MANY MERRY NIGHTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18897, 20 December 1924, Page 22 (Supplement)

MANY MERRY NIGHTS.

AN ACTOR'S MEMORIES.

THE OLD "FENNY. GAFFS,"

THRILLING ADVENTURES. NEARLY HANGED ON STAGE. .-Mid-Victorian memories of London's old "penny gaffs," incidents "on. the road' •with the old portables, and sidelights on the daily life of Tom Savers and other famous prize-fighters, are recalled by Mr. Percy Emery. This veteran actor is now 80 years old. "I have twice escaped death from the revolver of a maniac, twice been nearly hanged oil; the stage, and once was locked in a burning building with" a blind woman." In these words the quiet, handsome old man of the stage recalled chapters of his "vagabond life*' as he sat in. his cottage by the sea at Whitstable, and conversed with a' representative of the Sunday News. An hour or two, as he talked, in his own humble home, Mr. Emery was living figain in the dear dead days beyond recall. • j Mr. Emery recalled first, the scenes at ! the Duke of Wellington's funeral, the t|uaint policemen of those days—the "Cobby Peelers," who wore white ducks, swallow-tailed coats, and glazed tall hats, and carried staves in their pockets. He also remembers seeing Hoi born Viaduct built. " Whole houses were filled with rubble and concrete to make firm the foundation of the level approach road," lie said. To-day actually there are shops underground at the top of the old hill. It was a tremendous task. Notorious "Paddy's Goose." " The worst place in London 60 years ago was Ratcliff Highway, and the notoriety of a public-house called ' Paddy's Goose' was thoroughly deserved. It was not safe for a stranger to venture there after dark. I have seen knife fights there night after night. 'Paddy's Goose,' now a respectable club, was the night resort •■.>f sailors of almost every nation. I knew the 'Queen of the Highway,' a 'woman named Johanna, a virago of the worst type. It was her boast that, a dozen 'peelers' could not take her to the lock-up. "One day a stalwart young fellow with the ominous name of Death was draf.ed into the locality. He vowed to take the 'Queen' single-handed. Johanna heard of this resolve and 'saw red.' The struggle between them was terrific. The young policeman, with the aid of others, conveyed the woman to the station, and the next morning a grim notice was sent round the neighbourhood stating that 'Johanna had fought a severe fight with death.' " * Dodging the Police. Mr. Emery continued:—"At that time I was roving about London, and getting jobs in the old penny gaffs. I played at many of these unlicensed theatres, which used to trick the ' 'tecs' by a communicating bell rung from the box office to the stage. The moment the signal went that 'the 'tecs were in,' we used to stop 'mumming' and carry on in gesture and sideplay. One of the, greatest of the old London gaffs was Fortt's, in Shoreditch, and here a perfect system of evading the police ■was arranged.

"I got' plenty of fun, but little reward ■for my,work in the gaffs. I had my first job with them one day in 1864, when I had been to Newgate to sec Frank Muller hanged for the murder of Mr. Thomas Briggs, a city banker, in a railway train. This was the first murder in a railway .carriage in this country. "As. the wretched man was put to death to tho cheers of thousands, hats and sticks being thrown into the air with excitement, I went east to the old Garrick Theatre in Leman Street, Whitechapel. There I drew a blank, so I called at Winmingale's gaff. They gave me 12s. a week l*ss 3d a night deducted for a drink for the orchestra.

Trafalgar and Waterloo. " At Lamb's gaff in Euston Road we used to have two plays running at the . same time, one upstairs and one down. I remember working there once when the 'Battle of Trafalgar' was being played upstairs, and the 'Battle of Waterloo' below. We had some real water in a tank upstairs, and, unforunately, it soaked through to the people below." Whether as retaliation or a mere coincidence, they used such a quantity of red fire below that we had to abandon our turn because of the smoke. " The queerest place in London I ever played in was a gaff under a railway arch in Walworth Road. But the 'portables' were the roughest and jolliest days. It was truly the simple life, with plenty of fresh air and exercise. After the show was pulled down at night we had rehearsals. Then off we would go at daylight to the next village, our dogs entering copses for a little poaching. Sometimes the roads were so bad that our travelling booths would get stuck, and the women, who had been 'stitching the tilt,' would give the actors a hand with the poles. " But I could not stop out of London Jong,. and I tried my hand at music-halls, Martiug with the 'Old Mogul.' From there I old very well at the Winchester, the Trevor, the Raglan, the Bedford, the White Lion—where the Metropolitan now stands—and many other places. The Champion of England. "It. was about 1 "lis time that I became, acquainted with Tom Savers It is impossible to forget this best" of fighters with the raw 'uns' and Ins big dog Tom used to show himself off at Tottenham Court Road, wearing his knee boots made fine presented by .Mr. Mcnsle.v, a bootmaker, of .Camden Town. Embroidered round the tops were the words: 'Tom Savers. Champion of England ' Our young bloods' of those days, after visiting Howe and Cushing's Circus, v.hero the Alharnbra now stands, in Leicester would 'put 'em up' with some of the be.st known pugilists. "Nat Langham, the only man who ever really beat Turn Savers, kept a hostelry in Castle Street, close l, v . and over the bar he used to tell the story of how he finished his antagonist by 'pipping Tom over the peepers, until lie was blind.' Figh*, With Broken Arm. "At thai time also lien Gaunt, another fighting man, kept, a\i hotel in Green Street, Leicester Square, and two powerful fellows of those da .s were Bob I ravers, a black, and the 'Great O'Brien.' .« ,-, i. a ,' piece of llis cheek knocked Off while fighting in Lincolnshire. • *. the fight .between Heenan and i layers in 1862, after Tom's challenge of Lome one, come all.' when he battled for liours with a broken arm. was the creates' porting sensation of the middle of last Century. "After ninny minor engagements in ™u including the Vic, where in 1864 * wooden staircase collapsed, causing manv easualt.es I got on at Drurv Lane in ! Feen o Day, under the »< Lh»t 4i V\ rt °',- *?" to, "• T discovered tiSJIH *ft* m> r a ' ! of Manchester' ironld fetch an audience in any part of

the kingdom. , 'Rob Roy* Jeanie Deans,' and almost any Scottish play would be a success in the North. Sea dramas were wanted in the South; and in the Eastern Counties 'Alalia Monk' was an unfailing draw. "At Bath one night I was locked in a burning room with a blind lady, who had set herself or fire. Thrilling Adventures. Mr. Emery gave an interesting account of some of his thrilling experiences. "Twice," he said, "I have been nearly hanged. In 'Maria Martin' it was always the rule to hang William Corder, the murderer ofi 'Maria,' at the end of the play. Once the short steps on which I was standing collapsed. On another occasion the box which supported me got out of reach of my feet, and I was left to 'die' in earnest by those in charge of the scaffold. "The narrowest escape I had from death was when Reginald Burchell—who was hanged for murder in Canada afterwards—came into my room at our lodgings in Wolverhampton at, 2 o'clock one morning, and fired several shots from a revolver at me as I was lying in bed. The bullets were found among the bedding next morning. "At Carlisle on one occasion the then landlord of the Turf Hotel ran wild and fired several shots at me and others in the saloon bar of the establishment. Luckily I was not hit. "Most of the 'old timers' like to be able to say they have appeared before Royalty. I did once, at the 'Bandbox' in the Strand, and received half a crown from the then Prince of Wales, the late King Edward."