The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-12-18
STAGES REAL TRAGEDIES.
Some Of the Incidents Are unhappily
Famous Because of R~marksb
Cofneidenc~.-Fsmo Last Word
Z Final Appearance of kean.

sation for taat period there
after siint;ea 80 cEsgy great up
hcarai in human eu.afloue-f..@ Traditional
nine days. And st uafoRafi accident
1nedliated design. 81 iat3... Uses have
extiDglsissie6 TgiesI .e5;s sa the mo-
nlssEits If their ors& .;sf .-iaAtion from
the days % Ros~.I-. a.t. % s..e .,.ffogming
The part 81 A'r~4- Dee T. sYss eleg "A fellow
player with g ss-pt.-.. dgWa 20 the recent
ard sad ereia. u young actress vino
expire u r5e ainxs of a Broadway the
ar Immediately after saying sser Anal
shines
Tee a3p,t sarnaykable Of real tragedies
o. te" ~fe2t was that which occurred in
eRe1fu n El3 IN the reign 81 King John
il AMI &htrb II Swe5lsh chronicles 81,
authentic. far sIrpa zses in horror any
creme ever presented IN an audience ], Is
this: III the representation 81 tne passion
play in Stockholm. the actor who played
sne part % Lonsinus had 20 pierce the
eide OF Christ as he hung on the cross -
transported by the spirit ~ 'h~ actiou was
be that be drove his zpear through toe
other actors body, causing ms death. The
king. sEraged at the terrible spectacle.
drew hts sword. and. rushing forward, cut
off the head az LonNnHs. Wherelpon the
people. rnadd"nea rs this second tragedy.
slew their king for his share in the nights
horrors. yegitab.e tragedy II tragedies,
Famou. Last Word.
Probably the best known % al stage
trsgesiies H. that Of Joan Palmer the Eng
lish actor. and original Joseph Surface in
The School FOR Scandal" tie vas acting
the part II the Stranger at Liverpool In
1873 the usual story runs when. on ut
tering the words, There is another and a
better word" hs feu dead ou The boards
hut this story is NOT quite true. 4 snort
while before ne had host his wifr and IA
Torite son This preyea oa his mind. and
he IL reported as having said TO some
friends that he fet convinced his troubles
would soon bring him TO the grave. For
fonle days. however. h. bore up against
his misfort1ines with great fortiiude but
on the morning of the day Of his death
h. appeared much detected and all the eff
forts of his friends could nos rouse him
from the melancholy In which he was sunk
in the evening b" appeared In the char
ncter OF the Stranger and In the first two
acts e4~rted himself with great effect
I'm the third act be displayed perceplibie
marks Of detection. and as he was about
10 reply ~ 'ne remarks ~ Baron Stein
fort. relative 10 his children, he became
deeply affected. He made ii heroic effort
20 proceed, bat broke down. overcome 10y
his own emotions. Then he fell upon his
back. sighed audihiy. and expired without
. sroan. The audience supposed for n
moment that his fail was nothing more
than a studied addition to the part. hut
when they saw him carried ~ fri deadly
rlgldity the utmost CONSERVATION reigned
In sketch OF Palmer theatrical ca
soer. published shortly after this tragedy.
the writer. after recording these details.
stated that "a stone is 10 ne placed at the
head Of the grave with the following lines
inscribed, which were the Last words no
spoke in the character OF the Stranger:
trhore is another and a better world
But CHANGING AZ the play itself il Is seen
shat this r. a mistake. IL Is In the drst
rcene Of The third act that the Stranger
uses these words ana lac speaks them to
Francis while hiy interview with Baron
~ einfort does not take place IN the fourth
act The actor. Whitfield. who played tho
latter character. insisted that IL vas AT
the inquiry relative to the children that
Planners face aud voice altered and he
Eel senseless. Stll the more romantic
STORY was too good IN lts improved form
not to receive general acceptance. Hnd this
was. no doubt helped by thu inscription
on the tomostone Thus e has becem,, one
Of the stock anecdotes ~ tae stage and
alike many similar myths nourished - sen
timeut. hears q charmed Hfn 4 has been
repeatedly used 80 emphasize the moral
~ homi!ics on death.
The srent Notierr.
one ~ the first Instances Of death on
the stage from natural causes or srnsa-
tional manifestation of symptoms which
soon resulted Ia death is tia, Of Mnlirre
who wss acting In his own play ~ "re
Malado Imaginaire" On lt7l AZ the fourth
representation ia which ne Was perform
ing the principal character. while IN
CAeel 81 the h1rlVsQuo ceremony or ~
ceiNing his 1octorate ne held az his hand
o. pronounce thr word "Juro"-'I swear