Domenico Ballo, who had formerly been a band master at West Point. He was a fine composer and arranger, and one of the best clarinet players ever heard. Professor Ballo was a graduate of the Conservatory of Music at Milan. He served several years as band master at West Point. He drifted into Utah at an early day and cast his lot with the Mormons. He organized a fine brass band here and built a fine dance hall which was known as "Ballo's Music Hall."

Salt Lake City has from a very early period in its history enjoyed an enviable reputation in a musical way. Its first musical organization as already mentioned was the Nauvoo Brass Band, organized originally in Nauvoo in connection with the Mormon militia known as the "Nauvoo Legion," of which Joseph Smith held the distinguished office of Lieutenant General. The exodus from Nauvoo and the formation soon afterwards of the "Mormon Battalion" demoralized to a great degree both the legion and the band. Both organizations, however, were reconstructed soon after the settlement of Utah, and each played a conspicuous part in its early history.

At the laying of the corner stone of the Salt Lake Temple as early as 1853, the Nauvoo Brass Band and Ballo's Brass Band were consolidated for this occasion and increased to sixty-five players under the leadership of Professor Ballo, who gave the people of Salt Lake a musical treat that would have been a credit to any metropolitan city. Ballo was a thorough and accomplished musician and his masterly work at such an early period had much to do with developing Salt Lake's musical talent.

From 1852 to 1857 the Social Hall continued to be the principal place of amusement for the people of Salt Lake City, as well as those who came in from various parts of the Territory. Those living at a distance and visiting the city either on business or pleasure (which were generally combined) deemed themselves extremely fortunate if there chanced to be a play "on the boards" during their brief sojourn in the city.

The fame of the Social Hall and its talented company of players, dramatic and musical, had spread abroad in the land and many of the smaller towns began to emulate Salt Lake City and organized dramatic clubs.

In the year 1857 amusements as well as business of all kinds received a sudden and severe shock from which it took a year or more to recover. In this year a rupture occurred between the Mormon chiefs and the United States Judges, which resulted in President Buchanan sending Albert Sidney Johnson to Utah with an army to crush the incipient rebellion. The heroes of the Social Hall stage now were cast to play more serious parts. The stage was now to be the tented field, their music, the roll of the drum and the ear-piercing fife.

"Jim" Ferguson, one of the leading actors, was Adjutant General of the "Nauvoo Legion," as the Territorial militia was called, and all the other stage heroes were enrolled under its banners. The "Legion" was sent out into the mountains to check the advance of the invading army. Not only did all amusement and business generally come to a sudden stop, but so serious was the situation that a general exodus of the people to the south was ordered by the church authorities and Salt Lake City was abandoned.

Meeting houses, theatre, stores and nearly all the dwellings in the city were vacated, and the intention was to burn the city rather than this "hell born" army should occupy and pollute it.

No occasion for carrying into effect this insane resolution transpired, for which the people have ever since been thankful. Soon after its adoption a better understanding was reached between the refractory Saints and Uncle Sam's government, and the people gradually came back to their homes in the city, glad indeed that the sacrificial torch had not been applied to them.

"The invading army" had passed peacefully through the city and made its encampment forty miles away. Things began to resume their normal condition, but the winter of 1857-8 was a blank in the Mormon amusement field.

CHAPTER III.

    Now is the winter of our discontent
    Made glorious summer by this son of York,
    And all the clouds that lowered upon our house,
    In the deep bosom of the ocean buried;
    Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths,
    Our bruised arms hung up for monuments,
    Our stern alarums are changed to merry-meetings
    And our dreadful marches to delighted measures.

—Richard III.

The Mormon war cloud that lowered so portentously during the winter of 1857-8 had been dispelled without bloodshed, and peace once more brooded over the land. The soldiers of the "Nauvoo Legion" had "hung up their un-bruised arms for monuments" and resumed their old avocations, and the wheels of trade, "the calm health of nations," were once again running in their accustomed grooves.

The people had set to work with redoubled energy to make up for the losses "the war" had entailed upon them, so that they had little time or inclination for amusement. The advent of Johnson's army into Utah, although encamped forty miles from the city, had its effect; it brought in its wake, as an army always does, a lot of camp followers,—hangers-on—a contingent that was thrown largely into Salt Lake, and not a desirable one. This made the Mormon people wary and suspicious, and inclined them more than ever to isolate themselves from strangers.

Notwithstanding this condition of affairs, in the winter of '59 they began to resume their usual amusements, and a number of plays were given that winter in the Social Hall.

By this time the "army" having no active service, began to feel the need of some amusement, and some of the soldiers improvised a theatre in the camp.

Sergt. R. C. White, better known later among Pacific coast theatricals as "Dick" White, was the leading spirit in this affair. White was a scholar as well as a soldier; moreover, he had the poetic and dramatic instinct in him, and in common with all living creatures, he felt that he must exercise his faculties. So in order to give vent to his pent up love of the drama, he organized a dramatic company among the soldiers of Camp Floyd. The Sergeant, or "Dick" as he was called, was not only a clever amateur actor but a poet, and something of an artist as well. By his skill in this latter line he soon had the necessary scenery painted for the Camp theatre. Pigments were scarce in the camp and even in Salt Lake at that time, but White was resourceful, and equal to every emergency, so he made levy on the quartermaster's department for liberal supplies of mustard, red pepper, ox blood, and other strange materials with which to get in his color effects.

The "Camp Floyd Theatre" as it was called, was not a stupendous structure, only large enough to accommodate about two hundred persons, and the stage in proportion to the auditorium. It was built of rough pine boards and canvas—principally canvas—but answered all the requirements of a theatre for the amusement of the camp.

White had but little trouble in organizing his corps dramatique, so far as men were concerned, but the female contingent gave him much concern and considerable trouble to secure. Women in the camp were scarce, and female talent was at a premium. There were a few officers whose wives were with them and some "hired help" of the female persuasion, but none of the women of the camp had any experience in theatricals. Several were willing, and even eager to try; so White made a selection and cast a play and put it in rehearsal, but "woe is me!" the women were all such tyros that he was almost in despair, until he