DEL PUENTE IN THE KITCHEN--SCALDING COFFEE--CALIFORNIAN WINE--THE
SERGEANT TAKES A HEADER--THE RUSSIAN MOTHER--I BECOME A SHERIFF--A DUMB
CHORUS--DYNAMITE BOMBS.
When the Company started for the steamer which was to ferry us across to
the railway station, further trouble arose in consequence of the
increased sums demanded (now that the rates had been got up) for the
Pullman cars which I had ordered for the principal artists; amounting to
a considerable sum. But this difficulty was ultimately surmounted, and
we left early on Wednesday evening for Omaha, where we were due on the
Friday following.
My private car, moreover, had been let, and I was forced to engage an
ordinary Pullman, with no facilities whatever for cooking or even
heating water. Hasty purchases had now to be made of wine, coffee, etc.,
and a few tins of preserved meats; and a start was made for Omaha.
I was obliged to make arrangements not only for provisioning my
principal artists, but also for cooking their food. I bought, when we
were on the point of starting, a couple of hams and some cans of tinned
meat, wine, and several gallons of whisky; the latter being intended not
for internal consumption, but simply for cooking purposes. I found that
there was no kitchen in the train, and I was obliged to improvise one as
best I could. Del Puente, besides being an excellent singer, is a very
tolerable second-rate cook; and I appointed him to the duty of preparing
the macaroni (which I must admit he did in first-rate style), and of
acting generally as kitchenmaid and scullion. I myself officiated as
_chef_, and saw at the close of each day that the eminent baritone
washed up the plates and dishes and kept the kitchen utensils generally
in good order.
Early every morning I prepared the coffee for breakfast; and I believe
no better, and certainly no hotter coffee was ever made than that which
one day just before the breakfast hour I upset, through a jolt of the
train, over my unhappy legs.
The fresh invigorating air of the mountains and of the spacious plains
may have had something to do with it; but to judge from results, I may
fairly say that my cooking was appreciated. My eight principal artists
were, moreover, in charming temper. All professional jealousy and
rivalry had been forgotten, except perhaps on the part of Del Puente,
who did not quite like the secondary position which I had assigned to
an artist who had previously refused all but leading parts.
At most of the principal stations we were able to purchase eggs,
chickens, tomatoes, and salad. There was generally, moreover, a cow in
the neighbourhood; and wherever we had an opportunity of doing so we
laid in a supply of fresh milk.
While on the subject of cows, I must say a word as to the cruel fate
which these unhappy beasts meet with at the hands of the railway people.
In front of every train there is a "cow-catcher," which, when a cow gets
on the line, shunts the wretched animal off and at the same time breaks
its legs. I begged the driver more than once to stop the train and put
the mutilated animal out of its misery with a revolver shot, but it was
not thought worth while.
When a cow is destroyed by the "cow-catcher" the owner can claim from
the railway company half its value; and it is said that in bad times
when cattle are low in the market, or worse still, unsaleable, they are
driven on to the line with a view to destruction. I have often in a
day's journey perceived hundreds of the bleached skeletons of the
animals killed outright by the "cow-catcher," or maimed and left to die.
An inspector, appointed by the railway company, passes from time to time
along the line and, after settling up, marks in the left ear and at the
tip of the tail the dead beasts for which the company has paid. The
former owner disposes of the carcasses and hides; the latter alone
possessing appreciable value. The former are left on the ground to
become food for the crows; though the Indians will sometimes cut away
portions of the meat when they come upon a beast which is still fresh.
