Puck — November 12, 1879 — page 7: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

PUCK, 577 THE PINAFORE FUGITIVES. A SANGUINARY RIOT. VENGEANCE !! RAGE OF THE MOB! SAVED BY A HAIR'S-BREADTH. MIRACULOUS, BUT UNDESERVED ESCAPE. FULLEST KIND OF DETAILS. ALL FOR 10 CENTS. JUCK has little sympathy with Messrs. Gilbert and Sullivan in the treatment they were subjected to by the infuriated populace when lan ing from the Bothnia, lf they had consulted us by cable before leaving England we would have smuggled them ashore —taken them under our protecting wing until everything had blown over. As it is, the repu- tation of our city has been compromised by their provoking temerity and sang froid, which caused a disturbance rivalling in magnitude the Draft and Orange riots. ° We know that great efforts have been made to hush this thing up. ‘That may do very well for some of our contemporaries, but it won’t work with us. ‘Therefore, as becomes a live journal, we proceed to chronicle the facts as obtained by Puck's special reporter. Tue First Surprise. The men Gilbert and Sullivan, before cross- ing the Atlantic, had had it constantly cram- med down their throats that the English lan- guage was practically a dead letter in New York, having given place to Pinafore phraseol- ogy and airs. "They carefully, after stepping ashore, list- ened for some of the familiar music, but none greeted their ears. But there floated towards them a wild, weird, sound in a minor key, which they afterwards ascertained was the now very popular Turkish Reveillé, “ How short-lived is fame!” exclaimed Mr. Sullivan. “I think we have been deceived,” said Mr. Gilbert. “I don’t believe “ Pinafore " has ever been played here at all."”” “Wuat, Never?" yelled a Milesian longshoreman, who was lying in wait behind some bales of cotton, as he let Mr. Gilbert have the contents of a derringer in that gentleman's hat. The smell of gun-powder had roused the worst passions of other stevedores, truckmen and laborers in the vicinity, who had gone armed to the teeth for several days awaiting the arrival of the Bothnia, ‘They formed a surging crowd around the ap- parently doomed composers of “Pinafore,” drew forth their gleaming bowie-knives, cocked their revolving Remington rifles, and prepared to shed the Pinaforists’ gore without any delay. Messrs, Gilbert and Sullivan, amidst a shower of bullets, rushed towards Greenwich Street, the howling mob at their heels. They took re- fuge under the pillars of Mr. Cyrus André Field's beastly railroad, and for the moment thought themselves safe; but “ Banc, BANG, THE LouD 9-PounpERs Go” sang determined men from a station above, as they discharged a battery of howitzers, loaded with grape-shot right into the midst of the devoted ‘“ Pinafore” twain. ‘The only damage done was the destruction of the bass- drum of Mr. Sullivan's original orchestral score for the opera. The whole city was in a perfect fever, and the reports of musketry and torpedoes were deafening. But the Pinaforic monsters seemed to bear a charmed life; the bullets rebounded from their bodies like a dried pea from an iron-clad. Still the uproar increased, and Messrs, Gilbert and Sullivan endeavored to obtain shelter. They reached the Herald office; it would have nothing to do with them. Even the Tall ‘Tower denied them refuge. On they sped along Broadway, until they, amidst the yells of the mob, were afforded shelter in the Home for Incurables in 14th Street, not, however, until every vestige of Mr. Sullivan's special or- chestral ‘ Pinafore" score had been scattered to the winds. LATER, The whole of the Militia and Police force, including Captain Williams, with a new club, are guarding the premises. LITERARY NOTES. Messrs, T. B, Pererson & Brotuers, of Philadelphia, have lately published a transla- tion of another of Zola’s works, entitled ‘“ The Markets of Paris” (le Ventre de Paris). It is a strong story, full of vivid and realistic pic- tures, especially as to the manner in which the Parisians get supplied with their hash and trimmings. “St. Maur" is by Mr. John Carroll, of Mary- land, It is a tale of an Earl's wooing, besides doing a great many other things. There is a Piceol blood and thunder in it, plenty of high- lown language, high life, low life, and, of course, a detective. Both virtue and vice get rewarded and punished, but virtue gets rather the better of it, and the novel ends with every- thing being decently squared up. “Miss Margery's Roses" is also one of their series of publications. A Mr. Robert Meyers is the author. He calls it ‘ A Summer Idyl,” but ‘ Rosey-Posy” or “‘ Wishy-Washy " would have been equally appropriate names, for a weaker book we have rarely read; Mr. Meyers’s attempts at poetry and pathos