The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1876-03-11
CH4RLOTRE CUSHMAN.

Charlotte Saunders Cushman, the eel
ebrated actress, whose death in Boston is
announced, was born in that city July
%, 1916. In consequence of the failure
in business of her father, she was called
upon at the age of twelve years to con-
tribute to the family support. She pos
sessed fine voice and much musical
taste, and soon acquired considerable local
reputation as a vocalist. She was adj
vised to cultivate her voice-an exceed
ingly fine contradiction the stage, and
following the advice made her debut at
the fremont theater, Boston, in 1916, as
the Countess" in the Marriage of Fl
caro-" She achieved a marked success
and made an engagement to sing in New
Orleans. The sudden change of climate,
coupled with an unwise attempt to con-
vert her voice into an available soprano,
had the effect of spelling it completely
for operatic purposes. In this emergen-
cy she resolved to become an actress, and
after diligent study essayed the difficult
partof Lady Macbeth" winning a COM
plete success by her magnificent rendi-
ton. Leaving New Orleans after hav-
ing acquired considerable reputation for
histrionic ability, she went to New York
and accepted three years engagement
at the Bowery theater. After perform
ing a week to large audiences she was
Frustrated by fever, the result of over
excitement and exertion, and during her
illness the theater, and with it her entire
theatrical wardrobe, was destroyed by
fire. She then played for three years as
a stock actress in the Park theater, and
after her engagement there had termi-
mated STARED for several seasons in
Philadelphia and New York. She then
undertook the direction Of one of the
Philadelphia theaters, which she retained
until, in 1874, she accompanied Mac
ready in his professional tour through
the United States, thereby adding large
ly to her fame as an actress. In l845
she went to England, and from 1915 to
1S49 acted in the principal theaters of
Great Britain, being received enthusiast
ically wherever she appeared. Her ia
vorite characters were Lady Macbeth"
Blanca" "Mrs. Halter" Beatrice"
Lady Teazle," +" Rosalind," Juliana,"
in the Honeymoon" and "Julia," in
the " Hunchback." In 1s49 she revis-
tied the United States, adding to her re-
pertoire the part of Meg Merrillies,"
in the play of "Guy Mannering." Her
tour in the United States was most
successful. After another professional
tour in England, she'returned ito Amer
lea, and having. accumulated fortune
by her profession, took Her first formal
leave fthe American stage. She subse-
quently acteda round Of engagements in
England, and appeared again in the
United States in 1857 and 1858, after
which she returned to Rome, where she
had previously resided. After resi-
dence there of several years she returned
to the United States, and subsequently
came before the public as reader, in
which she was remarkably successful,
though it was observed that her voice
was failing. Then for brief season she
again appeared on the stage as an actress,
and afterward as public reader. The
past year or two she has spent in COM
parative retirement. In her prime she
was unquestionably the greatest of Amer-
lean actresses