The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1874-06-04
LITTLE BIJ0U HERON.
The Little Prodigy and Her Strange Mother

LITTLE BlJOU HERON.
The Little Prodigy and Her Strange Mother.
IFrou the Graphic.
Yesterday me; Lille Bijou Heron, the
child actress. vas 50 delighted with the
sprishuy little thing that told her want.
ed 70 come co. 10 Second avenue and 80
her mamms.
Come" said Bj"u, "but may be she will
see you and maybe she won't But III
tell her about yen, ami think she'll wsn,
to aee you"
find every body i talking about the lit
tie prodigy Mr.. D,ly has secured, and every
body wants 10 know about her mother.
Mayor Hall and George Frsncis Train both
took % much intere.t in Matilda Heron,
the once powerful ard beautiful impersona-
tor Of Camille, that they each gave me .
letter to her. So Yesterday 1 took the let
ten and made the call for my Grophie
readers.
Bot alas! the Letters were of no uss. The
great actress could not read them. found
Matilda Heron's reside nee in an obscure
tenement house on Second Avenue, near
Twenty second stree. The house is kept BY
oliver haired old Irish lady, who says
''the sick actress up stair does such ques r
things"
"What thines?" / asked.
"Whv sure enough. m.P, che sings when
other people cry, sits up O nights and
schlaPes day times, eats when l last, and
sinds for prasts when she ought to send for
docther sure"
As / entered the front door / heard loud
talking in the room At the head of the STAIR
A voice, impassioned but shattered, va, in.
coheren,ly crying:
"Demons- Is! This 10 not fair. They
shall not play Cammiiie. Cdmmiue il for
Bijou, and I'll tear the eyes out of any one
will sleep it off,"
In . moment the little Bjou came to the
head Of the stairs and, artlesslv taking nv
hand, halfway led and pulle1 me into the
room. But oh, what sight met my gaze!
The room was lit ,red and poverty -ssruck.
There was an old faded Jewr-hafp cook
stove; with the griddles scattered around the
floor. On the stove 10 place of griddles vas
an old faded bouquet, dried dusty. and there
sprawled upon an old lounge, was the once
beautiful actrs 5. Her fest were ehoeleas,
dress half unbuttoned, and her beautiful
dark hair, which We have 20 often ssen re-
lieved by the white camelia, Wa cut tight
70 her head. In place Of long silken trees
e. we're short brisiling hair, each standing
straight up. The sweet pale face and the
neck gracefully curved alabaster were gone
and in their place were the pulled and GRIM
500 features seen only among poor and mis-
cradle people. The mind Of the great act
ress was partly gone, the fire Of her eye had
flickered out, and cav before me poor
woman helplessly csazy-foolisbly insane.
do not write this unfeelingly. This
statement OF fact, does not detract one iota
from the honor and glory Of Matilda Her
ron. but it call, upon US all to give her our
and love. A great &C ress belongs
70 the people, and they have q right to
know everything about her and then they
can come forward with aid and sympathy.
Matilda Herron's inssnity should be known
70 veil o. Horace Greeieyf.
But found The great actress more than
insane. Her insanity prompts her to indulge
'trange apPe,ites makes her trebly the object
Of our pity and sympathy. Something must
DO done for Matilda Heron.
A little Bijou led me INTO the room, her
mother said smilirgly:
''l'll tell yoI how it wa, sweethear', I'm
/ Catholic. Henry Ward Beet her Is the
Redeemer of the World. One day, twenty
IeaIs ago-I'm forty four years old bow
,ne day Fanny Kemble aud we're up in
he mountains in Mass achusetis. Let's fee
we we're building bridge, ard ives
voung. honorable Catholic Z irl, and Be c5-
1e-he, he-h-e-well, l don't really remem-
Der how it was," and the Gree beautiful i'm
oersonator Of Camille placed her hands on
,er brow az ifirying to follow the thread Of
! broken thought. In q moment she said:
"B.jou, tell his sxc.llency about Cam
lle.' Tell it nicely.
"Well," commenced Bijnu, with great
"Mr. Palmer, Of the Union
square Theater, didn't know that Camille
vas mammals play, and that she had right
o keep any one from playing it, the same as
Nr. DAILY has the right to 'Alphonso.' So
lfter Mis- Clara Morris had played it at
didn't care anything about
hat, you know, but mean after they got all
he scenery for the play and Clara Morris
gs' going 10 play in il again, mamma OBJ
ected. Then Mr.. Palmer and Mrs. Shook
allied on mamma and said they didn't know
WAS her play, and waited MANI
IA to let them play ii and mamma Consent
d to do IT,.
is il in the paper by the kind permission
( Ma,ilda Heron? ssked B'j,uS mother. |
"les, mamma.
81. wa. well said. Bijou-thank yOu"'
"l OIL heard me, Eijon?' continus ID the &C
ress.
"Yes, mamms,' sid Bijou,
Then thank me."
THANK you, mamma, said biIou, cour- |
ssying to Ter mother.
foui q that Little b J>u had 10 make this /
ourtesy good many tunes day, and the
itle thing was 50 young and inexperienced
nat she didn't know but what II was the
roper thlrS to do.
How did you come to play in the theates"
a.kei little u Jou, rs abe s,ood up by my
hair. her hand on my shoulder. /
I'VE |. was going toward school, and
ne dry little Gertrude Norwood, who uaed
, play the child's parts fell 'ies, aad Mr..
lawkins came round for me to take her part.
went over to reherssl, and I've been there
yer since"
Don't you sometimes get frightened on
re stage-ieel ike crying Il
"Yes, / felt frightened the first night, and
,e other night l felt strange when l dint
ct an encore. 1t was the fret night hadn't
nd ii, and felt like crying. That night
,igot and started home from the theatre
lone, and came all the way TO Second ave
Ne. l didn't want anybody with me,
a, too busy thinking about the encore.
Ala, this was the tint disappointment in
le sweet little angels life. Bj)u could
vs on crusts, sleep en- pallet of rsgs in the