Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-08-01
STAGE ANECDOTES.
The London Debut Of Edmund kean,
the Great Trasedian.

| The London Debut OF Edmund Neah,
the Great Trasedian.
Edmund Kean's London debut was
made in 1914, at "a time when his NJ
nancial affairs were at a very low eoD.
With his wife and one child he was
lodging In an attic. His reception as
Shylock was most encouraging ano
Aattering. In an almost frenzied &C.
stacy he rushed through the wet to MS
humble lodging. sprang up the stairs
and threw open the door. HIS wite
ran to meet him. No words were re-
ouired-his radiant countenance toia
all-and they mingled together tne
first tears of true happiness they had
as yet experienced. He told her OF
his proud achievement and In a purst
Of exultation exclaimed: Mary you
shall ride In your carriage, and Cnar-
lev. my boy"-taking the child from
tbe cradle and kissing him-"you
shall go to Eton and"-a sad reminis-
cence crossed his mind, his JOY was
overshadowed and he murmured Ia
broken accents, "oh. that Howard
This dead child) had lived to see 1T
but he Is better where he Is.
On the night Of Edmund's first ap-
.r,n.e e as Richard a group OF idie
actors In the greenroom were DISCUSS
ing his merits in anything but hper-
al spirit. .I understand" said one'
with an elaborate sneer, that he Is an
admirable harlequin" Bannister enter
ed at that moment, overheard the re-
mark and retorted, II am certain Oh
that. for he has jumped over all our
heads" ..ooaa,an
Edmund Kean, and Charles lncieuon,
the popular singer, were one uay
walking in Bond street when tney met
Lord Essex, who bowed coIoy -
Kean, though they were OH ueriiis
Intimate friendship. =.
The next day Kean found note at
the theater from my lord desiring MN
to call at his house. When there sne
nobleman said to the .tragedian, nay
dear Kean, you will pardon me. You
know how greatly admire your gen
ius but I was surprised yesterday u
see YOU in company Of that singing
man. Incledon." MY lord" said hean
with flashing eye. pray don't excite
Yourself, now, my dear Kean, inter-
rupted my lord, "but the respect, l
may say reverence, l have Ior your
wonderful genius prompts me 10 spear
thus" Lord Essex" cried, kean
drawing himself up and casuns d
witherine glance at his noble patron,
twelve years ago my family were In
want of bread and Charles lncledon,
INV friend, supplied the means to pro-
cure II, and when Edmund kean TOT.
gets his friends may God forget him.
And from that hour the two men neV-
er exchanged courtesies.
Kean, from early manhood, had an
internal complaint, for which he had
always been his own physician ana
prescribed that sovereign balm call
ed brandy" from which 1t generally
found relief, at least it always proved
an Alternative. While travelling from
London to Belfast, on quitting
the coach at Donegal Arms, he
missed his sovereign balm and he call
ed out to the Irish waiter to search
the lately abdicated vehicular convey
ance as he had left his pocket pistol
behind. "The devil pistol can l
find" cried the searching Hibernian,
"or anything else but this" producing
the leather covered charm. "Why,
that IL, you Dlochueau' 0AS
Kean, suiting the action to the word
and tasting to be convinced. Pat
scented the cordial and, laughing,
cried: do you call that pistol, sir?
Why. then, faith. though I'm a peace
able man, l wouldn't mind standing a
shot or two Of that pistol myself"
When Edwin Forrest went to Lon
don he was received in anything but
cordial way. One critic wrote:
Our old friend Mr.. Forrest afforded
great amusement to the public by his
performance Of Macbeth on Friday at
the Princess. Indeed, our best comic
actors do not often excite so great
quantity of mirth. The change from
an inaudible murmur to a thunder OF
sound was enormous. but the grand
feature was the combat in which he
stood scrapIng his sword against that
of Macduff. We were at loss to
know what this gesture meant until an
enlightened critic in the gallery shout
ed out, That's right, sharpen it,"
A good story Is being told at the ex-
pense Of a certain local theater whose
Standing Room Only" notice is no
longer needed. One night after the
curtain was rung up a small boy was
discovered in front of the box office.
The manager of the theater went to
the lad and kindly asked him what the
trouble was. II want my money
back" sobbed the boy In answer to
asked his reason for such a request.
"Recause-because I'm afraid to sit up
in the gallery all alone!" he walled.
His money was returned.-Franklin
Barry In st. Louis Post-Dispatch.