Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1889-01-12
DEATH AND THE THEATRE.
Cases Of the Grim Visitation on Anciees
and Modern Stages

Cases Of the Grim Visitation on Anciess
and Modern Stages.
II is recorded OF Julius Cesar that
In his own theatre his passion 30 over
came him during the piece that when
one Of the actors brought him q
poisoned shirt dipped in the blood Of
the Centaur Nessus, instead Of pro-
tending only TO kill him, be did %
actually and threw his body over his
head. In like manner one OF the
earliest Passion plays Of which We
have any account was rendered terri
BILE in its result II was acted In
Sweden in 1913. in the reign Of John
IL Lengis, the actor, had 10 pierce tho
side OF the person representing Our
Saviour as be hung upon the cross.
His religious excitement was so great
that he plunged his lance into the man
and killed him. And this was not the
end Of il, for the king. indignant ct
such brutality, slew Lengis, and the
people, incensed at the death Of their
favorite actor, cut of the kings head
so at least history tells US. In more
recent times death has frequently
played AN unwelcome part upon the
stage.
There once was a theatre in Lin
coins Inn Fields, and here a cele-
brated actor named Spiller was in the
early part Of the last century. mortally
stricken by apoplexy while playing in
the Rape Of Proserpine" A similar
fate befell no less than three well
known French actors about the same
time. These were Monfeury. Mon
dory and Bricourt
Fifty years later the celebrated Peg
Wellington. when acting as Rosalind
in repeating the epilogue TO "As You
Like It." was struck down by paralysis
after uttering the words, I'D kiss %
many Of you as had boards that pleased
me-" From this attack she never re-
covered, although she fingered for
nearly three years ere death released
her. Samuel Foote, the English Aris-
tophanes, as he was called, had q sim
liar seizure while acting In his own
comedy, The Devil Upon Two
Sticks" and died q few months after
ward There was a ghastly appropn-
ateness in the death OF an actor named
Patterson, who for long time was .
prominent member Of the Norwich
theatrical company. He was taking
the part OF the Duke in Measure for
Measure" I" and had no sooner uttered
the words,
Reason thus with life:
| II do lose thee. DO lose q thing
Thai none but fools would keep breath thouuti
than he dropped into brother actors
arms and died suddenly. The tragic
death Of Palmer. the original Joseph
Surface, is we'll known. He was play.
ing in The Stranger" at Liverpool.
In the fourth act, alluding to his wife
and children, he had just uttered the
words: 20, Godl Godi there is an
other and better world, when he fell
dead at the feet OF Whitfield, who
acted Baron Steinford. The singular
thing about these real stage tragedies
is the invisible link that connects the
last words of the actor with the mo-
ment OF his death. Cumming was
performing in Jane Shore" He ex-
pired on the stage Immediately after
reciting the following lines:
Be witness for me. ye celestial ho<si
Such mercy and such pardon as my eoul
Accords TO thee. and begs Of heaven TO khow thsA
May such befail inc at my lstcst hsar.
The explanation probably Is latent
heart disease brought into activity BY
the depressing thoughts suggested BY
tho words. As, for instance, whom
Miss Maria. Enley expired a Bath
some years ago while singing y Know
that My Redecmer Eveth. Ihe IN
stances OF death on the stage irQ1
! culpablc negligence are, unfoFtnn1l1
ly, numerous enough. Royalty -
witnessed one Of these accidents T
Arnstadt Mime. Unsky In the coo1
Of the play had 70 bo ilfcd al by . ~
Of soldiers. The men had ben n
strl1cted, before loading their -
10 bite or the bullet when hitinr r.
cartridge. This ono Of them 49,
70 do. and death was the rcult
A similar accident once happsuo2 =
Dublin. A conjurcr, in pcr3oruIc1
the feat of catching a bullc{ frrd f1--'
q pistol in his teeth, handed 70 sc11r-
gentleman from tho audjcnc< r
wrong pistol, and the bulle -
his brain. Edmund KcanS -
pearance on tho stage was lra1Ic
a double senl>. He VIVA ociIn@
"Othcllo." on the 25th Of Mnuk. D
at Covcnt Garden (heelrr Shc6
ho was seized with sudden indIr@c1<
ton. His lazs vor1s. e he on ~
his sDu's srnA u1ror \ ~ <<In<I
Y. ~ go. 2 - -'''-