I am able, I will 
 state to you the reason why the play was changed and 
 Mr. Booth did not appear in the character of Richard 
 this evening. From the conversation that gentleman 
 last had with the proprietors it appears to have been 
 his own fault. I was not present at the conversation, 
 but the particulars of it have been detailed to me. Mr. 
 Booth appeared particularly anxious that before he again 
 played the character of Richard on Monday evening 
 his salary should be fixed. Mr. Harris told him that in 
 the present state of the business he considered that 
 mode would be neither for Mr. Booth's advantage nor 
 the interest of the theatre, but that his salary should be 
 settled from the moment of his first performance on 
 these boards, subject to subsequent arrangement that 
 might depend on his success and the advantage he 
 might be to the theatre. I beg leave to call to your 
 recollection, ladies and gentlemen, that the charge of 
 parsimony has never been made against the managers 
 of this theatre, but the crimination has always been on 
 the other side. A variety of instances of great salaries 
 given to excellent actors and actresses may be adduced 
 to illustrate the liberality of the proprietors ; and in the 
 cases of the lamented Mr. Cooke and our great favorite 
 Miss O'Neill the point is conclusive. That lady and gen- 
 tleman were engaged to perform at this theatre on very 
 humble salaries, and that on articles which would have 
 continued for three or five years ; but no sooner were 
 their abilities appreciated, and they drew money to the
 
 20 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 treasury of this theatre, than their articles were instantly 
 torn, and liberal remuneration, commensurate with their 
 talents, awarded them. I am sadly afraid that Mr. 
 Booth has been ill-advised in this business, and that he 
 demanded in the first instance such a salary as future 
 efforts would no doubt have entitled him to.' (Here 
 loud cries of ' You Ve driven him to Drury Lane, to the 
 country again.') Mr. Fawcett resumed : Nothing could 
 be further from his wish than that Mr. Booth should 
 return to the country ; he should be happy to see him 
 on these boards again ; he hoped the door of reconcil- 
 iation was still open, and that all would be amicably 
 arranged." London Morning Post, Feb. 18, 1817. 
 
 "The circumstance of Mr. Booth's engagement at 
 this theatre [Drury Lane] seems to have excited an 
 universal sensation in the public mind, if we are to judge 
 from the extremely crowded and brilliant assemblage 
 which was collected last night to witness his lago. His 
 imputed similarity in voice, in figure, and in counte- 
 nance to Mr. Kean, aided by his own intrinsic genius, 
 has already obtained for him a very distinguished at- 
 tention ; but that attention was heightened to a degree 
 of intenseness seldom experienced before in a British 
 theatre, when both the image and the substance were 
 placed side by side, and an opportunity was offered to 
 compare instantaneously their every word, look, and 
 action. It is at such a moment that their relative 
 merits can alone be ascertained with correctness ; and 
 it appeared to us that the resemblance so much cele- 
 brated was by no means uniform or intentional. Nature 
 has undoubtedly cast both Mr. Kean and Mr. Booth in
 
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 THE ELDER BOOTH. 2 l 
 
 a mould nearly the same, but it is certain that she has 
 infused a much greater portion of the divine fire through 
 the composition of one than through that of the other. 
 The theatre was filled in every quarter at an early hour ; 
 we believe that if it were twice as large it would have 
 been crowded on this occasion. The moment Mr. 
 Booth entered he was saluted by a general and most 
 ardent cheering ; he appeared completely master of his 
 feelings ; when he came to that passage in which lago 
 says, ' I know my price,' the pit immediately seized the 
 allusion and testified their sense of the treatment which 
 he received from the proprietors of the rival house. 
 His conception of the character was throughout per- 
 fectly correct, and there was no part of it which he 
 did not delineate with the power and spirit of a master. 
 The lines, ' He who steals my purse,' he delivered with 
 much emphasis and propriety, but the scene in which 
 he excelled, and in which perhaps he cannot be rivalled 
 by any other person than Kean himself, was that scene 
 where, while he tells Othello to beware of jealousy, he is 
 anxiously distilling into his mind every essence of which 
 that torturing feeling is composed. . . . Towards the 
 conclusion the business of lago gradually decreases, his 
 schemes all succeed, his .revenge is satiated, and the 
 opportunities of display become proportionally lessened. 
 Mr. Booth seemed conscious of this, and he wisely 
 avoided bestowing any importance upon that which of 
 itself deserved none. His departure from the scene he 
 marked in a novel and rather a hazardous manner. He 
 looked at Othello with a significant gaze, then pointed 
 to his own wife, as if to express that her violation by the
 
 22 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 Moor was the cause of all his perfidy. He then struck 
 his breast in a triumphant manner, meaning that his 
 vindication was complete and gratifying. If this pan- 
 tomime had been abbreviated, we are sure it would be 
 more consistent with the dignity of tragedy, and would 
 have reflected a higher lustre on the judgment of the 
 actor. . . . When he (Mr. Kean) first entered, he took 
 Mr. Booth by the hand. An action so generous and so 
 amiable could not have escaped the observation of the 
 audience. From that moment they took every oppor- 
 tunity of showing their admiration of his unrivalled 
 genius ; and surely never was their applause more richly 
 merited. . . . The piece was given out for repetition 
 on Saturday night, amidst the unanimous acclamations 
 of the audience. Several of the Nobility were present, 
 and a few ladies who seemed just to have left the 
 Queen's drawing-room were conspicuous in the stage 
 boxes." Morning Post. 
 
 An English theatrical work of 1825, referring to this 
 production of " Othello," says : 
 
 " Booth's entree at the very opening of the scene was 
 hailed with the most flattering plaudits, and by a house 
 crowded to suffocation. When Kean and Booth en- 
 tered together the applause was electrical. The cir- 
 cumstance itself is only paralleled by the conjunction of 
 Garrick and Quin ; and our modern performers looked 
 at one another and then at their auditors, as if uncer- 
 tain what to do. At length, after Kean had bowed at 
 least half a dozen times, they stood closely together and 
 indicated their gratitude by both bowing very respect- 
 fully to the whole house. Kean on this occasion outdid
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 23 
 
 all his former outdoings ; and though logo is not a part 
 for applause, Booth elicited it in every scene." 
 
 Mr. Kean, the acknowledged king of tragedy, did 
 not intend to allow a continuation of this rivalship. 
 He had previously seen the power of his adversary, 
 and merely proffered him a taste of adulation and suc- 
 cess before attempting his downfall. It is needless to 
 explain that in the signing of that fatal memorandum 
 Mr. Kean had a covert design. He knew the contents 
 in their literal and technical signification, and Mr. 
 Booth did not. 
 
 The scheme was soon developed, as Mr. Booth re- 
 ceived information that he would not be allowed to 
 play any of Mr. Kean's parts, Richard, Hamlet, Ber- 
 tram, Sir Giles Overreach, etc., but that he was to 
 perform Richmond on Thursday to Mr. Kean's Rich- 
 ard, which was in direct violation of his engagement. 
 
 In the publication of these unfortunate events many 
 gentlemen who were spoken of as Mr. Booth's friends 
 proved to be his secret enemies ; their conciliatory 
 manner might have been deemed politic at the time, 
 and under existing circumstances judicious, but it is 
 certain that their machinations were adroitly veiled, 
 and his youth, inexperience and gratitude made him 
 an easy prey in the hands of clever men. 
 
 Kean himself, Judas-like, betrayed with a show of 
 kindness, although the mention of his name in later 
 years elicited from Mr. Booth only admiration for him 
 as an actor ; he said, " Kean was an untaught genius ; 
 therefore he followed Nature." As was written of him- 
 self in after years, " That master mind of Junius Brutus
 
 24 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 Booth, like Homer, learnt of Nature, which is the breath 
 of Genius." 
 
 Oxberry's " Dramatic Biography " thus speaks of the 
 quarrel between Kean and Booth : 
 
 " Those who are inclined to believe that Edmund 
 Kean did all this from feeling toward Mr. Booth are 
 welcome to retain their opinions ; but we beg leave to 
 differ. That Kean wished Booth to have a competent 
 salary we believe ; but that he also wished and intended 
 to crush any hope of rivalry on his part we are abso- 
 lutely sure. During his career Mr. Kean has never 
 suffered any performer to have a chance of eclipsing 
 him in public favor ; he threw up Manuel because Rae 
 was so excellent in De Zefos, he would not perform 
 in the ' Italians,' because he feared to stand .beside 
 Miss Kelley's Page, and he would not allow David 
 Fisher to play Hamlet for his own benefit." 
 
 Excitement was now at its height, and placards were 
 teeming with admiration of the Moor and his Ancient, 
 The rival players were the principal topic of conversa- 
 tion, and parties were known as the Keanites and the 
 Boothites. 
 
 At the time of receiving the information from Drury 
 Lane that he was no longer to appear in equal parts 
 with Kean, he was also notified by Mr. Harris that his 
 engagement at Covent Garden was not legally ended. 
 Suffering from bodily weakness and long-continued 
 worry of mind, these new distresses wrought upon his 
 excitability so as to unnerve him for further struggle. 
 
 He was induced to refuse to play logo, and a note 
 was despatched to Mr. Rae at Drury Lane to that
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 2 $ 
 
 effect. This was at three o'clock, in full time for a 
 change of performance or a placarded apology for Mr. 
 Booth's non-appearance in the evening. 
 
 A London journal says : 
 
 "A great disappointment occurred at this theatre 
 [Drury Lane] on Saturday evening, from the unex- 
 pected absence of Mr. Booth, who had been announced 
 to perform the part of lago for the second time. The 
 house was filled at an early hour, and after consider- 
 able delay had taken place, and much disapprobation 
 expressed, the manager came forward, and read the 
 following note from Mr. Booth : 
 
 ' ' Mr. Booth presents his compliments to Mr. Rae, 
 and begs to inform him that, from the excessive anxiety 
 of mind he has experienced during the past week, he 
 finds himself so extremely unwell that he shall not be 
 able to perform this evening (Saturday), and he has 
 gone out of town to recruit himself.' 
 
 " Under these circumstances Mr. Rae informed the 
 audience that Mr. Kean had kindly consented to per- 
 form lago, and that he (Mr. Rae) would undertake the 
 part of Othello. To this arrangement considerable op- 
 position arose, and there was a pretty general call for 
 Kean in Othello instead of lago. Amidst the confu- 
 sion, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester entered the 
 house, and ' God Save the King ' was called for, and 
 sung with great effect, and amidst the warmest demon- 
 strations of loyalty from all parts of the house. The 
 whole audience is said to have become so perfectly 
 good-humored that in the confusion Mr. Kean was per- 
 mitted to follow his original design of acting lago with- 
 out further opposition." Feb. 24, 1817.
 
 26 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 The following "Circular " explains itself: 
 
 " THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY LANE, 
 Feb. 24, 1817. 
 
 " In consequence of the disappointment the public 
 experienced on Saturday night at Drury Lane Theatre, 
 by the non-appearance of Mr. Booth in the character 
 of logo, and hand-bills having been posted yesterday 
 (Sunday) in all parts of the town, stating that Mr. Booth 
 had entered into an engagement with the proprietors of 
 Covent Garden Theatre for three years, the manager 
 of Drury Lane Theatre thinks it due from him to the 
 public to state that on Monday last, the i yth inst., Mr. 
 Booth signed a written engagement to Drury Lane 
 Theatre for three years, on terms proposed by himself, 
 having previously stated that he had no engagement 
 with the Covent Garden proprietors, that all treaties 
 with that theatre were at an end, and that he had re- 
 quested his name to be taken out of their bills, which 
 had accordingly been done. In pursuance of which 
 engagement, he performed lago on Thursday night, and 
 was announced to repeat the character on the 22d, 
 24th, and 25th inst." 
 
 To this Mr. Booth replied : 
 
 GENTLEMEN, In an unguarded moment I quitted 
 Covent Garden Theatre (where the most eligible situa- 
 tion for the exertion of my professional talents was open 
 to me), to go over to Drury Lane Theatre, where I 
 have since found to my cost that every character which 
 I was ever desirous or capable of playing was already
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 27 
 
 in possession, and that there was no chance of my ap- 
 pearing in the same. What occasion therefore could 
 you have for me, unless to crush any talent that I may 
 possess in its infancy? 
 
 I have seen through my error, and have therefore re- 
 newed the negotiation which was so unfortunately inter- 
 rupted with the proprietors of the Covent Garden, and 
 have just signed a regular article with them for three 
 years. Consequently I have no longer the power of 
 appearing again at Drury Lane, and you will have the 
 goodness to take my name entirely out of your bills. 
 
 I have heard, gentlemen, that your treasury has ben- 
 efited considerably from my appearance on Thursday 
 last. I ask no pecuniary recompense for it. I only 
 request that you will not seek to persecute or molest 
 a young man just entering into life, and who cannot 
 afford either to be shelved (according to the theatrical 
 phrase) at Drury Lane Theatre, or to be put into such 
 characters as must infallibly mar all his future pros- 
 pects. 
 
 I have the honor to be, gentlemen, 
 
 Your very obedient humble servant, 
 
 J. B. BOOTH. 
 
 And the following came from Covent Garden : 
 
 " In reply to the Circular dated ' Feb. 24th, Drury 
 Lane Theatre,' the proprietors of Covent Garden The- 
 atre feel it incumbent on them to state to the public 
 the following facts : 
 
 " i st. That Mr. Booth having performed two nights 
 at Covent Garden Theatre, and a negotiation going on
 
 2 8 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 for a three-years engagement, the Drury Lane Sub- 
 committee, previous to their opening a treaty with 
 Mr. Booth, were bound, by long-established, honorable 
 agreement, to apply to the Covent Garden proprietors, 
 and learn from them if such negotiation was broken off. 
 But, contrary to such fair and open communication, 
 they, in the absence of the Covent Garden proprietors, 
 sent for Mr. Booth to the Committee Room, where he 
 hastily signed a memorandum for an engagement, 
 against which one of the Covent Garden proprietors, 
 on his coming to town an hour afterwards, openly and 
 vainly remonstrated with the sub-committee. 
 
 " 2d. That under such circumstances the proprietors 
 of Covent Garden Theatre, conceiving they had a law- 
 ful claim on Mr. Booth's services, were about to take 
 legal measures against him, when, through the medium 
 of a friend of Mr. Booth, who saw his distress of mind 
 in consequence of the perilous situation in which he 
 had rashly and unguardedly placed himself, the nego- 
 tiation was renewed, and finally terminated on Satur- 
 day, when the Covent Garden proprietors would with 
 pleasure have permitted Mr. Booth to perform for that 
 evening at Drury Lane Theatre, but he was literally too 
 ill to make the attempt. 
 
 " 3d. For the truth of the above statements, and for 
 the justice of their case, the proprietors of the Covent 
 Garden Theatre are ready to refer to any tribunal com- 
 petent to decide on theatrical questions ; but whatever 
 may be the result of the decision, the proprietors of 
 Covent Garden Theatre entreat that Mr. Booth may not 
 be made the victim of disputes between the two the-
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 2 g 
 
 atres ; his youth and inexperience alone having placed 
 him in a dilemma from which it is hoped the usual can- 
 dor and liberality of Englishmen will still rescue him." 
 
 A disgraceful riot ensued, and however vacillating 
 and inexplicable Mr. Booth's conduct appeared, there 
 were many who attributed it to waywardness and in- 
 experience, and were willing to accept him at either 
 house, not cognizant of the design to deprive him of 
 position, the means of livelihood, and ultimately to ef- 
 fect his banishment from the stage. Considering the 
 network of difficulties which entangled him, surely his 
 offence was pardonable, as he possessed in an eminent 
 degree the desire to redeem his faults ; but he was the 
 victim of a hired mob set on -by enemies, and his apol- 
 ogies and explanations were received without credence 
 or attention. 
 
 An excited audience awaited the entrance of Mr. 
 Booth as Richard III. on the evening of February 25, 
 at Covent Garden ; he was greeted by great applause 
 and hisses, and for a time the tumult was deafening. 
 He bravely, yet modestly withstood the displeasure 
 evinced, and when quiet was gradually restored the 
 play proceeded, not without frequent outbursts of min- 
 gled signs of disapprobation and pleasure. 
 
 The following is from the Morning Post, Feb. 26, 
 1817: 
 
 " The singular contest between the two winter the- 
 atres for the services of Mr. Booth has occupied so 
 much the attention of the town that it is quite unnec- 
 essary for us to recapitulate the circumstances under
 
 3Q THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 which it was commenced. ... In consequence of Mr. 
 Booth having been announced for Richard, the house 
 [Covent Garden] was last night crowded to an over- 
 flow in a few minutes after the doors had opened, and 
 long before the rising of the curtain the tumult which 
 even at that early hour prevailed strongly reminded us 
 of the scenes which marked the first opening of this 
 theatre when we were nightly deafened by the shouts 
 of the boisterous O. P.'s. The curtain drew up about 
 half past six, and Mr. Booth immediately presented 
 himself to the audience dressed for the character he 
 was announced to sustain. His appearance was highly 
 prepossessing, and promised for a moment, from the 
 fervent plaudits which were heard, to gain the fervor of 
 the house. But the voice of partial resentment soon 
 burst forth from several persons, chiefly in the pit, and 
 the marks of kindness which he received from the 
 majority of the audience were encountered by a noise 
 sufficient to frustrate all his efforts ; every appeal to 
 their humanity to be allowed a hearing if only for a 
 moment was in vain. Inflexibly fixed to punish, they 
 would not allow of explanation or apology ; his sen- 
 tence had been predetermined, and they would not 
 listen to one word in mitigation of the stem decree, 
 though in all parts of the house the plaudits were very 
 great, accompanied by the waving of handkerchiefs 
 and hats by the ladies and gentlemen. After some 
 minutes Mr. Booth bowed repeatedly to the audience, 
 and retired. Mr. Fawcett now came forward, but the 
 uproar continued as before. He patiently waited for 
 the tumult to subside, but to no purpose. All the usual
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 31 
 
 means for procuring silence were resorted to, but with- 
 out effect. A note was thrown on the stage. Mr. 
 Fawcett knelt d6wn by the lamps to read it, but could 
 not make it out. Another was thrown to him, which 
 he read and bowed as if assenting to something which 
 it contained. Many more scraps of paper were for- 
 warded in the same way. Mr. Fawcett appealed to 
 the house on the impossibility of his reading and 
 answering so many communications. The noise con- 
 tinued, and he at last left the stage without having suc- 
 ceeded in making himself heard. It was attempted 
 to begin the play, and something like the first scene 
 was represented in pantomime. The second opened ; 
 Richard again came on, and the storm raged with 
 aggravated fury, the applause still decidedly predom- 
 inating. The hostile party were more virulent than 
 before, and he could find no opportunity for reciting 
 the soliloquy, 
 
 ' Now are our brows crowned with victorious wreaths, 
 Our stern alarums changed to merry meetings. 
 Grim-visaged war hath smoothed his wrinkled front.' 
 
 He again attempted to address the audience, but being 
 still refused a hearing, he left the stage amid the noise 
 of the contending parties. He soon returned, attended 
 by a standard-bearer, exhibiting a placard with the 
 words, ' Grant silence to explain.' 
 
 " This, however, was useless, and they retired from 
 the stage ; the play proceeded with the omission of 
 the first scene of ' Richard,' and was regularly gone 
 through with in dumb show, the applause still decidedly
 
 32 77/5 ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 predominating. Several fights took place in the pit, of 
 which it was impossible to ascertain the object or 
 result. In the scene where Richard appears with the 
 children, a new effort was made to propitiate the non- 
 contents. A person suddenly displayed a placard, 
 inscribed ' Mr. Booth wishes to apologize.' Applause 
 and disapprobation followed. Mr. Fawcett came on, 
 and led Mr. Booth to the front. The latter bowed 
 with all humility, and implored permission to speak. 
 The boon was not granted ; another placard was ex- 
 hibited, ' Can Englishmen condemn unheard ? ' This 
 was also ineffectual, and again it was attempted to pro- 
 ceed with the play. Mr. Barrymore brought Mr. Booth 
 forward to address the house, but this attempt ended 
 like all those which had preceded it. The tumult lasted 
 to the end of the play, of which not one word had 
 been heard from beginning to end. Mr. Booth, in 
 many parts, under the multiplied difficulties with which 
 he had to contend, frequently exerted himself in a 
 manner that afforded the highest ideas of his ability, 
 and made it impossible not to regret that a young man 
 of such great merit should have been placed in such a 
 situation. When the curtain fell, the malcontents put 
 forth repeated shouts and groans ; the applause pre- 
 dominated, and a general wave of handkerchiefs and 
 hats took place. 
 
 " Now that the play was ended, Mr. Fawcett again 
 led on Mr. Booth, who seemed heart-broken on the 
 occasion. Silence was again solicited, but without 
 avail. They both bowed and retired. The farce was 
 then commenced. A person in the boxes attempted
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 33 
 
 to address the house, and gave much offence to some 
 who were near him. This led to a fight ; one person 
 spoke against Mr. Booth, and his conduct was very 
 generally resented. A new cry was raised for the man- 
 ager, who after some time was permitted to speak : 
 
 " ' Ladies and Gentlemen, If I at all understand 
 the call made on me, it is because an individual has 
 broken in upon the decorum of the theatre.' 
 
 " He was interrupted by persons demanding that the 
 orator in the boxes should be removed. Mr. Fawcett 
 resumed : 
 
 " ' I have been desired to send the peace officers to 
 remove the person complained of. This, in such a 
 case, while I am manager of this theatre, is what I 
 cannot do. If the person has offended, it is in your 
 own breasts to turn him out.' 
 
 " He then retired amid hisses and applause. At the 
 conclusion of the farce, ' Killing no Murder,' Mr. Faw- 
 cett was again obliged to come forward, and, in an 
 address, explained that he had come from his home, 
 whither he had retired, to answer this demand. And 
 as he apprehended it was Mr. Booth they wished to 
 see, he informed them that that gentleman had re- 
 mained in the theatre until a late hour hoping the 
 audience would hear what he had to submit to them, 
 as he flattered himself it would have been satisfactory 
 to every one. Disappointed and overwhelmed with 
 affliction at having incurred their displeasure, he had 
 gone home and was now in bed. 'Then bring him 
 forward,' some voices exclaimed. That, Mr. Fawcett 
 did not hesitate to say, would be a cruelty. Harassed
 
 34 
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 as his feelings were, to call him from his bed at that 
 late hour to appear before them, was what he thought 
 no person could seriously require. As far as respected 
 himself, he (Mr. F.) felt called upon to explain the 
 conduct of the proprietors. The question between 
 them and the managers of the other theatre was now 
 reduced to a point of law. That decision, he trusted, 
 the public would be content to wait for, and by it the 
 managers must abide. Cries were raised of ' No shelv- 
 ing,' ' No Wolves,' ' Booth forever,' etc., etc. And the 
 house was slowly cleared, and did not entirely close till 
 twelve o'clock." 
 
 It having become generally known that Mr. Rae 
 of Drury Lane Theatre was present in the stage box 
 of Covent Garden on the night of the riot, his appear- 
 ance there was severely commented upon. In a letter 
 to the public, he acknowledges his presence, but dis- 
 claims having gone there to assist the opposition against 
 Mr. Booth. He says, 
 
 " I went there officially, by the acquiescence and 
 sanction of the sub-committee, for the purpose (if Mr. 
 Booth expressed any intention of returning to his duty 
 at Drury Lane, which was not totally unexpected) of 
 expressing their sentiments on the subject, and of gen- 
 erally explaining their motives and conduct, in answer 
 to any attack that might have been made from any 
 quarter of the theatre. . . . 
 
 " Your humble servant, 
 
 "J. RAE. 
 " March ad, 1817." 
 
 The manager of Covent Garden, in a politely cutting
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 35 
 
 letter, replied to this portion of Mr. Rae's communica- 
 tion : 
 
 "... Mr. Rae, by his own showing, came into the 
 boxes with an intent to address the audience, if an 
 opportunity had offered, not of his own free-will, but 
 sent by the sub-committee of Drury Lane. . . . The 
 town must surely think it indecent, and highly dis- 
 respectful to them, for one theatre to send persons into 
 the other to interfere. I believe no such commission 
 would ever be offered to me by the proprietors of 
 Covent Garden, but I am free to confess, if such 
 should be attempted, I would resist the mandate at all 
 hazards ; for if I appeared in the lower boxes of Drury 
 Lane for the purpose of addressing or disturbing the 
 audience, I should expect what I should be convinced 
 I deserved, to be turned out with contempt. 
 " Your very humble servant, 
 
 "JOHN FAWCETT." 
 
 A fierce newspaper war raged, many written apolo- 
 gies appeared with Mr. Booth's name surreptitiously 
 used in order to allay the disturbance, and evidently 
 to protect the theatres from the mob. These false 
 prints, with that cringing style which he would never 
 have condescended to adopt, served only to increase 
 the intensity of his distress ; for both physically and men- 
 tally he was wearing the sharp thorns of ambition, yet, 
 
 " When Fortune means to men most good, 
 She looks upon them with a threatening eye." 
 
 This period of intense theatrical excitement proved
 
 36 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 also a week of vital importance to the interests of the 
 community at large, as it witnessed the suspension of 
 the Habeas Corpus Act. 
 
 On Monday, 24th of February, 1817, the sub-com- 
 mittee of Drury Lane Theatre filed a bill in chancery 
 against Mr. Junius Booth and the proprietors of Covent 
 Garden Theatre for an injunction to restrain Mr. Booth 
 from acting at any other theatre than at the Theatre 
 Royal, Drury Lane. 
 
 On Tuesday, 25th, upon the humble petition of the 
 plaintiffs, their bill was dismissed out of the court upon 
 their paying the whole of the costs. 
 
 On Saturday, ist of March, Mr. Booth again per- 
 formed Richard to an overflowing house at Covent 
 Garden. His entrance awakened the most rapturous 
 cheering mingled with hisses ; wreaths and bouquets, 
 and boughs of laurel fell around him, which elicited 
 groans and hootings from his enemies. A paper was 
 thrown from the pit containing a desire for him to 
 explain and apologize. It was read by him and re- 
 sponded to immediately : 
 
 " Ladies and Gentlemen, I have endeavored all in 
 my power to atone for the disappointment to which I 
 was instrumental in another place. I have apologized 
 for my conduct on that occasion, and endeavored to 
 explain the circumstances under which that conduct 
 was influenced. I now again most humbly and sin- 
 cerely repeat my apology." 
 
 The play then continued, frequently interrupted by 
 shouts and hisses, and at the close he was called for 
 by general acclamation. Mr. Fawcett appeared, and
 
 THE ELDER BOOTJI. 
 
 37 
 
 announced a repetition of the performance on the 
 following Monday. The admiration excited by Mr. 
 Booth's unquestioned ability, his youthful appearance, 
 and dignified bearing, tended greatly to allay the storm 
 of opposition, and on the 3d and 6th of March he 
 repeated Richard to overflowing houses. 
 
 The London Morning Herald > March 3, 1817, 
 said, 
 
 "The blockade of all the avenues leading to the 
 place in which Mr. Booth was to appear on Saturday 
 was formed at an early hour in the afternoon ; and the 
 instant the doors opened the theatre was filled in every 
 part. The struggle for places was desperate in the 
 extreme ; several persons must have been considerably 
 hurt in the contests which took place, and hundreds, 
 when they had at last got sight of the door which they 
 desired to enter, were requited for all the inconven- 
 iences to which they had subjected themselves by the 
 intelligence that the house was full to an overflow. 
 The audience were no sooner assembled than the cry 
 of * Booth forever ' resounded from all parts of the pit, 
 the occupants of which stood on the benches. This 
 was answered by the call of ' No Booth,' and the parties 
 immediately joined issue and tried if strength or good- 
 will would gain the victory. As a sort of overture of 
 clapping and hissing was performed, a person in the pit 
 raised a placard bearing the words, ' He has been pun- 
 ished enough, let us forgive him.' The females in the 
 pit were but few, but many ladies of distinction and 
 fashionable appearance seemed disposed to lend their 
 aid in favor of Mr. Booth, and they were joined by
 
 38 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 the great majority of the audience. Several placards 
 were at different times hoisted with inscriptions : ' The 
 pit forgives him,' ' No persecution,' ' We pardon him,' 
 1 No playing in London for three years,' ' Booth has 
 done enough to appease John Bull,' ' No Booth,' 
 ' Booth forever,' ' Turn out the Wolves,' ' Beware, the 
 artillery of Drury Lane is in Covent Garden,' ' No 
 hirelings from Drury Lane.' These riotous exclama- 
 tions and placards produced a tumult inconceivably 
 great. But it was not all noise. The aching bones of 
 many a participator in the riot can testify that there 
 was frequently something more substantial ; as in most 
 cases, so in this, where 
 
 4 Each alike with passion glows, 
 Words come first and after blows.' 
 
 " Mr. Booth's printed address had been posted in 
 the theatre, and copies distributed through the pit and 
 gallery, so that there was no attempt made to speak 
 from the stage, but not a syllable of the opening scene 
 of ' Richard ' could be heard. Oranges and peel were 
 thrown on the stage, and as Mr. Booth came forward 
 laurels were forwarded to the proscenium. He bowed 
 humbly, and in gathering himself to give the first solilo- 
 quy, the rapid transition from the modest actor to the 
 exaltation of the stern tyrant, that strange entering into 
 another's individuality, was eminently striking, and 
 gained the wildest applause. In the next scene Mr. 
 Fawcett attempted to address the audience, but silence 
 was as far off as ever ; and although the majority were 
 eager to hear him, the riotous minority were again vie-
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 39 
 
 torious, and the manager was compelled to retire un- 
 heard. 
 
 " A quarrel broke out in the tipper tier of boxes, and 
 some offensive persons were ejected. Another party 
 of Wolves, as they were designated, forced themselves 
 into the already crowded space, and a battle royal was 
 the result. When the furious disturbers were put out, 
 they vented their wrath by thundering at the doors of 
 the boxes with their sticks. Later in the evening a 
 paper was passed to Mr. Booth on the stage, and at 
 length he was allowed to speak, but was almost un- 
 heard. There was no abatement of the tumult during 
 the third act of the play, and at the close of the tragedy 
 Mr. Booth was loudly called for ; he came forward with 
 Mr. Fawcett, preceded by a person bearing a placard 
 intended to express the feelings of Mr. Booth. ' I 
 have acted wrong, I have made an apology, and thrown 
 myself on the candor of Englishmen.' This aroused 
 the friends of Mr. Booth to renewed efforts on his be- 
 half; they hailed this last attempt of their favorite to 
 conciliate the public mind with vociferous cheers, and 
 at least seven eighths of the audience were with them. 
 Handkerchiefs waved in prodigious numbers from every 
 part of the house, but the noise of the malcontents was 
 as clamorous as ever. Mr. Booth seemed utterly over- 
 come by the efforts he had made, and physically ex- 
 hausted he left the stage, having received this last 
 demonstration of good-will in a prolonged three times 
 three, amid the virulent howlings of the opposition. 
 Mr. Fawcett was then called for, and interpreting the 
 call for the usual announcement of the play for the
 
 40 
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 succeeding night, he merely suggested that he supposed 
 such was the request, when cries of ' Yes, yes,' 
 1 Booth,' ' Richard ' responded. Amid shouts of 
 applause and hisses the fatiguing experience of that 
 evening ended." 
 
 So great a likeness between Kean and Booth was 
 naturally turned to account by the detractors of the 
 younger actor. In stature and appearance the resem- 
 blance was striking ; the faces of both were pre-emi- 
 nently handsome, of classical regularity and possessing 
 great mobility of feature. Their temperament was sim- 
 ilar, both being impulsive and energetic, copying na- 
 ture with rigid truthfulness, and having that intensity 
 of feeling by which the actor is merged in the character 
 he represents. This complete abandonment of indi- 
 viduality, the surest trait of innate genius, was the 
 distinguishing peculiarity of each, consequently both 
 naturally adopted the same style of acting, founded 
 on that of Cooke, yet possessing all the chaste and 
 classical embodiments of the Kemble school. This 
 similarity of temperament can explain that unavoidable 
 sameness of taste and production, frequently evinced 
 by poets, painters, and actors, more clearly than any 
 argument which can be used to disprove the charge of 
 imitation. 
 
 Hazlitt, after acknowledging that Mr. Booth gave the 
 tent scene in " Richard " better than he had ever seen it 
 rendered, because " he was himself, and natural," adds : 
 " Mr. Booth pleased us much more as lago than as 
 Richard. He was, it is true, well supported by Mr. 
 Kean as Othello, but he also supported him better in
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 4I 
 
 that character than any one else we have seen play 
 with him. The two rival actors hunt very well in 
 couples." Again he notes : " Mr. Booth has two 
 voices, he is of the chameleon quality capable of 
 reflecting all objects that come in contact with him." 
 He accuses him of possessing his own voice, which 
 he confesses " wants neither strength nor musical ex- 
 pression, but we also occasionally caught the mellow 
 tones of Macready rising out of the thorough-bass of 
 Kean's guttural emphasis." Sparingly and grudgingly 
 does this critic mete out his crumbs of praise to him 
 whom he called " Kean's fell opposite " ; and again, 
 with a timid seriousness, that is as ludicrous as sarcas- 
 tic, he notices his existence as " a gentleman by the 
 name of Booth." 
 
 Mr. Booth played Richard III. and Sir Giles Over- 
 reach alternately, until March i5th, when " Cymbeline " 
 was produced, with Booth as Posthumus, Young as 
 lachimo, and Kemble as Polydpre. The following, on 
 his rendition of Posthumus, are among the numerous 
 flattering criticisms of the day : 
 
 " On Saturday Mr. Booth assumed a new character, 
 that of Leonatus Post/iumus in the play of ' Cym- 
 beline.' As this is a part in which Mr. Kean has not 
 been seen on the London stage, considerable curiosity 
 was excited among those who only give Mr. Booth 
 credit for successful imitation, and the theatre was 
 filled at an early hour to witness what was considered 
 by them his first great attempt on his own account. It 
 was not, however, with such a feeling that we repaired 
 thither ; we have been satisfied that Mr. Booth had real
 
 42 THK ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 talent, and as the resemblance between these two act- 
 ors was never proved to consist in a close copy of par- 
 ticular passages, a general imitation of style was as easy 
 to be transferred to Posthumus as to any other char- 
 acter. That there is a resemblance, a striking resem- 
 blance, cannot be denied ; but as Nature has done 
 much towards accomplishing this, we cannot see that 
 one actor in his style ought to be treated with scorn 
 whilst another is praised to the skies. The stage has 
 its fashions. Success governs taste. In Posthumus 
 Mr. Booth lost none of the reputation he had already 
 acquired. Many passages he gave with great and ap- 
 propriate energy, some with much dignity, and several 
 in a tone of sarcasm, that told with great effect. Among 
 those last alluded to we particularly admired the fol- 
 lowing reply to lachimo : 
 
 " ' Your Italy contains none so accomplished a cour- 
 tier, to convince the honor of my mistress ; if in the 
 holding or loss of that, you term her frail, I do nothing 
 doubt you have store of thieves ; notwithstanding, I fear 
 not my ring.' 
 
