New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-09-13
ABOUT JAMES LEWIS.
THE ARTIST AND THE GENTLEMAN.
HIS NATURE AS SEEN BY HIS FRrENDs-INcT-

There Is 4 curiosity IN many minds ABOUT the pTi-
vate lives OF the people OF the stage which is without
doubt in many morbid. Those who arc 80
fortunate as not to share 1t say. doubtless with
truth, that there is no more reason why the lie or
an actor should be public property. merely because
he Is an actor than why the life Of a baker should
be so. Yet when the life of actor has been use
full and upright and dignifed one. benefit to his
calling and those who have enjoyed his art. the
knowledge OF 1t becomes useful and the desire to
have that knowledge Is good and the gratifcation
OF it profitable To-day of the favore actors OF
this time and country, James Lewis, Is to be BURIED
and to-day thousands OF people, not only mere put
all over this country and beyond the sea. are think
ing Of him with afrectionate remembrance and re-
GREETING the loss OF a pleasure In the future. whlch
can never be taken from them as memory OF the
past
James Lewis was man who, admired by all VINO
saw him In the exercise OF his art, was more nom
ored and was held In deeper regard the better ana
the more closely he known. Those who mad
seen him the stage and then had the opportunity
to see him off it were not disillusioned; they were
charmed the and they learned TO rate MIN the
higher wherever they looked upon him and listened
to him afterward
He was not a who was rapid in making
friends and ne was not overload OF an abundance
society. When his duties at the theatre were over
he preferred go home. talk or read quietly TOT an
hour and then go to bed, rather than TO seek con-
vivia society with late hours which are thereby
always implied for actor. He entertained le"
friends al his house. and ne seldom away from
1t at the entertainments of others. 1t Is not 10 DC
supposed from this that ne was not sood cop
panion or that good companionsnip was distas'e"i
him. When the people whom ne liked were arouhd
him there nobody who was better company than
he He could talk well and he could tell stories we'll
He had fund Of them TO tell and those VINO were
most in the habit OF listening to them say that 'hey
were always new and always good with STRANGERS
he seemed 10 a feeling that nc might ran snort
OF expectation He said that he regretted tha' ne
was not a humorIst off the stage And 80. when ne
had q speoch TO make on any formal occasion. such
as a dinner it always carefully prepared In ad-
vance, SO that lapse or failure OF inspiration,
when the moment came should deprive his effort OF
It's effect.
BIT OF SUPERSTITION
1T is coincidence" said Augusln DAILY. his
manager for so many years, in speaking OF him
yesterday that he is to be buried on Septem-
Der 49, for he always had the strongest fear OF
the number 10 and of Friday. l don't know
that he was a supersttious man in other respects
though no doubt he would object TO hummng the
Macbeth music in the theatre. but he had great
fears on that point. He never wanted to begin
ANYTHING on the 18th of the month or on Friday
II had a new part to give him. and 1t would
naturally be delivered to him on either OF those
DAYS he would ask me not to let him have 1t until
the next day or to give 1t to him on the day before
| don't know that he has ever suffered any mis-
fortune on either of those days, TO confirm MIN III
his fears My experience has been quite the
reverse of unlucky with regard to them some OF
nv most successful seasons have been begun on
Friday and he made one of his own greatest sue
cesses in part which he played for the first time
on the 18th of the month 1t was September l' 100
Just twenty-six years ago tomorrow the Gay ol His
burial and It was the beginning of Miss Clara Nor
ris under my management, when ne played DIT fa'-
rick Lundy in Man and Wife.
cd
He would never sleep in room No IL at MOTEL
He would rather walk the floor Of some other room
all night without bed. And he would never ae-
cept section No. - in seeping-car That or
stateroom No 10 a steamer was POSITIVE ih'i-
tation TO disaster The person or whom the duty
devolved OF arranging the details OF MI Day
tours had 10 remember that and look out for II,
One day on a train the manager was careless ana
inadvertently let section No. Il be assigned 10 him.
and he was I'm a positive tremble OF apprehension
till the mistake corrected and then 1t took MN
some time to get back into the habit OF looking
pleasantly upon the manager
HOW HE FELL on THE STAGE.
AS to his entrance into his calling. M Lewis SAID
that he STUDIED his and fell on the stage lie
was very young man and he lived In Troy. Ii
happened that an actor theatre there took 1t into
his head to visit NewYork without his Managers
permission but ne did not have quite the heart to
20 without leaving substitute behind nifn lie ap-
piled a friend OF his VINO was NOT an dCtoi " NC
the substitute The friend refused. 1t happened
that Lewis was present and the actor then asked him
TO take his place Lewis suddenly took 1t into his
head TO try He took the part and studied 1t and the
actor played truant, according to the programme
When the time came for beginning the pay LEWIS
was the only person presen; to play the part ana IL
mat,ered not how little the manager liked II. there
was nothing else to be done. The actor stayed In
New York longer than he had expected. and when
he came back he found himself discharged and Lewis
hired in his place. The other members of his family
did not know tina; he an actor till some time
later and it was found out al last only by his sister
visiting the theatre and seeing him on the stage
For an actor OF his age. Mr. Lewis had done iltte
travelling He had been as far west as san ran ram
cisco with Mr. Days company. ana ne mao Dseh
to Europe with it, too. But il, is the general suppo,
son that anybody who was on me stage iG5y snd
picturesque vlcissitudes. Mr.. Lewis d.d wander
about for IT. time bsa is s etG pqr in at
pany and the most Of his professional ife mas psen
He had a small, share of the literal "barn-storming
that fell the lot of so many actors OF tne perlou m
il was He acted in a schoolhouse. where ne was
sent 10 ring the bell to announce the DeglnhIE oi
the performance, and ne acted IN Stranger p''''s
e used to tell of a time when he played in town
where the best substitute for theatre that could
be found In some of the out-buidings OF a
The hotel dgndry wa W6e est Rs trap De n h
stage was opened for the grave of Opheiia the not
air came 3nn up sad sweets to the sweet ard scat
tered pa per flowers into the grave. they won't up m
stead of down. and injured the poetical effect OF the
passage
WARNED AGAINST A HARMLESS COMEDIAN
Once as Mr. Lewis told the story long afterward.
he asked the landlord OF his hotel 10 direct him to
the theatre WAL" the landlord replied, we
Amt Exactly got no theatre. but there's Duiidin
I'D wonder where they give performances. II used
TO he Temperance Hall. but they call 1t Grand Opera
House now. ..., - -,
Presently the actor came to marble yard ana
askod man who was cutting stone TO direct MN
70 tho Grand opera House. Right back OF the
ma rble yard" the man said
where Is the stage door, ,
You'll fnd II just behind the third tombstone to
your left" , 49,. an.
When the actor found the stage door and the car
penter and had attracted the attention OF thdt
tradesman by throwing n tenpenny nan at MIN, the
"a rnenter said rs your name Lewis?
md he q said: 'Oh. yes.