The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-05-14
HORROR OF 7R4MpTNG Hoors
Was the Form In which IL = Strange Present..
ment Came 10 Actor Macder.

hOIHOIt vi bN" "OVFo
Was the Form In which IL = range Present..
ment Came 10 Actor Maeder.
Fred Maeder. actor and writer OF melo-
dramas, has nothing spiritual looking about
him. He is a well-fed. sensible looking man,
OF middle age. or was the last time the present
writer saw him. when Maedcr told this story:
Il was playing in Melbourne once when Ned
Adams was playing in Sydney. He was an old
ana dear friend Of mine. SO ono day when l
received n letter from him snying he would
sail for Melbourne on n certain steamer I re-
solved to meet him at the wharf. although the
steamer was due to arrive at an hour which
was very early for an actor to BIO about. The
night before he arrived / was playing before n
big house and In n rollickins piece. but I never
before felt SO horribly depressed. nor have I
ever felt so since but on one occasion. and that
has to do with the story. Everything went
wrong with me that night. missed my lines.
I bunCIed some trick business | had to do. and
before the last curtain fell l was SO Frustrated
I.could not have gone on with another net.
My mind wns constantly concerned with
Ned Adams. dreaded the arrival OF the ship.
yet I could not repress my anxious IN patience
for Its arrival. 1t was not the healthy anxiety
one naturally feels when a dear friend is on
tho sea in "a storm 1T was storming that day.
There was something, Gravity and creeping
about my dread. and when the show was over
where Nv walked up and down il tho storm I'M.
til the next morning. when the ship arrived.
81 was not IN the least SURPRISED to see two
What, did surprise and horriify me was, the OK.
preston OF his face. whom 1 went to him. 1t
S Mns an nroiaced. We senrcel y'" eschanGed hO a
word until had him safe in bed.
Then he told me that the night before they
had passed through q gale. during which a lot
OF horses between decks had become panic
stricken and had STAMPED and tram,pled and
were tho most awful sounds | ever heard. l
was very sick and weak. or ] would have left
my berth and gone to some nart OF the ship
where l could have both heard and seen them:
Rut to. lie there. nervous and helpless. and
iioois was dreadful. Finally the noise their
boots made took a rhythmic form. and. dull as
it actually must hive been. coming, to me from
sounds. the lDwling OF the gale. tho crashing
Of the waves which many times came over the
those sounds wore merged into that awful
tramr-tramr; ramp-tranp Tram p-tramp;
tram r taIKea a .iS ou dh TO try ,r snd 4 dro Ssns tie sound
Ing me mad. Others talked to mo. sang to me.
Imminent fear OF death in that storm. forcing
my heart and brain to pulse In time with it,
tya m that tr t1 mn.,tamp 4 trx Wn! mSra im TsSnn,
Of every atom OF my sensibility. than would
have been tho certainty OF swift death. had
"'Tramp-t.amp: ,tramp-tramn. Tramp
II was days before Ned tdams was able to
Well. some time after that l was leading
nan n q company which was supporting
speaking actress, That was on the Pacific
foast; and one night We were pIsy.ncr rh d I;aSs
l was equally and. 50 far as l could determines.
as ca usclessly nervous, depressed. and ANXIOUS
as ! had been that night in Melbourne. Mod
lover for her. ! am, afraid. l had played the
slipped in my lines. Every noise made me
start like u nervous woman. and when. the
gallery applauded by stamping l thought l
Just before tho last sceno. in which. you
remember. .I.Alemne dies from inhaIinG the
e PDtsSN we'll I'll G came nouI beSina ftSss s sesnss an na VT sto S,i
In the wings: Just before, sho went on Mod
les s,n said ao to him ,n:n lH1nFfhi ny al. ,Ma ss. has
watch him work up my. death scene. Think
he has death in his mind
and / did our best to work up the scene. and
ms for Modjeska. she did such a bit OF acting
as WA" tyH nst tss s cSsta InfS %sn or d s'nGe the audience
n%rplauded so long that the stage manager
wanted to ring up. but Modieska did not rise
She was in q dead faint. and we had a deuce
OF q time. with her maid. in r%evivi1G her;
mat incident. OF course, added to my
nervousness and depression. and as soon ns /
was dressed asked my newspaper friend to
We could get something to eat and drink. He
was from n Virginia City paper: had come
down, on a special engine for, some profess
afternoon dispatches. which he had seen in
Virginia City. hut which the Carson papers did
not publish. AS he chatted about the news l
became conscious that the sound OF his voice,
my voice. our footsteps. wore taking the hate
inl form OF that tramp-tramp: tramp-tramp
Tramp-trnnip trapp-tramp!
=" shook myself. physically. to get rid OF 1t:
talked louder. then lower: walked faster.
slower. But 1t was useless: that sound WAS
ringing regularly in my ears. as steady and
dreadful az The march OF q guard outside q
condemned mans cell: Tramp.tramp; tramp
tramp. Tramp-tramp trRmp-tramp!
We had reached the resort. and were lust
raising son eiglasse t. our lips. when ny friend
announces Ned Adams's death"