San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-01-06
EMMA ABBOTT.
HER SUDDEN DEATH YEsTER-
DAY.

4
l Her Relations.
The large panel portrait of the great
American prima dona, Emma Abbott,
presented by that talented lady on
memorable day In the last visit she
paid San Antonio, to the LIGHT critic
10 like many another one over this
country. today draped in mourning.
Emma Abbot is no more, and in mem.
DRY of her many qualities, hearts are
softened and dew will bedim eyes
unused to eaught but the drying
glare Of the MONDAY of the
world and the worlds caustic SEN
timent. The miserable hospital in
Salt Lake City, Utah, where the
prima dona had been i'll but a few
days with pneumonia, was where she
closed her eyes yesterday morning.
/ The news reached San Antonio last
night in private dispatch to Man.
ager Mullaly OF the Grand opera
| house.
In the Conried opera company, now
| singing In San Antonio, there are
| st v, raj men srs who knew her, among
them Mr.. Chas. F Lang, an old fell
low student. He said to q LIGHT
man: I knew her well
her name was originally
Emma Abbott, though since her mar
riage with Eugene Wetherell, her
friends always addressed her as
Mrs. Wetherell. She claimed many
places TOR her birth, but believe
Oshkosh or Madison, Wis.,, has the
best Claims She was fret heard Of
in Toledo, Ohio whore Miss Kellogg
heard her sing and took such an
interest in her that through her in
fluence she got to New York and
was put under the tutelage of the
great teacher, Signor Errani. Then
she had o fine mezzo-soprano voice
and he said to me one day, She
has the most beautiful voice
IL ever heard.'' She was
engaged soon after to sing
in the choir of DR.. Chapin's church,
corner of Fifth and Fifth avenue.
She was an intimate of the Dr.'s
family and it was there she first met
Wetherell. She was two years in
the choir, when the members of the
congregation, among them 3 wealthy
retired merchant named Lake, who
was the prime mover of it, raised q
su description and sent her to Paris,
where she studied under Bartel, Nine
Nelson's teacher. She remained
three years, and although Mr.. Lake
was still her principal pro-
tector. she was also under
the protection of the Baroness
Rothschild ana of DIR. Evans, the
celebrated American dentist Of Paris
She left Paris in 1875 for England and
sang with Mapleson one season. In
the meantime she was married to
Wetherell, who had not ceased to
follow and lay siege to her hand.
After her season with MaplesOn,
Wetherell took her to Italy, where
she sang in concert houses, and was
fairly successful. One night, In
Naples, after singing an aria from
Robert le Diable' the audience de-
manded an encore, and were con-
vuised when she reappeared and
sang in English. Nearer My God to
Thee
She came to America from
her European triumphs, in
1878, and began in q concert
tour with Brignoli and Far
ranti, and next year was engaged by
c.. ID. Hess as star in English opera.
She travelled one year, and then Weth-
erell, who had also been fortunate on
the New York stock market, bought
Hess interest and the Emma Abbott
English Opera company was formed.
Since then her career is pretty well
known to all Americans.
Miss Abbott was a true American
girl, never put on airs, but always as
serted herself. She met Patti, Nilsson,
Jenny Lind and all the great stars,
and all made much over her, encour-
aging and flattering her, except Jen-
nv Lind, who could never be induced
to give her one iota more than her
due. Madam Goldschmidt was hon.
est though, and never Jealous.
As to her relatives. 1 believe her
parents are poor, and she has many
poor relations"
She leaves an estate, valued, at
close calculation, at $4,000, 900, prin..
cipally in real estate and gilt edged
securities and bonds. She owned
property In New York, Chicago, st.
Paul, Kansas City, Salt Lake, Seattle,
Denver, Fort Worth, Dallas and many
| other cities, and in all her business
affairs, and they took precedence over
her art, she was guided first by her
husbands cool judgment and after
his death, by her faithful manager,
Chas. Pratt, who aided her to increase
her fortune several millions since
then.
Manager Mullaly had signed con-
tract yesterday morning for the Abb
bott company TO play during Christ
mas week, Of next season, but San
| AHtonians will never hear the Abb
bott company again.