National Republican., 1882-12-30
ALL ABOUT LoTTA.
Where She sprnng From-The Mystery OF
Her Life.

Miss Lotta Crabtrce says the New York
Morning JOHrHdl, is now woman of 81 or 3S
summers She is worth from $40O, 900 to $780,
600, great portion ofwhich is in her mothers
name. Her father, the elder Crabtree, is liy-
ing, but neither the wife nor daughter want to
associate with him, so they allow him an in
come of $50 n week on condition that he re-
mains in England and does not bother them.
He has an old hack horse and gig, and spends
his life going from place to place stopping
whcrovcr the spirit moves him. IL took some
money to teach Crabtree discretion. In
1867, when Lotta appeared at Wallack's for
the first time Mrs. Crabtreo had to make
complaint to get her husband locked up. 1t
seems he did like being turned out the house
at midnight and had made two or three rows.
But he spent the money too flst to please Mrs.
c., and she was determined it should stop.
After she had taken the ways of the law to
help her, Crabtrcc saw he should be able to do
nothing and swallowed his pill and took his
maintenance in silence. Now and then his
daughter sends him little money on the
strict 20. T." Lotta came here originally
from California. Her father an Englishman,
her mother an American. She began by
dancing jigs in San Francisco miners dive.
Then She sung little, then she learned the
in the dive referred to, Lolita played " Nan
the Good for Nothing and pieces of that
class Then she came east and played in st.
Louis. Her success was most moderate. She
came here and appeared at Niblo's old saloon,
now the bar aud billiard room of the Metro
IOlitan hotel. But nobody paid much attcn-
tlon TO her. Leonard Grover thought he saw
something in her, however, and took her 10
Philadelphia, where she played regular en-
gasement. He suggested to John Brougham
that there was some stuff in the little woman,
and Brougham made an adaptation of "Old
Curiosity Shop" for her. With this she ap-
peardd in st. Louis as Il star, and Theodore
Moss was induced to try her at Wallack's dur
ing summer season. And as Little Nell,
more particularly the Marchioness, she made
an immediate success.
Howard called her cricket on a bender,
and John Brougham dramatic cocktail.
These aud coeXpressions did more for Lolita
than any talent she possessed and from that
day she was made. Lotta can make, on an
average, $4,000 year, whether her plays are
good or ba1. She has been generous. Henry
L. Abbey, Tor instance, owed his first start in
this city to Ner. She lent him money to take
the lease of iihe Park theater, and frequently,
since that time, when he has needed large
sums OF money, she has been his banker.
Lotta has bsen engaged several times, but
for some reason has never married the man of
her choice. There is something mysterious
in the earlp poIyiOn of her life. Some time
ago it was reuOrG9d that she had husband
living in California. When she went home
there was a stranger called on her a number
of times Mrs Crabtree rebuHcd the stranger,
but Lottl always rcceived him kindly and
generally when he left her eyes We're red.
On some occasions she gave him goodly sums
of money, which made her mother angry.
He was poor devil, shabbily dressed and out
at the elbows, who drank plentifully, as was
evident. Personally and in private Lotta is a
charming little woman, pleasant and affable,
and not conceited. Old maidenhood has not
soured her to the world, But her acting has
not advanced a peg since she was first seen
here. In all her pieces she is the same.