The daily critic., 1890-09-19
.LlFE'S DRAMA ENDED
THE CURTAIN RUNG DOWN FOa THE
LAST TIME ON DION B0UCICAULT.
The Great Dramatist Passes Away Ia
New york-His Career in England
ana America Greatest OF
Modern PIaywrights.

Dion Boucicault the playwright and
actor, died last night In New York.
after q lingering Illness.
He caught cold which developed
into pneumonia on Tuesday afternoon
The distinguished man rapidly became
worse, although he was conscious mp to
the time of his death lie was sur
rounded with every attention that
might ease him or prolong his life. His
wife was untiring in her attentions,
and he also had a trained nurse
The wife and the nurse were alone
present when the author Of The
Shaughraun passed away.
Dion BoUcicault was the youngest
son of s. S. Boucicault. and was born
in Dublin. December 20 1929. Edu-
Gated partly in Dublin and partly in
London University, he was intended
for an architect March :, 1871 FIVE
act comedy, called London Assur-
auce' was brought out by Boucicault
London Assurance has kept the
stage for forty years. Itis a lively,
brisk, highly colored comic play, made
out of old material, but made so skill.
fully that it has a vitality Of its own.
II has always been understood that the
young author, then only Is. was greatly
indebted for suggestions improvements
and even more elaborate alteration to
! the remarkably fine company Of come
diars by whom the play was acted and
among them were Charles Jamesl
Matthews. Farren, Mrs. Nesbitt,
Madame Nestris and the late John
Brougham also left on record his claim
TO a share in the composition Of the
comedy but, after all. Il is said the
chief credit is plainly due to Mr.. Bou.
Cicault for he showed his ability to re-
peat the success.
In February, 1872 he brought out
"The Irish Heiress, and in Novem-
her, 1874 "Old Heads and Young
Hearts" On June H. 1852, Mr..
BouCicault made his first appearance in
London as an actor, as the Vampire, In
his faniastical piece Of that name In
| 1858 he came TO America, producing
various plays. Among them were
version Of the Louis NJ" OF Casimcr
Delavinge, and drama called "Janct
| PRIDE taken In part from NJ Den.
ncry's "Maric Jeanne. After another
VISIT to England Mr. Boucicault came
again 10 this country with Miss Agnes
Robertson, an actress Of grace, beauty
and pathetic power, who soon took his
name With her I'm chief parts, he
brought out in New York in 1857, and
the three following years, a series Of
very effective "Pun1rg,tu"
from the French Jessie Browu. or
the Relief Of Lucknow" in which he
/ acted Mana Sdhib. dot, or the Cic&ct
on the Hearth, (iramatlzel from
Dickens TO enable Joseph Jefferson tl
appear as CdleJ PVHWC5), the "O1,D.
room, IN which he acted the Indian,
HdhHotc, The Heart Of Mid,
Lothian, from Scott. Vanity Fair,
"The Streets Of New York" and the
Colleen Bawn, or the B,idcs Of Garry
! Owen" taken mainly from Gerald
Griilln's tale, The Callegrans
IN the Colleen Bawn" Mr. Boucl-
cault acted Ngles.Hd C0ppdlcsH, and
made q terrific plunge headtoremost
into the lake 20 rescue Etly O'C0HH0F,
played by Mrs. Boucicault During
| part of this tiwe, from September 10
/ December, 1859. Mr.. Bouclcaull was
paU manager Of the Winter Garden
/ Theatre In New York, az which nc was
acting in The OCloroOu In Sep
tCmber, 1850, Mr.. and Mrs Bluclcault
returned 10 England, and for the next
/ four years acted there in the very sue
/ CCssiul plays already brought out In
New York. In November, 1864, he
| produced IN Dublin 'ArTah.na P0gue;
or the Wicklow Wedding" a three
act lIish play, akin in style TO the
/ Colleen BaWn In September, 1868
his version and amplihcation Of the
| earlier dramas of Washington Irving's
rip Van Winkle was acted by
Joseph Jefferson at the Adelphi,
/ London.
In London in the next five or six
years he produced a series Of dramas,
chiefly sensational among which were
"The Long Strike, The Flying
SCud, Hunted Down" After
| Dark, 4" "FoTmosa, " 'Jezebel," +" The
RappaTee. OF these The Flying
Scud, horse racing play, and The
Long Strike, which had a telegraph
scene, were the most successful They
marked a great deterioration 10 Mr..
BouCicault's taste, as they appealed 10
a low type Of emotion, and a lower
| type Of play gOeri yet, even the poorest
| Of them contained clever scenes, bright
dialogue, and neat sketches Of chaFaC
| ter Mr. BOuCicault has yibTated be-
tween England aud the United States.
| He has produced In England Kerry
/ IAN adaptation Of Nine De GgraIlin s
Ia J0ie Fail Reur D. and in America
| Led AsiraY A skillul version Of
'Feuillets Temptation" acted TO the
| Union Square Theatre during most of
| the season 1872 10; Daddy % DOwd
| and The ShaughTaun' lS7i), another
| IIish play Of more originality than
most Of the others, although the Chief
part admirably acted by the author, Is
| in great measure a version Of u RiI
Van Wiukle" in 1875 Mr Boucicaulf
again became q manager in New York
having taken Booth Theatre where
however. bis reign was brief. as the
/ melCdr8ma on which he relied, Res.
Cued, failed dismally.
Besides the plays mentioned 10 the
foregoing, be wrote many others Dir
| B0uCiCault also published letters on
/ Irish politics which he published il
England while he was acting there III
| 1876 and 1879 in his own Irish plays
one Of which Daddy OD1Wd hg
reWIOte for the English STAGE, intro
| duCiug q political scene, which failed
10 Ind favor. Mr Br0uglam, 8s hai
| been said, claimed a share iu "Llnd01
/ Assurance, and Benjamin Webster as
| serted q Joint authorship OF Jauel
| Pride" Mr. B0uciclulrs dramatic
work divides itself easily into thres
/ Classes-the earlier dve-aCJ comedies
the sensational dramas, largely taken
| from the French aud Tie Irish plays
/ 10 cannot be doubted that BIT Boucl
cault was a. bis best 10 -he charming
pictures Of Irish life and scenery The
/ Colleen BaWn -Arrahul P0Eue'