Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-09-20
BOUClCAULT DEAD.
End of the Veteran Playwright and Ac'
tors Evcntfui Career.

-
tor, died after a lingering illness at y;
o'clock Thursday evening at his home IN
New York city.
lie CAUGHT cold. which developed into
nneumonia on Tuesday afternoon. The
distinguished man rapidly became worse,
although he was conscious up 10 the time
of his death Every attention that might
ease him or prolong his life was given him.
The attention of his wife was always on
hand and he also had n trained nurse. The
wife and the nurse were alone present
when the author of "Shaugran" passed
away.
SONY OF HIS WORK.
Dion Cor Dionvsius) Boucicault was born
in Dublin December 20, 1922. He was
educated under his guardian and reputed
father the celebrated Dr. DionvsIus Lard
ner. nj the University of London, and at an
early age sprang suddenly into fame as a
dramatic author 10y the production IN
March. 1s41. at Conyent-Garden Theatre,
OF London Assurance This was the
same wear in which Bulwer produced
MONEY" Bulwer's dramatic career was
LONG since ended. but Boucicault has con-
tnued to produce plays mp 10 the very
month Of his death, nearly full half CEN
tury. and there has been no English dra-
matist since Shakespeare, not excepting
Sheridan himself, whose influence upon
the stage o. his epoch has been so wide
and varied.
out Of some hundreds of PLAYS that be
has produced MANY have been dramatlzed
from novels or adapted from the French.
But these are not the works by which he
will be remembered. II is "a the author
of London Assurance of "Old Heads
and Young Hearts" and the school OF mo-
dern comedy which he invented that he
will survive, as we'll as by the Irish drama
that he created. The Shaugran,' " Ar
rah-na-Pogue," the colleen Bawn have
not in twenty-five years lost their fresh
ness.
HIS AMAZING VERSATILITY.
Boncicault possessed amazing ,rfsatlllty
of style. Ii is hard to trace al LOUIS NJ. >.
the pen that wrote "London Assurance"
10 detect in rip van Wrinkle" the author
of 1.-The Colleei Bawn." He was equally
M bomei in or h rough work as the streets
of New v,rk" and 1.-THE Willow Copse" as
in -. q, delicate tints of Kerry" and "Old
leads" No dramatist has left such an
amazing record of success, and his name
will be familiar 10 succeeding generations
when many who are very popular now are
forgotten.
and appeared IN Philadelphia at the Wal
nut-Street Theatre IN 1855. II was his first
season on the stage, and his line was eccen-
trio comedy. He played Dazzle in Lon
don Assurance Sir Charles Coldstream II
Used Up" and the old French tutor IN
Bob Nettles." His success was unques'
tionable. 1t was not until 1860 that he
struck the Irish character as Mvles ma Cop
paleen in the colleen Bawn." He ad.
bered To the Irish drama after that. and
as delineator of such characters ne
reigned in his latter DAYS supreme. Tho
English stage has no other instance of an
eminent dramatist and a distinguished
actor combined in one excepting the IN
stance of Coley Cibbes. The French stage
has only one, Moliere.
The personal career of BOucicault is less
admirable than his career as an artist. lie
married the beautiful AGNES Robertson, O
lovely woman and "A charming actress, tol
whom he wrote not only many OF his best
dramas. but also the various military
pieces, like THE Siege of Lucknow" IL
which she was famous. She was the mothe'
of his children. but he deserted her TO
other women. Quite lately she was di
vorced from him, and he had taken young
wife. With all his successes he spen
more than he made. and is believed to hav'
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