April 25th and 26th Ada Gray appeared in "Whose Wife?" and "Miss
Multon."
May 2nd Prof. La Mar, leader of the Fort Douglas Band, gave a band concert. La Mar was a very clever musician and had a fine band; he deserved to be well patronized for he was very accommodating, and volunteered the services of his band on numerous "benefit occasions."
On the 7th and 8th Dick Roberts in "Humpty Dumpty;" 13th and 14th, Sol
Smith Russell and Rice's Evangeline combination.
On the 27th and 28th Harrigan and Hart in "Doyle Brothers," "Old
Lavender" and "Sullivan's Christmas."
June 14th and 15th, Salisbury's Troubadores.
July 15th, Joseph Jefferson in "Rip Van Winkle."
September 10th, Henry Ward Beecher in lecture, "Wastes and Burdens." This was after the notorious Beecher-Tilton scandal and Henry had been studying social economy. The Mormons didn't like Henry very much, but he had a big house.
September 12th and 13th, entertainments were given for the benefit of the yellow fever sufferers in Memphis and vicinity. These entertainments did not "pan out" very well, and the theatre managers decided to get all the dramatic talent they could get to volunteer and give a popular play, in hopes to materially increase the charity fund. The "School for Scandal" was selected and given with a pretty strong cast, embracing Miss Colebrook as Lady Teazle, David McKenzie as Sir Peter, John T. Caine as Charles Surface, John S. Lindsay as Joseph Surface. Phil Margetts and John C. Graham were in the cast, and a number of others, I cannot remember. The play was given on September 16th, and netted a very tidy sum for the sufferers.
On the 18th, 19th and 20th, Calender's Georgia minstrels held the boards, and business was light. The writer and Harry Emery had but recently returned from their Colorado tour, and both were anxious to be doing something, so I got a cast together and put on "Richelieu," which I had recently played in Denver, and received flattering notices for, from the press of that city. I had given away my first appearance for the "benefit" to the yellow fever sufferers, so there was no other attraction than to see me in a new part and that did not prove sufficient to save me from disaster. I had a losing game of it, the receipts being some $75 less than the expenses of the performance. This was the only time I ever failed to make something when I had rented the theatre and taken chances, which was quite often. This performance, given on the 25th of September, virtually closed the season of '77 and '78.