The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1900-10-25
Curious Stories About Famous Opera
Singers.

oluBeIS,
There is probably no professional
singer Of repute who can not recall the
singing of song under strange and
often highly dramatic conditions, but
few have ever sung under such weired
and almost tragic conditions as Mr..
Sanity, the famous baritone, who still
siugs as sweetly in the sixties as any OF
his rivals at half his age.
1t was many years ago, when Mr.
Santley's laurels still lay before him,
and he was travelling in one of thewild-
est parts of Mexico. The party with
which he was travelling was suddenly
attacked by fierce band of bandits,
and as their escorts promptly took to
their heels Santley and his companions
were at the mercy of the outlaws, who
carried them off to their headquarters
in the heart of the mountains.
The robbers, disappointed with their
booty, determined to detain them un-
til h heavy ransom was paid by their
friends, and the victims resigned them
selves as best they could to their fate.
After partaking Of rough supper Mr..
Santley began to sing selections from
an opera to cheer himself and his
friends, and the sweetness of his mu-
sic drew the bandits around him as
rapt listeners. When he paused they
begged him to continue, and the singer
consented on conditions that he and
his comrades should be set free.
After long consultation and demur
the. condition was accepted, and for
some hours Mr.. Santley poured fourth
song after song, singing probably as he
had never done before nor since. The
following morning the bandits, true to
their promise, liberated the party and
conducted them back to safety.
Nine. Patti tells story, both pretty
and pathetic, of one of her experiences.
She was advertised to sing at concert
in San Francisco, but the weather was
so unfavorable that she was compelled
to cancel her date and remain in her
hotel. Late in the evening she heard
sounds of child weeping in an ada
cent room, and, moved by pity, she
went there to see if she could soothe
the child's distress.
She found a little girl sobbing as
though her heart would break, and on
inquiring the cause was informed that
"she wanted to hear Nine. Patti sing,
but, as the night was so wild, her
mother had gone to the concert with.
out her. " '9.
The great singer soothed and com.
forted the child and began to sing soft
ly to her. The sobbing ceased under
the sweet influence of the singing, and
the little girl listened with growing de.
light until, in an ecstacy, she threw
her arms around the singers neck and
exclaimed, "Why, you are Nine
Patti"
Few singers have ever exercised theil
art under such pathetic conditions al
Miss Greta Williams, who, it will be
remembered, was among the few sayet
from the wreck of the Stella. At the
moment when hope was dying in the
crowded boat, and many were seeking
consolation in prayer, the sweet open
ing notes of "Oh, rest in the Lord, !
fell on their ears, and as the rich swee
voice swelled over the dark waters and
the message found its way to breaking
hearts, many of the listeners burst into
tears of Joy and new hope. The mem
ory of that song will follow them to TIL,
grave. ..l
M. Jean de Reszke has had many
strange adventures in his professiona
life, but perhaps, none more memora
BILE than when his voice broke thu
echoes half mile down in the bowels o
the earth. He had descended a min,
in Silesia and the news, few among thu
miners that their visitor was the great
est of all operetic singers. A few o
the boider of them begged him to sins
to them, and as the miners crowded
round him from every part of the mine
he sang for their delight selections
from his favorite operas. d
Nine. Antoinette Stirling is accus
toned to sing under strenge condition
from her carriage, mobbed by clam
orous admirers, from the balcony o
her hotel, at religious meetings-any
where, in fact, where demand is mad
on her amiability. More than one wor
shippers in a church have been surpris
ed and delighted when on the silenc
has fallen the sound of a sweet voic
singing hymn or an air from an ora
torio, and their delight has been mad
perfect on learning that the istrang
lady in black, who has risen so unex
pectedly in their midst, was Nine
Stirling, one of the sweetest and mos
amiable of the worlds greatest sing
ers.
Nine. Marie Roze cherishes anon,
her memories the day when she san,
} before the strangest audience that ha
ever listened to ptima donna's sing
sing. During one of her America
tours she visited the great Aubur
Prison, New York, where many of tn
most desperate criminals of Americ
are confined.