Show HAPPY iF iY CAt CAL WAGNER TALKS OF OLD TIMES There are only nl a few of us left and were we're d dying off fast said H. H C. C Wagner Wag Wag- Vagner ner ncr traveling passenger agent of the Chicago Milwaukee Sty Sf Paul at the Kenyon today Mr Wagner was not referring to the ranks of traveling passenger agents or in fact to any other class of traveling or railroad men He was simply getting getting getting get get- ting reminiscent of the times when h he used to b be known among the burnt- burnt cork fraternity as Happy Cal Wagner Wag Wag- ner ncr a name indeed by which he is I generally known among g his Intimates today after eleven years of divorce from minstrelsy Time Old-Time Minstrels v I I 1 had more years of burnt cork than any man in the business but its it's terrible terrible terri tern ble to see the way they have been dropping dropping dropping drop drop- ping off in the las last two years First there was McAndrews who was known as the Watermelon Man who died some two years ago at Elgin Ill Charley Charley Charley Char ley Howard the Impersonator was the next to go lIe He died at Chi Cht- cago Next came Col Jack Haverley the veteran of th the Mastodon minstrels who died here in ira Salt Lake I put him himIn himin himin In the show business in Syracuse N. N 1 Y His first wife W was s Sarah Duval by I whom he had one daughter When i iSarah Sarah died he married her sister Eliza I Ind and nd she survived him The Duval sis sis sis- tens used to have quite a reputation on the stage as singers Next there was Billy West whose real leal name by the way was Jimmie Flynn He was born at Auburn not N N. Y 1 as bas has generally been stated in the newspapers throughout the country His first wife was Fay Templeton whom he married und under r the name siame of Billy West Then he married a United States Senators Senator's daughter Ills His third matrimonial venture was a Catholic girl She Is a sister of ot Pet Peter r wife left Dailey's Dalley's wife His 1 second him a considerable fortune Poor Foor Billy Emerson Then there was poor old Billy Emerson Emerson Emerson Em Em- erson who died ii h poverty In Boston I His lie real name was William E. E Read- Read I man He married an adopted daughter of John the wealthy circus s man He married a second time in San I Francisco but Billy could not stand that climate so he and his wife saw very little of each other Then came Johnnie Queen the pedestal dancer who died in Rochester and Billy Rice who died last Thursday Thursday Thurs Thurs- day at Hot Springs of ot dropsy All that are left of the old minstrel school to today today today to- to day are Billy George Thatcher Lew Levi Dockstader Hughie Hughle and myself Of course there Is George Primrose but he is In a different different different differ differ- ent line He is more of a variety man But Dut George is a mighty good business businessman businessman man man and will probably leave a comfortable comfortable com corn estate when his time comes |