The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-10-19
OF A BROKEN HEART.
HENRY ABBEY. THE GREAT MANA.
GER, HOUNDED TO DEATH.
Matt Gran Tells of Abbes's Sue.
ceases and Reverses-He Help~d
to Organize the Greatest Of Grand
Longer ON the Theater He Estab-
Hxhed.
Poor Henry Abbey" said Matt Grau

Poor Henry Abbey" said Matt Grau
yesterday. referring 10 the death Of Amer
lcas greatest theatrical manager
After Abbey had his first experience
in the theatrical business in 4 little house
IN Akron. o., he went on 10 New York
and secured the old Park theater, at
Broadway and Twenty-second street. The
telegram published from New York this
morning In the Post-Inte!lgencer is mis-
leading. !nasEuch as il conveys The idea
that Aboey's first experience after leaving
Akron was in Buffalo at the Academy OF
Music. Abbey did not get that house until
after he had secured Lolita. Schofeld was
az me Park theater in Boston and Abbey
came over while Lotta was playing there.
schofie.d made il possible for Abbey 10
get hold Of the, al that time, moderately
successful souoretts and play her IN the
Park theater in New York Then Abbey
sent her out on the road after playing her
IN the "Old Curiosity Shop" and "Mu-
settle, and commenced 10 make money
and spread out
Some several years after he dropped
Lolita. who was then managed by Crab
tree, her brother, and Abbey commenced
bringing over the heaviest European sue
cesses. When the Park theater burned
ADoey Went over and took Booths theater
at Sixth avenue and Twenty-third street.
here he brought out Adelaide Nelson and
several other prominent people, but the
theaier was not particularly successful.
1 nen ne lad try at Italian opera at the
Academy or Music. In this he failed.
The Metropolitan opera house was, in
the meantime built by syndicate for
stanton and Damrosch. who were to bring
out German grand opera For some rea-
son or other the German opera did not
take The stockholders in the Metropo,i-
tan then called In Henry E Abbey and
Maurice " IN had Hxa
nership. and said: Gentlemen, there's the
mouse: its yours The new management
under the style of Abbey Schofieid &
Grau then started in with the Christine
Nelson Grand Italian Opera Company
This venture also met with Indifferent
success Mr.. Abbey. who had Adelina Pat
Il singing in concerts. made the necessary
changes in his contracts and put her into
Italian opera AT the Metropolitan opera
house for three nights a week The re-
naming three nights were given up to
repertoire work without the diva On
fatti nights the house was not big
enough, but the off nights were 'frosts'
The following year the firm brought out
company that stands today as the great
est that has ever been engaged for grand
opera. Probably no greater company will
ever be organized, and for several wears
it has remained practically the same, the
only changes being 10 the betterment of
the loui tIsSluDie,
Look at this list OF names" said Mr.
Grau. as he told them off on his fingers:
'Calve. Media, Emma Games Story. Nor
dica, Albani. Scalchi, Mora De Lussan,
the two de Reskes. Plancon, La Sale.
Falcon. Morralle and Aucona. The cho-
rus, ballet and orchestra numbered some
times 500 people. The world knows what
the performances were.
''All OF the debts of the firm, after their
failure. had been paid off, principally by
chickerng Sons, and everything was
promising we'll for the present season,
when practically the same people will
appear as mentioned In the above list
Mr.. Abbey died simply of a broken
heart. His domestic troubles coupled with
those of a financial nature, crushed his
spirit. He lost Abbey's theater and the
name, instead of being allowed 10 remain
as a monument TO the foremost OF Amer
lean managers, was changed to that of
the knickerbocker theater."
Mr.. Grau is one of the proprietors of
the Grau Opera Company that appears
here this week. He is a cousin Of Man
ager Grau, of tho firm OF which Mr. Abbey
was senior member, and knew the i'm
pressario well. He speaks in the highest
terms of the dead manager. and says that
the man was bounded to death.