The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1889-02-07
DEATH AND THE THEATRE.
Cases of the Grim Visitation on Ancient
and Modern Stages.

and Modern Stages.
It is recorded of Julius Caesar that
in his own theatre his passion so over
came him during the piece that when
one of the actors brought him a
poisoned shirt dipped in the blood of
the Centaur NesSus, instead of pre-
tending only to kill him, he did so
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. 1t was acted in
Sweden in 1913, in the reign of John
II. Lengis, the actor, had to pierce the
side Of the person representing Our
Saviour as he 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 it, for the king, indignant at
such brutality, slew Lengis, and the
people, iuccusad at the death Of their
favoritc actor, cut of the kings head
SO ct least history tells US. In more
recent times death has frequently
played All unwelcome part upon the
stage.
There once was a theatre in Lin
coins Inn Fields, and here celo-
brated &ctor named Spiller was in the
early part of the last century, MORALLY
stricken by apoplcxy while playing in
the Rape of Proserpine A similar
fate befell no less than three we'll
known French actors about the same
time. These were Monieury, Mon
dory and Bricourt.
Fifty years later the celebrated Peg
Wellington, when acting as Rosalind,
in repeating the epilogue to "As You
Like 1t, !" was struck down by paralysis
after uttering the words, I'D kiss as
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 Toote, the English Arts
tophanes, rs he was called, had SIM
liar seizure while acting in his own
comedy, The Devil Upon Two
Sticks, and died few months after
ward. There was q CHASTITY appropri-
atencss in the death OF an actor named
Patterson, who for a long time was
prominent member Of the Norwich
theatrical company. He was taking
the part Of the Duke in Measure for
Measure, and had no sooner uttered
the words,
Reason thus with life:
II do lose thee, do lose q thing
That none but fools would keep, breath thou art
than he dropped into brother actors
arms and died suddenly. The tragic
death of Palmer, the original Joseph
Surface, is well known. He was play
ing in '"iale Stranger" at Liverpool.
In the fourth act, abiding to his wife
and children, he had just uttered the
words: 20, God! God! there is an
other and better world, when lie fell
dead st tie feet of Whitfield, who
acted Baron Stamford 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-
PRED on the stage Immediately after
reciting the following lines:
Be witness for me, ye celestial hostsi
Such mercy and such pardon as my soul
Accords to thee 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 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.n The in
stances OF death on the stage from
culpable negligence are, unfortunate
", numerous enough. Royalty once
witnessed one OF these accidents at
Arnstadt Nine Linsky in the course
of the play had to be fred ut by file
OF soldiers. The men had been in
structed, before loading their pieces,
to bite of the bullet when biting the
cartridge This one Of them neglected
to do, and death was the result.
4 similar accident once happenedin
Dublin. A conjurer, in performing
the feat Of catching bullet fired from
pistol in his teeth, handed toa young
gentleman from the audience the
wrong pistol, and the bullet pierced
his brain. Edmund Kean's last APP
pearanco on the stage was tragical in
q double sense. He was acting in
"Othcllo," on the 25th of March, 1888,
at Covent Garden theatre, when
he was seized with sudden indisposi-
ton. His Last words, as he fell into
his sons arms, were: II am dying;
speak to them for me, Charles. Lon
don Standard