Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-12-13

TIRE IiFE cF AN ACTRESS ssvFa nv a
NooL HEAD AND A THICK WOODEN PEx-
Miss CLAYTON. whose real name IA Kst.
Elizabeth Gone, ard whose father Cs,ioa.i
Spencer ". Cone. a well-known New Yorx
journalist. lives in New RrsnSwick IA
given her family = much fuller account "a
her experience i'm the Brooklyn tragedy thai
she gave to any OF The reporters II il about
aS follows.
When | saw how the flames had, caught
almost every part ~ the scenery behind and
around me, made up my mind Ina; a vas
my tast hour on earth Strange a. a. may
seem. telt no sense OF fear. not even The nes-
NoosnesS That slight thing would provoke
uncer ordinary circumstances. I seemed IN
flashed also through my mind The spleadld
lines:
"wh-,her upon the soaHold high.
or in the BATH srsn,
The modest plsce far man tod.
Is~here h- dies for man j"
10 seemed that a was a small thing for one
10 die II many might he saved. SO when I
spoke To the people felt that my voice rang
out a. IL never did before in my life and dat
=, ~ va so clear and calm a must have a con-
Eollng power. IL had, for one dear. brave
woman close down on uhe parQuctte answer
"a back TO me cheerily. "Nou are right Miss
SIafton, and sat down and helped stay the
lsiic and save many lives. am sure that
woman Il alive. Oh, hope she n. IL she -
want 10 see her and know her. Cor her heart
mus ii.l , ne brave ave aud true. While was talk
ii'g TOOK The l'recautiOn TO tear OF the rag
ged muslin sleeves from my drtSS hut quiet
~; they were perfect finder. under nav iosus.
dress had on an extra heavy WOODEN petti-
There never was n drawer man ON earsi,
than Studley. He stood b. Ave cool and cnl-
lectcd a. the best man q tbs Six Hundred
ard kept the falling fire OF me. When the
flames sw, pi down upon W.. and flight was
III peratiLe, and 10 go-i Was 90 be done by
staying, i eaihered t.Iy woollen Hettioost
me ~ dashed through d.. ! stopped only
once. and that was To seize poor Murioch
and Try 10 drag him on but he was pulled
away from me. Then I fought my way
through with my woollen petticoat. IL was
my salvation. I either heard Naude Harrf-
son IN her room and got her .,ut, on met her
AT me door OF H. Thf.4 4 remembered the
underground paSsag' To the box Office, and
went for IL, for the turning stage began To
fall on Us. The horror OF the few minutes In
That dark plaCe-Oliy wide enough Tor one IN
pass az "A time is indescri bablc. I knew
that the door al the end was usually
locked, and might be now; but the
Good Provide ice that directs even tie
fan OF the sparrow made a within Of mine the
means OF our escape. In the morn ing of that
DREADFUL day, merely for fun, 1 had insisted on
having the door opening from the box Office
10 this pasSageway unlocked and 1 went
through n TO my dressing room instead OF
going round 10 the stage door. The key was
reluctantly given To my agent, Mr. stanley
GckeDna. with many injunctions 10 lock
the door behind him. lie IirOmisedJ 90 do 40
nut dropped the KEY into his pocket Instead
of putting IL I'm the door on the inside a. hs,
should have done. He says that his fingers
were cold, and that when he put them into
his pockets he vowed he wouldn't take them
out for all the keys i'm Brooklyn. Those cod
myers, by Gods mercy, saved all our lives,
for after We had stumbled through that pass
age and mp the stairs the door yielded aud we
tumbled into the box Office The smoke was
sUffocating. Beyond the Office were the
crowd treading over each other. / gathered
that dear old woOlcn skirt around me. clutch
ed IL one hand 80 a. TO have my limbs free.
gave 81 a twist and a tuck that turned 10 al
most 10 girdle, and leaped from shoulder "a
shoulder OF me packed and sitting crowd. A
literally walked on their heads, or rather
sprang from one coign Of vantage TO the other
over a living mass n surging human beings.
/ II seemed 10 me that I'M three leaps was I'm
/ the street.