The Anaconda standard., 1899-05-26
DEATH OF MILE. RHEA
Her Greatest Success Was Won
in America.
A SKETCH OF HER LIFE
She Was 55 Years Old and Was Born
in Brussels-Stric by an Ill
ness From Which She
Could Not Recover,

butte, and made her last appea rance
IN this city on June Is, 16 and II, 1896,
presenting her great play of Jose
pl'liie' Empress of the French" and
/ Nell GWynn.' She was then under
'he management of Rich e. Maeder
ana business had been poor. Rhea saw
IN the Indifferent patronage of the
legitimate drama a sad decline of the
stage, or rather of the public taste and
those who catered to it. She was not
discouraged by the outlook. however,
ana during conversation a represen-
tatlVe OF the Standard had with her at
that time, she spoke hopefully of the
luture of the drama and of her own
prospects, and expressed her love for
the American people, among whom she
had won the greatest measure of her
success. She expected to revisit Butte
many times, she said but illness soon
overlook her, and after playing short
engagement in the East, she was COM
PEELED to seek rest at her beautiful
country home in France where her
death has just occurred
Rhea, whose right name was Hor-
tense Barbe Loret, was born of French
parentage at Brussels SIS Years ago
ana was educated in the ancient Ursu-
line convent in Paris. Later she was
a goVerness in an aristocratic Partisan
family, and next she was heard of as
| an accomplished musician The great
Beauvallet said of her:
1T was only tiny bit of a girl.
| Iresh as the roses and modest as the
| Vlolets of her convent home who pre-
| sented herself to me one day at the
| farls conservatory to begin a course
| OF dramatic study"
That was her first step in her dra-
matte career. So adept scholar was
| she Chat before two years had passed
| she appeared as a star, playing first al
| Brussels and then al Rouen appearing
IN 'Adrienne Lecouvreur' and meeting
with great success. She then went to
Russia, where she acted five years at
the Imperial theater in st. Petersburg
The assassination of Car Alexander
IL. caused the theater to be indefinitely
closed. 1t was while appearing as Eliza
IN Russian version of "TTnc1e Toms
Cabin that Henry B. Sargent, famil-
lafly known as 'Scrapping Harry
met her and advised her to learn Eng
lish and come to America She went
to London and studied night and day
under the well-known actor, John
Rider, taking three lessons each day.
one month later she appeared at the
Gaiety theater in Much Ado About
Nothing. The cast was a splendid
one, including John Rider and a large
company. After a long and successful
run, she placed herself under the man
agement of Harry Sargent for an,
American tour, and made her debut
before an American audience at
Booths theater, in New York. about II
years ago Sargent worked every
point in order to impress upon the
public the great Importance of his dis
covery, but after a season of trials and
tribulations he gave it up. 1t was
about year ago that the news was
heralded concerning Sargent's death in
an aims house.
Arthur r. Chase succeeded Sargent
as Mile Rhea's manager, and for sew
eral seasons he and his star reveled in
joyous financial returns. The profit of
the first season under Chase's manage
ment is said to have been close to $780,
600, Arthur B. Chase only a few years
ago committed suicide in his apart
ments on Seventh avenue, near Twen-
tythird street.
James Morrissey was the next to di-
rect the business affairs of Mile Rhea,
but he failed completely
1t was after this that Frank G. Cot
ter assumed management of Mile Rhea,
and 1t was under his direction that the
memorable production of "Josephine''
was made at the Broadway theater in
New York.
This was the first of the Napoleonic
plays, and while the press was unani-
mously severe in criticising Mile.
Rheas performance at the start. she
nevertheless won the critics entirely
over to her side. In the subsequent
hn hrs
the actress and her manager, Mr.. Cot
ter, were very. pleasant.
AFTER Mr.. Cotter'S retirement from
the management of Mile. Rhea, she was
under several manaeements in this
country with Indifferent and more often
~ success. Her last managers were
Rich L Maeder under whose direction
she last appeared in Butte. About a
year and half ago she was engaged
by Nagenhals & Kemper to star with
Louis James and Frederick Warde. but
just before the opening of the season,
while resting at her home in France.
she was taken down with an illness
from which she never recovered and
Katheryn Kidder was engaged to take
her place in the Warde-J james com
pany.
In letter received by friend in this
country from Mile. Rhea, about the
time of her first sickness, she made the
never see America again and bade her
friends and the stage a pathetic fare
well. Her illness took sudden turn
for the worse and she wrote the follow
ing letter to Wagenhals & Kemper:
10 Rue 'des Chesneaux, Montmor-
ency-Dear Sirs: I arrived here a very
sick woman. 7 am unable to do any
thing; the doctor forbids me even to
walk, and says that I must not think
or working before a year. 7 have done
TOO much. [ have worked too hard
and this is the consequence. I am all
the more sorry, that for the first time
L was going to be under competent
management, playing all the parts
like. I dare not give you any hope.
because business is a serious thing, and
from the state of my present condition.
90 not see that I can fulfill my en-
gagement.
With more regret than can express
at losing one of the best opportunities
or my life, believe me, dear sirs, yours