Weekly journal-miner., 1909-04-14
GREAT ACTRESS MODJESKA
 DEAD
HER BODY WILL LIE IN STATE AT LOS ANGELES AND AFTER WARDS BURIED IN
 POLAND

body was brought to Los Angeles to-
 day, where it will be placed in a vault
 for a short time, and then taken by
 ner husband to Poland.
 Both Modjeska and her husband
 were exiled from Poland many years
 ago. The decision to take the body to
 the home of her birth, gave rise to the
 question whether the Russian govern
 ment would permit this. The Russian
 embassy at Washington stated that so
 far as known no objection would be
 made by the Russian government, be-
 cause the exile only applies to Russian
 Poland and not to Austrian Poland. in
 which the city of Craeow is located.
 Madame Helena Modjeska, who, with
 Sarah Bernhardt and Duse formed the
 triple constellation of the greatest ae- tresses of her time, was born in Cra-
 COW, Austrian Poland, October I2, lS44. Her father, wnose name was
 Benda, was Polish patriot, a man of great refinement and musical ability,
 who taught music to support himself
 and his family. He died while Helena
 was still a child, but left his family
 in fairly comfortable condition. At
 an early age Helena gave evidence of
 singular intensity of feeling and an
 unusual interest for the stage. She
 was seven years old when her mother
 took her to the theater for the first
 time. Little Helena became so ex-
 cited over the performance that her
 mother did not consider it advisable
 for many years to allow her to see an
 othe theatrical performance.
 That first visit to the theater had awakened in Helena an uneonquerable desire to act and she and her brothers and sisters improvised at their home a theater. where the most wonderfully imaginative dramas were performed. Helena was sent to a convent for her education and there she attracted the attention of the nuns by her dramatic talent While she was at the convent her family was greatly impoverished by fire and Helena decided to make her living on the stage. She found small engagements, but did not at tract notice nor win encouraging sue | cess. Finally sac married her elderly 1, guardian, an actor named Modrezew- ski, who soon afterward died, leaving her with seaut means and a baby son, | named Ralph. This boy later came to | the United States with his mother and is now well-known civil engineer in Chicago.
 After the death of her husband, in 1865. Mme Modrczewski returned to Cracow, where her family still resided, and obtained a position in a stock company. She worked nard and com tinued her studies under the direction of the friendly stage manager. In 1867 the younger Dumas asked her to come to Paris to play the part of Ca mile, but her French was too imper feet and she did not succeed. While playing an engagement in POsen Mme. Modrczewska met Count C. Bozenta the editor of a newspaper in the Polish language. He fell des- perately in love with her and married ner in September, 1868. That same year she played in Warsaw, where she achieved a remarkable success in her art. For two months her perform ances were but a series of ovations by {, her enthusiastic cOmpatriots.
 In the following year her husband settled in Warsaw, where she eontin- ned her stage successes, adding seven pr eight new parts to her repertory I every year. The hard work gradually , her physical strength and I m 1870 she was compelled to abandon he stage for long rest. After long Illness the doctors recommended to her I l sea voyage and in 1876 she and her i accompanied by a number of friends. came to the United States. They visited the Centennial Exposi- q ion at Philadelphia and then con- a inued their trip to California, where S hey intended to found a Polish col ,ny.
 The colony plan failed, however. and i Mime. Modrczewska-C -ChlapOwski decid d to return to the stage to earn i; livelihood. She went to San Francis O, where she began to study English, with a view of going upon the Ameri an stage. In six months she mas n cred the language and, with the as- istanee of Mccullough, the actOr-man- ger, she was given the opportunity to nake her debut in "Adrienne LecOuv- cur" Her success was beyond all xpeetation and immediately after the \ Sargent engaged her for a wo years. For obvious reasons she T. hanced her former stage name to the T, impler form Modjeska," under h Thich she became known throughout h ne United States. V
 After a successful engagement Mime. r iodjeska returned to her native eoun- ", where she met with an enthusias- oI c reception. No effort was spared to pl ersuade her to settle permanently in 'oland, but she preferred to remain il l American, visiting her native eoun- r " from time to time. Even these ccasional vists were made impossible W bout fifteen years ago, when the Rus la an authorities prohibited her from r; ntering Poland. for fesr that her pres nee would lead to anti Russian dem yt