The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-12-06
GOSSIP OF NEW YORK.
John A. Cockerill's Lament for
Billy Florence.
NOISE AND NERVOUS DISEASE
Women the Greatest Sufferers From the
City's Clatter-The Story of
Nswsdealer Brentano.

NEW YORK, Nov. 23.-rSpecial Core
spondence. Poor Billy Florencel No
man ever died in this country more pro-
foundly regretted than this genial, noble
hearted actor. He was all sunshine and
love, and his happiest moments were those
which found him contributing to the hap
plness of others. | knew him for twenty
years and never heard him utter an I'M
kind, malicious word about human be-
ing. Ii ever a man lived who was free
from envy and all uncharitableness, that
man was Billy Florence. But what life
he led! He was so constituted physically
and mentally that he could enjoy all of
LIES blessings. His profession brought
him into contact with pleasant people the
world over. He could always command a
good income. Acting was never drudgery
to hint was fortune. He saw all that
was bright and good in humanity. No
body was made the worse for knowing him.
All, the good dinners that he ate, the good
wine that he drank, the good stories that he
heard. the good deeds that he performed
What a pity that he should have been
cut off before completing his memoirs"
when every sense was acute and every ca
pacity for enjoyment intense. A year ago
l went with him to his room in the Fifth
Avenue hotel to look at some rare books
which the Duke of Manchester or Bedford
had given him. 1t was that suite on the
south side which he had made his home
TOR years. Whether in the city or out, in
Europe or America, these rooms were his.
Here he had gathered his pictures, his
books, his letters, his souvenirs, his me-
mentos. And what collection he had,
and what stories they all told On the
wall was a charming water-cOlor portrait
of smooth-faced man OF 80. There was
blue in the eye, bloom on the cheeks and
sweetness and light resting upon the brow.
1t was Billy Florence of thirty years ago.
| admired it and apostrophised it. Billy
gazed at it for moment in sadness
''Oh, he exclaimed, "why do we grow old
That picture appals me. Here am nearly
60 years of age. That's the Billy Florence
that love. All, what a rascal he was at
80! Look at him, the rogue, then look at
this old reprobate. I'll have to turn his
face to the wall; I can't bear to look at
him." There was the suspicion of tear
in the corner of each eye as he uttered
these words, and one could see that his
heart was aching, but with the volatility
for which he was celebrated he broke off
into bit of an Irish ditty and skipped
about the room as gay as Dublin Jarvey.
He had to do that or cry, think.
The last time | saw him to really enjoy
his company, was in Philadelphia last
season. He invited me with some friends
to visit Philadelphia to eat terrapln and
duck with him in the Continental hotel,
where he died last week. He met US at
the railway station, he placed the entire
hotel at our service; no schoolboy was
ever happier. At the dinner, after the
theater, we had Joe Jefferson, Mr.. and
Mrs. Kendall and daughter and Morton
McMichael, of the North american. As
usual, Billy was the touchstone of jollity
After dinner in his room he pointed 10 an
evaporating apparatus on the table which
he was then using for his throat. He
dwelt upon the nuisance of such medical
ton, and said: ''lf my throat gives out.
am gone. This travelling about the coun-
try at my age, in the winter is fearfully
dangerous. | am always catching colds,
and the one thing l dread is pneumonia"
And in the adjoining apartment he died
last week OF pneumonla-died there, the
sweetest, kindest, most lovable man the
world ever knew.
Among the hundreds of stories and anec-
dotes that come to me touching Mr.. Flor
ence is one which involves a Cincinnati
experience which he related to me nearly
twenty years ago. 1t is story of how A.
X. CaZauran, afterwards noted as a trans
lator and play adapter here, got even'
with him. Just after the war;" said
Billy, Il ran across CaZauran in Memphis
He was writing for one of the newspapers
there. We had disagreement about fin
ances and professionally | suffered some
what at his hands. Later in the season
Mrs. Florence and myself played an en-
gagement IN Clncinnasl. The morning
after our first appearance my wife got up
early, as usual. to read the newspaper
criticisms. She aroused me with a Wild
shrek and informed me that the Enquirer
contained a bitter and scathing, not to say
abusive, article about us. read it. | was
panied and dismaved The ENQUIRER had
always been exceedingly kind to me. |
knew personally the proprietors and nearly
all the writers. | was dumfounded. AS
soon as | could get my breakfast l rushed
around 10 the Enquirer office. | found
my old friend, WILEY Mclean, the
business manager. The matter was soon
explained. The adverse criticism had been
written by CaZauran. who had changed his
base of operations from Memphis TO Gin
cinnati. Mr.. Mclean was indignant. lie
promised that CaZauran should be dis
charged, and promised that we should
have next morning such treatment at the
hands of the Enquirer as would make
amends. | went back TO the hotel, told
my wife and all was serene. Next morn
ing when Mrs. Florence read the news
papers she found something that froze her
blood. In the Enquirer there was nearly a
column of the most savage blackguardism
| had ever read about anybody. We were
literally skinned alive Then l was an
moved | rushed around to the Enquirer
office. and this was the explanation:
Cazauran, after receiving his note of
dismissal. had said never a word to
ANYBODY. About midnight he walked up
stairs to the compOsing-rOom with his
scathing article in his pocket. He asked
the foreman if any notice had been sent
up for the Florences. The foreman in
formed him that he had a half column in
type XIII it," said Caz, in his noncha-
liant way. II was afraid I wouldn't be
able 10 get around 10 the theater, and so
asked Jones TO write something, but here's
nv crtique in good shape" The fore
man, knowing nothing about the changed
relations of CaZauran accepted his savage
meat axe article and killed the lovely puff
Next day | received an insolent note from
the fellow, dated at Columbus, asking me
how | liked his second notice" And with
all this believe that Billy forgave poor,
wretched Cazauran and contributed TO his
comfort in his pHrgatorial days.
The Noises OF City.
1t seems TO be conceded by all our visi-
tors from other places that New York is
81 r1;csout cit in ba y1uivarSa Il.