The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1880-09-09
THEFAIRJULIET.
Miss Nelson's Theatrical Career
What study Accumulated

personal and dramatic history which
were only known to her intimate friend
and acquaintances, but which, nov
be properly given to the public, ane
will assist those whom the secret Of he
remarkable success on the stage ha
never been disclosed in forming "A juste
|judgment of the actress and the wo
man. The dramatic lists and Othe
authorities give her age as 80, her brit
place as Saragossa, Spain, and STATE
that her father was Spanish artist
and her mother an English lady of gen
tie birth. All this is only the tinse
and spangle of current biography He,
exact age is unknown, but it was prob
ably between 33 and IS, and her birth
place is equally uncertain. Her pa
rentage was of very humble desert p
ton; and her first appearance before
the outside world was as a London bar
maid, serving her employers customers
with a grace that won her many ad-
mirers. Ambitious and Industrious
she sought the opportunity to rise to a
higher position. A gentleman of good
family but Of very moderate means
attracted by her beauty and vivacity
offered to educate her for the stage
Miss Nelson was under training for
several years, studying toward the end
under the direction of ]. NJ. Beliew,
probably the most accomplished elo-
cutionist of the last fifty years in Eng
land, whose readings in this country
will be well remembered. Beliew has
left it on the record that Miss Nelson
was by no means an apt scholar. Her
memory was neither quick nor retent-
i've, and her powers of apprehension
were sluggish. He spent nearly a
year in teaching her to speak the lines
of Juliet. He had to tell her when to
raise her hand, when to drop it; she
was like clock-work, and had to be
adjusted to certain gestures before she
could accomplish them. 1t is said of
Rachel that everything about her and
her wonderful art were simply learned
| by rOte, as a parrot cries ''Pretty POllr'
But the young girl was possessed of ex-
taOrdinary ambi ion, great industry,
and indomitable perseverance. Slight
as her physique was, she toiled on
tirelessly, never tagging, never yield
ing to obstacles, never neglecting any
means to perfect herself in artistic
method.
Gossip has spoken of her as given to
vanities, brilliant, but reckless. Her
whole method was contradiction OF
this. She was student, devoted to her
success and her ambition, painstaking
and plodding. She would travel any
distance and take any trouble to obtain
a valuable hint in the Interpretation OF
a passage. She had accumulated a
very large Shakspearean and stage Ii
brary. She was not egotistic or conceit-
ed; she studied practical stage business
as indefatigably as a stage manager.
Last winter, speaking of these qualities,
a near friend Of hers said: ''1'his wo-
man is not genius by any means.
But she is the most painstaking, care
full, thorough, and industrious actress
that ever gave the impression of being
spontaneous in all her stage move
ments. And unless one studied her
closely she did give the impression OF
being charged with emotion and inn
pulse, passion and impetuosity. But
her subtle interpretations were often
measured and carefully elaborated
rather than spontaneous. So this girl
with reputation for fitful brilliancy
intense passion, spontaneous pathos,
was exactly the antipodes of all these
things-plodding, patient, persevering,
little dull, but carried forward to sue
cess by an unfaltering ambition and a
steadfast determination to win name
and fortune.
Her early successes were not very re-
markable, for she had no flashes, such
as take houses by storm, until after she
learned to create them by skillful man
ipulatiOn OF means; but She had a low,
soft, melodious voice, and beauty OF
person that went far to redeem a little
awkwardness. Her career in London
was fairly successful. Her great sources
of income and her principal artistic
triumphs were American. She visited
this country six times, appearing here
for the first time in the fall of 1872, and
although it is notpositively known what
amounts she carried away each time, it
is known that $37 900 was the smallest
sum she ever netted in single season,
while one of her series of performances
gave her a net result Of nearly $4,000.
Miss Nelson must have cleared in this
country, during her six tri ps, about
$25O,OOO. She did not AXE this amount
out Of the country, however. In 1871
and 1873, when real estate was ut at its
highest and real estate speculation was
rampant she was pursuaded to invest
about $4,000 in uptown property.
This was just before the panic. The
collapse came, real estate went down,
and in the depression that followed
Miss Nelson became alarmed, and
closed out in the summer of 1877 at a
loss it is understood, including lawyers
fees, of about $4,000. Even with this
loss, her fortune must still be reckoned
at about 100000, irrespective of jewel.
ry and wardrobe; and it will be an in.
teresting question to whom it will pass.
She had no blood relatives rs far as
known in this country, and there are,
consequently, no known heirs of con.
sanguinity.
Miss Nelson was married ten OF
twelve years ago to a Mr.. Phillip Lee
an Englishman. The union was an un.
happy one; and in 1877 she obtained a
divorce from Mr.. Lee in one of the
courts Of this city. Naturally, with hel
beauty and frame, she has had many
suitors for her hand since then, and
among them was an officer who stands
high in the British naval service, and is
a member of the household of the
Prince of Wales. This gentleman
somewhat Miss Nelson's senior
was infatuated with the act
tress, and made lvertures of .mar
riage to her. The affair came to the
ears of the prince, who intimated to
the admiral that, if he married Miss
Nelson she would never be received al
court, and would probably ruin his
career. The gentleman informed his
royal master that he should marry the
lady, ifshe would have him, whether
it exiled him or not, and the prince
must take his own course about recog
nizing them afterward. Miss Nelson
declined the honor, however, giving hel
reason in these words, peculiarly those
of woman: eff | respected the mar
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