The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-09-30
FATAL HEAs1sM ON rnEarAGE.
Ni.hnps Flint Have Ended lisa Loss
of Lie.
Now York Trihunc.N

(Ncw York Tribunc)
Such piece OF realism on the stage
rs iha' which occurred in II London
theatre the other day. where an actor In
Il duel scene inflicted through u mshap
Il mortal wound upon one of his stage
comrades Is by NJ means infrtuuent
Ncridehh:. fatal aud serious, humorous
ana tragic, constnatiy occur i'm stage
ilhd and many an actor can show
scars received in the mimic strife The
traditions OF the stage are full Of seri-
GUS and comic tragedies
One such Is said To have occurred ut
Ia Scala. Milan in the presence of roy
ATTY itself. 1t was at the finale OF pro-
duction Of Fra Diavolo." then the chief
operate sensation. In the closing act
the captured bandit chief is led I'M n
rocky path on his way to prison. He
turns To battle with his guards. when
Lorenzo orders his troops TO fire and
RIA i'iaVc!o dies. ON this particular
night Inc picturesque bandit. who had
always made "A traditional fall, so that
| ne would remain thu central figure OF
the tablcIu on which the curtain des-
cendcd introduced what appeared TO
,ne audiences some new business. He
EdNc one snort, dcSpairing Shrek and
| men Tell forward from his elevation
| il;o the very midst of the chorus OF
soldi rs ana vIllagery
When the members of the company
ran to pick up the singer he was dead
bullet had pierced his heart In the
confusion one Of the soldiers a beard
| lcSS youth ana Il recent addition To the
chorus quietly passed out of the thea
! 'rc' lie was pursued and arrested two
daES later, when the rOmatic discovery
was made that the young soldier was. in
TACT a beautiful girl In love with the
| tenor. They had quarrellcd some time
before. ana. unknown to him. the girl
joined the chorus Of La Scala. loaded ihe
property with n deadly bullet. and thus
introduced some startling realism on the
Italian stage
| IT statistics of theatre accidents were
complied, 1t would be curious to note
| me infEc number of mishaps switch hap
pen in the performance of "Romco and
iJuNet More than one wcil-known ac-
tor bears on his face ana body the marks
ana scars inflicted by raplers In the
uuarrc! scene In the famous tragedy. ~
| lew years ago AZ n performance of "Ru-
heo nnd Juliet" in Manchester, Eng
| land the conclusion of the play was
| tragic. indeed. The actors were anna
tours. All were greatly excited, ana the
| TWO representatives. Of Mcrcutio and Ty-
! halt Tough; with an unhappy realism
~ purely accidental thrust by Mercutio
caused Tybalt 10 fall 10 the floor, and
befor, the audience understood what
| was the matter. the unfortunate TybaIt
mad expired. Fortunately for the Mer-
cutie of tn, performance. coroner's
Jury returned verdict of death by
misldvcnturc."
William Terriss once had n narrow es-
| cape from death In the presentation of
ms tragedy. II had a little expert
cnce.' he says, Tin the run of Romeo and
Juliet when produced by Miss Mary
Anderson. which taught me to beware
OF Stage weapons. | was once playing
| Romeo 10 the Juliet OF the late Adelaide
| Nelson, M the iIaymarket when /
Icpuipp d myself with dagger as sharp
as a razor. At one of the dress lchcars-
ais MISS Nelson noticed til weapon and
Earnestly cHtrea:cd me to substitute n
| bllll'tl WtnpDn for IfI ca,
| thanked her for her suggestion Dur
me the l?ceun run of Romeo and Ju-
II : ! forgot her wise counsel and the
result was tina. fell on my own dagger,
which was 50 sharp that ii pierced me
IN the side. since then | have taken the
lesson to heart