The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-05-12

but there has been none since the days of
| Harvey Montague that had such devot-
| Cd and enslaved following as Maurice
| Barrymore. For him they threw con,
| ventionalities to the winds, and braveu
public opinion only to get smile from
| their idol.
| of a Hercules and he needed II to with
| stand as long as he did the reckless pacs
| he set out upon. For years ne mas Deeil
| known in Chicago and IN other great
| cities where there exists a bohemian elS-
ment as a prince of good fellows In az,
| dition to his physical attractions ne had
| the manners of a superb gentleman,
| brilliant and ready wit, and one oil the
| kindest hearts and most prodigal natures
| that man was ever gifted with.
| of barrymore wit many examples are
| current He had a great admiration tor
the fair sex. Once at the Lambs tIuD
in New York he was going into eestaeles
| over new star, when one OF MS auultofs
interrupted him with: go
| This is the only fame! he siu-
! Those were only matches.
once wine agent iutruded upon party
| of which Barrymore was one. The agent
| told Barrymore he was man OF soou
taste, and all that, and wound up by say
9When you want a bottle of wine in fu-
ture will you not crafty me by asking
Why. OF course" answered Barry-
more, most graciously, Il shall be delight,
ed to ask for your wine. But, heavens!
Suppose they should have 1t?
| Friends of Barrymore recently enjoyed
little witticism at his expense by Angus
tus Thomas The celebrated playwright
| had been mercilessly picking. flaws IN the
actors drama until the good-natured Bar
oh. come. Gust he interrupted, don't
be quite so hard If it's not an Alabama
Just remember that wrote it in week.
Did you, Barry" retorte1 Thomas
Then you must nave loafed.
Steele Mackaye diagnosed Barrymore as
| n n order n become Famous
needed only great sorrow. 10 Mack
ave he invariably replied that he and
sorrow were still strangers. once, now
ever, he went to Mackaye with ions
face n melancholy brow. low and tremu-
lous tones, and. choking back sob, SAID:
Dear old Steele, when you made that
testing prediction about me and sorrow
you had no idea how soon it would come
true. and you cannot be surprised that
now come to you for your heartfelt sym
pathy. Steele! Steelei my friend, nave
broken my pet fingernail!
Admirers of Barrymore will remember
his habit of lighting scores of cigarettes
| during a performance, and have. OF
course. supposed this was part OF the
business of the play. But ii was
business that Barrymore injected from
the author. The actor was seldom letter
nerfect in his parts and mis- memory OF
late years. was not to be depended upon.
when I'm at n loss for word, Bar,
rymore explained to friend, VINO as; ashea
him about the habit. II always lignt 4:
cigarette 1t gives me a chance TO thliik-
barrymore undoubtedly had to think
very often.
sCANLAN's BRIEF CAREER.
Ten years ago Billy Seaman was an
other stage idol. The matinee girl didn't
rave about him as she did about Barry
more, but the women and children, ana
a great majority of the men, held him
dear 10 their hearts. To the older genera
ton of playgoers the name of Seaman
lbrings back memories of "Peek-a-Boo,
My Nellie's Blue Eyes and others of
the Inelodious songs that he sang. while
many mother rocked her baby to sleep
with ''By-By, I5aby, By-By.'
Seaman s pace was of the meteoric or
der. In his life of forty-two years he
compressed enough action for three ilves
of a like duration. He never wanted 10
sleep. Gambling was his mania; NO SOON
err was his performance over than away
Seaman would rush to the nearest gamb-
ling den He had this vice developed IN
its most exaggerated form, and, once
seated before a faro, roulette, or poker
table would remain until II was time for
him to return TO the theatre for the next
performance In ten years Seaman is said
| TO have lost over 100000. The exhaustion
attendant on such a life led Seaman to
the use of stimulants, and these quickly
| brought on the end.
In ali the wears during which Seaman
! was pursuing this wild rareer, his patient
J and devoted wife was unceaslng In her
EFFORTS to save her husband. She was a
pathetic figure at every theatre IN Wn men
her husband played. Every night IL was
her custom to go TO the theatre, ana after
, the performance endeavor to get nm
home and in Ded.
: started for hotel On the way he would
stop the vehicle, telling her TO wait a
moment, and then would dive into a faro
, bank and remain until the place closed,
obifvious of the fact that she was waiting
: for him At other times they would go
; TO supper after a performance and he,
making an excuse to leave her for a mo-
| ment, would not return at all.
| So great a hold did gambling have upon
him that the summer before his new play,
! Mayourneen, was produced he could not
be persuaded to leave New York even for
, n day And while he promised himself,
: his manager and his wife that he would
write his songs and study his part, ne put
of the work from day TO day until TWO
weeks before the initial performance;
Then he sat down and tried to study.
l To his terror and amazement he could
a moi. rnemorize line. The pace that kills
= had been followed so constantly that his
i mind had lost its grasp. physicians adj
S vised an entire change in his method OF
= life. But he was unequal to the task he
q gambled and drank to the last. In Ma
q | Vourneen he was often unable to sing the
i songs which he had written. At last on
{ the Fourteenth Street Theatre, New YORK
He stumbled 20 the footliehts at the enc
of the performance bearing IN MS hands
: floral harp which some Of his admirers
e They say" he said to the astonished
: audience. that / am out of my mind
7 but that isn't true. My head is all right
u and so Is my heart He began to cry
= then. And there was no performance OF
. | "Mavourneen' next day.
d A few months later they took him to The
IS insane asylum. Attendants there tel
many pathetic anecdotes about him. Once
81 an Italian organ grinder played Sweet
/ Molly, o" under his window. He recog
II nized his song and the recollection for z
e moment made him rational. The poor fel
u low threw himself on couch and sobbed
e A few months after his arrival at tht
y Bloomingdale Asylum his sister Sadi,
"a died He was very fond of Sadie. Eu
u when Mrs. Seaman told him Of Sadie!
"a death he laughed gleefully in her face
"a | But Seaman did not forget, and few
e. DAYS later he asked TO be taken to Sa
y dies grave. So drs. Seaman and thu
physician took him to Calvary Cemetery
ON the way over he repeated but on
Sadie; roses for poor Sadie; The!
s. bought him large bunch and he lal'
l. them tenderly on the newly-sodde'
d mound Poor Sadie" he said; 'evel
i, you had to leave me, and now I'll be al
10 alone" In February, 1898, he died.
a EMMET's RESTING PLACE.
=; "a An unmarked grave in a little cemeter,
"a near Albany. n. Y, is the last restin
os place of another stage idol-Fritz Emmet
ne Some famous men have found a las
home in this little cemetery. Chester A
~ Arthur President of the United States
lie | and Thurlow Weed, who for years was
ne | dominant figure in Empire State politics
an are buried there. but for one visitor VIII
y asks to see these great mems graves II