Of the theaters of the city, the most prominent one was the old
"Marshall," which stood where the Meyer Greentree furnishing store now
is located, at the corner of Seventh and Broad Streets. It was leased
by Mr. Taylor. The stock company was composed of some of the most
distinguished actors of the day, who have appeared on the stage of
this country. Among them were Joseph Jefferson, Booth, John Owens,
Adams, Boniface and Mary Devlin, who afterwards married Edwin Booth. I
remember seeing there Burton, in his famous role of "Poodles"; Clarke,
in "Our American Cousin," and Neaffie, in "Hamlet," in which Jefferson
took the character of the grave-digger. These have never been
surpassed in America.
An entertaining gleaning is that respecting "Fairfield race track,"
situated on the Mechanicsville Turnpike. This was the most prominent
race course of its day in the State. It was run and owned by a Mr.
James Talley, who was one of the best horsemen in Virginia. When the
place was at its zenith it had a long string of race horses in its
stables, among them being some of the most celebrated the world has
ever seen; there was the great racer, and sire of racers, "Revenue,"
owned by Mr. Botts; "Talley Ho," owned by Mr. Selden C. Mason;
"Engineer," a splendid grey; "Red-Bye," sire of "Planet"; Martha
Washington, "Iina" and many others. These were the very flowers of the
thoroughbred stock of the South. Every Sunday evening in the spring of
the year the horses were exercised around the course and were given a
"right sharp brush." Several of my friends and I were in the habit of
going out and viewing them while at their exercises and it was well
worth the while to see such spurts of swift speeding. Truly those were
the palmy days of racing, and they will never again be reviewed in
Virginia, at least in this part of the State, for conditions are
greatly changed.
I recall the heaviest fall of snow one spring while I was living in
Richmond that ever took place in the memory of the oldest inhabitants;
it commenced on a Saturday night and fell continuously until the
Monday following. I was then carrying the keys to the store of Parker,
Nimmo & Co., and had to open the house with the assistance of the
porter. We had to dig away the drift, which had reached to the top of
the door, before we could even see it, let alone get in it. On that
Sunday night a large fire occurred near the Old Market House. It was
so bitterly cold during the snow spell that Doctor Cox, of
Chesterfield county was frozen to death just as he was about entering
the gate to his farm. On Monday the temperature moderated and the
younger ones had a gala time snow-balling every one mounted or in
sleighs that passed on the main streets; each corner was occupied by
squads, who pelted them without mercy or hesitation.
There was in the city one George Washington Todd, a beacon light of
the sporting crowd. He was a man of splendid physique, about six feet
two inches in height and built in proportion; possessing a fine voice,
a good deal of wit and humor and the cheer of a brass monkey. He had
no moral reputation and no one would credit him. On a certain day when
there was a political meeting over on the Eastern Shore, Governor Wise
was one of the speakers, and after the speaking was over Todd walked
up to the Governor and passed the compliments of the day thus: Cousin
Henry, how are you to day? The Governor replied I do not know of any
relationship between us. Todd then said, now, Governor, were you not
born in Accomack. He said yes. Well, then, as I was also born in
Accomack, does not that make us cousins? The cool effrontery of the
fellow somewhat astonished the Governor.
A noticeable feature was the elegant jewelry establishments. The most
prominent were Mitchell and Tyler and C. Genet & Co. Then a person
thought they could not buy a reliable article unless it came from one
or the other store. The first named, Mitchell and Tyler, enjoyed a
very large and paying patronage. In their employ was a gentleman by
the name of Hicks, who was at the head of the watch-repairing
department, and it required quite an artist in that line to fill the
position, as then the simple American watches had not come into
general use, for those mostly carried were of Swiss and English or
other foreign makes. This gentleman was full of pleasing humor and
wit, and as he was in the front of the store, when a person would
enter and inquire for a certain clerk by the name of Christian, he
would jokingly say that in the rear were several young men, some
members of the church, but whether a Christian could be found among
them he could not say.