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Show A OLD TIME THKATLll AT "THE OnAND DUKLV MANY BRIGHT ACTOflS GOT A 8TAflT. KrmVot mud ItnotLUrk mtTMWS ttl One Mad Nw ftljM fr JUw York. t 5lol f Truuri IUi l'tnprI and Hoot. An l-muoii In a Wsj. To OccAd" n.rt the (J rand PnVo th enter, or newsboys' plnylioitae, vm oho of ths most fjmnm Institutions 0 this metropolis. Today tho irujrclor anl rhlI niarnji r of this nniquo rtvort rum an CJiirpH twua from a it tv In tlie New Ibwrr. His tmuie Is Jtlcfmnl Dark 3. irlc JltirVe I not n hrgt) man i-liva-Jcntly, bnt ho I a irsuu of acute won tryl ilriloimpt)t. Ho Is, hi were ntl lit Ir-adlBtf !itwbor ('layers connected with lhs original (r.ttnl Duttw. theater, a typ-IcnlNovr typ-IcnlNovr Yntkir. lis was born In tlm 'Fourt' ward, ftivl lw known About every inch of Manlmttan island, IleaoWinnvs-jtniri IleaoWinnvs-jtniri im car)y ns ho HMublo tonllr, iTnd tlirro tie er wo n tiling In or about Now York that Dlik di ln't know, Xow tint nil the bojs of that time a A Crown to manhood, and many of them am firmly flxol In tho real theatrical world, tho atory that Ulchanl Durkocan tell of tho old On) In tho cellar At 31 Uaxtor s,trctt has n jcalfar Interest. That cellar wai n epnei mis affair, n eel-hn eel-hn (to uowadaya, It w.ss entered by a Cat door, tt klch ojuwl from tlia street. Ono dlred down Into this tlimolan homo Ins ad of climbing upward. Tho f nr imbing wore primitive In tho extreme. 1 iter wo not we 1 a raised rUigo, Tho boy actors played their parU on, the satno Hi )T from vrhkh tho tptctnturs ; lauded. About ths only accessory tint tho eel-JartiOMteU eel-JartiOMteU wo curtain of Iwdtlcklnjr, mlilctthU thrrtU)ers from tho icopK Tlteitt wm about wren boys In tho orijnal (Irand Uuko company, bended by Teldy Bulllian and Dick Darke. Tiny had tin jitM tutor. Hchoolsofnct logdlil not flourish then. As Uurkorx j tains, 'They went to 1 ho real thcaUrs and uiuirht onto tin Ir tdeces." wiiuu tiicv ilayid. They lJaycl mainly negro sketches In that "1 1 cellar at tho corner nf Uiilrr and Worth streets, and many of tho "Ud ilt)eil bettor than they knew, for nearly ell of Hum havo sinco illitln K tUhod themselves before tho pttlllo oti tho prof essl 01.nl staff It was n tjiu rtrw for suuh an innovation. Ihero M Achlvalrlo spirit abroad In tho breaits of tho J until of tho laud which nudo deed rt horolo strcugth and valor rank llfili. Niil Jlimtllno was recount 1 11 j; tho deeds of lltiAaId Hill In tho New York tkly. lcon Lewis was wrltln cf thealventQre of daring youitu In Tho Ledger, Kverywhero hraury show-tA show-tA Its front. It w as not iimiAts ral, therefore, there-fore, tluit lheu) Now York nownbo)i should rftrlYo to do and daro for Ihitn-wlv.-a, and, adopting tho baskln, c!eao thdr own career lu tho faco of many dlf Ileal t in. Tiny wero 8 Irons, healthy, senIIlo boys, and they know that luinlnktrulny tueytud their fort That they dhl not sjriro to tl 10 higher dlitinctlon uf play-InuKsWrpoarean play-InuKsWrpoarean parts only tin phtulaes tin ir Rood jvuse. So tht-y plajrd In Ua It fces, and tho famutu old tfiua s!t,lif, 'Bo'iilny s lXjtN anil Tho lyiuiny Mm, flKi'red comptcuouily In their r iwrtory. Thoelltoiw welUstho rail t(t nnd lobtail of tho town rilml down Into tho dingy tcllar to wltnem tli nntita of tho marry lads. Tlo (1 raud Da) 0 Alexis, on hli toeiaorablo UIt to America, wsa u dlsttnsraishcil auditor ono nljht. In fact, tho tlieuttr afUnvanl had Its best i.na u tltlo from this uuxust potntat(,uho snulM nnd juld fur his fuu at tlia itewkboyn' theater. Wr was ono typical cptsodoln tho cantrof this jntrnllo been in to which Mr llurko still refers with pleasure. I Ab tit tho iimo that tho lioys1 theater wax In i-mffTtnts James Gordon Itcnuctt was orj(inixinj Rouphouura lliron-liout tlia city. One night a swell jurtyeu-tnd jurtyeu-tnd tho cellar. Aiaon tho Wtors Va Tony Uutor. Ilach inrsou put tlown u 4jl!ar fur his ontranca feo. actim) rort (.iuiiity. Tho soujbousi bmlin'sn wai tipper moflt In ovrrylhxIy'H mini, nnd I'-utor had recently treatod A fuud for Its sup-t sup-t port. J, J, McCloskey, tlie playwrlirht mil tlien nntor, was ono of tho ivirty. What did he do but spring uplutlo mtddhtof tho ixrfonnauoo and mike u nnitiu speech cillimr upon thnno pus rnt to con trl hnt w to tho aoop fund. lUvo Oonroy, ono of tho boy j layers, Ui to his fet-tund declared that tho ttund Duke company woold g 0 an c ti tirtainmeiit to liclp the cauw. Others tf the bo) s seconded tho motion, and It was tarried amid enthusiasm. OnnlaUr night n jcial programmo was arrrfuged, tho souphouso ltmeflt waicWeitandl " reallxed, which was lnndcd over to Mr, Itunnett, Thti xrn succeeded by nther entertainments cifacharitablo nature, heartily entered Into by the Urvii Dnko lo)s, until their thtater uluetl a wldo te utatlon, not tnly for Its unlimenois, but for the prao tlcal good It was dolnjr, Hut nil this couldn't luat. Iho boys grew to iivui hood and tho thltiiri of tho bid lime ueio milt away. Tedly Sullivan wan drowned at' tho Fulton street ferry threo r four yeirs h,jq. Two others of the OraudDuVo actors aro now robust and lopuhr iMilkumen. Ham Hernard Isn variety ae (it, ami his ma lo money and reputation alM nn iv Dutch comedian, Jack Conwaj Is of tho audtlllu firm of Coilwsy and Djtnrw-y. Mkiiacl Coyne I a partner in tho "train" of Kheelnn and Cojne,i;nd tho tnu sdom work forlts tbau00iiuetk. Date Couroy and Jatk Diuley are of tho fuuny Four bhamrotki, ytut aro also very u fell (taM. Finnk Unih, otifi of tho biihtost of the (I raud DukollKhts U known everywhere for his quaint uiimlcry of lUbrews. lie Is rich too, nnd tho malinger who hlies Llm has to p y f.00 n weik. Tho old cellar it now used for other pirposis. Its walls never again will echo tho mirryjt of tliKny otitic spirits wIiuho uolieohto sliouk the ruf ten. Ngw York Bun. |