 " In the scene where lachimo convinces him of the 
 frailty of Imogen, he made some powerful appeals to 
 feeling, and was rewarded with thunders of applause ; 
 occasionally, however, there was a coarseness attend- 
 ant on his vigor which it should be his study to dismiss. 
 The want of importance we complained of in his lago 
 sometimes attached to his Posthumus. This was par- 
 ticularly felt in the last scene, from the awkwardly re- 
 tired silence he thought proper to take, which was such 
 as completely to shelve him (if we may be allowed the
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 43 
 
 expression) till the moment when he discovered him- 
 self to lachimo. His subsequent exertions were not 
 only perfectly satisfactory, but finely effective ; and he 
 closed his performance amidst vociferous applause." 
 
 " In his impassioned scenes, even in the height of 
 grief, of rage, of jealousy, and despair, he never over- 
 steps the bounds of nature. Nothing can be finer than 
 his acting those scenes of torture which occur in the 
 character of Posthumus ; and his delivery of the last 
 speech in that character is in the highest degree natural 
 and impressive ; but we shall be more struck with his 
 merits when we consider the common defects from 
 which he is exempt. He has no measured cadences, 
 no unnatural pauses, no affectation, no vulgarisms of 
 speech, no quaint inflections, which even the best act- 
 ors are so apt to fall into. 
 
 " His emphasis is seldom wrong ; he never overacts 
 his part ; his representation is always natural, and if he 
 be sometimes wanting in grace, or propriety of attitude, 
 there is no dry stiffness of manner, he is at least easy, 
 and it is only wonderful that his faults should be so tri- 
 fling and so sure of amendment. Indeed, to dwell on 
 such blemishes in an actor of one-and-twenty would 
 be like criticising the figure of a passing cloud ; before 
 we can trace its outline, no trace of it remains." 
 
 The following letter is from the pen of the celebrated 
 William Godwin, father-in-law of Shelley and author of 
 " Caleb Williams " : 
 
 SKINNER STREET, Feb. 27, 1817. 
 
 SIR, I witnessed your performance of Richard and 
 lago, and you may perhaps not be displeased with re-
 
 44 
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 ceiving hints and remarks from a person of old expe- 
 rience in matters of taste and literature. With your 
 RicharJ I was not altogether pleased. You got through 
 it with too much bustle, activity, and energy, and were 
 rewarded with almost unexampled applause ; but it ap- 
 peared to me a representation rather of promise than 
 of that full conception and meditation I long for in a 
 performer. 
 
 Your lago struck me very differently, I mean in 
 the third act of the play, for the rest was not excellent. 
 1 have seen Garrick and most of the performers of the 
 last age, but I confess that on that evening I saw some- 
 thing new. I never before saw a scene in which two 
 male performers fairly divided the crown, and so com- 
 pletely kept up the ball between them, as to produce 
 all the best effects of illusion. Your tones of insinua- 
 tion, in particular when you infuse the poison of jeal- 
 ousy into Othello, were so true that, by my faith, I felt 
 " this tale might have won my credit too." I immedi- 
 ately became impressed with the persuasion, this Booth 
 will make a real actor ! I set down these things be- 
 cause, as you are a very young man, they may be of 
 use to you. But I should not have troubled you with 
 this letter were it not for the particular situation in 
 which you now stand. You have incurred the dis- 
 pleasure of the common frequenters of the theatre. I 
 know not how the contest may terminate, but I write 
 earnestly to recommend to you not to be cast down if 
 the event be unfavorable. I shall be the loser if this 
 brutal outcry drives you from the London stage, but 
 you will not be the loser. The whole British dominions
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 45 
 
 will be before you, which you may visit with undimin- 
 ished fame. You are not driven from us for any defect 
 in your profession. The shortness of your career will 
 only have rendered it more illustrious in the eyes of the 
 inhabitants of distant parts. You will be what in your 
 profession is technically called a star ; and country- 
 playing, under such circumstances, is, I believe, more 
 profitable than playing in London. You will then re- 
 turn to us, after a year or two, improved in your pro- 
 fession, and unanimously and rapturously welcomed, 
 even by those persons who are now most eager in ex- 
 ploding you. I am, sir, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 WILLIAM GODWIN. 
 
 It is a received opinion, but an erroneous one, that 
 these occurrences banished Mr. Booth from the London 
 stage. On the contrary, he successfully pursued his 
 engagement at Covent Garden, and afterward played' 
 frequently at other city theatres. While his fault was 
 insignificant in itself, it was of moment to his detractors, 
 as the riots materially injured him in a professional 
 view, although the result created a longing for a wider 
 field of action. 
 
 Mr. Booth had many offers, from provincial mana- 
 gers, for the Passion Week, but preferred Woolwich, 
 where he played Richard III., Bertram, Othello, and 
 Sir Giles Overreach. From a Woolwich correspondent 
 to a London morning paper, the following is taken : 
 
 " Mr. Booth was received by a full and elegant audi- 
 tory. In the character of Sir Giles his claims to emi-
 
 46 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 nence were not only not equivocal, but fully established. 
 In the last act more particularly his astonishingly strik- 
 ing display of the variedly agonized and frantic feelings 
 with which Sir Giles is agitated at the failure of his 
 schemes, came home to the feelings of all, and reit- 
 erated plaudits spoke the approbation of a crowded 
 theatre." 
 
 On the 3ist of March, 1817, Mr. Booth performed 
 Richard III. at Woolwich ; on the 3d of April, Othello ; 
 and on Saturday, the igth of April, he played Sir 
 Edward Mortimer in three different towns. At eleven 
 A. M. he played at Cirencester, at four p. M. in Glouces- 
 ter, and at eight o'clock in Cheltenham. For this ardu- 
 ous achievement he received about thirty pounds. This 
 provincial tour ended on the i3th of December. 
 
 On the yth of April, 1818, he played at Stratford-on- 
 Avon. 
 
 This lovely little town so admired by the tourist, 
 so universally sought by scholar, poet, and divine 
 has ever been a spot of peculiar reverence to the actor. 
 With more than ordinary tenderness he esteems the priv- 
 ilege of standing on this soil as a portion of his birth- 
 right. The air to him is filled with images of various 
 plays, more weird and fantastic than visions of Wal- 
 purgis Night ; his mind teems with well-known pas- 
 sages, while quotations apt and beautiful fall from his 
 tongue, and he feels what a glorious honor has been 
 bequeathed his particular art, not alone by the life- 
 long devotion of one immortal mind, but also by the 
 proud assurance that Shakspere was an actor ! 
 
 It was solely for the peculiar pleasure of performing
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 47 
 
 in this place of rare remembrances, that Mr. Booth 
 was induced (as, doubtless, others have similarly been 
 influenced) to personate the characters of Richard and 
 Shylock in the little theatre at Stratford. To a mind 
 so peculiarly attuned to melancholy as his, how im- 
 pressive must have been the solemn grandeur of that 
 sacred edifice where the Immortal Poet lies ! 
 
 We enter the holy of holies ; 
 
 Pause here, 
 For this is the high-priest of Nature, 
 
 Shakspere ! 
 
 We cannot define the full feeling 
 Our innermost spirit revealing, 
 And baffling all art of concealing. 
 
 Not the sanctity power has left 
 
 O'er the place, 
 Dust will all grandeur despoil 
 
 And erase, 
 
 But the creatures his pencil has wrought, 
 And the wisdom his genius has taught, 
 Will live while the mind holds a thought. 
 
 Man's heart was the book Nature gave 
 
 To her son ; 
 And time has attested the work 
 
 Nobly done. 
 
 Though ages have passed since his birth, 
 Two worlds are recounting his worth, 
 And hail him the monarch of earth. 
 
 Mr. Booth appeared for the first time as Sir Edward 
 Mortimer in the play of "The Iron Chest," at Covent 
 Garden Theatre ; the subjoined criticism records the 
 event, under date of i3th April, 1817.
 
 4 8 
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 "... Relieved from the necessity of making a com- 
 parison, which might appear invidious, we have only to 
 remark on the performance of Mr. Booth, without at all 
 referring to the exertions of his rival, at the other house. 
 These, however, are so fresh in the memory of the town, 
 as completely successful, that it requires no common 
 skill in the actor to gain a moderate portion of public 
 favor. But the genius and good fortune of Mr. Booth 
 triumph over all common obstacles, and open for him 
 an easy path to fame, where the steep ascent would de- 
 ter others from the attempt. His exertions last night 
 as Sir Edward added largely to the reputation which 
 he had previously acquired ; and if in the opinion of 
 some they proved him to be master of great imitative 
 powers, they satisfied every impartial judge that he was 
 the possessor of great original talent. The fierce emo- 
 tion, the angry suspicion, the terrible remorse of the 
 murderer, who aspires to rise superior to guilt, and 
 claim a spotless name, were depicted generally with 
 great felicity, and in some instances with an awful fidel- 
 ity to nature. His scene with Wilford, in which he 
 reveals the secret of his shame, was particularly effec- 
 tive. The energy, resentment, and despair which 
 prompt this disclosure were finely marked, and the 
 stern resolution consequent upon it was portrayed with 
 the hand of a master. At the close of the play his 
 efforts were not less fortunate. The confusion and 
 horror growing out of the fatal discovery which results 
 from his new but imperfect crime were happily blended 
 with the remorse and agony which returning love for 
 the innocent object of his persecution failed not to in-
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 49 
 
 spire. He happily imagined and successfully executed 
 the conflicting emotions which riot in the bosom of Sir 
 Edward, obtained the sympathy and commiseration of 
 the audience, and retired amidst thunders of applause." 
 
 In July, 1818, Mr. Booth made his first appearance 
 in Glasgow and in Edinburgh, in which cities he played 
 successful engagements. He visited nearly all the prin- 
 cipal provincial towns, and reappeared in London in 
 the fall of the year at Covent Garden Theatre, where 
 he repeatedly performed Richard and lago. He imi- 
 tated the attempt of a foreign actor and played Shylock 
 in the Jewish dialect; and although Mr. Booth was 
 familiar with Hebre\y, it is not positively known now 
 whether he spoke occasionally in that language or played 
 his part in Hebrew throughout. He gave this perform- 
 ance on the i yth of September, during the autumn en- 
 gagement at Covent Garden, which terminated on the 
 4th of November, 1818. After acting in several of the 
 English towns he proceeded to Dublin, where he played 
 eight nights most successfully, notwithstanding it was 
 the Lenten season. His share of the receipts amounted 
 to one hundred and four pounds. He visited, on his 
 return, Bridgenorth, Newport, Scarborough, Beverly, 
 York, etc. ; and at some of the towns included in this 
 tour the receipt of one pound is marked for the per- 
 formance of Sir Edward Mortimer and Jerry Sneak. 
 
 The Drury Lane and Covent Garden theatres for 
 years had possessed the exclusive privilege of producing 
 Shaksperian plays, by a patent conferred upon them 
 by the crown. The minor theatres, although conducted 
 with as much liberality as their more favored rivals, were 
 obliged to confine themselves to melodrama.
 
 jO THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 But the exclusive monopoly of the Immortal Bard 
 by the patent theatres was often disputed by the 
 Transpontine houses, which in their production of 
 Shakspere's plays resorted to the introduction of melo- 
 dramatic music, and sundry alterations and curtailments, 
 thereby avoiding the strict letter of the law. Mr. Booth 
 broke through the established rules by performing 
 Richard III. at the Coburg Theatre, in December, 
 1819, for six successive nights, and Horatius on the 
 following seven. 
 
 The run of this piece was interrupted by the death 
 of the Duke of Kent, in respect to whose memory the 
 theatre was closed on Jan. 24, 1820. Upon its re- 
 opening Mr. Booth performed Brutus in the " Fall of 
 Tarquin " for five consecutive nights, when all amuse- 
 ments were again interrupted by the death of George 
 the Third. During the month of March he visited 
 Aberdeen, and returned to London to resume his en- 
 gagement at the Coburg, which theatre opened on 
 Easter Monday, April 3d, with the " Crusaders " and 
 a pantomime. On the 6th, Mr. Harris, of Covent 
 Garden Theatre, negotiated with Mr. Booth to play 
 Lear for six nights. 
 
 The tragedy of " Lear " was in especial requisition, 
 having long been removed from the stage by royal 
 command, as the madness of Lear was similar to the 
 disorder of the late king. The consent of Mr. Glossop, 
 the Coburg manager, was obtained, and " Lear " was 
 accordingly produced on the i3th of April, 1820, with 
 the following cast :
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. ijj 
 
 Lear Mr. Booth. 
 
 Edgar Mr. C. Kemble. 
 
 Edmund Mr. W. C. Macready. 
 
 Kent Mr. John Fawcett. 
 
 Cordelia Miss S. Booth. 
 
 " Mr. Booth's Lear proved one of the proudest ef- 
 forts of his genius. His execution of this character was 
 transcendently beautiful, and requires no ordinary mind 
 to properly conceive it. The scene in which he is 
 turned out to bide the pelting of the pitiless storm is 
 one of terrific grandeur. How admirably Booth rep- 
 resented the scene, no one who ever witnessed him 
 can forget ; and his recitation of the following passage, 
 amidst the storm and darkness, was sublime : 
 
 " ' Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks ! rage ! blow I 
 You cataracts and hurricanoes, spott 
 Till you have drench'd our steeples ! 
 You sulph'rous and thought-executing fires, 
 Vaunt couriers to oak-cleaving thunderbolts, 
 Singe my white head.' " 
 
 Lear was represented three nights a week for several 
 successive weeks. In consequence of the injunction 
 laid against the minor theatres, prohibiting them from 
 playing the tragedy proper, Mr. Glossop brought out 
 " Lear of Private Life," a piece constructed on " Father 
 and Daughter," a tale by Mrs. Opie. Mr. Glossop 
 effected an engagement with Mr. Booth to play Fitz- 
 arden in this piece three nights a week, being the " off 
 nights " of his engagement at Covent Garden. He 
 played the part fifty-three times ; and for his benefit on 
 the 2gth of May, 1820, "The Medusa's Wreck" was
 
 ij 2 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 performed, a scene from " Lear in Private Life," and 
 the new pantomime of " Fortunio." He visited Nor- 
 wich, Rochester, and Maidstone, playing a few nights 
 in each place ; and on the 25th of July he opened at 
 Cheltenham, where he acted five nights, and one night 
 at Gloucester. He then took the stage-coach for Lud- 
 low. His memoranda of this date contain the following 
 note : " A lady alone and apparently friendless expired 
 in the coach ; the scene was very touching ; we carried 
 her for six miles ; the remembrance sadly affected my 
 acting that night, for the suddenness of death com- 
 pletely unnerved me. Played Octavian and Bertram 
 badly." 
 
 In August Edmund Kean personated "a round of 
 characters " previous to his departure for America, and 
 Mr. Booth appeared at Drury Lane with him, enacting 
 lago to his Othello, Edgar to his Lear, and Pierre to 
 his Jaffier. In October Mr. Booth played in Reading, 
 going thence to Weymouth, and other places, reappear- 
 ing at Drury Lane, under Elliston's management, on 
 the 4th of November. He acted Lear several times, as 
 well as Opeehancanough, an Indian chief, in an Ameri- 
 can drama ; and went through a range of characters 
 successfully. The play of "Julius Caesar" was also 
 produced, with Booth as Cassius, James W. Wallack 
 as Brutus, and John Cooper as Marc Antony, all of 
 them appearing for the first time in these parts. 
 
 This engagement closed on the i3th of January, 
 1821. On the 1 8th of this month he married Mary 
 Anne Holmes, at the residence of the Hon. Mrs. 
 Chambers, who had always manifested a great interest
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 53 
 
 in Mr. Booth's career, and who presented his wife on 
 her wedding-day with those well-known jewels which 
 afterwards decorated his Richard's crown. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Booth made a brief visit to France, 
 stopping at Calais and Boulogne, and on their return to 
 England he decided to visit the West Indies profes- 
 sionally. They sailed from Deal, at which place he 
 purchased a piebald pony named Peacock, to which he 
 had become much attached, and who in after years 
 was closely identified with him in his occupation as a 
 farmer. 
 
 The vessel was obliged to stop at the island of Ma- 
 deira, and, attracted by the loveliness of the scenery, 
 he was induced to pass a portion of his time in survey- 
 ing its beauties. They remained for several weeks at 
 Madeira ; and as horses were exceedingly rare on the 
 island (oxen and mules being used on the mountains 
 to carry freight), Peacock created great excitement. 
 Sums of money were offered for him, but Mr. Booth 
 declined to part with his new favorite. In ascending 
 the mountain to visit a Carmelite convent, Mrs. Booth 
 was carried in a palanquin by natives, who set down 
 their burthen at the sound of the Angelus bell. Her 
 surprise was great at observing her husband cross him- 
 self and pray with them. At the convent Mrs. Booth 
 did not understand the conversation between her hus- 
 band and the fathers, it being in Latin, but she after- 
 ward learned that he was invited by the Prior to attend 
 the midnight burial of a Carmelite, for which purpose 
 he ascended the mountain again and alone. 
 
 In April he took passage for himself, wife, and pony 
 in the schooner " Two Brothers," for America.
 
 54 
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 As Mr. and Mrs. Booth were the only passengers on 
 the vessel, the captain resigned his cabin for their 
 accommodation, and after a tedious voyage of forty- 
 four days they landed at Norfolk, Va. , on the 3Oth of 
 June, 1821. On his arrival, Mr. Booth introduced 
 himself to Mr. Charles Gilfert, manager of the Rich- 
 mond Theatre, and an engagement was immediately 
 effected. He opened on the 6th of July in Richmond, 
 Va., in the character of Richard III. 
 
 The effect of a long sea-voyage and the excitement 
 of playing before a new audience rendered him some- 
 what tame during the first acts, but his fire and energy 
 in the closing scenes delighted the manager and elec- 
 trified the house. Notwithstanding his coming thus 
 unheralded into a strange country, in the sultriest season 
 of the year, and appearing with all the disadvantages 
 of strange surroundings, he won the most eloquent 
 praise from critics and audience. 
 
 Of his Richard III. the Richmond Examiner 
 said, 
 
 " Gentlemen who have seen Cooke in this part do 
 not hesitate to pronounce Booth superior to him, and 
 others who have lately seen Kean in the same charac- 
 ter aver that in some scenes he is equal, and in others, 
 the most trying of the play, superior to that celebrated 
 actor." 
 
 He performed four nights, and proved a decided 
 acquisition, as the business of the theatre was at a very 
 low ebb. The characters he personated were Richard, 
 Lear, Sir Edward Mortimer, and Bertram. Later he 
 entered into a contract with Messrs. Gilfert and Graham
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 55 
 
 to act throughout the Union for a specified nightly 
 sum. 
 
 In a recent publication Manager Ludlow gives the 
 following account of Mr. Booth's first appearance in 
 Petersburg, Va. : 
 
 " During the month of August, 1821, one of the 
 brightest ' stars ' in the Western dramatic horizon pre- 
 sented itself in the person of Junius Brutus Booth, 
 the Booth, who, accompanied by his wife, arrived at 
 Norfolk, Virginia, in a vessel from the island of Madeira. 
 Why he came to the United States at the time and in 
 the way he did, unheralded and unknown, I have never 
 been informed. He presented himself to Mr. Gilfert, 
 the Richmond manager, and said he wished to perform 
 in that city. I understood he had no letters of intro- 
 duction, and there were some doubts whether he was the 
 real Booth or some impudent adventurer, who, having 
 heard that Mr. Booth contemplated visiting America, 
 took this peculiar way of introducing himself, and, if 
 possible, ' humbugging ' the Yankees before the real 
 Booth should arrive. The Richmond manager, always 
 ready for some bold and unusual adventure, arranged 
 with Mr. Booth for one night, and a conditional exten- 
 sion of the engagement. Mr. Booth made his first 
 appearance in the United States there and at that time 
 in ' Richard III.' Mr. Richard Russell, who was act- 
 ing as manager of the Petersburg theatre, in the absence 
 of Mr. Caldwell, happened to hear of the appearance 
 of a Mr. Booth in Richmond, and went to that city to 
 ascertain who the person was, assuming that name, and 
 came back highly pleased with the man, saying he had
 
 56 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 engaged him to play one night in Petersburg, then 
 to finish his engagement in Richmond, and return to 
 Petersburg for a number of nights. He had selected 
 ' Richard III.' for his first appearance in Petersburg. 
 The play was cast, and put up in the green-room, and 
 the night on which it was to be performed stated. On 
 the morning of the day set apart, the large bills posted 
 on the corners of the streets announced ' the first ap- 
 pearance of the great tragedian, J. B. Booth, from the 
 London theatres, Covent Garden and Drury Lane.' 
 The play was called for rehearsal at ten o'clock, A. M. 
 At the proper time the rehearsal commenced, but with- 
 out Mr. Booth. He had not arrived ; but the manager 
 said the rehearsal must go on, and he would have Mr. 
 Booth's scenes rehearsed after he arrived. I think 
 they had reached the fourth act of the play, and I was 
 sauntering near the head of the stairs that led up to 
 the stage, when a small man that I took to be a well- 
 grown boy of about sixteen years of age, came running 
 up the stairs, wearing a roundabout jacket and a cheap 
 straw hat, both covered with dust, and inquired for the 
 stage-manager. I pointed across the stage to Mr. 
 Russell, who at that moment had observed the person 
 with whom I was conversing, and hurried toward us, 
 and, cordially grasping the hand of the strange man, 
 said, * Ah ! Mr. Booth, I am glad you have arrived ; we 
 were fearful something serious had happened to you.' 
 I do not think any man was ever more astonished than 
 I was just then in beholding this meeting. Is it possi- 
 ble this can be the great Mr. Booth, that Mr. Russell 
 says is ' undoubtedly the best actor living ' ? and I be-
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 57 
 
 gan to think Russell was trying to put off some joke 
 upon us all. I observed, however, that when the small 
 man came upon the stage to rehearse his scenes, he 
 was quite ' at home,' and showed a knowledge of the 
 business of the character that a mere novice or pre- 
 tender could not have acquired. He ran through the 
 rehearsal very carelessly, gave very few special or peculiar 
 directions, tried the combat of the last act over twice, 
 and said, 'That will do,' and the rehearsal was over. He 
 then told Mr. Russell that he had been a few minutes 
 too late for the stage-coach that had left Richmond 
 early in the morning. And that he soon after started on 
 foot, and had walked all the way, twenty-five miles ; 
 that his wardrobe had been sent to the stage-office be- 
 fore he was up ; had been taken by the coach, and, he 
 supposed, was ready in the city for the proper claimant. 
 " When the curtain rose at night, all the company 
 were on the alert to see the supposed great actor make 
 his entrance before the audience. When the proper 
 scene opened, Mr. Booth walked on the stage, made 
 no recognition of the reception applause, and, in an 
 apparently meditative mood, began the soliloquy of 
 ' Now is the Winter of our discontent,' which he deliv- 
 ered with seeming indifference, and with little if any 
 point, something after the manner of a schoolboy re- 
 peating a lesson of which he had learned the words, 
 but was heedless of their meaning ; and then made his 
 exit, without receiving any additional applause. I was 
 not where I could ascertain the impression made upon 
 the audience, but on the stage, at the side scenes, the 
 actors were looking at each other in all kinds of ways,
 
 58 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 expressive of astonishment and disgust. I was stand- 
 ing near Mr. Benton, an old a#or, the King Henry 
 of the evening, and as I turned to go away, he said, 
 ' What do you think of him, Mr. Ludlow? ' ' Think,' I 
 replied, ' why, I think, as I thought before, that he is 
 an impostor ! What do you think of him ? ' ' Why, 
 sir,' said Benton, ' if the remainder of his Richard 
 should prove like the beginning, I have never yet, I 
 suppose, seen the character played, for it is unlike any 
 I ever saw ; it may be very good, but I don't fancy 
 it.' I found that among the company, generally, a like 
 estimate of the great man prevailed, Mr. Russell being 
 the only exception ; he, having witnessed Mr. Booth's 
 acting at Richmond, still persisted in saying he was the 
 greatest actor he had ever seen. His scene with Lady 
 Anne, where he encounters and interrupts the funeral 
 procession of King Henry VI., was as tame and point- 
 less as his first soliloquy. I had seen George Frederick 
 Cooke perform Richard III., about ten years prior to 
 the time that I saw Mr. Booth first, at which period I was 
 a youth of sixteen years of age, when impressions are 
 vivid and lasting, and I had retained a perfect recollec- 
 tion of the effects Mr. Cooke produced on the audi- 
 ence, myself included ; and it seemed to me that no 
 great actor would pass through these two scenes with 
 that careless indifference that Mr. Booth evinced. It 
 has ever remained a mystery to me why Mr. Booth 
 always slighted the first two acts of ' Richard III.' ; and 
 I can only account for it on the supposition that it was 
 with the view of reserving his powers for the remaining 
 three acts, in which considerable physical as well as
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 59 
 
 mental efforts are required. And yet, when I first met 
 Mr. Booth, he did not appear to be deficient in phy- 
 sique. I retained my first impression of Mr. Booth un- 
 til he came to the fourth act, where, in a scene with 
 Buckingham, he hints at the murder of the young 
 princes. Then I thought I discovered something 
 worthy of a great actor. From that on, his acting was 
 unique and wonderful. I had never seen any one pro- 
 duce such effects, and come so near my ideas of the 
 character, not even Mr. Cooke, who was as far below 
 Mr. Booth in the last two acts as he was above him in 
 the first three. When the curtain fell upon the finish- 
 ing of the play, there was a burst of applause from 
 audience and actors such as I will venture to say 
 Petersburg never knew before, nor has known since. 
 After this one night's performance Mr. Booth returned 
 to Richmond, finished his engagement there, and then 
 came again to Petersburg, and played six or eight nights 
 to crowded and delighted audiences. 
 
 " I hope that the reader will not think me tedious or 
 over-enthusiastic if I relate something more in regard to 
 this gentleman, who, I have long considered, was one 
 of the great lights of the stage, until age and infirmities 
 impaired his faculties. On Mr. Booth's return to Pe- 
 tersburg he commenced his engagement with Colman's 
 play of the ' Iron Chest,' in which he performed the 
 character of -Sir Edward Mortimer, and I had the 
 pleasure of playing with him his secretary, Wilford ' ; 
 and here let me state an effect produced on me at that 
 time which half a century has not been able to oblit- 
 erate, and that will keep its place ' while memory holds
 
 60 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 a seat in this distracted globe." In the play there is a 
 scene where Sir Edward attempts to disclose to Wil- 
 ford a secret which he had kept securely from the 
 world for years, a murder for which he had been 
 tried and acquitted, and at the trial the course of jus- 
 tice had been disturbed by cries of ' Innocent ! ' ere 
 the verdict had been declared. In this scene the 
 struggle between his pride and shame, from the neces- 
 sity of making this youth, Wilford, his secretary, 
 the creature of his bounty, the depository of this 
 astounding secret, was so terrifically wrought up and 
 so magnificently portrayed that I was brought to a 
 ' standstill ' upon the stage, in wonderment of the man's 
 great tragic powers, and only recovered my self-posses- 
 sion when Mr. Booth said, in an undertone, ' Go on, 
 go on ! ' I never had such an effect produced on me 
 by any other person's acting in the whole course of my 
 dramatic career. Mr. Booth had at that time the finest 
 stage face I ever met with ; its splendid contour had 
 not been marred by the breaking of what is commonly 
 called the ' bridge of the nose,' and his eyes, of which 
 he made great use in acting, were brilliant and expres- 
 sive, as Hamlet says, ' an eye like Mars, to threaten 
 and command.' " 
 
 On his second visit to Petersburg Mr. Booth acted 
 six nights to numerous and delighted audiences, then 
 retired to a country-place to enjoy a respite from 
 fatigue. He lived at a roadside inn between Rich- 
 mond and Petersburg, where many travellers were in 
 the habit of tarrying over night. One evening, Mr. 
 Booth overheard the landlord commanding the waiter
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. gj 
 
 to " get the new lodger's boots," referring to a fresh 
 arrival who had retired early and thereby caused sus- 
 picion in the mind of the wary host. The boy returned 
 with the answer, "The gentleman says he has no 
 boots." " Go up at once," replied the landlord, " and 
 demand his shoes." The boy came back and stated 
 in dismay, "The gentleman says he has no shoes." 
 The landlord now became much excited; upon which 
 Mr. Booth inquired why he was so anxious to obtain 
 the lodger's boots. " Why, sir," the host replied con- 
 fusedly, " we have strange characters stop here some- 
 times, who have a way of rising early in the morning 
 and walking off before any of the family are astir ; so 
 I manage to get possession of their boots, and they are 
 compelled to remain until their bills are settled." 
 
 The host and his family assuring themselves of the 
 evil intentions of the " footpad," as they designated 
 the unconscious lodger, were exceedingly anxious in 
 watching his movements. In the morning the person 
 who had been the cause of so many dark surmises 
 made his appearance at the breakfast table, and, to the 
 astonishment of Mr. Booth, he proved to be the dis- 
 tinguished tragedian, Thomas Cooper. 
 
 Mr. Booth returned to Richmond in September, and 
 fulfilled a second engagement, which proved more lu- 
 crative than the one of the preceding summer. 
 
 On the 2d of October, 1821, he arrived in New York, 
 where he was immediately engaged by the manager of 
 the Park Theatre, and announced to play Richard on 
 the 5th. From the numerous allusions of the press, 
 the following is copied :
 
 62 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 " The notoriety of Mr. Booth in London (and from 
 the various reports of our friends who had seen him 
 there) had greatly excited public curiosity. In conse- 
 quence, a full and fashionable audience assembled at an 
 early hour on Friday evening, to witness his d^but. He 
 was welcomed by three long distinct rounds of applause, 
 and we could perceive he was embarrassed and sensibly 
 affected. When we reflect upon Mr. Booth's youth, 
 and the effect produced by his acting, we cannot with- 
 hold from him our highest praise. In the tent scene 
 he showed much originality ; rising from the couch, he 
 dashed to the bottom of the stage, and with an attitude 
 and expression of countenance we cannot describe, and 
 will not forget, but which was neither that of Cooke, 
 Cooper, Kean, nor Wallack, he made an extraordinary 
 and most sensible impression on the audience. There 
 was at first a pause, which suddenly burst forth into 
 a long and rapturous applause, intermixed with loud 
 expressions of approbation. In the contest with Rich- 
 mond, and the dying scene, he was loudly applauded, 
 and fell amidst the cries of ' Bravo ! Bravo ! ' ' 
 
 At that time there were but two regular theatres in 
 New York, the Park and the Bowery. " Stars " were 
 generally engaged by managers for the limited space of 
 six nights, and rarely prolonged the engagement beyond 
 twelve. The repetition of standard plays for a great 
 number of nights consecutively, so common in our 
 age, was entirely unknown by the " Old Park " patrons 
 nearly half a century ago. 
 
 On the occasion of Mr. Booth's first benefit in New 
 York he appeared as Hamlet and as Jerry Sneak, in
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 63 
 
 the old farce of " Mayor of Garratt." The New York 
 Post of the ensuing day contained the following no- 
 tice : 
 
 " At the close of the afterpiece there was an unani- 
 mous cry for Mr. Booth, scarcely an individual leaving 
 either pit or boxes, but waited for his change of dress ; 
 he then appeared amid the shouts and huzzas of a de- 
 lighted audience. The young stranger was so evidently 
 embarrassed at the unexpected compliment, that he 
 was almost unable to speak, and addressed the audi- 
 ence in a voice so low that we were unable to hear all 
 he said. We understood him, however, to say that he 
 was overwhelmed with gratitude ; he knew not how to 
 express the feelings which their kindness and liberality 
 had inspired ; he was unaccustomed on such occasions 
 to address an audience ; he did not expect the honor 
 would have been extended to him; he never should 
 and never could forget it. This agitation evidently in- 
 creasing, he bowed to the audience and retired amidst 
 thundering applause, leaving behind him impressions 
 not a little improved by the modesty of his deport- 
 ment." 
 
 From New York Mr. Booth went South, acting in Bal- 
 timore, Norfolk, Charleston, New Orleans, and Savan- 
 nah ; his travels through many of the Southern States 
 being an ovation. It is rumored that he frequently 
 expressed a desire " to retire from public life and keep 
 a lighthouse." That he seriously contemplated such a 
 step is shown by the annexed copy of a memorandum 
 of his own dated February 12, 1822. 
 
 " Spoke to Mr. Blount, collector of customs, and one
 
 6 4 
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 of the passengers, about Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. 
 He offered it to me with the dwelling-house, and twenty 
 acres of land attached ; and a salary of $300 per annum, 
 for keeping the light, government providing oil aad 
 cotton, a quart of oil per diem. Grapes, water-mel- 
 ons, cabbages, potatoes, carrots, and onions grow in 
 abundance there. Rain-water the only drink ; a cistern 
 on the premises for that purpose. Abundance of fish 
 and wild fowl ; pigs, cows, and horses find good pas- 
 ture. Soil too light for wheat or corn. Flour bought 
 for four or five dollars a barrel. The office is for life, 
 and only taken away through misbehavior. Lighthouse 
 seventy-five feet high ; light requires trimming every 
 night at twelve o'clock. No taxes whatever. Fire- 
 wood is procured from the pieces of wreck found on 
 the shoals. One dollar per day is the charge for men 
 who assist in cases of wreck. Strawberries, currant- 
 bushes, and apple-trees should be taken there ; also 
 a plough, spades, and chest of carpenter tools. Pine 
 tables the best. Mr. Blount is to write me word if the 
 office can be given me in April next, from his seat at 
 Washington, North Carolina." 
 
 It may hardly be necessary to add that he did not 
 obtain the situation of " lighthouse-keeper," owing, as 
 was eventually disclosed, to the timely interference of 
 theatrical managers, who were loath to suffer the total 
 eclipse of so brilliant a star. Although his disposition was 
 ever humble and retiring, it is singular that in the zenith 
 of his fame and with such glowing prospects of fortune, 
 he should have contemplated a life of hardship and 
 comparative poverty as more conducive to happiness.
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 65 
 
 He now made his first appearance in Boston, and 
 the event is thus spoken of in Clapp's " Record of the 
 Boston Stage" : 
 
 " The first appearance of this great actor in Boston, 
 where for so many years he has attracted those most 
 conversant with the different schools of acting, and has 
 delighted elsewhere the most critical audiences in the 
 world by his masterly impersonations, occurred on the 
 6th of May, 1822. He made his appearance as Rich- 
 ard, a character which he is identified with wherever 
 he has performed. His acting then received the ap- 
 plause of a Boston audience, and up to his last appear- 
 ance in this city, prior to his death, he retained the 
 position he so eminently deserved. During his engage- 
 ment he performed Sir Edward Mortimer, Sir Giles 
 Overreach, Odai'ian, and for his benefit, Hamlet, on 
 which occasion the receipts were eight hundred dollars. 
 Booth's acting always evinced genius. Like Edmund 
 Kean, there was inspiration in his embodiment of Shaks- 
 perian characters, and even when the words were lost 
 to the hearing the eye needed no vocal interpreter, for 
 Booth, more than any actor we have ever seen, pos- 
 sessed the power of combining a meaning in every 
 gesture, and a silent glance was equivalent to a deliv- 
 ered sentence. As a soliloquist he excelled. With 
 many actors all soliloquies seem like so many titlepages 
 to the succeeding acts ; but Booth avoided all strains 
 after startling points, and gave to such passages, both 
 in Hamlet and Richard, an interest without destroying 
 the unity of the play." 
 
 In the summer of 1822, while the yellow-fever was
 
 66 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 raging in Baltimore, Mr. Booth purchased a farm 
 twenty-five miles from that city, lying in Harford 
 County, Maryland. This place became his constant 
 resort when free from the excitement of his profession, 
 and was the birthplace of his children. It was always 
 known as " The Farm," but was in reality a dense 
 woodland, merging on one side into a great forest, 
 called the " Big Woods," which served as a free hunt- 
 ing-ground on moonlight nights when the whole place 
 was rendered musical by the baying of the hounds 
 and the call of the sportsmen. His uncultivated pos- 
 sessions lay three miles equally distant from three 
 small villages, Belair, the county town, Hickory, and 
 Churchville, which were merely hamlets, or stopping- 
 places for travellers in the great wilderness of the dis- 
 trict. The rough coach-road to the Farm was made 
 picturesque and delightful in summer by the massive 
 trees which arched it. Along this stony highway the 
 post-boy used to ride once a week, sounding his horn, 
 and tossing the ever-welcome letters and papers over 
 the gate. From the road a crooked, narrow pathway 
 wound to the Booth dwelling, which was set among the 
 trees, a quarter of a mile distant. This was a log-cabin, 
 plastered and whitewashed on the exterior ; the small 
 square window- frames, and broad, plain shutters, 
 which, like the doors, never knew the innovation of 
 lock or bolt, were painted red. Four rooms besides 
 the loft, the kitchen, and the Old Dominion chimney, 
 made up a picturesque and comfortable abode, standing 
 in a clearing encompassed by huge oak, black walnut, 
 beech, and tulip trees.
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 67 
 
 The cabin in its primal state, unpainted and unplas- 
 tered, had been removed to its present locality across 
 several fields. This proceeding caused great wonder- 
 ment among the villagers, as every available man, ox, 
 and horse, that could be hired, were in requisition. 
 Much time and money were expended in this under- 
 taking, but its successful accomplishment stamped the 
 owner as a master-mind, and the more fiercely the 
 winter storms raged and the summer tornadoes swept 
 by, the more wise did he appear to those who had 
 predicted the quick demolition of the taut little cabin. 
 This costly removal had been effected on account of a 
 spring of delicious water which Mr. Booth had discov- 
 ered under the thickest trees. These he would not 
 suffer to be removed, but the old spring was orna- 
 mented with granite ledges and steps. In its grateful 
 depths dwelt an immense green bull-frog ; and as these 
 creatures are said to live a hundred years, the children 
 of the family used to imagine that he had croaked to 
 the first invaders of his solitude as he did to them. 
 In this shaded spot a little dairy was built, and the 
 thoughtful possessor planted in front of his door a 
 cherry-shoot, anticipating the future when his children 
 should gather under its branches. Those days came 
 in their time, and his tall sons swung themselves up 
 among its great boughs, to read or doze away many a 
 sultry afternoon. Merry groups gossiped under its shel- 
 ter, little ones danced there, while older ones dreamed, 
 and reared airy castles ; the aged mother in her widow- 
 hood remembered happier days in its shadows ; and 
 every year the orioles and mocking-birds paid their wel-
 
 68 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 come visits. This grand old grafted tree was very tall 
 and straight, and shaded the entire lawn. 
 
 The Farm was belted by a thick, unbroken circle of 
 native trees as far as the eye could reach ; it was com- 
 pletely isolated, and the chief delight of its owner was 
 that it was so perfectly shut in, and away from the world. 
 
 An extensive orchard was laid out ; barn and stables 
 were erected, and a clumsily constructed cider-press 
 put together, which was worked by the blacks, nearly 
 all the labor of the farm being done by them. It was 
 the period of picturesque farming, when flails and sieves 
 were used instead of the noisy threshing-machine and 
 the fan. Mr. Booth advocated the use of lime on his 
 fields, and foresaw the time when bone-dust would 
 be applied for manuring purposes: Substantial negro 
 quarters were built, and a valuable vineyard planted ; a 
 swimming pond, with its little island covered with wil- 
 low-trees, and a stream for fish were made by turning 
 the numerous branches of a neighboring brook into 
 their respective beds ; the directing mind as well as 
 the readiest hand in all these achievements being " the 
 Massa's." 
 
 In a few years a little graveyard was railed in, where 
 the Jewish althea bushes had their places among the 
 yews and weeping-willows. In country homesteads 
 these private graveyards are common, and the duty of 
 reading the burial service devolves upon the master of 
 the house when it is impracticable to obtain a clergy- 
 man. Mr. Booth was often called upon to officiate at 
 the interment of members of his household here (the 
 blacks being buried outside the rails).
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. $g 
 
 Mr. Booth, now a farmer in earnest, took a weekly 
 magazine, or paper on farming, which he carefully hung 
 on file, as he did his play-bills. He imported fish for 
 his lakelet, but after a brief time they degenerated and 
 passed away, like the Algonquin Indians, whose war 
 trophies and small arrow-heads or elf-shot were thickly 
 embedded in the soft earth of the forest. The delights 
 of the new strange world to which he had come were 
 minutely described in an old note-book (the pencil 
 writing scarcely legible now), interspersed with pas- 
 sages from plays, memoranda of dresses, properties, 
 and stage directions, births and deaths of children, time 
 and duration of meteors, astronomical data, fast days, 
 and lastly a few verses called " The Son of Alknomook," 
 which it is now impossible to decipher, but which were 
 learned from him in childhood by the writer. 
 
 His " library " was placed upon a few shelves, and 
 consisted of volumes of Shelley, Coleridge, and Keats, 
 a Gazetteer of the World, an English and a French Dic- 
 tionary, Racine, Alfieri, Tasso, Dante, Burton's Anat- 
 omy of Melancholy, Plutarch's Morals and Lives, Milton, 
 Shakspere, the Koran, Locke's Essay on the Human 
 Understanding, and Paley's Theology. 
 
 Three engravings adorned the walls of the single par- 
 lor, " Timon of Athens," " The Roman Matron show- 
 ing her Husband how to Die," and the " Death of 
 Bonaparte," with these words written in the clouds, 
 " Tete d'Armee." The simple furniture of this humble 
 home was of the roughest kind, but such as would for 
 its antiquity be thought valuable and desirable now. 
 It consisted of a corner cupboard filled with quaint
 
 7 o 
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 china, a narrow looking-glass with the upper half bear- 
 ing a picture of the sun and moon, human faces repre- 
 senting each, tall brass andirons, a high brass fender, and 
 a spinning-wheel ; for it was the farmer's pride that all 
 his blankets and woollen goods came from the backs of 
 his own sheep, and were spun at home. An old " Her- 
 balist " hung by the side of the amusing and instructive 
 " Almanack " on the wall ; an ink-horn and a bunch of 
 quills, together with little bags of seed and other neces- 
 sary small articles, were ranged on little hooks around 
 the looking-glass. The round Dutch oven that baked 
 the wholesome bread, and the immense heavy pewter 
 platters from which the simple meals were eaten, and 
 which served in later years as covers to the milk-crocks 
 in the dairy, also the wonderful cradle-baskets for the 
 babies, and many smaller wicker baskets of odd shapes, 
 would now be readily secured as curiosities. Basket- 
 weaving in the long winter evenings was the favorite 
 occupation of " Old Joe," young Joe then, a faith- 
 ful trusted slave to an indulgent master, who hired him 
 to Mr. Booth year after year till both had grown old. 
 Long after the actor had passed away old Joe, until his 
 own death, remained in the service of the Booth family. 
 There were some sternly enforced rules in this house- 
 hold. One was the entire abstaining from animal food. 
 Animal life was sacred on the Farm, even the black 
 snakes, the dangerous copperheads, and the destructive 
 nighthawks and opossums, were spared. The loss of 
 many sheep and hogs induced this merciful farmer at 
 last to have his stock branded ; but farming was less 
 profitable than pleasant, and the actor had to leave his
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. ji 
 
 plough, like Cincinnatus, and go forth at the call of 
 duty. Very necessary, though, were the calm and rest 
 and congenial labor on that secluded farm after the 
 strain on brain and nerves and the long wearisome 
 travelling of those days. 
 
 In the year 1822 Mr. Booth welcomed his father 
 to his country home. Richard Booth from his early 
 manhood had regarded America as the desideratum of 
 all men, and he wished to pass the remainder of his 
 life in the United States. He was energetic in manag- 
 ing the Farm in his son's frequent and prolonged ab- 
 sence, and he employed his leisure in copying memoirs 
 of eminent men. At the close of his life he was occu- 
 pied upon a translation of the " ^Eneid," with a view of 
 adapting it to the stage. 
 
 The play-bill announcing the first appearance of 
 Mr. Booth in Philadelphia, at the house now known 
 as the Chestnut Street Theatre, will be found in full 
 on the following page. Three years previously Ed- 
 mund Kean made his dbut before a Philadelphia 
 audience under the same management. 
 
 Mr. Booth usually travelled from Harford County to 
 Baltimore and to Richmond in his carryall with two 
 horses, " Captain," a very large animal, and the fa- 
 vorite but diminutive " Peacock." He frequently en- 
 countered Mr. Cooper, the tragedian, who also travelled 
 by his own conveyance. In the year 1825 Mr. Booth 
 sailed for Europe, accompanied by his family, and an 
 extract from one of his letters to his father, quoted 
 here, refers to an accidental meeting with Edmund 
 Kean.
 
 NEW THEATRE. 
 
 The managers respectfully inform the public that 
 
 MR. BOOTH, 
 
 Of the Theatres Royal, Drury Lane, and Covent Garden, is en- 
 gaged for a few nights, and will make his first 
 appearance in this city on 
 
 Monday Evening, February i"jt/i, 1823, 
 In the Tragedy of 
 
 RICHARD THE THIRD. 
 
 Richard, Duke of Gloster Mr. Booth. 
 
 King Henry the Sixth Mr. \Vm. Warren. 
 
 Prince of Wales Mr. Hathwell. 
 
 Duke of York Miss H. Hathwell. 
 
 Duke of Buckingham Mr. W. B. Wood 
 
 Henry, Earl of Richmond Mr. II. Wai lack. 
 
 Duke of Norfolk Mr. Wheatly. 
 
 Tressel Mr. T. Jefferson. 
 
 Catesby Mr. Darley. 
 
 Ratcliff Mr. Scrivener. 
 
 Earl of Oxford Mr. J. Jefferson. 
 
 Lieutenant of Tower Mr. Bignall. 
 
 Lord Stanley Mr. Hathwell. 
 
 Lord Mayor Mr. Burke. 
 
 Tyrrel Mr. Murray. 
 
 Blount Mr. Greene. 
 
 Queen Elizabeth Mrs. Tatnall. 
 
 Duchess of York Mrs. Jefferson. 
 
 Lady Anne Mrs. Darley. 
 
 After which, a favorite Farce, called the 
 
 SPOILED CHILD. 
 
 On Wednesday, the " Iron Chest " ; Sir Edward Mortimer, 
 Mr. Booth. 
 
 On Friday, " A New Way to Pay Old Debts " ; Sir Giles Over- 
 reach, Mr. Booth.

 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 73 
 
 " LIVERPOOL, Sept. 20, 1825. 
 
 " DEAR FATHER, At last we are arrived after a pas- 
 sage of twenty-nine days' duration, which is a long one 
 from America at this season. To-day we go to London 
 through Leicester. Kean sails the day after to-morrow, 
 by the ' Silas Richards,' for New York. Strange that 
 he should meet me here he ready to embark, and to 
 that very country I have just left ! He has been quite 
 ill, and looks wretchedly. I passed an hour with him 
 last night at his quarters, and reconciled our ancient 
 misunderstanding. The vessel he goes in to New York 
 will most probably be the conveyance for this letter. I 
 really wish he may meet with success. He has been 
 all along a victim to sharpers and flatterers, who buoyed 
 him up with the notion of omnipotence, which now he 
 awakes from, and perceives the hollowness of those on 
 whom he mostly relied. Macready is sick, Young is 
 gone to Italy for his health, and Elliston is reported to 
 be dying." 
 
 Mr. Booth appeared in London at Drury Lane The- 
 atre, opening in " Brutus." Being loudly called for 
 at the fall of the curtain, he persistently refused to go 
 forward, urging as his reason that the custom should 
 be abolished. After this engagement he played at the 
 Royalty Theatre, and on his opening night after the per- 
 formance of " Richard " the entire building was burned 
 to the ground. It was the result of an accident by 
 which the management lost eighteen thousand pounds, 
 while all that remained of Mr. Booth's entire wardrobe 
 were three charred links of his coronation collar, which 
 he afterward found amid the ruins.
 
 74 
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 From one of his letters dated February, 1826, the 
 following extract is taken : 
 
 " The distress is so excessive, in consequence of the 
 number of banks failing and the full weekly list of bank- 
 rupts, that men look upon each other doubtful if they 
 shall defend their own, or steal their neighbor's prop- 
 erty. Famine stares all England in the face. As for 
 theatricals, they are not thought of, much less patron- 
 ized. The emigration to America will be very numer- 
 ous, as it is hardly possible for the middling classes to 
 keep body and soul together." 
 
 Mr. Booth received an offer to perform in rivalry 
 with W. C. Macready in Dublin, but not considering 
 the pecuniary inducement sufficient, he declined ; and 
 after fulfilling an -engagement at Bristol, under the man- 
 agement of the elder Macready, he visited Holland. At 
 Amsterdam he played Macbeth several times by special 
 request of the Prince of Orange, who was present at 
 each repetition of that character, and witnessed also 
 his performance of /ago, on which occasion Mr. S. 
 Chapman enacted Othello. 
 
 After performing in Rotterdam, Brussels, etc., Booth 
 sailed from the former place for America, in the ship 
 " Draper," Captain Hilliert. Possessing a facility of 
 acquiring languages, he had made himself master of 
 many tongues. Greek, Latin, and French were the 
 acquisition of his college days, German and Spanish he 
 studied in maturer years, and Arabic he endeavored to 
 acquire in age. On this homeward voyage in 1827 he 
 was occupied in the study of Italian. It was his habit 
 to set himself a task consisting of a certain number of
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 75 
 
 words which he had previously written on slips of paper, 
 and, as he walked the deck of the vessel, to commit 
 them to memory. 
 
 An unfortunate passenger who was allowed free ac- 
 cess to all parts of the vessel, and who, although insane, 
 was not considered dangerous, conceived the idea that 
 Mr. Booth was a conjurer, and practising the black art 
 upon him. One day, while the unconscious student 
 was in his cabin, his black girl rushed in, exclaiming, 
 
 " The crazy man is coming with an axe ! " 
 
 He turned toward the door just in time to catch the 
 glance of the intruder. With the unflinching gaze of 
 self-possession, he fixed the eye of the maniac, who 
 gradually lowered the weapon, and, letting it fall behind 
 him, walked slowly away. 
 
 Mr. Booth, on his return to America, made his first 
 appearance, on the 24th of March, 1827, at the Park 
 Theatre, New York, and played successively Richard, 
 Sir Giles Overreach, Sir Edward Mortimer, Posthu- 
 tnus, Reuben Glenroy, and, for his benefit, Selim, in the 
 " Bride of Abydos," and yerry Sneak. In the month 
 of June he again performed at the Park, appearing for 
 his benefit as Pescara, in the " Apostate," a charac- 
 ter written expressly for him by Sheil, and which he 
 had at first declined. The elder Conway represented 
 Hemeya on this occasion. 
 
 Mr. Gould, in "The Tragedian," says of the per- 
 formance : " Certainly in the personation of Pescara 
 Booth drew off some of that spirit which filled his lago, 
 adulterated it with Shiel, and offered it with great 
 acceptance to the rank palate of a popular audience,
 
 7 6 
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 1 Darkening his power to lend base subjects light.' 
 Yet the flashing and magnetic eye ; the crisp, resonant, 
 and changeful tones ; the natural attitudes of easy 
 power ; the lithe strength in action, always character- 
 istic of Booth, lent their wonted charm to this per- 
 formance also, and made Pescara yield a transitory 
 delight." 
 
 In 1828 he consented to undertake the stage man- 
 agement of the Camp Street Theatre, New Orleans, 
 under the lesseeship of his friend, Mr. Caldwell. 
 He played Richard III. for sixteen nights to densely 
 crowded houses. During his leisure hours he had per- 
 fected himself in several French dramas, playing, among 
 other parts, Fdiel in " Gabrielle De Vergy," TancrcJ, 
 Shakspere in " Shakspere Amoureux " ; and being a 
 proficient in the French language, he was solicited by 
 Mr. Davis, of the Theatre d'Orlans, to play Orestes, in 
 Racine's tragedy of " Andromaque." His accentuation 
 was so perfect, and every peculiarity of French acting 
 was so minutely observed by him, that the astonishment 
 and delight were universal. At the close of the perform- 
 ance he was loudly called for, and cries of " Talma ! 
 Talma ! " saluted him, amid every sound of applause 
 and approbation. 
 
 His copy of the play of " Andromaque " is profusely 
 marked with stage directions, and is accentuated in his 
 own handwriting. A note of reference is made to the 
 fact that " the role of Oreste cost the life of the cele- 
 brated actor Montfleuri, who enacted it with such force 
 that he exhausted his powers." 
 
 The following is a copy of the bill of Mr. Booth's 
 performance :
 
 77 
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 THEATRE D'ORLANS. 
 MR. BOOTH! 
 
 AujouM'hui Mardi, 19 Fevrier, 1828. 
 Une representation 
 
 D'ANDROMAQUE, 
 
 Tragedie en 5 actes et en vers de Racine, dans laquelle 
 M. Booth jouera le role d'Oreste. 
 
 DISTRIBUTION : 
 
 Oreste, fils d'Agamemnon M. Booth. 
 
 Pyrrhus, fils d'Achille, roi d'Epirc M. Leblanc. 
 
 Pylade, ami d'Oreste Tabary. 
 
 Phoenix, gouverneur de Pyrrhus Rochefort. 
 
 Andromaquc, V've d'Hector Mme. CholeL 
 
 Hcrmione " Clozel. 
 
 C16one, confidente d'Andromaque " Placide. 
 
 Cephise, confidente d'Hermione " Bolzd. 
 
 " L'administration ayant pense" que les talens de M. Booth, 
 celebre tragedien Anglais, seraient agreables au public, dont 
 elle s'empressera toujours de prevenir les desirs, a engage cet 
 artiste a jouer, avant son depart de cette ville, le role d'Oreste 
 dans la belle tragedie d'Andromaque de Racine. Mme. Cholet 
 a bien voulu se charger du role difficile d'Andromaque pour ne 
 pas faire manquer cette representation." 
 
 A New Orleans paper said : " A spectacle of deep 
 interest one as novel as it was pleasing was of- 
 fered last Tuesday night in the Orleans Theatre, to the 
 lovers of dramatic talents. Yielding to the solicitations 
 of several gentlemen of this city, Mr. Booth consented 
 to present himself before a French audience in the part 
 of Orestes. This effort, perilous in the extreme, and 
 which nothing but a wish to give to Frenchmen an op-
 
 78 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 portunity of judging fairly of what is termed the Eng- 
 lish style of tragic acting could have urged Mr. Booth to 
 risk, has been crowned with the most flattering success. 
 The ever-increasing interest excited by the warmth of 
 his feelings, the earnestness of his manner, and the im- 
 petuous ardor of his delivery, and, above all, whenever 
 passion rose high, when the furies goaded Orestes to 
 crimes, criticism was merged in admiration, and with 
 one voice all wondered that a stranger should thus feel 
 and express all the beauties of Racine." 
 
 Mr. Davis offered him three hundred dollars per 
 night for a period of twelve nights, but prior engage- 
 ments would not allow him to remain for so long a 
 term. An arrangement was however effected for a rep- 
 etition of " Andromaque " on Thursday, 2ist. The an- 
 nouncement is taken from the New Orleans Courier 
 of that date : ^ 
 
 " Mr. Booth, highly gratified for the manner in which 
 he was received by the audience of the Orleans The- 
 atre, has yielded to the request of the administration, 
 that he would again play the part of Orestes before his 
 departure, in order to afford those who could not pro- 
 cure boxes for the first representation an opportunity of 
 witnessing his performance. 
 
 Mr. Booth's Second Appearance. 
 
 ANDROMAQUE ; 
 
 To be followed by 
 
 THE WATER PORTER'S FAMILY, 
 by Scribe."
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 79 
 
 He then proceeded to Natchez and Nashville, and 
 afterward passed a week with General Jackson at the 
 Hermitage, where the time was pleasantly spent in 
 congenial society, varied with readings from Shakspere 
 and the poets. He next went to Cincinnati, where he 
 played a very lucrative engagement. 
 
 In 1831 he engaged to perform at the Tremont The- 
 atre, Boston, under the management of Mr. Dana, who 
 was evidently unaccustomed to theatrical business, as 
 the careless arrangement of his affairs indicated. He 
 frequently engaged stars to perform a similar character 
 on the same evening, and in this manner Mr. Booth 
 and Mr. Hamblin both arrived according to their sepa- 
 rate agreements, each claiming the house. The former, 
 being the more attractive, was selected, and Mr. Ham- 
 blin received a hundred dollars per night, remaining in 
 town the specified period of his engagement. 
 
 In speaking of the beautiful reading of Mr. Booth, 
 the author of " The Actor " makes the following com- 
 ment : 
 
 "We will here record an incident related to the 
 writer by the late Mr. Simmons, whose lectures on elo- 
 cution and dramatic poetry are well remembered by 
 the public. After witnessing one of Mr. Booth's splen- 
 did efforts in Boston, he introduced himself to Mr. 
 Booth, and acknowledged the pleasure he had derived 
 from listening to his beautiful readings, and requested 
 that they might read together. 
 
 " Accordingly a chapter was selected from the Bible, 
 ' and never? said the gifted lecturer, ' was I before so 
 struck with tiie eloquence, beauty, and power of tlie pas-
 
 8o THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 sages read by the great actor. His fine features glowed 
 with the fire of genius as he poured out his rich, melodi- 
 ous tones, apparently completely absorbed by the subject. 
 Late as it was, I could have sat the night through listen- 
 ing to eloquence till then unheard, and of which before I 
 had no conception. 1 " 
 
 Returning to Baltimore, Mr. Booth met his old friend, 
 Thomas Flynn, who had recently arrived from England. 
 Mr. Flynn had arranged to open the Annapolis Theatre, 
 then in course of erection, and proposed to him to play 
 an engagement there, offering a clear third of each 
 night's receipts. In due time Mr. Booth proceeded to 
 Annapolis; but instead of taking the usual mode of 
 conveyance, he went in a wood-sloop, and did not 
 arrive until a week after the time announced. The 
 engagement proved a profitable one, and the theatre 
 was nightly filled by the most fashionable people. 
 
 In the month of September, 1831, he accepted an 
 offer from Mr. Simpson to act two nights with Mr. 
 Forrest at the Park Theatre, New York. On the first 
 occasion Booth performed Pierre, in "Venice Pre- 
 served," and Forrest Jaffier ; the second night Booth 
 acted Othello, and Forrest lago, the theatre being 
 completely crowded to witness the great favorites in 
 the two productions. Mr. Booth frequently expressed 
 his admiration of Mr. Forrest's rendition of both Othello 
 and lago. 
 
 About this time Mr. Booth had obtained the lease of 
 the Adelphi Theatre, Baltimore, and had engaged Mr. 
 Flynn as his acting manager. He had designed open- 
 ing it early in September, 1831 ; but as the building had
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. g r 
 
 been undergoing extensive repairs, and was still in an 
 unfinished state, Mr. Booth rented the Holliday Street 
 Theatre until his own was completed. The princi- 
 pal members of his company were Messrs. Flynn, 
 Cooper, Duff, Warren, Roberts, Finn, Mrs. Duff, and 
 Mrs. Flynn. 
 
 During the season Charles Kean made his dbut 
 before a Baltimore audience as Richard III. " Ham- 
 let " was produced with the following powerful cast, Mr. 
 Booth accepting the part of Second Actor : 
 
 Hamlet Mr.' C. Kean. 
 
 Ghost Mr. Duff. 
 
 Polonius Mr. Warren. 
 
 Laertes Mr. Archer. 
 
 King Mr. Isherwood. 
 
 Horatio Mr. Hazard. 
 
 Osric Mr. J. Sefton. 
 
 First Grave-Digger Mr. Flynn. 
 
 Second Grave-Digger Mr. Mercer. 
 
 First Actor Mr. McKinney. 
 
 Second Actor Mr. Booth. 
 
 Ophelia Mrs. Flynn. 
 
 Queen Mrs. Duff. 
 
 " Booth gave the actor's speech with great effect. 
 The audience rose en masse, and cheered him to the 
 echo, as much for the beauty of its delivery as the 
 modesty which induced him to select a subordinate 
 character, thus bringing into effect the entire strength 
 of his company, and extending every advantage to the 
 distinguished stranger." 
 
 During the season, which was a very prosperous 
 one, he played several new characters, among which
 
 82 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 were Roderick Dhu, Selim, Richard II., Penruddock, 
 Falkland, in the " Rivals," Hotspur, and Luke, in 
 " Riches." His Luke and other characters are thus 
 criticised : 
 
 " His representation of Luke is original and beautiful. 
 The assumption of the lowly penitent after a course of 
 extravagance and folly is among the most lifelike scenes 
 ever portrayed by this master of the passions. Who 
 that has witnessed his representation can ever forget 
 his hypocritical plea for mercy when discovered in his 
 treachery, and his sudden, tiger-like spring after find- 
 ing it disregarded, and the bold transition from the 
 fawning suppliant to the daring ruffian, defying, even in 
 defeat, his injured brother? His representation of this 
 character alone would stamp him superior to any actor 
 on the stage. His Reuben Glenroy is also much ad- 
 mired for its chaste and beautiful performance. In 
 tender passages, the mournful and touching cadences 
 of his voice appeal directly to the heart ; and in the 
 representation of sterner passages, his acting approxi- 
 mates to the sublime. 
 
 " As Richard the Third, Pescara, Sir dies Over- 
 reach, Sir Edward Mortimer, Shylock, and lago, he 
 is without an equal. 
 
 " His fifth act of lago was^a most exquisite portrayal 
 of character ; although Othello in this scene usually en- 
 grosses the attention of the audience, and lago has but 
 few lines to utter, yet with Junius Brutus Booth as the 
 crafty villain, cowed, entrapped, with all his evil pas- 
 sions glowering in his face, we have seen his auditors 
 fascinated as it were with horror, oblivious of all other
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 83 
 
 characters on the stage, and seizing the first pause in 
 the action of the scene to vent their feelings in raptur- 
 ous applause. The secret workings of logo's mind 
 flashed in those powerful eyes ; the face reddened with 
 suppressed rage, then turned livid with hate ; and the 
 bitter intensity with which he expressed the lines, 
 
 1 Demand me nothing ; what you know, you know : 
 From this time forth I never will speak word,' 
 
 was marvellous. 
 
 " During the remainder of the scene his countenance 
 revealed what the tongue disdained to speak, and re- 
 tained its magnetic influence upon the beholders until 
 his final exit." 
 
 John Howard Payne thus criticises his performance 
 of Sir Edward Mortimer, in the play of the " Iron 
 Chest " : 
 
 " We must own we have never seen either that char- 
 acter, or Booth in his palmiest days, with more unmixed 
 delight. The perturbations of a spirit generous and 
 grand by nature, and idolizing popularity, but racked 
 with a heavy and agonizing and damning secret, and 
 jealously and unslumberingly on the alert for symptoms 
 of its being suspected, were pictured with the genius 
 and the power of a master. So was the whirlwind of 
 despair at the withering secret's final detection. There 
 was variety and truth in the artist's enunciation and 
 attitudes and countenance, and these qualities were car- 
 ried even to the expression of the hands, which, could 
 they have been disjoined from that of the rest of his 
 person, at any one point of the passion, would at a
 
 8 4 
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 glance have disclosed to an instructed eye the Her- 
 cules in his art. This manual eloquence (if we may 
 venture such a phrase) escapes imitation, even in paint- 
 ing and sculpture, by mediocrity, but, if ever studied, as 
 equally precious and difficult by those who know how 
 to excel. Last evening Mr. Booth displayed it with 
 surpassing skill." 
 
 Mr. James E. Murdock, in his very entertaining book, 
 " The Stage," recently published, gives a graphic ac- 
 count of his first appearance with Mr. Booth. He 
 says : 
 
 " Of all the men with whom my professional duties 
 made me acquainted, no one, perhaps, impressed me 
 so strongly as the elder Booth. There was something 
 peculiar about him that acted like a charm, and com- 
 manded the respect and won the esteem of all whose 
 advances he encouraged; but he was, nevertheless, 
 generally undemonstrative and shy. A morbid ten- 
 dency of feeling, which gave rise to wild and defiant 
 moods, led him at times to things at variance with the 
 conventionalities of society, and entirely opposed to his 
 well-known gentlemanly character ; and these eccen- 
 tricities caused coldness and reserve both with himself 
 and his friends. But when the ' cloud ' passed, and his 
 true nature asserted itself, Booth was capable of winning 
 the love of many and the esteem of all. His literary 
 tastes and abilities were of a high order, while his men- 
 tal qualities were remarkable for clearness and range. 
 I remember the first time I was brought into direct con- 
 tact with the magnetic influence by which he ruled the 
 dramatic scene and swayed his audience. I was quite
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 8$ 
 
 a lad, and had not been on the stage more than a year 
 or two when I was selected to play Wilford to his Sir 
 Edward Mortimer for the first time. Booth's face, be- 
 fore he met with the accident which disfigured his nose, 
 was of surpassing beauty, and, speaking in the spirit of 
 enthusiasm, to my mind's eye it always realized the 
 ideal grandeur represented in Hamlet's lines : 
 
 1 See what a grace was seated on this brow : 
 Hyperion's curls ; the front of Jove himself ; 
 An eye like Mars, to threaten and command.' 
 
 Such was the impression made on my youthful mind in 
 gazing for the first time on Booth's features when 
 dressed for Sir Edward Mortimer. The sweetness of 
 a settled melancholy was in his face, while his large, 
 lustrous eye was full of gentle tenderness. But I was 
 destined to see that face and eye in a different light, 
 and to realize a very different feeling from that of quiet 
 admiration. 
 
 " On the morning of the rehearsal I found the great 
 tragedian pleasant and communicative, and as I was 
 anxious to learn the business of the scene and to exe- 
 cute it to the satisfaction of my superior, I was attentive 
 and deeply interested. My readers will call to mind 
 the relations of Sir Edward Mortimer and his young 
 secretary. The latter was taken from an inferior posi- 
 tion in life and elevated to the confidence and friend- 
 ship of his patron, over whom hung that fascination 
 to the young a profound mystery. With that mystery 
 was connected an iron chest which Sir Edward was 
 known to visit often, and always alone, returning from
 
 86 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 such visits with evident marks of the deepest agita- 
 tion. 
 
 " One day Wilford, being engaged in the secluded 
 apartment where the chest was kept, with surprise 
 observed that the key was in the lock. After overcom- 
 ing honest scruples in a long struggle with fatal curi- 
 osity, he knelt before the mysterious chest and turned 
 the key ; then hesitating for a moment he searched the 
 apartment in order to be satisfied that he was secure 
 from observation. Now the stage business Mr. Booth 
 was so particular in teaching me was this : I was en- 
 joined to take time, and after a careful survey of the 
 premises to kneel on one knee, place my left hand on 
 the lid of the chest, then, gently raising it, to hold it 
 back, and, looking closely in, to place my right hand on 
 the papers which it contained, turning them over as if 
 seeking for something hidden beneath. The strictest in- 
 junction was given to pay no attention to what was to 
 follow on the part of Sir Edward, no matter how long 
 the suspense might last, but when I felt his hand upon 
 my shoulder to turn abruptly, letting the lid of the chest 
 fall with a slam, and, still on my knee, hold a firm atti- 
 tude till I was warned, by a sudden pressure of Mr. 
 Booth's hand, to rise to my feet and stand before him. 
 
 " On the night of the performance I was nervous and 
 ill at ease from the want of a firm and assured hold 
 upon the words of my part, which I had mastered at 
 short notice and with more attention to the sense than 
 to special expression. However I contrived to keep 
 up with the action of the play. At length I found 
 myself in the presence of the mysterious chest. I was
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. g? 
 
 almost breathless with excitement and from anxiety 
 consequent on my strong desire to execute Mr. Booth's 
 orders to the very letter. I had proceeded so far as to 
 open the chest, and stooping over the papers awaited 
 trembling on my knee the appointed signal for action. 
 The time seemed an eternity, but it came at last. The 
 heavy hand fell on my shoulder. I turned, and there, 
 with the pistol held to my head, stood Booth glaring 
 like an infuriated demon. Then for the first time I 
 comprehended the reality of acting. The fury of that 
 passion- flamed face and the magnetism of the rigid 
 clutch upon my arm paralyzed my muscles, while the 
 scintillating gleam of the terrible eyes, like the green 
 and red flashes of an enraged serpent, fascinated and 
 fixed me spell-bound to the spot. A sudden revulsion 
 of feeling caused me to spring from my knees, but, 
 bewildered with fright, and a choking sensation of un- 
 defined dread, I fell heavily to the stage, tripping Mr. 
 Booth, who still clutched my shoulder. I brought him 
 down with me, and for a moment we lay prostrate. 
 But suddenly recovering himself he sprang to his feet, 
 with almost superhuman strength dragging me up, qs I 
 clung to his arm in terror. Shaking himself free of my 
 grasp, I sank down again, stunned and helpless. I was 
 aroused to consciousness, "however, by a voice calling 
 me in suppressed accents to rise, and then became 
 aware that Mr. Booth was kneeling at my side. He 
 helped me to my feet, whispering in my ear a few en- 
 couraging words, and then dexterously managed in 
 spite of the accident, and my total inability to speak, 
 to continue the scene to its close.
 
 88 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 " Thus was I, an unfortunate tyro, saved from disgrace 
 by the coolness and kindness of one who had every 
 reason to be moved by a very different state of mind ; 
 for it was evident that, but for the actor's readiness 
 and skill in improvising the business of the stage, one 
 of the most important and interesting scenes of the 
 play would have proved a mortifying failure. The 
 kindness of the act was its own reward, for my present 
 recollection is that the audience never evinced the 
 slightest indication of the presence of a disturbing 
 element, but on the contrary gave evidence of their 
 satisfaction by applause at the critical moment to 
 which I have alluded. In more than one way Booth 
 was a true poetic genius and dramatic artist. He al- 
 ways seemed to grasp the ideal beauty and intellectual 
 power of the poet's thought, and worked out from the 
 author's language the full force of the emotion or 
 passion which was the root of its mental growth. Thus 
 mastering the intent and purpose of the words, he in- 
 vested their utterance with the graceful foliage or the 
 more vigorous strength of branch and limb from the 
 power of his varied and wonderful forms of expression. 
 This he seemed to do apparently with so much real 
 enjoyment of the poet's innermost feelings that the 
 fervor of a gratified sense seized upon his hearers, and 
 established a congenial and sympathetic communion 
 with the enthusiasm of the actor." 
 
