The sun., 1905-12-10
AUNT LOUISA ELDRIDGE DEAD
ACTRESS FOR 45 YEARS AND
FRIEND OF " HOLE PROFESSION.
A Rough Tongue and n soft Heart We're
Two or Her Characteristics Seeing
That Dead Professionals We're De-
Gently Buried was firr SpcciaIty.

reh'l! buTitu WAS ntr Sptclaliy
Aunt Louisa" Eldridge. the veteran
actress who devoted many years Of her
life to helping others in the profession
died yesterday at her home at l42 Fast
Thirteenth street, She had been in poor
health for some time and was in her 10th
year Press Eldridge, her son, who is an
actor. was with her.
Mrs. Eldridge will be buried on Monday
from All Souls Church, at Fourth avenue
and Twentieth street, and the Rev Dr.
Thomas r. Sicer will officiate at the fun
eral services Aunt Louisa wasn't a church
goer. but she liked DR.. Slicer, although
she often declared that she did not care
for the ordinary run Of ministers.
Aunt Louisa was plain spoken person.
who disliked sham and admired people
who had nerve enough to say what they
thought. Her funeral is likely to be at
tended by as great a number of actors and
actresses as has ever been in church here
at one time. Every professional player
knew her and called her friend.
Her sympathy with players did not end
with their life. She never missed the
funeral of a professional, no matter how
humble. Many of the persons she helped
to bury may have never known her, but
that made no difference to Aunt Louisa. She
has been known to gather number of
her friends together and take them of to
q funeral service to make a showing for
some unknown and friendless player
It's my duty and your duty to do this
she told them.
Mrs. Eldridge was born in Philadelphia,
and her maiden name was Harwood. She
made her debut as an actress in that city in
lS4s, at Peaes Museum in Robert Macare.
Llaa nod hn ct of IafT
but tho late Joseph jefferson was a member
of the company and he objected. Miss Har-
wood took the name Of Mortimer.
She was successful from the start, and
came to this city to do boy roles and
soubrette parts in p. T Barnum's Museum.
In 1851 she married ". d. Eidridge OF Phila-
dephia. He was well to do and she retired
from the stage. She was off the boards for
five years, when her husband met with busi-
ness reverses and she went back to the foot
lady at Barnum Museum, at Broadway and
Ann street. and played there for several
seasons under her married name.
She played with Fox and Lingard at the
New Bowery, and it was there that she first
began to eIact old woman parts. She
travelled all over the country with stars,
and finally settled in this city, She hasn't
acted in recent years. Her last appearance
with a star was with Mrs. Langtry at the
Garden Theatre about eight years ago.
ne only stage WOTh she mas uOne since
was to appear on the vaudeville stage dur
ing the Spanish-American war and recite
The Star Spangled Banner
Mrs. Eldridge lived for the last thirty
eight years in the house in which she died
Her husband died ten years ago. She had
lived in the same house so long that she used
to declare that she was the original fiat
dweller and had paid enough rent to pur-
chase the house several times over.
Her fiat was storehouse of theatrical
treasures, of old costumes, stage pictures,
and the like. Everybody who wanted
help from her visited her there Aunt
Louisa never had much money Of her own,
but she was a great hustler when it came
to making others produce, She was an
active ally Of every charity that would
help an actor. She was one Of the oldest
members OF the Woman's Professional
League and member Of the Actors Church
Alliance.
Aunt Lousas friendship for DR.. Slicer
is OF only few years duration. The first
time she met him she told him he was the
sort of a man she wanted to otficiate at her
funeral
Il don't want no Bible whackers around
me when | die" Aunt Louisa told him,
but do want to have my funeral in your
church. 1t will have to be a church. for
there is going to be a crowd
Il believe in being cheerful" she used
to say There is nothing in always wear
ing n sour face, For eight years had to
visit all the sick members of the Profess
sional Woman's League They all wanted
to see me, for they knew would be cheerful
ANYWAY