The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1888-11-15
Death And The Thea er.
kOine RemarkabIe-ActOrsE Expire While
Stimulating Death.


k0nce Remark abEe-ActOrs Expire While
Stimulating Death.
From the London Standard.
1t is recorded of Julius Caesar that il his
own theater his passion so overcame him
during the piece that when one OF the ac
tors brought him a poisoned shirt dipped
in the blood of the centaur Nessus, instead
of pretending only to kill him, he did SO
actually, and threw his body over his heae.
In like manner one of the earliest passion
plays of which We have any account was
rendered terrible in its result. 1t Was
acted in Sweden in 1913, in the reign OF
John FL, Lengis. The actor had to pierce
the side of the person representing oul
Savior as he hung upon the cross. HIST
ligious excitement was so great that ne
plunged his lance into the man and KILLED.
him. And this was not the end OF 1t, Tor
the king, indignant at such brutality, sic"
Lepgis. and the people incensed az the
death Of their favorite actor, cut OH Int
kings head-so at least history tells u.s.
In more recent tunes death has frequently
n,av.d All uuwrlcome part upon the: stage.
There once was "a theater In Lincoln
Inn Fields. and here celebrated actor
named Splller Was. IN the early pant ol LII
,.st c.ntu,y. MORALLY stricken by apop
,..xvuhi,. ,Ia,ing ~ The Rape of Prose1
10 A liar fate brfell 10 less thai
r., wau k,.nwn French actors about the
en-. time. These we're MontleuIy. M"-
do,y and Brlcourt.
E,,,y v..ua a,-r the crlei IA ed Pc.
w,a;noton, when acting as Rosalind, i
-auo,,i,g The +pilogue 10 AS nu Ike
T, WAS stuck down bv paralysis aittr
repeatilg the wo,ds. Il d KISS AS many Il
Won as had hpaids that pleased me- ff' I'D
this attack she nev,r rec Neftd dith"'si
she fingered for ne IL three years t''
aaatI, released her. Samuel Foote. IN
English Artist epl.a ares. as he was calltf
had a similar ~ ,zule While actlrg III ils
own comedy. I h. Devil Upon /"
Sticks ~ a, Il (i, d "A few months after al6
There Was CHASTITY appropr la'elhsS I'D
the death of All at # named trson.
who for long time WAS prominent
member of the Norwich Theatrical Com
pany. He was taking the part OF the DUKE
in "Measure for Measure" and no sooner
uttered the words
Reason thus with life;
IfIdo lose thee do lose a thing
That none but fools would keep; breath thou
art,
Then he dropped into a brother actors
arms and died suddenly. The tragic deatf
of Palmer the original Joseph Surface, is
we'll known. He was playing in 'Iht
Stranger at Liverpool. In the fourth
act, alluding to his wife aud children. hi
had just utter the words, On, God! Cod
there is another and better world" whei
he fell dead at the feet of " h.tfield. who
acted as Baron Steinfort The singular
thing about these zeal stage tn gedles i
the invisible link that connects the last
words of the actor with the moment OF
his death. Cumming was performing il
"Jane Shore.'' He expired on the stag
Immediately at er reciting the following
lines.
Be witness for me, We celestial hosts.
Such mercy and such pardon as my soul
Aecords to the, and begs OF heaven to show thee,
May such befall me at my latest hour.
The explanation probably is latent heart
disease brought into activity by the de-
pressing thoughts suggested by the words
As, for instance, when Miss Maria Lind
ley expired at Bath some years ago, whit
singing 81 know my Redeemer leyith.
The instances of death on the stage from
culpable negligence are. unfortunately
numerous enough. Royalty once wit
messed one of these accidents at Arnstadt
Nine. Linsky. in the course of the play,
had to be fired at by file of soldiers. The
men had been instructed. before loading
their pieces, to bite off the bullet whel
biting the cartridge, This one of them
neglected to do. and death was the result
A similar accident OF CT hal peped In Dub
lin. A copjurer. in performing the feat
of catching bullet fired from a pistol il
his teeth, handed to a young gentleman
from the audience the wrong pistol and
the bullet pierced his brain. Edmund
Kean's last appearance on the stage wa
tragical in double sense. He was act
ing in Othello, on the 26th of March. 1888
at Coyens Garden Theater when he was
seized with sudden indisposition. Hi;
last words, as he fell into his sous arms
were: II am dying; speak TO them fol
me. Charles.'