The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1904-04-16
WAS BOOTHS
SWEETHEART

Mary B. Henderson. who plays Wild
ow Cullum in David Harum,' was the
sweetheart Of John Wilkes Booth when
that splendid actor slew President
Abraham Lincoln in Washington. At
the time she was arrested and held in
Jail as a supposed accomplish. and all
his letters to her were seized and burn
ed after the authorities had searched
her effects for a clue connecting her
with the assassination. Of course none
was found
At that momentous time, Mrs. Hen
derson-that wasn't her name then
was leading woman in stock COM
pany in Baltimore, but was engaged
to marry Booth, who was playing in
another stock company in Washington
in Our American Cousins The lead
ing woman of this Washington stock
company became dissatisfied and want
ed to resign, so the Saturday before
| the assassination. Mrs. Henderson was
sent on to Washington to study her
part. On Wednesday. however, this
Woman patched up her differences and
decided to stay, so Mrs. Henderson
went back to Baltimore. On Friday
Booth shot Lincoln.
The arrest of Mrs. Henderson in
Washington, of course, followed as a
natural sequence of those stirring
events. She knew absolutely nothing
of Booths intentions and was shocked
beyond measure at his deed. in fact,
she has never recovered entirely. from
and will not talk of them to: this day.
Her arrest and examination in WASH
| ington followed in short order. and, as
| stated, all her letters and effects were
| seized for evidence discriminating
Booth and herself, but not a thing was
| found to connect her with the crime.
So she was finally released of all
blame
Mrs. Henderson is an old woman now,
but she still recalls those events most
| wildly, though she has SO far declined
to talk of them in any way. Last night
| she was feeling in particularly good
humor. however; she Feceived word
| first time, and and the real cham
payne which David Harum opened in
the last act was, all unknown to the
audience. drunk standing in happy
! toast to her and the new arrival. Mrs.
Henderson's husband, who is upward
| of 70. is playing the character part OF
Zeke Swinney in the same drama.
Another member of this rather re-
markable company, who has history
of quite another sort, is Effie Germon
it's Aunt Polly. Some years ago-it
would not be fair to say how many
but they can be numbered by decades
she was counted the prettiest actress
| known as "Pretty Effie Germon, -
and was playing leading woman to the
most famous actors of the day. She
was a small woman, weighing under
ninety pounds, but she is large enough
now to be thoroughly matronly. An
exciting point in her career was when
a certain scion Of English nobility came
to this country and became infatuated
with her. He lavished jewels upon her
among them heirlooms Of priceless val
ue to his ancient house, and so highly
were these regarded that the British
government, through it's then minister
to Washington, took up the question
officially of securing their return. Miss
Germon gave them up, of course, but
was reimbursed for their value in other
gems, not of historical association
dollar for dollar. The matter was {
two-continent episode in those days
and added to her already great fame
as a beauty and actress. She wa!
worth more than $150,0O0 at one time
but has lost most of it since then.