The San Francisco call., 1896-10-18

was attacked with hemorrhage of the
stomach. All efforts to check the ailment
proved futile. Shortly after o'clock he
became unconscious and died in little
while. The funeral will take place next
Tuesday. The interment will be in North
ampton, Mass.
Henry E. Abbey was born in Akron,
Ohio, in 1916. He learned the trade OF
ieweler from his father, who was in the
jewelry business and who bequeathed him
his business. Having musical tastes Alb
bey soon gave up mercantile business and
became manager of a summer opera
house, a venture that turned out disas-
trously. Subsequently he went into the
box-office Of the Euclid Avenue Opera
house at Cleveland under the veteran
John Ellsler, and still later became treas
urer for Ellsler's Opera house at Pittsburg.
He became very popular in the the
atrical business and soon had number
of offers to take charge of the tours of
prominent professionals. OF these offers
he selected that made by Lotta.
In 1889 he brought Sarah Bernhardt
and her company to this country at a
great expense. Then, secure in his new
fame, Abbey, in conjunction with
Schos ffel. became interested in operatic
affairs and brought over Nilsson. Patti,
Langtrv and Irving.
Their fame as managers increased, and
in 1893 Grau was taken into the firm in ad-
ditlon and plans were made for mag
nihcent grand opera season. When the
Arm occurred the Metropolitan OPERA
house it was its ambition to give grand
opera. This ambition was realized
The history of the brilliant managerial
career of Abbey is inseparably linked with
the glories ana reverSes OF the Metropol-
itan Opera house. On May % the theat-
rical world and pubic was astonished to
hear of the failure of Abbey, Schoeffel &
Grau.
Henry E. Abbey will be a loss to the
theatrical and musical world. He was
the greatest plunger the profession has
known. He took tremendous risks and
odds on anything in uis line. To him
we owe the original Bernhardt and
Irving seasons in America, and most of
the Leading European celebrities made
their first American appearance under
Abbey's management. He also had
several of the most prominent American
stars and companies on his list.
The Metropolitan Opera Company,
which for three years has charmed the
Eastern cities, was another of Abbey s
daring ventures. He handled hun
dreds of thousands of dollars in connec-
ton with this venture. Only last season
he was involved in financial trouble,
threatening failure, through the immense
sums expended in opera salaries and pro-
ductions. 1t was through this opera
scheme that he lost to Al Hayman the
Knickerbocker Theater of this city. Mr..
Abbey was i'll since last spring, at
times his condition being dangerous.
Lately he seemed better and his
death was not expected. Mr.. Abbey and
his wife, formerly Florence Gerard,
recently separated and the talk that en-
sued affected the sick man seriously. He
leaves one daughter by his first wife and
probably no fortune, for in his desire to be
the Napoleon of managers he sacrificed his
private affairs at every turn. Mr.. Abbey's
death will probably not interfere with the
opera season about to open, as Grau and
Schoeffel, his partners, have been manag-
ing the business since Abbey's illness.