The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1893-06-09

1t saves the merchant trouble and ex-
pense, to say nothing of the anxiety
caused by bad debts, and it prevents
consumers from going beyond their
means. A little inquiry by a TRIBUNE
reporter ELECTED the information that a
larger amount of cash business is done
in all lines than at any former period of
the city's history, and that there is hard
ly a branch of business in which trade is
not much better this year than it was
last. Without exception the men who
have the best results to record are the
ones who are steady and persistent ad-
vertisers. Many of those who do not I'M
derstand this important element of sue
cess are behind in the rare and probably
always will be.
4
The death of Edwin Booth removes
from the world the last of the race of
Junius Brutus Booth, the great TRACE
dian OF the old school. Edwin's life was
a sad and gloomy one. His only brother,
John Wilkes Booth, was also an actor,
and it was he who killed Abraham Lin,
coin at Ford's Old theatre IN Washing
ton on the memorable night in the spring
of 1850. Owing to this bloody deed COM
mitted by his brother. Edwin never con
sented to appear at the nations capital.
Baltimore being the nearest approach
that he would make. He was a superb
actor, and a man who, though Of cold
exterior. possessed many lovable traits of
character. The world will probably
never see a man who can equal him in
the roles of Hamlet or Iago. The plow-
man flom the field who had no idea Of
art, and the most refined and scholarly
critic were alike fascinated by the abso.
lutte truth and naturalness of his de-
%lineation. He was great and even in
lmitable II other parts. but in these two
he will live forever il the history of the
American stage. Successful and bril-
liant as his professional life has been.
his private life was one Of sadness and
gloom. Away back in the seventies the
writer of these lines was connected vito
McNickers theatre in Chicago as
prompter, when Mr.. Booth came there to
play months engagement:
His wife was ii daughter Of
McNicker, and the tine old
manager frequently arranged tours for
his eon.in law. \ tour of western Can
ada and the American lake cities was
hit upon for that spring, and when
Booths season AZ Chicago closed Nc
N!cker's company started out to support
Booth on the tour, the prompter going
along. 1t was a cold and backward
spring, and we left Chicago early 10
April. The little theaters at South
Bend, Toledo and other points were as
dreary as barns in winter, and a great
part Of the trip was one of decided hard
ship. Mrs, Booth was with the party,
and watched oyer her husband like Il
mother over her baby, never missing a
night from the theater, no matter how
disagreeahle it was, or what dis omfort
she had to suffer. She was always sad
and Respondent, but he did not chide
her, and each night she would sit by his
dressing room door, sometimes chilled
to the marrow, to see that he was
covered and protecteu from draughts
as Don as he stepped from the stage.
The actor probably had a f%Oreboding
even then of the end that would over
take the rrail little woman, but he bore
up well. and a year or two later took her
abroad in search Of health. At Paris the
writer met them at a dinner party given
by Lucy Hooper, the famous correspond
ent of the Philadelphia Press, and Mr..
Booth recalled the Canadian tour of the
spring of '7G. At first Mrs. Booth also
seemed to recognize the prompter who
had done his best to protect her from the
gales that whistled through some Of the
shacks called theatres-which her hus-
bands genius transformed for the nonce
into palaces of art-but her mind was
too far estranged for any connected
thought, and soon after her return to
America she was hopelessly demented.
This was the sorry burden of Booths
life. May he know a better lot beyond
the grave!