No more awful moment can be imagined than that when the fire was discovered. The full moon of the fatal evening had tempted upwards of twelve hundred people from their homes, and lighted them to the brilliant entrance of the theatre. The famous play of the "Two Orphans," with an excellent cast, mainly from the Union Square Theatre, of New York city, was the attraction, and had renewed its fascinations over a public long since familiar with its story. The audience was characteristically a Brooklyn gathering. Many well-known citizens were there: among them the family of Mr. William C. Kingsley, the Hon. Henry C. Murphy, Edgar Cullen and ladies, E. B. Dickinson and ladies, and Henry Beam. The following was the distribution of characters in the play, and, with the exception of Miss Morant, Miss Vernon and one or two of the minor characters, all the members were in the theatre at the outbreak of the fire:
Chevalier De Vaudry Mr. C. R. Thorne. Count de Linieres, Minister of Police Mr. H. F. Daly. Picard, Valet to the Chevalier Mr. Claude Burroughs. Jacques Frochard, an Outlaw Mr. J. B. Studley. Pierre Frochard, his Brother Mr. H. S. Murdoch. Marquis de Presles Mr. J. G. Peakes. Doctor of the Hospitals St. Louis and Salpetriere Mr. H. B. Phillips. La Fleur Mr. H. W. Montgomery. Officer of the Guard Mr. John Mathews. Martin Mr. L. Thompson. De Mailly Mr. J. Clements. D'Estres Mr. George Dalton. Footman Mr. E. Lamb. Antoine Mr. R. Struthers. Louise, { The } Miss Kate Claxton. Henriette, { Two Orphans.} Miss Maude Harrison. La Frochard Mrs. Farren. Countess de Linieres Miss Fanny Morant. Sister Genevieve Miss Ida Vernon. Marianna, an Outcast Miss Kate Girard. Julie Miss Ethel Allen. Cora Miss L. Cleves. Sister Therese Mrs. L. E. Seymour.
The play had proceeded to the last scene of the last act. The curtain had just been rung up, revealing a scene of exciting and pathetic interest to the audience. It was the interior of the hovel boat-house on the Seine. The blind _Louise_ (Miss Claxton) lay on a bed of straw; _Mme. Frochard_ (Mrs. Farren) was scraping a carrot; the cripple was at his wheel, and _Jacques_ was about to emphasize his brutality with a threat. As was natural from her reclining position, which enabled her to see the flies, the first flame caught the eye of Miss Claxton. Mr. Murdoch (_Pierre_) was delivering his speech when the two heard a whisper of "Fire" from behind the scenes, and, looking up, saw flames issuing from the flies. Mr. Murdoch stopped, but Miss Claxton whispered to him, "Go on, they will put it out, there will be a panic--go on," and he resumed. So far the audience had not noticed anything out of the way, and the two played the scene through, Mrs. Farren (_Frochard_) entering meanwhile. The carpenters were all the while trying to stop the progress of the flames, unnoticed by the house, and Miss Claxton delivered her little speech to _Jacques_: "I forbid you to touch me," which was greeted with applause. Meanwhile the audience had begun to suspect something, and with Miss Claxton's words, "I will beg no more," the actors were forced to move from fear of falling timber, and the audience rose to their feet. Mrs. Farren and Mr. Murdoch stepped to the footlights and waved to the people to resume their seats, while Mr. Studley and Miss Claxton went forward to do likewise. Mr. Studley shouted: "Ladies and gentlemen, there will be no more of the play, of course; you can all go out if you will only keep quiet." Miss Claxton, at the other end of the stage, begged the people to keep cool, adding: "We are between you and the flames."