The sun., 1900-10-06
OLD OPERA SINGERS END.
GEORGE sALANDO DEAD or STAR
VATION AND NEGLECT.
From the Grand Opera Stage TO Grinding an
Organ In the street-Annetto, who shared
in the Successes and Miseries OF the old
Singers life, Died bat a Short Tlmo AGO.

| The body Of Old Salando. the organ
| grinder. lies on a slab In the Morgue. George
Saando died In Bellevue Hospital yesterday.
| lie had sung In Grand Opera before he became
an organ grinder and perhaps that is the reason
that the folks who live in the uptown hotels
always remembered him when George stopped
with his little organ in the roadway and In
clear loud tones sang The Mar seillaise. grind
J ing out weird accompaniment on the squeaky,
| twisted organ.
When Salando came over from France twenty
| five years ago he sang the barytone parts In a
| company that had contracts TO appear In the
leading cities Of the United States, He pros
| pered as long as the company played to full
houses. He was thrifty man. and his savings
| piled into n big account IN the Bowery Savings
/ Bank. The only time he stopped saving was the
| few months that intervened between the ar
rival of letter from his niece Annette and her
| arrival In New York. lie had paid for her
musical education in Italy. and left a trust
| fund with friend In Paris for her
benefit. The friend betrayed the trust.
| writing that the money had been lost in
speculatng on the Bourse, Annette wrote 20
inform her uncle that she had completed her
musical education. but owed large sum to her
tutor II was then that Salando learned the
trust fund had been spent He went 20 the
1
The money sent to Annette, and Salando
told her 20 pay her debts and come TO New York.
Salando was then living at the Coleman House
In this city. When hi, niece arrived he secured
a position for her "a a singer with the opera
company. She sang soprano one day the
manager OF the company said business was
poor and money was needed 10 take the company
out of town. Saando and another member OF
the company volunteered 20 advance the neces-
sary cash Their offer was accepted. Then
they were called upon for much more and from
time TO time Salando drew money from the bank
until he had but little left
Then the opera company went TO pieces.
Salando and his niece tried To get another
engagement Failing, they were compelled
to draw on the bank account. Finally all Of
Salando's savings had been drawn from the
bank and the opera singer and his niece had
TO pledge their jewelry 10 raise money for tho
rent ofa couple Of furnished rooms in Thompson
street Fortune seemed to have turned against
them They could get no employment. one
by one, Annette's costumes went to the pawn
shop to get money for food one day sho told
Salando that she had heard Of an organ grinder
who was able To earn s. "A day by grinding out
street music II would be better than starving
II they could earn some money in the same way.
Annette said she was willing 10 sing and do
the collecting They could raise enough money
To lease an organ and the rest would be easy.
There i nothing else TO do. said Salando
So he went 10 an organ manufacturer in the
italian quarter. in Little Italy. and there learned
that the price Of hiring u street organ was
g. "a day Salaudo thoughtit would bc far
better to buy an organ \ small organ would
answer the purpose II could be had for a
small amount of money, and aside from that
| il would be easy I" haul II around Annette
had gold riug. set with pearls and a diamond
! Her mother had lett il to her and 1t was the
| only family rcllc lett. She had Clung To y
az long rs possible but an" sold II and WIN
| the s2u received for It a small organ was pur-
| chased The organ dealer referred to II as
an organe,,e IIe showed the girl And her
| uncle how % change melodies BY sliding IN
! Il new roll Of punCturcd paper
| To the ear Of the opera singer the tones pro-
du'ed we're p sro,, nut SIere aTt WE IKE
neck 20 hold the organ, Salando said he would
| be able 10 make gestures with one hand Just
couple started on their new career They
chose the hotel district for hu-nos. Salando
said peoplc who lived I'm hotels would appreci-
ate good SINGING and would be- more generous
than folks living In the poorer sections of tie
city fifth avenue was the first 'horoughiare
thcy visited. and that nlght they returned home
with several dollars l. vas a profitable 90
oupation, salando sad but degrading He
urorni-ed that every cent should he saved so
hat Annette might live in luxury some day
She would not be 4 street singer always
In December. 1897. Salando became I'll and
son street. file had pneumonia and Annette
nurSed him. sitting ~ many nights aud H1tt,ng
all their savings had been spent for medicines
and dcllCacie5 which Annette had purchased.
SO they again went out 70 earn living by
they saved money, but only for A year. In
November, lSoS Annette became I'll, aud not
withztanding the attention and nursing she
grew weaker and died Salando mid her
funeral expenses. II was gorgeous funeral.
Almost al Of the reorlc IN the French Quarter
= .gf,
remains II the sweet singer 10 their last sting
place IN calvary Cemetery. Salando had
stone placed in her memory.
After mourning over her death, sitting for
weeks alone in the Thompson street house, he
again yentIred out Win hii GrSian i y, AnnGtt%'s
a difference In the receipts. SNlundo soon
found that she had been the attraction Tho
songs they form rly sang together we're not
the songs he cared 90 sing now TINT she was
dead After that he sang only Tho, star
SESEd go5 P19neT M coe qnd Snogb T pcnnr o s
two meals day. but he could not afford 20
paw tho rent Of tho two rooms ~ the Thomp-
ters. He owned no furniture. The only thing
be- possessed vas tho organ and a photograph
~ me d@ad 6rd 6 fiere Tscd he oand
little blnck-"ycd Italian woman In u" sixty
rooms q tho. three noors s"v"n,y-Nvc persons
be 50 cents n week. Tho room assigned 10
Salando WAS Ave fe"t wide and six feet long
Not Wishing to sleep on tho bare roor he went
cents purchased a ragged heduu'lt lie folded
u ard paced IL upon the floor. rom an
Italian fruit vendcr on. Vcst Broadway
he got m orange hoy. This 10
used for a chair For 10 cents he purchased a
small wooden table from the hou-okeoper
Tho table and the orange box and the
ragged bed quilt were tho only articles
moved in Each day he went out with his
! little organ. One day tho holSokooper told
him that he appeared TO he III. She thought
| he was not eating sufficient food He nd
| mitted that he WAS not collecting much money
Some davS, he said, he got only 10 cents. Three
| weeks agn he became very Ill., The house
| keeper phcet lighted candle on the table
and brought in a plato Of soup But he was
not able TO sit up 10 eat He said lac would
| rather have a long rest Sho blew out the light
| and left him lying on the floor. There he re-
| NAMED neg leCted and starving Last Monday
| night the ncighbors heard him groaniug and
| told policeman. He tcephoued "a Bellevue
| Hospital and an ambulance took Salando to
| the institution.
From the time Of Salando's arrival at the
hospital until his death yesterday he continually
begged the authorities To bring To him the old
hand organ. His dying breath was n feeble
repetition of the request he made So often Of
the nurses. Last night in behalf of the public
administrator a policeman stood guard In tho
little room watching the tiny organ and the
ragged Quilt,
PLUNDER RETURNED ~ EMPRESS.