GERSTER REFUSES--PATTI VOLUNTEERS--ARRIVAL AT CHEYENNE--PATTI DINES THE
PROPHET--THREATS OF AN INTERVIEWER--ARRIVAL AT SAN FRANCISCO.
At the conclusion of the farewell morning performance of _Martha_, in
which Gerster took part, at St. Louis, she went home to prepare for the
journey to San Francisco. I performed _La Favorita_ that evening, and
gave orders for the Company to start at 2 a.m. for the Far West. At
about a quarter to one my agent called me, stating that Mdme. Gerster
had gone to bed and refused to allow her boxes to leave the hotel.
Feeling now that she was free from Patti, she thought she could do as
she liked. All arguments were useless, and in lieu of packing the boxes
she gave calm directions to her maids to hang her dresses up. During
this time the special train was waiting in the station ready to take its
departure. In the midst of my trouble a little card was brought in
enclosed in an envelope, stating that Mdme. Patti would like to see me.
She, too, had been on the point of going to bed. But on learning the
strait in which I was placed she at once rang the bell, mustered her
maids, requested them to pack up all her worldly effects, and now
assured me that she would sing for me day and night rather than let me
be the victim of Gerster's caprices.
Whilst I was thanking Mdme. Patti another little card was slipped in my
hand from the adjoining room requesting a word with me. On entering
Mdme. Gerster's apartments I found her dressed, and she now declared her
willingness to accompany me to the Far West.
The long and short of it was that I found myself in the train with both
my prime donne. I thereupon telegraphed to my agent in advance to call
in at Denver and arrange for a performance of Mdme. Patti in _La
Traviata_ on the following Saturday morning on our way through. We duly
arrived in Denver, when on reaching the hotel Mdme. Gerster accidentally
saw that Patti had been announced for one of the performances.
Without a moment's warning she left the hotel, presented herself at the
station, and ordered a special train to take her back to the East on her
way to Europe. It was, indeed, a sore trial to bring matters to an
amicable conclusion; but in this I eventually succeeded. I assured Mdme.
Gerster that Mdme. Patti would have nothing further to do for some
length of time. If Patti sang again Mdme. Gerster declared she would
leave the Company.
At the conclusion of my Denver engagement we left for Cheyenne. The
opera train consisted of eleven elegant carriages; and prior to our
arrival at Cheyenne we were met on the road by two special cars, having
on board Councillors Holliday, Dater, Babbitt, Warren, Irvine, and
Homer, likewise the Hon. Jones, Ford, and Miller, and some forty other
representatives of the Upper and Lower Houses of the great territory of
the West. We were agreeably surprised when the train pulled up. To my
great astonishment both Houses had been adjourned in honour of our
visit. There was, in fact, a general holiday. One carriage contained dry
Pommery and Mumm champagne, intersected with blocks of ice, whilst
another compartment was full of cigars. Both trains pulled up on the
plains, when an interchange of civilities took place and several
speeches were made.
Shortly afterwards we started the train again in the direction of
Cheyenne, where the band of the 9th Regiment, brought from a
considerable distance from one of the military stations, was waiting to
receive us. Mdme. Patti, who was in her own car, insisted upon having it
detached from the train in order not to interfere with the welcome she
considered due to Mdme. Gerster, who was to perform that evening in _La
Sonnambula_, which was the only opera to be given during our visit. At
the conclusion of the reception Gerster was accompanied to the hotel.
Two hours later there was to be a serenade to Mdme. Patti, who at a
given time was drawn into the station. The brass band, being placed in a
circle with the bandmaster in the centre, commenced performing music
which was rather mixed. Mdme. Patti requested me to ask the bandmaster
what they were playing; but on my attempting to enter the circle the
bandmaster rushed at me, telling me with expressive gestures that if I
touched one of his musicians the whole circle would fall down. They had
been on duty during the last thirty-six hours waiting our arrival, and
as they had taken "considerable refreshment," he had had great
difficulty in placing them on their feet. We dispensed with all
ceremony, and the night serenade was struck out of the programme, the
men being sent home.
