Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-19
VETERAN ACTOR RETIRES.
Jefferson to Ill to Appear on Stage This
Winter

A dispatch from Boston last night says:
Joseph Jefferson, the veteran actor, Will
not be seen on the stage this season. His
son, William Winter Jefferson, will take
his place in THE Rivals for the three
weeks tour already planned.
Joseph Jeerson has been at the Hotel
Touraine. in this city, for several days, a
voluntary prisoner, by the advice of his
physicians, who have urged him to keep to
his room until he departs for stay at
Palm Beach, Fla, within few days.
Mr. Jefferson's condition is not regarded
as serious, but he, his family and his physi-
clans agree that he should take no chances.
For some days he suffered severely from
indigestion at his summer home at Buzz
yards Bay, but he had partially recovered
before he came to Boston early last week.
No new stomach trouble or new illness of
any kind has developed, but it was feared
that, with Mr.. Jefferson's age and enfee-
bled condition as result of his recent at
tack, any attempt at activity on the stage
might result in a recurrence of the malady
in an aggravated form, and that COM
plete suspension of work, mental and phys
ical was absolutely necessary. To this Mr..
Jefferson very reluctantly agreed, and the
fall tour was abandoned.
THE dean of the American stage" is a
title that Jefferson has borne for more
years than many prominent actors have
lived. 1t is a title that he won by honor
able hard work, high living and high think
ing Regarding his profession seriously he
has forced others to regard 1t seriously.
Instead of finding his companions and
forming his friendships in the resorts of
the actor folks along Broadway, he has
been for years the loved comrade of a
former President of the United States and
of men high in the financial and business
grafa Of no trHy
In addition to his life work an actor
he has found diversion in the achievement
of success in lines of artistic and literary
endeavor. The paintings of Joseph JeHer-
son the artist" sell their merits as
works of art. The story of his life, which
is in part story of the stage in his time
ranks as literature. In the art of the stage
he has always been supreme.
Jefferson is now seventy-five years of age
and he has been seventy-four years upon
the stage. When one year old he was
property baby spelling touching scene
In which he was supposed to lie quiet upon
his dying mothers breast AT three ne
was posing as a diving statue" represent
ing the infant Hercules strangling lion.
At four he was carried upon the stage IN a
bag by T. D. Rice, blackened up and dress
ed as a miniature reproduction OF the MIN
strel and tossed out before an audience
with these lines as an introduction:
"oh, ladies and gentlemen, I'd have you for to
know,
That Grove ISs got little dHFhy here that Jumps Jim
Thus Jefferson became one of the first OF
the coon-song singers of the country, and
from that time there hard and trou-
blous fight upward until he became the
master actor of the age and gave to the
stage two of the finest characters it has
known.
He made Rip Van Wrinkle and Bob Acres
his own, and few other actors have had the
hardihood to attempt either part during the
life of Jefferson Rip was written for
him by Dion Boucicault-that is, the play
as we know 1t today. The idea of the
dramatization of the legend of the Cats
kills was Jefferson's own, however, and he
had acted in a play written by himself be-
fore Boucicault was called upon to recon-
struct and to shape up the dialogue.