The evening times., 1897-03-10
.HE|REsS DIES IN WANT
Laura Keene's Grandehild Barely
Spared a Pauper's Grave.
NO MONEY FOR HER FUNERAL
Sister of the Notorious Rawson
Twins-Her Third Child Born
Last Friday-For Two Days She
Lay Alone Trying to Nurse the
Baby Help Came FOO Late.

] New York, March 1O.-On the register
! ofthe sexton OF the Roman Catholic Church
! OF 81. Joseph at Hackensack, n. J., is in
| scril,ed the name of Clara Raw son Jaccard,
but there was no additional entry TO tell
that she, the heiress to $4,000, which,
bad she lived two months longer, should
have been hers, was saved from pauper's
burial only by the charity OF priest.
Her mother was the fayorite daughter OF
Laura KeeRe. To this new generation it
may he necessary to tell that Laura Keene
was as gifted an actress as the American
stage has ever produced. 1t was she who,
on that miserable night, April Ii, 1868, at
Ford's Theater, Washington, ran off the
stage and held the head OF Abraham Lin
cOlnin her lap until medical aid arrived 1t
was her own gown OF white satin, with it's
embroidered passion flowers, which was
stained with the blood OF the wounded
President andit was to her that the widow,
shortly after the passing away OF the hus-
hand wrote Observation-Disclosures oftbanks-
a letter which was found pressed against
the bosom of the dead granddaughter last
Friday night.
This poor young creature, as the grand
daughter OF Laura Keene, should have been
honored; as the sister OF the Rawson twins
silc was doomed to share with them their
unenviable notoriety.
This latter was not her fault In her girl
hood she was hoydenish but when, at the
age OF thirteen years, she married Swiss
matchmaker, fully forty years her senior,
she became a woman. And when she be-
came the mother of son her woman hood
and her motherhood became as sharply de-
fined as the shadows of sunset which
usher in the calm night. From that day,
seven years ago, until death ended her sur
fcrings, her life was one OF simple patience
and fortitude.
Despite the fact that she had claim to an
annuity OF very nearly 81 200. she died in
squalor, her aged husband and her three
children pale and wan from suffering
It was twenty-five years ago that this
woman's mother Married Albert l.. Raw
son. He had been a lecturer on the arts
at Cambridge University, and was the first
president of the American Association of
Water Color Artists Laura Keene's daugh-
ter lived long enough to bring into the
world the daughter, Clara. e nd two twin
sons, Albert and Alpheus.
When she died her widower remarked
This second wife died in 1882, supposedly
8 HUH dU OfcIuOcc Vi HUI iiiliC-
at thirteen, married old David JaccaTd, Of
Hllsdale, n. j.. where the Rawsons lived
After that time her father saw little of her,
although he was trustee Of her estate, OF
which she was entitled to the income until
she attained her majority. She always |
claimed that she never received cent
The end began on Friday night week |
ago She had been coughing incessantly |
for more than two months, and Dr. Jehl, of |
Hillsdale, had prescribed a cough mixture. |
On Friday she was taken suddenly i'll, and |
at midnight her third child, son, was |
born. There was no money in the house,
and for more than thirty eight hours she |
lay on pallet of straw and gunny bags. |
trying to nurse her baby. Then neighbor, |
who happened in, summoned DR.. Theodore |
Townsend, of Woodside.
starvation" he said. ''Both lungs af- |
fected and septicemia almost certain"
He came daily thereafter and aided the |
old father in caring for the puny infant 1
and the two other helpless ones Clara |
died last Friday night, and the father and |
children thought merely that it meant one |
less mouth to feed.
Then a justice of the peace, William |
Smith, of Park Ridge, forced his way into |
the story. He knew, as indeed everyone in /
that part of New Jersey knew, that a suit |
was pending to remove Artist Rawson from |
the trusteeship of the estate of his children. |
and so he forbade the undertaken to en-
balm the body of the dead girl, but sent /
constable to keep guard of It.
Monda ythe hideous farce was ended. The /
coroner came and found that the young |
mother had died from three causes -priva-
ton, pneumonia and blood poisoning. Then /
came the question of burial. The aged hus-
band wept. 81 haven't a penny in the /
world, he said.
"H'm," said the undertaken. reflectively, |
but not without sigh. s.then the town must
bury her."
And they were laying out tn he poor, wasted
flesh for this purpose when there came into
the room a priest. He was fmaI man
with rough voice and kindly blue eyes al |
most hidden by spectacles.
What is this?'' he inquired, but before
a reply could be youchsafed he seemed to |
the situation. "she often at
tended our church," he added softly, land |
/ VIII bury her."
Not long after he said the burial service
Of his church over the figure that lay life
less on the miserable pallet. Then Father
Kerrigan turned away with prayer Late
that afternoon a hearse. followed by the
driving pair OF black horses
litched to si1ebar buggy, went over the
hills toward Hackensack.
The husband stayed home to care for the
infants left behind
Such was the earthly end OF Laura
zeene's grandchild-