The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-03-12
Matilda Agnes Heron.

The New York papers all contain ex-
cellent notices of the professional career
of the late Miss Heron. but are all careful
to chronicle her first great triumph on the
stage as occurring in that city. This is a
mistake. True, she struggled awhile with
Utility in the old Bowery, but finding
no appreciation she left for San Francisco
where her success was instantaneous, and
splendid and where she coined money at
once. While there she contracted an un-
fortunate and clandestine marriage with a
rising young lawyer named Henry A.
| Byrne, which cast a shadow on all her
after life. She separated from him and
sailed for Europe. While in Paris she
translated Camille and adopted it to the
English stage, hut on her return could find
no theatre open to her in the east, and her
Camille dates from st. Louis, when the
people gave her unbounded applause for
weeks, and then the doors of every theatre
in the United States few open to her, and
her fame was assured. We we'll remember
the Juror she created in the west, and that
thousands of people from all the valley of
the Mississippi went to st. Louis to see
Matilda Heron in Camille. Many went
from this city.
In 1857 she married Robert Stoepel,
leader of the orchestra at Walack's, and
was divorced from him in 1869. He
squaDdered all her money and she left
him to live in poverty and alone with her
daughter, BUou Heron, to whom she was
devotedly attached and who she was
carefully educating for the stage. She is
now Is years old--a piquant and pleasing
little actress, as one might expect the
daughter Of Matilda Heron to be. Matilda
Agnes Heron was born in Libby Vale
Londonderry, Ireland, in the year 1880
aud came to the United States while yet
child only II years old.
The New York Sun says
, She spoke several languages, and was
| woman of much poetic talent. 1t she ha,
S not been absorbed by the dramatic profes
' sion she would have made figure in tn
D literary world
d The Herald says
!, She was an actress of much emotiona
power, and by the force of her genius an,
: originality created new school of dramati
art. AS woman she was fond and loving
and made many dear friends during he
career. \ devoted mother to her child
W she became very religious during the late
e years of her life. Though at times /
- somewhat straitened circumstances Sd
never lost her courage, and Was seldoI
Ii found disheartened at the difficulties c
' trials encountered in her path.
81 The World says
re As an actress Matilda Heron was of th
q robust school. There was an uncomlnO
N amount of fervor and force in her piayin
. which commanded sympathy even whe
10 it did not compel admiration. She was
le woman of excellent education, being col
"a versant with several modern languages az
having fair knowledge Of the classic
She has made many good translation
&c from the writings of modern and anciel
y dramatic authors. The key TO her su
Of cesses on and off the stage, and to h,
a eccentricites in private aud profession
life, was that she was an Irishwoman. 4
II a friend of hers SAID to the writer, Isl
was the most Irish Irishwoman that ev
le lived. Warm-hearted, implusive, e,
no citable, generous, she was at once her ON
- best friend and her own worst enemy.