The sun., 1918-08-13
ANNA HELD Is DEAD,
LONG STAGE IDOL
Actress Fought Battling
Malady for Months. Show
ing Surprising vitality.
KEPT BROADWAY HAPPY
Star Of Many Gay Successes
Remained Cheerful to
the Last.

Anna Held. one OF the best known
women OF the stage. died yesterday
afternoon at 8: 30 o'clock in her apart
ments in the Hotel Savoy. She had
been i'll for several months from a sick
ness that puzzled the physicians. 1t
was stated 10 be n pernicIous form Of
aenemia. Miss Held's physicians ADAM
doned hope for her recovery several
times during the months of her illness.
but she rallied with an amazing force
with each relapse until two weeks ago,
when she began slowly sinking.
The actress became unconscious early
Yesterday morning and remained OBJ
l,vous TO her surroundings until the end
came. With Miss Held were Liant Car
rera, her daughter; Susanna Westford-
Allen who is a sister to Lillian Russell ;
Connie Miles. for four years her per-
sonal representative; Beatrice Driosch.
her maid for the last seventeen years,
and DR.. T.. NJ. Overton.
Immediately following her death noti-
fication was sent TO Samuel Kingston,
who had charge OF her theatrical affairs
and he said that he would make the
necessary arrangements for the funeral
! Born I'm warsaw As Years AGO.
Miss HELD was a Polish Jewess. born
! In Warsaw forty-fve years ago Of par.
ents in humble station. Her father, a
glove stitcher. left Poland for Paris
when Miss Held was little girl. and |,
| was the necessity OF earning enough
| money to keep the family in bread and
under a roof that sent the small made
QUARTER Latin to dance and sing among
| the students.
| Even then when she was a mere sliI
of a girl with only the lghtest of trill:
| for n singing voice. her wholly origina
mannerisms-a little trick Of using he,
| big lark eyes. a suggestion in gesture
and pose ~ the improprieties. to which
| her audiences we're by no means hostile
provided the touch was dainty, and
| charmingly moulded figure--made he
extraordinarily popular In the gay quar-
ter and suggested the fame that waited
| for her in the future.
Her fathers employment was preca
rlous and poorly paid. and the daughte
worked very hard. often spending hal
the night at cleaning and curling ha
plumes after she had sung and darce
in the evening. AS she grew older sh
worked in shop where fur caps wer
manufactured. and while she toled thus
dreaming Of the days when she hoped t
be rich and famous. her father died.
In London were relatives Of he
mother and herself. and presently Ann
was a resident OF Whitechapel, where
manager OF music hall observed he
prettiness and originality and figure
that she could draw money to his DO
office. lie gave her her first chance
appear IN public. upon real stage. an
1t was not long until she had attaine
local fame and was known as the Lift
Whitechapel Beauty.
. In 1889 she returned to Paris after
short tour in Holland and the Ea
French capital welcomed her with ops
arms She was "A novelty. new dive
: sion, matching the requirements
beauty and grace and !mpudence r
. quired By the Paris!ans, and by the tin
she was ready to make an America
venture in 1896 she was already eel
hrated in the light opera and coined
: field OF France.
II was on September II, 1895. that 81
arrived in this country, and wee
later she tripped upon the stage of I!
Herald Square Theatre, at Broadwa
and Thirty-fifth street, to fash her PR
I vocative glance al the susceptible on
in the front rows. \ song she sar
then Is remembered to this day, and
quarter of century is a long time, Ii
;. deed, for a bit of such nonsense 10 su
3 vive. AS she sang it the words were;
oh, won't you come and play wiz me-
| For have sooch a nize liddle way wiz m
s / wish you'd come an play WIZ me.