The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1896-10-16
WHEN DEATH IS REAL.
Tragic Fatalities that Have Occurred
Upon the Stage.

Tragic Fatalities that Have Occurred
Upon the Stage.
The recent calamity on a London
stage in which an actor actually killed
fellow player in the scene where ha
was supposed to run him through with a
dagger has brought to light numerous
ter.
The great Roman actor Roscius, en-
acting Atreus, was so carried away
that he fell upon slave and killed him
on the spot. Farquhar, in Dryden's
Indian Emperor" wounded fellow
actor SO dangerously that be was said
to have died from his wounds. In
Stockholm, early In the sixteenth CEN
tury, an actor who was playing Lon
ginus in "rhe Mystery of the Passion
was SO realistic in his playing that he
pierced the mimic Christ so severely
that his death on the cross was actual.
Many years ago, an italian artist nam
ed Lombardi, playing in "Antigone,"
had to turn his sword from his fathers
tainly that he fell dead.
Upon the opening night Of the pro-
duction of "AIichael Strogoff" In Lon
don, in 1881, Mr.. Charles Warner in
the title role, was set upon by the viii
lain of the piece, and in the duel with
daggers which ensued Mr.. Warner was
badly wounded. Barry Sullivan once
attacked Richmond in "kichard the
Third" with such vehemence that his
opponents sword was struck from his
hand and serious accident barely
ayerted. The elder Baron. a French
actor of note, performing in ''The Cid"
of Corneille, had to kick a sword out
of his path and in so doing punctured
his foot; the matter was trifing at first
but later ON gangrene set in and the
player died. Charles Kemble. at one
time playing Macbeth to Mrs. SiddOn's
Lady Macbeth. flung away a goblet
with such violence that 1t shattered a
chandelier above the great Sarah's
head. That lady bore 1t without finch
ing, however At the dress rehearsal
of 1.-The Huguenots' at Paris several
years ago, the famous tenor Nouritt, in
pretending to jump from fourth-story
window, injured himself so that the
piece had to be delayed for a week. At
the final rehearsal of Faust" the orig
inal Mephistopheles. Balanque, contriy-
ed to wear a pair Of diabolical red
wings. With these outspread. he rose
from trap in the first act. and. by
touching a spring. these later became
the conventional cloak. But the spring
behaved badly, and the actors face was
horribly lacerated by the fiuttering
whalebone ribs, over which the cloth
was arranged.
Deaths from sudden and unknown
causes are frequent on the stage, and It
has generally seemed that the passing
of the actors soul has always been at
some moment when his words were
particularly applicable to the circum-
stance. Not long ago Federico was
playing Faust" In Melbourne. and just
after he uttered the last word before his
descent to Hades he gave sigh and
fell dead. At this actors funeral, as
the venerable clergyman finished say
ing Sin the midst of life we are in
DEATH" he fell lifeless Paterson died
while preparing Claudio for execution
in Measure for Measure" saying of
life "a breath thou art" Cummings,
as Dumont in "Jane Shore" expired
with a quotation for Gods mercy on
his lips, and Palmer, as manager and
actor, died as he exclaimed. "Oh, God!
God! There 10 another and better
worldv'