The opera of _Sonnambula_ was performed that evening, and although ten
dollars a seat were charged, the house was crowded. To my great
astonishment, although Cheyenne is but a little town, consisting of
about two streets, it possesses a most refined society, composed, it is
true, of cowboys; yet one might have imagined one's self at the London
Opera when the curtain rose--the ladies in brilliant toilettes and
covered with diamonds; the gentlemen all in evening dress.
The entire little town was lighted by electricity. The club house is one
of the pleasantest I have ever visited; and the people are most
hospitable.
When the performance was over we all returned to the train, and started
for Salt Lake City.
On our arrival there Mdme. Gerster drove to the theatre. Mdme. Patti and
Nicolini amused themselves by visiting the great Tabernacle, I
accompanying them. On entering this superb building, excellent in an
acoustic point of view, and capable of seating 12,000 persons, the idea
immediately crossed my mind of giving, if possible, a concert there on
our return from San Francisco; but I was unsuccessful in my endeavours
to obtain the use of it. I thereupon resolved that Mdme. Patti should
invite the Mormon Prophet himself, together with as many of the twelve
apostles as we could obtain, to visit her private car, then outside the
station; and a splendid _dejeuner_ was prepared by the cooks.
The next morning the Prophet Taylor came, accompanied by several of his
apostles. Mdme. Patti took great care to praise the magnificent building
she had visited the day previously, expressing a strong desire that she
might be allowed to try her voice there, which led on to my observing
that a regular concert would be more desirable. To this a strong
objection was made by several apostles, who stated that the building was
not intended for any such purpose, but was simply a place of worship.
Mdme. Patti, however, launched into enthusiastic praise of the Mormon
doctrines, and, in fact, expressed a strong wish to join the Mormon
Church. After hearing her sing two or three of her dainty little songs
the Prophet was so impressed that he actually consented to a concert
being given in the Tabernacle the following month. On my suggesting
three dollars for the best seats an objection was instantly made by one
of the apostles, who, having five wives, thought it would be rather a
heavy call upon his purse. It was ultimately settled that the prices
should be only two dollars and one dollar.
We performed the opera of _Lucia_ that evening in Salt Lake Theatre in
presence of all the prominent inhabitants of the lovely city, the
receipts reaching some L750. The Prophet attended.
Starting for the West immediately after the opera, we about thirty hours
afterwards reached Reno, where we stopped to water the engine; and,
although still some 250 miles from San Francisco, the train was boarded
by a lot of reporters, who had been waiting a couple of days to meet the
party, determined if possible to secure an interview with the _Diva_. In
the meantime they busied themselves writing a description of the
magnificent train of boudoir state-rooms until we reached Truckee, where
a considerable portion of the line had been washed away. There had,
moreover, been a snow-slide from some of the great mountains, which
caused a stoppage of nearly twelve hours.
Suddenly, as if by magic, some 1,500 Chinamen arrived and commenced
repairing the road. During this time the reporters had ample time to
interview everybody, as the railway carriages one by one had to be
conveyed over a temporary road which the Chinamen had built.
The whole of Truckee's population came out to meet us, composed of
cowboys, miners, and Indians. Patti was much charmed with a little
papoose carried on one of the Indian women's backs. She placed herself
at the piano and commenced singing nursery rhymes. She likewise whistled
a polka very cleverly to her own accompaniment; which made the papoose
laugh. She thereupon expressed a strong wish to purchase it and adopt
it, having no children of her own. It was only in compliance with
Nicolini's persuasive powers that she ultimately desisted.
On our leaving Truckee a wild shout went up from the Indians, resembling
a kind of war-whoop, in which the whole of the Truckee population
joined.
Ultimately we reached Sacramento. Again all the inhabitants came out,
many crying, "God bless her Majesty!" "God bless Colonel Mapleson!" the
crowd, as usual, being largely composed of Indians and Chinese. An
attempt was made to surround Patti's car in order to make her get out
and sing.
