Evening star., 1902-03-15
STAGE HEROES.
Examples Of Heroism Called for by
Trying Accidents.

From Tft-Bits.
1t is an unwritten law behind the foot
lights that whatever may happen to an
actor apart from the business of the per-
formance must be carefully concealed from
the audience In front, and so rigidly Is this
law adhered to by wearers Of the sock and
buskin that at times the most painful ac-
cidents have occurred to players without
the people in the auditorium suspectins
that anything was amiss
Some twenty years ago, when the cele-
brated actor, MIR. Charles Warner, was tax
irg part in a sensational drama entitled
Michael Strogoff," he had in the final
scene to fight duel with another per-
former. In the course Of the contest Mr..
Warmers hand was horribly stabbed by the
sword of his opponent, but, ignoring the
agony with supreme heroism, he merely
bound up the wound with his handkerchief
and continued the fight to the bitter end.
On the fall Of the curtain he promptly
tainted clean away. but not single per-
son in the audience believed mishap had
occurred, and simply attributed the hand
kerchief episode to the regular business"
of the thrilling scene.
Somewhat similar event that
Cured at the Britannia Theater about three
years since. when a play called Boys To-
gether' was being performed TO an enor-
nous and enraptured audience. In the
concluding scene of the third act the
hero had to transfix the Villains left
hand to a writing table by means Of a
knife. forcing him by this means to sign a
declaration Of his guilt with the other hand.
Owing to a most regrettable accident the
gentleman who was playing the role Of the
hero brought the knife through OF his
stage companion's fingers. thus pinnins
the same to the table in grim earnest
Mr.. Clynds, the victim Of the serious hurt,
cooly proceeded to sign the declaration.
and then spoke the concluding lines of the
act with as much force and clearness as
usual. His extraordinary courage dropped
with the fall of the curtain, and he fell un-
conscious into the arms Of his brother-ac-
tor. 1t was only then, however, that the
latter perceived what had occurred, so ad-
mirably had Mr.. Clynds pretented not to
feel any pain
Heroism such as this compels us to offer
q trioute of respect to those who strut
their brief hour upon the stage. for 1t says
a great deal for the esprit de corps of the
Thespian that he contrive to smother
his own sufferings in order that the play
may not be prejudiced. Only a few months
since a Partisan actor. who received bull
let through his breast in the course of the
performance of a certain melodrama. con-
tinued to enact his role until the fall of
the curtain, although he was enduring
told agonies the while. The severity of the
wound will be appreciated when it is
corded that as a result thereof he had to
remain in hospital for many weeks after
ward
Actresses, quite as often as actors. do
brave things in the course Of their lives be-
hind the footlights Some years ago a
young ana pretty girl was taxing part III
play wherein she had to enact sleep-Walk-
ing scene, and by some mischance nail.
left by careless carpenter upon the stage,
entered her thinly-covered foot. Repress-
ing the cry of agony that rose to her
trembling lips, the plucky actress retired to
the wing, extracted the nail, and then re
turned 10 the stage, going through the re-
nafnder of the performance with perfect
self possession. Needless to say every
step she took occasioned her sharp suffer-
ing, but her pluck remained unshaken to
the finale of the play, when she collapsed
completely and sTooned in the arms of her
dresser
Many years since. when stage combats
We're more popular than is the case at the
present time, a young actor engaged at
the Victoria Theater in the south of Lon
don was taking part in spirited contest
pom actually sliced off his opponent 5 thumb.
Horrifed at what had occurred, the perpe
traitor of the shocking accident asked in
whisper whether the curtain should be rung
down forthwith. but the heroic combatant
merely shook his head and continued to
WELD his sword as though nothing had oc-
CURED. On the fall of the curtain he sent
for surgeon and had the severed MEM
her sewn on, after which ordeal he re-
Sumed his part with smiling cOuntenance
HeroiSm Of this nature proves that it is not
only on the battlefield that men do brave
deeds and suffer in silence, for the stage
both ancient and modern. contains numer-
Gus instances Of courage which is as noble
as il is profound.