The San Francisco call., 1896-03-30
A GRASS WIDOW NOW,
Lillian Beddard Will Face the
Footlights and Her Dia.
monds Alone.
HER HUSBAND DRANK HEAVILY
The Divorce Only a Ripple in the Life
of Light-Hearted English
Actress.
HER HUSBAND DRANK HEAVILY

Lillian Beddard, who has achieved sue
cess IN Shakespearean roles, met in San
Francisco with perhaps the first. and at
any rate the most disagreeable, incident OF
her career as legitimate actress.
~ came here she said in an interview
last night, with the most br llliant pros
poets and the most fattering testimonials
from England, Africa and Australia, and l
starred three weeks in Siberia in Stock
wells Theater. and received tiattering
notices from the press, however not more
tattering than | have received elsewhere.
But" And here pout clouGed he
countenance of the bright little English
woman, and a sober look stole into her
light blue eyes as she added "Mr. Stock
we'll and | didn't agree very well, and my
l was divorced from him-was drinking
heavily ana squandering my money. That
has thrown me back considerably so you
may see that | have not been very well
treated here"
Although this story SO briefly told must
have been sad one to remember the pout
was the only thing that marred the sun
shine on the merry face of the plucky lit
tie woman, who has always chosen to look
on the blithesome side Of life. No one
would take Miss Beddard for an English
woman. the only thing English about her
being the cultured accent that rolls and
rattles the royal r-r-r. But that is all.
The rest is of sunny, vine -clad France,
whose people have hearts as warm as the
red hills upon which their choicest wines
are grown. The light blue eyes wear
perpetual smile; the fair face, framed in
curly blonde hair, is that of one who en-
joys the good things of life and pays but
little heed to the disa greeable ones.
Diamonds being some of the good things,
she has them in plenty, and they sclntlllate
from her throat and fingers, making her
quite sparkling grass widow indeed.
When one looks at her and thinks of the
divorce he wonders why man with
wife so charming should drink SO much.
But. perhaps, that is because of the cussed
ness of the sterner sex.
Miss Beddard has a fine collection of
plays, most of which were written specially
for her. One of these is 1.-The White
Queen" written by Palgrave OF London.
author OF Jane Shore" 1t is historical
play of the time of Louis XII. She pro-
duced this in London, and realized large
The White Woman" dramatization OF
Wilkie Collins Woman in White" is an
other of her favorite pieces. She has IN her
repertoire several melodramas, among
them 1.-The Gamblers Wife," by Neil OF
London; 'The Mascot of Montana" by
her ex-husband, Hereward Hoyte, and sew
eral comedies, one of which, ''fhe Divided
Skirt" has never been produced.
In London she played long and sue
cessful season as Lady Macbeth to the
Macbeth of Walter Bentley. She played it
also for two weeks in Edinburgh, and the
bagpipers serenaded her every night.
Poor fellows! They seemed to enjoy it
SO much. They really think it s music"
and Miss Beddard laughed heartily as
Reel O. Tulloch," MY Heart Is Sair for
Charlie" Were ma That Flu, but Jist
Wee Dfap in Our Ee, and the other Sc
lections rendered with much explosive
ness by the Draw and killed Scotsmen.
Miss Beddard was the first Shakes
pearean actress to visit Johannesburg and
Kimberly, the gold and diamond centers
of South Africa, and she coined money
there in the name of William Shakespeare.
Among her enthusiastic patrons were :
Cecil Rhodes, the South African states
man; Paul Kruger, the Boer President;
Mayor CRAFT of Cape Town. A beautiful
full blooded collie dog. the gift OF Cicil
Rhodes. accompanies the actress wherever
she goes. He is one of the most faithful
OF animals, and she would not part with
him for his weight in gold.
While in Cape Town, the actress was
very much interested in the Malay popu-
lation. They are inveterate theater-goers,
and their women on such occasions attend
bedecked in the most gorgeous of silks,
and shod with embroidered slippers, rain
or shine.
People pay good prices to see show in
Africa, the lowest being half crown, and
ranging from shilliags to 10 shillings six
pence. The boxes fetch from 3 to 5 guineas.
At benefit the rates are much higher.
.San Francisco is strange in one thing,
and that is that they don't give diamonds
to actresses, continued NJ iss Beddard with
q laugh. s'At my benefit in Kimberly l
got $50 worth of diamonds"
It was suggested that Kimberly was a
diamond district where the miners threw
diamonds at the birds, while San Fran
cisco was noted for its profusion of flowers
all the year round, which the people made
up into bouquets and threw at actresses and
at thems selves.
Miss Beddard intends to open a season
here with one of her own plays in short
time.
Funeral of G. A. r. Veteran.