The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1889-01-31
DEATH AND The THEATRE.
Cases OF the Grim Visitation on Ancient
and Modern Stages

AND Modcra stag-s-
1t is recorded of julius Cesar t..st
in his own theatre his lx.ssi1n so over
came him during the piece that when
ono of the actors b:pu:.,.. hirn a
p,isoaed sliiIt dipped in the Ll,s ! OF
the Ccataar Nessus, instead OF pre-
tending only To kill him. he did so
actually and threw his b<xiy over his
head In like manner one uf tho
earliest issssion plays of which we
h;:vc :ass stsount was rendered terri,
ble il. IL result II was actSl in
Swedcn-in 1913. III tho reign of John
IL ll,s.Sl.a tae netor, had [, pierce the
sidc sa tisps person representing Our
SaSicnf Is he knng upon the cross.
f,i& .eic.a.:, cyciscaicnt WAS SD great
thai b. n!l.iicea his lance is.to the man
and liliee list. .Anl this was not the
cad ei i FOR the KING Indignant ut
such issl,asiiy. fis'w i.engis. and the
people. ingenstsl at the death of their
fayo.ito actor. cat oil the kings head
: SD II least history tells US. In moro
recent times death hes frequently
played an unwelcome part upon the
stage u5 8
There oncc was theatre ia Lin
cola's Inn Fields, and here cello
brsstcd setor named Spiiler was, in the
early r;srf of The last century. laortally
stiie.al.Ssy t,!>o,lcSy while playing in
tic lss,dsa i',sgerpine. A similar
i@ts -t44s!l nsss less than- thrce sFell
known Tic::ch actors about the .sanie
time. These were Monileury, Mon
dory and E9icourt
Fifty yG,is. l;:tcr the celebrated Peg
WofIingson. when acting rs Rosalind,
in repeating tic cpiloguc to 'As You
Like 1t, was struck down bT paral isis
after Etleting lbs works, "rd ki&s es
many of youf,s had bear,isthst pleased
mc. From this attack she never re-
covered, although she fingered for
nearly three years Gro death released
her, Samuel Foote. tie English Aris-
tophancs, as lie was called. had sinl-
liar seizure wl,iie ccting ia his own
comedy, The Devil Upon Two
Sticks. and died IL few months after.
ward. There was g ghGstiy eppropri-
atci' css III the death CT an actor named
Peterson, who for long time was q
piociinent member of the Norwich
theatrical company He was taking
the part Of the Duke is Measure 1fosr
measure, u and lad 10 sooner uttered
the words,
Reason thus with hfc:
Ii do lose thee. do lose q thing
Tha; none but faoLs woali koep . breath thou Grt
than he dropped into brother octor's
arms and died suddenly. The tragic
death of Palmer, the original Joseph
Surface, is well known. He was play.
ing in Tho Stranger, at Liverpool.
In the fourti, act, aliuding to his wife
snd fAlll.ei,. he had just uttered the
words: no. God! GOdl there is an.
other and better world" when he fell
dead ut the feet of Whitfield, who
acted Baron Steinford. Tho singula,
thing about these real stage tragedies
is the invisible link that connects Tie
last words Of the cctor with the mo.
ment of Lis death Cumming was
performing in Jane Shore" He cx-
pircd on tho stage Immediately aftel
rcciting the following lines:
Be witnesa for mo, 90 celestial hostai
Such mercy and shch pardon as my soul
Accords 10 Ties end bceS.s Of heaven to show thee
Nay snch befa1 inc ut rly latest heur
The explanation probably is latent
heart disease brought into activity by
tic depressing thoughts suggested BY
the words. As. for INSTANCE, when
Miss Maria, Linley expired at Bath
some years ago while singing II Know
that My Redeemer Liveth." The in
stances of death on the stage from
culpable negligence are, unfortunate
ly, numerous enough. Royalty ones
witnessed one of these accidents a
Arnstodt Mime. Llnsky in the cou,s.
of the play had to be fired at by a I'll.
of soldiers. The men had been. in
structed, before loading their pieces
to bite CT the bullet when biting the
cartridge. This one of them neglected
to do, and death was the result,
A similar accident oIpa happened in
Dublin "A conjurcr, i'll performing
the feat Of catching ballet fired from
q pistol in his teeth, handed to q young
gentleman from the audience The
wrong pistol, and the bullet pierced
his brain. Edmund Kean's last Gp
pearance on the stagc was tragic:l ir
a double sense. Ho was acting il
"Othello," on the 2Jtll of March, 1888
at Corent Garden theatre, Wher
he was seized with sudden, indisposi
ton His last words, as he fell iatt
his sons arms, were: II pm dying
speak to them for me, Charles. Lon
don Standard. t