Sunday Washington globe., 1902-05-18

A leading lady starring with James T..
Powers in the Messenger Boy" which was
at the National Theater all of last week, has
a life story which illustrates the old and
trite saying that Truth is Stranger Than
Fiction"
Miss Bertha Curtis, for that is her bap-
tismal name, was born out of wedlock in
Meriden, Connecticut, her father being a
wealthy manufacturer of that city and her
mother washerwoman. Miss Curtis has
a schoolinate girl friend in this city, the
wife ofa prominent citizen from whom the
GLOBE obtained the following facts:
Sometime after the birth of Miss Curtis
her father married the daughter of a lead
ing citizen Of Meriden He secretly visited
and pined for little Bertha, but honorably
discontinued his relations with her mother
III time he hit upon a plan to secure the
little tot and bring her to his princely home.
q Mrs Curtis, too, pined for baby in the
big mansion, nature having denied her the
blessing and the matter thus became easy
for the husband to bring little Bertha to his
home as the adopted daughter of the child
less couple.
1t is hardly necessary to state that Mr..
Curtis concealed from his wife the fact
that he was the natural father Of Bertha.
So the sunshine in the Curtis home for
years was undimmed and unclouded and
little Bertha grew apace and knew not but
that she was the daughter of the fond
father and mother with whom she lived
since her early infancy.
In some manner Mrs. Curtis ascertaiued
the true parentage of Bertha when that
young lady had almost reached young we-
manhood This SHE concealed from hsf
husband and Bertha while brooding over
the cheat put upon her. In some family
jar however, between the adopted mother
and her daughter the truth was revealed to
Bertha, and in no gentle tones either by
the angry Mrs. Curtis. Shocked and driven
almost insane by the revelation she sought
her father for confirmation or denial of the
matter. He, Of course confessed the truth
and Bertha Immediately left the only home
she ever knew and the parents whom she
had believed and loved accordingly to be
her natural protectors.
1t is supposed that her greater affec-
tion for her father reused the jealousy of
Mrs. Curtis and in her anger she made the
revelation which lost her an adopted
daughter
Bertha proceeded to New York and
secured position az a trained nurse in one
of the big private hospitals of that city. It
is surmised although not known as a fact
that her father maintained parental interest
in and aided her. However, by a lucky
chance or Providential desigu-who shall say
which-Miss Curtis was assigned to nurse a
celebrated actress. The actress became at
tached to the attentive and gentle young
nurse and after weeks of close companion
ship as patient and nurse Bertha was in
duced by the sympathy and interest mani
tested in her to tell the actress her short but
dramatic life history The two women be-
came bosom friends and the actress took
Bertha under her guardianship and care.
The discarded girl soon developed talents
which delighted her preceptor and friend
and with the result that Miss Curtis de-
termined to follow the profession of her
noble benefactress.
Whether her father aided or lent any as.
sistance to the daughter he saw driven from
his home is unknown but that the starring
lady with Mr.. Powers needs no other aid
to make both fame and fortune than the
talents she so eminently possesses all will
agree who have seen her in the Messenger
Boy in this city during the past week.