The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-02-27
HOW THEY DIE ON THE STAGE.
A Managers Experience Of the Manner II
Which Leading Actors and Actresses
Give Up the Ghost.
New York Htar.1


THAT'S what you're AFTER said q. A.
Grnver tho courteous stage manager of
Haverlys Brooklyn Theatre to SIN rs-
porter "HOw do actors die on the sta0ei In
various ways, ! should any. from q great
many causes or from no causes at all. In
shooting secures young aud inexperienced
actors will fall before You sec the flash OF hear
tho report of the platol- shot. 10 stand with
out tlinchng while pistol Ia aimed Mt yo, IL
not very enay. In our early days we fired
cork balls ut zach other to overcome our
nervousness Shooting accidents nro nn-
,nerous on the stage. | need not remind you
of tho latest fatal Case In Baltimore. Once
we took aix lnnasota from tho prnperty-room
and found slngs IN every ono Of them.
IA to myself have suf1etai all Inannera OF
death. Hguratively, In the past twenty five
YEARS, This 10 tho first senson ~ that long
period nm not acting. There were heavy
pieces In which had to die every night
Tor weeks. | do not approve of Safvini's
death acellaa. nor Ut the hospital atmosphere
on tho stage. Death from corrosive poison
Is precoded by excrucatlng pains: Arc they
n tit subject for illustration W. Gondall per
aonatef IL Bnrnum'e Museum a man suffer
Ing from dellrlum remona. lIo was seized
with st,aRlns and WAS carried oil the stage
utterly eghn,isted Iis representation 81 his
celebrated character 81 Edward Middleton.
tho Dr,lnkard." was too realistic and reptll-
sive to tho audience.
Consumption On tho stage has not spread
much Oh thls al1e Ut tho Atlantic. Clara Nor
ria has her peculiar cough ms LnIU NJ The
1itmriina Matilda Heron surpnsssh her In
That character I'm jack Sheppard occurs "
scene where II cloth Ia thrown over n mans
hesd and two rnIIiaus club him to death. Tho
cloth was getting saturated with blood. The
apot atDrs ohjacteh to 40 brutal mn exhibition.
and now the bludgepDs do their work Oft the
stage. or dozsn men shot In play each
ono will act and die differently.
NJ the old Park Theatre. mndaT Mrs. Cnn-
ways management, swung from the limb
OF u tree on tho stage and prevented the com
mission Dir n murder Iho villain ~ tho piece
has lnveigeh girl into mountain glen,
where he hnd already dug grave for her. l
hear her CRIES for help whle standing on tho
TOP Of a c'Ir twenty feet high md grnsplng
IN limb of 4 trco / swing down. rescue tho
girl and with II terrific blow OF tho sphde.
| padded on the back. kill tho villain Az tho
rehearsal discovered n dafective spot IN tho
saplng, which was to enable tho resouor 10
make his descent.
pointed out tho weak part to tho carpen-
tor who entered Into Nh ArguRument and
| claimed tho hickory was strong enough 10
hold an elephant. To put 1t toa test. ran
no the cliff and swung down. The Haping
| did break ut tho point had Indicated, and !
| fell down, but landed snfey on my feet. Next
| time another saplng snapped. anu Collin
stuart broke his arm. Death by hanging Is
| frequent occurrences on the stage. ! was let
to tho galows many times, for Instance. Ia
tho "Garpenter OF Rouen.' and In 'Jesaif
| Brown by Houcicanlt.