New Bowery Theatre: Harry Pearson benefit

“Harry Pearson’s benefit at the New Bowery last Monday night was a regular ‘scrouger;’ [sic] we can call it nothing else without spreading out more space than the law allows.  We knew it would be so, for Bryant’s, Wood’s, and Christy’s minstrels were to appear, in addition to Mons. and M’lle De Lave, Tony Paster, Billy Quinn, and a whole army of professionals, both male and female. How could such a combination fail of its object, and when did or when shall we ever see such varied talent collected together at one time?  Harry Pearson is a lucky man, indeed, to have everybody as his friend.  Mrs. Cool White specially honored this occasion by making it the ceremony of her first appearance for many years, and met with frequent and well-merited applause. She is a very dashing and pretty actress.  One of the interesting features of the evening was a capital rendering of the Quarrel Scene in ‘Julius Caesar’ between Brutus and Cassius, with those two very……Eph Horn and Frank Brower played Othello and Desdemona, the CLIPPER version (as Uncle Evan called it) and fetched the boys with that soap business.  Tony Pastor sang four of his patriotic compositions, to a delighted and appreciative audience, who made Rome howl when our glorious Little Mac was brought in. . . . Cummings’ Scotch song took tolerably well.  Rollin Howard, Nelse Seymour, and Gettings, from Bryants’, with Billy Quinn, Masters Florence and Lewis . . . kindly volunteered and went through with a will.  George Christy, too, gave a good idea of his former days of universal popularity, in a parody on the Pilgrim Fathers. . . . [T]he show wasn’t over till near two in the morning, [and] Harry cleared a good five hundred dollars worth of postage stamps.”