AN EARLY EXPERIENCE OF BOOTH THE ACTOR.

Western Star, Issue 1385, 31 August 1889, Page 1 (Supplement)

AN EARLY EXPERIENCE OF BOOTH THE ACTOR.

A story is tol I of Edwin Booth's experience (says the Baltimore American) that is good enough to be true. " Once, during the days of his early struggles, Booth was ' barn-storming,,' down ia Virginia, at a place called Loe'a Landing. The improvised theatre was a tobacco warehouse, and it was crowded by the planters for miles around. Booth and his companions had arranged to take the weekly steamer expected to call late at night, and between the aciß were busy packing up The play was the 'Merchant of Venice," and they were just going on for the trial scene, when they heard a whistle, and the manager came running in to say that the steamer had arrived and would leave again in len minutes. As that was their only chance foe a week of gt ting away, they were in terrible quandary. " ' If we explain matters,' said the manager, 'they will think they are being cheated, and we shall have a free light. The only thing is for you ifellows to get up some sort ot a natural'hke impromptu ending of tho piece and '■ringdown the curtain, Go right ahead

ladies and gentleman, and take your cue from Ned here,' and he hurried away to get the luggage aboard. Ned, of course, was Bassanio, and he re-solve-I to rely on the ignorance of the Virginians of those days to pnll him through allri?ht. So, when old George Buggies, who was doing Shylock, began to sharpen his knife on his boot, Booth walked straight up to him and solemnly said : '"You are bound to have your pound of flesh, are you?" " 'You bet vour life ?" said Buggies "' Now, I'll make you one more offer,' continued Booth; 'in addition to this big bag of ducats, I'll throw in two kegs of niggorhead terback, a shotgun, and two of the best coon dogs in the State.' " Tmblarmedifldon'tdoit!'responded Shylock, much to the approbation of the audience, who were tobacco raisers and coon hunters to a man* "'And to show that there's no illfelling,' nut in Portia, 'we'll wind up with a Virginny reel.' " When they got on board the steamer, the captain, who had witnessed the conclusion of the play, remarked—- " ,I'd like to sea the whole of that play,sometime, gentlemen] I'm blarmed if I thought that fellow Shakespeare had so much snap in him.' "