The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1891-03-27
LAWRENCE BARRETT DEAD,

| The Great Tragedian Dies Suddenly After
Short IIlness-Death the Result of
Heart Failure Superinduced by Pncu-
monia-A Sketch of His Life.
/ NEW YORK, March 2J.-Lawrence
Barrett, the actor, died last night at
1O:45 o'clock at the Windsor hotel The
death was due to heart failure and was
| quite sudden. His wife and physician
were with him when he died. Mr.. Bar
rett's illness dates from Wednesday
night when he was compelled to leave
the theater where he was engaged. It
was said at the time that he was merely
suffering from a severe cold and would
be out in few days. Even yesterday the
reports of his condition were very favor
able. Late yesterday evening, how
ever, his physician, DIR. Chambers, was
summoned. Heart failure superinduced
| by pneumonia, was the direct cause of
| the great tragedian's death. Dr. Cham
bers says pneumonia set in Thursday
morning.
Mrs. Barrett, who was in Boston, was
sent for and arrived Thursday evening.
DR.. j. p. Oliver, of Boston, Mr. Bar
rett's family physician, was also sum-
duu dJ OQCO. "A COuSu1-
tation was held and it was decided that
Mr.. Barrett's case was serious, but that
if no other complications appeared, the
sick man might pull through.
Between and 10 o'clock last even
ing there was a rapid change for the
worse, and at the latter hour Mr.. Bar
rett was in a semi-conscious condition.
About fifteen minutes before the end
came Mr.. Barrett was entirely uncon-
sciOus and so he remained until he died.
The funeral will probably take place
in Boston. Edwin Booth was deeply
moved when he received the notice of
Mr.. Barrett's death.
Lawrence Barrett, the son of Thomas Bar
rett, a poor Irish immigrant, was born at
Paterson, n. j., April 4, 1888. He was puny
infant, and his childhood was a time of pri-
vation and misery. His parents removed to
Detroit, Mich, and Lawrence, when he was
old enough to work, after a short experience
in dry goods shop, from which he was dis
charged for mimicking a superior clerk,
secured employment as call boy at
the Metropolitan theater, his salary
being $3.50 a week. At the age of IA
he could scarcely read and write. He
gained inspiration from his humble associa-
tion with the drama, studied old play books
him by an actor, and when he was allowed
to take the small part of Murad in the
French Spy" in 1853 he felt for a time that
the summit of his ambition had been
reached. The next year he secured en-
gagement at the Grand opera house, Pitts
burg, Pa, under the management OF
James Foster. For two years there
after Mr.. Barrett was employed in
various theaters in various towns
and cities and gained useful experience in
the support of K dmunds, Connor, Couldock,
Naefie, Eliza Logan, Julia Dean and other
stars of that era. When he obtained
humble foothold on the New York stage he
was raw youth, in his nineteenth year, but
he had learned enough of the art of aTting TO
be kindly noticed in the newspaper accounts
of Mrs. McNahOn's performances in tragedy
at Burton's old Chambers street theater in
1856-57. During his engagement at Burton's
young Barrett supported Edwin Booth, Muir
dock, Charlotte Cushman and James Hackett.
In 1864 Mr. Barrett undertook, in partner
ship with Lewis Baker, the management of
the Varieties theater in New Orleans. That
city was then blockaded, and the audiences
were largely made up of soldiers. Here for
the first time Barrett acted Hamlet and
Richelieu and produced Lester Wallack's
"Rosedale." He made his first venture as
a star during the following winter,
playing Eliot Gray and some of the
heroes of tragedy. In 1867 Mr. Barrett
visited England for the first time, and when
he returned in December of that year he
started by the sea route for San Francisco,
where he appeared February 13 at MaGuire's
opera house in "Hamlet." John Mccullough
was the leading actor in MaGuire's company.
Ralston and other capitalists" of that era OF
extravaganza in the Pacific coast capital
built the California theater for these two
actors, and it was opened under their joint
management January, 1S, 1869. The partner
ship lasted twenty months, when Mr.. Bar
rett retired. After playing leading roles at
Niblos in New York Mr.. Barrett assumed
the management of the New Orleans Va
rieties theater but it proved an Improbable
change and he assumed the career of a wan
dering star actor. In the spring of 1884 Mr..
Barrett filed an engagement at the Lyceum
theater in London. In the fall of that year,
after his return to America, he added to
his repertoir James Kenny's English ver-
sion of Victor Hugo's "Hernani," Robert
Browning's ga Blot in the Scutcheon" and
an English version of Theodore de Banville's
"Gringoire," called "The Kings Pleasure"
The artistic partnership of Mr.. Barrett and
Edwin Booth began in the fall of 1887. The
first season of their joint performances was
very profitable, and the second probably did
not result in loss. For the season of 1885,
it was arranged that Mr.. Booth should
act separately from Mr.. Barrett, but under
the latter's management, as he had done in
the winter of 1861 Nine. Modjeska was
engaged as a joint star with Mr.. Booth, and
Mr.. Barrett produced in Chicago, Tuesday,
October 8, "Canelon," new tragedy of Mr.
Young the author of 'Pendragon." His
tour with this play was interrupted by ILL
ness.
Though a self educated man, Lawrence
Barrett acquired in his late years the repu-
tation of a man of learning. He was re-
garded, even by members of his own calling, |
who did not all estimate him at his full |
worth as scholar among actors |
Mr.. Barrett was actor of unfal- |
ing zeal He never slurred line or |
lost a point He was always proncicnt
and in earnest. His ShylOck was one
of the best of his time; his Hamlet interest |
ing and Intelligent, though marred by fin |
ickv "orfginal business" and "new readings" |
and many play goers of reasonable good
Judgment found his sharply defined, forcible, |
theatric RicheIeu more to their liking than
Mr.. Booths portrayal of Bulwer's Cardinal
in later years.
VIII Make an Investigation.