are failures, the more noticeable because the story assumes to be so idyllic, so sweet, so gentle, so quite too awfully lovely. Puck has received from Messrs. Harper & Brothers the first number of a new illustrated weekly eight pages in size, sold for 4 cents and called Harper's Young People. We are rejoiced to find a house of such standing turning its atten- tion to providing a wholesome weekly publica- tion for children, With the exception of what ‘one high class monthly magazine has done for them their little minds have been wretchedly catered to by flash publishers, and the vile stuff which, under the name of children’s journals, for years has formed the chief weekly reading of our little boys and girls is horrible to contemplate. The foul atmosphere of litera- ture for children has now been cleared by Messrs. Harper & Brother’s enterprise. Young People ought to be read by every child in the Union, It is well got up,, handsomely illus- trated, and altogether admirably adapted for its purpose. _ NOTICE. Numbers 1, 2y By 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 87, 48, and 84 of Puck will be bought at this office, No. 21 &. 23 Warren St, at 1O CENTS per copy; and Numbers 9, 14, 26, 58, 56 and 58 at 2S CENTS per copy. BGI In sending copies by mail please roll lengthwise. THE THEATRES. Salisbury’s Troubadours are ‘ Brooking” along at Haverty's THEATRE, Brooklyn. The Union Square's “French Flats” has had so many people to look at it that the rents of up-town apartment houses have risen fifty per cent. in consequence, Tue AMERICAN INSTITUTE EXHIBITION is scattering about scientific knowledge in a per- fectly alarming manner, This fact, combined with the dulcet strains of Downing’s Ninth Regiment Band, will make the outlook most serious for the variety stage. _ We have seen Mr. Pedicaris’s painting at the Fiero Avenue Tueatre, and the play, “ The Picture" which inspired it, but we must defer our remarks thereon until next week, Messrs. Percy and Pedicaris have a good company and Puck will be rejoiced to find that they are sue- cessful in their undertaking. Mr. J. K. Emmett at the Park shows how Mr. Fritz looks when he’s in Ireland. We prefer him, however, represented in this country. The play of “Fritz in Ireland” will never become a classic, for it is neither funny nor good; but Mr. Emmett’s individual personation has not deteriorated. In spite of the arrival of Messrs. Gilbert and Sullivan, the Stanparp Tueatre still holds “Trial by Jury” and “ Pinafore.” The re- markable tremolo about the voices of all the singers is to be attributed to the presence of Messrs. G. and S. in a private Box nightly, who furtively survey the performers through a ten- foot telescope. ‘Er Majesty's Hopera is well patronized, and Mr. Colonel Mapleson’s spirits are pro- portionately “lofty in consequence, Nothing could have been better than the representation of “Faust” the Monday of last week; and Valleria, Campanini, Galassi, Cary and Del Puente almost covered themselves with glory. “Rigoletto” is to be sung to-night and Verdi's masterpiece “ Aida” on Friday. “Our Girls” at WaLLack’s THEATRE is suf- ficiently English and interesting to insure a good run, It is admirably acted, and Mr. Beckett as Plantagenet Potter scores a tri- umph, Nothing could be truer to nature than the manner in which he depicts the vulgar, prosperous “City” cad. Mr, Edwards plays in a capital manner the old man, Afr. Clench; and Our Girls, Miss Rose Wood and Miss Stella Boniface, are equally satisfactory. Mr. Barry- more as the sculptor Zony Judson exhibits too much effeminacy in his make-up. Mr, Byron, the author of the play, has succeeded with lively dialogue and verbal trickery in making two acts very entertaining. ‘The third act issomewhat unnatural and strained—not at all what the previous action would lead one to expect as a graceful dénofiment. Answers foy the Anrious. Haseurine.—Apparently she did vote with Kelly. AbsireR.—Wait the appointed hour. what lies in our power to make General Grant's life pleasant to him, as soon as he gets through with his free- lunching and comes down to business. At present heis more ridiculous than dangerous, M. Douctas.—We see no objection to your writing an ode to your trousers, if you wish to; but we flatly re- fase to have you-call them “ pants” in our columns, Your trousers may be, perhaps are, very bad; but they have done nothing to deserve ¢hat ignominy. C. J. H., Cincinnati.—Thank you for your informa- tion. When you have any more of the same, reel it out. ‘When their case shall seem to require it, we shall rouse your virtuous friends from their conventual seclusion, and give them another little turn, for the benefit of the cold, cruel, heartless world. comicbooks.com