Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-05-12
exciting scene I'm a Theatre.

Fitzgerald's Philadelphia City Item, of the
18th, gives the following account Of an incl
dent that occurred one evening lately at the
Providence (R. L. Theatre, on the occasion OF
2 the performance of Romeo and Juliet" 1t
took place in the fifth act. The piece, says
the account, had been cspitslly played, and 70
oeived by the audience with great appoba
ton:
"TIe last scene commenced-there was dis
covered the tomb of the Cspnlets enclosing
the sleepinq Juliet. RoueO advanced with
bar in hand to wrench apart the marble jaws
that hid his beloved one from his gaze he
.,rnck. tbe door Both Romeo and the audi
dience were nOrii6ed at the cries of Juliet
wjtbin-"save mel save mel The door flew
open ssd the most fearful sight presented it.
self; Juliet was seen lying on the bier envel-
oped 10 flames The whole assembly was in
CONSERVATION, though hut few left the theatre.
10 less time than we take to write the circum-
stances, the tomb was eveled to the stage
Juliet sprang boldly from the bier and became
one OF the most energetic in extinguisIiDg the
flames. The curtain fell at this poirt. Mrs.
W. Q. Forbes was the Juliet of the night. and
throughout this fearful situation acted in the
most courageous and spirited manner. Many
Of her sex would have tainted or have been SO
terribly frightened as to have increased the
danger, but Mrs. Forbes displayed great pres
ence Of mind. She saw7that she could not
open the door without reaching her arm across
the edge Of the bier, and in that case would
have inevitably igni ed the sleeve of her dress,
as the flames were raging on both sides of the
bier, making her appear engulp pied IN liquid
FIRE; SO she gathered the dress closely about
her and waited as quietly as was possible, I'M
der the circumstances, for an opportunity to
escape. A-.a rs .-.. .-a .-
In springing from the bier her garments
caught, but she rapidly extinguished them
with the assistance of the gentlemen present.
The danger being passed, the fact was commu-
nlcated to the audience, who received the an
nouncement with every demonstration of de-
light. The scene was Immediately reset--the
curtain rose, and Juliet was received with ire
Inendous applause, and was loudly called for
at the termination of the piece, to hear the
congratulations of the gladdened assemblage.
! IL appears that The Earring of the tomb by the
blows OF the bar in the hands If Romeo had
disengaged lamp, filled with some very in
hammable fluid, that was suspended from the
roof OF the tomb, and which ia falling, had
rolled under the bed, 81 illing its contents in
every direction. In moment, of course, the
whole mass was ignited. 1t was a most mi
raculous escape, for the lamp was hanging d.
rectly over the middle of the bier, and had it
fallen on Mrs. Forbes, nothing could have
saved her from horIid death. Mr. F. Har
denburg behaved in the most noble manner,
risking his person at every step; and so active
was he, that he did not discover, till the ex-
element was entirely over, that one of his
shoes had been burned from his foot. He
played the part of Romeo beautifully, nor was
his acting in The introduced scene any the less
splendidly managed