Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-03-26
LAWRENCE BARRETT DEAD,

law h@fNSI OCAOs
The Great Tragedian Dies Suddenly After
Short Illness-Death the Result of
Heart Failure Superinduced by Pneu-
monia-A Sketch of His Life.
NEW YORK, March 2I.-Lawrence
Barrett. the actor, died last night at
10:45 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. 1t
was said at the time that he was merely
suffering from 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, DR.. Chambers. was
summoned. Heart failure superinduced
by pneumonia, was the direct cause of
the great tragedian's death. DIR. Cham
bers says pneumonia set in Thursday
morning.
Mrs. Barrett, who was in Boston, was
sent for and arrived Thursday evening.
DIR. j. p. Oliver. of Boston, Mr. Bar
A~NN y 1'AAAAAif Pi-S oiIiuLis w as dIoo SuIh-
moned and came on at once. A CONSUL
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. poor Irish Immigrant was born at
Paterson, \. j., April 4, 1888. He was puny
infant, and his childhood was time of pri-
walton and misery. His parents removed to
Detroit, Mich, and Lawrence, when he was
old enough to work, after short experience
in dry goods shop, from which he was dis
charged for mimicking a superior clerk,
secure employment a call boy at
the metropolitan theater, his salary
being $3.50 week. At the age of IA
he cc''ld scarcely read and write. He
gaineU inspiration from his humble aSsocia-
ton with the drama. studied old play books
and a copy of JohnsOn's dictionary given to
him l. an actor and when he aIiowed
to tale the small part of Murad in the
"Fren III SPY in 1913 he felt for Il time that
the sdm.nt of his ambition had been
reac.. I'd. The next year he secured an en-
gage. ent at the Grand opera house, Pitts
burg. Pa, under the management of
JAM Eos er. For two years there
after Mr.. Barrett was employed in
varie 8 theaters in various towns
and tiles and gained uSpful eSnpripncp in
the EppOrt of + dmunds, Connor, Couldock,
Nae :, Eliza Logan, Julia Dean and other
stars of that era. When he obtained a
hun: Die foOthold on the New York stage he
was l raw youth, in his nineteenth year, but
he l. d learned enough of the art of acting to
be k indly noticed in the newspaper accounts
OF Nj 5. McMahon's performances in tragedy
at BrrtOn's old Chambers street theater in
1861. During his engagement at Burton's
you" 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
Riclielieu and produced Lester Wallack's
"Rosedalc." He made his first venture as
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 - 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, IS, 1863. The partner
ship lasted twenty months, when Mr.. Bar
r.att iutr IaaI ling rO1nS
NibfO'S in New York Mr.. Barrett assumed
the management of the New Orleans Va
rietes theater, but it proved an Improbable
change and he assumed the career of a wan
dering star actor. In the spring of 1881 Mr..
Barrett filled 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 YER
sion of Victor Hugo'5 "Hernani," Robert
Browning's "a Blot in the Scutcheon and
an English version of Theodore de Banville'S
"Gringoire," called 1.-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 1SS9-90
it was arranged that Mr.. Booth should
act separately from MIR. Barrett, but under
the latters management, as he had done IN
the winter of 1857. Mime. Modjeska was
engaged as a joint star with Mr.. Booth, and
It. ,
October 8, "Canelon," new tragedy of Mr..
Young, the author of ''Pendragon." His
tour with this play was interrupted by ILL
ness.
Though 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, scholar among actors
Mr.. Barrett was an actor of unfall-
ing zeal. He never slurred a line or
lost n point. He was always proficient
and in earnest. His Shylock was one
of the best of his time; his Hamlet interest
ing and intelligent, though married by fin
icky sorginaI business" and ''ncw readings"
and many play -goers of reasonable good
Judgment found his sharply defined, forcible,
theatric Richelieu more to their liking than
Mr.. Booths portrayal of Bulwer's Cardinal
in later years.
Will Make an Investigation.
LoNDON. March 21.-A Berlin core