Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-06-26
Some Things You Want to Know

The long and brilliant career OF Clara
Morris as favorite on the American stage,
~ recently recalled to the Dublic's atten-
zion. brings i'm ts train the recollection Of
= long lire Of veterans Of the stage who
nave served the public as portrayers Of
character and as purveyors Of entertain
'Inent through a succession Of many theatri-
cal seasons. The first distinguished vet
eran Of the American stage was Thomas
Cooper, whose activities I'm the theater eN-
tended over a period Of forty years. Born
la 177G I'm ireland Cooper came to America
when he was 20 and made his first sue
scssful appearance at Philadelphia in The
Wheel of Fortune" His repertoire at the
time Of his death had embraced 1874 parts,
The most successful being Marc Antony,
Nirginius, Damon and Macbeth. In Cooper s
DAY stage favorites did not receive munifi-
cent salaries lie was glad 10 get, 80
night Perhaps this salary accounts for
reckless bet which he Is said to have made
Passing a wagon loaded with hay on Broad
way he said to his companion: "I'll wager
you the receipts OF my benefit performance
tonight that l will draw longer wisp Of
straw from this cart than you" The bet
was made and Cooper lost. Ills share OF
the receipts that night was Sl,2OO instead
VI $50.
one OF the earliest Of American born vet
Grams was, Edwin Forrest who occupied
commanding place on the stage for nearly
flfty-two years. He was born in Phila-
delphia in 1906 and became an actor at the
age OF H. his first part being Norval in
douglas" Forests fame as an actor has
suffered as a result Of the reproach which
a4.fF.. ,-fn
the Astor Place opera house in New York
Oh May 10, 1919, when twenty-five people
were killed and thrty-siX were wounded
The events which led up to that bloody
affair began in 1916 when Forrest made
his second tour Of England. He was play
ing Macbeth" in London at the time that
William Charles Macready, the most popu-
lar English actor of the day, was the idol
VI the people. Forests performance was
Missed and he blamed the hostility of the
public on Macready.
y short time after this Forrest was I'm
Edinburgh while Macready was filling an
engagement, and the American actor at
tended the performance of his rivals
Hamlet" During the evening Forrest
rose in his box and Missed Macready, and
the incident evoked a heated newspaper
wrangle. Two years later Macready WIS.,
tied America for the third and last time.
lie and Forrest were both playing in New
York at the same time and the enmity
which began in England was reliindled
Forrest has been accused, and is still be-
lleved by many to have been indirectly re-
sponsibe for fomenting the mob which
went TO the Astor Place Opera house on the
night of May 10 with the avowed purpose
o. SELLING Macready and killing him. The
militia was called out and before the riot
was queled was forced to fire on the
crowd with fatal result
The most widely known and probably
best loved veteran of the American stage
was Joseph jefferson. who gave his first
performance when he was years Old and
his last at the age of 70. The theater-
going public of today thinks of him as an
actor Of only two parts Rip Van Wrinkle
and Bob Access. AS a matter of fact his
experience included more than hundred
relies. During the latter years of his life
jefferson confined himself to Rip Van
Wrinkle. but 1t is said OF him that his mem
ory of lines and stage business was so pro-
digous that IL he were awakened in the
middle of the night and told to so on in a
comedy which he had played years before
he could do so without moments hesita-
lon
John Brougham, born I'm 1870 began his
career on the stage at 20 and he continued
10 act up to the time of his death in 1880.
lie was considered the finest portrayer of
the Irish gentleman on the stage, his per-
Torrance of Sir Lucius O'Trigger being
one of his best. Brougham was not only
an actor. but playwright He wrote fully
sixty plays and claimed to be the joint
author with Dion Boucicault of London
assurance. claim which Boucicault
never admitted. This prompted Brough.
ANS remark that if Dion Bouccault had
TO act the part of an old man in a play Inc
would scalp his grandfather for the wig
Brougham was one OF the most unfortu.
nate Of actors. At one time he borrowed
money and signed u paper without reading
it. The paper meant his surrender of tn,
lease of his profitable New York theater
the Lyceum. lie sold his play, founded on
"Dombey and Son. to William L. Burton
for $3.50. Burton made fortune out of II
The last years of Brougham's life were par
ticularly sad and form strange parable
10 the Clara Morris case. In 1869 a benefi
performance was given for him and he re
ceived 5000. Nine years later secon,
benefit was given which netted $4,000
With this an annuity was bought for hin
three months, but the broken hearted oil,
man died eighteen months later and tn