The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-02-24
Kean,s East Efforts on the STAGE

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Among the most melancholy instances
Of actors who have Jagged too long upon
the stage, the last days Of EDMUND KEAN
are, perhaps, quite as pitiful as any.
DORIAN, in his Annals Of the Stage, "tells
the substance of all this story in the fol-
lowing extracts about the latter days of
EDMUND KRAN :,.s,..r 81, .~ar.,f7lr AL.
1 shall not soon forget that January night
Of 1927, on which he re-appeared at Drury
Lane in Shylock. "A rush SO fearful, an
audience 80 packed, reconciliation 80
complete, acting SO faultless, and dra-
matte enjoyment so exquisite, l never ex-
perienced. Nothing was heeded-indeed,
the scenes, were passed over until Shylock
was to appear and have heard no such
shout since as that which greeted him.
Fire, strength, beauty-every quality of
the actor-seemed to have acquired fresh
life. It was all deceptive, however. The
actor was all but extinguished, after this
convulsive, but seemingly natural, effort.
He lay in bed at the Hummums' Hotel all
day, amusing himself Mechanically with his
Indian gewgaws, and striving to find a
healthy tonic in "cognac. While immo-
lating himself, he still chung to hope of
rescue; and he strove to create one more
new character, Ben Nazir, in Mr.. Colley
Grattan's tragedy of that name. His power
of memory was gone but he had fatui!
tous idea that he had mastered his part;
- 60. a*a'i + y"
To those who saw him from. the front
there was not trace of weakening of
any power in him. But, oh ye few who
stood between the wings where chair
was placed for him, do you not remember
the saddening spectacle of that wrecked
genius-a man in bis very prime, with not
merely the attributes of age about him,
but with, some, Of the infirmities Of it,
which are wont to try the heart of love
itselfs Have you forgotten that helpless,
speechless, fainting mass bent up in that
chair; or the very unsavory odor of that
very brown, very hot, and very strong
brandy-and-waterl which alone kept alive
the once noble Moora Aye, and still noble
Meor; for when his time came, he
looked about as from dream, and sighed,
and painfully got to his feet, swayed like
a column in an earthquake, and in not
more time than is required for the telling
Of it was before the audience, as strong
and as intellectually beautiful as of old
but only happy in the applause, which
gave him a little breathing space, and
saved him from falling dead upon the
stage. *o4Oos Il
He aroused himself to make his last ap-
pearanee, as it proved on the stage, in
conjunction with bis son, in Othello, Mr..
Charles Kean playing Iago. The night
was the 25th of March, 1888. Edmund
Kean was 80 shattered IN frame that he
had scarcely strength to pass over him the
dress of the Moor; so shattered in nerve
that he dreaded, some disaster. Brandy
gave some little heart to the greatly fallen
actor, but he anxiously enjoined his son to
be ever near him, in case of some mis-
chance, and he went through the part, dy-
ing as he went, till after giving the sweet
utterance, as of old, to the celebrated
Farewell" ending with "Othello's occu-
pations gone!" he attempted to utter the
next speech, and in the attempt fell on his
sons shoulder, with whispered moan,
" / am dying-speak to them for me ?"
The curtain here descended on him for
ever, and the rest was only slow death,
with intervals ofhope.