Evening journal., 1893-03-01
STAGE ACCIDENTS.
PERlLs FROM THE CARELESS USE or
PROPERTY WEAPONS.

capcs-lhe Greatest Danger Is From tht /
Inexperienced."super who Faii to FOL |
low Instructions.
The tragic ending of the charade in which |
yonng Mccoy lost his life from an accden |
tai dagger wound in the heart, inflicted by |
Miss Clara King, was the subject OF gen
eral comment among actors.
Nj. A. Kennedy, the veteran comedian, |
said that the tragedy could not have come
TO pass had the amateurs known a few
stage tricks. Real daggers are never used
by the profession % said he, Though to the
spectators in the orchestra chairs the blades
that clash in Cesars body seem very real
What is commonly used is the property
dagger, the blade of which is controlled by
spring and runs up the handle when the
point is struck against the body OF the stage
victim. Sometimes a dagger with a cast
iron blade and a blunt end is employed, but
the spring dagger is the most satisfactory
$50 much care is taken to exclude edged
tools from the mimic warfare of the stage.
continued Mr.. Kennedy, THAT the use OF
the poinard gives us small concern. What
we really dread Is the muslget In the hands
OF an excited actor or careless supe
bear vivid recollection of havingmy coun
tenance filled with powder and burning
wads when ! was playing with Lucille
Western in 1862 at the old National theater
in Washington The play was called The
Flowers of the Forest, and had the part
of Lemuel, young lover. IL was In the
play for Lucille 10 kill me, and she nearly
succeeded Grasping a fowling piece, she
discharged IL full in my face. fell like n
log. and as ! lay there wrthing the star
placed her foot on my neck and exclaimed,
He is mine at lastp felt certain that she
was right, for thought my final hour had
come. The curtain rang down at the end
OF the scene and Lucille skipped to her
dressing room without a look at me. My
head was streaming with blood, and some
body called her back. She gave one look
at me and tainted. always congratulated
her on her realism after that and keptIout
OF the range Of her fire"
The stage has many traditions Of the I'm.
Jury done his fellow actors by Junius Bru-
tus Booth when in the heat and fury of his
tragic scenes. Mr. Kennedy, who often
saw the elder Booth and was on intimate
terms with his son, John Wilkes, thinks
that some Of the tales are exaggerations
1T is certain, however" said he, that the
wise player did not venture too close to Mr.
Booth in scenes where be was armed, for
he was generally absorbed In his part. His
tendency at such times was uncomfortably
realistic | can't say that he ever hurt any.
body. but he once raced a swordsman an
over the stage at Richmond and finally
sent him flying over the footlights into the
audience. The man saw blood IN the ira
gedians eye and simply stood from under
On the whole, the profession thought IL was
the proper thing for him to do under the
| circumstance"
DO ! know Of any cases where actors
have been cut OF shot on the stagew said
Charles Dickson rs he put the finishing
touches on his Costume yesterday just be-
fore the matinee curtain rang up "Well,
there was the case of Frank frayne and the
woman whose life he took in his William
Tell act. You remember that Frayne was
marksman and shot an apple from the
head OF female character in the play. / for
get the actress name, but she was Frayne
bethrothed He had performed the sharp
shooting feat with her hundreds Of times,
but finally grew careless and sent a bullet
through her brain. Frayne was tried and
acquitted. He vowed he would never do
the act again, but in less than a year he was
at it as usual
"Then there was Bob billiards adven-
ture Hilliard was playing in a military
piece called Across the Potomac There
was militia detachment on the stage to
do firing and in one of the scrimmages
billiard got full charge Of powder and
wad IN the right side OF the face. He was
badly dislgured, but came on the stage in
day OF two in bandages
81 remember the case OF an actor whose
name / don't remember now, but who
starred IN a Russian piece. II was a re-.
quirement Of his part TO be shot by a squad
Of soldiers. The troops were made up Of
the usual assortment Of riflraff, and one
Of them took fair aim nt the actor when
the time came for the volley. II is always
the rule In such cases for the supers to aim
high. but this one was In dead earnest and
thought he would wing his man.
"The minute the curtain came down the
star let loose blast Of profanity that
caused the paper 20 wither on the wall, and
then be fired himself at the supe like a 10.
inch shell For about three minutes one
would have supposed that Dublin insur
rectou WAS IN full swing The Russian
soldier began yelling for help in pure Irish,
and the rest of the car s forces sounded the
Limerick slogan and piled In. The star
bad things his own way, however, and did
not ceitse until be had left his trademark
on the whole crowd It was the most de.
moralzed army the czar has had since the
Crimean war. and every mothers son OF
them filed out that night with either a
bloody nose or black eye The star had
not been hurt by the charge but be might
have been, aud be thought II time to teach
the supe "a lesson in stage etiquette
'As rule" continued Mr.. Dickson,
accidents rarely happen. The greatest
care is taken with the guns that are placed
IN the hands Of the stage rabble. They
are loaded by the property man and held
in his possession until the time comes to
use them In the play"
During his long theatrical career L. r.
Stockwell has had various experiences
with the stage assassin, one Of which re-
tired him from duty for several weeks
He was playing ia Uncle Toms Cabin,
aud an actor fired at him with pistol into
the muzzle Of which the drip from tai
low candle had fallen. The tallow tor,
through Stockwells hat and wig, buryinl
itself in his scalp. A piece Of il also hit
his arm and badly lacerated it.
At another time Mr. Stockwell wa:
slashed and driven of the stage by a crazy
supernumerary. He was on again wheI