The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1884-03-01
Our New York Letter.
Regular correspondence Of ADVOCATE.
New YoRK. Feb. Goth. 1884.

New York, Feb. 26th, 1884.
Poor Salmi Morse is dead at last, ant
he died in manner eminently worth,
of his career. That his death was caus
ed by suicide is undoubted, although
some of his friends are making feebl,
efforts to have it appear as if he hat
been wayluid, robbed, killed and thrown
overheard. But the fact that only 4
week previous he had, late at night, il
the company with q friend visited th,
iudentical spot where bis remains wer,
1 found, and remarked "what beautifu
spot il WI 8 to shuttle off this mortal coil,
Is direct proof in favor of suicide.
| know this remark to be a fact. because
the friend alluded to Is an acquaintance
of mine, ana he repeated the remark tc
me as curious, before the death was dis.
covered. Salmi Morse was an odd com
pound of ndventurer and nigh mora
enthusiast. Had be been placed in pro.
| per circumstances, he would have been
great man and have done mankind
much good. As it was, be found himself
| throughout his career q wrong pig in
every hole in which he was placed. His
enthusiasm for dong great and good
actions remained unweakened, bnt as he
had to exert all his energies to tide over
one difficulty after the other, he natur.
ally drifted into the character of man
who lives by his wits, and grew weaker
| aud weaker in his struggles after bis
higher aims. Among the pecplo who
visited the remains at the Morgue was
Theatrical man who had known him
pretty well. AS he went out he said
"Well, poor fellow, he lived by his wits,
and he got tired of doing so any Longer
because he found that his wits were
pstering out, anil he departed" This
was rather cynical, but it in measure
summarized the career aud end of tire
man.
Morse's latest venture, "On the Vel.
| lOwstone," it is needless to say, is fail
e,and it is sad to think of tie fAtt
of the star, young Mary Blackbu n
practically u dsbutant, and protege OF
Morse's because he and her tnther had
been close friends She is good woman
and bright woman, but no actress.
Her own company guy her. and hel
managers desplse her. II she has nc
kind friends 10 take care of her, no moth
erly woman to press her to her bosom, ii
IS easy to see what she will come to. Al
present the poor thing is almost broken
hearted She will have to summon all
her energies however for the battle for
existence, and how many unprotected d
young women come out of it unscathed?
'On the Yellowstone, reminds ME
that in the cast there is no less a person
than the once peerless Pauline Markham,
but such is the prejudice against hor
that she appears in it under an assum, d
name. Strange 10 the career of th s
woman. The daughter of plain but
eminently respectable parents in SEQ =
land, she WAS upon growing up taugt t
millinery. Her beauty of face and figure
attracted attention aud some one put her
on the stage or course the stage meant
the burltsque business. Sue created
sensation. Lydia Thompson then secur-
ed h0r and Pauline was in the first COM
pany OF burlesque artists the t she brought
over to this country, She was then but
eighteen years of age. She aroused
general attention. She rose to her zenith,
however, in the phenomenal run Of the
Black Crook, in which she was the orig
in Il STALAcTA. Then all gay New Yotk
-, Id and young fell at her feet. Presents
OF jeNelry, dresses, monsy, dinners, alter
tons and entertainments were showered
at her. In her young days she had
known of wealth only through hearing
of it. and of course her head was turae1i
Sue plunged laughingly into the mau
vortex which the world called pleasure
until the qualms of the next day prove II
to have been madness. The money she
received she spent lavishly, and thus
things went on for years. The awaken
ing came. Other beauties, fresher aud
younger drove her from the throne.
Like NIL women who haye gained notori
ety-fame they call it--.by their forms
and faces, she ascribed her successes tc
her talents. She was numerically guy.
ID. Sac grew serious aud her quaud m
admirers made bad jokes over her. She
| grew impatient and they left her. After
they had departed. they circulated vile
stones about her, and pretty Poll awokt
and found herself one of the most infam.
Gus women in the eyes u. the world, one
to whom every vica could be attributed,
and on the stage the jealousy of rivals. as
well rs her own mental shortcoming gs
soon found as terrible a way of thorns
as she had once met path of roses. Fol
years now she had been struggling fcl
bare existence. Unpaid board bills are
no Iufrequent parts of her history during
that time. Every venture went wrong
| She must be sorely in need when she has
under ali assumed name. to accept G
subordinate part in u play like On the
| Yellowstone, where she may receive fif
teen or twenty dollars a week on paper
but may eventually get nothing. What
will be the end of this womaul She is
strong and healthy, who dispite the,
troubles she has gone through, will not
soon meet with a natural death. Some
time under press of circumstances, their
| painiulnesS intensified by recollections
of the past, she no doubt will dIsAppetI
from life OF folly and regret as unob.
| ;rusively as she now makes her exit from
the stage at the Cosmopolitan.
The remains of Lieutenant Command.
er belong, and the comrades who per,
| ished with lin in the Lena Delta were
received in this city last week, and on
Washingtons birthday they were con
veyed in solemn procession to the Brook
lyn Navy Yard, where they lay in state
previous to their interment. The day
NdS OehutliNi one, anu u larger tuTOhR
than lined Broadway has seldom been
seen in New York 1t was impossible,
as one recalled the events of that ill-star-
ed expedition, not to hope that so much
bravery, fortitude and hereto devotion
to duty as was manifested by these men
to whom the last honors were being
paid bad been wasted for the last time
on expeditions to the Polar regions
Such expeditions. ii successful, may
bling to the explorers the glory that
naturally falls to those who perform
any feat of great daring and endurance,
but at the best they are void of true
scientific value, and such gllry is not
worthy of brave mans ef d ,avor.
New Advertisements.