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The Victim Of A Double

The Victim Of A Double image
Parent Issue
Day
24
Month
January
Year
1878
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

" My father," said Edwin Booth, the ' ttagedian, "was charged with a gootl many exceeses whieh ought not to have been laid at his door. He was the victim of a doublé. I do not mean to say that he was wholly free from faults, or that he was not given to oocasionai indulgences and some strange eccentricities ; bnt lie was followed about by a man who bore a striking personal resemblance to him, and who was a less vagabond. This fellow crawled out of a good many scrapes by assuming my father's name. On one occasion my father disappointed a Baltimore manager. On the evening that he was to appear tbe audience assembled, and the manager, hoping against hope that Booth rould come, waited and waited. Wlien it'was almost time for the curtain to go up, this vagabond came into the greenroom. The manager arose and greeted him as Mr. Booth. ' I am not Booth,' j he said, ' bui fim períectiy familiar with his part !' A hnrried consultation was held, and it was decided to let the stranger essay the role. He went on the stage i and played it through without a break, i and the people went awaysaying : 'Booth was not at his best to-night.' But of those who listened not one in a hundred had a suspicion of tlie deception practiced upon them." " How did your father treat this doublé?" " He didn't treat liim at all. He very seldom saw him. The fellow kept out of his way. But whilo he was ! ing my father's eharacter, hc would stand on the street eorners half drnnk, i and recite long soliloquies from Shakspeare. Then he would pass around the kat and take np a collection, and the people, thinking Booth was indulging in some foolish pastime, would drop money into the hat. One day my er, Juniuu Brutus, who was then a stout, I lusty young fellow, came along and ! found this inan personating Booth, and j telling the corner crowd that he was the actor. My brother's anger ran his discretion, and he knocked the ! vagabond down. But the people, still believing that the stroller was really Booth, took sides with him and ened to mob Junius for striking his father. He came to tho conclusión that it was rather dancerons business to

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus