In 1894, the “Donaldson Guide” listed that the Howell Opera house had a seating capacity of 750. This number was 100 seats less than those included in earlier directories, such as Harry Miner’s or Jno. B. Jeffery’s theatrical guides. It may simply suggest the purchase of new seats, or a clerical error, but the number varies from earlier seating capacities. The Donaldson Guide also listed that the theater was now under management of W. E. Beach, with ticket prices being 25, 35, and 50 cents. No rental information was provided.
The “Donaldson Guide” was published by W. H. Donaldson (1864-1925) in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is certainly a publication worth perusing.
Col. William H. Donaldson was born in Dayton, Kentucky, the son of William M. Donaldson. After High School, Donaldson worked for his father who ran an art store and picture-framing establishment in Cincinnati. His father then established a poster business at 127 West Eighth Street, Cincinnati, which later became Donaldson Lithographing Company. Donaldson worked for his father as a salesman and “proved to be remarkably capable, winning and acknowledged place as the best poster salesman in the country” The Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Aug. 1925, page 5). Donaldson rose to nationwide prominence as a circus and theatrical publisher.
In 1894, Donaldson founded and published two new publications – “The Donaldson Guide” and “The Billboard.” That same year, he was appointed Secretary of the Protective League of American Showman (The Cincinnati Enquirer, 31 Dec. 1894, page 8). The first issue of the Billboard was published during November at 127 East Eighth Street, Cincinnati, containing only eight pages, with its contents being devoted solely and entirely to billposting, poster-printing and advertising agency interests. In 1899, the Donaldson plant moved to Newport, Kentucky. Donaldson remained with the business until 1904 when he resigned to devote his entire time the Billboard. He was the president of the Billboard Publishing Company.
The Donaldson Guide was published “for the use of showmen, theatrical managers, circus managers, managers of opera-houses, dramatic, musical, and variety agents, bill posters, show printers, costumers, and all Persons identified or connected with the show business in an manner whatever.”
The publication was advertised as, “containing a list of all opera-houses in the United States and Canada with description of their stages, their seating capacity, and the names of the managers of each; the populations of cities, and the names and population of adjacent towns to draw from; the names of city bill-posters, baggage express men, hotels, boarding-houses, newspapers, vaudeville resorts, museum, beer gardens, fairs, race meetings, circus licenses, and miscellaneous facts, dates, etc., of great value to managers.” Donaldson Guide also noted that it was published “in conjunction with the Showman’s Encyclopedia, “the International Professional Register,” and “the complete code of the Donaldson cipher.”
The “Showman’s Encyclopedia” portion of the “Donaldson Guide” was noted as “A compilation of information for showmen, performers, agents, and everyone identified with the theatrical, vaudeville, or circus business, such as ticket tables, internet tables, the address of show-painters, costumes, dramatic agents, theatrical architects, scenic artists, aeronauts, playwrights, etc…” and “the International Professional Register, a directory of the names and address of dramatic people, variety people, minstrel people, circus people, freaks, acrobats, operatic artists, musicians, and farce-comedy artists.
The “Donaldson Guide” also included a cipher and key that are quite intriguing. Here is what was offered at the time for telegrams:
TO CONSTRUCT a message use the Key to the Cipher. The phrases will be found arranged under convenient headings, with directions under each for finding readily any needed clause.
TO DECIPHER a message use the Index to the Cipher. The cipher words are all arranged alphabetically, and can be found as quickly as in a dictionary.
TELEGRAPH IN CIPHER TO the manager of any Opera House, Theatre, Museum, Music-Hall, or Vaudeville Resort; any Show-Printer, Costumer, Dramatic, Variety, or Vaudeville Agent, or “The Clipper,” “Mirror,” “Dramatic News,” “Dramatic Weekly, “Dramatic Journal,” “dramatic Star,” “Music and Drama,” or any theatrical paper whatever in the United States or Canada, whose name appears in the Guide or Encyclopædia. A copy of the index of the Donaldson Cipher has been sent to each and every one of then free of charge. Remember, if the names of any person engaged in any of the callings appear in either the GUIDE or ENCYCLOPÆDIA, you may telegraph to them in cipher with perfect impunity.