 In January, 1832, Mr. Booth opened at the Chestnut 
 Street Theatre, Philadelphia, in " Sertorius," a new play 
 written by the eminent lawyer, David Paul Brown. 
 This performance is spoken of as -being exquisitely
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 8 9 
 
 beautiful, and the tragedy one of great interest and 
 sublimity. At the termination of this engagement he 
 visited professionally New Orleans, Mobile, Louisville, 
 and Cincinnati. In 1 833 the following letter was ad- 
 dressed to his father. His letters generally present a 
 curious combination of theology, metaphysics, hygiene, 
 and farming. 
 
 FRIDAY EVE. 
 
 DEAR FATHER, The weather was so bad that the 
 managers closed the house on Wednesday evening. I 
 had to play on Thursday, in lieu of it, and again to- 
 night. As Joe will want " Fanny " to finish the 
 ploughing, I send her home. Let the gentleman who 
 bears this have " Peacock " to ride back to Baltimore. 
 Let Joe sow the timothy in the meadow. Tell Junius 
 not to go opossum hunting, or setting rabbit-traps, but 
 to let the poor devils live. Cruelty is the offspring of 
 idleness of mind and beastly ignorance, and, in children, 
 should be repressed and not encouraged, as is too often 
 the case, by unthinking beings who surround them. A 
 thief, who takes property from another, has it in his 
 power, should he repent, to make a restoration; but 
 the robber of life never can give back what he has 
 wantonly and sacrilegiously taken from beings perhaps 
 innocent, and equally capable of enjoying pleasure or 
 suffering torture with himself. The ideas of Pythagoras 
 I have adopted ; and as respects our accountability to 
 animals hereafter, nothing that man can preach can 
 make me believe to the contrary. " Every death its 
 own avenger breeds." Enough of this. I think there 
 is some parsnip-seed hanging in a paper, by the look-
 
 90 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 ing-glass, in the parlor. Let Joe sow some, on manure, 
 in small trenches; in the garden, say three or four 
 rows. 
 
 Read the wondrous tale of "Alroy," by D'Israeli. 
 He was, in the twelfth century, the Jewish Messiah, 
 and, but for a woman, the daughter of a robber's 
 daughter, would have given us, perhaps, another re- 
 ligion, as all were obliged, by the theocracy, who were 
 his ministers and supporters, to embrace the Hebrew 
 faith, or die. Junius is a good boy, and will make a 
 scholar of no mean capacity. I hope you enjoy health, 
 and take my theory founded on positive experience, as 
 respects going to sleep. Rise early, walk, or use some 
 exercise in the open air, and, when going to bed, drink 
 a warm liquid, either weak grog, gruel, or even 
 water; drink nearly or quite a pint at one draught. 
 Lie down directly, and in fifteen minutes you will sink 
 into a comfortable lethargy. Coffee and tea, however, 
 must be avoided, as they prevent sleep. A slice of 
 bread-and-butter, and an onion or lettuce for supper, 
 prior to this potation, is good, much opium, and 
 of a harmless quantity, being contained in the latter 
 vegetable. 
 
 God bless you. I hope soon to see you again. 
 Your affectionate son, 
 
 J. B. BOOTH. 
 
 Mr. Booth entered into an engagement with Mr. 
 Hamblin, to play three nights a week for the period of 
 a year. The Richmond Theatre was taken for this 
 purpose, and a part of the company proceeded in a
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. ^ 
 
 stage-coach to Baltimore. On the road to Belair the 
 stage broke down, and the party, including Miss Vin- 
 cent, Messrs. Hamblin, Flynn, Phillips, and others, 
 were compelled to remain over night at the Farm. 
 They walked a long distance to the cottage, and evi- 
 dently disturbed the monotony of forest life, for the 
 servants who had grown gray on the place were wont 
 to tell of the merry players who, many years ago, made 
 such an unceremonious visit. The stillness of the 
 woods soon became oppressive to the jovial guests, 
 while to the master of these solitudes the faintest sound 
 of insect, breeze, or brook, was full of a joyous mystery, 
 and he manifested surprise when asked by one of the 
 party, " Booth, how can you exist in such a wilder- 
 ness ? " 
 
 On the following afternoon the company proceeded 
 to Baltimore, and, arriving in Richmond, opened to a 
 crowded house. Mr. Booth became the subject of 
 a newspaper controversy, arising from his refusal to 
 answer the call of the audience at the fall of the cur- 
 tain. On the fourth night of his engagement he 
 received intelligence of the dangerous illness of one of 
 his children, and abruptly left the city without assigning 
 the reason for his departure. The child lived only a 
 short time after his arrival, and was buried in the little 
 graveyard on the Farm. Mr. Booth then proceeded to 
 Baltimore with the intention of completing his engage- 
 ment in Richmond, but was there informed that the 
 theatre was closed, and that Mr. Hamblin had gone to 
 New York. Being detained in Baltimore for several days 
 by the snow, a letter arrived from Belair requesting his
 
 C)2 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 immediate return to the sick-bed of another of his 
 children. He arrived only in time to witness her 
 death. The loss of this child was the culmination of 
 his sorrow, for his mind became entirely unsettled for 
 a time and a painful illness followed. 
 
 While the bereaved mother braced every nerve to 
 nurse her remaining children, and the father had quite 
 succumbed to his affliction, Mr. Hamblin, unaware 
 how grief had settled over the little farm, and unable 
 by the heavy snow-storms to effect any communication 
 with that retired place, had brought a lawsuit against 
 Mr. Booth for breaking his engagement. His father, 
 Richard Booth, determined at this crisis to stop pro- 
 ceedings by going at once to Philadelphia. Distressed 
 and infirm as the old gentleman was, he set out upon 
 the tedious journey with alacrity, not heeding the in- 
 clement weather. Old Joe accompanied him as pro- 
 tector and waiting-man ; such confidence was placed in 
 the integrity of this slave for life by his legal owner, that 
 consent was readily given for him to accompany his 
 master ; the fact being well known to all parties that 
 the slave could assert his freedom as soon as he 
 touched the soil of Pennsylvania. With laudable pride 
 the old man used to tell how he repaid his owner's 
 confidence by returning home. He died in slavery, 
 a true-hearted, faithful, good old man, enjoying the 
 respect of all who knew him ; he never murmured at 
 his own bondage, but with his small earnings he bought 
 the freedom of his wife, so that of their numerous 
 family only four of her children were born free, the 
 others being slaves to his wife's master until the age of 
 twenty- four.
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 93 
 
 The threatened lawsuit was amicably adjusted, when, 
 on recovery from a severe illness, Mr. Booth consented 
 to perform three nights a week during a period of three 
 months, at the Bowery Theatre, New York. This 
 theatre at that time was in its palmy days under Mr. 
 Hamblin's management, and was conducted in a man- 
 ner superior to the Park. Mr. Booth opened with 
 " Richard III." to a house yielding thirteen hundred 
 dollars. He engaged to play on the intervening 
 nights at the Arch Street Theatre, Philadelphia, un- 
 der the direction of Mr. Duffy, for the space of one 
 month, Mr. Booth playing alternately in the two cities 
 and travelling the intermediate distance by stage- 
 coach. The last night of this engagement in Phila- 
 delphia he acted Oroonoko, and as he was hurrying 
 through the performance he fancied some dissatisfac- 
 tion was expressed by the audience. He arose, after 
 killing himself, and walking to the footlights exclaimed, 
 " I '11 serve you as General Jackson did : I '11 veto you." 
 At this period the celebrated veto messages of General 
 Jackson were creating great excitement in political 
 circles. 
 
 Mr. Booth went from New York to New Orleans, 
 thence to Mobile, and afterward through the Western 
 cities. During this tour the calamity which seemed to 
 increase in strength and frequency with maturer years, 
 assumed many singular phases. In the records of his 
 youth, when his profession held every incentive to 
 ambition, energy, and indefatigable labor, when his 
 habits were most temperate and abstemious, we oc- 
 casionally find those slight aberrations of mind which
 
 94 
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 mark that exquisite turning-point between genius and 
 madness. To those accustomed to the intense excita- 
 bility of peculiar temperaments, who see how the brain 
 of the actor is wrought upon by the assumption of har- 
 rowing, though fictitious scenes, and who feel how 
 frequently the delineator of the passions thinks, dreams, 
 exists in a sphere of ideality, it is neither strange nor 
 difficult to comprehend how such minds are over- 
 thrown by the reaction, and oftentimes ruined utterly ; 
 
 " Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh." 
 
 Thus from early youth his children learned from 
 their mother, the devoted and unwearying nurse of 
 him who endured these periodical tortures of mind, 
 to regard these seasons of abstraction with sad and 
 reverent forbearance. 
 
 Mr. Booth, at the conclusion of this tour, com- 
 menced an engagement in New York on the 2Qth of 
 August, 1836, at the National Theatre, situated on the 
 corner of Leonard and Church Streets, under the man- 
 agement of Mr. Flynn. The first night he performed 
 Shylock, when the receipts were sixteen hundred dol- 
 lars ; and he played eight nights to houses almost 
 equally crowded. The intellect and fashion of the city 
 nightly filled the theatre. He visited Philadelphia and 
 Baltimore, and in October sailed with his family for 
 Europe. 
 
 He was engaged on arrival to play three nights at 
 Drury Lane Theatre for twenty-five pounds a night, 
 opening as Richard. He played lago the second 
 evening, and repeated Richard on the third. He after-
 
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 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 95 
 
 ward played a brief engagement at the Surrey Theatre, 
 going thence to Sadlers Wells. 
 
 While performing in Birmingham he received news 
 of the death of a favorite son, Henry Byron Booth, 
 whom he had left with his family in London. The 
 grave of this son is in the churchyard at Pentonville 
 (near that of Grimaldi). On the stone erected by Mr. 
 Booth are the beautiful lines taken from Southey's 
 "Doctor," 
 
 " Oh, even in spite of death, yet still my choice, 
 Oft with the inward, all-beholding eye, 
 I think I see thee, and I hear thy voice." 
 
 The following letter refers to this bereavement : 
 
 PENTONVILLE, Jan. 28, 1837. 
 
 DEAR FATHER, We have at last cause, and severe 
 it is, to regret coming to England. I have delayed 
 writing till time had somewhat softened the horror of 
 the event. Our dear little Henry is dead ! He caught 
 the small-pox, and it proved fatal ; he has been buried 
 about three weeks, in the Chapel ground, close by. 
 Think what his loss has been to us, so proud as I 
 was of him above all others. The infernal disease has 
 placed Hagar [a slave] in the hospital. Edwin and 
 the baby* were inoculated and are getting well. I 
 
 * The " baby " alluded to in this letter was not named until she was 
 nearly two years old, it being a matter of discussion whether to call her 
 after the accomplished young Sydney Cowell (Mrs. Bateman), who was 
 a great favorite with Mr. and Mrs. Booth, or Ayesha, in recollection of 
 one of Mahomet's wives. Finally the decision was made by Mr. Booth 
 writing to his wife, " Call the little one Asia in remembrance of that
 
 96 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 shall play a few nights more in London, and at Edin- 
 burgh before I return. Forrest won't play any more, 
 at least he says so now. Hamblin is here ; so are Bar- 
 rett of Boston, Ternan of Philadelphia, and Rice ; the 
 only one, it appears, who has really bettered his for- 
 tunes in London is he. Jim Crow, one would have 
 thought, the Cockneys could not understand, but con- 
 trary to all calculation it is the mania amongst them. 
 
 Hoping you are in health, and may long continue 
 so, is the prayer of 
 
 Your affectionate son, 
 
 J. B. BOOTH. 
 
 After this melancholy loss he started with his family 
 for America on the ship " Ontario." On his arrival in 
 New York, he acted at the Bowery Theatre on the night 
 of the 4th of July, 1837, receiving two hundred dol- 
 lars for the performance, which closed the season. In 
 the fall of the year he fulfilled an engagement at the 
 Olympic in- New York, and on the third night he ap- 
 peared as Richard III., W. R. Blake enacting Rich- 
 mond, Mrs. Blake Queen Elizabeth, and Master Louis 
 Blake the Duke of York. The theatre was brilliantly 
 illuminated in commemoration of the evacuation of 
 New York by the British. 
 
 Mr. Booth was engaged to perform in New York at 
 the Bowery on the i8th of February, 1838, but on ar- 
 riving in the city was astonished to find the building in 
 
 country where God first walked with man, and Frigga, because she 
 came to us on Friday, which day is consecrated to the Northern 
 Venus."
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 97 
 
 ruins. A benefit was given at the Park for the aid of 
 the sufferers by the conflagration, and he volunteered 
 to act on the occasion. At the rise of the curtain he 
 was missing, and Mr. Flynn finally discovered him at 
 a fire in William 'Street, laboring at an engine, in the 
 endeavor, as he said, " to save people's property from 
 destruction." 
 
 He subsequently visited the South on a professional 
 tour, accompanied by Mr. Thomas Flynn. They em- 
 barked in the steamer "Neptune." Mr. Booth was 
 observed to be very melancholy on the voyage, and 
 talked frequently of Conway, who, in a fit of depres- 
 sion, had committed suicide by jumping into the sea. 
 When the vessel neared the place where the unfortu- 
 nate actor had perished, he came hurriedly on deck, 
 saying he had a message for Conway, and leaped into 
 the ocean. A boat was immediately lowered, and with 
 difficulty he was rescued from a watery grave. After 
 he was safe in the boat, his first words, according to 
 Mr. Flynn 's report, were, " I say, Tom, look out : 
 you 're a heavy man, be steady ; if the boat upsets 
 we '11 all be drowned." 
 
 It was during this Charleston trip that his nose was 
 broken, spoiling the beauty of his countenance, and 
 giving to his harmonious voice a nasal tone. 
 
 Mr. Gould thus speaks of this occurrence : " The 
 accident by which his nose was broken, spoiling forever 
 his noble profile, threatened for a time the more seri- 
 ous disaster of a permanent injury to his voice. Im- 
 mediately on recovery he began to play. To those 
 who, during these first performances, recalled the per-
 
 9 8 
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 feet features and the resonant tones of former years, 
 the sight and sound were indeed pitiful. The head 
 tones were scarcely perceptible. But instead of hu- 
 moring this vocal infirmity he spoke with all the old 
 mastery of motive, and let the result take care of itself. 
 By this persistent method, in less than two years after 
 the accident his voice had completely recovered its 
 original scope, variety, and power, as we can attest by 
 close, solicitous, and comparative observation." 
 
 During the last ten years of his life the elder Booth 
 passed a considerable portion of his time in tlje midst 
 of his family, occasionally making professional tours 
 with a careless disregard of fame, which may be ac- 
 counted for by the depressing consciousness of the 
 accident which had marred his face and voice. It was, 
 however, a marked peculiarity of his entire career that 
 he would consent to perform at any theatre regardless 
 of its pretensions, and was equally unconcerned about 
 the costliness or grandeur of his wardrobe, so long as it 
 was correct in point of fashion and of date. He played 
 annually in Boston and New Orleans, in which places 
 he was an established favorite, and, having removed 
 his residence to Baltimore, made periodical visits to the 
 Farm during the oppressive heat of summer. 
 
 He indulged his philanthropic inclinations unre- 
 strainedly, and the particulars of some charitable visit 
 or donation would frequently be disclosed to the fam- 
 ily by the grateful recipient. 
 
 The writer's earliest recollection of her father, when 
 she was four years of age, is seeing him upon his knees 
 before a rough sailor who had asked alms at the door.
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 99 
 
 The poor fellow had a bad wound on his leg which was 
 suffering from neglect, and Mr. Booth brought him into 
 the house, and washed and bandaged the injured limb 
 with the tenderest care. 
 
 These little deeds of kindness were of almost daily 
 occurrence. He thus sought to impress upon the 
 minds of his children the lessons of humanity to man 
 and beast more by his own acts than by precept. He 
 delighted to seek out the destitute and unfortunate, and 
 to aid them by his sympathy as well as by his bounty. 
 
 It was on one of these errands of mercy that the 
 horse thief, Fontaine, alias Lovett, was pointed out to 
 him. Lovett was then confined in the Louisville jail. 
 It was remarked that he had no means of obtaining 
 counsel, and Mr. Booth, although assured that his case 
 was hopeless, sent him a lawyer and defrayed the ex- 
 penses of his trial ; for which kindness, when Lovett 
 heard of it, he bequeathed him his skull, desiring " that 
 it should be given after his execution to the actor Booth, 
 with the request that he would use it on the stage in 
 ' Hamlet,' and think, when he held it in his hands, of 
 the gratitude his kindness had awakened." 
 
 The skull was accordingly sent to his residence while 
 he was absent from the city, but Mrs. Booth, finding 
 what a horrible thing had been left in her house, im- 
 mediately returned it to the doctor to whom it had 
 been intrusted for preparation and delivery. (In 1857 
 the doctor, who had retained the skull, sent it to 
 Edwin Booth, who used it in the graveyard scene in 
 " Hamlet " on several occasions, and afterward had 
 it buried.)
 
 100 
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 In the year 1850 the elder Booth played several 
 engagements at the National Theatre, Chatham Street, 
 New York. At this time the Broadway Theatre, now 
 demolished, was the only establishment on Broadway 
 strictly devoted to the regular drama. A misunder- 
 standing having occurred between Mr. Marshall, the 
 lessee, and Mr. Booth, he was prevailed upon by Mr. 
 Purdy, of the National, to accept an engagement with 
 him. He was supported by John R. Scott, H. A. 
 Perry, and a superior company. The house was 
 nightly crowded with his admirers. Subsequently, he 
 made his last appearance in New York at this theatre, 
 on the ipth of September, 1851, playing Sky lock and 
 Sir Edward Mortimer. 
 
 In Washington, in 1850, Mr. Booth performed 
 JBrutus, and his son Edwin, Titus. The author, John 
 Howard Payne, witnessed the performance. In Rich- 
 mond, Va,, shortly afterward the same play was repeated, 
 father and son assuming the same characters. In the 
 solemn interview between them, where the Roman 
 Consul is condemning his son to an ignominious death, 
 his countenance portrayed an agony of suffering, and 
 tears streamed from his eyes as he took the head of his 
 recreant boy to his bosom. The audience was breath- 
 less from intensity of feeling, when the silence was sud- 
 denly broken by an exclamation from a drunken man 
 in the gallery. Mr. Booth, still absorbed in the part, 
 raised his eyes and, gazing fixedly towards the gallery, 
 said sternly, " Beware ! I am the headsman, I am the 
 executioner." The effect thus produced was shown in 
 the continued silence of the audience, which greatly
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. IO i 
 
 added to the solemnity of the scene. This complete 
 identification with the characters was one of the subtle 
 charms of his acting ; his clear and vigorous mind 
 could imbue itself with the varied tints of another's 
 personality, holding its own individuality in reserve, or 
 as it were subservient. An eminent actor once re- 
 marked of Mr. Booth " that he was always within the 
 picture ; " and in the soul of the character, might well 
 be added, unlike Boileau's easily recognized writer, 
 who, " inspired by self-love, forms all his heroes like 
 himself." 
 
 In 1851 Mr. Booth performed a variety of characters 
 at the old Chestnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia. 
 Mr. James E. Murdock appeared as Falconbridge to 
 his King John, Jaffier to his Pierre, Antony to his 
 Casar. Mr. Booth acted Pescara, and Miss Jean Dav- 
 enport Florinda. "The Merchant of Venice " was then 
 produced. Mr. Booth arrived at the theatre unusually 
 early, and immediately prepared himself for the part. 
 At the rising of the curtain Shylock was not to be 
 found, although he had been previously observed by 
 persons behind the scenes. Mr. Fredericks, the stage- 
 manager, was in perplexity, and the actors generally 
 were confused and anxious. 
 
 It was decided that the performance should com- 
 mence and continue uninterruptedly to the time of 
 Shy-lock's entrance (which does not occur until nearly 
 the close of the first act), meanwhile every effort 
 should be employed to discover the " Wandering Jew," 
 and if he did not come in due time the stage-manager's 
 favorite walking gentleman should address the audience 
 and expose " Mr. Booth's unprincipled conduct."
 
 IO2 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 The much dreaded time arrived, and Shylock had 
 not appeared. Messengers had been despatched to 
 various localities, and the theatre had undergone a 
 thorough search. Mr. Fredericks was in a most unen- 
 viable state of excitement, and the apologist was ready 
 with his speech, when at the exact point of time the 
 door of a dark scene-closet was quietly opened from 
 the interior, and Shylock mysteriously emerged there- 
 from, gently pushed Mr. Fredericks aside, and walked 
 slowly and in deep reflection upon the stage. 
 
 The stage-manager, stricken with amazement, van- 
 ished into the green-room, where he related the aston- 
 ishing behavior of Booth, vowing that " he was always 
 an enigma, that he never could understand him." 
 As he had not recently appeared in the character of 
 Shylock, he was consequently more than ordinarily 
 nervous on this occasion, and had dressed early and 
 retired to the most secluded spot he could find, in order 
 to go over his part without interruption. He was quite 
 innocent of having created any uneasiness or confusion, 
 and consequently walked out of the darkness, com- 
 pletely engrossed in the part. 
 
 In the spring of 1852, Junius Booth, his son, who 
 had been for several years a resident of California, 
 came home on a visit to the family, and with the inten- 
 tion of taking his father back with him ; as he had been 
 earnestly solicited by the Californians to induce him 
 to go to that country. They left New York in June, 
 accompanied by Edwin Booth. In thirty-seven days 
 they reached San Francisco, having lost eight days by 
 detention in Panama.
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 103 
 
 Mr. Booth opened at the Jenny Lind Theatre, and 
 attracted crowded audiences for two weeks, when the 
 engagement was imperatively terminated, the site of 
 the theatre having been previously purchased for the 
 erection of a City Hall. He then went up the river to 
 fulfil an engagement at Sacramento, where the patron- 
 age of the public was comparatively small, and his 
 reception, though cordial, was not so rapturous and 
 enthusiastic as that which greeted him in San Fran- 
 cisco. In September he again performed in San 
 Francisco, and attracted overflowing houses at the 
 Adelphi Theatre. In these California engagements 
 Edwin Booth acted in nearly all of his father's pieces, 
 appearing as Richmond, Laertes, Hemeya, and jfaffier. 
 
 Mr. Booth suddenly resolved to return to the " States," 
 and insisted on his son remaining to pursue the pro- 
 fession he had chosen. Of late years he had frequently 
 expressed his intention of retiring from active life, and 
 as a sad intimation that the idea had weight with him, 
 he gave his Richard's diadem an ornament that had 
 been for years a treasure of considerable care to his 
 eldest son, saying that he should not need it. This 
 resignation of the crown was painfully remembered in 
 connection with that final event so soon to distress 
 them, yet he parted from his sons in excellent health 
 and spirits, looking hopefully forward to reaching home. 
 He had engaged his passage on the "Brother Jona- 
 than," and on the morning of starting, while anxiously 
 superintending the transportation of his baggage to the 
 boat, he was somewhat annoyed at the dilatory manner 
 of a rough, surly sailor who was executing the work,
 
 104 
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 and kindly urged the man to show more alacrity ; but, 
 observing that he obstinately moved slower, and was 
 disposed to be insolent, he inquired sharply, "What 
 are you employed for? who are you?" 
 
 The seaman with a vicious look gruffly replied, " I 
 am a thief." 
 
 Mr. Booth, with a quick intuition of character, im- 
 mediately exclaimed, " Give me your hand, comrade ; 
 I am a pirate ! " 
 
 The man looked abashed, yet, evidently recognizing 
 the spirit of kindliness which prompted such a response, 
 extended his hand in silence. 
 
 On his arrival in New Orleans in November, feeling 
 well and vigorous, he accepted an engagement at the 
 St. Charles Theatre. He performed six nights, and 
 was greeted with thronged and enthusiastic audiences, 
 but could not be prevailed upon to extend his engage- 
 ment, as he was desirous of reaching home. His last 
 appearance was as Sir Edward Mortimer in the " Iron 
 Chest" and as John Lump. 
 
 Being greatly exhausted after the performance, it is 
 supposed that he contracted a cold, which rapidly grew 
 worse. He took passage for Cincinnati on the " J. S. 
 Chenoweth," and becoming in a few days very feverish, 
 he drank freely of the Mississippi water, which greatly 
 increased his disorder. There was no physician on 
 board, and he would not trouble the captain to procure 
 one, but with all that patient endurance which had ever 
 characterized him, bore his sufferings unmurmuringly 
 and alone. He kept his stateroom almost entirely, to 
 avoid remark, and by this means incurred still greater
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. IO ,; 
 
 THE LAST PLAY-BILL. 
 
 ST. CHARLES THEATRE. 
 BENEFIT OF 
 
 MR. BOOTH, 
 
 And positively last night of his engagement. 
 Friday Evening, Nov. iqth, 1852. 
 
 MR. BOOTH IN PLAY AND FARCE. 
 
 THE IRON CHEST. 
 
 Sir Edward Mortimer Mr. Booth. 
 
 Wilford Mr. Nagle. 
 
 Fitzharding Mr. Kemble. 
 
 Adam Winterton Mr. Mark Smith. 
 
 Sampson Rawbold Mr. De Bar. 
 
 Orson Mr. Lewellen. 
 
 Rawbold Mr. Potter. 
 
 Servant Mr. Melville. 
 
 Gregory Mr. Jones. 
 
 Peter Mr. Howard. 
 
 Helen Mrs. Stone. 
 
 Blanch Mrs. Estelle Potter. 
 
 Barbara Mrs. Howard 
 
 To conclude with the Musical Farce of the 
 
 REVIEW; 
 
 Or, The Wag of Windsor. 
 John Lump Mr. Booth.
 
 10 6 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 neglect. His disease turned to consumption of the 
 bowels, of which he died on Tuesday, 3oth of Novem- 
 ber, 1852, at 2 P.M. The steward of the vessel re- 
 ported his last words to have been, in a scarcely audible 
 voice, "Pray! pray! pray!" On reaching Cincinnati 
 the Masonic fraternity had the body embalmed in a 
 metallic coffin and deposited in the Baptist vault. 
 Mrs. Booth was telegraphed for, and arrived in Cin- 
 cinnati expecting to find her husband very ill, the 
 second despatch, announcing his decease, not reach- 
 ing Baltimore until her departure from that city. She 
 returned home as soon as possible, bringing the body 
 with her for interment. 
 
 For three days the house in which his remains lay 
 was thronged with people of every class. The walls 
 of the parlors were draped with white, pictures and 
 mirrors were covered, and all the ornaments were re- 
 moved, excepting a marble figure of Shakspere, which 
 was placed near the coffin, and seemed to gaze down 
 upon the form beneath. The face under the glass plate 
 was very calm and beautiful, and the brown hair more 
 thickly strewn with white than when his family had 
 seen it last ; the gray eyes were partly visible between 
 the half-shut lids, and the lips, retaining their lifelike 
 color, were smilingly closed. Such a placidity and re- 
 pose pervaded the whole countenance that it was felt 
 how easy the transition must have been from suffer- 
 ing life to this calm sleep. How often had his chil- 
 dren found him at rest with this same look upon his 
 face, and had stepped softly not to disturb him ! Now 
 its perfect naturalness occasioned doubt in many minds,
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 107 
 
 and physicians were sent for to satisfy his family whether 
 this was really death or a trance. Hope was futile and 
 vain ; but while it animated the hearts that suffered, it 
 had become as powerful as life. 
 
 The family and attendants proceeded to the ceme- 
 tery, followed by a long procession on foot, composed 
 of members of the theatrical profession, private citi- 
 zens, and a large concourse of colored people, many 
 of whom, as well as those connected with the theatres, 
 wore crape on the left arm for thirty days. Mrs. Booth 
 had requested that no music should be played as the 
 funeral moved through the streets, or at the grave, and 
 with respectful observance of her wish Volandt's full 
 band removed to a distant part of the cemetery. As 
 the procession toiled slowly up the hill and entered the 
 grounds, the faint throbs of the Dead March broke 
 mournfully upon the ear ; the coffin was placed on a 
 bier, and set down at the gates of the mausoleum. 
 The music died away in echoes, and the minister, with 
 his long black robes fluttering in the wind, began the 
 solemn service, " I am the Resurrection and the Life." 
 Hundreds of men stood bareheaded in the bleak even- 
 ing air ; the ground was thickly crusted with snow, which 
 now began fluttering down again, and the sun threw its 
 last gleams over all as it was slowly sinking behind the 
 hills. 
 
 In the spring, when the snow had entirely gone, the 
 grave was dug, and the coffin, taken from the mauso- 
 leum, was buried. It was subsequently removed to a 
 larger lot in Greenmount Cemetery, Baltimore. 
 
 On Edwin Booth's return from California he erected
 
 I0 8 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 a monument over his father's grave. The sculpture was 
 executed in Boston, and completed in the spring of 
 1858, and the monument was placed over the tomb on 
 the ist of May, his father's birthday. To this plot have 
 been removed the remains of Richard Booth, father of 
 Junius Brutus Booth, who died in 1840 aged seventy- 
 six, and the bodies of five children. 
 
 The following letter to Mrs. Booth was written by the 
 manager of the New Orleans Theatre : 
 
 NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 6, 1852. 
 MRS. J. B. BOOTH. 
 
 DEAR MADAM, It was with deep regret and sorrow 
 that we read here a telegraphic paragraph, on the morn- 
 ing of the 2d inst, announcing the decease of your late 
 worthy husband. It was the more startling because the 
 least expected. During his engagement with us in the 
 St. Charles Theatre it was generally remarked how well 
 he looked and how well he performed. For myself, 
 who remember him since his first week's performance 
 in the United States, and have been well acquainted 
 with his professional career, I was agreeably astonished 
 at the vigor evinced by him during the six nights he 
 performed with us, and the conclusion of his engage- 
 ment seemed a cause of regret to the public generally. 
 As a matter of information to you, I would state that 
 we paid him ten hundred and eighty-four dollars for 
 his engagement of the six nights. He spoke of having 
 been robbed on his route through Mexico, but I do not 
 recollect of what amount. Trusting, madam, that you 
 will find consolation in the reflection that the dispensa- 
 tions of Providence are always for wise and merciful
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 109 
 
 purposes, and wishing you health and the enjoyments 
 of life for many years, I am 
 
 Your obedient serv't and well-wisher, 
 
 N. M. LUDLOW. 
 
 Booth's genius was held in high estimation by many 
 of our countrymen. A New York journal said : 
 
 " The late Rufus Choate was an enthusiastic lover of 
 Shakspere's works, and familiar with every line of them. 
 Of all the players, he liked Junius Brutus Booth the 
 best. In remarkable power of intense mental action 
 and concentrated feeling, the eminent actor and the 
 incomparable lawyer resembled each other. Booth was 
 the only player that realized his ideal of a great trage- 
 dian ; and when he heard of his decease, he exclaimed 
 sorrowfully, ' There are no more actors? " 
 
 The following extracts are taken from an analytical 
 sketch published in New York : 
 
 " Booth was possessed of great kindness of heart, and 
 was one of the most humane, unselfish, and generous 
 men that ever lived. He cared little for money, only 
 as a means to gratify his humane and kindly impulses ; 
 and as for fame, perhaps so much was never carried by 
 any man with such careless ease and real indifference. 
 His faults are of a kind incident to such a nature. His 
 humanity was illustrated more by example than by pre- 
 cept. His loving-kindness was not confined by any 
 means to his fellow-creatures, but went out towards the 
 whole animal creation, and in a manner so strange and 
 eccentric at times that it was not unfrequently regarded 
 as the evidence of insanity. A very amiable insanity
 
 IIO THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 it must be admitted, and a very natural outgrowth of 
 a disposition we can but wish was more common in a 
 cruel and selfish world. 
 
 " We have been told that once, when living on his 
 farm in Harford County, he sent for all his neighbors 
 and friends, far and near, to come to his place and at- 
 tend a funeral. When they arrived they found, to their 
 great disgust, that it was the carcass of a favorite horse 
 that he wished to have buried with all due solemnity. 
 The crowd retired, some in disgust, others laughing at 
 the strange performance. His family, however, under- 
 stood the meaning of the thing. A physician was sent 
 for, and the ' chief mourner ' passed through a long and 
 unusually serious attack of disease. One night when 
 he was to act he did not appear, nor could he be found 
 at his lodgings. He did not come home that night. 
 Next morning he was found in the woods, several miles 
 from the city, wandering in the snow. He was taken 
 care of. His derangement proved to be temporary, 
 and his reason returned in a few days. 
 
 " We have the best authority for believing that this 
 tendency in Booth to disappoint audiences before whom 
 he was to appear, and for which he was so much cen- 
 sured (most people being inclined to attribute it to 
 habits of dissipation), arose far more frequently from 
 causes over which he had no control. When at home 
 he would sometimes disappear in a very strange and 
 unaccountable manner, remaining away for hours at 
 a time, and return silent, thoughtful, and completely 
 abstracted, either unable or not inclined to give any
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. IM 
 
 account of himself. His family were not disposed 
 to question him closely at such times, but were fully 
 convinced that these strange freaks were not in the 
 remotest degree connected with inebriety. Anything 
 occurring suddenly, which was calculated to rouse 
 strongly his sympathies, would cause him to forget 
 entirely his engagements ; and many times large au- 
 diences, impatiently waiting his appearance on the 
 stage, were doomed to disappointment, and left mut- 
 tering their imprecations, while he himself was quite 
 unconscious of any impropriety till reminded of his 
 neglect. 
 
 " We cannot close this very imperfect analysis of the 
 moral and intellectual character of one in whom the 
 elements were so strangely mixed as to lead the world 
 to doubt whether they were of good or evil, without a 
 glance at his religious convictions. 
 
 "These, as was to have been expected, partook 
 largely of his native mental and moral characteristics. 
 They were broad, liberal, comprehensive, and founded 
 upon love. With him, indeed, love was the fulfilment 
 of the law, and without it all loudly proclaimed pro- 
 fessions were but ' sounding brass and a tinkling cym- 
 bal.' 
 
 " He was emphatically a devout man. His last words 
 uttered in the ear of the steward of the steamboat, his 
 sole attendant in his dying hour, were ' Pray ! pray ! 
 pray ! ' and thus passed from earth this troubled, but 
 loving, sincere, and humane spirit. 
 
 " If to possess the most lively humanity, and a child- 
 like, confiding faith in everything that is good, noble,
 
 H2 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 and pure, in whatever shape it presents itself, is accept- 
 able on high ; if to cherish for all animate nature the 
 most tender love, is to fulfil the law and cause much to 
 be forgiven ; if he who considereth the poor is blessed, 
 then may we not hope that this man, after his weary 
 toil in the journey of life, bearing his heavy burden of 
 disease, at last found rest in the kingdom of that God 
 he tried to worship ' in spirit and in truth,' and that 
 Redeemer in whose footsteps he, at least, strove to 
 walk according to the light that was in him, and the 
 power that was given him." 
 
 So ceased to beat on earth that gentle and unselfish 
 heart. Whatever errors had controlled his judgment, or 
 obscured that penetrative sense which renders men so 
 worldly wise, it was honorable to him that through all 
 the changes of a varied life he retained an almost child- 
 like faith in the honesty of human nature. Too credu- 
 lous, perhaps, of the universality of this quality, he was 
 easily swayed by that unquestioning philanthropy which 
 formed the basis of his character. 
 
