New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-07-12

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and elegant saloon sat the Countess 10 state on her SOFA
the ladies. seated In formidable array forming long
In front OF her, through which two dazzling he
OF female beauty, and Drawing the artillery OF thelr
merry sparkling every fresh conner had 10 pass III
order HIS respects and kiss the hand oil the pre-
siding deity. after which ceremony aud ltte nVey
chat with the Countess retreat could De erected n
devoted to me oevy OF a. me week opV
such those of the Countesses Vemr Mocingo ana
other associated with and descended from inc ola
DOges, their illUstriOus ancestors
On his return London thesuestlon OF an occupation
presented ITSELF and by the advice OF friends he apped
for district surveyorshp which was then vacant lie
opened an overwhelming fire OF letters ana apphca-
ton4," and every friend lie had in the world :" was
pressed into the service and assisted in the SIEGE
Mathews got the position but did not like the prospect
From Rome and Venice to Bow and Bethnal Green,
" here a bathos,' and " the only touch of Joy l
had" he says was In the discovery Of locality re-
jociug in the OF CuttbToat Lane. and IN no
other place could make up my mind TO fix my otice
In 1885 he thrtytwo years Of and on the hrst
Of January sat down to r9ect the dangers OF leading
"A wasted life. He had not been idle, he argued to NM
SELF the trouble had been that he tried TO do too many
things and did nothing well. He had "dipped,' ana
must now try to dive" A scheme for the division
of time was drown up, with day for the recovery
Of Greek :" another for the recovery or Lam;
third for religion" and fourth for Italian Dialects
But an end these plans suddenly in the follow
ing June when his father. the great actor dieu
brOkcn-dOWn man. Just home from Ameflct, "htIc Nv
had been unable retrieve his fortune. The son be-
came an actor taking up the hard task his father had
laid down. and working att with what diihculuesthe
book affords many illustrations, -Four years later DC
writes:
And now the great milestone Of invOlymcnt b gan 70
roll and gather enormous proportions was minated
the first time in lie into all the mysteries OF he
moucycndug art, and the conc9cti0n OF t1pse iata'
Duus brokers and sheris officers soon entered upon
tbe scene aud l. who had never known what pecuhiay
=, .ftIfF md Al yer
yortcv M i,yoivmenf Eycry saturday was looked
forward win terror for on every Saturday had 10
pay. including the company, authors, Dand carpenters
and workmen employed before and behind the curtain,
Gsi souls win their wives and families all dependent
upon my eyeItiOns!
Some months later ho made great hit with the
" Be- CARS Opera and the Merry Wives Of Windsor
which filed the treasury for months, and brought the
season to a happy conclusion. Mathews himself was
the only one the theatre who did bask in the
sunshine of TINS prosperity:
The greater the the worse found my position.
A. soo a. inc money hogan 10 flow in NV suiefngs be-
60, i,,si pnIrrahIo A. Tho 1r.t ,,uig of hIon1 tne
tigers were let loose While | paid no one, no one
seemed 10 care but the moment Jenkins got ms money
Jones became rampant Multiply the Jenknses by tens
and tine Jorees by hundreds ana the sum total OF perae
cutIon NAV be conceived Wrs and executions shOwered
upon me- and the whole proceeds OF county engage
mruts were swallowed up by the rayenOus Jenkinses
and Jouoscs, without IN any way appeasng their cray
mgs. How many times have gone upon the
stage with heavy heart To act. with merry face, the
very part JEST that was PLAYING behind tue scenes ~
earnest and not a sympatheu" soul 10 pity me. On
the contrary, everyone seemed TO believe that reyeod
IN IT, aud every alluslOn had TO make % duns ana
baiiis hailed 10y the audience as the emauaOn Of
u hight heart, and the most ulctIous enjoyment. Had
been a tragcdan, and walked on with melancholy air
and serious face should have had credit iOrieeng my
unfortunate position. - Poor fellow see how down he
L. !" But the painfully successful effort OF assuming
gaycty and iOyOusncss diff ut ana calling as II was,
robbed me at once OF an sympathy. % Po9n look a.
him he doesn't care He's Ia his clement lIe likes II
For seven years Mathews Datted with the troubles
thar gathered around him, until finally "sck at heart
and almost pleased at the termination OF the eternal
worry aud turmoil had undergone, | bowed my head
10 the storm and thought all was over" But all was
not over. New ent9Rglcments followed He engaged
Inns II for a season al Drury Lane and danced to the
old tune duus and balls till my legs achcd again"
While PLAYING Lncashre, evening just as lie was
going to the theatre TO act he arrested writ
for 81 900 AMI taken old John of Gauups CASTLE
twenty miles away, and locked up with forty or fifty
rough men, he passed night such as can never
be descrlb Il forgotten, and one compared with
which 'tHe solitude of dungeon would have been
bliss" HIS imprisonment lasted about month. aud
some very touching letters which he wrote to his wife
printed:
had never before been within a real bona lde prison
IN all ir horrors will not describe them, my beloved
one do wish to add to your misery Suffice 1t to
say that degradation is complete. disgusting pal
let in stone rOom wth twenty-one other prisoners.
need say no more. Forgive the misery cause you
1 sufficiently punished. There never was any
man ia sdrh complication OF miserlcs. Irenty years
would not nave worked me through the deep nYoV-
More than hundred ravenous creditors all tear
lug 10 pieces aud doubling their debts every year by
EXPENSES and interest. . . The whole arrange
meus il fOr COuylcs more than Tor debtors ana
We are watched hy turnkey appointed Tor the purpose
who half hOur by the governor, who M
,pcc, a day 10y The chaplain ami the doctor
each once day.
when he finally released ho hestened to the rail
way station aud got into a carriage in which were sew
eral other people As the train ratified 10y the castle
walls. % smiling gentleman who sat opposite Mathews
pointed out OF the window and playiuly observed:
That's where Charley Mathews is confined"
Really |" said sympathizing girl at his side 4" poor
fellow !" Poor fellow" SAID the jolly gentleman,
with gingerbread nut in his mouth mot at ALL He
reves in Lord bless you lie has been in prison
in England" To which Mathews remarks: 81 need
not ~ did Immediately introduce myself" After
those days the nscr Mathews led prosperous life
aud gained mote and more OF public favor and affection.
lie brief illness 1t will be remembered,
little more than year ago.