Show Fame Your chairman has announced me as Mr Lawrence Barrett tonight Well I can forgive him He is a good friend of yours and it was my great pleasure to welcome him to London and on the occasion of a party something like this at which I had the honor of presiding I told a little story which I will yenture to inflict upon you concerning this same name of Barrett It is confusing When belief in a very young man with more my powers than I now possess I am thankful to say that it was my luck to go to star in Dublin at about the period of the Fenian agitation and the conspiracy to blow up the Clerkenwell prison in which the leader was a namesake of mine His name was Barrett Laughter They hanged him Renewed laughter Shortly after this my appearance in Dub lin took place I was received with overwhelming over-whelming applause Every speech I uttered tered brought metaphorically speaking the house down upon me and during the evening I got as young men will get a little elated by my success I had no one Ito I-to confide in except an Irishman whom in theatrical parlance I had met before be-fore I smiled at him at every outbreak and waited for him to speak He did not Laughter At last I was compelled to open the fire I said What a warm and enthusiastic audience this is Ah yes sir he answered very enthusiastic I said They seem to like me very much here To this he didnt reply Well I said come you dont often have audiences as enthusiastic enthu-siastic as this No sir thats thrue Well I hoped you know he would say they didnt often get such a chance Laughter I gave him the opening but he didnt make use of it Laughter I had to put it very straight him I said They like me very well as an actor dont they Ah said he not at all Theyre for takin you for a relation of the Barrett as was hanged at Newgate Wilson Barrett at a New York bun guet |