The sun., 1881-01-30
SOME NOTES or sornEnN, TEE Acron.
Sothern's real name was Sothern. He
was Of highly respectable mercantile family


was Of highly respectable mercantile family |
In Liverpool and in going on tho stage took |
the name OF Dugald Stuart, under which he |
came to this country. and played under tho |
management OF Barnum Mt the old Museum. |
and OF tho elder Wallock and Stuart at Wal |
lacks, corner Of Broome and Broadway. and |
Laura Keene at Laura Keene's Varieties. after
ward the Olympic. He came out with cage |
of monkeys imported by Barnum. and on
the passage ho is said to have
caught many OF tho cunning qualities |
OF these wonderfully mimetic animals. who in
many OF thoir attributes resemble the actor.
He did not succeed. however. at first ut Boston. |
nor hero for some time. though his tasty multi |
and gentlemanly presence always made him
acceptable His first success was as armand
which he played to the Camille Of Matilda
Heron at tho opening OF her brief meteoric
career. No one who had seen Fochter in the
role could think OF it as good performance
But he looked tho gentleman. played it ns
gentleman. and he could not holp catching
some inspiration from his surroundings.
But he ncvcr was an artist. He was never re-
gardcd rs such by any frst-class critic or
artist. Such artists ns Fechter and BoucicGuh
when questioned about his performances al-
ways answered will quiet smi % of contempt
Hewas simply mimetic animal "a very anus
ing one And the enjoyment ho evoked was
received tho same as that created by cunning
monkey. He was full Of prsnks and kept
Kcone s before he asconded to the starry flrma-
mont. He frequently exhibited his talent for
occasion he was playing with James An ierson.
tho Macredian tragedian. nt Old Wnllgck's In
Thing equally appropriate, and. being left in the
action Of tho piece alone with him on tho stage,
With the m2st ii 9hRrmhg IA aapdmSity ,mh,,niicd hin
verify his echo. and thon with the same
stilted stride marched aeross the stage.
furious Sothern. escaped to his dressing
room. In, those days, with good old Harry
Spirituaism and affected to have the siit OF
magnetism. Some Of the lo.ollHst M girls IN ~ New
York were am0ng his sqs]ertt Mrs John Wood
ting his wife and Mrs. Boucieault 70 walk down
Broadway. and when they met him with one
lew 'i passinRs Of the hand to stand suddenly
what the matter was. and on their saying they
could not move. relieved them with few passes
and wsfsd II ths n
for tho conversion Of Sir Julius Benedict
and Canon Teeslale. OF Christ Church. Dublin.
| induced Mrs. Bouccault and Mrs. Edmund
Yates to affect being in the nesmoric state. and
through a variety Of vagarles. Isherwooi, like
| the disciples OF oil other impostureE. believed
IN the Sne Of the was dy IN
| messages with the spirits OF Shakespeare. Ba-
con. Tom Hamblin. Helen JeTstt, and like
calamity, came into Wailaek's private room.
hear that l have had a very beautiful letter
from Johnson. II is great eonsGnlation;"
with am ons very Gy lis H"a sweet Rndy "a smss
did not think; to say Tho the truth: hTs that that
ban9 OF ha nRmG nds @'SSF sr% cd s eS@
capable OF anything of that kind" "oh;
Johnson Ishnr-
WS6d WS6d' accompanied sMaS MED sothcrH 70 Halifax,
where he built a small theatre. during the two
Dig Dig and id' IdSS ; to ,s"lSSrn's HGcjth and
or a ISlsN S on uuSS tho st u G these 2ss s"thern
remembering that that Grent artist and most
genial GGHSmHn ias IS5s Mam Sdn II BSss
ins room. where hc found Blake seated before
the glass, with the usual omhelilshing auxiia-
and his faS9Te E%is of G
pHHl%' Going Os'? q Hafaz and as yoa cams from
d Has gon& said baEd cSsa nj
tho solemn swell which he. could put on.
s1S nad 6
kind OF you 70 think. OF this Ny, tnmily are
well known there Yog wiz ia1 shsy nnys
there MY mother came with mo md is buried
in Dlee5ker street. Much Affected; l should
Sothern. 10 bring on-but it is perhaps
too much. TO bring on-oh. no. 1t 1 Is too q
some capital picked ma,ckerel in Halifax; bring
me q barrel OF that
at On all ninTy Sy'rE oSrn WIN Would Xho% aaSp
Gke oq h1 stuart Mss
vei which he s' once at least found payment with
interest ON his a5st visit to hslifaS' which
ma, he encountered a fierce opposition
from the clergy AGSi9ns Ss. .Om. on G
ionSe. hs applied. to Stuart who furnished him
with a number OF strong extracts from the ger
RHi Witch " with due" due rsfsrsnses We're Invented
When Sothern reached Halifax as no expected
the drum eceesiastical was beaten. iIo answers
$Geeh hqqFoP gR2'dRRs iound h' S%IsofS'
,, teisgraphed on to New York again and nsaiI
for explanation in vain. To this day he is re-
The story OF the y" American Cousin " has 10
been correctly told. Tho piece was sent over Il
by M TEN TG S se
him to Stuart, with tho proytso TINT h
season for $1,000. On Mr.. Wallack., however
Tesuming ,H ,mHan%agement' % il WAS SOD ,n to M MIs
} certain results. Our American Cousin WA
, originally q Kentucky backwoodsmaaa. an,
Soharn n'Fss sU dScnaa tho s D
. dreGry. He had seGn Lester Mallnek play
{ similar part in BoucleauILs comedy o. Loy
and Money" and was always eager for sucl
y part. Lester wallack lent him his cee
/, bratcd purple cont. and Boucicault some,hin
| OF the business TO start with. still he croGte
| Dudred,B. Much of the fun derived Its charm
from its being propelled by an instinctiyr PRO
Q | rensity-the innate love OF having It like Nir
; even Intellectual fun, ran throush il. sii
he could never mako that impression on tn
feelings which Lester Wallark often does il
| parts from which comedy ls not bauished: bu
emotion is suddenly wak"ned lay blunt an
= genuine nature and tho exhibition OF epon
r taneous sonshlity. No motor can know l.
I ! general anticipation tho moment at which
| evon in the most lulicrous comic part. a singi
I infection OF the voice. the forcible enuncin
tion Of word or slight change in III
| | gesture or department will hy Il sudden nppea
; | to the natural affections give life and 'tluct {
I | passages which would otherwise fall stll-hur
, and scnseless: nor could he, like Jefferson
| who plays ono part because it Is profitable. bu
who never touched one that he did not Adurr
So change the outer and innOr man that II trans
| migration OF souls would be- weak conf parisur
| Abstract from certain peculiaritlDs in any Otnu
= | prrSOnRtion. and there WIS always u rCsiduul
% tnut might be called IJ,udredry.
= When Sothern went to London he did not Il
} | first succeed. II took Il ratunr lengthy ope.a
. | tiun 10 get In the Joke AT last he became. an
r 10 the last continued tho rage. lie for II Ion
: | tim" maintained costly and charming csiah
I | Ii-nmont mt tina "CalIlr, ~ lt [pnsiu.tpn