The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-07-21
OBITUARY.
HENRY DAVID PALMER.

Palmers partner, who is now living in
this city his son. stating byeAy the fact Of his
fathers death. Mr.. Palmer's death entirely un
expected. for although he had suffered for the past
three years from chronic infamm alton of the blad
der it was not thought that the disease would have
fatal termination. The Plymouth Rock. which the
firm, owned. was at Long Branch when the telegram
fell into Commodore lockers hands. A shock OF
surprise and regret ran round the theatrical pro-
fession. Everybody had known Harry Palmer. All
the most famous names in American music or the
drama in way connected with his Son.
tag. Piccolomini. Patti and hundred others first
sang here under his guidance; Sigismund Thalberg
first drew bow across the strings Won Bnow first
touched the keyboard; Heller first waved the con-
jurors wand and Fechter first played in America
under the same auspices. The "Biack Crook made
him notorious; his management Of Booths Theatre
and his production OF poetic and granaicse spec
tacles solicited his fame by life Of hard labor he
had amassed fortune OF some 100000. He leaves
q wife and two children, whom he was educating III
Paris at the time he died.
Henry David Palmer was bofn at Pottsville. Pa.
on September D. 1882. He served apprent iceship
in the office Of the Phadephia Buietin. then that
of the North Amertcdn, then tried to learn the pub
fishing business. but being accidentally distin-
guished by the sharp eye oi Hall Wilton, who had
brought Jenny Lind TO this country. he was engaged
as advance agent to the star Sontag in 1882 and
in all his after triumphs the OF Henrietta Sonag
the Countess Rossi, was that which fingered most
fondly in his memory She came to America, 1t is
true in the decline OF her artistic days. or rather ut
the birth of her second life before the footlghts.
when she years old. ana twenty years
had elapsed since she carried the public OF Leipsic
by storm and the students Mingled her name with
that of Gertrude Mara the star Of the last
century. But the glorious voice had LOST little of
the magic tina. aroused Tue snsy s o. hr
FORM and her stature supple as the stem OF young
poplar. completed the enchsntment OF the New York
public, at the Metropolitan Hail. i'll the fall OF 1882.
With her she brought Pozzolini. tenor; Badiali,
baritone; Paul Julien. violinist: Alfred Jaell.
Conductor. When she landed Mr. Palmer met
her at the wharf and asked II she had brought any
concert toilets from Paris She replied. Seven.
"Then madame" said he, "as you arc to give
seven concerts in New York. oblige me by wearing
a different dress at each concert. she laughed at
tho idea, but consented. thereby causing vast
excitement among the ladies'. Everywhere that
her managers took her. her success was un-
paralleled. In many cities the enthusiasm took
the form of torchlight professions and grand sere
nades. At Washington clever managerial trick won
her the Of society. She wore vt a CONCERT
superb set OF diamonds. presented to her by tho
Emperor OF Russia and.h agent slyly oosened one
of the stones. SO that it fell at the teet Of
DISTINGUISHED Senator VINO d.v rose 70 re anaa
graph letter and caused crowded houses to
pay homage to the new singer. AZ Boston the clergy
chokered swarms to hear her. like rocks before
the nightingale. until the Diva made her
vember 26, 1889 at Musical Fund Hall. She died in
Mexico June 49, 1854. of cholera having realiz.d by
her labors in this country over S2OO.OO0
Sontag's march Of triumph naturally won great
tcIdt for the young agent who had acted as its
herald, and he promptly re-eigaged for the
known. In the TALL Of 1854 Castle Garden was
crowded with the elite of the metropolis to hear
Giulia Grisi, who had SO long reigned undis-
turbed on the Europe'n stage. and with her
the golden-voictd tenor, Mario. and the
Academy of Music then tor the first time opened
heavy to bear, and in the spring of 1855 Arna.
Confess de Lagrange. came on: under Ullman's man
agement. with Henry Palmer stu as advance agent
in this country She met with no extraordinary sue
cess. and followed. in the tall OF 1856. by
the charming Piccolomini, whose great reputation
in Italian opera in some measure due to the fact
that she was niece Of q cardinal Some of the strata
gems. planned by Mr.. Ullman. and perpetrated by
Mr. Palmer to keep up the Piccolonian Juror. threw
the Feejee mermaid and the woolly horse
completely into the shade; but hers. too. was
in the musical world till 1859, when three Prime
donpe--Gazzanga. Colson and Aberitna-were at
the Academy and affairs looking as bad as can
be Imagined Bankruptcy and ruin stared the man
agement in the face. Help suddenly came IN the
person and voice OF young ana Dea9 r gin ~.
idol of the operate public wherever she appeared
Three years before this Mr. Palmer was engaged
in enterprise which excited much attention
throughout the city. This was the FIRST appearance
Sigismund Thalberg the pianist. at Niblos salon.
No more critical nna Eve,
and Rachel, at the Metropolitan Theatre. mad drawn
greater nunbe,s but taking into consideration tho
sger had to congratulate themselves that they
had surpassed the .Celt For days New York had
lion lived was explored by inquisitive females;
the chops he ate. the champagne he drank.
the stories he told were all duly chronicied IN the
papers. His figure pronounced fine, muscular
and we'll developed, but 80 little too stout or the
ladies'" BY these arts tho future manager OF
BERG berg" should afterwsrd have abandoned him
in Illinois aud departed secretly for Europe.
,f v,sa iae'aH 10
understood. The result was that after coquetting
for awhile with the affairs Of Ole Bull MT Palmer
returned to the Academy. But lie proved that he
bore i'll will to pixnists by engaging In commune
ton with Mr.. Ullmann the services OF Hans Won
Another side of this notable career was its
nection with three OF the most distinguished con-
jurers. Mr.. Palmer not only began his public
the Broadway Theatre. in 1851. but was also
with him when he played Rob Roy" 1T
Castle Garden. and afterward travelled with him all
over the United states. When this Professor Ander-
son lost house after house by FIRE. IL was sus-
pectsd that Harry palmer's love for an advertise
mcnt underlay the conhagration; until the same
disastrous fortune found to follow the wizard
to England long after their connection was severed
was burned ~ the ground. Mcanwhi Mr. Primers
sLrewd instinct had told him that new magician
had arisen a in the a made Ss r
in the interior of New York state Heller
first found an opening at the Chinese building in
Broadway and there assumed all the airs and graces
OF the old fashioned wizards, but was so unsuccess
full that he turned organst and droned along quietly
till Mr.. Palmer drew him from his obscurity and
put him well before the public. Hermann IL
another of the guild who owes his first successes to
tine same fostering hand.
The tale OF Henry Palmer's theatrical adventures
liz simply endless. Everybody who taxes interest in
such topics knows that 1t was he who. with his
newly found partner, Mr.. Jarrett brought the
ballet dancers who danced, piroutted and FLASHED
their cymbals at Niblos Garden in the winter
OF 1906 making, In six months, half million
of dollars for the author of that stupendous produc
ton. the BLACK Crook setting the new partner
ship firmly on its feet and establishing spectacular
drama In New York. That success gave Messrs.
Jarrett n Palmer their cue when they leased Booths
Theatre The production II 'Hcnry and Julius
Cesar'' were events in American dramatic history.
"Sardanapalus" was less successful. Indeed, the
latter more representation OF Assy rian lie
than of the Jardn Mabile. II was the "Black Crook
aud "White Fawn' woven torether. with fragments
OF Byron's rhetoric. But the production of Uncle
Toms Cabin" more than accompanied Mr. Palmer
for his losses. He made $4,000 IN very lew weeks
and carried the play To the European continent
where IL was less applauded.
At the time of his death he was busy with