The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-03-27
OLGA NETHERSOLE ILL
CONDITION OF THE NOTED ACTRESS
SAID To BE SERIOUS.
New YOrk's Campaign Against Her
.SaphO" Has Resulted i'm an At
tack of Brain Fever.

NEW YORK. March 26.-The attack of
brain fever which has Frustrated Olga
Nethersole. and from which she may not
recover. is directly traceable 10 the cam
paign against "Sapho'' and her subsequent
indictment. News of her severe illness has
turned the current of public feeling. and
those who were the first to blame are now
the loudest in expressing sympathy. Her
physicians no longer conceal the fact that
her condition is very serious. Whether IL
has yet reached the critical stage nobody
outside of her own friends can discover. so
careful are those in attendance on her TO
keep all news from the public Drs. Phelps
and Curtis are in hourly attendance upon
her. Miss Nethersole is at the Hoffman
House, and the esteem in which she is held
is daily evidenced by the presence of per-
sons who call to either see or else send
their cards TO her. For some time, however
this has been impossible, as her condition
has been such since her indictment that she
has been unable to either receive her
friends or accept their cards.
All during the "Sapho' agitation the gen.
eral public, as is usually the case. made
light of the whole affair, and the most
quoted remark about the matter has been,
only an advertising dodge" Now that it
has become known that the young woman
who has been singled out the mark for
an attack has collapsed under the strain
of the weight placed on her the feeling has
been reversed, and the people see that Miss
Nethersole is innocent of any desire for no.
toriety in the matter. Her managers doubt
less have taken advantage of the case In
court to make capital of the affair. and.
ably seconded by that astute advertiser,
Lawyer Hummel, have not hesitated TO
reap cash at the expense of the feelings of
the young woman who has been the prin
cipal in the matter. Now that she has col
lapsed the theatrical crowd has begun TO
see the affair I'm a new light, and one rea-
son for the secrecy as to Miss Nethersoles
condition is found in the fact that they
now see that she was not in sympathy
with the efforts TO turn her misfortune into
money and are ashamed of the part that
they played.
That Miss Nethersole has been made the
victim of a foolish raid on the theater is
not doubted by any one who is at all famil
lar with the facts. ''Sapho" is not half as
bad as nine-tenths of the so-called French
plays that are running all the time on
Broadway. 1t is not even as bad as THE
Second Mrs. Tanqueray," In which Miss
Nethersole has been appearing since she
CN
ing "Sapho" but nobody has said a word
as to the morals of these and nobody will
attempt to stop the people who appear in
other and far more nasty affairs that draw
houses nightly i'm the upper part of
Gotham.
There is no question about the tendency
that Miss Nethersole has to appear In
plays that have questionable side to
them. but why "Sapho" should have been
picked out for attack is known only to
the newspapers that started the uproar
and their employees who went into court
and tried to tell the magistrates that their
impressions of the play were brought about
from reading the book well as from
seeing the play. The play is not one-tenth
bad the book. Nobody has tried to
stop the sale of the latter. Five cents
places IL i'm the hands of anyone. But now
that Miss Nethersole is i'll and so serious
that her state has become grave mat
ter to her relatives, the newspapers and
the attorneys who took up the prosecution
of the least of all the Offenders on the
stage here are alarmed at the turn of af-
fairs and are asking themselves whether
they have not gone too far. The general
impression is that they have.
To sum up the case: The theory in New
York is that Miss Nethersole is too easily
influenced, and that she has been Id into
a trap. In other words, she has been made
to believe that her play is all right. and
that the attacks on il would do nothing but
bring into the box office more money than
would come If the papers should let IL
alone. These people did not reckon on the
cost.
To-day Olga Nethersole is raving over
the attacks made Ion defenseless woman
by the people of New York. The people
of New York have done nothing to injure
her. Sensational newspapers have given
her brain fever, and If she dies. as one
manager put it to-day, cher blood will be
on their heads
1t is probable that the trial of the case
will have to be postponed. The time set
for il is April and Justice Fursman has
il on his docket. Even ii Miss Nethersole
RECEIVERS from her illness she will be COM
PEELED to take treatment for some time in
the shape of quiet and rest. 1t is easy
TO see that she cannot possibly look for
this condition. with her mind constantly
harassed by the injustices that have been
done her and the prospect of the still fur
Their humiliation of being arraigned like
a criminal at the bar of justice.
There is no doubt at all that public SYM
pathy i'm her behalf has become very
strong indeed. Owing to the length to
which the attack upon her has been car
ried, she is now looked upon as a much
abused and long suffering woman. There
is no prospect that Miss Nethersole will be
seen on the stage i'm several weeks. She
was to have opened her Philadelphia en-
gagement on April 2, but il is very doubt
full If she will be seen there at all this