Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-12-16
KATE cLAXTON,s ESCAPE.


rhe Life of ara Actress Saved bv n |
cool Head ana "a KhteR WOUlen
Petttcont.
New BRUNSWICK, N. j., Decem-
Der ll.-Miss Claxton, whose real
name is Kate Elizabeth Cone, and
whose father, Colonel Spencer W.
Cone, a well-known New York
journalist, lives in New Brunswick,
has given her family a much fuller
account of her experience in the
Brooklyn tragedy than she gave to
any of the reporters. It is about as
follows:
"When l saw how the flames had
caught almost every part Of the
scenery behind and around me, |
made up my mind.that it was my
last hour on earth. Strange as it
may seem, | felt no sense of fear,
not even the nervousness that a
slight thing would provoke under
ordinary circumstances. ] seemed
to know that ] had no hope of
escape, but there flashed also
through my mind the splendid
lines:
Whether upon the scafold high,
Or in the battles van,
The nobIsst place for man TO die
Is where he dies for man.
at seemed that it was a small
thing for one to die if many might
be saved. So when | spoke to the
people | felt that my voice rang ouJ
as il never did before in my life, anC
t6at it was so clear and calm i
mus have a controlling power. /
had: f1r one dear brave woman
close down in the parquette an
swered back to me cheerily, 'Yor
are right, Miss Claxton,' and sa
down and helped stay the panit
and save many lives. ! am SUR
that woman is alive. Oh, l hop,
she is. II she ia / want to see he
and know her; for her heart mus
be brave and true. While | wa
talking / took the precaution t
tear off the ragged muslin sleeve
from my dress, but quietly; the.
were perfect finder; under m,
Louise dress | had on an extr
heavy woolen petticoat.
"i'here never was a brayer mai
on earth than Stadley. He stood b,
me cool aud collected as the bes
man of the Six Hundred, and KEEP
the falling fire off me. When tn
( flames swept down upon us anC
( fight was imperative, and no goot
was to be done by staying, | gath
/ cred my WOODEN pctticoat firmly il
each hand, and fought the fire from
me as | dashed through it.
stopped only once, and that was t
seize poor Murdoch, and try t
drag him off; but he was pulle'
away from me. Then J fought m
way through with that woOlen pet
ticoat; it was ny salvation.
either heard Maud Harrison in be
room and got her out, or met be
at the door Of it. Then l remem
bored the underground passage t
the box Office, and went for it, TO
the burning stage began to fall o
us. The horror OF the minutes i
that dark place-only wide enoug
for one to pass at a time-is ind'
seribable. | knew that the door Z
! the end was psully locked, an
might be now; but tie Good Prov
! dence that directs even the fall {
r the sparrow made a whim of mir
! the means Of our escape. In til
morning of that dreadful da,
merely for fun, | had insisted upc
8 having the door opening from Il
box Office to this passageway III
locked, and / went through it to n
dressing-room instead Of goir
round to the stage door. The Rr
was reluctantly given to my ager
Mr.. Stanley McKenna, with mar
iniunctions to lock the door behlr
: him. lie promised to do 50, b
dropped the key into his pock
instead of putting it in the door {
: the inside, as he should have dor
n lie says that his fingers were col
2 2 and that when he put them in
) his pockets he vowed he wouldI
ls take them out for all the keys