During our eight days' journey I acted not only as cook, but also as
butler; and our various wines, all of Californian growth, were
excellent. They cost from 8d to 10d a bottle, and I was not alone in
regarding them as of excellent quality. Singers are not great wine
drinkers, but they are accustomed to wines of the first quality; and I
may say in favour of the wines of California that they were appreciated
and bought for conveyance to Europe by artists of such indubitable taste
as Patti, Nilsson, and Gerster. The cost of carriage renders it
impossible to send the wines of California to Europe for sale. But
someday, when, for instance, the Panama Canal has been cut, there will
be a market for them both in England and on the Continent. They are, of
course, of different qualities. But the finest Californian vintages may
be pronounced incomparable. I remember once being entertained in company
with some of my leading artists by Surgeon-General Hammond, at his house
in Fifty-eighth Street, New York, when some Californian champagne was
served which we all thought admirable. Our facetious host disguised it
under labels bearing the familiar names of "Heidsieck" and
"Pommery-Greno;" and we all thought we were drinking the finest vintages
of Epernay and of Rheims. Then under the guise of Californian champagne
he gave us genuine Pommery and genuine Heidsieck; the result being that
we were all deceived. The wine labelled as French, but which was in fact
Californian, was pronounced excellent, while the genuine French wines
described as of Californian origin seemed of inferior quality.
On arriving at Cheyenne I found it would be impossible to reach Omaha in
time to perform _Carmen_, which was announced for the following evening;
or Burlington, where _Lucia_ was billed for the Saturday; or Chicago for
our Sunday concert, for which every place had been taken. All had to be
abandoned. Our special train was consequently diverted off to the right
in the direction of Denver, where I telegraphed to know if they could
take us in for a concert the following Sunday. On receiving a negative
reply, I telegraphed to Kansas City, where my proposition was accepted.
I consequently wired the Kansas manager the names of the artists and the
programme containing the pieces each would sing. Through the
manipulation of the telegraph clerks scarcely one of the artists' names
was spelt right, whilst the pieces they proposed to sing, as I
afterwards found, were all muddled up together.
In due course our party reached Denver, where we took half an hour's
stop for watering the train and obtaining ice for the water tanks in the
different cars, after which we started on our road to Kansas City.
Shortly after leaving Denver one of my sergeants belonging to the corps
of commissionaires--several of whom I had brought from London--was taken
ill and reported to be suffering from sunstroke received many years
previously in India.
During our brief stoppage at Denver one of the other sergeants had
purchased him some medicine which he was in the habit of taking. About
two o'clock in the morning he became very violent, and it was found
necessary to cut the bell-cord running through the carriage in order to
tie him down. I then gave orders to the sergeant-major to place him in a
bed and have him watched by alternate reliefs of the other sergeants,
changing every two hours.
About four in the morning, in the midst of a terrific thunderstorm,
accompanied by torrents of rain, I was alarmed by the sudden entry of
the sergeant-major, stating that the invalid under his charge had opened
the window and taken a header straight out.
There was great difficulty in stopping the train in consequence of the
absence of the bell-cord; but we ultimately succeeded in doing so.
Numbers of us went out to look for the poor man's remains, the vivid
flashes of lightning assisting us in our search. As the water on each
side of the railway was several feet deep, and as the sergeant was
nowhere to be found on the line, we concluded after three hours' search
that he must be drowned, and again started the train, leaving word at
the first station of the misfortune that had happened.
In consequence of this delay we did not reach Kansas City until
half-past ten at night, when a portion of the public met us to express
in rather a marked manner their extreme disapprobation. It was
afterwards explained to me that nearly every seat in the house had been
sold, and that had we arrived in time we should have taken at least
L800, which, in my straitened circumstances, would have been of
considerable assistance.
We prosecuted our journey straight through to Louisville, Kentucky. But
here, too, we failed to arrive at the proper time. The train being so
many hours late, we did not reach our destination till eleven o'clock at
night, when the audience, who had been waiting some considerable time,
had gone home very irate. Minnie Hauk having rejoined us the following
evening we played _Carmen_ to but a moderate house, in consequence of
the public having lost all confidence in the undertaking. In settling up
with the manager he deducted the whole of my share of the receipts,
stating that they would partly compensate him for the losses incident to
our non-arrival the first night, as well as on the previous night, and
for the general falling off in the receipts caused by these mishaps. We
afterwards went to the station to take the train for Indianapolis; but
on arriving there I found that the Sheriffs had seized and attached, not
only all the scenery, properties, dresses, and everybody's boxes, but
the whole of my railway carriages; and it was only with the greatest
possible difficulty, by giving an order on the next city, that I got the
train released. I had, of course, to pay the Sheriff's costs, which were
exceedingly heavy.
