The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1880-07-04
ADAH IsAAcs MENKEN.
Something About Tier as nm Actress, n
Poetcss, ana n Queen in Literary So

POetcss, ana n Queen IN Literary no
ctcts.
Adah Isaacs Mcukcn achieved greater
amount " notoricty u moi fame, In shorter space OF
time than any other American actress that ever lived
At the time Of her death, and she was under thirty,
her name was n tower Of strength alike in London,
New York, and Paris. The singular thing Is that she
achieved this astounding success with histfloo gifts
Of the very mcagercst description Her ability Ger
Ing lady, aud when she played that Identical line of
parts In Memphis theatre Just prior to the war
have been assured by the stage manager, Mr. +. =.
Keller that he was the point Of dscharging her
several times for careicssness and incnpacity Al
though thoroughly inattcntvc both at rehearsal and
performance she was terribly ambitious and already
had great things mapped out principally In the dreo-
ton OF the legitimate. She was always crazy to play
male parts and II was with dmculty Mr.. Keller per-
snadcd her from putting up ''Ilamet for her bcneht.
She was living NJ this time with her first husband an
insignificant little jew called Menken, who came from
knew where, aud after she got rid Of him went
back again. Her real name was Adelaide McCord
and she was native OF the state OF Louisiana. She
was not Jewess by birth, many have Imagined but
became one by conversion, after which she changed
her to one more In consonancc with her Iebralc
creed. II time during the war, In the early
part OF 1889 believe, that she applied Mt the Front
Street Theatre, Baltimore, for an engagement.
the stock II necessary although her earnest desire
was TO be starred In Mazcppa.' At first the man
agenent put her of, but business being frightfully
bad, concluded to give her a chance. After mature
deliberaton they decided II would he cheaper to play
her rs star shares In that ease unless expenses
In she would get nothing, whereas IL they gave
her salary whether the houses were good or bad.
"Mazeppa being settled upon rs the opening
piece the next thing Ia get horse, rs Miss Men
ken IN those days ala travel with such piece OF
property. After desraiing search Of forty. eight
hours nothing suitable could lie found and the wondbc
star was Obliged 10 put M with livery hack Of the
most ordinary description. Her blood was up, how
ever. aud she worked faithfully with the beast, re-
manning with him on the stage every afternoon when
the rehearsal was over, firing pistols at his
ear, forcing him up the runs at his best speed
aud In general way emitting nothing which,
mi pht ~ In hrtun tttI
| successfully ut night. When the eventful
| evening came the house was small, and no wonder;
| been played ont years before, and TO make matters
worse the Front street Theatre was an old tumble
down rokery In an ont-of. the way ocation Hut al
though the house small II turned out to bc tre-
lnendously enthusiastic one--true Miss Menken didn'
know the lines OF Mazeppa-ior tho matter Of that
she never did-but she dashed through the part witt
great spirit, and hest OF all the piaits Of the audi
cnce and the glare OF the foolghs so wrought upor
the livery hack that when led he actually reared
and paved the air IN his terror and rushed up the rum
With Mazeppa IN his back, MS IL Satin was after him
verltahlc Tartar OF theukraine breed could hardly
have done II better, and the triumph of the star
| steel was complete. Before the week was out Til,
theatre crowded, and Menken was the sensation
| OF the day. Thus, In that dingy coal-hoe begai
| that career which was TO embrace both hemisphere
In lis conquests, and considering Its limited space
only seven yearsprobably the most successful pecu
niarily In tile annals OF the stage Her engagement
lasted four weeks To succession OF packed houses
aud although her share amounted to several tiiuslnd
OF dollars, none Of II remained when her last wee
| was finished.
| What became OF her money, heaven only knows
certain 1t Is that neither She any else did
She would send hoy out with tcn-doar hill TO bu
paper OF plus and when he came back refuse to tax
any change. In fact, she would never take chang
from any she sent errand, however large til
note intrused. hut even such vagaries this won't
hardly account for the continued disappearance OF til
| Immense sums known to have been paid her Noon
cared less for money, and had her income been
| thousand dollars minute she would sil have bee
poor at the end of the hour. Her engagements wer
tho iubilces OF stage hands and snperiuncraries,
her grntuitlcs were not only unfang hut universal
She always had literary craze. and after her profes
sional successes in Ionlonand Paris feeling
authors, and the same personal magnetism that fas
cinated her audiences willy nllly, proved les
powerful with the Kings of thought
| Dickens, Dumas, and Swinburne numbers
among her Intimate friends, AMI the singular spec
tacle was presented OF an equestrian actress holdin
evees habiiualiy frequenied 10y the first nellects
the day. bohemia and liegravia were alike repre-
sented in these gatherings, aud the queen of the
became, for the noice. the queen of the salon.
such stimulating companiolship her ambitions be
came of y kind with her company, and she deter
mined to write y book herself. The result was till
volume of poems entitled lurelician and dedicated
| by permission, TO Charles Dickens. 1t received
good deal of adverse criticism at the tlme but to III
mind 1t contains u great deal OF crude merit. II
best poems are those which rhymeless and, Wa
Whitman-llke, go to n rude, Irregular rhythm
their own, but n genuine poetic feeling Is appare
seen the book, but one line has always Haunted N
memory. She is talking of the promises which T.o'
made her, only to be broken:
l ,t.sn.l