The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1877-01-22
LUCILLE WESTERN.
A Woman who Earned Half a Million
of Money and Died Poor.

Inc recent death or this noted actress
recalls her appearance in this city, last
October, in the emotional play of East
Lynne. She died of pneumonia. The
World, Of New York, describes with great
interest her sickness, closing with following
touching paragraphs:
All day Thursday she grew worse, and
at few minutes before 10 the evening
while she was lying on a sofa so that her
bed might be remade, she called TO her
agent, Mr.. A, q, Cambridge, and said in
an absent-minded manner:
1t is time to 60 to the theatre.
Miss Tiffany plays for you tonight, you
know" replied MIR. Cambridge.
"Oh, yes, remember" she gasped; Il
remember"
A few minutes later, being in bed, she
called TO the nurse who was with her and
SAID. Where's Arthur" Mr.. Cambridge
came up to her, aud, clasping him around
the neck, she looked full in his face and
said, Arthur, | am going to die. You
have been very good to me. But [ am
going to rest at last. So saying she fell
back-dead. Poor girl, said Mr.. Cam
bridge, yesterday, with tears running down
his cheeks, she died like a little child.
As good woman as ever lived and as
kind hearted as she could be; better
never walked the boards.
Of her professional life The World says:
The career of Lucille Western was an ex.
traordinary one, even for strolliug act
ress. The daughter of Geo Wetsern, one
Of the best comedians the American stage
has ever known, and of Jane Western, an
actress of considerable fame 10 her day,
she and her sister Helen were familiar
with the lie of the cOuttSseS from earliest
childhood. They were both bright child
rem, and endowed with more than ordinary
personal charms. They were both famous
some years ago for their graceful and
elegant figures. While the girls were yet
young their father died, and Mrs, w estern
married James b. English, manager of
the National Theatre in Boston, who
seems to have been anything but a model
father from a moral point Of view. 1t
was at his theatre that they made their
debuts in piece, which they afterwards
produced at the Old BOwery in this city,
entitled The Three Fast Men In this
they we're supported by fair company,
including Tom Hampton. a famous low
comedy man in his day, and made great
hit. Lucille played the hot corn girl
at that time much more familiar person
age than she is now-and the young actress
created genuine sensation, But the tone
OF the play was tOOlmmoral even for those
times and the piece was Withdrawn. The
sisters remained together for some tune
after, Helen playing her pet character of
jack Sheppard IN which she several
times broke her leg while escaping from
the stage prison, and Lucille doing soub-
rette business, After Helen's death in
Washington Lucille Western star began
to rise. She had played IN Philadelphia
Baltimore and elsewhere, and had already
interested john Brougham Lester Wal
lack and others in her career, when Clifton
W. Tayleure dramatized Mrs Woods
novel OF East Lynne for her. She
made her first appearance in this piece in
Baltimore In 1861, and awOke to find her
self famous. Her Nine Vine and Laotg
Isabel were the wonder Of the town, and
her triumph was permanent. Indeed it
is estimated that she cleared 100000 by
this piece alone. Miss Western appeared
in her great play of The Ch;ld-Stealer"
to immense honses in Philadelphia and all
over the country. Her Margaret Rocky
was performance more terribly realistic
than almost anything of the same class
ever seen. The scene wherein she imper-
sonatod drunken woman of the lowest
and vlest kind was so natural as to arouse
genuine feelings of disgust and horror
in her audiences. Her other great perfor
nance, that of Nancy Skies. IN ''Oliver
Twist, was as truthful and as CHASTITY a
piece OF acting as has ever been
done on the American stage Miss Western
in this part was exactly the counterpart
of Dickenss Nancy as one sees her on
Saturday nights in the alleyways of Mary
lebOne or the lanes of St. Giles In her
fight with Bill Sizes (Jos. Herne) she was
often terribly in earnest; she would so
identity herself with the part as to fight as
II she were really in danger, and Herne
has not untrequentlY had as much as he
could DO TO overcome her. In everything
she did Miss Western was thoroughly con-