The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-08-23
THE TnIALs on an AcTREss.
She Was Once Too Stout and Is Now Entirely
Too Lean.

Brooklyn Eagle.
Miss Fannie Davenport bids fair to rival Sarah
Bernhardt. She grows lighter and thinner
every day of her life, and, in spite of every
effort. she finds it impossible to eone to stand
still She eats with Foracity candy, sugar, POI
tatoes, and, in fact, all the things which she
ceased eating when she wished to grow thin, but
she goes on falling away. day after day, like a
veritable disciple of DR.. Tanner. 1t will be re-
membered that Miss Davenport, before herde-
parture for Europe, about two years ago, grew
extremely stout. She became so big and cum
bersOme on the stage, that when she died as
Camille, it Was proposed to change the text so
as to have her die Of dropsy, rather than con-
sumption The spectacle Of Miss Davenports
$50 odd pounds of ayoirdupois melting away with
consumption in the last act of Camille, y
from the window to the post of the
bedstead in her last hours as she
wasted away, one instinetively felt sorry for the
bed post Armand looked overawed top
weighted and snbdued when he took the massive
Camille In his arms All of these things an
noyed Miss Davenport. as they naturally would
an artist of her extremely sensitive and high
strung temperament She has the utmost regard
for her art, and she comes of one of the Oldest
stage families in America She thought it was
necessary for her to reduce her weight, ard she
went to Paris to consult eminent physicians
about it. When she got there she learned, af-
ter paying enormous fees, exactly what one of
the fye or ten thousand amateur athletes in
New 4Ofk cOu1Q nave COlO nef, me HarlSlan
physician said that she must take exercise in
order to reduce her flesh This is what everyone
does in the athletic world. from John L. Sulli-
van to Seddon's Mouse. Miss Davenport walked
twelve miles day, swung dumb bells, ate nom
fattening food and gradually reduced her weight
until, when she came back to America, she was
in perfect trim. She gave up sweetmeats, can
dies sugar and all of the delicacies Of the table
in which women usually delight, and devoted
herself assiduously to training down When
she appeared here as Fedora she had regained
the graceful figure which made her the talk of
the town at her debut at Days Theater years
ago She was very much wrapped up in the
production of Fedora, but she continued her
training until about six months ago, when she
suddenly discovered that she was beginning to
shrink too much. Her costumes were gathered
in more and more until she began to show angles
at the shoulders and her arms grew so small
that She became alarmed about them. Then
she ceased all exercise plunged with reckless
ness into potatoes, sweetIneats and sugar, sat
still from morning to night and devoted all her
energies to growing fat Despite her most en-
thusiastic efforts she grew thinner and thinner.
She went to her home IN Canton, Pa, and laid
plaeidly in a hammock from incoming 10 night
It had no effect. She tipped the beam at q
lighter weight every succeeding day. Then she
went down on Long Island and tried surf
bathing. Fruitless. Miss Davenport still CON
tnues to decrease in weight, and the chances are
that she will begin this season in state closely
1,atY1 no I'm tafnaciafi0ff