The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-20

hair, sank down in a chair beside him and
covered his face with his hands. When l
finished the song | again called him by
name, but he did not look up. The sight so
overcame me that l cried like a child and
left the room.
Scanlan's was a remarkable case. Most
sufferers from paresis die quickly after
passing into its last stage. but Seaman held
on for three years With the majority of
cases it is the incipient and violent stages
of the disease which have the longest dura-
tion. Two years ago friend, after visit
ing Seaman, wrote the following:
THE only person whom he recognizes is
his wife, who visits him twice a week, ana
that recognition is more that OF instinct
than of any human intelligence. When
she enters the room in which he sits Tor
hours, staring at vacancy he manitests
contented appreciation of her presence, just
a dog does the approach of some one
who has been kind to 1T. Seaman cannot pe
aroused to any semblance of interest in his
surroundings by the attendants, or visitors.
and does not appear to hear them He no
longer cares to turn pages OF picture books
and illustrated papers, and although he was,
in the early years of his mental degenera-
ton, very fond of music. vocal or instru-
mental, and a keenly delighted auditor at
the weekly entertainments, he no longer ap-
pears conscious of any attempts TO amuse
him in this manner The musical instinct
is dead, just as is the memory, and sort
Of conscious recognition of the existence OF
his wife when she is at his side alone binds
him to the past. The years when he was
the idol of the public, when the purse of
Fortunatus seemed to be his, when the
sweet melodies, many of which will never
die, were being sung by the people of two
continents, blank. He is in worse than
a second childhood"
HIS STAGE CAREER.
Seaman was born of Irish parents at
Springfield, Mass, Feb. IA, 1856 and at thir-
teen years of age he had developed remark
able vocal talents, and was known all over
New England as the boy temperance
singer. He travelled with eminent lecturers
for seven years. When he grew up he met
William Cronin a remarkable impersonator
of female Irish character, and the vaude-
vile team of Seaman and Cronin was for
years in the front ranks. Next Seaman
joined Minnie Palmer and they starred
together in musical comedy for two years.
This was Minnie Palmers real start in
the stage life that arterWard, under John
Rogers'S management, led to her fortune.
Seaman was at this period of his life a
fertile writer of songs.
Lillian Russell scored her first success at
Pastors Broadway Theater, singing Moon
light on Killarney one of Scanlan's early
productions. Years later, when misfortune
had oVertaken the composer and the song
stress had New York at her feet, benefit
was given for him. The Queen of Comic
Opera" was billed to sing Moonlight on
Killarney" but she disappointed &he audi
ence without explanation. Seaman, who at
the time was in possession of many of his
faculties, felt this slight keenly Seaman,
after parting with Minnie Palmer, starred
in BARLEY Campbells Friend and Foe"
uHuef the duluOI i1dHdBSIu6nI. InGy
afterward occupied the same pavilion at
BiDomingdale, the same fate for both In
1881 Seaman was taken up by Augustus
Pitou, who starred him in this country
Canada and Great Britain in THE Irish
Minstrel Shane Ma Lawn" Ma
dramas 1t then that Scanlan wrote
and sang 'Peek-a-Boo," which had a great
vogue. The author drew $4,000 royalties
from the sale of this song in less than six
weeks. Almost equally successful were
My Nellie's Blue Eyes, What's in
never could read note of music but he
composed over fifty songs, over half of
which are on the counters of the stores, and
ways great favorite with women and
played to big matnees.- Most of his pieces
called for the presence of many children,
with whom he romped and sang. No chill
dren were born to his wife, and the favOrite
among the child artists with whom he ap-
peared was little Dot Cortland