 In disposition he was mild and unobtrusive, yet his 
 kindness was qualified with undeviating firmness. His 
 idea of home was a sacred circle wherein few were ad- 
 mitted save the immediate family. In the youth of 
 his children everything connected with his profession 
 was carefully avoided, as if he feared, by intercourse or 
 allusion, to throw that glamour over its reality which 
 might delude the senses and engender romantic desires 
 for excitement. 
 
 For his two younger sons he had a workshop erected 
 in the garden, and stored with lumber and the necessary
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. u$ 
 
 tools ; thus blending pleasure with instruction, he strove 
 to excite in their minds a love of mechanical pursuits, 
 quoting "Laborare est orare" Before leaving for Cal- 
 ifornia, he placed them under the careful guardianship 
 of excellent teachers. 
 
 Prior to any anticipation of this voyage, he was erect- 
 ing a handsome cottage on the Farm, where he purposed 
 to pass the summer months of every year. The build- 
 ing was designed in the Elizabethan style, arranged to 
 suit his own peculiar fancy. The site selected is near 
 the old cabin which had. then for many years been 
 occupied by the servants. 
 
 Occasionally his children were permitted to visit the 
 theatre, but were never allowed a free indulgence of 
 promiscuous plays. On one occasion he took every 
 member of the family to witness Mr. Macready's 
 " Werner." The writer can remember only a sombre 
 man with peculiar brows and guttural voice, dragging 
 through what seemed to her a very dismal tragedy; 
 but Mr. Booth pronounced it "a most exquisite per- 
 formance." 
 
 He was always a deep student, and would set him- 
 self tasks, committing them to memory like a school- 
 boy. Late in life he acquired the part of Penrudduck, 
 and performed it perfectly ; but, failing to retain it for 
 a future rendition, he acknowledged, almost sadly, that 
 " time was gaining on him." 
 
 A striking peculiarity in his character was the con- 
 trast between his assumption of democracy by which 
 he sought the level of the humblest, and encouraged 
 even the low and vile to approach him as friends, and
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. 
 
 that innate dignity which would exalt him as a peer 
 above the herd, and check all attempt at undue famil- 
 iarity. There was an awe about him that neither his 
 deep learning, age, nor position elicited, but which the 
 natural demeanor of the man inspired. 
 
 One of the most beautiful qualities of his nature was 
 humility, that lowliness of soul which emanates from 
 a disregard of self, and, while elevating its possessor, 
 causes him to appreciate in others all that is truly great 
 and good, unaffected by the meaner passions. Per- 
 haps it was the daily exercise of this self-abnegation 
 that rendered him so childlike yet so noble in the eyes 
 of all who loved him, while, in the pursuance of his 
 profession, it left him free from the petty malice and 
 jealousies of an actor's life, and enabled him justly to 
 award praise to the meritorious, and discern true worth 
 in any garb. 
 
 All forms of religion and all temples of devotion were 
 sacred to him, and he never failed to bare his head 
 reverently when passing a church. He worshipped at 
 many shrines ; he admired the Koran, and in his copy 
 of that volume many beautiful passages are underscored. 
 Days sacred to color, ore, and metals were religiously 
 observed by him. In the synagogues he was known as 
 a Jew, because he conversed with rabbis and learned 
 doctors, and joined their worship in the Hebraic tongue. 
 He read the Talmud, also, and strictly adhered to many 
 of its laws. 
 
 Several fathers of the Roman Catholic Church recount 
 pleasant hours spent with him in theological discourse, 
 and aver that he was of their religion because of his
 
 THE ELDER BOOTH. Ir ,j 
 
 knowledge of the mysteries of their faith. Of the nu- 
 merous houses of worship to which he went, the one 
 he most loved to frequent was a floating church, or 
 " Sailor's Bethel." The congregation was of the hum- 
 blest kind, and the ministry not at all edifying. The 
 writer remembers kneeling through a lengthy im- 
 promptu prayer, which contained no spirit of piety 
 to her childish ears ; but looking around wearily at 
 her father, she beheld his face so earnestly inspired 
 with devotion, that she felt rebuked, and it became 
 pleasant to attend to that which was so devoid of 
 interest before. 
 
 His reverence for religion was universal and deep- 
 rooted. It was daily shown in acts of philanthropy and 
 humane deeds, which were, however, too often misdi- 
 rected. He was not a sectarian, but made many creeds 
 his study ; and although the dogmas of the Church might 
 have yielded him a more enduring peace, yet the ten- 
 derness of his heart, from which emanated his loving- 
 kindness and great charity, afforded strength to his 
 declining years. 
 
 " Why then doth flesh, a bubble-glass of breath, 
 Hunt after honor and advancement vain, 
 
 And rear a trophy for devouring death, 
 With so great labor and long-lasting pain, 
 As if his days forever should remain ? 
 
 Sith all that in this world is great or gay, 
 
 Doth as a vapor vanish and decay."

 
 PART II. - 
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 1833- 
 
 " At my birth 
 The front of heaven was full of fiery shapes." 
 
 i HENRY IV., Act III. Sc i.
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 EDWIN THOMAS BOOTH was born at the Booth Farm 
 in Harford County, Maryland, on the i3th of Novem- 
 ber, 1833, a night remarkable for a brilliant meteoric 
 shower. It is at least pleasing to think that from an 
 errant planet came to earth so bright a star. In negro 
 phraseology, Edwin Booth was said to have been " born 
 lucky " and " gifted to see ghosts," because of the me- 
 teoric phenomena and of his having been born with a 
 caul. He was named after two of his father's friends, 
 Edwin Forrest and Thomas Flynn, although the former 
 actor was always somewhat piqued that Edwin did not 
 retain the Forrest, which he insisted had been bestowed 
 upon him. 
 
 Edwin Booth's earliest recollection of his father was 
 in connection with sombre woods and darkness ; they 
 had travelled a whole day together, reaching the Farm 
 late at night ; a man who had accompanied them, to 
 take back the saddle-horses hired at a distant country- 
 place, was heard going away in the dark, as Mr. Booth, 
 raising his little son in his arms, lifted him over the 
 crooked snake-fence around his own woodland, and, 
 placing him securely in the grass, said, " Your foot is 
 on your native heath."
 
 I2O TH E YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 In a very interesting book, called " Shadows on the 
 Wall," by that talented and well-beloved citizen of 
 Baltimore, John H. Hewitt, the following passage oc- 
 curs : 
 
 " Not less distinguished, but in a different way, stands 
 out the name of Edwin Booth before his countrymen 
 and the world. He was a comely lad, as I remember 
 him, dressed in a Spanish cloak (among the first to 
 display that style), giving promise of the man he has 
 turned out to be. Inheriting his father's genius for the 
 mimic stage, he has achieved the first rank upon it, 
 and it has been his good fortune to have lived in an 
 era of larger prices and more numerous audiences. 
 He is so far different from his father, in style and exe- 
 cution, that his greatest successes have been achieved 
 in different roles ; and while he stands unsurpassed in 
 ' Hamlet,' he will not find fault with an old friend of 
 Junius Brutus Booth for standing by him as the great- 
 est Richard, Sir Giles, and logo, that ever trod the 
 American boards. He is still young enough to have a 
 long career of success and usefulness before him. His 
 fame is already the property of his country and cannot 
 be taken from him." 
 
 Edwin Booth's education was commenced under the 
 care of Miss Susan Hyde, a young lady whose capa- 
 bilities were unanimously acknowledged in the neigh- 
 borhood of " Old Town." Hers was one of those 
 old-fashioned schools for girls and boys now almost 
 unknown, where the rudiments of a sound education 
 were well inculcated, and where the gentle mistress 
 presided as the Minerva of her little circle. Miss Hyde
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. I2 i 
 
 is at present the Secretary of the Peabody Institute in 
 Baltimore, and a fervent admirer of the genius of her 
 distinguished pupil, who holds her in affectionate re- 
 membrance. Subsequently, Mr. Booth placed his son 
 with an old Frenchman, a West- Indian naval officer, 
 Louis Dugas, who had gathered around him a few 
 young persons in their teens. He afterward went to 
 a university, and studied at intervals of time with a 
 Mr. Kearney, who wrote all his own school-books and 
 encouraged dramatic representations among his boys. 
 On one occasion Edwin and John S. Clarke, dressed 
 in the white linen trousers and black jackets then in 
 fashion, enacted or recited, with appropriate gestures, 
 the quarrel scene of Brutus and Cassius. The elder 
 Booth entered the crowded school-room unobserved, 
 and, placing himself on the corner of a bench near the 
 door, witnessed and enjoyed the performance. 
 
 Edwin began to travel with his father on one of those 
 periodical tours which it was customary for him to 
 make, and relates, as among the earliest of his theat- 
 rical reminiscences, the first appearance in Boston of 
 the now famous William Warren. Mr. Booth, after his 
 performance of Shylock at the Howard Athenasum, 
 seated himself with Edwin among the audience to wit- 
 ness Mr. Warren's acting of Jacques Strop in the play 
 of " Robert Macaire." It was an exceptional thing 
 for him to make one of the auditory, but the debutant 
 was a favorite of his ; he always manifested great inter- 
 est in his career, and seemed to be thoroughly pleased 
 with his performance on that evening. Between these 
 protracted theatrical tours Edwin usually resumed his 
 school duties in Baltimore.
 
 122 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 He played the violin well, which he had learned under 
 Signer Picioli, and he amused his father by thrumming 
 the banjo, which was becoming a fashionable instrument 
 and had been taught him by a clever negro musician. 
 He accompanied the banjo by singing the native melo- 
 dies in the broad accent of the Southern negro. 
 
 He was envied by his companions because of these 
 trips with his father; but their novelty soon lost all 
 charm for him, and the monotony of school life would 
 have been preferable to the arduous task of watching 
 the health and caring for the safety of his eccentric, 
 though kind-hearted sire. It was a duty requiring the 
 patience and endurance of a woman ; but Mrs. Booth, 
 no longer young or strong, was compelled to place the 
 charge into her son's hands ; while he, an excitable, 
 nervously organized youth, was often unequal to bear 
 half that was required of him. Sleepless nights and 
 lonely days are not the proper lot of boyhood, yet 
 many such painful experiences were woven into the 
 early life of Edwin Booth. While considering the love 
 he bore his father, and recalling his slight figure, with 
 his imaginative mind sensitively alive to the horrible, 
 particularly impressed perhaps by the great responsi- 
 bility devolving upon him, we can enter fully into the 
 painfulness of the anecdotes that follow. Stopping 
 once at the Pemberton House in Boston, one of those 
 old hotels built with a square courtyard in the centre 
 after the manner of some ancient Continental inns, a 
 curious incident occurred. Around one part of the 
 ground floor were stables ; adjoining these, and open- 
 ing into Mr. Booth's room, was a dark, unventilated
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 123 
 
 cupboard, unfitted for use, because of the powerful sta- 
 ble odor, which the actor, however, firmly contended 
 was conducive to health. 
 
 One night, returning to his rooms physically exhausted 
 by a heavy performance, he could not rest, and insisted 
 on going into the streets to roam about. Edwin remon- 
 strated with him in vain, offered to play and sing for 
 him, tried to interest him in other topics than those of 
 the stage ; but, finding every effort defeated, he stood 
 up boldly and said, "You shall not go out." Trem- 
 bling at his own temerity, for he knew his feebleness in 
 comparison with his powerful, thick-set father, he was 
 astonished at the result. Mr. Booth gave him one long 
 stare, then vanished into the dark closet, securing the 
 door on the inner side. He remained in darkness and 
 silence for a long time, no entreaty, coaxing, or threat 
 being able to elicit a sound from him, until Edwin, 
 who had endured the greatest distress of mind, fearing 
 that he could not longer exist in that airless, stifling 
 chamber, if indeed he were not already dead, was about 
 to run for help ; when his father opened the door, and 
 walking sternly across the room undressed himself, and 
 without speaking went to bed. 
 
 In Louisville, on another occasion, after the night's 
 performance of " Richard III.," which he had acted 
 splendidly, Mr. Booth started for home ; but, moved by 
 a sudden impulse, he changed his mind, preferring to 
 walk the streets alone. In vain Edwin persuaded him 
 to go to the hotel and rest. Mr. Booth, finding that 
 his son would not leave him, darted off in a contrary 
 direction, and walked rapidly until he came to a long
 
 124 
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 covered market, which he entered, and began pacing 
 up and down. From one end of the place to the other 
 their walk was kept up without pause until daylight. 
 Edwin soon became exhausted with fatigue, but his 
 father, seemingly untired, would at times slacken his 
 pace abruptly, then start off with increased rapidity, 
 Edwin falling in with his gait as it changed, sometimes 
 angry, and again ready to laugh at the ludicrousness of 
 the situation. Not a syllable had been spoken by either, 
 when the elder pedestrian was at last silently impelled 
 to go home to his bed. 
 
 Other occurrences, partaking more of the painful than 
 the ludicrous, could not fail to cloud the youth of one 
 who felt his responsibility as great as his affection. 
 
 William Winter says : 
 
 " Between them there existed from the first a pro- 
 found and fervent, though silent and undemonstrative 
 sympathy. As Edwin grew up, his close companion- 
 ship seemed more and more to be needed and desired 
 by the parent. ... As a boy, he is represented to have 
 been grave beyond his years, observant, thoughtful, and 
 rather melancholy, but wise in knowledge of his sur- 
 roundings, and strong in reticence and self-poise. He 
 was accustomed to accompany his father as attendant 
 and dresser, but in fact he was the chosen monitor and 
 guardian of that wild genius, and possessed more influ- 
 ence over him than was exercised by any other person. 
 This association, operating upon hereditary talent, 
 wrought its inevitable consequence in making Edwin 
 Booth an actor. The strange life that he saw and led 
 a life in which fictitious emotions, imaginative influ-
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH 
 
 125 
 
 ences, and every-day trivialities are so singularly blended 
 exerted its customary charm upon a youthful, sensi- 
 tive, and irrepressible nature, at once luring him to- 
 wards the stage, and preparing him for its profession." 
 
 On the i oth of September, 1849, Edwin Booth made 
 his first appearance on any stage, in the character of 
 Tressel, at the Boston Museum, under the following 
 circumstances. Mr. Thoman, who was prompter and 
 actor, was arranging some detail of the play, and be- 
 coming irritable at having so much to do, said abruptly 
 to Edwin, who was standing near him, " This is too 
 much work for one man ; you ought to play Tresscl" 
 and he induced him to undertake the part. On the 
 eventful night the elder Booth dressed for Richard III. 
 was seated with his feet upon a table in his dressing- 
 room. Calling his son before him, like a severe peda- 
 gogue or inquisitor, he interrogated him in that hard, 
 laconic style he could so seriously assume : 
 
 "Who was Tressel?" 
 
 " A messenger from the field of Tewksbury." 
 
 " What was his mission? " 
 
 " To bear the news of the defeat of the king's party." 
 
 " How did he make the journey ? " 
 
 "On horseback." 
 
 " Where are your spurs? " 
 
 Edwin glanced quickly down, and said he had not 
 thought of them. 
 
 " Here, take mine." 
 
 Edwin unbuckled his father's spurs, and fastened 
 them on his own boots. His part being ended on the 
 stage, he found his father still sitting in the dressing- 
 room, apparently engrossed in thought.
 
 126 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 " Have you done well ? " he asked. 
 
 " I think so," replied Edwin. 
 
 " Give me my spurs," rejoined his father ; and obe- 
 diently young Tressel replaced the spurs upon Glouces- 
 ter's feet. 
 
 In the summer of 1850 Edwin and J. S. Clarke gave 
 a dramatic reading at the Court-House in Belair at 
 the solicitation of a number of collegians and resi- 
 dents of that village. As the request for the enter- 
 tainment was unanimous, it was cordially responded to, 
 and the two youths mounted their horses and rode 
 twenty-five miles over the roughest of country roads 
 under an August sun to obtain printed programmes 
 and tickets in Baltimore. Mr. Booth was as elated as 
 themselves with the undertaking, and, happy in expec- 
 tation, the two friends rode back the next day, and im- 
 mediately commenced arranging a large room in the 
 county court-house, which had been offered for their 
 convenience. The doors and windows were instantly 
 besieged by an eager throng of rustics, who were anx- 
 ious to witness the preparations for the great show, 
 evidently expecting that a circus or some wonderful 
 magician was to exhibit, as nothing more elevated than 
 such performances had ever been given in Belair so 
 publicly and on so grand a scale. 
 
 An old negro was sent out to post the bills, and as 
 the young men rode in from the Farm on that eventful 
 evening they discovered, to their intense chagrin, that 
 every bill had been placed upside down. The house 
 was full and fashionable, the audience observing the 
 decorous regulation of their meeting-houses by sepa-
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. I2 j 
 
 rating at the door and seating themselves in perfect si- 
 lence, the gentlemen on one side of the room, the ladies 
 on the other. Order was strictly observed, and the per- 
 formance was allowed to proceed to its conclusion with- 
 out the slightest interruption of applause or dissent. 
 
 The programme will be found on the following page. 
 
 During the evening they sang a number of negro 
 melodies .with blackened faces, using appropriate dia- 
 lect, and accompanying their vocal attempts with the 
 somewhat inharmonious banjo and bones. 
 
 In 1851 his father's being announced for Richard 
 III. at the National Theatre, New York, led indirectly 
 to Edwin's attempting that character. Mr. Booth had 
 a partiality for the old theatres in which his first suc- 
 cesses had been achieved, and his preference was 
 extended also to the old, dingy, incommodious hotels, 
 wherein he submitted to every inconvenience rather 
 than patronize new establishments. jOn one particular 
 night, as he and his son were preparing to go to the 
 theatre, he suddenly changed his mood and refused 
 to start, saying that he was ill and unable to perform. 
 Edwin suggested that he should rouse himself for the 
 effort, at least present himself at the theatre, thinking 
 that when within the building he would forego this 
 strange resolve. He reminded his father how well he 
 had rehearsed and how well in health he had been all 
 day ; but no argument could move him. " What will 
 they do without you, father?" the son exclaimed in 
 despair. "Who can they substitute at the last mo- 
 ment?" "Go act it yourself," was the curt response. 
 After some further altercation the father insisted that
 
 GRAND DRAMATIC FESTIVAL 
 
 AT THE COURT-HOUSE IN BELAIR, 
 
 Saturday, August 2. 
 In compliance with the request of several gentlemen, 
 
 MR. EDWIN BOOTH 
 
 respectfully informs the inhabitants of Belair and vicinity, that 
 
 he will give one entertainment as above, in 
 
 conjunction with 
 
 MR. J. S. CLARKE. 
 
 The performance will consist of 
 SHAKSPERIAN READINGS, ETC. 
 
 PART FIRST. 
 
 Selections from RICHARD III. 
 
 Richard III Mr. E. Booth. 
 
 Selections from MERCHANT OF VENICE. 
 
 Shylock Mr. J. S. Clarke. 
 
 The celebrated Dagger Scene from MACBETH. 
 
 Macbeth Mr. E. Booth. 
 
 Selections from Kotzebue's STRANGER. 
 
 The Stranger Mr. J. S. Clarlw. 
 
 Hamlet's Soliloquy on Death Mr. E. Booth. 
 
 Selections from Otway's tragedy of VENICE PRESERVED. 
 
 Jaffier Mr. J. S. Clarke. 
 
 Selections from RICHELIEU. 
 
 Cardinal Richelieu Mr. E. Booth. 
 
 The great Quarrel Scene from JULIUS C-ESAR. 
 
 Brutus Mr. E: Booth. 
 
 Cassius Mr. J. S. Clarke.
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 129 
 
 his son should assume the character of Richard III. 
 on that night. The carriage had been waiting for a 
 long while at the door, with the trunk of stage-dresses 
 strapped upon it. There was no time to be lost, and 
 Edwin sprang into the vehicle and drove furiously to 
 the theatre, where, on arrival, he encountered John R. 
 Scott. In great dismay he related his father's sudden 
 freak. "No matter," replied Scott calmly, "you act 
 it." In surprise Edwin exclaimed, " That is what my 
 father said, and what he sent me here to do ; but it is 
 impossible, I cannot." Entering behind the scenes, 
 he was quickly surrounded by others, who urged him 
 to " try," promising to help him in every way, to make 
 an apology to the audience, etc. It resulted in these 
 excited people dressing him in his father's clothes, 
 which, for his slender figure, were " a world too wide," 
 while some one with book in hand heard him repeat 
 the soliloquy. All was bustle and confusion behind 
 the curtain ; the theatre in front was densely crowded, 
 and the young unwilling substitute was hurried to the 
 stage entrance. At his appearance the applause rang 
 out in a wild burst, but as suddenly ceased. No apol- 
 ogy had been made, and in astonished silence the 
 spectators allowed the play to begin and to proceed. 
 He, who had absorbed into his own being every word, 
 look, and tone of his father, soon wrung from the au- 
 dience a gratified applause. John R. Scott showed 
 great concern and uneasiness throughout the play, 
 fearing the breaking down of his young Richard ; but 
 in answer to the prolonged call at the close, he led him 
 proudly before the curtain and introduced him as " the
 
 130 
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 worthy scion of a noble stock," adding, sotto voa, 
 " I'll wager they don't know what that means." 
 
 On Edwin's return to his hotel he was questioned 
 coldly by his father as to his success. The elder Booth 
 was found by the son apparently exactly as he had left 
 him, unchanged in mood or position ; but it is believed 
 now by Edwin that he had witnessed the whole of the 
 performance of Jtichard, as well as that of Trcsscl on 
 a previous occasion, and was not dissatisfied with the 
 result. 
 
 Edwin Booth soon after entered into an engage- 
 ment with Theodore Barton of Baltimore to play any 
 part assigned him for a salary of six dollars a week. 
 Although he had acted in tragedies with success, con- 
 sidering his youth and want of training, yet in minor 
 characters and in inferior plays he proved awkward, 
 confused, and apparently a failure. He once attempted 
 a part in pantomime with Madame Ciocca ; had grace- 
 ful pose to assume and airy trivial manners to simulate ; 
 but he did everything wrong, filled the French actress 
 with horror at his gaucherie, and called down upon 
 himself her abuse in broken English. In the year 
 1852 the elder Booth went to New York, intending to 
 start for California, accompanied by his son Junius, but 
 in consequence of illness he returned to his home in 
 Baltimore. He sailed in the next steamer from New 
 York, taking Edwin with him, whom he had previously 
 arranged to leave at home. In one week from the 
 date of starting they arrived at Aspinwall ; then pro- 
 ceeded up the Chagres River to Gorgona on a flat- 
 feoat which conveyed the passengers and their luggage.
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. ^ 
 
 They slept one night at Gorgona, and proceeded to 
 cross the Isthmus on mules. At night they slept in a 
 hut, on wine-casks and trunks, covered by their blan- 
 kets ; the only lady of the party occupied a hammock, 
 and each man lay with a hand under his pillow, holding 
 a pistol. Edwin, sleepless, watched the natives sharp- 
 ening their macheetos, or long knives which they used 
 to cut the tall grass in front of them as they journeyed 
 on foot, and vainly tried to understand their con- 
 versation, which was carried on in low whispers. The 
 rats ran about undisturbed during the night, and the 
 whole party rose in the morning, unrefreshed by their 
 rest, and proceeded on mules. The elder Booth 
 prophesied that there would be a railroad across the 
 Isthmus before many years, and confidently anticipated 
 the time when a canal would connect the two oceans. 
 
 After an engagement of two weeks in San Francisco, 
 Mr. Booth proceeded to Sacramento, in which city, on 
 the occasion of his benefit, he acted Richard III. 
 The following night J. B. Booth, Junior, for his benefit, 
 played Othello, and his father, logo ; and the following 
 night being Edwin's benefit, he acted Jaffier to his 
 father's Pierre. Arrayed in black for his part of Jaf- 
 fier, Edwin perceived his father seated on the steps of 
 his dressing-room, who at his approach observed, " You 
 look like Hamlet ; why did you not act Hamlet for your 
 benefit?" Edwin carelessly replied, "If I ever have 
 another, I will" 
 
 Disappointed at finding no theatre in San Francisco 
 suitable for the production of his plays, the new the- 
 atre progressing only in the imagination of the people,
 
 132 
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 and the state of the country being discouraging in 
 every respect, Mr. Booth determined to start for 
 New York; and, being assured that Edwin had re- 
 solved to become an actor, he would not consent 
 to allow him to accompany him home, but advised 
 him to remain in California and perfect himself in his 
 profession. Although proverbially lavish of money in 
 cases of need or charity, and never pressing for ready 
 or even just payment of a loan, it seemed harsh that 
 he should have demanded of his son Junius, who had 
 not profited greatly by the transaction, the full amount 
 for his services, according to their agreement ; but he 
 had great regard for the law of equity, even with his 
 own family, his severity therein being a principle, as 
 with Hotspur : 
 
 " 1 11 give thrice so much land 
 To any well-deserving friend ; 
 But in the way of bargain, mark ye me, 
 I '11 cavil on the ninth part of a hair." 
 
 The prosperous state of theatrical business in Califor- 
 nia was most encouraging when the offer had been made 
 and accepted between son and father ; but, by one of 
 those sudden reverses in financial matters that occur in 
 newly settled countries, an unaccountable depression 
 had changed the whole aspect of affairs almost upon 
 arrival of the veteran tragedian. The hard times so 
 long threatening now burst in terrible earnest. Men 
 who had been wealthy a few weeks previous, ready to 
 squander, to lend, or to give, now became hard, suspi- 
 cious, and grasping. Edwin, in this dilemma, accepted 
 a proposition of Mr. D. W. Waller to accompany him
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 '33 
 
 to Nevada. At that place he acted logo for the first 
 time, and played alternately in Nevada and Grass 
 Valley. 
 
 J. B. Booth, Jr., had said to Edwin, at parting, 
 " Put a slug [which was a large octagonal gold piece 
 of fifty dollars] in the bottom of your trunk, forget you 
 have it, and when things are at the worst, bring out the 
 slug." The advice was followed ; but the worst soon 
 came, for theatrical affairs were in a most disastrous 
 condition at Nevada. Ruin and starvation were the 
 evils that oppressed all minds, and now the snow fell 
 unceasingly until the travellers were completely cut off 
 from the rest of the world. The theatre had been 
 closed for a fortnight in consequence of the distressed 
 state of these towns. 
 
 One night, as Edwin was passing along a dark road 
 where the houses had literally been undermined by the 
 gold-diggers, and great gulches yawned amidst the 
 slush of snow and mud, rendering pedestrianism un- 
 safe, he came face to face with a man carrying a lan- 
 tern. By its glimmer he recognized the actor, George 
 Spear, familiarly called " Old Spudge " (now an inmate 
 of the Forrest Home, Philadelphia), who cried out, 
 " Hollo ! Ted, is that you ? There is a mail in," he 
 continued, " and a letter for you." The snow had pre- 
 vented the arrival of the post for a long while past, but 
 a courier had at last broken through the almost im- 
 penetrable mass, and on horseback arrived with the 
 long- delayed mail-bag. 
 
 "What news is there?" asked Edwin carelessly. 
 " Not good news for you, my boy." At this reply the
 
 134 
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 lad seemed to detect the fatal truth, either by the ac- 
 cent or hesitation of the old actor, for in terror he 
 exclaimed, "Spear, is my father dead?" Gently as 
 possible the sad story was told him, and the old man, 
 who had come out to break the intelligence, now led 
 the half-distracted son to the hotel, where the waiting 
 group of friends endeavored to calm his sorrow. He 
 was stunned by the blow, and they could not under- 
 stand how deep his grief was, or how he blamed him- 
 self for having allowed his father to undertake the 
 homeward journey alone. 
 
 Poverty and utter " hard times " settled upon the 
 actors in desperate reality. They were helpless, and 
 dreaded the day when they should be unable even to 
 obtain credit ; the cold had become intense, and the 
 snow continued to fall without intermission. 
 
 Every man ruffian, gambler, laborer, and scholar 
 was on terms of equality at that time in Nevada ; for as 
 Mr. B. L. Farjeon remarks, in his interesting story of 
 " The Shadows on the Snow Ranges," " so small a mat- 
 ter as one being born a gentleman and another a com- 
 mon laborer was here of no account." 
 
 A hopeless group stood at a street corner one day, be- 
 wailing their condition, when it was casually suggested 
 that they should walk to Marysville. The worst that 
 could befall in the adventure would be no worse than 
 the misery awaiting them here. Two or three men ac- 
 cepted the proposition of one who immediately consti- 
 tuted himself " leader." An actor named Barry, and 
 Burridge, a musician, whose violin had comprised the 
 entire orchestra at the theatre, decided to join the party.
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 '35 
 
 Edwin, sauntering leisurely up to this group, was told 
 of their intention, and consented to go with them with- 
 out reflecting upon the fatigue and exposure of the 
 undertaking. Although of an age when meagre fare 
 and privation might seriously have undermined a con- 
 stitution never robust, he ventured to tramp a distance 
 of fifty miles across the mountains, the foremost man 
 breaking the road through the drifts. Two days of 
 walking through heavy snow brought them at night to 
 Marysville, where the pedestrians disbanded. 
 
 Edwin borrowed ten dollars of an acquaintance, with 
 which he secured passage to Sacramento. On arrival, 
 he found that the city had been destroyed partially by 
 fire, and that later floods had set in and swept away 
 nearly everything that had escaped the flames. 
 
 Letters from home awaited him at San Francisco, 
 where he had gone at once, acquainting him with the 
 details of his father's death, in which his mother advised 
 him and his brother to remain in California if they con- 
 sidered it best for their theatrical future, adding that 
 their coming home would not be of any avail ; their 
 father was buried, and the family intended to live at the 
 Farm. 
 
 J. B. Booth, the younger, at that time was co- 
 manager with the Messrs. Chapman, and was able to 
 give Edwin an engagement, but could make no agree- 
 ment allowing him a fixed salary, business being still 
 in a precarious state. With this poor prospect of earn- 
 ing a living, and his present penniless condition 
 weighing on his spirits, he met an acquaintance who 
 opportunely remembered that Edwin had once lent
 
 136 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 him twenty dollars, and who was now eager to cancel 
 the debt. This state of affairs ought to have sharpened 
 any man's memory, but Edwin failed to recall the loan 
 until circumstances related by his debtor brought it to 
 his mind ; for it had been made in those days of plenty, 
 not long departed, when no one asked a favor or a loan 
 in vain. Elated by the possession of so much gold, he 
 thought how pleasant it was to be able to send part of 
 it to those who had befriended him, and in whose debt 
 he was, and how sumptuously too he would fare for a 
 time on the remainder. Walking away with an elas- 
 ticity in his gait, new to him at that time of depression, 
 he met a companion with whom he turned into a gam- 
 bling saloon, one of those crowded and conveniently 
 located places so numerous in those days. Carelessly 
 watching men throw down their gold, and in one sweep 
 of the hand amassing hundreds, he who had never at- 
 tempted a game before, and was ignorant of the mys- 
 teries of vingt-et-un, staked his twenty-dollar gold piece 
 only to see it deftly swept away with others to fill the 
 pockets of some luckier man. In despair he left the 
 place and has never since been tempted to gamble. 
 
 Several months later the scene-painter, Fairchild, 
 who was to have a benefit, obtained from him a 
 promise to act Richard Iff. J. B. Booth tried to 
 dissuade him from the undertaking, advising him to 
 become better acquainted with the public, and to play 
 more romantic parts suited to his age and appearance, 
 rather than undertake so arduous a role. Edwin, how- 
 ever, resolved to make the attempt. A crowded house 
 and an enthusiastic audience received him ; he acted
 
 THE YOUXGER BOOTH. 137 
 
 finely, and was told afterward that throughout the per- 
 formance a tall dark man stood behind the scenes 
 watching him intently. This proved to be Ferdinand 
 Ewer, then editor of the Pioneer, a monthly magazine, 
 (but at present a minister of the gospel in New York,) 
 who on that occasion penned the first criticism that 
 had ever been written of Edwin Booth's acting. The 
 great success of this performance induced the managers 
 to deviate from their original intention, that of devoting 
 their theatre to comedy ; and they proposed to Booth 
 the production of other tragedies, particularly of 
 " Hamlet." He steadily resisted every inducement to 
 perform that character, but personated many others 
 with great success, among which were Sir Edward 
 Mortimer, Shylock, Richard III., and Othello. Finally 
 a benefit was tendered him, on which occasion he 
 played Hamlet. The words once spoken carelessly to 
 his father had assumed the sacredness of a promise : 
 
 "Thy commandment all alone shall live 
 Within the book and volume of my brain, 
 Unmixed with baser matter." 
 
 One can imagine with what intensity of feeling, as he 
 thought of his father, he spoke the lines, which had 
 acquired for him a powerful significance, 
 
 " He was a man, take him for all in all, 
 I shall not look upon his like again." 
 
 A conservative spirit seems to have taken possession 
 of the adventurous people of California, for they culti- 
 vated a feeling of exclusiveness, which led them almost 
 to ignore the existence of what had become to them
 
 138 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 the old world, designated colloquially "the States." 
 They would push onward to Australia and distant parts, 
 but rarely turned homeward even to better their con- 
 dition ; hence it is not so remarkable that no enter- 
 prising manager had, at the height of Edwin Booth's 
 popularity, with the name of the father still warm in 
 the hearts of playgoers in " the States," induced him 
 to return and establish himself at once in the position 
 he afterward attained. Instead of this, his name was 
 put in the bills when the " business " was on the de- 
 cline, and it very rarely proved ineffectual to draw large 
 audiences ; . but meanwhile he was drifting into a kind 
 of stock-star, on a pittance of salary. 
 
 Mrs. Catherine Forrest Sinclair came from the East 
 and opened the new theatre on its completion, Edwin 
 playing secondary parts to her. Mr. James Murdock 
 and Laura Keene followed, the latter attributing her 
 failure to " Edwin Booth's bad acting." There sprang 
 up between this lady and himself a mutual dislike 
 which culminated in something like hatred ; but the 
 duties of theatrical life exacted that they should appear 
 upon the stage together. 
 
 Mr. D. C. Anderson, a kind, genial gentleman and 
 actor, congratulated himself and Edwin, whom he 
 learned to love as a son, upon their good resolutions to 
 be temperate, virtuous, and domestic. They bought a 
 plot of ground, seventy-five by two hundred feet in ex- 
 tent, which they satirically called the " Ranch," and in 
 a small house of two rooms they lived, doing all their 
 own work, domestic and menial. This veteran actor 
 remarked recently, in speaking to the writer of Edwin
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOT If. 139 
 
 Booth, that " he believed him to be the noblest speci- 
 men of man God ever created." Years and changes 
 had not diminished his admiration for the boy whom 
 he had so lovingly taken under his protection. 
 
