Morning journal and courier., 1882-05-16
Mile. Rhea's Ordeal.
Why She Plays 'sAdrienne" With Such Terrible Earnestness.
 

Why She Plays ssAdrienne" With Such
 Terrible Earnestness.
 IFrom the New York world-I
 At the time of the terrible nihilist tragedy in Russia, when the Emperor fell a victim to nihilist conspiracy, Mile Rhea was perform ing in the principal theatre in the Russian capital Among the audience every night was young noble, the youngest son of one of Russia's haughtiest and most sristocratic noble families. The baron lost his heart to the fair actress the first night he saw her de learned that in her private life she was the same artles5 girl. the same noble-minded creature as she appeared on the stage. He sought an introduction, and in time was re- ceiyed as a suitor for the queenIJ Rhea's hand, the only deception being the suppress sion of his real name and title, this being done to avoid interference from his proud family. Rhea and he pliRhted their troths, she believing him to be young student and 8 military officer of some distinction. The course of their love ran along very smoothly, and 1t was arranged that at the end of her en- gagement in St. Petersburg they were to be married and Rhea was to retire from the stage. The pleasant programme was never carried out, for two reasons. The baron was in sym pathy with the nihilist movement-not to the full extent to which it was carried, but he was none the less in sympathy with the gene ral principles of nihilism, and what proved as bad he was loved by another-a woman of high caste, who could not brook the sffront of slighted affections She was cognizant of the bsron's sympathy with the nihilists, and when she discovered that the baron's want of appreciation of her charms was due to his love for another, and the other the beautiful girl whom all St. Petersburg was raving about, she was resolved to be reyenged. Rhea was in great favor with the court. The Emperor frequently visited the theatre, and had honored Rhea with a request to play Mary Stuart in the royal palace. To the Elm psror went the naughty patricienEe and dropped hints that Rhea was being used as 8 tool in the hands of the nihilists, and as the baron's political opinions were already sus- pected, she offered to prove the truth of her story by proving clandestins interview be- tween the baron and Rhea. This was of easy accomplishment, and the suspicious were recorded in the archives of the secret police. On the night before the Czar's assas- sinstion, and when Rhea was playing Ca- uille, the box in which her betrothed was seated was suddenly entered, and Rhea saw a military escort enter and march of with him. The incident was fraught with such deadly import in those times that the actress stood transixed with horror and finally swooned on the stage. The Emperor fell next day, and in the storm of national rage that succeeded, the baron found it impossible to obtain a hearing and prove his innocence. He was included in the batch for Siberia, and is now lingering in the quicksilver mines of that ia tai region. Rhea herself narrowly escaped arrest, but incontrovertible proofs of their plot against her were produced. and the new Czar personally apologized for the insult of fered her