THE ADVANTAGES of the Cipher are many and varied. Foremost among them, of course, is the great savings which may be had in the matter of telegraph charges. A glance at the following pages can not fail to demonstrate the truth of this assertion to the entire satisfaction of even the most skeptical, for there are few messages indeed which can not be kept within the limit of ten words prescribed by telegraph companies. But economy is not the only advantage it has to recommend it. The mere fact that the message is unintelligible to anyone except the party for whom it is intended is often times a source of wonderful satisfaction, both to the sender and recipient; and this, added to the fact that experience has proven that there is less danger of errors, confusion, and mistakes in cipher message than those couched in ordinary language, renders it a most desirable medium of communication.”
The key to the “Donaldson Guide” cipher included phrases pertaining to actors, actresses, addresses, advertisements, aeronauts, agencies, agency business, agents, answers, attractions, billing, bill-boards, booking, burlesque people, business manager, calcium lights, calls, canvas-maker, circus manager, circus people, C.O.D. shipments, collections, concert, couriers, dates (printing house, calendar), deposits, dodgers, dramatic people-men, dramatic people-women, drunkenness, duns, engagements-artist to manager, engagements-manager to artist, expenses, financial straits, free list, hangers, heralds, hippodrome, house show, instructions-manager to agent, leaders, letter-style of, lithograph boards, lithographers, lithographs, local manager, mail, managers of combinations, managers of opera houses, managing editor, measurements, medicine show, minstrel people, money, musicians, no (street numbers, catalogue numbers, etc.), numerals (for quantities, amounts, etc., but not money), operatic people, opposition, orders, paper, partner, percentages, posters, printer, printing, programmes, property man, prospects, qualifications of people, receipts, remittances, repertoire people, reports, routes, salary, samples, sharing, shipping instructions, shows, side-show or museum, sizes, spaces, special delivery, specialties, stage carpenter, stands, streamers, terms, time of day, traveling managers, two weeks’ notice, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Variety People, weather, and window work-lithographers.
The fact that any cipher was created to relay information about drunkenness says a lot. Here are a few examples for your amusement.
Unacted….I (we) understand my (or our) agent is drinking
Unactive…If this is the case wire me at once
Unapt….Let me know if he is in condition to transact business
Unarm….I understand that you are drinking
Unasked….Sober up at once
Unawed….And get down to business in dead earnest
Unbar….Or I shall discharge you forthwith
Unbed….I have no sympathy or patience with a drunkard
Unbend….Do not let him have any money
Unbit….Try and sober up
Charter….Any information you may see fit to let me (or us) have will be gratefully received and treated strictly confidential.
Hopefully the person operating the telegraph or delivering the telegram did not moonlight at the theatre. I wonder how often someone received:
Unarm. Unasked. Unawed. Unbar.
Donaldson passed away in 1925. That year, the “Cincinnati Enquirer” reported “Mr. Donaldson was a member of the Masonic Order and Odd Fellows, to which he devoted much attention” (2 Aug. 1925, page 5). Another article reported, “Colonel Donaldson founded the Billboard and published it until two years. Ago. He was interested in prison reform, employed many former convicts upon release from prison, and declared that he was never defrauded by any of them” (Cincinnati Inquirer, 4 Aug. 1925, page 2). He was survived by his widow Jennie (Hassan) and daughter Marjorie (Mrs. Roger S. Littleford), his father William H. and three brothers (Andrew, Lincoln and Archibald) and two sisters (Mrs. Charles Longley and Mrs. Dr. George W. Brown). Donaldson’s death in Sarasota Florida at the relatively young age of 61 came as a shock to his family. Having been in failing health for some time, he came to Sarasota at the suggestion of his friends, Charles and John Ringling (The Jacksonville Daily Journal, 2 Aug. 1925, page 3).
To be continued…
