Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1903-07-17
LAURA KEEKE'S DREAM
Which Came True to the Letter In the
Death of Lincoln.

Death OF Lincoln.
Stuart Robson was a great admire
as we'll as a personal friend OF tn
Booths, and no man regretted th'
crime of John Wilkes Booth more thai
did the actor. He often spoke of th'
assassination of Lincoln and It's effec
upon Edwin Booth, and could talk Ell
tertainingIy for hours concerning thu
theatrical situation and the expert
ences of the players during war times
He considered, he often said, that Johr
Wilkes Booth was the handsOmest mar
he ever knew.
In 1862 63 Robson was a member oil
the company supporting Laura Keene
and one of the interesting stories be
told in that connection was of pro-
phetic dream she related to her com
pany concerning the death of a great
man and her connection with it-a
vision OF which Robson was supposed
to have been the cause.
Laura Keene was one OF the most
intelligent women | ever met, and yet
her most pronounced characteristic
was one which is generally associated
with ignorance" Mr.. Robson declared
on one occasion. ''She was superstiti-
Gus to an absurd degree. She never
allowed her actors to take hold of a
chair with the right hand. To study
part on Sunday was a crime. To
carry an umbrella with hook handle
meant immediate discharge to the Of
fender. The sight of a bottle of red
ink was enough to frighten her for q
week. She said the use of it was al
most certain to precede some awful
trouble. On one occasion We were
playing farce call,d THE Lady and
the Devil An important scene was
when she was seated at q writing table
preparatory to composing letter. 1,
as her servant, was standing at the
back of her chair.
'''Take your right hand away from
that CHAIR she said in stage whisper.
This ratified me a trifle. The stage
dialogue proceeded:
You are sure you can find Don
Rafael at his lodgings p
"'Yes, madam; his servant tells me
his wound will c0nfine him to his bed
for a week..
els this the only paper we have?
Where is the ink p
'Here, madam and l bent for
ward to place the Ink within her reach,
when, in my confusion at her reproof,
the vessel was upset and its contents
trickled into the lap of her white satin
dress. The ink was blood red. The
ghasty look that came over the lady's
face L shall never forget. l was so
frightened l never knew how the scene
ended. The next morning at rehearsal
She told me l would never have any
luck as long as l lived, and that my
trouble in the world would be endless.
She called the company together, gave
them a detailed account of the awful
scene the night before, occasiOned by
the stupidity of the unfortunate young
man who would never make an actor
She told of the trouble dream she had
had, in which some great parsonage
unknown to her, had been fOully MUIR
dered before her eyes; how she had at
tempted his rescue, but without avail;
how he had fallen dead at her feet, his
head, from which his life's b.ood slow
IL ooZed, resting On her lap.
1.-Two years after this occurrence
Miss Keene was playing at FOrd's
Theatre, Washington. In the third act
of the play a. sharp shot was heard in
the stage box, from which a man leap
ed hrandishing smoking weapon and
Sic semper tyrannis!' The
audience and actors were paraIyzed.
Miss Keene seemed to be the only per
son who realized the situation. She
ran to the box, and in moment the
head Of the dying man was in her lap,
tue red blood oOzing from a CHASTITY
wound.
''The assassin was my old bOyhood's
friend, John Wilkes Booth; his victim,
Abraham Lincoln. - Chicago Inter-
Ocean.