The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-01-25
New York HeTald.l

The announcement; OF the death OF Mr.
/ Soihern took the town in general ana The
profession In particular by surprise,
for. although the serions Illness OF the
distinguished comedian was universally
| known. death came, as usual, when IT was
| least expected. Mr.. Sothern led three very
active, busy lives domestic, professional,
and nersonal. OF the stage he was not the
" Syhariie Of fourteen night shirts" His
| London home was most comfortable one.
|, was even elegant in detail, but 1t was
planted in the busiest part OF the city, and
there was no pretence about It. Large hre-
insurance offices occupied the ground hoor
Of the house; the drawing-room windows
looked down busy Bond street; Overtime way
Is a great drapery establishment; the roar OF
OyfoId street sautes the ear noisily. one
must turn within TO find the home OF an
artist and man Of culture. The drawing
room was an apartment more Of the sort
New England people cab the living-room
than the solemn and ceremonlous salon.
| PIc,ure,Que confusion characterized this
oDartment, which was library and smoking
room in one. Works OF art were there
| from every quarter Of the civilized and
| semi-civiliZed globe-not only from all parts
of Europe, but from Asia, from Africa. and
| from far-Off corners of America. They
crowded chimney-pieces, consoles. tables,
desks the great carved oaken desk espe-
cially where Dundreary sat and attended
| 10 bis vOluminOus correspondence. Al
all the windows and over the en-
trance. door hung baskets filled Win
living blooms, each suspended by an odd
sort OF hool.--a rude imitation in brass OF
hand exercising the evil eye. These hooks
were sent aS gifts from Mo2ador in Morocco,
as were several other objects in the room
hanging scimitars, brass plaques, candela-
bra. ottomans. On the wall in front OF Mr..
Sothern, as he sat at his broad desk, hung a
large octagonal china pIaque-a lovely
piece-p1in;td by an Italian artist. 1t bore
the heads of two children, blonde and a
brunette. surrounded bv garland OF ma
jolca flowers wonderfully true, their
colors deepened by the ruby velvet
background OF the suspended case.
The desk was Uttered with q c0nfu'
sion OF those small objects which we
call .little bits OF things by which eX-
preston not broken fragments are meant,
but those pretty bibel0tS the collection and
contemplation OF which give pleasure to the
tasteful mind-a squat blue toad with yel.
low eyes; malachite paper.weigbt, the
Gift OF Russian nObleman; a monkey, IN
old Deft, taking bath IN an oval tub !; Love
launching fairy boat, in sevIeS, the freight
foriui,ous load OF pens and pencil-caseS.
On the chimneypiece, pilgrims fiisks In
| Glen crown brODZes from Barbe iienne, deli
! cate carved ivory vases from China, small
| edition OF POwcrs's Greek slave in biscuit,
and uncountable portraits OF personal
friends of the actor. On an ebony cabinet
stood terra.cota group, by wills, Of Tita'
mia aud Bottom. Larger pieces, in niches
| nadded with ruby satin, represented re-
| spectIVcly The Good Samaritan and Hamlet
| and Ophelia. Amid the pellme OF rugs
Persian, Chinese, and InGian-whch lay
about was a great beaIskin-the coat OF a
huge "grlzzly." whose acquaintance when
alive Mr.. Sothern had the honor OF making
| i'm The SieIras Of California. Serving as a
fre-screen was a case filed with rare birds
and butterflies OF gorgeous hue from Ameri-
ca, skilfully mounted.
Mr.. Sothern was at his best about mid
night, on his return from the theatre. sur
rounded by small party OF congenial
friends at the supper-table, his VIII ana
gayety were such that he seemed to be con-
tipung in.plivate life the drolleries ne had
been presenting on the stage throughout
the preceding three hours. Few theatre
goers perhaps suspect 10 how great an eX'
tent the fun OF Dundreary was eXtemDora-
neous each evening. 1t has been well said
that there was one character who was even
more amusing than Lord Dundreary, and
that was Mr. SotherD. AS a fdTceur he hau
| few compeers on either side the ocean.
The high.toned idiocy OF the stage cbarac-
ter was often reproduced in private lie,
but with this difference: that instantly af'er
"a Ia Inn Is.
ness In speech, with lack-lustre eye and
smilele.s visage, Mr.. Sothern joined heartily
in the laughter OF the group. This impulse
was so strong in the man that IL was simply
wonderful how he preserved his gravity on
the stage, and he himself confessed that In
Dundreary he often bit bis lips till The
blood came 10 keep from laughing with the
audience.
HIS PRACTICAL JOKES.
That his peculiar temperament should
have led him into numerous practlcai Jokes
was TO- he expected. Many queer stories
are told of him that had no foundation IN
fact, but there were enough based on trnth
TO satisfy the most exacting lover OF Inc
farcical. Perhaps one OF the CHIEF OF tbese
was perpetrated in this city some years ago.
when the "sacred spire" OF Trinity church
WAS Se1fcleu as Tue sCcnc vi biS O"pO' """
the good people OF New York in generai
and Wall street in particular were bis chosen
victims. He inserted card in the papers
and issued a circular also to the following
effect:
"a CARD.
Professor Captell A. Biglie, Of the sell
eptjfjc school OF Wisconsin University, has
the honor 10 inform the public that he VIII
give an exhibition OF his completed appara-
tus for navigating the air on "Wednesday
afternoon the oh instant. at 3 O'Clock pre-
cisely, in the vicinity OF Trinity church.
The Professor proposes TO fiy from house to
house across Broadway, at angles then
from Trinity TO Bowling Green and return,
and will ascend as high as the summit OF
Trinity steeple, aud hover few hours in
that vicinity. An opportunity WILDE given
after the exhibition 10 examine the appara.
tus. The people are respecifnlly invited"
Such, 10 brief, was the bait offered, and II
was greedily swallowed. AT balfpAst IL on
the day in question little knot OF people
had gathered close TO the churchyard rail-
Iugs at I O'CLOCK tbe pavement was IN
measure obstructed, At the tide over
flowed into the street, and by 3 =. A.--lhe
advertised hour Of exhlbllloD-tbe whole