Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-04-09

silk gown possessed by her mother, a
relic of better days.
Benefit Successful
The benefit was a great success,
artistically and financially. In the aud
fence was M. Checnsh, a famous actor
and dramatic author who was particu-
larly attracted by the madame's work,
and who afterward, through his In
| huence, started her in her theatrlcti
work in a larger field. The little COM
pany gave several performances after
| its benefit with such success that II de-
cided to make a change and branch
out, and it started on the road and soon
became a company of strolling come
dams, going from town to town
through all Galitzia.
Her first husband, who was her ell
derby guardian and actor, having
died. she carried Charles Chlapowski
Count Bozenta) a man of aristocratic
birth and a journalist of high reputa-
| ton. On the day after the wedding
she and her husband left for Warsaw
where she secured an engagement IN
the Imperial theater This was
great honor but a dangerous one for
her. Through jealousy of other ac-
tresses many obstacles were thrown in
| her way, and there were many con-
spiracies to make her fail, and finally
she had to adopt the subterfuge of
going through her parts at rehearsals
in rather matter of fact way.
Attacked by Press
The editor of one of the leading
papers of Warsaw was the husband of
| the leading tragedienne of the theater
and he published scathing articles on
the arrogance of provincial actress
who dared enter into rivalry with
recognized favorites of the metrolpoii-
| tan stage. Other newspapers joined IN
the attack The play chosen for her
first appearance there was Les Idees
de Madam Aubray," and her part was
| that of Jaime.
At her first rehearsal she acted the
part so admirably that the other actors
and actresses got together and decided
| that the play must be changed and
| finally "Adrienne Lecouvreur" was de-
cided on, and at the rehearsal for this
she gave no idea of how she would per-
! form when the piece was presented TO
the public.
It had been played in Warsaw by
Rachel, and the public well remem-
bered her magnificent performances, SO
it was with some misgivings that the
madame accepted the situation and
took a part. When the night for its
production arrived all the seats had
been sold. When she went on the stage
there was an intense silence. for the
| people had come more out of curiosity
to see the provincial actress than with
the expectation of witnessing a line
piece of acting. When she came to
the fable of the pigeons she was greet
ed with thunderous applause, and her
battle was won.
Her husband, known the world over
now as Count Bozenta, was a journal
| ist and so active and trenchant was
1 he xryifh that ha 0ffanSe
| to the government, with the result
that in 1876, with his wife and other
countrymen, he migrated to the United
| States, filled with enthusiasm for the
Utopian plan to establish near Ana
helm, in Orange county, Cal, Poliso
colony, in which all might enjoy the
blessings of liberty. There were about
forty in the band, and they located
about two miles west of Anaheim. The
| party was composed of artists, paint
ers, poets, ETC., and it was not long
before the colony venture failed. Count
Bozenta took to mining in Silverado
fcanyon, Orange county. and it was
while engaged in this they became at
| tracted to the place which later
was made their home for many years,
and which was known far and wide
as Arden, the home of Nine. Modjeska.
Soon after the colony proposition failed
madame decided to master the English
tongue so that she might resume the
| stage.
Engaged by Mccullough
| She went to San Francisco, where
she fortunately met a young woman of
| Polish extraction, who consented to
give her lessons. She was an apt
| scholar and in a short time made APP
plication to John Mccullough, who was
| then managing the California theater
for a position. She demonstrated her
ability to Mccullough and was given
a position, and in July. 1877, began her
American stage career, just five
months after she had commenced the
study of the English language. "Ad-
rienne" was scheduled for her first APP
| pearance and she received very
| warm welcome to the American stage
| One success after another followed In
all parts of America, and finally, in
1880, she decided to go to England, and
| In March of that year arrived at Lon
| don. There she had to overcome the
| prejudice against artists from the
Estates" and foreigners. She accepted
| an offer to appear at the Court thea
| ter, which was under the management
| of Wilson Barrett, and her first APP
pearance on an afternoon in May 1880
| she was greeted with an audience of
the most fashionable people OF Lon
| don. The prince and princess of
| Wales, now the king and queen of Eng
land, were present, and after the play
-"Heartsease," an adaptation of sea
| mile"-the prince came to her behind
| the scenes and congratulated her most
| heartily on her success. She returned
to the United States in 1882, and has
since resided here, having maintained
her home at Arden, Santiago canyon.
| for many years prior to three or four
| years ago, when she sold her 1S00-acre
ranch to Los Angeles and Long Beach
capitalists, who bought the property
| for the purpose of making summer
| homes for themselves.
| At the Chicago Worlds Fair Madame
Modjeska read paper before the
! Women's World congress, In which she
severely arraigned the government of
| her native country, and when later she
went there with company she was
denied admission.
| She had made her home at Bay
| island, in Newport bay. for the last
fvun wars