The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-09
DEATH CLAIMS 4
VENERABLE ACTRESS
Mrs. Sarah Stevens, of sway
Down East" Company, Dies
at City Hospital

Mrs. Sarah Stevens, the widow Of the
champion pugilist John c. Heenan, and
venerable actress whose lovable i'm
PRESERVATION Of Squire Bartlett'S wife in
Way Down East 1eavened the entire
play. died at the city hospital yes
terday morning about 10 o'clock. In
her death the stage lost an artist of the
old school, and the players with whom
she was so long associated the COM
partnership of a sweet and motherly
character.
Death came to Mrs. Stevens almost
| without warning. Sunday night she
appeared at the Metropolitan in the
role of Mrs. Louisa Bartlett, which she
created, and played it with the rare
sympathy and tenderness characteristic
of her portrayal. That was her last
appearance upon the stage. Monday
night she was unable to leave her room
at the Metropolitan hotel and so missed
her first performance since the play
began its career. Tuesday and We'd
| nesday brought no improvement, and
in the evening she was removed to the
city hospital by the advice of her ply
stefan, DR.. Davis.
Mrs. Stevens had been ailing for
posed was rheumatism. The disease in
reality was uraemia. Mrs. Stevens was
seventy years of age. Had she lived
until 1906 her stage career would have
embraced half century.
Was Widow of John c. Heenan
Mrs. Stevens was the widow of John
c. Heenan. the famous champion pugil-
let nf
Stevens was her maiden name, which
she adopted after her husbands death,
for she did not marry again. During
their welded life she retired from the
stage, save for a brief appearance
upon the boards in England.
Mrs. Stevens was connecting link
between the old and the new in the
theatrical world. Her first appearance
was in 1856, when she was in the cast
of Much Ado About Nothing with
the Elder Wallack as Benedick. Later
she played Lady Anne with Edwin
Booth in Richard ILL., and then went
to Laura Keene's theater and played
with Joseph Jefferson and other noted
actors, including John Wilkes Booth.
| After the death of Mr.. Heenan Mrs.
Stevens returned to the stage, appear
ing with Lolita in her repertoire, and
| subsequently,. in the support Of Ada
Cavendish.
| About twenty years ago Mrs. Stevens
went to the Pacific coast, where she
became associated, in San Francisco
with Mr.. and Mrs. Joseph Grismer
l(Miss Phoebe DaNies). -. w. A. Brady
was then. connected with the company
in the capacity of call boy.
7s Was Called -"Pretty Sally
In her youthful days upon the stage
Mrs. Stevens rejoiced in the sobriquet
| Pretty Sally which was a sincere
tribute to her personal charm of face
and figure.
Her sudden death is great shock
to the company with which she has
been SO long associated. Among her
intimate friends she was known as
Sally which name she preferred to
have them call her. The gentleness
and charity of her disposition were
proverbial.
sally always saw the good traits,
the admirable qualities in others,
rather than their shortcomings. At
least the good points were the only
ones she ever mentioned" was the way
one of the women Of the company eX-
pressed it. yesterday.
Two brothers are the only blood rela-
tfves known to have survived Mrs.
Stevens. They live in California-one
in Oakland and the other in Inyo
county. kilograms announcing her
death have been sent, but no replies
had been received up to midnight. In
the event that nothing is heard from
them the body will be inferred in a
local cemetery cs-s.-
Funeral services, strictly private, will
| take place this afternoon in the chapel
of Dameier's undertaking establish
ment.