Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-02-23
LITTLE Lolita.
The Gill who go: Her Start il California
Hinor Theatre.
FROM \ Sc. DANCER To $4,000 y
YEAR.

Miss Lolita Crahtrcc Is now Il
woman Of 81 or IS summers. She
Ii worth from Sl0O.0O0 - :i1UU,00o. Il
great portion of which is IN her
mothers name. Her father, the elder
Crabtrcc, is living, but neither the
wife nor the daughter want 10 asso-
ciatc with him, so they allow him an
income of so week on condition
that he remains in England and does
not bother them. He has an old
hack horse and a gig, and spends his
life going from place to place. stop
ping Whenever the spirit moves HIM.
1t took some money to teach Crabtrer
discretion. In 1867, when Lolita ap
pcarcl at Wallack's for the first time,
.Mrs. Crabtrce had To make a com
plant and get her husband locked
up. Ii seems he did not like being
turned out of the house at midnight
and had made two or three rows.
But he spent the money too fast To
suit Mrs. Crabtrce, and she WAS de
termincd 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 tho strict 20
r." Lolita came here originally from
California. Her father is an English
man, her mother an American. She
began by dancing jugs in San
Francisco miners dive. Then she
sung little; then she learned the
banjo. When they began to give
afterpieces III 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 ap-
peared at Niblo's old saloon. now the
bar and billiard room of the Metro
politan Hotel. But nobody paid
much attention to her Leonard
I Grover thought he saw something in
her, however. and took her to Phila
delphia, where she played a regular
engagement. 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
pcarcd in St. Louis rs star. and
Theodore Moss was induced to try
her at Wallack's during a summer
season. And as Little Nell, mere
particularly the Marchioness, she
made an immediate success.
Howard called her Il cricket on d
bender, and John Brougham a dra
matte cocktail These and co express
sions did more for Lolita than any
talent she possessed, and from that
day she was made. Lolita can make
on an average, so, 900 a year. whether
her plays are good or bad. She has
been generous. Henry f. Abbey
for instance. owed his first start III
this city to her. She lent him the
money to take the lease Of the Park
Theatre. and frequently since that
time, when he has needed large sums
of money, she has been his banker.
Lolita has been engaged several
times. but for some reason has never
married the man of her choice
There is something mysterious in the
early portion Of her life Some time
ago it was reported that she had a
husband living in California. When
she went there next stranger called
on her a number of times. Mrs
Crabtree rebufled the stranger, but
Lolita always received him kindly
and generally when he left her eyes
We're red. On some occasions she
gave him goodiy sums of money,
which made her mother angry. He
was Il poor devil. shabbily dressed
and out at the elbows, who drank
plentifully, as was evident. Person
ally and in private Lolita is charm
ing little woman. pleasant and aflable
and not conceited. Oldmaidenhood
has not sourcd 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 New
York Letter.