The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1883-02-23
A CHAT WITH THE CREOLE.
Story of Miss Lillian Spencer's Theatrical
Career as Vivaciously Mar
rated by Herself.
Her Opinion of San Antonio and Turner
Hall-Her Face Once Pow
der Burned.

der Burned.
A LIGHT commissioner yesterday called upon
Miss Lillian Spencer at the Hotel Maverick.
When the Creole" appeared she was neatly
attired i'm a grey costume adorned with granite
velvet trimming, and wore upon her head
piquant blue Gypsy bonnet. She had just re-
turned from a drive. AS she took a seat, the
light fell upon her face and showed it in all its
expressiveness. Miss Spencer is rot Il very
beautiful woman and yet she is exceedingly
cOmely. LuXuriant hair of a dark-brOwn color
adorns her head, she has a broad, intellectual
forehead, her nose is aquiline, her lips full and
of Il healthy red-all her features regular and
symmetrical. Her form is somewhat inclined
to the petit, and she is slender and very active.
Her eyes are notable. They are dark-grey, but
changeable in their hue, and expressive of
passion, romance and intensity of feeling:
And she is, for an actress, very young, not
having reached her 10th birthday. One thing
was pleasing to the commissioner Spencer
was perfectly natural and womanly. She had
not, like many Thespian yotarics, made the
mistake that she was obliged to make up" of
the stage as well as on it. .r
Miss Spencer advanced and extended her
hand cordially, at the same time eXclaiming
"Oh, you are here at last, you naughty man !;
why did you not come before, You promised
and show me round your city," The commits
siOner pleaded the pressure of engagements
which was accepted and Miss Spencer pro
ceeded to ask, well, now, what do you want
to know" The commissioner intimated that
the editor considered that II few facts of her
life, opinion and experience would be accept
bic to the LIGHT readers, on which she pro-
ceeded in an unefected way to say that she
was the daughter of DIR. Spencer, of Pitts
burg, Pennsylvania, and was educated ut the
Ursuline convent there,
WHERE SHE GRADUATED.
During her scholastic studies she evinced
considerable elocutiOnary and dramatic power,
gaining the gold medal awarded for those
studies. Miss Spencer then appeared i'm anna
teur performances with marked success and
eventually decided to go ON the stage. Her
friends especially her father, who is a
good Catholic, strongly opposed the project,
but she managed to overcome their objections
and was engaged by Miss Louise POmerOy to
support that star in The Farmers Daughter,
playing the character of Justine. In 1880 she
appeared at the Fifth Avenue theatre under
Mr.. Max StrakOsch i'm the character of Haze |
kirke, in which she scOreda big success Since
then she attained considerable popularity in
the character of Cora, having appeared in The
Creole i'm various parts of the States
"What teacher had | 7" added Miss Spencer;
81 had none. All | know is by natural instinct
cultivated by close study of the authors text
and by experience attained on the stage.
often feel that ] should like to have some les
SONS of an expert.
"You like The Creole as you saw it in Paris,
and not ours? Well, am not surprised, be-
cause the translation is certainly weak. have
myself made certain alterations, for you must
know am Il little bit of AN adaptreSS. Still the
play is susceptible of great Improvement. The
absence of suitable surroundings compels one
to play under great disadvantage. Fancy, in
Duhamel. When Forrest played the
character he looked young, manly
and handsome, and there was some eX-
cuse for my folly, but the present representa-
tive of the character, although a gentleman in
action and really good actor, is destitute of
the natural appearance of one capable of eX-
citing such grand passion. Really the first few
times was raVlng over my supposed 'masher
| could hardly suppress my laughter at the
righteousness of the situation, How can one
feel the full intensity of passion under such
circumstances Then again, the scenery pre-
scented at Turner hall, us you know. is not in
any way in keeping with the grandeur of Pari-
sian life Indicated by the text. These are
serious drawbacks to the travelling actor or
actress. Then dragging from one point to an
other, long journeys. variance of weather,
little rest, no comfort, bad and uncertain liv-
ing are derOgatOry evils. Just think of our
first night here we rose at u O'Clock that day !;
Travelled from Houston, arrived here about
o'clock, fatigued and weared no time for food
or rest the trunks must be unpacked and we
must appear by O'clock, even if we are half
dead, or break faith with the public and lose
money,
"SometImes get discouraged and have seri-
Gus thoughts of retiring from the stage. 1t is
only the strong presentiment OF ultimate sue
cess that keeps me
IN THE THEsPIAN RANKS.
"What was that about my getting shot?
Well, that was a strange affair and might
have put Il sudden end to my dramatic
aspirations. We were playing The Creole in
Rochester. | was the Cora and Arthur Forrest
was the George Duhamel. When Duhamel
seeks to prevent me from leaving to join Vic
tor MaZiler, he draws II pistol and fires and
Cora is thus marked by IL bullet scar. The
pPoperty man had misad FORESTS revolver
and had substituted another. When Forrest
aimed at me the pistol missed fire. Forrest is II
itlh ms m ma hA
rushed after me, drew me on the stage and we
struggled for the possession eff the pistol. While
we were thus engaged, and the revolver was
near my face, il accidentally exploded and the
powder entered my skin i'm the identical place,
strange to say where Cora is supposed TO be
marked. | was panied much but resolved to
finish the performance. Disgusting as far as
possible the black powder mark came on the
stage for the second act, and there fell sense
audience dismissed. ] was taken ~ my hotel
through crowds of anxious, sympathiZing
people, and the doctor extracted about 400
grains of gunpowder. Ii was the most painful
operation ever had performed, but the skin
soon healed, as my blood is very good, and i'm a
few days was again on the boards.
1yoI ought really to get better theatre.
IL would be more comfortable for us, for your
own people II would pay all concerned, in
duce better atteaaaRee and draw better COM
panies.
Langtry has enough trouble in that respect to
warn me, although ] admit ID draws well. /
sometimes feel very sorry for that woman, be-
cause believe she Is innocent OF the ac"us;l-
tiOns made against ner, but she has been awful
ly indiScreet to encourage FreddieS atten-