After the Lander engagement, the house closed for a few nights, to give the Stock company a chance to prepare for the approaching October conference. The management could always count on packed houses during these conferences, and it was like giving money away to engage any stellar attractions at these times, so the Stock company was up against their work once more. On October 3rd they opened and played through conference, to the 9th.
On the 10th Robert McWade made his first bow to a Salt Lake audience, in "Rip Van Winkle." McWade had a very good reputation through the west in this character, and drew a very good house for his first night. If we had never seen "Jim Hearne" as "Rip Van Winkle" we might have thought more of McWade, but the impression Hearne made in the character was so strong and still so fresh in the public mind that McWade's "Rip" did not become a favorite. He played some five nights and then the Stock had to go alone again for a while, so on the 16th they resumed and played up to November 7, only relieved a little by the Japanese jugglers, who put in an hour each evening for a week, from October 23rd to 28th. On November 9th, Johnny Allen and Alice Harrison opened a four nights' engagement, closing on the 13th. On the 15th the Stock resumed the even tenor of its way, and played unassisted up to December 10th, when J. M. Ward came in with "Through by Daylight," and got through by gaslight in two nights. Jim Ward was a very versatile and capable actor with a racy Irish brogue, that was suggestive of the "ould sod." He has had rare experiences in theatrical life, and they would make a volume of interesting reading, but as he is still having them, being yet upon the stage, it is too early to add his experiences to the general history of the stage, especially his matrimonial ones.
An entire troupe of juvenile actors followed Jim Ward's advent into Salt Lake City. Whether Jim was in any way accountable, we are not advised; they were called "The Nathan Juvenile Troupe," and put in one week from the 15th to the 20th.
Oliver Doud Byron followed them, opening on December 21st, and playing till January 3rd, "Across the Continent," being his piece de resistance. Ben McCullough filled out the week. Eliza Couldock, who was in delicate health, and had been left here by her father after their last engagement, was now called in for a week to assist the Stock in a production of "Uncle Tom's Cabin." Miss Couldock was cast for the character of Eliza. The writer, who was playing George Harris and Legree, well remembers how nervous and poorly the lady was during this week's engagement. She was over ambitious and worked beyond her strength, and it was evident she was in a decline. This was her last appearance, poor girl, and it was not long before we were paying the last respects, and with loving hands laying her gently i' the earth, alongside of dear Annie Lockhart, whom we had performed the same service for only a short time before. "Lay her i' the earth and from her fair and unpolluted flesh may violets spring."
Rose Evans came to us for a second engagement, after the "Uncle Tom" week, and played from January 8th to the 27th, repeating her former repertory. Stock company put in the following week alone, then followed E. T. Stetson for a week in his melodramas, "Neck and Neck" and "Old Kentuck." This puts us along to February 7th, '72, when the Stock played another week without any star; then the Stock got a week's rest, the time from the 15th to the 20th being filled by Purdy, Scott, and Fostelle's minstrels. Refreshed with a week's vacation, the Stock company started in afresh on February 22nd—great George's birthday—and played till April 9th, getting through another conference without the aid of a star. Here the company had another brief respite while "The Child American Concert Company" filled time from April 10th to the 13th, when the company resumed their labors and played up to the 20th. On April 22nd, Mr. and Mrs. F. M. Bates began a stellar engagement which ran three weeks, up to May 11th. Mrs. Bates was the lead horse in this team, and the repertory was selected to give her prominence as the principal star, and the announcement should have been Mrs. and Mr. F. M. Bates. She played "Pigeon the Torment," "Camille," "Leah," and "Lucretia Borgia," and all the great popular roles for tragediennes, and was the first to introduce to us the great historic play of "Elizabeth." The Bateses made a very good impression and were so pleased with the result of their engagement that they remained in Salt Lake during the ensuing summer. Blanche Bates, now a very successful star under David Belasco's management, was with the Bateses then, and as she had not been christened Blanche, she was just called Baby Bates.
May 13th to 16th was filled by Berger's Swiss Bell Ringers, and Sol Smith Russell, who was then doing specialties with the Bergers little dreaming of his "Poor Relation" or "Peaceful Valley."
A few nights of stock followed this, and not proving strong, the Bateses were re-engaged and put in another week, from the 22nd to the 28th, introducing some new plays of lighter caliber.
May 29th the Majiltons put in a date, and the stock then played a lone hand up to June 8th. Billy Emerson's minstrels held the boards June 10th, 11th and 12th, and Joe Murphy came and gave us some more of his "Help," 13th, 14th, 15th. Stock put in another week alone, 17th to 22nd, when Charles Wheatleigh opened a return engagement, 24th and played till July 1st. Wheatleigh gave "Lottery of Life," "Flying Scud," "After Dark" and "Arrah Na Pogue." That was Charley Wheatleigh's farewell, we never saw him more.
The Bergers and Sol Smith Russell had swung around the circle and came back for a second engagement. They found Salt Lake a congenial and profitable place and put in another three nights with us, 4th, 5th and 6th.
James M. Hardie, who had just returned from a long professional engagement in San Francisco, played a two nights' engagement, opening in a play called "Early California." Season closed June 8th. "Jim" Hardie left Salt Lake for the East soon after this his last appearance here, as it proved, for he has never since returned. After playing in support of stars several seasons, "Hoey and Hardie" starred for several seasons in "A Child of the State," but it was not a money maker, and after several losing seasons the firm of Hoey and Hardie dissolved, and Jim cast about for a new "angel." Hoey's "old man" had been the angel in the "Child of State" venture and it was understood at the time that after making up some rather heavy deficits, he grew weary and refused to put up any longer for "The Child of the State." Hardie had some money which came to him through his wife, who had an annuity, but "Jim" had a strong touch of the "canny Scot" in him, that always impelled him to let someone else "put up," In time he found a new "angel," and one more to his taste, for this one was of the female persuasion, and Jim always was a favorite with the ladies. He caught a society woman who was stage struck and wanted to star; she had the money to pay for the privilege, and this was just such a snap as "Jim" wanted. So the lady put up the money to put out the show, and she was starred in conjunction with Jim. The firm name stood "Hardie and Von Leer." "A Brave Woman" was the name of the play they chose for the venture; there was a great significance in that title. The show went out with a stock of $1,200 worth of special printing, so Hardie himself informed me in New York. They went into the south, but in six weeks the company was disbanded and Hardie and Von Leer were back in New York. Then they got up a cheaper company and went into the dime museums, where they made a little money. The dime museums were very popular just then and a number of good attractions played them. The play of "A Brave Woman," however, was not an unqualified success, although Sarah Von Leer seemed to be, and held onto her partnership through thick and thin. After a while Hardie got a play called "On the Frontier," and conceived the idea of getting a brass band made up of real Indians. It proved a ten strike, and, after doing a big business with it in this country for two seasons, he took it to England in '93 and made a barrel of money with it. Sarah is still his partner and still stays by him. They built a fine theatre in Manchester, which has been their headquarters for the last twenty years. Mrs. Hardie and her daughters have been back in Salt Lake for a number of years. They have never crossed the ocean to join the husband and father. It must be acknowledged that the dramatic profession is altogether too prolific of this sort of thing. Its tendencies are to draw even well mated couples apart—a hundred cases could be cited; but we will let the reader think the matter over and divine the cause.