The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1909-04-15
NINE. M0DJESKA DEAD
NOTED ACTRESS SUCCUMBS TO
LONG ILLNESS.
End Comes at Her Home in Los Angeles
Closing a Life Made Famous
on the Stage.

! Los ANGEl4ES, Cal, April S.-Nme.
/ Helena Modjeska, the famous Polish
! tragedienne and one of the most noted
/ actresses of the American stage, died at
/ 10 O'Clock today at her island home at
| Bay City, Orange county, at the age of
! 80, after an illness of about two months.
For several days she had been uncon-
scious and her death was almost hourly
expected. Bright's disease, complicated
I with heart trouble, was the immediate
cause of death.
j Gathered around the bedside of the
noted actress when she passed away
were Count Bozenta. husband of Nine
/ Modjeska; Ralph Modjeska and his
! wife, a son, and daughter-iu-law, of Chi
! cago, and DR.. J. G. Boyd, the family
| physician
Funeral arrangements have not been
! yet announced.
| Nine. Helena Modjeska who, with
| Sarah Bernhardt and Duse formed the
/ triple constellation Of the greatest act
! resSes of her time, was born in tracow,
Austrian Poland. October II, 1Si4. Her
/ father whose name was Benda, was Il
! Polish patriot Il man of great refinement
! and musical ability, who taught music
to support himself and his family. lie
died while IL elena was still Il child but
! left his family III fairly comfortable
! position. At an early age Helena gave
! evidence of i singular intensity of feel
| ing and an unusual interest for the stage.
! She was / years old when her mother
/ took her to theater for the first time.
! Little Helena became so excited over
| the performance that her mother did not
consider it advisable for many years to
allow her TO see another theatrical per-
! Torrance.
That first visi, to the thcatcr had
awakened in Helena an unconqucrable
desire to act and she and her brothers
and sisters impruysed at their home Il
! theater, where the most wonderfully i'm
aginative dramas were performed. He
! lena was sent TO convent for her edu-
cation and there she attracted the atten-
ton of the nuns by her dramatic talent.
While she was at the convent her family
was greatly impoverished by ire and
! Helena decided to make her living ca the
| stage. She found engagements, but did
not attract notice nor win encouraging
success. Finally she married her elderly
! guardian. an actor named MOdrcZcWskl,
who soon afterward died, leaving her
| with scant means and baby son, named
| Ralph This boy later came to the Unit
ed States with his mother and Is now "A
well known civil engineer in Chicago.
After the death of her husband IN lS'J,
| Mime. ModrcZewska returned to tracow,
where her family still resided and ob.
! tanned a position i'll stock company
She worked hard and continued her stud
les unaer tne direction OF the friendly
! stage manager. In 1867 the younger
| Dumas asked her to come to Paris To
| play the part of Camille, but her French
! was too imperfect and she did not sue,
coed. While playing an engagement III
Posen Nine Modrczewska met Count G.
Bozenta Chlapowski, the editor of a
newspaper in the Polish language lie
fell desperately in love with her and
! married her in September, 1865. That
same year she played in Warsaw, where
she achieved n remarkahl" success in her
art. For Two months her performances
/ were but series of ovatlOnS by her en-
I thuSiuStic COmp1triOts.
In the following year her husband
settled in Warsaw, where she continued
her stage successes, adding seven OF
eight new parts to her rcpcrtory every
year. The hard work gradually under
mined her physcal strength, and in Isl,
she was Competed to abandon the stage
for long rest, After "A long illness
the doctors recommended to her sec
voyage, and in 1876 she and her hus
band, accompanied by a number OF
friends came to the United States They
visited the Centennial exposition at Ihil
adclphia and then continued their triI
to California. whore they intended t,
found Il Polish colony.
The colony plan failed, however, anC
Mime. Modrczewska-Chl apowsh dccid
ed to return to the stage to earn n live
lihood. She went to San Francisco
where she began to study English, will
Il view of going upon the American
Stage In six months she mastered til,
Language and. with the assistance O
Mccullough. the actor manager, shr
was given the opportunity To make hcl
debut in "Adrienne Lecouvrcur. IIci
success was beyond all expectation an,
Immediately after the performance Sar
gent engaged her for two years Fol
obvious reasons she changed her former
stage name to the simpler form Mod
ipska," under which she became know
throughout the United States.
After Il successful engagement Nine
Moieska returned to her native coun
try, where she met with an enthusiast,
reception No effort was spared TO per
Suade her to settle permanently In pO
land. but she preferred To remain il
America, visiting her native country
from time to time. Even these occa
sional visits were made impossible abou
hfteen years ago, when the Russian nu
thorities prohibited her from cntering
Poland. for fear that her presence woulC
lead to anti-Russian demonstrations Or
the part of the cXcitablc Polish people
About five years ago her failing hcaItl
compelled Nine. Mudzeska to retire from
the stage and seek rest on her beautiful
Is situated and picturesque ranch, known
as Arden, in Orange county, California
Her estate is located in the mountain
near Los Angeles, Mt the end of pic
turcsQuc canon and comprises about lO'
acres. There she spent the last year
of her life with her husband, Leaving
her charming home only occasionally &
take part in charitable performances %
patriotic celebrations Of her Polish com