 In the year 1854 James Stark, a famous tragedian 
 of California, had returned from Australia with glowing 
 accounts of its prosperity and wealth. Mr. Anderson 
 urged Booth to make a professional visit to that coun- 
 try, and eventually arrangements were made to that 
 effect. The idea prevailed that there were no actresses 
 in Australia, and as Mr. Anderson had been informed 
 that Miss Laura Keene was desirous of going there, 
 without letting her intention be known to certain per- 
 sons in San Francisco, he entered into an engagement 
 with her to act with Booth. Miss Keene, asserting that 
 tragedy was her forte, that she acted comedy merely 
 through necessity, and would adopt tragedy gladly 
 if offered the opportunity, readily consented. It was 
 settled between Mr. Anderson and the lady that she 
 was to go on board the ship at night, and they were 
 to sail at four o'clock in the morning. The captain 
 missed the tide and was obliged to delay until the 
 afternoon. In the mean time, as afterward transpired, 
 the captain's wife, who had been a governess, an ac- 
 tress, and later a lodging-house keeper, was commanded 
 by her husband to get a fresh wardrobe, let her house, 
 and sail with him to Australia, whereupon Mr. Booth 
 would be compelled to engage her in default of other 
 female support. A Mr. Evans, moved by the same 
 speculative idea, brought his wife aboard ; the three 
 ladies concealed themselves in their respective cabins,
 
 140 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 and the scene, when they met and realized the absur- 
 dity of the position, was as amusing as any in which 
 the dramatis persona had ever acted on a mimic stage. 
 
 On arriving at Sydney, the destination of the vessel, 
 Booth entered into an engagement with Manager Torn- 
 ing and played Shylock to Miss Keene's Portia. His 
 performance of Richard III. was enthusiastically re- 
 ceived. They went thence to Melbourne, where but 
 few performances were given ; the dull state of every 
 kind of business materially affecting the theatres. Booth 
 had made the acquaintance of Mr. Hamilton and his 
 wife (who was a daughter of Thomas Hamblin, at one 
 time a manager of the Bowery Theatre, New York, and 
 a very celebrated actor), and an old Irish comedian 
 named " Clem " White. These people were unable to 
 obtain engagements and undecided as to their future 
 course ; however, at the last moment, they determined 
 to return to San Francisco, Edwin accompanying them. 
 
 Acting companies, leaving the last-mentioned city en 
 route for Australia, not unfrequently stopped at the Sand- 
 wich Islands. The vessel on this occasion for some rea- 
 son put in at Honolulu, and Booth and Mr. Anderson 
 decided to give an entertainment there rather than go 
 back to San Francisco without money. An agreement 
 was effected between the five professionals, and the 
 Royal Hawaiian Theatre was secured, for which Booth 
 paid all the money he possessed, fifty dollars, in ad- 
 vance, for one month's rent. They were joined by two 
 actors, scarcely less needy than themselves, who had 
 been left at the Island by a strolling company some 
 months before. The theatre was constructed by sev-
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 141 
 
 eral houses being thrown into one building, and the 
 company, comprising seven persons, slept in the thea- 
 tre, which saved the rent for lodgings. One of the 
 actors, Mr. Roe, was a short, thick-set Dutchman, of 
 unprepossessing countenance, who had been accus- 
 tomed to play female roles, and who undertook the 
 same line to support Booth, " doubling " the characters 
 of the Duke of Norfolk and Duchess of York. The 
 King of the Sandwich Islands had lately died, and, the 
 court being in mourning, his successor was unable to 
 attend the theatre publicly ; but, expressing a desire 
 to witness Booth's performance of Richard III., his 
 Majesty was accommodated behind the scenes. The 
 arm-chair used for the stage-throne was placed at the 
 wing, with Edwin's theatrical robe thrown over it, and 
 the king seated himself upon it ; his escort, who were 
 a Frenchman and a huge Kanaka, the latter wearing a 
 military jacket, white trousers, and a long sword, stood 
 by his side. Edwin was compelled to trouble the king 
 for the throne in the coronation scene, and his Majesty 
 good-naturedly stood until it was returned for his use." 
 Kamehameha IV. was an educated gentleman, speaking 
 English fluently ; he told Edwin that when he was a 
 little boy he had seen the elder Booth perform Richard 
 III. at the Chatham Theatre in New York. 
 
 A letter from Mrs. Sinclair greeted Booth on his 
 arrival at San Francisco, offering him an engagement 
 to play with her at her own theatre, the Metropolitan ; 
 he accepted, and his personation of Benedict to Mrs. 
 Sinclair's Rosalind was enthusiastically received by a 
 large audience. The " business," at first most gratify-
 
 142 THE YOUNGER BOOTH, 
 
 ing, began to decline, in consequence of which he 
 accepted an offer to act at the American Theatre in 
 the same city, where he performed nightly to crowded 
 houses. Seceding from this theatre, he went with a 
 company to Sacramento, enrolling himself as " juvenile 
 man " ; but, the business proving a disappointment to 
 the manager, he engaged one of his company to enact 
 his own parts and assume the juvenile characters as 
 well, so that Booth was discharged in order to curtail 
 the expenses. Mr. Sedley and Mrs. Sinclair were about 
 securing a theatre in Sacramento for the production of 
 some very attractive pieces, and now made him an offer 
 to become a joint-lessee with themselves and a Mr. 
 Venua. Accordingly, a shabby little theatre in a back 
 street was leased, where the play of "The Marble Heart " 
 was produced for the first time in America. Mrs. Sin- 
 clair distinguished herself by her performance of Marco; 
 but the character of Volage was claimed by Sedley and 
 Booth, and finally decided by the toss of a penny, fall- 
 ing to Mr. Sedley. " Fortunately for all concerned," 
 Booth remarked, " for he acted the part finely ; much 
 better than I could have done it." Edwin took the 
 character of Raphael, in which he made a marked 
 success ; and, according to theatrical technicality, he 
 created the part. The long-continued success of " The 
 Marble Heart " was the means of closing the Forrest 
 Theatre from which he had been discharged. Not- 
 withstanding the increasing popularity of the piece, the 
 management gave up the lease of the house and trav- 
 elled through other towns to produce it. The com- 
 bination did not meet with the anticipated success,
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 143 
 
 however, and after visiting several towns it ultimately 
 disbanded at San Francisco. 
 
 Booth now joined a company of eight or ten per- 
 sons to go through the mining towns ; he travelled on 
 his own horse, while the manager and his wife, the 
 company, scenery, and wardrobe, were transported in a 
 large covered wagon. Some of the " towns " through 
 which they passed were composed of a few huts, the 
 theatre being usually a hall over a shop ; other places 
 contained respectable houses, and occasionally a small 
 convenient theatre was to be obtained. The standard 
 bill with this company was the " Iron Chest " and 
 " Katherine and Petruchio." Booth's dress-basket was 
 covered with canvas, painted to represent an " iron 
 chest," and served for that important " property." The 
 promiscuous population of the mines and huts who 
 could enjoy Shaksperian productions and the plays of 
 the best authors was not to be treated slightingly. No 
 curtailment or glossing over of speeches would be per- 
 mitted by the people, who walked miles to have their 
 evening's amusement conscientiously given. 
 
 After acting in several of the mining towns, and at 
 one place being compelled to leave his horse in pay- 
 ment of a debt, Booth arrived penniless in Sacramento. 
 He there formed the acquaintance of Mr. Butler, an 
 architect, who manifested great interest in his career, 
 and urged him not to waste any more time in California, 
 but to return to the States. He told him that Booth- 
 royd Fairclough was attempting to take the position 
 that should be his ; that now, while his father's memory 
 was dear to the American heart, he alone should assume
 
 144 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 the vacant place. He had but one reply, the want 
 of money ; although in his own mind he did not aspire 
 to equal his father or consider himself worthy or capa- 
 ble of doing so. 
 
 That his impecuniosity should not deter Edwin 
 Booth from asserting his inherited right to fame, this 
 enthusiastic friend arranged a benefit for him. It 
 proved a great success. He made a farewell speech 
 before a sympathetic audience, and was presented with 
 a pin of California gold representing a wrist and hand, 
 the finger and thumb of which held a valuable diamond. 
 The next day his debts were cancelled, and every bill 
 paid ; but he found by these proceedings that his money 
 was entirely expended. Mr. Butler suggested another 
 benefit, which Edwin opposed. Mr. Butler insisted, 
 however, claiming that the enthusiasm of the previous 
 occasion would warrant it, and he cleverly arranged 
 that actors should come from San Francisco to lend 
 their services. The second farewell was given to an 
 overflowing house, and Booth was to leave for San 
 Francisco the following day. Crowds assembled to 
 see him go on board, the band from the theatre was 
 present to testify good-will, the captain made the young 
 actor stand in a prominent position to be visible to 
 those who wished him again and again " God speed." 
 Confusion, noisy farewells, and music filled the air; 
 nothing was wanting to complete the sense of satis- 
 faction excepting Mr. Butler with the night's receipts. 
 It was a harassing ordeal for the recipient of this gen- 
 erous ovation, but good wishes will not fill an empty 
 pocket ; and, as Rousseau says, " A crust of bread and
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOT]!. 145 
 
 a bit of money are worth more than God bless you." 
 Fortunately, at the very point of the given time when 
 the gang-plank was about to be hauled in, a man's 
 voice vociferously calling for delay was heard, and in 
 a moment Mr. Butler, wildly gesticulating, rushed amid 
 the crowd with the missing, and by him until then for- 
 gotten, bag of gold. 
 
 At San Francisco Booth had a farewell benefit, act- 
 ing Lear for the first time. He crossed the Isthmus 
 by the railroad which was then finished, and engaged 
 his passage on the " Illinois," the same steamer in 
 which he had left home with his father. 
 
 He had sent an agent ahead to make engagements 
 for him, with the strict injunction to avoid the Front 
 Street Theatre, Baltimore, but to negotiate an open- 
 ing at the Holliday, in the same city. On arrival, he 
 found that he was announced to appear at the Front 
 Street Theatre, engagements in New York having been 
 entirely forgotten. 
 
 He went at once to the Farm in Maryland, where he 
 met with a hearty welcome. The country lads who 
 carried in his trunks shook their heads knowingly at 
 the weight of the supposed contents, saying, "He's 
 from the diggin's." He had come back older in expe- 
 rience only, for he looked like a boy still, and very 
 fragile ; his wild black eyes and long locks gave him an 
 air of melancholy. He had the gentle dignity and in- 
 herent grace that one attributes to a young prince, yet 
 he was merry, cheerful, and boyish in disposition, as 
 one can imagine Hamlet to have been in the days be- 
 fore the tragedy was enacted in the orchard.
 
 146 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 He thoroughly enjoyed the rest among his own 
 family at the Farm, and in a short time opened at the 
 Front Street Theatre, Baltimore, in the character of 
 Richard III. 
 
 He also acted under J. T. Ford's management at 
 Washington and Richmond, Va., Joseph Jefferson be- 
 ing the stage-manager at the last-named city. It was 
 here that he made the acquaintance of Miss Mary Dev- 
 lin, whom he afterwards married. On a tour arranged 
 for him by his agent he played in the principal South- 
 ern and Southwestern cities, establishing himself as an 
 universal favorite. As previously mentioned, he con- 
 ceived that after the glow of excitement consequent on 
 his assuming the characters of the elder Booth should 
 have abated, he must naturally sink into the position of 
 leading man at one of the New York theatres. He was 
 diffident of his own power, y*et from the first he set him- 
 self earnestly to eradicate from his acting every tinge of 
 what he considered an imitation of his father. Schlegel 
 says : " Mere imitation is always fruitless ; even what 
 we borrow from others, to assume a true, practical shape, 
 must, as it were, be born again within us. Of what 
 avail is all foreign imitation ? Art cannot exist without 
 nature, and man can give nothing to his fellow-man but 
 himself." 
 
 However one might grow to love even the peculiari- 
 ties of a favorite, yet it was these very mannerisms, ef- 
 fective and graceful though they were in the elder 
 Booth, that the younger strove studiously to avoid, for 
 he knew they would be quickly detected and used in 
 the criticisms against him ; but there were that same
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 147 
 
 upright bearing and rapidity of graceful motion, there 
 were tones of voice, clarion-like, sonorous, and inex- 
 pressibly sweet, that no art could copy : nature herself 
 transmitted them ; they were her dower. He never 
 was a copyist of his father. A jealous analyst could 
 discover, even at that early stage of his theatrical ca- 
 reer, evidences of an originality in conception and 
 portrayal which he asserted would attain softness and' 
 elegance with the thoughtfulness of years. This consci- 
 entious student of men, of nature, and of Shakspere has 
 well fulfilled the prediction. 
 
 Laura Keene, as if to confirm the opinion he held of 
 his own ability, offered him the position of leading man 
 at her theatre in New York ; but his continued suc- 
 cesses had aroused the ambition of others, if not of 
 himself, and it was decided that he should hold his 
 place as a " star." As an incentive to that ambition 
 came an offer from Thomas Barry, a veteran manager 
 of old Park fame, for him to appear at the Boston The- 
 atre. In spite of all that he had achieved he was not 
 satisfied of his own merit, for he still lacked the in- 
 dorsement of Boston criticism which he considered 
 necessary. Through a dearth of tragedians, comedy 
 reigned in New York ; managers had conceived the idea 
 that tragedy was ruinous to business, and the fancy of 
 the day was to ignore Shakspere. William E. Burton, 
 the comedian, was at that time the manager of the Met- 
 ropolitan, afterward known as the Winter Garden The- 
 atre, and through his business manager he arranged with 
 Booth's agent to bring him to the Metropolitan when 
 his Boston engagement should have ended. In ac-
 
 148 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 cepting the proposal, he emphatically stipulated that 
 he would open with " A New Way to Pay Old Debts," 
 reserving his reason for doing so. The elder Booth 
 had so essentially identified himself with the character 
 of Richard III. that Edwin wished to avoid a compar- 
 ison which he felt would be detrimental to himself; 
 and moreover, in the quiet scenes of Sir Giles, he 
 could feel his way, gradually centre the interest of his 
 audience, and, while working on their sympathy, reserve 
 his force for the powerful culmination. He would be 
 modestly announced, no loud-sounding allusion to 
 his inherited name and fame, for he designed to win, 
 not startle, his audiences. 
 
 He proceeded to Boston, and opened as Sir Giles. 
 It was a cold, dreary night, and he had a thin house. 
 Many white-haired men were in the parquette, which 
 contained more of the passing than the present genera- 
 tion. On the entrance of Allworth, the modest person- 
 ator of that character was startled by vigorous applause 
 from the audience, which, with the laugh that followed 
 on discovery of the mistake, succeeded in taking away 
 his power of speech. When Sir Giles appeared loud 
 and prolonged applause greeted him ; then (as he de- 
 scribed it) the people braced themselves, self-satisfied, 
 in their seats, as if to say, Now, young man, let us see 
 what you can do for yourself. The play proceeded 
 quietly until the fourth act, when the player was on his 
 mettle, for he felt that evening to be the turning-point 
 in his career, 
 
 " This is the night 
 That cither makes me, or fordoes me quite."
 
 THE YOUXGER BOOTH. 149 
 
 This Boston indorsement was to decide his future ; 
 and with a nervous calm he reserved himself for the last 
 great scenes. The effect was electrifying, the call gen- 
 uine and spontaneous ; he knew his power, and felt that 
 he was safe. The next day his pronounced success was 
 universally acknowledged, and the press was unanimous 
 in his praise. No other city had as yet adopted the 
 custom of giving matinees, but the Saturday morning 
 performance had long been the established rule in Bos- 
 ton, where all places of amusement were closed on Sat- 
 urday nights. Booth's engagement, which had been in 
 every respect successful, terminated with a matine'e, 
 during which his agent had brought him a telegraphic 
 despatch from the New York acting-manager : " Mr. 
 Booth announced for Richard III. next Monday. Seats 
 going like hot cakes." 
 
 Annoyed and disappointed at this violation of his ex- 
 press orders, he left Boston in no enviable mood, and ar- 
 rived in New York on Sunday morning. In shame and 
 indignation at the vulgar bombast which would be attrib- 
 uted to him, he read on every available space his own 
 name, coupled with such glaring sentences as, " Hope 
 of the living drama ! " " Son of the Great Tragedian ! " 
 " Richard 's himself again ! " and that hackneyed allu- 
 sion to the " mantle falling on worthy shoulders," which 
 poetic garment never so sadly hampered his individu- 
 ality as now ; for if, as it is said, " every man builds 
 his own monument," then for him who is "born great" 
 there can be little scope for ambition or achievement. 
 Yet it was with more earnestness than ever that he 
 studied for himself the hidden beauties of Shakspere,
 
 150 THE YOUXGER BOOTH. 
 
 whereas but for these difficulties to surmount he might 
 have been less close a student, less meditative a scholar. 
 He obeyed a Baconian precept, and read " not to con- 
 tradict nor to believe, but to weigh and consider." 
 
 He opened on the evening of the 4th of May, 1857. 
 Expectation was at its height to witness the perform- 
 ance of this well-advertised prodigy of genius, whose 
 serious and modest demeanor, however, did not co- 
 incide with the idea of the vainglorious young actor 
 who was coming to demand rather than deserve ap- 
 plause. He pleased thoroughly by his Spartan-like ac- 
 tion, his grave and sententious speech, no less than by 
 his grace and passion ; and, in spite of glaring town- 
 posters, his name on calendars, cards, and shop orna- 
 ments, he gained a hold on the theatre-going public 
 which he never forfeited or lost. In the company 
 were many distinguished names : John Gilbert, Daniel 
 Setchell, Mark Smith, Charles Fisher, and Lawrence 
 Barrett. 
 
 In the autumn of the same year Booth visited Bal- 
 timore, Richmond, Charleston, Savannah, Memphis, 
 Mobile, Montgomery, St. Louis, and Louisville. 
 
 In the following winters he travelled through the 
 Southern and Southwestern States. On one occasion 
 he was crowned with laurel, and after a representation 
 of Richelieu, in answer to an enthusiastic call, the cur : 
 tain rose, and the stage became literally strewn with 
 garlands and bouquets ; to one of the latter was at- 
 tached a leather bag containing five hundred dollars in 
 gold. His first engagement in Chicago was at M'Vick- 
 er's Theatre, and at that time he made the acquaint- 
 ance of his present wife, then a child.
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 151 
 
 A series of thoughtfully written criticisms appeared 
 in the New York Sunday Times over the nom de plume 
 of "Vagabond." These were subsequently collected 
 and edited in book form by the author, Adam Badeau, 
 who became during the civil war an aide-de-camp of 
 General Grant, and afterward biographer of the soldier- 
 President. 
 
 In the year 1857 Booth fulfilled an engagement at 
 the Howard Athenaeum, Boston, under the manage- 
 ment of E. L. Davenport. Lawrence Barrett and John 
 McCullough were in the company. At this period he 
 began altering and revising certain of his plays, " Ham- 
 let " especially occupying his attention. Costumes and 
 scenery, as well as stage business, received his particu- 
 lar care, while a new reading would suggest itself or 
 comprehension of a thought would develop fresh mean- 
 ing to his active mind. These plays as arranged by 
 him, with many embellishments, excisions, and curtail- 
 ments, were the fruit of much serious labor and research, 
 neither study, energy, nor expense being spared in their 
 preparation. It was the conscientious effort of the actor 
 to render his versions concise, clear, and authentic, with- 
 out marring their beauty or deteriorating from their 
 grandeur. This attractive series of " Edwin Booth's 
 Prompt Books " was edited by William Winter in 1878, 
 with preface, appendix, and observations by that gen- 
 tleman, and relative quotations from criticisms by the 
 best Shaksperian scholars. 
 
 During a lucrative engagement at New Orleans in 
 1858, Mr. Booth was the recipient of a costly service 
 of plate consisting of a salver, pitcher, and two goblets.
 
 152 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 At Charleston he was presented with a similar token of 
 regard. In 1860 he married Miss Mary Devlin, who 
 had retired from the stage the previous year ; he then 
 determined to travel less, leaving the Southern and 
 Western States to his younger brother and confining 
 himself to the Eastern cities. He had become the 
 most popular tragedian in the United States. Edwin 
 Forrest was waning in power, and Edwin Booth, now 
 at the acme of a fame deservedly won, had not only 
 in the opinion of friends, but in the estimation of the 
 people, " achieved greatness ! " That magnetic power 
 which enchains the ear and rivets the eye was not an 
 acquirement ; no practice, study, or artifice could teach 
 him that which was indisputably a gift and an inheri- 
 tance ; but custom and conscientious thought helped 
 him not only to idealize but to subdue his nature and 
 exalt his passions, so that he was in turn each person he 
 portrayed. 
 
 An adaptation by Mr. Tom Taylor of "Le Roi 
 s'Amuse," entitled "The Fool's Revenge," had been 
 sent to Joseph Jefferson from England. He took it to 
 Mrs. Booth, telling her to insist on Edwin's looking at it, 
 the character being tragic and not suited to a comedian. 
 Booth studied the part and performed it several times, 
 but failed to satisfy himself with his rendition or clearly 
 to demonstrate his own conception of the character. In 
 this year, 1860, he acted in it with great success, how- 
 ever, in all the cities that he visited with the exception 
 of New York. He now applied himself to reconsider 
 the character, which he felt had not received justice 
 from his interpretation, and finally made an alteration
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 153 
 
 of the last act. He performed Bertuccio at the Arch 
 Street Theatre, Philadelphia, under Wheatley and 
 Clarke's management. As he acted he seemed to 
 realize the full force of the character, and for the first 
 time he delineated satisfactorily to himself the perfect 
 pathos and passion of the part. 
 
 Miss Charlotte Cushman and Edwin Booth gave ten 
 performances at the Academy of Music, Philadelphia, 
 commencing Dec. 31, 1860. They played Wolsey and 
 Queen Katherint in " Henry VIII.," Macbeth and Lady 
 Macbeth, Shylock and Portia, Katherine and Petru- 
 chio, to crowded houses. Miss Cushman observed, 
 " that, judging from Mr. Booth's rehearsal of Macbeth, 
 he had a refined and very intellectual conception of 
 the character ; but she begged him to remember that 
 Macbeth was the grandfather of all the Bowery villains." 
 Booth differed from her on many points, and declined 
 to depart from his own conception of the role. 
 
 In a discussion with Henry Tuckerman of New York, 
 on the character of Hamlet, that gentleman, who had 
 witnessed many of the old actors, observed to Booth 
 that they all stood during the soliloquies, and inquired 
 if it were not possible to alter this. On the next repre- 
 sentation of " Hamlet," Booth, seated, began the solil- 
 oquy " To be, or not to be." Mr. Tuckerman, watching 
 the play, could not conceive how Hamlet could rise 
 from that chair with propriety and grace. When at the 
 words, " to sleep, perchance to dream," after an instant 
 of reflection, during which the mind of Hamlet had 
 penetrated the eternal darkness vivid with dreams, he 
 rose with the horror of that terrible " perchance "
 
 154 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 stamped upon his features, continuing, " Ay, there 's 
 the rub ! " His friend was satisfied that the actor had 
 caught the inspiration of the lines in that reflective 
 pause. Booth also introduced sitting on the tomb in 
 the graveyard when, with his face half buried on Hora- 
 tio's shoulder, he speaks, as if to his own heart, the 
 words, "What! the fair Ophelia?" His resting pre- 
 viously on the tomb is most natural and graceful, and, 
 imbued with these qualities, it cannot fail to be effective. 
 
 During the summer of 1861, while on a fishing ex- 
 cursion with friends in the White Mountains, Booth 
 received a letter from the agent of Mr. Buckstone 
 inviting him to act in London at the Haymarket Thea- 
 tre. He replied, accepting the offer, and prepared to 
 sail for England. He left Boston with his wife in Sep- 
 tember of the same year. He was surprised when 
 Mr. Buckstone informed him in London that a second 
 letter asking him to defer the visit, as he was rather 
 afraid of tragedy, had crossed him on the way. After 
 much discussion Booth allowed himself to be overruled 
 by the manager and consented to appear as Shylock. 
 A lady who had spoken with enthusiasm to her circle of 
 friends of the passion and fire of certain of his delinea- 
 tions confessed herself disappointed when he walked 
 the stage, calm to indifference, and evidently annoyed 
 at his support and his surroundings. 
 
 On this eventful night every one behind the scenes 
 was more nervous and frightened than the untried actor. 
 His fellow-players, with but few exceptions, were super- 
 cilious and disposed to treat the stranger with indignity. 
 One of them was so positively certain of his being hissed
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 155 
 
 that he was scarcely able to conceal his disappointment 
 at the result. 
 
 The prejudice did not extend, however, to Henry 
 Howe or Henry Compton of the Haymarket company, 
 for these gentlemen were particularly kind and sym- 
 pathetic. His audiences were thin but enthusiastic, 
 and many flattering critiques appeared upon his act- 
 ing, none of which, however, he had the satisfaction 
 of reading ; only the malicious articles, unjust and 
 sweeping in denunciation, were brought to his notice. 
 He had reason to believe that English criticism was a 
 two-edged sword rather than the surgeon's knife prob- 
 ing to cure ; yet he received much encouragement from 
 private sources during his engagement of five weeks. 
 He acted four characters, Shylock, Sir Giles Overreach, 
 Richard III., and Richelieu. Mr. Sothern prevailed on 
 Mr. Buckstone to allow Mr. Booth to play Richard III., 
 and the tragedy was eventually put upon the stage, but 
 in such a manner as to seem a burlesque. One man in 
 armor rendered himself ridiculous by kneeling and not 
 being able to rise again, and another lifted his mailed 
 arm and could not lower it without difficulty ; their tin 
 armor so clumsily constructed formed a ludicrous con- 
 trast to the massiveness of the king's complete dress of 
 steel. Mr. Buckstone reluctantly consented that Booth 
 should produce Richelieu. For that event the actors 
 had brought crowds of friends behind the scenes to 
 witness a great failure ; and the hisses of the audience, 
 which as yet had not been forthcoming, were confidently 
 expected at this production. Before the close of the 
 first act marks of pleasure instead of the disapprobation
 
 156 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 anticipated were distinctly heard ; and even the non- 
 paying audience behind the scenes partook of the 
 enthusiasm. Mr. Chippendale, who had frequently 
 been lavish of kind words to Edwin as a boy and 
 had often professed friendship for his father, held an 
 unwelcoming hand to the hard-used actor struggling 
 against the prejudice and conventionalism of a foreign 
 country. During the fourth act of the play, as Edmund 
 Kean would have said, " the pit rose at him." It was 
 reported that Mr. Chippendale, leaving the theatre, 
 rushed over the way to Mr. Buckstone, saying, he had 
 seen the finest piece of acting in his life. Mr. Buck- 
 stone always regretted that he had not opened with 
 " Richelieu." 
 
 During Booth's residence at Fulham his only child, 
 Edwina, was born, in December, 1861. 
 
 On the completion of his London engagement, Booth 
 went to Manchester, where he acted for three weeks, 
 Mr. Henry Irving being a member of the stock com- 
 pany ; thence he proceeded to Liverpool and fulfilled 
 an engagement of two weeks. A marble medallion of 
 him by Kiintze was in the Royal Academy exhibition 
 of 1862. 
 
 After a visit to Paris he was presented with the sword 
 which Lemaitre had worn in " Ruy Bias," bearing 
 upon the blade the name " Frederic Lemaitre " and 
 the date of his first performance of the role. No thea- 
 tres were open to him in London on his return from 
 France. Fechter, then at the height of success at the 
 Princess's Theatre, monopolized the Shaksperian drama, 
 and as he was in receipt of handsome offers for New
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 157 
 
 York, he concluded to leave England, sailing on the 
 " Great Eastern " steamship, which then made her last 
 voyage as a passenger vessel. 
 
 On his return from England Booth played a very 
 successful engagement at the Winter Garden Theatre, 
 New York, commencing Sept. 29, 1862. In his support 
 were Mr. and Mrs. F. B. Conway. 
 
 At Philadelphia some months later he played Mac- 
 beth, to the Lady Macbeth of Miss Charlotte Cushman, 
 for the benefit of the Woman's Branch of the United 
 States Sanitary Commission, raising upwards of thirteen 
 hundred dollars for the fund. 
 
 About this time Booth, on account of the failing 
 health of his wife, decided to take a house at Dorches- 
 ter, Mass., where he left his family, after playing a few 
 weeks in Boston, to open at the Winter Garden, 
 Feb. 9, 1863. He never saw Mrs. Booth alive again. 
 Her sudden death before he could reach her bedside 
 abruptly terminated his engagement in New York. Mr. 
 T. W. Parsons, in his collection of poems entitled 
 "The Magnolia," has paid a touching compliment to 
 the worth of a good woman in his memorial of Mary 
 Devlin Booth. 
 
 Booth did not resume his professional duties for 
 some months ; Lawrence Barrett, who was his leading 
 support, filling up the break in his New York engage- 
 ment by acting Richard III., and continuing with Ruy 
 Bias, which Booth had had in course of preparation. 
 On his return he wished to assume this part of Ruy 
 Bias, but Mr. Barrett considered it unfair that he 
 should be cast for the character of Don Casar when
 
 158 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 he had already been playing the leading role, on its 
 first production in the metropolis. Booth then intro- 
 duced the scene of Don Ca-sar, which had been 
 omitted in the English version, and offered it as an in- 
 ducement to Mr. Barrett, who accepted, and acted the 
 character remarkably well, " taking," as the star said, 
 "all the wind out of my sails." 
 
 In October, 1863, the Walnut Street Theatre in 
 Philadelphia was offered for sale. At such a preca- 
 rious time, during a disastrous civil war, few men were 
 willing to assume so great a risk ; but John S. Clarke 
 and Edwin Booth conjointly ventured to make the pur- 
 chase, feeling that they would be lucky to be able to 
 pay for it entirely in thirteen years. This they did, 
 however, in three ! 
 
 At Niblo's Garden, under the management of Wil- 
 liam Wheatley, who had lately dissolved partnership 
 with John S. Clarke in Philadelphia, Booth presented 
 "The Fool's Revenge"" for the first time in New York, 
 March 28, 1864, the play meeting with decided suc- 
 cess. In his support were Miss Ada Clifton, Miss 
 Mary Wells, Miss Rose Eytinge, and J. W. Collier. 
 
 Edwin Booth, John S. Clarke, and William Stuart 
 took a lease of the Winter Garden Theatre, New York, 
 for a term of years, opening the house Aug. 18, 1864, 
 with an engagement of Mr. Clarke. Booth had long 
 desired to have a leading metropolitan "theatre under 
 his own control, where he could mount his plays in a 
 correct and elaborate style and confine himself entirely 
 to the legitimate drama. Mr. Stuart was known, how- 
 ever, as the " manager " of the theatre, although his
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 159 
 
 duties did not extend to the stage department or the 
 production of plays. He received a large salary, and 
 occupied a suite of rooms in the theatre, from which 
 he narrowly escaped when the building was destroyed 
 by fire. 
 
 Booth cast his first, and the only vote of his life, for 
 Abraham Lincoln, in the autumn of 1864. A short 
 time after, on the night of Nov. 25, 1864, the three 
 Booth brothers appeared in the play of "Julius Caesar," 
 Junius Brutus Booth as Cassius, Edwin as Brutus ', 
 and John Wilkes as Marc Antony. The theatre was 
 crowded to suffocation, people standing in every avail- 
 able place. The greatest excitement prevailed, and 
 the aged mother of the Booths sat in a private box to 
 witness this performance. The three brothers received 
 and merited the applause of that immense audience, 
 for they acted well, and presented a picture too strik- 
 ingly historic to be soon forgotten. The eldest, power- 
 fully built and handsome as an antique Roman, Edwin, 
 with his magnetic fire and graceful dignity, and John 
 Wilkes in the perfection of youthful beauty, stood side 
 by side, again and again, before the curtain, to receive 
 the lavish applause of the audience mingled with wav- 
 ing of handkerchiefs and every mark of enthusiasm. 
 
 Nov. 26, 1864, Booth produced "Hamlet" at the 
 Winter Garden, and acted the Dane for one hun- 
 dred nights consecutively, the longest run that any 
 Shaksperian play had ever known in America at that 
 time. It was more splendidly produced than any other 
 that had ever been presented, with the exception, per- 
 haps, of " King John " and " Richard III.," many years
 
 160 THE YOUNGER BOO'TH. 
 
 previously, at the old Park Theatre, under the direction 
 of Mr. Charles Kean, and which, it is said, were com- 
 parative failures financially, although most expensive 
 and elaborate productions. 
 
 Of Booth's Hamlet, at that time, George William 
 Curtis wrote : 
 
 " A really fine actor is as uncommon as a really great 
 dramatic poet. Yet what Garrick was in Richard III., 
 or Edmund Kean in Shylock, we are sure Edwin Booth 
 is in Hamlet. . . . The scenery was thoughtfully stud- 
 ied, and the effect was entirely harmonious. . . . Booth 
 looks the ideal Hamlet ; for the Hamlet of our imagi- 
 nation, which is the Hamlet of Shakspere, is not the 
 scant-of-breath gentleman whom the severer critics in- 
 sist that he should be. He is a sad, slight prince. . . . 
 Booth is altogether princely. His costume is still the 
 solemn suit of sables,, varied according to his fancy of 
 greater fitness ; and his small, lithe form, with the 
 mobility and intellectual sadness of his face, and his 
 large, melancholy eyes, satisfy the most fastidious im- 
 agination that this is Hamlet as he lived in Shakspere 's 
 world. His playing throughout has an exquisite tone, 
 like an old picture. The charm of the finest portraits 
 
 of Raphael's 'Julius' or 'Leo, 1 of Titian's 'Fran- 
 cis I.' or ' Ippolita cli Medici,' of Vandyck's ' Charles I.' 
 
 is not the drawing, or even the coloring, so much 
 as the nameless, subtle harmony which is called ' tone." 
 So in Booth's Hamlet it is not any particular scene, or 
 passage, or look, or movement, that conveys the im- 
 pression ; it is the consistency of every part with every 
 other, the pervasive sense of a mind of a true gentleman
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. l6l 
 
 sadly strained and jarred. Through the whole play the 
 mind is borne on in mournful reverie. It is not so 
 much what he says or does that we ebserve, for under 
 all, beneath every scene and word and act, we hear what 
 is not audible, the melancholy music of ' the sweet 
 bells jangled, out of tune and harsh.' This gives a 
 curious reality to the whole. . . . Booth's conception 
 of Hamlet is that of a morbid mind conscious of its 
 power to master the mystery of life, which, in its de- 
 tails, baffles and overwhelms him. There is, therefore, 
 a serene consciousness of superiority in his behavior, 
 even in the most perplexed moments. In the chamber 
 scene with his mother, when the ghost passes and Ham- 
 let falls for a moment prostrate with emotion at his 
 disappearance, the Queen insinuates that he is mad. 
 There is a kind of calm, pitying disdain, mingled with 
 the sense that her feeling is natural, with which Hamlet 
 steps toward her, his finger on his pulse. The tragedy 
 in ' Hamlet ' is not only the vital curiosity about ex- 
 istence, the mastering love of life which almost subdues 
 his soul with fear and doubt and keeps it tense with 
 eager questioning, but it is the conviction of a mind 
 morbid with this continual strain that it is a most sacred 
 duty to end another life, to plunge a guilty soul into the 
 abyss of doubt, and that soul the one dearest to his 
 mother. This explains the fascination which the idea 
 of his uncle's death always exercises upon his mind, 
 and also his inability to do more than dream and doubt 
 over the action. It is this complication which produces 
 one of Booth's finest scenes. In the interview with his 
 mother he stabs Polonius through the arras. For an
 
 1 62 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 instant the possibility of what he has done sweeps over 
 his mind. Always the victim of complex emotions, the 
 instinctive satisfaction of knowing the act done is min- 
 gled with the old familiar horror of the doom to which 
 he may have consigned his uncle. With sword up- 
 lifted, and a vague terror both of hope and fear in his 
 tone and face, Hamlet does not slide rapidly back, and 
 hurriedly exclaim, ' Is it the King? ' but, tottering with 
 emotion, he asks slowly in an appalling staccato, ' Is 
 it the king ? ' The cumulative sadness of the play 
 was never so palpable as in Booth's acting. It is a 
 spell from which you cannot escape." 
 
