Balus Eddins as a Tragedian

Title

Source Type

Newspaper

Publisher

The Independent Monitor

Publication Place

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Publication Date

05/19/1868

Transcript

Balus Eddins as a Tragedian. Negroes generally excel as comedians, but Balus Eddins, the negro prosecutor of Ryland Randolph, who swore so heavily before the late Military Commission at Selma, has exhibited incomparable excellence as a tragedian. He appeared before the Military-Court, during the progress of the trial, with his head tied up in rags, leaning like a decrepid octogenarian upon his staff, and uttering groans of the most agonizing character. Two days afterwards; the old hypocrite untied his head, erected himself as straight as an Austrian grenadier, and walked about twenty- five miles, on his route from Greensboro to Tuscaloosa. Booth, Forrest, Barry Sullivan, or Murdock may excel Balus Eddins in tragic eloquence, but never in the affectation of an expiring victim in the last stages of mortal dissolution. We suggest that our skillful artist, Voyle, take his daguerreotype in the two diverse attitudes, to illustrate a man's condition "before taking Mc- Lean's Strengthening Cordial and afterwards."

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