Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-11-28
STAGE DEATHS.

Views of an Actress Who Has Had a
Varied Experience.
Miss Viola Alien has probably died as
many times as any other woman on the
stage-that is to say Of course, a dramatic
death, says tile Boston Globe
There is something fascinating to me-"
She said. 'in a death scene If the actress
has to fan to the ground in a death agony
She must be careful that she does not per-
form tine feat as though she was q closp-
knife folding up. Then again. she must
cultivate breathing so that she may seem
not TO Dee breathing at all. Nothing is
more ridiculous than the spectacle pre-
scented by "a supposed corpse. whose chest
is hetying violently, in consequence Of
the motion attending upon falling
Il remember i'm Nireinius' L was stab
bed and fell backward 10 the ground. The
blow made mo gasp-gradually my limbs
became rigid. and 1 fell AT the moment the
spark of life was supposed 10 have left my
body. / used 20 remain mOuOnless with
my mouth and eyes open. once a fly flew
into my mouth-but that is another story.
My authority for such action and suisse
quent pose IS the strongest. 1 was the wit
ness of just such "a tragedy i'm real life.
The only pain 1 experienced in that scene
was the enforced holding of my breath.
The length of the actual death scene is
about i've minutes.
when played i'm Othello with Tomaso
SaIvini 1 was always very nervous dur
Italian tragediau used to get extremely
excited 1 would turn my face Sideways
and hold a small space open under the fur
thcr side Of the pillow, so that 1 could
breathe but even that breathing hole
would frequently get closed under Sal
WINS forcefu. energy Then when he had
found that Doe had killed Dosdemona'
without cause. i'm his remorse he would
throw himself heavily upon The body. 1
used to wait for this piece of business as
one would wait for locomotive about TO
project itself upon the waistband.
AS Juliet I have died many times.
Romeo you know, drinks the poison, and
subsequently throws the phlal away as
Juliet approaches him: then, seeing him
die stabs herself and falls over him. At
one theatre the property man. thinking
poison should Doe represented by some
black fluid. filed the phial with ink AS
Romeo made merely a slight motion of
drinking the liquid Dice did not notice the
nature of the fluid. But when he threw
the bottle away from him. II struck some
where near Juliet and the ink few ali over
my face and the lovely white gown / wore.
ON that occasion. You may be sure. the
life of Juliet was ended with the least pos
sib,e delay.
.In Ia Charbonuior the heroine dies q
slow death ly poison. In this case l took
special care to lind out the right poison
that should Dee mentioned i'm the piece.
as the one that would cause slow
numbing of the senses.
Death by starvation is by no means
Jolly. As Jess I'm 'Hoodman 1 have had
TO make believe ] would give my life for
a douchnut I'm this play my death occur
red while l was reclining on my side Wen
down the stage toward the footughts.
This was quite often AN awkward siua-
ton. because of the different curtains at
the various theatres Now and thcn 10
avoid my being struck 10y the curtain, the
hero would be obliged to draw my body
back. ana once. though man put out his
hand TO keep the roller from touching
Tie. the heavy mass actually gsazed nay
nose