 At the expiration of the hundred nights of " Ham- 
 let," a committee of distinguished persons had arranged 
 to present Booth with a medal commemorative of the 
 event ; but it was not yet completed, and he finished 
 his New York season by filling the last week with dif- 
 ferent plays. 
 
 Going from New York to Boston, he was playing a 
 very lucrative engagement, and on the night of the i4th 
 of April, 1865, acted Sir Edward Mortimer. On the 
 following morning the news of the great calamity which 
 had fallen upon the country, and particularly upon the 
 Booth family, was brought to him. He left Boston on 
 that evening, and arrived at New York early the en- 
 suing morning, repairing at once to his own home. 
 He was surrounded by devoted friends, who strove by 
 every attention in their power to prove how highly he 
 was esteemed as a public man and a citizen. 
 
 Grief and shame, and the dread of having to forfeit 
 his position on the stage, had in the course of a few
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 163 
 
 months sadly worn his fragile body ; and that intro- 
 spective look, which some writer remarks as " charac- 
 teristic of the Booths," seemed to fit with the lines, 
 
 "I have that within, which passeth show." 
 
 He had thought never to appear upon the stage again, 
 but the more violent the tempest the more subdued the 
 calm which follows ; and the reaction proved as rea- 
 sonable in this case as the denunciation had been fierce. 
 With conflicting emotions, which required an indom- 
 itable force of will to keep in check, Edwin Booth 
 made his reappearance on the stage at the Winter 
 Garden Theatre in the character of Hamlet, Jan. 3, 
 1866, after having been in retirement many months. 
 People came from Washington, Baltimore, Boston, and 
 Philadelphia to witness the event, and the audience 
 comprised many distinguished persons. Outside the 
 streets were thronged, angry threats were made to shoot 
 him ; but on the other hand cool, common sense was 
 heard, and both within and without the theatre the 
 police force was a restraining power. 
 
 In his "Sketch of Edwin Booth," William Winter 
 says : 
 
 " Had there not existed, however, an imperative ne- 
 cessity that Edwin Booth should return to the stage, 
 he would never have acted again. He reappeared on 
 the 3d of January, 1 866, at the Winter Garden Theatre. 
 An immense throng of persons gave him welcome, and 
 it was such a welcome as might well have lightened the 
 saddest heart and the most anxious mind. Nine cheers 
 hailed the melancholy Dane upon his first entrance.
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 The spectators rose and waved their hats and handker- 
 chiefs. Bouquets fell in a shower upon the stage, and 
 there was a tempest of applause. Nor was the welcome 
 less kind in communities out of New York. Wherever 
 he appeared after this momentous return to the stage he 
 found a free-hearted greeting and respectful sympathy, 
 and so little by little he got back into the old way of 
 work, and his professional career resumed its flow in 
 the old channel." 
 
 The " Hamlet Medal " (intended for presentation on 
 the one hundredth night) was received by Booth on 
 January 22d during this engagement. It was an offer- 
 ing of appreciation and respect from the chief citizens 
 of New York and students of Shakspere, and was pre- 
 sented publicly after the performance of " Hamlet." 
 The stage represented a drawing-room. The bands of 
 the principal theatres of New York united in giving the 
 Danish National Hymn. Booth, dressed as Hamlet, 
 met the committee on their arrival. Among the vast 
 concourse of people were many eminent citizens ; and 
 on the stage could be singled out Admiral Farragut, 
 Major-General Robert Anderson, John T. Hoffman 
 Governor of New York, George Bancroft the histo- 
 rian, Charles A. Dana, Judge Daly ; S. R. Gifford, Launt 
 Thompson, Jervis McEntee, and many distinguished 
 artists ; and Richard O'Gorman and William Ftillerton, 
 members of the New York Bar. The latter gentleman 
 spoke the following graceful tribute : 
 
 " MR. BOOTH, You have deservedly won a position 
 in your profession which few men have ever attained. 
 The representation of one of Shakspere's plays for
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTIf. 
 
 I6 5 
 
 one hundred consecutive nights to overflowing and 
 delighted audiences is a triumph unrecorded in the an- 
 nals of the stage until you accomplished it, and is well 
 worthy of commemoration. But it is not alone your 
 success as an actor which has attracted public attention 
 and called forth this demonstration. You have won 
 alike the applause and respect of your fellow-men ; and 
 a numerous body of your friends and admirers, through 
 their committee now here present, desire to present 
 you with some evidence of their appreciation of your 
 genius as an actor, and their respect for you as a man, 
 more substantial and enduring than the fleeting, though 
 hearty plaudits nightly heard within these walls. To 
 that end they have instructed me to present you with 
 this medal. Intrinsically, it is of little worth ; but as a 
 token of the regard of. your fellow-citizens, it possesses 
 a significance far more valuable than the gold of which 
 it is composed, or the artistic skill which has beautified 
 it. It was thought proper that this presentation should 
 take place on the occasion of the play of ' Hamlet,' 
 with which your name will ever be associated, and on 
 the very spot of your greatest professional achievements, 
 thereby affording your numerous friends an opportunity 
 of witnessing it. But the choice of time and place for 
 this ceremony has another and a deeper meaning. It 
 intends a recognition of your lifelong efforts to raise the 
 moral standard of the drama, and to encourage you in 
 your future endeavors to accomplish that result. In 
 conclusion, I beg you to accept this gift ; and at the 
 same time, allow me to express the universal wish that 
 you may live to win new triumphs in a profession
 
 THE YOL'XCER BOOTH. 
 
 which your virtues have elevated and your talents 
 adorned." 
 
 The medal is made of gold, and is about three inches 
 in size ; it is of oval form, and is surrounded by a thick 
 golden serpent with its head pendent, over which are 
 the skull of Yorick, the crossed foils, and thickly massed 
 bunches of Ophelia's flowers. A golden ribbon around 
 the oval bears the motto, " Palmam qui mcruit ferat." 
 At the top is the Danish crown, from which hang two 
 heavy garlands of laurel and myrtle gracefully fes- 
 tooned ; beneath, in alto-rilievo, is Edwin Booth's 
 head as Hamlet. The medal is suspended from a 
 brooch richly chased, with the face of Shakspere be- 
 tween the masks of Tragedy and Comedy. On the 
 reverse is engraven, " To Edwin Booth, in commemo- 
 ration of the unprecedented ' run ' of ' Hamlet,' as en- 
 acted by him in New York City for one hundred nights, 
 1865." 
 
 In January, 1866, Booth and Clarke obtained the 
 lease of the Boston Theatre at a rental of sixteen 
 thousand dollars a year. Offers as high as twenty-six 
 thousand dollars were made by other parties, but the 
 directors preferred these two gentlemen, who managed 
 now conjointly three first-class theatres in the three 
 principal cities. After a very successful engagement 
 in Boston, Booth, on the 23d of April, 1866, made his 
 reappearance on the Philadelphia stage to commemo- 
 rate the anniversary of the " Birth and Death of Shaks- 
 pere." He had not acted in that city for two years, 
 and during a most remunerative engagement of fifty- 
 one nights he performed Othello, Romeo, Shylock, Rich-
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 I6 7 
 
 ard III., Ruy Bias, Don Cesar de Bazan, Hamlet, 
 Richelieu, Petruchio, The Stranger, Bcrtuccio, Sir Giles 
 Overreach, and Pescara. " Hamlet " was produced in 
 magnificent style, and acted for twenty-one nights, the 
 other plays being many times repeated. 
 
 During the occupancy of the Winter Garden Theatre 
 by Booth and Clarke, the latter usually acted there from 
 the month of August until Christmas, Booth following 
 and playing until Easter, Mr. and Mrs. Barney Wil- 
 liams and other attractions filling the intervening time. 
 John S. Clarke sold his interest to Booth, and retired 
 finally from the management early in the year 1867, a 
 few months before the building was burned. 
 
 Booth produced " Richelieu " in magnificent style 
 on the ist February, 1866, using the costumes he 
 had brought with him from Paris for another play. 
 Charles Barron was the De Mauprat, John Dyott Jo- 
 seph, C. K. Mason Hoguet, Miss Rose Eytinge Julie, 
 and Miss Marie Wilkins Marion de Lorme. 
 
 On the 2 Qth December of the same year he played 
 logo to the Othello of Bagumil Dawison. Othello spoke 
 in German, lago in English, and Desdemona (Madame 
 Methua Scheller) in German to Othello and in English 
 to the rest of the dramatis persona. " The Merchant 
 of Venice" was the event of this season of 1866-67, 
 and was produced in magnificent style Jan. 28, 1867, 
 running for seven weeks. On the 22d of March 
 "Brutus, or the Fall of Tarquin," was presented, and 
 early on the morning of March 23d the theatre was 
 burned to the ground. 
 
 The fire was the result of an accident, and the thea-
 
 1 68 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 tre, which was uninsured, was < never rebuilt. Booth 
 lost the whole of his valuable wardrobe, including many 
 articles prized for their association sake even more 
 than for their actual worth. Some had belonged to his 
 father, others to Edmund Kean, John Philip Kemble, 
 and to Mrs. Siddons. 
 
 Owing to the great success which had attended the 
 production of his plays at the Winter Garden Theatre, 
 he was filled with an ambitious desire to build a supe- 
 rior edifice where he could indulge his love of the 
 aesthetic and realistic as well as show deference to the 
 legitimate in art. This had been his earnest endeavor 
 throughout his later engagements, and the production 
 of his plays had so engrossed his attention that he had 
 refused most tempting offers from the West ; money at 
 that time being a secondary object. With his mind 
 intent upon pursuing this grand scheme of erecting a 
 theatre on his own responsibility, he now had recourse 
 to the Western managers, and accepted offers that 
 proved most remunerative. He did not act again for 
 two years in New York ; but, having secured the site 
 for his theatre, he travelled and worked laboriously to 
 effect what he now calls " a Quixotic fancy." 
 
 In 1867, during his engagement in Chicago, Miss 
 Mary M'Vicker made her first appearance as Juliet to 
 his ftomeo. He proceeded to Baltimore to fulfil an 
 engagement of four weeks, opening as Sir Giles Over- 
 reach, Miss M'Vicker performing Margaret. During the 
 first week, while playing Pescara in the " Apostate," he 
 met with a serious accident. Mr. Charles Vandenhoff 
 as Hemcja, in rushing to kill Pescara, was so excited
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 16$ 
 
 that he deliberately stabbed Booth three times in the 
 hand which he had fortunately raised to ward off the blow 
 from his breast. He had neglected to have the sharp 
 dagger blunted, and Mr. Vandenhoff was unconscious 
 how often or how furiously he struck in his excitement. 
 After responding to the call of the audience, Booth for 
 the first time realized how badly he was hurt and on 
 leaving the stage fainted from pain. He acted the 
 next night, however, and for two nights following, in the 
 plays of " Hamlet," " Richard III.," and " Othello," 
 carrying his right arm in a sling and fencing with his 
 left hand, even drawing his sword, which he accom- 
 plished by a quick upward movement, whipping it 
 not ungracefully from the scabbard. The next week 
 he was obliged to desist from acting as he was threat- 
 ened with erysipelas, and the arm had become exceed- 
 ingly painful. 
 
 After a brief rest he was enabled to finish his engage- 
 ment, performing the two weeks following. He shortly 
 afterward made a tour of all the cities of the South and 
 Southwest for the first time in eight years. 
 
 The building of Booth's Theatre consumed nearly 
 two years, during which time he was never idle ; the 
 excavations for the foundation were made by blasting 
 a solid rock twenty-two feet in diameter, and the pit 
 dug was the extent of the entire stage. The magnifi- 
 cent structure was at length completed at the cost of 
 over a million of dollars, and was said to be surpassed 
 in grandeur only by the Grand Opera House in Paris. 
 The decorations of the interior were most artistic and 
 delicate ; everything was perfect in regard to taste and
 
 170 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 elegance. There were no " wings " on the stage, all of 
 the scenery being so constructed as to sink or be ele- 
 vated above the " flies " by hydraulic power ; the stage 
 could be thrown open from wall to wall, and the effect 
 perspectively with the great altitude added to its vast- 
 ness and grandeur. The theatre opened on the 3d of 
 February, 1869, with the production of " Romeo and 
 Juliet," given in the original text of Shakspere for the 
 first time in America. The minutiae of stage decora- 
 tion, costume, and equipment received Booth's own 
 supervision, as their correctness had engrossed his time 
 and labor. In the second act, the house of Juliet 
 measured sixty feet in height, and had two balconies 
 one above the other. Two trees measured fifty and 
 sixty feet. For the " loggia " scene in the third act was 
 a line of connected arches of great height extending 
 backward to the full depth of the stage ; these flanked 
 a wide courtyard in which the tops of trees were visi- 
 ble, suggesting the idea of depth. Romeo's ladder was 
 thrown over the balustrade of a balcony of this solidly 
 constructed house. The " loggia scene " employed 
 fifty men to set and to draw it above the " flies." The 
 production of this play attracted immense audiences for 
 sixty-eight nights, Booth and Miss M'Vicker playing 
 Romeo and Juliet, and Mr. Edwin Adams Mercutio. 
 
 The " Moor of Venice " was put upon the stage 
 April 19, 1869, on a scale of similar magnificence; 
 Edwin Adams and Edwin Booth alternating the charac- 
 ters of Othello and logo. Miss M'Vicker assuming the 
 part of Desdemona. Booth, by an ingenious contriv- 
 ance, had the scenery of "Romeo and Juliet" rear-
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. \"J\ 
 
 ranged with the addition of a few small pieces to answer 
 every requisition of the " Moor of Venice," thus illus- 
 trating that the eye of the master saves the laborer's 
 hands. He kept the theatre open during the summer, 
 and produced the play of "Enoch Arden," June 21, 
 1869. Edwin Adams personated the principal charac- 
 ter, and Booth received a letter from Mr. Tennyson 
 relative to the successful production of his poem. 
 
 Booth and Miss M'Vicker were married June 7, 
 1869. In this year the lady retired from the stage.* 
 
 The plays of " Romeo and Juliet," " Winter's Tale," 
 "Hamlet," "Richelieu," and "Julius C;esar," were 
 produced in most elaborate and costly style. " The 
 Assassination of Caesar," from Ge'rome's great pic- 
 ture, was beautifully copied for the scene of the lat- 
 ter play. " The Moor of Venice," " Macbeth," 
 "Lady of Lyons," "The Iron Chest," "Merchant of 
 Venice," " Richard III.," " A New Way to Pay Old 
 Debts," " Fool's Revenge," " The Fall of Tarquin," 
 and " Don Cesar de Bazan " were put upon the stage 
 and mounted in superior style. They were frequently 
 repeated, and one of the previously mentioned five 
 plays was produced each year. He had been through- 
 out unsparing of strength and energy, and indefatigable 
 in his labor, each department of the theatre dividing 
 his attention, for the onus of this undertaking devolved 
 on himself alone. He travelled and played elsewhere, 
 while other " stars " filled the time at Booth's Theatre, 
 among whom were Miss Neilson, Joseph Jefferson, 
 Miss Bateman, and J. S. Clarke. 
 
 * Mary M'Vicker Booth died in New York, Nov. 13, 1881, while 
 this volume was passing through the press. ED.
 
 1/2 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 Edwin Adams was the leading man of the company, 
 and had the privilege of producing his own plays on 
 Saturday nights, the same arrangement being effected 
 with Lawrence Barrett in the next season. Booth's 
 management of Booth's Theatre was remarkable for the 
 continuity of its success, but the outlay was enormous 
 and the expenses incredible ; he allowed himself rest 
 neither for body nor mind, and, when absent in other 
 cities, sent large sums of money to New York to liqui- 
 date his debts. 
 
 Finally, the strain on mental and physical health 
 became too severe, and in 1873 he concluded to lease 
 the theatre to his elder brother, J. B. Booth, in prefer- 
 ence to other applicants. This management not meet- 
 ing with the desired success, the theatre passed into 
 new hands, and Booth's monetary affairs became so 
 complicated and embarrassed, owing to his ignorance 
 of the financial details of business, that, notwithstand- 
 ing his long-continued success throughout the country, 
 the result of this scheme was bankruptcy. Although 
 released from the cares of management he was now 
 compelled to work harder and to travel more, devot- 
 ing every energy to free himself from the incubus of 
 debt. Out of the failure of this great project, which 
 was a noble endeavor by individual effort to elevate 
 the drama in America and to create for his country a 
 standard of dramatic excellence that should be felt 
 among older nations, came happily renewed strength 
 and determination, not the relaxation of despair or grief 
 for wasted effort that was feared by his friends. 
 
 Shortly after his bankruptcy Booth retired for a brief
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 173 
 
 rest to his wife's country home at Cos-Cob, Con- 
 necticut, having surrendered to his creditors all his 
 private and personal property, including his books, pic- 
 tures, and extensive theatrical wardrobe. While in this 
 quiet retreat he was thrown from a carriage and severely 
 injured in the arm and side. This accident caused a 
 postponement of an eight weeks' summer engagement 
 with Mr. Augustin Daly of the Fifth Avenue Theatre, 
 New York. He opened at that house, however, Oct. 
 2 5> l %75- During this engagement he produced for 
 the first time his own version or adaptation of Shak- 
 spere's " Richard II." He had never seen the charac- 
 ter acted, and had never played it himself. It was a 
 very great success, and has become a favorite part of 
 his because of its eloquence and force. Edmund 
 Kean and the elder Booth had performed this charac- 
 ter, but it had fallen into disuse. Edwin Booth desired 
 to restore the tragedy to the stage ; and, by reason of 
 its profundity of knowledge, its intimate acquaintance 
 with humanity, and its exquisite diction, it deserves the 
 place he has given it in his repertory. 
 
 During this season, under Mr. Daly's management, 
 he produced " King Lear " in magnificent style and 
 from the original text, after his own adaptation of 
 Shakspere's " King Lear." This, too, was eminently 
 successful. After acting his usual round of characters 
 (but with his maimed left arm in a sling), the engage- 
 ment terminated. He went with Mr. J. T. Ford of 
 Baltimore, on a protracted Southern tour, giving fifty- 
 two performances. He then travelled with Mr. M'Vicker 
 and with other managers, through the Western cities,
 
 174 TIf K YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 successfully fulfilling these engagements and terminat- 
 ing the season in June, 1876. 
 
 For several years he had refused all offers from Cali- 
 fornia ; but now that he required a vast deal of money 
 to free himself from pressing obligations, he concluded 
 to undertake the journey at the tempting inducements 
 held forth by Mr. John McCullough. Their train en 
 route to San Francisco stopped at several places. They 
 visited Salt Lake City, where he gave a half-promise to 
 act on his return journey ; they went to Virginia City, 
 and in twelve days from the date of starting he arrived 
 in San Francisco, Sept. 5, 1876, exactly twenty years 
 to a day since he had left that city. 
 
 His engagement at the San Francisco theatre was 
 attended by overwhelming success. While in Cali- 
 fornia he met his old friend, D. C. Anderson, and 
 together they wandered over the busy metropolis that 
 had overgrown the straggling village they had known. 
 Their " Ranch " was now a tenement in a back street, 
 and the " marsh " was built over ; for the great, pros- 
 perous city had reached outward in all directions, em- 
 bracing the once barren waste. 
 
 Booth returned to the East, and opened at the Ly- 
 ceum Theatre, New York, under Mr. M'Vicker's man- 
 agement, in November, 1876. This engagement lasted 
 ten weeks. The great political disturbance, and the 
 fatal occurrence at the Brooklyn Theatre, burned by 
 fire, with a loss of more than three hundred lives, 
 Dec. 5, 1876, caused so great a panic that all places 
 of amusement were avoided in New York ; and the 
 fright extended to other cities, so that the latter part of
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 175 
 
 the engagement was somewhat injured. Mr. M'Vicker 
 was very anxious to resign his two weeks' lease of the 
 Academy of Music in Brooklyn on account of the dis- 
 inclination of the community to visit theatres, but his 
 efforts proved unsuccessful. Booth was obliged to fill 
 the engagement, anticipating a complete failure ; but, 
 contrary to all expectations, he played to enormous 
 business. Under the same management he visited 
 various cities, acting three weeks at the Arch Street 
 Theatre, Philadelphia, two weeks in Baltimore, and 
 later performing in several towns of Connecticut. 
 
 He then appeared at the Globe Theatre in Boston 
 for a period of three weeks, and closed this protracted 
 engagement on the igth of May, 1877. For this sea- 
 son he had received one hundred and twenty-one 
 thousand three hundred and fifty-three dollars. And 
 his total receipts from October, 1875, to May, 1877, 
 enabled him to settle with his creditors, and obtain 
 release from bankruptcy, the time comprising fifty-six 
 acting weeks. 
 
 After a rest during the summer months he com- 
 menced another engagement under the same manage- 
 ment, on Sept. 10, 1877, in Chicago. He played in 
 Cincinnati, Louisville, Cleveland, St. Louis, Buffalo, 
 Lockport, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, and Albany. In 
 January, 1878, he rented Booth's Theatre, and under 
 his own management acted for six weeks. Later he 
 acted at the Park Theatre, Boston, for three weeks, 
 two weeks at Pittsburg, two at Baltimore, and filled 
 three weeks at Clarke's Broad Street Theatre in Phila- 
 delphia. At the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York
 
 176 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 he played for five weeks, then visited Detroit and 
 Chicago. He had reaped a plentiful harvest in all 
 these cities, but he had labored indefatigably and trav- 
 elled without loss of time. 
 
 His engagement at Chicago was for a period of four 
 weeks, beginning the i4th of April, 1879. In the sec- 
 ond week, on the night of the 23d (Shakspere's birth- 
 day) , he was shot at while playing Richard II. There 
 was intense excitement throughout the theatre, and the 
 deed created the fiercest indignation against the of- 
 fender, who was arrested and secured, but not until 
 Booth rose at the third shot, walked to the footlights, 
 and pointed out to the audience the would-be assassin 
 as the pistol was again levelled at his head. At the 
 trial which followed the man was proved to be insane, 
 and he has ever since been confined at the asylum at 
 Elgin, 111. One of the bullets, which entered the scen- 
 ery almost directly behind Booth, he has had set in a 
 gold cartridge cap, upon which is engraved, " From 
 Mark Gray to Edwin Booth, April 23, 1879." This, 
 as a grim reminder of his danger and escape, he wears 
 as an Egyptian might wear an amulet. By subsequent 
 measurement the aim of the lunatic was shown to have 
 been very clever, for had Booth risen at the proper and 
 expected moment one of the bullets at least must have 
 passed through his heart. 
 
 The newspapers were filled with wild accounts of the 
 shooting affray, and telegrams, cable despatches, and 
 letters from " troops of friends " served to show him 
 how high he stood in the estimation of his countrymen 
 at home and abroad. He needed such sympathy to
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 177 
 
 stimulate him in the pursuit of his profession, for so 
 many adverse circumstances seemed to conspire to ener- 
 vate and overcome his powers. When this engagement 
 closed he gladly took his departure from Chicago, and 
 did not act again until October 6th, when he performed 
 at Ford's Opera House in Baltimore for two weeks, 
 going thence to the Broad Street Theatre, Philadel- 
 phia, under the same management. At the Grand 
 Opera House in New York he fulfilled an engagement 
 of four weeks. In March, 1880, he acted under Mr. 
 Abbey's management at the Park Theatre, Boston. It 
 was one of the finest engagements on record, and cre- 
 ated the greatest excitement. The sale of seats lasted 
 from eight A. M. until eight p. M. A long unbroken line 
 of people was at the box-office during those hours, 
 and before the close of the second week all the seats 
 were sold for the remainder of the engagement. Crowds 
 were nightly turned from the doors, and every available 
 spot in the theatre was given up for the accommoda- 
 tion of the audience. 
 
 At Booth's Theatre, New York, in April," 1880, he 
 played four weeks under the management of Mr. Ab- 
 bey, and, after an engagement in Brooklyn, performed 
 Petruccio at the Madison Square Theatre, New York, for 
 the benefit of "The Edgar Poe Memorial Fund," his 
 last appearance in America before his trip to Europe. 
 
 On the 1 5th of June he was tendered a public 
 breakfast at Delmonico's, New York, one of the most 
 brilliant and successful entertainments ever given in 
 America, and probably the highest compliment ever 
 paid to any member of his profession. The church,
 
 1 7 8 
 
 THE YOUXGER BOOTH. 
 
 the bench, the bar, the world of letters, arts, and affairs, 
 all gathered to do honor to the departing actor, and to 
 express their appreciation of him as an artist and a man. 
 Speeches were made by Judge John R. Brady, who 
 presided, by Judge Charles P. Daly, Algernon S. Sulli- 
 van, Edmund C. Stedman, Rev. Robert Collyer, Rev. 
 Ferdinand C. Ewer, Lawrence Barrett, Lester Wallack, 
 Joseph Jefferson, William Warren, and a poem written 
 for the occasion was read by William Winter. 
 
 Booth sailed from New York on the joth of June, 
 1880, with his wife and daughter. After spending 
 some months in travel in Great Britain and on the 
 Continent, he opened the New Princess's Theatre, Lon- 
 don, on the 6th November, 1880, as Hamlet. Sub- 
 sequently, at this house, he appeared as Richelieu, 
 Bertuccio, Othello, lago, Petruccio, Shylock, and King 
 Lear. Of this successful engagement, and of that 
 which followed at the Lyceum Theatre, London, un- 
 der the management of Henry Irving, where he played 
 logo and . Othello with that gentleman, alternating the 
 parts, there is not space to speak here. 
 
 Edwin Booth still lives, and still pursues his career 
 of usefulness in his profession. Therefore it is hardly 
 time yet, and it should perhaps fall to the lot of some 
 other writer, to analyze the nobility of his character, 
 and unveil to the public the beauties of his private life. 
 Let it be said merely that as a citizen and as a man 
 Edwin Booth has been always devoted, upright, true ; 
 the kindest and most tender of sons to an erratic father 
 and to a widowed mother, in every other relation, as 
 brother, husband, father, friend, worthy of affection and
 
 THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 179 
 
 of all praise. Long may it be ere " Finis " is written 
 in his volume of life ! 
 
 For what she has said in these pages the writer can 
 only quote for her defence this curt excuse, 
 
 " If I have spent my time ill to write, 
 Let them not be so idle as to read." 
 
 LINES TO EDWIN BOOTH. 
 
 WRITTEN IN ITALY, 1875. 
 
 IN dim old palaces, in ancient galleries, 
 Through dusty corridors and sunless aisles, 
 
 Thy weird voice taunts me, 
 
 Thy strange face haunts me 
 With sombre brooding or with radiant smiles. 
 
 What grand pale faces fill these quaint places ! 
 What sculptured heroes and perfected art, 
 
 Dim clue affording, 
 
 And yet according 
 This deathless beauty with thy living heart. 
 
 True art thus purely transmitted surely 
 Through all the ages ever new, 
 
 Thine artist spirit 
 
 Could but inherit 
 A gift so wondrous, rare, and true.
 
 l8o THE YOUNGER BOOTH. 
 
 Some dark grim hero, or blood-stained Nero, 
 Link thee and Gloster, the Moor, Macbeth, 
 
 While Bruno sainted, 
 
 Divinely painted, 
 Is Hamlet apostrophizing Death. 
 
 Under night's cover, Francesca's lover 
 Hath Romeo's passion-tender face ; 
 
 And Shylock even 
 
 Declaims to Heaven 
 In an old Rabbi's holy place. 
 
 'T is not home-longing, nor memory thronging, 
 Nor yet the love 'tween thee and me, 
 
 That thus I trace 
 
 Thy voice and face 
 In sculpture, painting, minstrelsy ! 
 
 But, magical spirit, none can inherit 
 Thine awful greatness, save thine alone ! 
 
 From earliest times 
 
 Thro' various climes 
 Nature preserves her monotone. 
 
 From youth to age, this heritage 
 Guard thou with loving jealousy, 
 
 That men may name thee, 
 
 Thy country claim thee, 
 A son of genius, incorrupt, and free.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 ABBEY, HENRY E., 177. 
 Abbott, Wm. (of Covent Gar- 
 den), 13. 
 
 Aberdeen, Scot., 50. 
 Academy of Music, Brooklyn, 
 
 '75- 
 
 Academy of Music, Philadel- 
 phia, 153. 
 
 Adams, Edwin, 170, 171, 172. 
 
 Adelphi Theatre, Baltimore, 80. 
 
 Adelphi Theatre, San Fran- 
 cisco, 103. 
 
 Albany, New York, 175. 
 
 Alfieri, Vittorio, 69. 
 
 American Theatre, San Fran- 
 cisco, 142. 
 
 Amsterdam, Holland, 74. 
 
 Anderson, David C., 138, 139, 
 140, 174. 
 
 Anderson, Gen. Robert, 164. 
 
 " Andromaque," 76, 77, 78. 
 
 "A New Way to Pay Old 
 Debts," 72, 148, 171. 
 
 Annapolis Theatre, Md., 80. 
 
 Antony, Mark, 5. 
 
 " Apostate, The," 75, 168. 
 
 Archer, Mr., 81. 
 
 Arch St. Theatre, Philadelphia, 
 93. '53. '75- 
 
 Aspinwall, U. S. of Colombia, 
 
 130. 
 "As You Like It," 11. 
 
 BACON, LORD, 150. 
 Badeau, Adam, 151. 
 Baltimore, Md., 4, 63, 71, 80, 
 
 8 1, 89, 91, 94, 98, 107, 120, 
 
 121, 126, 130, 145, 146, 150, 
 
 163, 168, 175, 177- 
 Bancroft, George, 164. 
 " Barbarosa," n. 
 Barrett, George H., 96. 
 Barrett, Lawrence, 150, 151, 
 
 157, 172, 178. 
 his Ruy Bias, 157, 158. 
 Barren, Charles, 167. 
 Barry, Thomas, 147. 
 Barry, William, 134. 
 Barrymore, William, 32. 
 Barton, Theodore, 130. 
 Bateman, Mrs. H. L., 95 note. 
 Bateman, Kate, 171. 
 Becker, Lady (Miss O'Neill), 
 
 19. 
 
 Belair, Md., 66, 126-128. 
 Benton, Mr., 58. 
 Beverly, Eng., 49.
 
 1 82 
 
 INDEX, 
 
 Bignall, Mr., 72. 
 Birmingham, Eng., 95. 
 Blake, Louis, 96. 
 Blake, William R., 96. 
 Blake, Mrs. William R., 96. 
 Bloomsbury, London, 4. 
 Blount, Mr. (Collector of Cus- 
 toms), 63, 64. 
 Blythe, Captain, 8. 
 Boileau, Nicholas, 101. 
 Boise, Mme., 77. 
 Bonaparte, Napoleon, 69. 
 Booth, Algernon Sydney, 8. 
 Booth, Asia (Mrs. John S. 
 
 Clarke). 
 
 her name, 95 note, 
 mention, 98, 113, 115. 
 Booth, Ed-win (" The Younger 
 
 Booth "). 
 his birth, 119. 
 early youth and education, 
 
 1 2O et sey. 
 association with his father, 
 
 1 20 et seq. 
 
 devotion to his father, 124. 
 theatrical debut, 125. 
 first appearance in New 
 
 York, 127. 
 
 first regular engagement, 130. 
 supports his father in Cali- 
 fornia, 103, 130 et seq. 
 professional life in Califor- 
 nia, 131-139, 141-145- 
 hardships, 134. 
 first appearance as Hamlet, 
 
 '37- 
 
 visits Australia, 139, 140. 
 visits Honolulu, 140, 141. 
 returns to California, 141. 
 creates Raphael in " The 
 
 Marble Heart," 142. 
 
 Booth, Edwin ("The Younger 
 
 Booth"). 
 
 first plays Lear, 145. 
 returns to the East, 107, 145. 
 marries Mary Devlin, 146, 
 
 152. 
 
 appears in Boston, 148. 
 appears in New York, 149. 
 professional tours through 
 
 the United States, 150, 
 
 158, 168, 169,171,173,175, 
 
 177- 
 
 his "Prompt Books," 151. 
 plays " Fool's Revenge," 152, 
 
 153- 
 first visit to England (1861), 
 
 154. 
 professional life there, 154- 
 
 156- 
 
 returns to America, 157. 
 death of the first Mrs. Booth, 
 
 157- 
 manages Walnut Street 
 
 Theatre, 1 58. 
 manages \Vintcr Garden 
 
 . Theatre, N. Y., 158. 
 manages Boston Theatre, 
 
 1 66. 
 receives " Hamlet Medal," 
 
 164-166. 
 builds Booth's Theatre, 168, 
 
 169. 
 his management of that 
 
 house, 169-172. 
 bankruptcy, 172, 175. 
 marries Mary M'Vicker, 171. 
 second visit to California, 
 
 174. 
 
 the attempt to shoot him, 174. 
 breakfast given him in New 
 
 York, 177, 178.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Booth, Edwin (" The Younger 
 Booth"). 
 
 second visit to England 
 (1880), 178. 
 
 professional life there, 178. 
 
 his personal character, 178, 
 179. 
 
 his Bertuccio, 152, 153. 
 
 his /famkt, 153, 159, 1 60, 163, 
 165. 
 
 his Macbeth, 153. 
 
 his Raphael, 142. 
 
 his Richard II., 173. 
 
 his Richelieu, 150, 156, 167. 
 
 his Shylock, 154, 155. 
 
 his Sir Giles Overreach, 148, 
 149. 
 
 Geo. Wm. Curtis on his act- 
 ing, 160-162. 
 
 William Winter on his act- 
 ing, 163, 164. 
 
 Richard O'Gorman on his 
 acting, 165. 
 
 mention, 95, 99, 102. 
 Booth, Airs. Edwin (Mary Dev- 
 lin). 
 
 her marriage, 152. 
 
 her death, 157. 
 
 mention, 146, 154. 
 Booth, Mrs. Edwin (Mary 
 M'Vicker). 
 
 supports Edwin Booth, 168. 
 
 her marriage, 171. 
 
 her death, 171 note. 
 
 mention, 151, 170, 173, 178. 
 Booth, Edwina, 156, 178. 
 Booth Farm in Maryland. 
 
 description of, 66 et seq. 
 
 mention, 91, 98, 114, 119, 126, 
 
 145, 146. 
 Booth, Henry Byron, 95. 
 
 Booth, John (grandfather of 
 Junius Brutus Booth), 4, 
 7,8. 
 
 Booth, John Wilkes, 152, 159. 
 Booth, Junius Brutus ("The 
 
 Elder Booth"), 
 his birth, 3. 
 
 youth and early education, 8. 
 theatrical debut, 9. 
 early theatrical experiences, 
 
 9, 12. 
 first appearance in London, 
 
 '3- 
 
 his resemblance to Kean, 
 1 3 et seq., 20, 40, 42. 
 
 rivalry with Kean, 13 etseq. 
 
 the Booth-Kean riots, 29 el 
 seq. 
 
 plays at Stratford, 47. 
 
 marriage,- 52. 
 
 sails for America, 53. 
 
