Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-03-21
MISS NINA ABBOTT AND OTHER
0TTuMWA EAllORES

MISS EMMA ABBOTT AND OTHER
oTTUMWA FAILURES.
Miss Emma Abbott will be rccol-
lected as the Soprano who travelled
over Iowa with Capt. A. A. Stuarts
Stewart-Abbott Troupe, and who
sang here with that combination, and
also before that with Frank Lum-
bard's Troupe. After Stuart's Com
pany disbanded in poverty, she went
to New York and attracted the notice
of the famous prima donna Anne
Louise Kellogg, through whose in
flucnce she was employed in the choir
of Beecher's Plymouth Church, where
she speedily attracted the attention of
certain wealthy patrons of art, who
sent her to Europe to perfect her
musical education. She graduated
in the highest musical schools of
Italy, and afterwards sang with great
effect before critical audiences at
Milan and in Covent Garden, London.
She has recently returned to this
country, where she is shortly to APP
pear before the people of her native
city, Chicago. An incident in her
career will long be remembered in
this city. She arrived here one Sat-
urday night with Frank Lumbard's
Troupe, the other members being
Hubbard and wife, and the wonder
full subterranean Basso, Tom Corwin,
Raymond, very fine pianist, being
temporarily attached to the troupe.
The next day Sunday was the time
set for dedicating the First NJ. e.
Church, Of this city, and the famous
pulpit preacher Tom Eddy (since de-
ceased), was here to preach the ded-
icatory sermon. Mr.. Eddy was well
acquainted with the persons compos-
ing this troupe, and he arranged to
have them quietly struggled into the
choir for the Sunday music. Finally
when he had read one of those grand
old Methodist anthems, and Frank
Hubbard opened out on the tenor
Corwin with the base, Miss Abbott as
soprano, and Mrs. Hubbard as alto
with Raymond at the instrument
there was such utter amaZement III
that audience as was never witnessed
before or since in an Ottumwa church
The regular members of the choir
r who were not let into the secret, ant
who had kindly given the stranger
place to aid on this extraordinary oc
casion, speedily found their owl
, voices drowned in the superb diapa
son of music, and their books drop
!, ped to the floor from their nervclcs
hands, while the people, with one &C
. cord, involuntarily turned around il
!, their places to gaze at the choir in tn
rear of the church, from where sue
!, unusual music was coming. In tn
meantime, close observer Nigh
have noticed the faintest touch of hu
: NOR creeping over Eddy's face, VIII
!! had given that church such an cxtr;
:, = ordinary surprise. 1t is safe to So
- that no such a musical combinatio
ever before or since appeared in
~ church in Ottumwa.
Blanche DeBar came here with Il
= DeBar Theatrical Combination an
: failed, having to pawn some of h
:, baggage to get away. She afterwar,
:, played Ophelia to Edwin Bootf
y Hamlet for over two hundred CO
secutive nights, SO as to put her
= the front of her profession in Il
VI great city of New York.
=. Katie Putnam played here in
;, strolling company, barely makil
~ enough money to pay for printil
:, and hash. She is now recogniz,
- leading starin theatrical circles in ,
~ the great eastern cities.
" Katie Mayhem has also duplicate
-. Katie Putnam's experience. havir
:, appeared here and elsewhere in Il
~ Mayhem Troupe several years az
~ barely managing to exc out mise
:" able existence. She is now a gre
success in eastern cities.
That the Abbott, DeBar, Putnam al
- Mayhem, should have failed in Ioy
- and succeeded so remarkably el
-, where in the large cities Of this cou
try, and in Europe, shows simply t
higher plane of critical judgment
which our people have reached.
Or there is any other moral to this stol
err we have not discovered it.