New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-04-26
OBITUARY.
RARNEY WILLIAMS.

po.,ov Williams. the actor, died at l:3O p. H.
'-1ar at his residence, No. Al East Thirty -eighth
- hoing So years Of age. About SIX weehs aso M
1r1,,,ar,s and his wife went to Boston 70 pay ~ w
olohe Tbeater. Arriving there on oaturu",' NV
,aton u with pleuro-pneumonia ana retuihou W 'o"
York on tho following Monday. hls pn' ~ - tna,id
a, Flaming said that Mr.. Williams had Deen an ma
Sover Ave years. and had had three slight attacks Vi
,,s In 1872 he visited all the French ana German
s~ths for his health. The attack OF pieuropheunol
civ weeks ago yielded readily to medlcai uea'o"'
.broe weeks ago cerebral an8mia set H. prouuoi"e "
lent insanity He appeared to think mmseii III p,oon
nd in his struggles to FREQ himself from his 1anceu III
,an,no,t tho full strength Of two or three men was
centred IN prevent him from iujuring himself anu ni9
cries could be heard throughout tho neghDornoou
had freauent lucid intervals OF a few minutes cam
which he recognized and talked with his lallN' "D
friends. ,..,ou
Ficbtecn DAYS ago Dr. Fleming held cohSui''.,OI
with DIS j. r. Wood Austin Flint Cyhe', " NV WI
Buren, who agreed in tho mode OF trea'no"~ o,ar
t 90 bis final recovery until last Friday h'sh', "Aen
t,,,,s act in He became quiet and lay III s'upo,'
LOSING the power OF speech anu INC 'I It
tho,gb his limbs and head we're III continual io''on
no cbt have continued in this state lor SEVERN 'AS'
lie might H",o an attacked him. At a. yester
'u Nv Ia a very slight stroke, but at a. NJ there
80 q severe one, beginning Win the leU slue anu
oadng throughout his system, AFTER "hlch no ueNot
,oved but sank rapidly until l30 p No. when he died.
Iro was unconscious during the last thFee days. ana
otber smoke nor recognized his family. telegram
was sent Yesterday morning to Mr. ana MIS- Florence
= No. IN Boston The other members OF his family,
,rdi,, his wife daughter, mother, MEDITERRANEAN, and
Is,ers , or IA in number were, with Dr. Fleming at
h,s bedside Father Henry Mcdowell not present,
lint some days ago administered extreme junction.
To those who knew him. if to the public mind in
lar will
come with shock He had long boon conspicuous on
tho stage His vital presence had come to be very IA
,far He was like some immemoral USAGE lie hau
ed so considerable space in that theatrical NE Wmeh
enters 50 largely into social experience ana ENJOY
nept that he had become part OF every day No play
coer dreamed OF doing without him. NOBODY thought
Of being suddenly called to part with MN. TIC was
intitnton and we took it for granted that he would
last our time That yesterday. To-day ne As oeau
He was only player Of IIish peasantsj ne was never
accounted o great actor his name was never "Ii''e"
with those of Lson Reeves Burton and Power; YET nc
did very important work In his htue Worlui anu, nov
that he has gone the way that we have TO ta'e VIII
soe,n lon0er and loneer, TO many OF us VINO nave
walked within the sound Of his CHEEKY voice ana the
lcbt Of his kind smlle That voice is hushed; that smile
4, frozen on his still face. That fountain oil harmless
pleasantly and innocent frOlic is dry in DEATH
There ia probably no man whose place could not be
filled AT any rate, as one by one the favolles OIL a
fades out and the new age puts new lorus upon Tic
ancient thrones We cannot think, however, that Barney
Williams will easily be replaced or soon be iOrsoch
Time OF course, viii make him-as John Drew is now
astage legend already dim and steadily esSenng But
for the present be will hold bis place in memory lie
had very strong and very interesting Individuality
He had risen from almost nothing, by dint OF THIS
and he had impressed himself strongly his time
He had gained, first popularity. then reputation
then distinctive professional rank and all the WHILE he
had grown in social esteem position, and consequence
and likewise in wealth He had asserted himself more
over through the medium Of an art in which 10 one
ever really succeeds "a he did - without brains
stdv and energetic cultivation Of the better elements
of character was little thing perhaps to personae
An Irish peasant but he did il thoroughly well; ana III
the doing Of 1t he able 10 pour forth, through
that simple medium, power OF personal magnetism
and humor which captyated human sympathy ln
manner for which the stated stick and the black bottle
could never account His materials may have been com
mon he may have wrought with hackneyed types; but
when spoke OF the shamrock you could smell It's per
fume and his bright Irish drOllery and sweet irish
sentiment have brought the sunshine and the ram into
the eyes Of thousands OF his countrymen He made his
mark therefore, aud he made that will wear we'll
Judges OF man. who try to write the inventory Of the
attributes of human being, attempt more than they
can perform. "The bet Of what We do and are
exclams the poet WO dswOrth, "just God for
give" Barney Williams, doubtless, had defects
was a conqueror Of many obstacles in the more
sordid business OF life. lie but mperiectly cdu-
Gated He was called to bear the great trials TO which
vanity and sensitive ambition and poverty are
subjected in the profession OF the stage
He had prejudices animosities. and some
quarrels. But he man Of whom 1t can most truly
be said that his the right place Had 1t been
otherwise be could have succeeded in the peculiar
line Of artistic portraiture that he followed so we'll
There was look in his face which won Kindness
and there was a ring In his voice which swOke
impulse. Neither any narrowness in par
eular directions any CROCHET could stand In the
way of this manly warmth and honest force. His
setting seldom notable for detail work. mainly made
sppEecable through his It presented his ndvid
uality in IT revealed-to the heart well as
the eyes-a little, compact, bright Irshman, mpulsvc
sagaeious, full Of animal spirits loving liberty hating
tyranny OF the sweetness OF youthful love. keeny
alive TO all that is venerable in age and sacred In
patriotism, and reveling IN mischeyous capacity to
vault from the eaden duncss to the rosy and rogush
intelligence Of the true OF Erin. 1t showed kind
heart bright mind, ready Wit the natural capacity TO
glide into moods OF feeling and sets Of circum
stance trained skill, vrtuous humanity, and aggre
gate Of personal pocnliaTtes-unique and potent-that
won liking retained attention, and commanded respect
Barney Williams had been upon the stage for 40 years
He began supernumerary. He was connected with
the old Franklin Theater long ago as 1896; and he
had not been ten years tho stage before he became
fayorc. His own oral narrative Of his early experience
and OF his long connection with the STAGE was fun OF
amusing aneodOte and instruction. lie passed through
rough ordeal, and. presumably, 1t did him
good-for he rose rapidly, and he rose upon
his merits and not upon the ruins Of
others. In 1S45 no the manager OF the Yau1han
Garden, in the Bowery In the same year he acted at
the National He married. on Nov 20. 1850, TO
Maria Pray then the widow OF Charles Messenger
whom his life has boon very happy to whom be was de-