 American debut, 54. 
 
 appears at Petersburg, Va., 
 55 et seq. 
 
 appears at New York, 62, 
 
 63- 
 
 appears at Boston, 65. 
 
 appears at Philadelphia, 71. 
 
 desires to keep a lighthouse, 
 64, 65. 
 
 purchases " The Farm," 66 
 et seq. 
 
 his life on "The Farm," 
 69 et seq. 
 
 visits Europe (1825-26), 71. 
 
 professional life there, 73, 74. 
 
 returns to America, 74. 
 
 manages Camp Street Thea- 
 tre, New Orleans, 76. 
 
 plays in the French language, 
 76-78.
 
 1 84 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Booth, Junius Brutus ("The 
 
 Elder Booth "). 
 manages Annapolis Theatre 
 
 (Md.), 80. 
 supports Kean in Baltimore, 
 
 81. 
 
 illness, 92, 93, 94. 
 visits Europe (1836-37), 94. 
 professional life there, 94. 
 returns to America, 96. 
 attempts to follow Conway, 
 
 97- 
 
 accident to his nose, 97. 
 last ten years of his life, 98 
 
 et seq. 
 visits California, 102 et seq., 
 
 130 et seq. 
 
 professional life there, 103. 
 last appearance in New 
 
 York, 100. 
 last appearance on the stage, 
 
 104. 
 
 last bill, 105. 
 final illness, 106. 
 death, 106, 134. 
 burial, 107. 
 anecdotes of his eccentricity, 
 
 no. 
 religious belief and devotion, 
 
 in, 114, 115. 
 kindness and charity, 98, 99, 
 
 109. 
 
 his genius, 109. 
 his home life, 113. 
 his personal character, in, 
 
 112, 113, 132. 
 as Brutus, 100, 101. 
 as Tago, 21 et seq., 40, 42, 82. 
 as Lear, 50, 51. 
 as Luke in " Riches," 82. 
 as Orestes, 78. 
 
 Booth, Junius Brutus (" The 
 
 Elder Booth"), 
 as Posthunnts, 41 et seq. 
 as Second Actor in "Ham- 
 let," 81. 
 
 as Shy lock, 49, 101 et seq. 
 as Sertorius, 88, 89. 
 as Sir Edward Afortimer, 
 
 48, 59, 60, 83, 85 et seq. 
 as Sir Giles Overreach, 45. 
 as Richard III., 13 et seq., 
 
 40, 44, 54, 55 et seq., 62. 
 as Reuben Glenroy, 82. 
 his reading, 79. 
 Win. Godwin's opinion of 
 
 his acting, 44, 45; X. M. 
 
 Ludlow's, 55 et seq.; W. 
 
 W. Clapp's, 65 ; John 
 "Howard Payne's, 83 ; J E. 
 
 Murdock's, 84 et seq. ; Ru- 
 
 fus Choate's, 109. 
 mention, 119, 120, 121, 122, 
 
 123, 124, 125,126, 127,129, 
 
 130,131, 132, 141, I43.MS. 
 
 146, 148, 149, 173. 
 Booth, Mrs. Junius Brutus, 52, 
 
 55, 92, 94, 99, 106, 107, 108, 
 
 122, 135, 159. 
 Booth, Junius Brutus, Jr., 89, 
 
 90, 102, 130, 131, 132, 133, 
 
 US- '3<>- 
 assumes management of 
 
 Booth's Theatre, 172. 
 Booth, Richard (father of the 
 
 Elder Booth). 
 
 his letter to John Wilkes, 5, 6. 
 arrival in America, 71. 
 visit to Philadelphia, 92. 
 death, 108. 
 
 mention, 3, 4, 5, 73, 89, 95. 
 Booth, Sally, n, 51.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 I8 5 
 
 Booth's Theatre, New York, 
 its construction, 169. 
 description, 169, 170. 
 mention, 172, 175, 177. 
 Boston, Mass., 65, 79, 96, 98, 
 108, 121, 122, 147, 148, 149, 
 154, 157, 162,163, 166, 175, 
 
 177- 
 
 Boston Museum, 125. 
 Boston Theatre, 147, 166. 
 Boulogne, France, 53. 
 Bowery Theatre, N. Y., 62, 93, 
 
 96, 140. 
 
 Brady, Judge John R., 178. 
 Brentford, Eng., 8. 
 Brevitt, John E., 3, 4, 6. 
 "Bride of Abydos, The," 75. 
 Bridgenorth, Eng., 49. 
 Brighton, Eng., 10. 
 
 Brighton Theatre (Eng.), 9, 10, 
 
 II, 12. 
 
 Bristol, Eng., 74. 
 
 Broad Street Theatre, Phila., 
 
 175. 177- 
 
 Broadway Theatre, N. Y., 100. 
 
 Brooklyn, N. Y., 174, 175, 177 
 
 Brooklyn Theatre, 174. 
 
 Brown, David Paul, 88. 
 
 Brussels, Belgium, 9, 74. 
 
 Brutus, Marcus, 5. 
 
 " Brutus " (Payne's), 50, 73, 100, 
 167, 171. 
 
 Buekstone, J. B., 154, 155, 156. 
 
 Buffalo, N. Y., 175. 
 
 Burke, Thos., 72. 
 
 Burnet, Bishop, 3. 
 
 Burton, Robt., 69. 
 
 Burton, Win. E., 147. 
 
 Butler, M. P., an early friend 
 of Edwin Booth in Cali- 
 fornia, 143, 144, 145. 
 
 C/ESAR, JULIUS, 171. 
 Ceesar, Octarius, 5. 
 Calais, France, 53. 
 Cald-well, Jas. H., 55, 76. 
 Camp St. Theatre, N. O., 76. 
 Cassias, Caius, 5. 
 Chambers, Hon. Mrs., 12, 52. 
 Chapman, Geo., 135. 
 Chapman, S., 74. 
 Chapman, Win. B., 135. 
 Charleston, S. C., 63, 97, 150, 
 
 I5 2 - 
 Cheltenham, Eng., 46, 52. 
 
 Chestnut St. Theatre, Phila., 
 
 71, 72, 88, 101. 
 Chicago, 111., 150, 168, 175, 176, 
 
 177- 
 
 Chippendale, \Vm., I 56. 
 Choate, Rufits, his opinion of the 
 
 Elder Booth, 109. 
 Chalet, Mine., 77. 
 Churchville, Md., 66. 
 Cincinnati, O., 79, 89, 105, 106, 
 
 175- 
 
 Cituinnatus, 7 1 . 
 
 Ciocca, Senora, 130. 
 
 Cirencester, Eng., 46. 
 
 City Hall, San Francisco, 103. 
 
 Clapp, IVm. W., his account of 
 the first appearance of the 
 Elder Booth in Boston, 65. 
 
 Clarke, John S., plays in Belair 
 with Edwin Booth, 126 
 et seq. 
 
 joint partnership with Edwin 
 Booth in Walnut St. Thea- 
 tre, Phila., 158; Winter 
 Garden, N. Y., 158; Boston 
 Theatre, 166. 
 
 mention, 121, 153, 167, 171, 
 '75-
 
 1 86 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Clarke, Mrs. John S. See Asia 
 Booth. 
 
 Clarkenwell, London, 3. 
 
 Cleveland, O., 175. 
 
 Clifton, Ada, 158. 
 
 Clozel, Afme., 77. 
 
 Coburg Theatre, London, 50. 
 
 Coleridge, Samuel T., 69. 
 
 Collier, Jas. W., 158. 
 
 Collyer, Rev. Robt., 178. 
 
 Caiman, Geo. (Younger), 59. 
 
 " Comedy of Errors," 16. 
 
 Compton, Henry, 155. 
 
 Con-way, f 1 '. B., 157. 
 
 Con-way, Mrs. F. B., 157. 
 
 Con-way, Wm. A., 75. 
 his death, 97. 
 
 Cooke, Geo. Fred., 19, 40, 54, 
 58, 59, 62. 
 
 Cooper, John, 52. 
 
 Cooper, Thos. A., 61, 62, 71, 81. 
 
 Cos-Cob, Conn., 173. 
 
 Covent Garden Theatre, Lon- 
 don, 9, ii, 12, 13, 14, 18, 
 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 34, 35. 
 36,38,45,47,49, 50,51, 56, 
 72. 
 
 "Crusader, The," 50. 
 
 Curtis, Geo. Wm., his opinion 
 of Edwin Booth's Hamlet, 
 160-162. 
 
 Cushman, Charlotte, 153, 157. 
 
 "Cymbeline," 41. 
 
 DALY, AUGUSTIN, 173. 
 Daly, Judge C. P., 164, 178. 
 Dana, Chas. A., 164. 
 Dana, S. W., 79. 
 Dante, 69. 
 Darley, John, 72. 
 Darley, Mrs. John, 72. 
 
 Davenport, E. L., 151. 
 
 Davenport, Jean M. (Mrs. Lan- 
 der), 101. 
 
 Da-'is, Mr. (Manager, N. O.), 
 76, 78- 
 
 Dawison, Bagumil, 167. 
 
 Deal, Eng., 53. 
 
 De Bar, Benj., 105. 
 
 Delmonico's Restaurant, N. V. 
 
 177- 
 
 Deptford, Eng., 9. 
 Detroit, Mich., 176. 
 Dei'lin, Mary. See Mrs. Edwin 
 
 Booth. 
 
 Disraeli, Benj., 90. 
 "Don Cesar de Bazan," 171. 
 Dorchester, Mass., 157. 
 Drury Lane Theatre, London, 
 
 ^4, 18, 20, 24, 25, 26, 27, 
 
 28, 34, 35. 36, 3 8 . 49. S 2 , 5 6 . 
 
 72, 73. 94- 
 
 Dublin, Ireland, 49, 74. 
 Duff, John, 81. 
 Duff, Mary (Mrs. John), 8l. 
 Duffy, Wm., 93. 
 Diigns, Louis, 121. 
 Dyott, John, 167. 
 
 EDINBURGH, Scotland, 49, 96. 
 
 Elgin, 111., 176. 
 
 Elliston, Robt. Wm., 52, 73. 
 
 "Enoch Arden," 171. 
 
 Erskine, Lord, 12. 
 
 Essex, Lord, 1 8. 
 
 !'.- tins, .Mr., 139. 
 
 Evans, Mrs., 139. 
 
 Ewer, Rev. Ferd. C., 137, 178. 
 
 Ey tinge, Rose, 158, 167. 
 
 FAIRCHILD, JOHN (Scene-paint- 
 er), 136.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 l8 7 
 
 Fairdough, Boothroyd, 143. 
 " Fall of Tarquin." See " Bru- 
 tus." 
 
 Farjeon, B. L., 134. 
 Farragut, Admiral, 164. 
 Fawcett, John, 19, 20, 31, 32, 33, 
 
 34, 35- 36, 3 8 , 39. Si- 
 Fechter, Ckas., 156. 
 Fifth Ave. Theatre, N. Y., 170, 
 
 175- 
 
 Finn, Henry J., 8 1. 
 Fisher, Chas., 150. 
 Fisher, DariJ, 24. 
 Flynn, TAos.,8o, 81, 91, 94, 97, 
 
 119. 
 
 Flynn, Mrs. Thos., 8l. 
 Fontaine, Ceo. (alias " Lovett "), 
 
 99- 
 
 "Fool's Revenge, The," 152, 
 158, 171. 
 
 Ford, John T., 146, 173, 177. 
 
 Ford's Opera House, Balti- 
 more, 177. 
 
 Forrest, Edu<in, the Elder 
 Booth's admiration of his 
 lago and Othello, 80. 
 mention, 96, 119, 152. 
 
 Forrest, Mrs. Edwin (Cathe- 
 rine Sinclair), 138, 141, 
 142. 
 
 Forrest Home, Phila., 133. 
 
 Forrest Theatre, Sacramento, 
 142. 
 
 " Fortunio," 52. 
 
 Fredericks, Wm. S., 101, 102. 
 
 Front St. Theatre, Baltimore, 
 145, 146. 
 
 Fulham, Eng., 159. 
 
 Fullerton, Wm., his speech at 
 the presentation of the 
 Hamlet Medal, 164. 
 
 "GABRIELLE DE VERGY," 76. 
 
 Gam (or Game}, Mrs. (grand- 
 mother of Junius Brutus 
 Booth), 8. 
 
 Garrick, David, 22, 44, 160. 
 
 Garrow, Mr., 12. 
 
 George III., 50. 
 
 Gerome, J. L. 171. 
 
 Gifford, S. R., 164. 
 
 Gilbert, John, 150. 
 
 Gilfert, Chas., 54, 55. 
 
 Glasgow, Scotland, 49. 
 
 Globe Theatre, Boston, 175. 
 
 Glossop, Afr. (Manager of Co- 
 burg Theatre), 50, 51. 
 
 Gloucester, Duke and Duchess 
 of, 13, 25- 
 
 Gloucester, Eng., 46, 52. 
 
 Godwin, Wm., his letter, 43-45. 
 
 Gorgona, U. S. of Colombia, 
 
 130, I3 1 - 
 
 Gould, Thos. R., his opinion 
 of the Elder Booth's Pes- 
 cara, 75. 
 
 his account of the breaking 
 of the Elder Booth's 
 nose, 97. 
 
 Graham, Mr. (Gilfert and Gra- 
 ham), 54. 
 
 Grand Opera House, N. Y., 
 177. 
 
 Grand Opera House, Paris, 
 169. 
 
 Grant, Gen., U. S., 151. 
 
 Grass Valley, Nevada, 133. 
 
 Gray, Mark, attempts to assas- 
 sinate Edwin Booth, 176. 
 
 "Great Eastern," Str., 157. 
 
 Greene, John, 72. 
 
 Greenmount Cemetery, Balti- 
 more, 107.
 
 i88 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Grimaldi, Joseph, 95. 
 " Guy Mannering," 13. 
 
 HAMBLIN, THOS., 79, 90, 91, 
 
 9 2 . 93. Q 6 . MO- 
 Hamilton, Wm. //., 140. 
 Hamilton, Mrs. Win. If. (Miss 
 
 Hamblin), 140. 
 " Hamlet," 62, 65, 81, 99, 120, 
 
 128, 131, 137, IS'. 1 53- 1 59. 
 
 160, 163, 164-166, 169. 
 Harley, John Pitt, n. 
 Harris, Mr. (Covent Garden), 
 
 9, ii, 12, 17, 18, 19, 24, 50. 
 Hathuxll, Mr., 72. 
 Hathwell, Miss H., ^2. 
 Hatteras, Cape, 64. 
 Haymarket Theatre, London, 
 
 154. 
 
 Hazard, Mr., 81. 
 Hazlitt, IVm., on the Richard 
 
 III. and lago of the Elder 
 
 Booth, 40-41. 
 "Henry Vn I.," 153- 
 Hewitt, John H., on the genius 
 
 of Edwin Booth, 120. 
 Hickory, Md., 66. 
 Hilliert, Capt., 74. 
 Hoffman, John T., 164. 
 Holliday Street Theatre, Balti- 
 more, 81, 145. 
 Holmes, Mary Anne. See Mrs. 
 
 J. B. Booth (Elder). 
 Homer, 24. 
 " Honeymoon," 9. 
 Honolulu, 140. 
 Howard Athenaeum, Boston, 
 
 121, 151. 
 
 Howard, Mr., 105. 
 Howard, Mrs., 105. 
 
 Howe, Henry, 155. 
 Hyde, Susan, 120. 
 
 "IRON CHEST, THE," 47, 59, 
 72, 83, 85 et seq. t 104, 105, 
 
 143. I7l- 
 
 the Elder Booth in the play, 
 48. 
 
 /rr 7;/;', Henry, supports Ed- 
 win Booth in Manchester, 
 Eng., in 1861, 156. 
 associated with Edwin 
 Booth in London, in 1881, 
 178. 
 
 Tsherwood, William, 81. 
 
 " Italians, The," 24. 
 
 JACKSON, GEN., 79, 93. 
 
 Jefferson, John (son of Joseph 
 Jefferson 1st), 72. 
 
 Jefferson, Joseph (Rip Van 
 Winkle), 146, 152, 171, 178. 
 
 Jefferson, Mrs. Joseph (Euphe- 
 mia Fortune, wife of Jo- 
 seph Jefferson 2d), 72. 
 
 Jefferson, Thomas (son of Jo- 
 seph Jefferson ist), 72. 
 
 Jenny Lind Theatre, San Fran- 
 cisco, 103. 
 
 Joe (a slave on the Booth 
 Farm), 70, 89, 90, 92. 
 
 Jones, Mr., 105. 
 
 "Julius Caesar," 52, 128, 159, 
 171. 
 
 KAMEHAMEHA IV., 141. 
 
 " Katherine and Petruchio," 
 
 '43- 
 
 Kean, Charles, 8 1, 160. 
 
 Kean, Edmund, his resem- 
 blance to the Elder Booth, 
 13. '4, 5, '7. 20,4. 42.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 189 
 
 Kean, Edmund, rivalry with 
 
 the Elder Booth, 13 et seq. 
 
 mention, 12, 40, 41, 52, 54, 
 
 62, 65, 71, 73, 156, 160, 
 
 168, 173. 
 
 Kearney, Mr., 121. 
 AVrt/J, John, 69. 
 Keene, Laura, 138, 139, 140, 
 
 147. 
 
 AW/<y, ^/m F. M., 24. 
 Kemble, Charles, 51. 
 Kemble, John Philip, 10, 41, 
 
 168. 
 
 Kemble, T. D., 105. 
 A"<r/, /?& tf/i 50. 
 " Killing No Murder," 33. 
 " King John," 159. 
 "King Lear," 50, 52, 145, 173. 
 Kotzebue, Augustus F. F., 128. 
 Kuntze, Edward J., \ 56. 
 
 " LADY OF LYONS, THE," 171. 
 Lamb, Mr. (of Drury Lane), 
 
 18. 
 Lander, Mrs. See Jean M. 
 
 Davenport. 
 Laura Keene's Theatre, N. Y., 
 
 147. 
 
 " Lear." See " King Lear." 
 "Lear of Private Life, The," 
 
 5 1 - 52- 
 
 Leblanc, Mons., 77. 
 Lee, Arthur, 6, 7. 
 Leicester, Eng., 73. 
 Lemaitre, Fred., \ 56. 
 Lewellen, Mr., 105. 
 Lincoln, Abraham, 159. 
 Liverpool, Eng., 73, 156. 
 Lock, John, 69. 
 Lockport, N. Y., 175. 
 
 London, Eng., 3, 6. 9, 13, 38, 
 
 44, 45. 49, 5 6 > 62, 73, 95, 
 
 96, 154, 156. 
 Louisville, Ky., 89, 99, 123, 
 
 150, 175. 
 
 Lovett. See Geo. Fontaine. 
 Ludlow, Eng., 52. 
 Ludlcnv, N. M., 109. 
 his account of the American 
 
 de"but of the Elder Booth, 
 
 55- 
 
 Lyceum Theatre, London, 178. 
 Lyceum Theatre, N. Y., 174. 
 
 "MACBETH," 16, 74, 128, 153, 
 
 157, 171- 
 
 Macready, Wm., 74. 
 Macready, Wm. C., 41, 51, 73, 
 
 74, "3- 
 
 Madeira, island of, 53, 55. 
 Madison Square Theatre, 
 
 N. Y., 177. 
 Mahomet, 95 note. 
 " Maid and the Magpie," IT, 14. 
 Maidstone, Eng., 52. 
 Manchester, Eng., 156. 
 " Marble Heart, The," 142. 
 Margate, Eng., 6. 
 Marshall, Edmund A., loo. 
 Marysville, Cal., 134, 135. 
 Mason, Charles Kemble, 167. 
 " Mayor of Garrett," 63. 
 McCullough, John, 151, 174. 
 McEntee, Jervis, 164. 
 McKinney, Mr., 81. 
 " Medusa's Wreck, The," 51. 
 Melbourne, Australia, 140. 
 Melville, Mr.; 105. 
 Memphis, Tenn., 150. 
 Mercer, Mr., 81.
 
 190 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 " Merchant of Venice, The," 
 101, 128, 167, 171. 
 
 Metropolitan Theatre, N. Y., 
 147. 
 
 Metropolitan Theatre, San 
 Francisco, 141. 
 
 Milton, John, 69. 
 
 Mobile, Ala., 89, 93, 1 50. 
 
 Montgomery, Ala., 150. 
 
 Montflturi, Mons., 76. 
 
 Murdoch, Jas. ., his recol- 
 lections of the Elder 
 Booth, 84 et seq. 
 mention, 101, 138. 
 
 Murray, Mr., 72. 
 
 M'Vicker, Jos. H., 150, 173, 
 
 74, 175- 
 
 M' Victor, Mary. See Mrs. Ed- 
 win Booth. 
 
 M'Vicker's Theatre, Chicago, 
 150- 
 
 NAGLE, JOSEPH E., 105. 
 
 Napoleon I., 69. 
 
 Nashville, Tenn., 79. 
 
 Natchez, Miss., 79. 
 
 National Theatre, N. Y. (Chat- 
 ham Street), 100, 127. 
 
 National Theatre, N. Y. (cor. 
 Leonard and Church 
 Streets), 94. 
 
 Neilson, Adelaide, 171. 
 
 New Orleans, La., 63, 76, 77, 
 
 89.93.94,98, 104, 151. 
 
 Newport, Eng., 49. 
 
 "New Way to Pay Old Debts," 
 72, 148, 171. 
 
 New York, 61, 62, 63, 73, 75, 
 91, 96, 109, r32, 145, 147, 
 149> '53, 157,158, 162, 164, 
 166,172,173,175,177,178. 
 
 Niblo's Garden Theatre, N. Y., 
 
 158. 
 
 Norfolk, Va., 54, 55, 63. 
 Norwich, Eng., 52. 
 
 O'GORMAN, RICHARD, 164. 
 
 Olympic Theatre, N. Y. (Mit- 
 chell's), 96. 
 
 O'Neill, Miss (Lady Becher), 
 19. 
 
 Opti, Mrs. Amelia, 51. 
 
 "Oroonoko," 93. 
 
 Ostend, 6. 
 
 "Othello," 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 
 26, 44, 49, 74, 80, 82, 94, 
 169, 170, 171. 
 
 Oxberry, Win. Henry (Oxber- 
 ry's " Dramatic Biogra- 
 phy "), 24. 
 
 PALEY, WM., 69. 
 
 Panama, 102. 
 
 Paris, France, 4, 6, 156, 167, 
 
 169. 
 
 Park Theatre, Boston, 175, 177. 
 Park Theatre, N. Y. (Old), 61, 
 
 62, 75, 80, 93, 97, 147, 
 
 1 60. 
 
 Parsons, T. W., 157. 
 Pasquin, Anthony (Dr. Wil- 
 liams), his letter, 9. 
 Payne, John Howard, 83, 100. 
 Peabody Institute, Baltimore, 
 
 121. 
 Pemberton House, Boston, 
 
 122. 
 
 Penley, Mr. (Manager), 9. 
 Pentonville, Eng., 95. 
 Perry, H. A., 100. 
 Petersburg* Theatre (Va.), 55, 
 
 56, 59, 60.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Philadelphia, Pa., 71, 88, 92, 
 93, 94, 96, i oi, 133, 153, 
 157, 158, 163, 166, 175, 
 
 177- 
 
 Phillips, Mr., 91. 
 Picioli, Signor, 122. 
 Pittsburg, Pa., 175. 
 " Pizarro," 18. 
 Placidf, Mme. (Jane Placide), 
 
 77- 
 
 Plutarch, 69. 
 Pot, Edgar Allan, 177. 
 Potter, Estelle, 105. 
 Potter, John S., 105. 
 Princess's Theatre, London, 
 
 156, 178. 
 
 Purdy, Alex. H., ICXD. 
 Pythagoras, 90. 
 
 Qrix, JAMES, 22. 
 
 RACINE, JOHN, 69, 76, 77, 78. 
 
 /?/, y., 24, 25, 34, 35. 
 
 Raphael, 160. 
 
 Reading, Eng., 52. 
 
 " Review, The," 105. 
 
 Rice, Thos. D., 96. 
 
 " Richard II.," 173, 176. 
 
 "Richard III." Elder Booth 
 as Richard III., at Covent 
 Garden, 13 et seq., 29 et 
 seq. ; at Drury Lane, 18 et 
 seq., 36 et seq. 
 
 .cast of the play in Philadel- 
 phia, on the occasion of 
 his debut there, 72. 
 criticisms of the acting of 
 the Elder Booth in the 
 part of Richard, 43, 57 et 
 seq., 62. 
 
 "Richard III.," mention, 12, 
 47, 49, 5, 53. 55. 5$, 65, 
 73. 76, 94, 96, i 2 3> I2 5. 
 127, 128, 131, 136, 140, 141, 
 148, 149, 1 57, 159,169, 171. 
 
 "Richelieu," 128, 150, 156, 167, 
 171. 
 
 " Riches," 82. 
 
 Richmond, Va., .55, 56, 57, 58, 
 59, 60, 61, 71, loo, 146, 
 150. 
 
 Richmond Theatre (Va.), 53, 
 90,91. 
 
 " Robert Macaire," 121. 
 
 Roberts, Mr., 8 1. 
 
 Rochefort, Mons. (Actor), 77. 
 
 Rochester, Eng., 52. 
 
 Rochester, N. Y., 175. 
 
 Roe, John, 141. 
 
 " Romeo and Juliet," 170, 171. 
 
 Rotterdam, Holland, 74. 
 
 Rousseai4, J. J., 144. 
 
 Royal Academy, London, 156. 
 
 Royal Hawaiian Theatre, Ho- 
 nolulu, 140. 
 
 Royalty Theatre, London, 73. 
 
 Russell, Richard, 55, 56, 57, 58. 
 
 " Ruy Bias," 157. 
 
 SACRAMENTO, Cal., 103, 131, 
 135, 142, 143. 
 
 Sadlers Wells Theatre, Lon- 
 don, 95. 
 
 Salt Lake City, Utah, 174. 
 
 San Francisco, Cal., 102, 103, 
 
 3. 3S. '39- MO, 141, 143, 
 
 144, 145, 174. 
 Savannah, Geo., 63, 150. 
 Scarborough, Eng., 49. 
 Scheller, Methua, 167.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Schlegel, Friedrich, 146. 
 Scott, John R., ioo, 129. 
 Scribe, August Eugene, 78. 
 Scrivener, Mr., 72. 
 Sedley, Henry, 142. 
 Sefton, John, 81. 
 " Sertorius," 88. 
 Setchell, Daniel ., 1 50. 
 Shakspere, 46, 47, 49, 50, 65, 
 
 69, 79, 106, 109, 128, 143, 
 
 147, 149, 156, 160, 164, 166, 
 
 i?o, 173- 
 
 " Shakspere Amoureux," 76. 
 Shelley, P. B., 43, 69. 
 Shiel, Richard Lalor, 75. 
 Sicklemar, Mr., 10. 
 Siddons, Mrs., 168. 
 Simmons, Mr., 79. 
 Simpson, Edmund, 80. 
 Sinclair, Mrs. Catherine. See 
 
 Mrs. Edwin Forrest. 
 "Smiles and Tears," 12. 
 Smith, Mark, 105, 150. 
 Sot hern, E. A., 155. 
 Southey, Robt., 95. 
 .S/Var, GV0., 133, 134. 
 Stark, James, 139. 
 St. Charles Theatre, N. O., 104, 
 
 105, 108. 
 
 Stedman, Edmund C., 178. 
 St. John of Jerusalem (church), 
 
 London, 3. 
 
 St Louis, Mo., 150, 175. 
 Stone, Mrs., 105. 
 " Stranger, The," 128. 
 Stratford-on-Avon, 46. 
 Stuart, Wm., 158, 159. 
 Sullivan, Algernon S., 178. 
 Surrey Theatre, London, 95. 
 Sydney, Australia, 140. 
 Syracuse, N. Y., 175. 
 
 TABARY, MONS., 77. 
 
 Talma, 76. 
 
 Tasso, 69. 
 
 Tatnall, Mrs. Samuel, 72. 
 
 Taylor, Thos. (" Tom " Taylor). 
 
 152- 
 
 Tennyson, Alfred, 171. 
 Ternan, Mr., 96. 
 Theatres : 
 Academy of Music, Brooklyn, 
 
 '75- 
 Academy of Music, Phila., 
 
 '53- 
 
 Adelphi Theatre, Baltimore, 
 80. 
 
 Adelphi Theatre, San Fran- 
 cisco, 103. 
 
 American Theatre, San 
 Francisco, 142. 
 
 Annapolis Theatre (Md.), 
 80. 
 
 Arch Street Theatre, Phila., 
 
 93. 153. 175- 
 Booth's Theatre, N. Y., 169, 
 
 170, 172, 175, 177. 
 Boston Museum, 125. 
 Boston Theatre, 147, 166. 
 Bowery Theatre, N. Y., 62, 
 
 93, 96, 140. 
 Brighton Theatre (Eng.), 9, 
 
 10, II, 12. 
 
 Broad Street Theatre, Phila., 
 
 175. '77- 
 Broadway Theatre, N. Y., 
 
 ioo. 
 
 Brooklyn Theatre, 174. 
 Camp Street Theatre, N. O., 
 
 76. 
 Chestnut Street Theatre, 
 
 Phila., 71, 72, 88, 101. 
 Coburg Theatre, London, 50.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 193 
 
 Theatres : 
 
 Covent Garden Theatre, 
 London, 9, n, 12, 13, 14. 
 18, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 
 
 34, 35. 3 6 > 3 8 ' 45. 47. 49. 
 50, 51, 56, 72. 
 
 Prury Lane Theatre, Lon- 
 don, 14, iS, 20, 24, 25, 20, 
 
 -;. -\ 34, 35. 3 6 . 3 s . 42. 
 52, 56, 72, 73, y.|. 
 
 Fifth Avenue Theatre, N. Y. 
 (aSth Street), 170, 175. 
 
 Ford's Opera House, Balti- 
 more, \~~. 
 
 Forrest Theatre, Sacramento, 
 142. 
 
 Front Street Theatre, Balti- 
 more, 145, 146. 
 
 Globe Theatre, Boston, 175. 
 
 Grand Opera House, N. Y., 
 
 "77- 
 Grand Opera House, Paris, 
 
 169. 
 
 Haymarket Theatre, Lon- 
 don, 154. 
 Holiiday Street Theatre, 
 
 Baltimore, 81, 145. 
 Howard Athenaeum, Boston, 
 
 121, 151. 
 Jenny Lind Theatre, San 
 
 Francisco, 103. 
 Laura Keene's Theatre, X. 
 
 Y., 147- 
 Lyceum Theatre, London 
 
 178. 
 Lyceum Theatre, N. Y., 
 
 174. 
 Madison Square Theatre, 
 
 N. Y., 177. 
 Metropolitan Theatre, X. Y., 
 
 147. 
 
 Theatres : 
 
 Metropolitan Theatre, San 
 Francisco, 141. 
 
 M'Vicker's Theatre, Chi- 
 cago, 150. 
 
 National Theatre, N. Y 
 (Chatham Street), 100, 127. 
 
 National Theatre, N. V. 
 (cor. Leonard and Church 
 Streets), 94. 
 
 Niblo's Garden, N. Y., 158. 
 
 Olympic Theatre, N. Y., 
 (Mitchell's), 96. 
 
 Park Theatre, Boston, 175. 
 
 77- 
 Park Theatre, X. Y. (Park 
 
 Row), 61, 62, 75, So, 93, 
 
 97, 147, 160. 
 Ptersburg Theatre (Va.), 55, 
 
 56, 59, 60 
 Princess's Theatre, London, 
 
 156, 178. 
 Richmond Theatre (Va.), 53, 
 
 90,91. 
 Royal Hawaiian Theatre, 
 
 Honolulu, 140. 
 Royalty Theatre, London,73- 
 Sadlers Wells Theatre, Lon- 
 don, 95. 
 St. Charles Theatre, N O., 
 
 104, 105, 108. 
 TheStre d'Orleans, N. O., 
 
 76, 78- 
 Tremont Street Theatre, 
 
 Boston, 79. 
 Walnut Street Theatr*, 
 
 PMla., 158. 
 Winter Garden, N. Y., 147, 
 
 1 57, 158, 1 59, 163, 167, 168. 
 Worthing Theatre (Eng.), 9, 
 
 II, 12.
 
 194 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Theatre d'Orleans, N. O., 76, 
 78. 
 
 TAoman, Jacob, 125. 
 
 Thompson, Latint, 164. 
 
 Titian, 160. 
 
 Torning, Mr., 140. 
 
 Tremont Street Theatre, Bos- 
 ton, 79. 
 
 Trotter, Thos., 9, 10, n. 
 
 Tuckerman, Henry T., \ 53. 
 
 UTICA, N. Y., 175. 
 
 VALE (Author of "The Act- 
 or "), 79. 
 
 Vandenhojf, Charles, 168, 169. 
 Vandyck, 160. 
 " Venice Preserved," 80. 
 Venua, Wellesley, 142. 
 Vincent, Naomi, 91. 
 Virginia City, Nevada, 174. 
 Volandt (Musician), 107. 
 
 WALLACK, HENRY, 72. 
 Wallack, James W. (Elder), 52, 
 
 62 
 
 Wallack, Lester, 178. 
 Waller, D. W., 132. 
 Walnut Street Theatre, Phila., 
 
 158. 
 
 Warley Common, Eng., 6. 
 Warren, Wm. (Elder), 72, 81. 
 Warden, Wm. J Younger), his 
 
 debut, 121. ^ 
 mention, 178, 
 Washington, Gen. Geo., 4. . 
 Washington, D. C., 100, 146, 
 
 Washington, N. C., 64. 
 
 " Water-Porter's Family, The," 
 
 78. 
 
 Wells, Mary, 158. 
 " Werner," 113. 
 Weymouth, Eng., 52. 
 Wlieatley, Wm., 153, 158. 
 White, " Clem," 140. 
 Wilkfs, Elizabeth (grandm<flher 
 
 of the Elder Booth), 3. 
 Wilkes, John, 3, 4, 7, 8. 
 Wilkins, Marie, 167. 
 Williams, Barney, 167. 
 Williams, Mrs. Biriify, 167. 
 Williams, Dr. J. (Anthony 
 
 Pasquin), 9, 10, 12. 
 Wilson, Mr. (Drury Lane), 
 
 1 8. 
 
 Windsor, Eng., 12. 
 Winter Garden Theatre, N. V., 
 
 147, 157,158,159,163, 167. 
 burned, 167, 168. 
 "Winter's Tale," 171. 
 Winter, William, his account 
 
 of the youth of Edwin 
 
 Booth, 124. 
 edits "Edwin Booth's 
 
 Prompt Books," 151. 
 his opinion of Edwin Booth's 
 
 Hamlet, 163, 164. 
 reads a poem at the Booth 
 
 Breakfast, 178. 
 Wood, Wm. B., 72. 
 Woolwich, Eng., 45, 46. 
 Worthing Theatre, Eng., 9, n, 
 
 YORK, ENG., 49. 
 Young, Charles, 41, 73.
 
 A 000 11 1 554 2