Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-04-22

| not GET USED TO sLAVEB1
TTlHE DEATH OF FANNY KEMBLE BUTLER
l. removes parsonage who has filed yer y
large space in the worlds history Of histrionic
and literary heroines. She died at the ad-
vanced age Of eighty two. and only short time
before her death the London correspondent OF
New York journal spoke Of having met her in
one Of the parks OF London, and congratulated
her on her health and general appearance.
Fanny Kemble inherited her theatrical talent,
as for three generations the family had con-
| ferred honor on the British stage by remarkable
talent. The great granddaughter of Roger Kem-
| bic and granddaughter Of John Philip Kemble
and the daughter Of Charles Kemble and the
| niece of Sarah Siddons could hard fail to be an
actress of distinguished ability. Her appear
ance on the stage was caused by the misfortunes
of her father. whose losses as manager of Covent
| Garden Theater had wrecked his fortunes. TO
gave the theater in his hands she was prepared
for the stage in the brief period Of six weeks by
one of her aunts, Mrs. Whitlock, who had re-
| tired from the profession with well-earned
| honor. She made her first appearance at
| Covent Garden Theater on the 5th OF October,
| 1929. as Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet" her
| father appearing as MercutiO and her mother
| as L0dy C0puleL Mr.. Abbott was the Romeo
| on the occasion.
| SUCCESSFUL FROM THE FIRsT.
Her success was very great, and from her
first appearance she filed the most conspicuous
position on the British stage. She was the
original Julia in 1.-The Hunchback, and the first
night it was produced she gives in her recollec-
| tions OF her girlhoOd = very graphic account Of
| its reception. Her father. she saws, ICON
| sented" to appear in the character Of Sir
! Thomas Clifford, and the author. Sheridan
| Knowles, as Master Waller Fanny Kemble' s
| talent was not confined to the dramatic pro-
heel Oh, laIrv al
I in several works. in which she portrays the
! leading personages of the long period of her
\ life, and the opportunities she had of meeting
| the most distinguished Of the literary and
| professional world rendered her works very
| interesting. The two members OF the literary
guild OF whom she speaks most frequently and
with the most earnest regard Sir Walter
| Scott and Washington Irving
| Sir Walter Scott. in his diary on the 18th of
| June. 1880, says: Miss Fannie Kemble has
very expressive features though not regular.
and, what is worth 1t all, grea. energy, mingled
| with and chastened by correct TASTE He did
not want to see her when she appeared as Mrs.
| Berer{y. as he ''hated to be made miserable
! about domestic Distress" He makes frequent
| mention of Fanny Kemble and her ia her in
his diary. as she does of Sir Walter aud Wash
ington Irving. Mr.. Irving acknowledges his in
debtedness to Mrs. Eemble for her kindness to
him when he first visited London to engage in
some commercial business and before he had OBJ
| tanned literary prominence. and that kindness
he remembered when fame had been bestowed
| upon him as an author and diplomat.
HER VISIT TO THIS COUNTRY
! Fanny kcmble came to America with her
| father in 1882 and was successful here as she
had been in London. Edinburgh and elsewhere.
l saw her at the American Theater. Louisiana
| avenue, and though boy 1 remember her well
as Mrs. Beueriy in the dismal old tragedy of the
| '.Gamester." with her father Mr.. Beuerly,
and subsequently l saw Mr.. Cooper and his
| daughter-afterward Mrs. Robert Tyler-in the
| same tear-producing tragedy. 1 seemed to
have been doomed to be present on another
occasion when that gloomy production was
| presented by a distinguished trio-Mr. Hsmlin
| az Bererty. Mrs. Shaw Mrs Becerly and Mr..
| Eddy as Stdkeley. The several points" made
| by each of these Mrs. Bereriys I remember,
| but those of Fanny kemble remain as the first
and most impressive. She retired from the
| stage after her marriage with Pierce Butler in
1884. but returned to public lite a reader. in
which she excelled. No one Of the many readers
who have appeared since her day, male or
| female. approached her. Her wonderful voice,
her fine conception of the different characters
| of the plays she read were given with the most
extraordinary fidelity. 1 heard her read
Henry VIII" and every character was por-
trayed as have never seen 1t on the stage with
all the accessories of scenery orchestra and
and properties.
AN UNHAPPY MARRIAGE.
The marriage with Mr. Butler did not result
happily, and she obtained q divorce, Mr.. Butler
offering no opposition, ''incompatibility being
the plea. Mr.. Butler, who was a very large
planter, resided in Philadelphia. There they
met, and after the marriage she went to one of
his plantations on Buffers Island in Georgia,
and she was for the first time brought face to
| face with slavery. OF course 1t shocked her
preconceived ideas, and she undertook some
| reforms which conficted with the opinions Of
the citizens Of the south and with some of the
| laws governing that institution" and she
! found her residence so unpleasant that she did
| not long remain. She published her journal Of
| residence on Georgia plantation and her
| freely expressed opinions in this volume and
| her repugnance to receive use any money
obtained from that source led to the separation
and final divorce. In one of her books phe
| speaks Of having dined with ex-President John
Quincy Adams at II. S in Boston, and discussing
| the character OF DesdemOnd, Mr.. Adams, she
| says, said he regarded her end as retributive
for having married a ''nigger." My memory Of
her appearance when saw her was confirmed
! by picture l saw Of her years afterward
painted by Mr.. Sully, and the engraved portrait
| of her by Sir Thomas Lawrence. The portrait
! by Mr.. Sully was painted, as she says, IN her
Records" in 1884. The plantation on Butler 8
! Island remains as the property of her daughter,
the Hon. Mrs. Leigh. At the close Of the war
4
I TO take charge Of it, but he rendered himself
| SO obnoxious to the returned owners of the
| neighboring estates that he returned to Eng
land after trying to introduce some unpleasant
! reforms. To enable Mr.. Kemble to retrieve
his losses an announcement is made in the
| play bill OF October ), 1929, that Miss Kelly.
| Miss Foote, Mr.. T. P. Cooke and Mr.. Kean
| have consented to perform gratuitously for
! several nights and Mr. Kemble announces "the
| peculiar legal liabilities to which Mr.. Kemble is
subject prevent any alterations in the prices of
admission" His father, who raised the prices
Of Drury Lane Theater, caused the celebrated
! 20. L. riots which almost wrecked the theater.
! At Mitchells Olympia in New York any I'M
| seemly demonstration by the gods Of the gal
lery was ouelled by his threat to raise the
| prices. Adelaide Kemble, sister Of Mrs.
/ Butler, sang with great success in Norma, ~
'Scmramide," '.Sonnambula' and other
operas. but retired early from the stage by u
. marriage with Mr.. Sartoris. Her son married
| the daughter of Gen Grant.
WASHINGTON IRvINa's ADVICE.
In Fanny Kemble's recollection of her girl
| hood she says when she told Washington Irving
| that she was to be married he said you will be
happy if you are prepared to accept America
| for your home. but don't expect to find Eng
! land here. and don't above all things be "a
creaking door," What do you mean, she asked,
| and he told her his friend Stuart Newton, the
| American artist who had won fame in England,
married an English woman and brought her to
| America, and she led him very wretched life
ht-c a,,I H.