On arriving at Indianapolis very meagre receipts awaited us, these being
absorbed entirely by the railway people on the order which I had given
from Louisville. There were likewise sundry claims from San Francisco.
During the whole of my stay in Indianapolis I was unable to obtain even
a single dollar from the management. I, however, arranged by
anticipating the coming week's receipts to clear up all my liabilities
and get under way for Cincinnati, where the results of our engagement
were something atrocious. The theatre was almost empty nightly, the
public, by reason of the threatened riots, being afraid to go out in the
streets.
I was now forced, in order to meet the large demands for railway fares,
to drop at successive stations scenery, costumes, and properties. At one
place an immense box, containing nothing but niggers' wigs, mustachios,
and beards, made by Clarkson, of London, passed from my hands into
those of the Sheriffs, who held an attachment against it. When I found
it necessary to part at one station with _L'Africaine_, at another to
separate myself from _William Tell_, and at a third to cast away the
whole of _Il Trovatore_ and a bit of _Semiramide_, I felt like the
Russian mother who, to secure her own safety, threw her children one
after the other to the wolves.
I cannot, however, say that the wolves of the law are worse in America
than in other countries. They bear the same honoured names that one is
accustomed to among the members of the profession in happy England. I
was interested, moreover, to learn that the Levys, the Isaacs, the
Aarons, and the Solomons of the United States are all related to the
Levys, Isaacs, Aarons, and Solomons of our own favoured land. I had so
much to do with them, from the beginning of the retreat from Frisco
until my arrival at New York, and the eve of my departure for Europe,
that they ended by treating me as their friend, and made me free of
their guild. They entertained me also at dinner, and gave me a badge;
and when my health was drunk I was assured that in future I should be
treated like a brother: for, said the speaker, referring to the fact
that I myself was now a Sheriff, "Dog doesn't eat dog."
To return to my story, contracts having been given out for repairing the
roads and repaving the city, in consequence of some league amongst the
various contractors all the streets had been left unpaved at the same
time; and as soon as every paving stone was up a general strike took
place. It was impossible for a carriage to pass along anywhere without
getting upset by the hillocks of stones. Suddenly we heard that the
anarchists were rising, and now the city was filled with State militia
accompanied by numerous Gatling guns for the purpose of clearing the
streets. These things in combination so injured the business of the
Opera that the theatre was empty every night. In many instances
choristers were afraid to go through the streets to fulfil their duties.
We were now rejoined by Mdlle. Fohstroem, also by Mdme. Nordica; but all
looked very unpromising. Our previous mishaps had been so much written
about, telegraphed, and in every way exaggerated by the various papers,
that all confidence seemed to have been withdrawn from us, and it was
with the greatest possible difficulty we could carry through our
performances.
As if in imitation of the paviours of Cincinnati, portions of my Company
now began to strike. First the band struck, then the chorus, then the
ballet.
One night, when _Lucia di Lammermoor_ was being played, a delegation of
choristers notified me that unless all arrears were paid up they would
decline to go on the stage. Argument was useless. The notification was
in the form of an ultimatum. The choristers would not even wait until
the close of the performance for their money, but insisted upon having
it there and then.
I therefore had to begin the opera with the entrance of "Enrico,"
leaving out the small introductory chorus, which was not missed by the
public. We thus got through the first act; also the first scene of the
second act. The curtain was now lowered just before the marriage scene;
and negotiations were again attempted, but still without success. I felt
it necessary to improvise a chorus for the grand wedding scene, and it
consisted of the stage-manager, the scene-painter, several of the
programme-sellers, the male costumier, the armourer and his assistants,
together with several workmen, ballet girls, etc., who, elegantly
attired in some of my best dresses, had a very imposing effect. I gave
strict instructions that they were to remain perfectly silent, and to
act as little as possible; at the same time telling the principal
singers to do their very best in the grand sextet.
