Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-14
THEATRICAL GOSSIP.
A Curious Bet About John Wilkes
Booth.
THE AsSASsIN's ROMANCE.
HisConquests Behind the scsnss-Onswoman
Truly Loved-The Assassin's Daughter
Well-known Actresses and Their HAIR
They Are Generally wislsss.
special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

NEW York, November IS, 1891
MUST BE TRUE THAT A NEW YORKEl
VIII bet on anything, in or out of reason
: Inc Gothamite Of the true type is o game spor
, ana In an argument Of any, sort money talk
with him. The smoke of the election BATH
mad hardly cleared away and the Hoffma,
house cashier had not ceased paying campaig,
stakes to the winners before two well-knowl
managers were heard to make bet that was a
pnique as 1t was incomprehensible. Fig hae
moved before they wagered, it seems, and it 8.
happened that their talk had been on tn.
paimy days" and the actors who reigned in
them. Both managers were veterans and bott
were enthusiastic in their loyalty to the mem.
org OF John Wilkes Booth, the assassin and the
brother of Edwin Booth It's an odd circum.
stance that nearly every old-time actor, actress
and manager believes firmly that John Wilkes
Booth was the greatest star of his day His crime
has not shaken their belief in his genius There
,s SUN no faltering in their worship of his
| oIiuiaht and meteoric stage achievements,
| wncn, a1ter the lapse OF u quarter century,
nave gained rather than lost fuster 1t is tile
| uenSnt OF the has beens'' among our players
to tell of Wilkes Booths eccentricitiesi of his
.riumphs before the footlights and his con-
| quests Dehind the scenes and it was out of q
remihlscentlal chat of this kind which was
nsIened to almost reverentially by group of
Younger actors, that the managers mentioned
got to betting.
WHAT THE BET WAS ABOUT.
One, who may be called Grizzle, because that
Is not his name, had declared that Wilkes Booth
N"u never welded and that he was therefore
chiidless. But the other, westerner of manv
oaths, of keen memory and unlimited caritoi
hau mere lnterposed correction and an each
was certaln or his ground-to hear them talk
you would have fancied both were bosom GRO
mes Oh the gloomy actor in his widest DAVIS
the wager was quickly made 1t was for a sum
as a., large as piungers generally place on a turf
clnch, and the oddly of the contested point
was quickly noised about the Rialto The bet
TORS agreed upon referee in the person of one
whose impartiality was admitted and whose
isnI 70 decide the wager was based upon an
intimate study of the booths and the American
stage generally. He seemed averse to settle
the dispute.
THE BET DECIDED DRAW
am sorry you made wager like that"
he SAID. Your argument has caused COM
ment. Ihe laying Of bet and the deciding
nf 1t Will only spread matter that should have
peen forgotten thirty years ago."
but Manager Grizzle was persistent II
knew Wilkes Booth as well as know YOU" he
salu, anu my money says, first, that he never
nor daughter" N ~"
Il will not draw down. either" declared
MS opponent. Booth acted in nv house n
dozen times l had his condolences oftener
than wished. 1 knew his 1nnermost secrat.
My money bets that he was either secretly w.
X. decide it." =" 'A" Ao'
linen all the younger actors clamored for the
decision and the oracle "ope'd his mouth"
uentiemen, you have wasted words and |
ume, ana your money goes neither way. The
bet is draw. In a sense. Manager C;riz,,o 10
right, 1or John Wilkes Booth never led woman
W any aitar, nor called any woman Wife In a |
sense, 700, Manager Grizzlies opponent is right |
aoi : yo.h nhkes Booth was as surely a father |
made" 'A'' oe' was |
dozen listeners chimed in with exclama-
lions OF surprise and demands for an explaua. |
THE RoxANrIc STORY
Then the oracle said with that deliberation |
and impressiveness which mark the cock-snre |
informant: "It is another chapter Of romance
In the sad book Of Wilkes Booths life. Nearly
all OF you know or have heard of his power 70 |
iascinate women. He never denied that he
mad used that fatal gift as often as the oppor-
UNITY presented itself to him. His conduests
were numerous, varied and more than once re-
markable. score of brilliant women. some
OF mem noted, had worshiped at the shrine
OF thls imperious impulsive and selfish actor
ana there Is one alive, rich and conspicuous
VINO sun declares he was the only man she ever
loved: 1t seems to me that Wilkes Booth with
all his sentimentality never lost his heart s.vo
once, ana 1t Is because he did that this wager
mas become draw. The one woman who waa
truly loved by him was Boston actress OF
that day, member OF a famous stock company
inSrdinately ambitious She did not NJ at
court BOOTH attention. but when. attracted NV
ner personal charms, he began to WOO her. she
could not long resist his impetuosity and his eIo
4uence. 1t IL to her credit that she believed no
meant 10 marry her He vowed to her at
my rate, and it is known that he did not pnb-
lcly deny their engagement when a ne wspaper
d that day limited att. But there never was a
marriage Tor the public prints to chronicle. |
wilkes Booth lived and died wifeless.
WILKES BooTH's DAUGHTER. |,
yet before he passed away he had held in bis
rms daughter, the love child of the Boston | 1
ctress who had intrusted her honor into.bis
eeping. He did not fulfill his VOWS. Perbons !
e would have kept them if he had lived. One
erson, at least. believes sacredly that he in
9ndeo 10 do Justice to the mother OF his child. =
nat person Is herself, the lille gItimate daughter
John Wilkes Booth. She is proud Of the !
amily name because she has assumed il nnh.
ely since she was able to speak. and she is
qually proud OF her Inflated father, whose pa-
srnlty she has openly and at times defantly
cknowiedged Moreover, she is on the Ameri |
an stage today, an actress of uncommon power
brilliant conversationals handsome woman y
nd, thank heaven, happy wife and devoted J,
lother For the past few years she has been a
ading lady in troupes travelling mostly a
trough western and northwestern territorv y
Ter friends among actors are both numerous | z
nd loyal. They know her romance and tbev
aspect her worth. 1t is not a secret-sbe docys
OF 30 consider it. Her husband is or was vor,, Il
gently the musical director of n St Iom;s
lace OF amusement, and he is deyoted a. h;s | q
ife Now you see why neither Grizzle nor h;s
lend won nor lost their wager. And Won also 81
FAD the lesson Of heredity in this story Of
'ikes Booths only true love affair" ~ y
wIaLEss AcrREssrs
wigs are seldom worn by an actress On tho n
age, and, indeed, why should they be. when b
many young women have beautiful hoir2
he sleek, dark brown tresses Georeia Caviar y
ears In almost every part are her own. Helen
auvrays hair Is sleek quite black in fact. and Ii
ery heavy. tombstone Bennetts hair 10 att
lclined to curl and Of dark brown that IA
tile reddish by day. A few months AGO Il mas h,
iort like boys, now she can Just catch IL int
knob in the back and she wears II hrr.haS A.
eekiy back in shiny "Jane" fashion. ali the o,
nri being suppressed. That queer little 5,
9,,nted growth in the middle of her forehead g,
eiongs 10 her very own hair and she in a wise d,
ri to show 1t. Oh, yes, of course she pins IN %
those circles Of close braids at the hack md m
icy hide the little knob / toId cor