Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-09-03

! A Noble Woman, and Splendid Actress
Her Long Reign as a Stage Queen of
| the South.
Correspondence Of the Morning Neaos
LIVE OAK, FLA, August 31.-Mobile
was the first to recognize a new tbeatrl-
cal star of great brilliancy, i'm the lovely
young actress-this being about the year
1851. One of Virginia's proudest. hand
| soonest, and most eminent Whig politi-
clans followed her thither, and offered her
his hand, his heart being captive; but the
! partial fates reserved her for that highest
bliss, a marriage of ardent affection with
lover of equal age.
Miss Deans popularity grew rapidly.
and she had all the South to herself, since
| Mrs. MOwatt chose to devote herself TO
Eastern audiences, and Charlotte Cush-
man played in her tragic role beyond the
Atlantic. America had only this trio of
great actresses. Homage to an actress
meant more then than now, for theatres
were not numerous as now, and, besides.
the elite of several cities disdained to pa
trOnize any but genuine celebrities.
But the arrival of our actress was ever
gala time for the managers, since il
brou ht them crowded and brilliant
houses. Society gladly welcomed her.
too, like another SiddOns, or the lovely
Sontag, OF Operatic fame.
In the fall, with the return of crowds in
the cities, she would come South by wav
Of the Atlantic towns, pass to Mobile ana
New Orleans, and ascend the Mississippi
valley, and she retraced this course in the
latter part of the winter. She seldom
played an engagement longer than two
weeks. She was a little taller than the
average OF her sex, slender, graceful, dig
nitied, and had beautiful face, through
which shOne a cOuntenance so benignant
and WOmanly that all who saw her were
inspired with respect and admiration. 1t
was her rare worth and loveliness as a
woman, more than her deserts as an
actress, which swayed the multitude of
her admirers. A savage chieftain who
had never regarded woman except as a
drudge would have promptly rendered
Obeisance to this queenly beauty. The
actors and actresses seemed to be impress
ed equally with the spectators. 1t is
/ doubtful whether she ever suffered the
infiictiOn of hiss.
Her list of plays was short, and they
were the easy kind, such as "The Lady of
Lyons" "Evadne," "The Hunchback.V
"ROmeO and Juliet" and ''Ingomar.v The
last suited her as we'll as if it had been
written for her. She was very effective in
the little French play d in three acts
totiNh ucutlllCs VI luC IIlut OI Ifle
Village" in which she impersonated the
course of drunkard's wife-from the
happy, contding young bride, to the desc
late, poverty stricken mother, who must
needs part with her babe to a foundlings'
home to save it from starving. She rem
dered this into a more powerful temper
ance lesson than any oratOrical appeal of
the lecturers.
The fiattering Overtures of society did
not betray her into any folly, nor cause
her to relax her professional efforts.
1t was said that her advent among the
gay, generous citizens of New Orleans
was usually followed by an outpouring of
ardent inquiries by chiYalrous gentlemen
of Louisiana whether she would consider
offers of matrimOny, including sugar and
cotton plantations.
1t is the crowning glory of her life that
she waived many a brilliant offer i'm a NO.
cuniary sense, and made love match
This was with DR.. Hayne, of Charleston.
scion of the distinguished family of
that name. Thus she followed the divine
JunctiOnQf LOngfellOw, ''Let love be free,v
She was greatly admired in New York
also. Your correspondent once saw her
draw the densest audience ever packed
within the Broadway Theatre.
Marriage and the cares of maternity did
not take her off the stage, for the last time
we met her she was playing ia St. Louis,
after she was the mother of two fine little
boys. We believe that she was in the Pa
citic cities during the war.
Many thousand SOutherners would love
to carry flowers to the grave of thetr
Thespian queen,' whose lie, all in. all.
they cannot hope "a see again. G.C.P.