Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-04-27

New York, April 2O.-Edwin Booths
condition was reported late tonight
to be such as to call for no immediate
alarm. AS DR.. Smith left the club
house he said that Booth is not in a crit
ical condition and he is going to leave
him in charge of the nurse for tonight.
During the Day.
New York, April 20.-After Edwin
Booths seizure last night he fell asleep
at z o'clock and slept easily until $50
this morning. DR.. Smith called at that
time. Booth awOke as the physician
entered the room, and when asked how
he felt by the doctor replied: Fairly
well, DOCTOR" The actor was able to
talk quite naturally. DR.. Smith said
that possibly Booth would be able to
sit up today. The doctors say they are
not alarmed over their distinguished
patients condition. They say the eff
fects of the attack will be temporary
only and that he will be up and around
in a few days. Mr.. Booth slept the
greater part of the time today and
seemed to rest easily. But he appears
to be almost lifeless. Although the doc
tors insist that he talked with them this
morning, it is reported that Mr. Booth
= has not yet recovered the power Of
speech. The impression prevails that
the great tragedians days are num-
bered.
Booth gave his last performance at
the Academy Of Music in Brooklyn %
April 3, 1891, just two years after the
Rochester attack. His last appearance
in public was when he attended Sal
WINS performance at the Metropolitan
opera house on April 3.
Edwin Booth was ali actor by nature
and by Inheritance. He was born on
his fathers farm, in Maryland, sixty
years ago, on Nov. 10, 1888, and
his histrionic record began in the class
room. John Sleeper Clarke was his
schoolmate, and these two, instead of
mounting the platform on recita ton
: days and delivering ''Mary's Little
Lamb" would, with wonderful accuracy
give the quarrel scene from Julius
Caesar" or other scenes from Shake
speare. During their school days Mr.
Booth and Mr.. Clarke, so the story
goes inaugurated an entertainment in
which Booth recited from Orchard
Ill, Macbeth "Hamlet' and Julius
Caesar" Between the recitations both
young men BACKED up and sang negro
melodies, and from this little incident
arose that erroneous story about Mr..
Booth once singing as an end man in a
minstrel show. When at school he
| travelled with his father, Junius Brutus
, Booth. He was reticent and singular,
profound and sensitive, and the eccen-
trio genius of the father found in the
son an object of peculiar sympathy
They were deeply attached to each
other from the first. and while Edwin
was yet very young his father made Il
companion Of him in professional Jour
neyS Tt was in the course Of one of
these tours that Edwin made his first
regular appearance upon the stage at
the Boston Museum. Sept. 10, 1S49.
The play was Gibber's versions of
Shakespeare's Richard III. and the
youth came forward in the little part of
Tressil. At first the elder Booth OBJ
posed his sons choice of the stage. hut
ultimately relinQuiShed his OpnOsition.
The boy persevered, and presently.
: still acting in his fathers train. he ap-
i peared at Providence. at Philadelphia
and at other places rs Cassie in OthpllC
= and as MILFORD in The IRON Chest His
. impeISOnatiOn of the latter character
was particularly striking. He continued
! to act with his father for more than
: two years after his advent ut the Bos-
ton museum.
+ His first appearance on tho New York
e stage was on Sept. 81. 1850. at the
National theatre. Chatham street. as
MILFORD. At the same fheatre in 1881.
his faher being i'll. he suddenly and
2 promptly took the Mace of the eldor
5 tragedian and for the first time in his
S life enacted the part of Richard TIT.
2 This effort, remarkably successful for
/ a comparative novice. was hailed as the
S indication of great talent and as the
/ augury Of a brilliant future. Tn tho
: summer Of 1859 he accompanied hts
l father to San Francisco. where his
t elder brother. Junirs Brutls Booth. Jr..
had already established himself as on
, actor and a theatrical manager and
, where the three now acted in company.
) They visited other cities and the elder
Booth remained in California for about
= three months.
One night in Sacramento, seeing Ed
, win dressed for Jaffier in Venice Pre-
served, the elder Booth said to him:
you look like Hamlet; why don't you
play it?'
The suggestion was acted upon, and
with what result the theatre going
world of three continents well knows.
: Just as the name of Junius Bl11tus
Booth is inseparably associated with
n Richard III, so the name of Edwin
/. Booth is identified with the melancholy
= prince.
t In 1852 the father and son parted for
the last time. The California period of
e Edwin Booths career lasted until the
q autumn of 1856 and included a trip to
V Australia. The Young actor at first
i played parts of all kinds, and he had
/ a severe experience of poverty and
e hardship. But his genius at length tri-
j umphed over every obstacle. One of
7 his earliest and best successes was OBJ
t tanned as Sir Edward Mortimer in The
e Iron Chest. For a time he travelled in
!, California conveying his wardrobe for
this piece in a trunk fashioned and
e painted to resemble a chest made of
T. iron. His trip to Australia, in 1854.
0 was made with a dramatic company
f that included the popular actress, Miss
Y Laura Keene. as leading woman. Pre-