New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-11-17
FELL DEAD ON THE STAGE.
MISS ETHEL MARLOWE EXPIRES At HE
KNICKERBOCKER THEATRE.
SHE HAD JUST PASSED FROM THE SIGHT or THE
AUDIENcE-PLAYED POLLY LOVE IN

AUDIENCE-PLAYED POLLY LOVE IN
THE CHRISTIAN"
At the Knickerbocker Theatre last night the
audience was able to Sec at Tie end of the per
formance OF The Christian" that something
had gone wrong on the stage. The people diS-
persed without waiting for the usual number oi
recalls OF the principal actors They were lea
to suppose that somebody had been taken SUD
denly sick The fact was that one of the
actresses had died just after finishing her part
in the play
She was Ethel Marlowc. who played the part
OF Polly Love in The Christian In the third
act Of the play. the most important scene con
sists of dialogue between Glory Quayle 'Miss
Viola Allcn) and John Storm edward }. Nor
gam. This is interrupted by Polly Love. who
runs in crying: GLORY. Glory. Lord Robert and
Mr.. Drake are below" Glory then tells her to
take John out through hcr room and tho gar
den, and Polly and John go out together leav
ing Glory 10 meet Lord Robert and Mr.. Drake.
This IS Polly's last appearance in the play
Miss Marlowc made her entrance last night
exactly as usual. and spoke the words as usual,
aud then went out followed 10y Mr.. Morgan.
As shc reached the wing she sat down on stoo!
before piano which stood there. and spoke to
near making some remark about his makeup.
just then Mr. Morgan. who vas still near her.
saw her slip down off the stool and fail on the
floor Hc and Mr Keenan,. the stage manager.
ran 10 help her. eupposng that she had tainted.
but. as it appeared aftorward, she was already
dead
Doctors were sent for and in a few minutes
there We're three Of them the stage They
were Dr. Baggs. Of No. ~ West Forty-sxth-st.; ;
DR.. Harcourt Anderson of No. los West For
tieth-st.. and Dr. Henry r. Macauley. of No. 80
West Thirty -nnth-st. The first to arrive de-
clared that the actress dead, and pro-
nounced the cause to be heart disease. \ cor
oner sent for, but did not arrive till some
time after the play was over.
There ;9as a delay of twenty minutes before
the beginning Of the last act. and Mr.. keenan,
the stage manager went before the curtain 10
ask the indulgence Of the audience for it, saying
that of tho actors had been taken sick
When the last act was finished. the usual calls
FOR Miss Allen and Mr.. Morgan began. but Miss
Allen showed plainly that she disturbed by
something. ard did not wish the applause TO
continue. Mr. Keenan, came before the cur' ain
a gain and said. merely as a device to get the
audience to go away quickly and quietly. that
he had come forward to ask if there was Il
doctor in the house, but that he now that
one had arrived on the stage. Tho audience
knew from this that something serious had hap
pened and promptly went away.
Miss Marlowe the daughter Of owen Mar
lowe. who was an actor OF note years ago. He
came from England and made his first appear
ance in this country at BarnUm'S Museum.
lamp, in wild Oats in 1850. He aftcrWard
went to Toronto. where he met and married
Virginia Nicknson. the daughter of thcstri-
al manager IN that city. She Is still living
and is On the stage. Afterward Mr.. Mar
lowe acted in Philadelphia at The Arch Street
Drew. and at Waliacks Theatre. at Broadway
and Broome-st. There h. played the part Of
Captain HaWtrey. in Caste" originating the
part in this country. He played At many other
theatres in this and other cities. and il Was
while he was playing The part Of Talbot Champ
ncy. in our Boys" in Boston. that he was
taken sick and died. on May -. 1876. He also
died from heart disease and did another OF
his daughters, Miss Virginia MarloNe.
Miss Ethel MdrloWe was about twenty four
years old. and had been acting for about two
rcnto. She was a friend Of Miss Allen who
savo her the part Of Polly Love. in The Chris
tian." which the first important part that
she had ever had in any tirSt-rlaSS company.
She knew that she had heart disease and il
happened that she remarked to a member of
the company i'm the theatre last evening that
she had TO be careful in regard TO certain
things on account of her heart II WAS under
stood that she not strong or in good health.
but she had not complained of anything in par
ticular last night. and nothing unusual was
part.