American Theatre Benefit

     “FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! . . . Benefit . . . of the Performers and Employes [sic] of Butler’s Troupe who suffered by the late fire at THE AMERICAN THEATRE. . . . The Two Great Companies Will Appear on the same afternoon and evening.”

     “Orchestra of Fifty Perofrmers.  Drama, Comedy, Farce, Songs, Dances, Ballets.”

     “Mr. Butler’s entire company will join Mr. Lingard’s in rendering two liberal bills.”

     “Let there be a large turn out, and make glad the hearts of the poor ballet girls, who were great losers.”

     “In the afternoon the attendance was not very large, but in the evening standing room was not to be had. Nearly all of the old company appeared, with the dramatic company of the theatre. The receipts of the Box Office of the theatre amounted to $1,744.44, and for tickets sold outside by the company at one dollar each, nearly $1,500 was realized, counting altogether over $3,000 as gross receipts. Four hundred dollars was paid for the use of the theatre, leaving a nice round sum for the sufferers. But there is a certain mean transaction connected with this benefit that should be noticed, and that is the ruling out from all share of the benefit, of James Wambold, a performer who had been engaged at 444 for a long time, but who had left a few weeks before the fire occurred, yet was re-engaged, and was to have commenced again the following Monday. During his ‘lay up,’ he left all his ‘props’ in the building, all of which were destroyed by the fire. When the benefit was gotten up, a certain individual who seems to have as much say as the manager owing to having had a little private difficulty with Mr. Wambold, ruled him out from any of the proceeds, giving the weak excuse that he was not a member of the company. This was a great injustice to Mr. Wambold, for if the truth were to be known, his actual loss was as much, if not more, than any other performer in the building. He had not a cent of insurance on his things, while a certain party who made so much fuss about losing so much, was not only fully insured, but received his money, and he has said that he was made all right. By what right then was he entitled to a share of the proceeds of the benefit, while Mr Wambold was ruled out, and while so many ballet ladies and small performers lost all they had. This very mean transaction on the part of those most interested in the spoils has caused a great deal of loud talk about town, and although the benefit is over, this little affair is not settled yet. We have no personal or private reasons for thus espousing the cause of Mr. Wambold, except that he is a public performer, and as the CLIPPER is the only medium through which showmen can have their wrongs redressed we have done what we would for any performer when wronged. We are given to understand that Mr. Butler had nothing to do with the affair, and we believe he never would have countenanced such a proceeding, as to deprive Mr. Wambold of his just and lawful rights.”

     “James Wambold, one of the company of the late 444, and who was not allowed his share of the late benefit, was presented last week with one of the most beautiful banjos ever manufactured, by a number of friends from Rahway, N.J.”