Farris Theatre Of Richmond

Comedy and tragedy - the two are wedded for better or worse. They go through life and, therefore, the theatre, hand-in-hand, trailing offspring in their wake; farce, melodrama, satire, ballet, burlesque, opera, and hoedown.

On October 2, 1855, in Franklin, Kentucky, a redheaded, blue-eyed boy, a seventh son, opened his eyes to see the world for the first time. He was named Samuel E. Dougherty.

He laughed, cried, played, fought, and dreamed as most boys do; but his dream came to be that there was gold in the west to be had for the asking.

Attaining his majority, this young Irishman could stand it no longer and, in the early 1880s, left for the gold fields to seek his fortune. Evidently, his leprechaun kept him good company as he landed in Colorado; for, in no time at all, Dougherty found his pot of gold.

His was one of the first finds in the Cripple Creek area. He named his find “The Isabella.”

From this ore he smelted and made a ring for a bonny lass he had met while on his trek over the rugged mountain trails. Melinda Earles and Samuel Dougherty were wed in 1886.

About this time, in Huneston, Iowa, a black-haired boy entered the world. His name was Franklin G. Weary, a second son. How the paths of this young Dutchman and this wandering Irishman would cross were left for fate to reveal.

Cripple Creek, essentially a mining camp at the time, was a rowdy place, unsafe for a decent woman. Soon the Doughertys moved to Cole City, some 20 miles distant. Here they began a family when two daughters were born, Anna and Hazel.

But the mine which young Samuel had opened soon began to founder because he lacked funds to develop the property.

In 1892, Dougherty struck a deal with a mining corporation, taking half the value of the mine in cash and the other half in stock.

Dougherty was once more prospecting, this time for a new home for his family