New-York tribune., 1908-11-29
FIRE BEHIND THE SCENES.


Miss Thompson had this experience with frs
behind the scenes on the stage in Chicago: MY
next visit to Chicago was after the great fire. ana
I appeared at the Academy OF Music We played
Blue Beard with the hrst large company
brought over from London remember one night
Harry Beckett and were singing sort or toplcaI
duet to Fatima, called If Ever Cease to Love-
when to my sorrow, saw flames coming out OF
the little property room at the side OF the stage
IL the first entrance. Fatima ran or and the auol-
ence thought 1t was part OF the performance OuI
Willie Edouin signalled frantcally to Beckett ana
me to 20 on singing. Our doing so prevented q
panic, for the smoke was coming thick out OF the
first entrance We continued to sing and act Win
all our might The audience, OF course, did not
know there anything the matter or we snoulo
not have been so merry. The fire was fortunately
got under control. and had they not succeeded We
should have been roasted alive. There was no rear
entrance the theatre, and the loss Of life would
have been fearful"
By contrast with that the actress related this e1-
perience with rates In a Chicago supper room;
THAT side Of Chicago was then swarming with
rats The great fire had driven them all from the
other side One night after the performance. We
went to the supper room OF the hotel think 1t
is usual with most professionals that supper aiter
the performance IS the most enjoyable meal OF the
day / know that 1t is In my case AS we opeheu
the door 1 saw two or three large rats scamper
away so Mrs Covflle suggested that my supper
be sent I'D 20 my room, to which agreed The
coored waiter said that II would like to wait d
few minutes he would show US strange slght ana
told us look through the glass door OF the sup
per room. He then entered the room, closed the
door Jumped on the centre table and turned tne
gas down to a blue light. After We had waited
about ten minutes the waiter turned up the gas
suddenly, and 1 shall never forget the sight Inc
noor was covered with enormous rats-there must
have been hundreds Of them OF course. they fed
directly the light appeared They never got me
inside that supper room again
MADE AND LOST MUCH MONEY.
In the ten seasons that Miss Thompson and her
companies appeared in this country she stated
that she made million dollars, but by the de-
cepton Of trusted associates she lost nearly all OF
it. In her later years she appeared IN the regular
drama, her last engagement being with MIS-
Patrick Campbell IN 1895. Her farewell to the stage
took place in 1899 at benefit performance at the
I4yceurn Theatre In London. when many leading
actors and actresses appeared and large sum
was received from the sale of boxes and seats Al
the close OF the performance Sir Henry irving led
Miss Thompson out on the stage and made brief
speech, to which she responded by reciting fare
well poem which had been written for the occasion
by w S. Gilbert One Of those interested IN the
benefit was Sarah Bernhardt. who recalled that
when French actors and actresses were in distress
in 1871 Miss Thompson gave benefit performances
in New Orleans and other cities and sent 5000
to Paris. For this she was made life member or
the Dramatic and Lyric Artists Association
Miss Thompson was the granddaughter Of Philip
Thompson, member Of a Scotch family, who
eloped with a Miss Milburn and was married at
Gretna Green Their son. Philip Wiburn Thomp-
son. married q young Quaker widow, who was
fond of the stage and two years after their daugh-
ter born her father died. When only fourteen
years old she appeared a dancer on the stage
She soon had boys parts In pantomimes and
Christmas spectacles- When she made her first
successes a contemporary critic wrote: She Is
without doubt one OF the most enchanting little
fairies that the stage has for many years
Her buOyancy OF limb and spirit, her perfect ra-
dance of expression and the striking charms OF
her faos and person invest her with attractions
that just unusual they welcome