The Mormons and the Theatre; or, The History of Theatricals in UtahLindsay, John S. (John Shanks)
Religion
The Mormons and the Theatre; or, The History of Theatricals in Utah
Lindsay, John S. (John Shanks)
Latter Day Saints; Theater -- Utah -- History
We had journeyed northward and were in the town of Franklin.
Phil Margetts, "Jimmy" Thompson and myself were seated in the hotel
parlor when Carrie came in with a paper in her hand, and in her
lively, good-natured way, said "Boys, I met Freeman of Ogden, in the
Co-op. store just now, and he gave me a copy of his paper. He says it
has a long notice of the 'Hunchback' in it. Let us see what he says."
With that she threw herself into a chair, turned over the paper and
found the notice. It was generally favorable but criticised her Julia
rather adversely, at which she said rather petulantly, "Well, I know
I'm not an Adelaide Neilson, but I guess it was good enough for
Ogden." On further examination of the paper she came across a
"personal" which read as follows: "We understand that Miss Carrie
Cogswell, now playing here with the Salt Lake company, is the fourth
polygamous wife of Bishop Herrick, having herself had three husbands:
first, Thomas A. Lyne, the tragedian; second, J. A. Carter, and third,
Bishop Herrick." She read this notice to us and as she did so she grew
very angry. She strode out of the hotel like an enraged tigress. We
all wondered what she was going to do, but in about five minutes she
strode back in again with a handful of poor Freeman's whiskers in her
clenched fist and her parasol broken to smithereens over the
offender's face and head. In explanation she said, "I don't care how
much he criticises my acting but he mustn't meddle in my family
affairs." Freeman took revenge for this upon the writer several years
later in Montana, by giving him a red hot roast while playing in a
neighboring town. He evidently thought that I had prompted her to the
castigation act, which was not true, and totally unnecessary.
The season was ushered in very auspiciously with the "School for
Scandal," with Miss Denin as Lady Teazle and Mr. J. H. Vinson as Sir
Peter; Mr. Cogswell playing Charles Surface and Mr. Crosbie, Benjamin
Backbite, and the full force of the stock company in the cast.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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