Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1914-10-14
New News Of Yesterday
The Original Of the Elder
SOthern'S Fitz Altemont
BY HOLLAND.

An incidental reference to the fact |
that among tho eccentric characters
who always found friend in Charles /
A. Dana. and who freqaently when IN
pecuniary distress visited him, was
George. the Count Johannes, brought
10 tho recollection of the late A. NJ.
Palmer. who in his day was the lead
ine theatrical manager Of the United
States. an incident associated with y.
II. sothcrn. father Of the actor Of that
name who has been prominent I'D
dramatic life for twenty years.
Did you ever see the Count Jo-
hannes?" MIR. Palmer asked me- re-
piled that ] had only seen him several
times when making his somewhat per
iodic visit to Mr.. Dana, but that had
also seen him in the eNcruciatingiy
painful and eccentric performance OF
Hamlet" in which he appeared as the
melancholy Danish prince. s.
You will remember, then. what
curious personality the Count 10
hannes had said Mr.. Palmer lie
wore an ink-black wig, with the rear
locks almost touching his shoulders.
lie was closely shaver. excepting
mustache, whose long ends dropped so
that they could almost have met be-
meath his chin. He was of very salloW
/ complexion. and this was intensified
by his dark eyes and his presumably
/ dyed eyebrows. He always wore a
! long-tailed frock coat. which he had
worn so many years that the seams
were OF different tints from the body
of the garment His trousers were
always black and usually very tight
and he commonly wore brown spats
over his congress CATERS. Although
he never used them. he always wore a
pair OF immense eyeglasses, which
hung from his neck by a cord
Mr.. Palmer's description of the
Count Johannes was perfect. ] was
able to contribute one fact which in
terested Mr. Palmer greatly. told
him that the Count Johannes had
brought to the attention of Mr.. Dana
documents, which showed that a title
Of nobility had actually been conferred
upon him, when he was plain George
Jones. by a prince of one of the petty
kingdoms of Europe. He was there
fore fairly well authorized to refer to
himself as the Count Johannes.
~ think il was in 1877. possibly a
year earlier" continued Mr.. Palmer
that the senior Sothern decided to
put on new play. He had been on a
long tour i'm the United States and had
been very successful. both as Lord
Dundreary and as Brother Sam He
also was seen occasionally in the part
of David Garrick in the play Of that
name. and ! always thought he played
it better than any other actor whom
had seen in the part.
"Sothern got hold Of new play.
have always suspected that the play as
he produced it was practically written
by himself just as the character Of
Lord Dundreary in Tom Taylor's play
Our American Cousin was built nj
bit by bit by Sothern until IL becami
the leading character of the play
Sothern called this play The Crushe'
Tragedian. He had family outlined Il
his mind the makeup and the charac
teristics OF the poor old Droken-dowl
tragedian who nevertheless alway
kept perfect faith in himself Some
body suggested to Sothern that H.
would find his type in the Count 10
names. The suggestion was actel
upon, and when Sothern first appearei
in the play every one who had eve
seen the Count Johannes recognized
him in Sothern's makeup aud man
ner as Fitz Altemont the crushe
tragedian The play was successfu
both here and afterward in England
Had the Count Johannes been
normal human being, he would hav
felt hurt or Inundated by Sothern'
clever study of him Instead OF thai
the count was greatly pleased. an
thought an honor had been conferre
on him. lie determined TO appear M
on the stage. although he was Law
yer. in the part Of Hamlet. relying M
on the advertisement Sothern ha
given to him. lie did this and sirius
q gled for week through performance
OF Hamlet. appearing not to care 3
all for the jeers and even the vsibl
salutes i'm the forms Of offensive o
q ferings which were hurled at hii
from the gallery When turni
S landed on his face he either ignore
5 II or showed it aside with a hast
3 kick"
: Copyright. 1914. by +. J. Edward
q All rights reserved.)