The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-08-05
PHANTOMs OF THE STAGE.
Some Of the superstitious Beliefs of Leading
Actors.

1t Is not strange that actors should be more
superstitous than other people, for they deal
constantly with thoughts and visions of gr-
MUS above their own compass OF mind, and
exercise the imagination with poetic fancy.
The are many strange stories illustrative of
this; among which Is the wel-authenticated
incident in the life OF GuStavus Brooke: The
day before he left London to embark In the
Inflated steamer upon which he was to have
sailed to Australia, he met his friend Greeves
at q favorlte resort In the the Strand.
$50 you are really off Tomorrow not
for long, imagine2"
YES" said the tragedian, In an unusually
grave tone; yes, am afraid | may never re-
turn"
Nonsense. What makes you have such q
gloomy idea as that -
"I'll tell you, Grpeves. I had a strange
dream last night 1t was this: | dreamed
that some fellow-an author-came to me
with the manuscript Of play, and wanted to
sell it to me. / saw in great letters upon the he
cover Of the first act the title. 1t was "The
Wreck" l turned over few pages and came
to sketch in ink Of the closing tablcau,
intended to illustrate the way In which the
stage should be set. Standing upon the deck
OF sinking vessel was man clinging to the
rigging. The despairing face Of that man
WAS a perfect reproduction of my own fea-
lures. The sight of that agonized face, SO
perfect picture OF myself, frightened me out
OF my sleep. Greeves, tell you that dream
means something serious"
"PshaW" said Greeves. ct means too
late hours and too late dinners"
Brooke went his way, and met the vertical
ton OF the vision of his slurnber.
Edmund kean has left in one of his letters
the most solemn relation Of the appearance OF
phantom in grave clothes. 1t was the exact
image of friend whom he had not seen for
some time, and at the very moment that the
vision appeared to the actor in his sleep the
friend died in distant city.
Three nights before the death of Geo. Fred
erick Cooke he WAS playing Richard | Ii, and
In the scene where the coffin Of the dead king
Is brought on the actor started with fright
so intense that the audience rose perfectly
thrilled by the look and manner. He declared
that he read, plainly inscribed on the walnut
pail, his own name.
Macready WIS so morbidly afraid Of a toad
that he almost tainted at seeing a caricatrre
OF two frogs doing the fencing scene in Ham
let.
Lucille Western had vision Of her sister
death, which she recounted graphically before
the death occurred and all the particulars
We're afterward verified.
one Of the most famous managers Of the
present time Is extremely superstitious. and
gets In a nervous state for weeks before ne
brings out a new play. On one occasion he
saw coffin ia the flats, caused by the bad
work OF the scenic artist in letting the moon
light shine through the trees in the shape Of
a colin. On another occasion the fall Of the
old horseshoe that was nailed over the stage
gave him an ouinouS fright for weeks
Inc elder Booth and many other great
actors believed IN these airy foreruBners that
come from out Of vague and boundless
dreamlaud.'