The Harry Watkins Diary, Volume 11 [July 22, 1853–June 12, 1854]

28 December 1853

Wed. (Wednesday) 28 Present [sic Pleasant] —Reading & walking A.M—Reading, writing & studying. PM. An englishman [sic Englishman] named Johnson, lately attached to our company, is the source of a great deal of amusement—It is his first entree into to [sic into] the profession, and, being very verdant, the old stagers find a good deal of fun in him—, especially on accout [sic account] of his cockney contempt for that letter of the alphabet which is formed of two uprights and a horizontal. Johnson joined us at the time that I was idle—during Silsbee's engagement when there was no chance of using me—and he enquired of Harry Chapman why it was that "Mr Watkins didn't remove…sliphact now"—he had seen him "draw full 'ouses in New York" [sic] when hacting 'Arry Burnham"—Chapman told himexpand_less that Mr Bates found it necessary to withdraw me for awhile in order to preserve his company from the effect of my removerashes rashness, that I so fully entered into the spiritremoves of my parts as to imagine myself, for the time being, the character I was representing—thereby losing all control of myself; and that

I would not play anything but melo-dramas [sic melodramas] in which there was a great deal of fighting—the consequence of which was that, I had shot two of the company and stabbed three others, one of whom, Mr Clark, was not expected to recover. All this seemed incredible to Johnson, but when it was corroborated by removeall those thoseexpand_less present—and who had readily taken the cue—he thought it was 'orrible [sic horrible] and that I "should be stopped from hacting haltogether"

For two days, Johnson gave me a wide berth, but seeing that I was at least harmless off the stage he determined upon accosting me. Having been posted up in what was going on I was prepared to sustain my killing propensities with all the nonchalance possible—After the usual "good day"—Johnson ventured to enquire "removeh'ow Clark was getting"—would he be able to get hup again? I replied carlessly [sic carelessly] that I didn't know—sorry it happened, but couldn't help it,—"But, Mr Watkins, you ought to restrain your feelings: you might kill a fellow some o' these 'ere times". "Oh, well, nothing could be done with me for, it—it would be under the excitement of acting"— "Of Course not, Mr Watkins; but you ought to 'ave remove…slipsome feeling for the hactors—'ang it all, who can hact with a man if they're removeaf in danger of being killed"—When we came to rehearse Uncle Tom's Cabin, Johnson—who was cast for a part in which I, as George Harris, had to shoot at him—was unusally [sic unusually] dull in learning the business of the scene—He had to rush up some

rocks, on which I stood, with the apparent intention of arresting me, but there was no getting him up to the right place. at last, the stage manager, growing impatient at Johnson's lack of comprehension—went over the scene again exclaiming in very emphatic tonremove…slipees —"Damn it, sir, dont [sic don't] you understand me—"When [sic When] the cue is given, you rush up the rocks until you reach that projection—then, Mr Watkins fires, and you fall into the ravine—do you understand me?" "Of course I do"—"Then why the devil don't you do it?" [sic ?] and not act so removelikedumb about it"—This excited the Johnson, who indignantly replied. "I'm not dumb, sir, but I'm not such a d—n (damn) fool as to run up there and have Mr Watkins blow 'ell out of me." removeand Afraid of having the scene turned into ridicule, the manager altered the cast—Johnson was heard to say that he considered himself a very fair swordsman, whereremove…illegibleon somebody remarked that it was a good thing as he would be compelled, in consequence of Clarks [sic 's] illness to fight all the combats with me, but he said he should prefer throwing up his situation to fighting with removeMr removeme "a man who had no control over "imself". He went to Mr Hughes, who was removeCast put into his part in Uncle Tom, and removesaid after sympathising with him, said—"'Ughes, I'll keep my heye on Mr Watkins in that scene, and if I think there is any danger of removeh'is shooting you, I'll rush up, right before the haudience, and knock 'is harm into the hair". Instead, however, of carrying out his humane design, when, at night, the scene came on

Johnson inglremove…sliporiously fled the field, though he should have remained on the stage till the curtain descended—When the stage-manager asked him why he had not done as he rehearsed, his answer was that he "saw Mr Watkins with two pistols and one of them haimed at 'im"—Poor Johnson, there is no danger of removehis ourexpand_less dying of ennui while he is with with [sic with] us—