Prior to leaving Sacramento other reporters got in, insisting upon
interviewing Patti. I replied--
"Do you think I pay Patti L1,000 a night and spend all my profits buying
these magnificent cars for her and Nicolini to have her interviewed by
newspaper reporters? No, sir, you cannot interview Patti. We have a lot
of beautifully-written interviews already in type in my ante-room, and
you can go and select those you like best. You can see the car,
moreover, with Count Zacharoff. In the hind car you will find some
Apollinaris and rye whisky, and there is a box of cigars in the corner."
"Look here, Colonel," replied one of the reporters, very firmly, placing
his right hand in his hip pocket, "I am no London reporter to be put off
in that kind of way. I have come several hundreds of miles to interview
Patti, and see her I must. Refuse me, and I shall simply telegraph two
lines to San Francisco that Patti has caught a severe cold in the
mountains, and that Gerster's old throat complaint is coming on again.
Do you understand?"
I replied, "Cannot you interview me instead?" feeling appalled at his
threat.
"No, sir," replied he; "Patti or perdition!"
I now saw Nicolini, who ultimately consented to the reporter's seeing
the _Diva_. Summoning a swarthy valet, he ordered him to conduct the
journalist to Mdme. Patti's apartments, Nicolini following him.
A few seconds later the reporter was face to face with Patti in her
gorgeous palace car. Nicolini performed the ceremony of introduction,
while the parrot muttered a few "cusses" in French. Patti smilingly
motioned the reporter to be seated, and the long-expected interview was
about to take place, when Nicolini suddenly returned and commenced
ringing the electric bells. In an instant all was confusion. Valets
rushed hither and thither, Nicolini declaring in the choicest Italian
that he had discovered a small draught coming through a ventilator; and
it was not until this had been closed and his adored madame had been
wrapped in shawls that the interview could proceed.
Patti had evidently been interviewed before, for she took the lead in
the conversation from the start. Her first inquiry was about the weather
in California, of which she had heard. She asked whether it was warm and
sunny like her native Spain. She said she was tired of ice and snow, of
Colorado and Montana, and that she was very pleased at being able to
reach San Francisco. At the conclusion of the interview the reporter
left the room, went to the end of the train, and dropped a small parcel
overboard on passing one of the signal boxes. I afterwards learned that
it contained a page of matter which we found in print on our arrival at
San Francisco. He had given a detailed report of all that had occurred
in the train.
In due course we reached San Francisco, where my agent informed me that
the engagement was going to be a great success, two-thirds of the
tickets having been sold for the entire season.
On our arriving at Oakland, opposite San Francisco, the morning papers
were eagerly purchased, and the announcements scanned by Signor Nicolini
and Patti, both of whom expressed amazement at having been brought some
3,000 miles to do nothing. In fact, I myself felt rather for the moment
nonplussed. I nevertheless immediately took the matter up, whispering to
Nicolini to be quiet, and to tell Mdme. Patti to be quiet, as I had
prepared a scheme which I thought she would be pleased with.
I then set to work to think what could be done. On reaching my hotel, it
being Sunday, of course no printing could be attempted. I, therefore,
inserted an advertisement in the paper for the following morning
notifying that, profiting by Mdme. Patti's and Signor Nicolini's
presence on a voyage of pleasure to the Far West, I had persuaded them
to give a performance. I had selected the ensuing Thursday--the only
blank night I had. At the same time, in justice to those who had
subscribed so liberally for the season, I notified that the original
subscribers should have the first choice of the Patti tickets in
priority to the general public, with a discount of 10 per cent. besides.
This contented them, and, in fact, augmented still further the
subscription for the whole season, many joining in simply for the chance
of being able to obtain a ticket for Patti.
When this arrangement had been carried out I met Messrs. Sherman and
Clay, the well-known music sellers, and begged them kindly to dispose of
the few remaining tickets at their shop, on the following Tuesday, so as
not to have any confusion with my regular box-office lettings at the
theatre.