Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1896-03-27

KEN" as he called her, intimately, and
who believed her endowed with the divine
gift of genius. 3, a..
Dolores Ardios Fuertes was born In
New Orleans, June Is, 1885. Her mother
was a beautiful, gifted Frenchwoman, q
native of Bordeaux, who had won some
success on the stage in her own country
and in Spanish America. Senior Fuertes,
Adal,'s father, was Spanish Jew.
The family Of Fuertes was always in
Strengthened circumstances, SO that he did
not hesitate to use the earning powers of
his pretty little daughter at an age when
she should have been absorbed in picture
books and dolls.
Adah was not yet when her father be-
gan her instruction, for it was the dream
of his life to make her as great as that
actress of his race Rachel, whose dramatic
genius had placed her at the head of the
European stage .sss
Adah had an older sister, Josephine, of
whom we know but little, for, though
gifted as dancer, she was not cursed
with beauty. When Josephine was 8 and
Adah 2, they appeared as dancers In 9
pantomine at the old Charles Street thea
ter, New Orleans The beauty, grace, In.
telligence and rare art of the younger sis
ter made her an Immediate success, and
the elated father saw within his rasp the
fortune for which he had SO long been
striving. -.
At the age of 10 Adah's father took her
to Havana, where she danced herself into
immediate success and was known by the
gay gallants as "Queen Of the Plaza"
Spanish grandees and wealthy planters
offered her marriage, but her father guard
ed her carefully, determined not to part
with so productive a property. Fuertes
took his beautiful daughter to Texas and
Mexico, where her success was unboundcd.
apart from her wonderful dancing, said
q man who met her at Vera Cruz In 1852,
"it was worth the whole price of admis-
sion Just to look at the graceful form and
exclusively beautiful and brilliant face as
she walked across the stage. At this time
she was the cause of many heartaohe,
and more than one duel was fought on her
account" - 81 'f'
On their return to New Orleans Adah's
father felt that he could afford to rest, and
that her appearance on the stage was no
longer necessary for the family support.
The girl used her leisure and showed her
natural bent by writing and publishing q
book of poems entitled Memories" under
the nom de plume "Indigena.
In 1866 she was induced to dance at Gal
weston, and here she met a musician,
Alexander Isaacs Menken, Of her fathers
race, whose skill won her heart, and q
few weeks after their first meeting they
were married. After this she became
known by her husbands name, to which
she preflxed for stage purposes that OF
Adah. ...,.-.,.,.....asf zf :.
Menken was no sentimental lover. He
saw fortune in bis wife's beauty and tai!
ents, and he decided to get oil that could
be made out Of both. After living with
Menken for two years, during which time
she appeared successfully In nearly every
state, she was divorced from him on her
own application at Nashville In 1868.
Free from Menken, she went to New
Orleans, where her family were again in
need, and abe at onoe accepted an engage
ment as q dancer and singer on the variety
stage. She made brilliant and profitable
trip through the south taking time from
sleep to prepare herself for work of high
or class. @.l AL s..
After six months Of variety starring"
Adah returned to New Orleans and ap-
peared In tho drama of "Fazio." AS her
training for legitimate stage work had
been limited her talents could not COM
pensate for her want of experience, yet her
appearance, though disappointing to her.
sell, was not only not failure, but COM
petent critics said it was full Of promise.
While playing in Cincinnati In 1859 she
undertook the study of sculpture and sur
prised her Instructors. In New York she
met John 9. Heenan, and, though mental
" so unlike, it was, on her part at least, a
case Of love at first sight.
John @. Heenan, or 1.-THE Ben1cia Boy"
as he was then called, was at this time
strikingly handsome man under 30 years
of age and the idol of the American sport
Ing world. A blacksmith in California,
Heenan won such fame on that coast that
he was matched to fight the renowned
English boxer Tom Sayers. Keenan, went
to England, and although the English
mans supporters stopped the fight 1t was
generally conceded that "the American
champion won.'' But be that las 1t may,
John G. Heenan found himself character
OF national importance on his return, and
the gifted and beautiful actress became q
worshiper. sF.>.5
Outside the physical endowmenta Of