The result was an encore and general enthusiasm. Everyone, too, was
called before the curtain at the close of the act, and one of the
leading critics declared that the _finale_ was "nobly rendered."
Finding how well I could do without them the chorus now came to terms.
A concert was given on the following Sunday night which closed the
engagement. The whole of the receipts had been absorbed by lawyers,
sheriffs, railway companies, and the keepers of the hotels at which the
principal members of the troupe put up. The hotel-keepers, moreover, had
seized all the boxes. The train was drawn up at the station; but after
waiting two hours the engine was detached and taken away into the sheds.
In the meantime dark groups of choristers were congregated in different
parts of the city, and things did, indeed, look gloomy. During the night
I succeeded in paying the different hotel bills; and ultimately in the
small hours of the morning the train was got together and started for
Detroit, I remaining behind to make arrangements for paying off the
remaining attachments.
On the Company's arriving at Detroit it was discovered that Minnie
Hauk's boxes containing her Carmen dresses had been left behind. As they
could not possibly reach her in time I had to arrange by telegraph to
have new dresses made for her during the afternoon. It took the whole of
my time to release the fifty or sixty attachments that had been issued
against the belongings of the various members of the Company, and I
arrived in Detroit early the following morning with the things which I
had at last triumphantly released. The whole of a Pullman car was filled
with the various articles I had set free, including the _Carmen_
dresses, sundry stacks of washing, various dressing bags, and piles of
ballet girls' petticoats, beautifully starched.
Our artistic success in Detroit was great, and, after performing three
nights, we left after the last performance for Milwaukee.
We passed from Detroit to Milwaukee, where but a few days beforehand the
mob had been fired upon, with some eighteen killed and several wounded.
The whole town was in a state of alarm; neither Fohstroem's "Lucia" and
"Sonnambula," nor Minnie Hauk's "Carmen," nor Nordica's "Margherita" in
_Faust_ could attract more than enough cash to pay the board bills and
fares to Chicago, for which city we left early the following morning.
The scenes that had taken place there must be fresh in the mind of
everyone.
Bombshells had been thrown by the Anarchists; numbers of people had been
killed, and the public of Chicago was in the same frame of mind with
regard to the opera as so many of the previous cities. It preferred to
remain indoors.
Our musical operations were seriously interfered with by the strike,
which was promptly responded to by a lock-out. The clothing
manufacturers closed their shops, throwing but of employment nearly
2,000 superintendents--"bosses," as the Americans call them--and 25,000
hands. The hands had demanded ten hours' pay for eight hours' work, with
20 per cent. advance on trousers, and 25 per cent. on vests and coats.
The "bosses" demanded an advance of from 35 to 50 per cent. on all kinds
of work; and it was resolved by the employers not to reopen until all
the firms had made a successful resistance to these claims on the part
of the workmen. The metal manufacturers and furniture makers had been
threatened in like manner by their men; and they also refused to yield
to the strikers. At the same time from 30,000 to 40,000 men were on
strike at Cincinnati, where the suburbs were occupied by a whole army of
troops. It now appeared that the disturbances at Chicago were closely
connected with those at Cincinnati. Some of the Socialists on strike
were armed, to the number of 600 or 700, with effective rifles, and they
controlled the manufacture of dynamite shells. The shells which the
rioters had been using at Chicago had been made at Cincinnati, and it
was said that the Chicago Socialists had on hand for immediate use a
supply of these infernal machines. At Milwaukee, some seventy or eighty
miles from Chicago, nineteen Anarchists and Socialists had just been
arraigned on a charge of riot and conspiracy "to kill and murder." In
the streets of Chicago placards were posted on the walls announcing that
groups of more than three persons would be dispersed by force; so that a
husband and wife proceeding in company with two of their children to
hear _Il Trovatore_ or _Lucia di Lammermoor_ ran the risk of being fired
into by Gatling guns.