The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-01-10
lie attempt at suicide He had been
{ Cannes under the supervision OF

his attempt at suicide. He had been
at Cannes under the supervision Of
devoted relatives and friends. but
he has not been able to breathe freely or to
sleep. and has passed most OF his nights on
his yaoht on the Mediterranean. 1t is only
within little more than year that the nov
elist at the beginning Of that period. young.
famous. and rich. has been tranformed from
gay bon vivant into misanthrope. and finally
into homicidal lunatio.
Nothing could better indicate the hold Henry
Irving has upon the affectt ons OF the English
people than the sympathetic interest that Is
taken in young Lawrence Irving. who acci-
dentally shot himself in Belfast on Wednesday.
Since the news Of the affair has been pub
lished in the newspapers the great actor has
received so many hundred messages OF con-
dolence and sympathy concerning the accident
to his son that he has been unable to answer
them personally and has been compelled to
express his thanks In note In to.day's Times.
Young Irving is doing as we'll as could be ex-
pected under tho circumstances. and. II no
further complications arise from the wound.
he will undoubtedly recover. He Is being
nursed by his mother. and has the best medi-
cal attendance that It Is possible to procure.
Lawrence Irving has been playing leading
parts In the provinces with Benson's company
under the name Of mr. Lawrence"
Just how the accident occurred Is not known.
for. though the patient Is conscious most Of
the time. he is still too weak to talk. He had
left a fellow actor. who lodged In the came
house with him In Belfast. only I've minutes
before. and had gone up stairs to his own
apartment to study his part IN The Spectre
Bride" which the company was soon to pro-
duce. When his companion heard pistol
shot and rushed UP stairs. no found young
Irving writhinR in agony on the bed. On
the table was copy Of The Spectre
Bride" open. and It is presumed that he was
studying It His habit It appears. has been to
read q passage and then walk up and down
while committing 1t to memory. and It is
concluded. he being very absent minded. that
while 80 engaged he unthinkingly picked up
the revolver from shelf near his bed. and
while carelessly and abstractedly toying with
It It went of. The bullet entered the chest
near the centre OF the right breast and. without
perforating the lung. lodged in the muscles Of
the back. whence it has not yet been consid-
cred safe to attempt to removoit
The new American Copyright act has been
in operation for nearly six months and its
effects upon authors and publishers in this
country may be pretty fairly estimated Mr..
Marston Of Sampson. Low 4 Co. put tho case
very clearly in an interview. "All English
| authors" he said. whose works are popular
| in America are now arranging to secure copy
right there. and wher, English publishers buy
all the rights they must now pay more than
was the case before the passage OF the Ameri.
can law and. Of course. they obtain more for
the American rights. 1 am certain that the
benefit to the author who can obtain a hearing
in America must increase enormously.
AS to the English printing and paper trades
being affected. the English papers will not
have so much composition to do in cases whore
the plates Of the American edition can be i'm.
ported to advantage. but. except In cases o.
very costly works. it will generally be found
more advantageous to set up the type Of g
| popular book in both countries"