Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1893-06-17
EDWIN BOOTH IS DEAD
The End as Peaceful as Falling
Asleep.
Short Sketch Of the Great Actor Who I'm
mortaIized Himself Upon the Arneri.
a Stage-.A Lie Full OF
instruction.

remained since Sunday last. When the
end came Mrs. Edwin A. Grossman,
the tragedian's daughter, had her hand
clasped in hat of her father. Around
the bed stood Mr.. Booths brother-in-
law, Superintendent MacGonigle, of
the Players club; Mr.. Grossman, Will
lam Bispham and Charles Il. Carryl.
The only other persons present in the
chamber were DR.. st. Clair Smith and
the nurse.
The small group who watched the
last moments of the famous actor had
been silent witnesses of Mr.. Booths
last struggle for life since 10 o'clock,
when they were summoned to the bed
side by the nurse. Death at that time
was ~momentarily expected, but it was
some hours later before a white hand
kerchief was seen to flutter from the
MILDLY window of the room in which
Mr.. Booth had lain since April 10. This
was the sign that DIR. st. Clair Smith
had agreed to furnish the small
crowd of reporters who stood expect
ant on the opposite side of the street.
The wave of the handkerchief meant
that the great t~ragedian had died.
Another i%ntiination of the death was
the raising of the flag, which aoats
over the Players club at half mast.
Although the flag could not be seen
from the street, when it was lowered
or its halyards in the morning, it still
being dark, when the early dawn broke
the stars and stripes might be dis
cerned, clinging listlessly TO the flag
staff, under which lay the mortal re-
mains of Americas greatest Hamlet.
Story OF His Life.
Edwin Booth was born on his fathers
farm in Maryland fifty-seven years ago,
on November IL, 1888, and his histrionic
record began in the class room. John
Sleeper Clarke was his schoolInate, and
these two, instead OF mounting the plat
form on recitation days and delivering
"Mary's Little Lamb would, with won
derful accuracy, give the quarrel scene
from Julius Cesar" or other scenes from
Shakespeare. When not at school he
Travelled with his father, Junius Brutus
Booth. They were deeply attached to each
was yet very young his father made
o companion of him in profess
sional Journeys. 1t was In the course of
one of these tours that Edwin made his
first appearance upon the stage at the
Boston museum, September 10, l5i9. The
Dtdf WAS 1lDDeT = NtTSlOH Oh onhkt-
speare's Orchard ILL.," and the youth
came forward in the little part of Tressil.
At first the elder Booth opposed his sons
choice of the stage, but ultimately relin-
pushed his opposition. He continued to
act with his father for more than two
years after his advent at the Boston mu-
scum
His frat appearance on the New York
stage was on September 81, 1850. at the
National theater. Chatham street. At the
same theater In 1851, his father being ill,
he suddenly and promptly took the place
Of the elder tragedian and for the first
time in his life enacted the part OF Rich |
ard III. In the summer of 1852 he accom-
panied his father to san Francisco, where
his eldest brother, Junius Brntus Booth,
jr., had already established himself as an
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 Edwin
dressed for Jafier in Venice Preserved"
the elder Booth said to him: "You look
like Hamlet; why don't you play itf"
The suggestion was acted upon, and
with what result the theater-going world |
Of three continents well knows. Just as
! the name of Junius Brutus Booth Is insep-
arably associated wi h Richard Ill, so
the name Of Edwin Booth is identified
with the melancholy prince.
In 1852 the father and son parted for the
last time. The California period of Ed
win Booths professional career lasted
until the autumn of 1856, and included
q trip to Australia. In
1856 he tool leave Of California,
being cheered on his way by several fare
| we'll testimonial benefits. He first APP
peared at the Front Street theater, Balti-
more, and then made a rapid tour of all
the large cities of the south, being every
where we'll received. In April, 1857, he
appeared at the Boston theater as Sir
Giles Overreach in "A New Way to Pay
Old Debts" On May IA. 1867, he came
forward in New York ut Burton's Metro
politan theater as Richard III, and in the
following August he was again seen in a
round Of great characters, in all of which
he displayed his brilliant ability.
On July z. 1860, he MARI led Miss Mary
Devlin, Of Troy, N. Y, an actress, whom
he had met three years before at Rich
mond, Va, with whom he shortly after
ward made q visit to England. Their
only child. n daughter, Edwina was born
In Fulham December 8, 1861. After their
return to America Mrs. Booth, sinking
under q sudden illness, died at Dorchester,
Mass. On returning to America Booth
became manager OF the Winter Gar
den theater, New York. Here Booth
appeared on December %, 1852, and with
this house he was associated until March
%, 1867, when II was destroyed
by fire. A detailed record of his brilliant
successes at his theater would make a
volume. Booths brother-in-law, the
celebrated comedian, John s. Clarke, was
his partner in the management OF the
Winter Garden theater. Clark and Booth
were also associated In the management
Of the Walnut Street theater, Philadel-
phis, Pa from the summer of 1853 till
March, 1870, when the interest of the lat
xok vas urohaea1 nv tho fopnnap
The tragedy of April, 1865, compelled
him to leave the stage, and II was then
his wish and purpose never to return to
il; but business obligations constrained
him, and he appeared ut the Winter Gar
den On january 3, 1855, as Hamlet, and
was received with acclamations by q
great audience. ''Richelfeu'' was revived
that year with much splendor and scenic
attire. An equally fine revival was made
january, 1857, of ''The Merchant Of Ven
Ice" In March the theater burned down.
A little more thar a year later the
theater, at the southeast corner of
Twenty-third street and Sixth avenue,
and on February 8, 1869, Booth opened the
new house with Romeo and Juliet
Romeo being played by himself and Juliet
by Miss Mary Mcvicker. Booth married
Miss McVicker on June z, 1869, she died
in New York In 1881, leaving no children.
Booths theater had a career of thirteen
years, and its stage was adorned with
some OF the grandest pageants and graced
by the presence of some OF the most re-
nowned actors that have been seen in this
century. Its story, however, ended In
May, 1882, when IL was finally
closed. its career ended with
q performance Of Juliet by Nine.
Modjeska. His stock company at one
Time included Lewrsnee Barrett. Edwin
l.. Davenport. j. w Wallack, IT., Mark
Smith, Edwin Adams. A. w. Fenno, ID. G.
Anderson, ID w. Waller, Bella pateman
and others--one OF the ablest dramatic
organizations ever formed in America.
Among the stars who acted at his theater
were Joseph. jefferson, Kate Bateman,
James H.. Hackctt, Charlotte Cushman,
John s. Clarke John +. Owens and James
II. McVicker. Booths theater was
almost invariably q prosperous house, but
II was not economically managed, and for
this reason and, this alone, 1t eventually
carried its owner into bankruptcy. He
then began his career over again
and in the course Of time paid his debts
and made another fortune. In 1875 he
made q tour of the south, which was . tri-
umphal progress. Thousands Of specta-
tors fiocked to see him In every city that
he visited. In San Francisco, where he
acted for eight weeks, he drew upward OF
$4,000, o total Of receipts till then I'M
precedented on the dramatic stage. In
iqa0 and aOniu In 1899 hs visited Great