The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1891-11-07
..,oxs or SARAH BERNHARDT

.-s,1oss OF SARAH BEnsHAHn'
..,.,a,d Writer and an Exeeilen
,,sHy111E, TENN, Oct. 80 1891.
MON GRENADA SENTINEL:
. ..as in Louisville, KY, on Oct, u
was e Sarah Bernhardt In. s'larTos
san nt,soedy n written for her BY th'
!. '1as 1nassamatist. Sardon. Everything
'1vn y french. The play was present T
! III tba new ''Auditorium" which
y . seating s capacity Of three thous
!, .,o seats except a few in tht
! = rows. NV were filed. Thanks TO the
s.o.s svs q, a kinsman, who lives II
davI ;sville. 1 had one Of the best seats
.ha ho,,se.-in the front row OF the
y sne circle. about thirty feet from the
y. II the stage and looking across
naro,,et: 'eI nj so that ! not only had q
viaw Of the play, but could look
ths faces Of almost the entire au-
,ca and feast my eyes upon the
"tr ,sp' Of [ Louisville, which was out IN
NV Gov. John Young Brown and
Iehters occupied the box nearest to
was glad Of the opportunity to
the gallant knight who once shiv-
Ia a. victorious spear on the helmet
oughty Ben Butler.
ent1ary vas to my expectation, I found
nhardt to be not above medidm
rht: l and OF medium size. She Is BY
neans m thin, as is generally suppos-
She has large dark gray eyes;
roe nose. rather long, straight and
|miinent from the eyebrows down,
|winp her Jewish extraction. Her
h is about a foot long, and is tawny
,e color of the lions name.
he is not pretty, nor handsome.
she is not ugly. In spite OF the
that she has married children,
did not appear to be more than %
rs Of ace, though her youthful ap-
rance was no doubt largely owing to
costume. She took the part Of Flo
IaTosca, a young girl in love with
artist Of talent, who reciprocates his
ectiOn. 49,,
[he scene of the play is in Rome in
rear 1900. The artist, Mario, con-
i an Italian revolutionist, and in
4 the eamity Of the Government.
|ron Scarpia, the Chief Of Police, is
eming to discover the hiding place
khe wretch and who his protector is.
fLaTosca" is a singer Of brilliant tai
a the idol Of the court and popuIace,
bd-hearted, high-spirited, impulsive,
! Of insanely jealous temperament.
fact It Is her jealousy that ruins Ma
d attempt to conceal his friend, and
kses all The misfortune and woe that
krtake herself and her friends. This
ksion Is exhibited by her all through
! play. The Chief Of Police, Of
kewd tongue, calls to her attention
Ipicious circumstances, which indi-
though such is not the fact) that
Eehas eloped with another lady, the
ad his prescribed friend. She
aAips away to find her lover and
nike him, and, unbeknown to her,
alowed by the Chief to Mario's man
b in the country, where both have
Zen refuge.
When she learns that she has been
lowed by Scarpia, and realizes that
+ lover, his friend, and she herself
|ve fallen victims to her jealousy, she
overcome with grief and remorse.
Mario is at once subjected to awful
tture to force from him the disclosure
his friends hiding-place. He is firm,
wever. in spite Of his horrible suffer-
:, and in spite Of Il 'LaTosca's'' s''entreat-
to yield, or to allow her to tell for
Unable longer to endure the punish
mt, he faints, and "L,aTosca," who
alternate grief and rage, has wit
'sed the torture, reveals the fact that
refugee Is concealed In q we'll.
lding that he has been discovered,
unhappy wretch takes poison, and
} soldiers carry the body into the
use.
When Mario revives, and, haggard
! bloody, staggers from the torture
'mber upon the stage and sees the
ID body Of his friend, he angrily up
lids "LaTosca" for her weakness and
achery. The Chief at once orders
. to prison to await execution,
iaying himself become ennlnored Of
aTosca,' the Chief, in u private in
view, promises to release Mario, II
will accede to a rude proposal. A.
long struggle, she consents, de-
ndlng that he first write out = safe
duct for herself and her lover. As
n as he finishes this, she, upon the
pulse Of the moment, seizes 4 large
1e and plunges It Into his heart, and
wrestling the paper from his stiffen-
myers, escapes to the prison yard
lme to look upon the corpse Of Ma
who has just been shot to death
platoon Of soldies. After an exhi-
on OF heart.rending grief over the
y. she pr0claims the death Of the
81; and herself the murderess, and
ps to death from the prison wall.
,o,rlng the first half Of the play /
"a not keep down 4 feeling Of disap-
atment. -
moving a, It's trngic and highly emo
'ai character, | mad expected Il very
'nhardt. #' ~
looked for omething. much more
q ent aad demonstrative. However,
,re the close Of the third net. the
IN Y, which the torture scene ID enact.
!he tlnnscendent excellence 81 her
aad l begun to impress me, and / be-
10 hNrNon{n -. ~ A. ~.