New-York tribune., 1921-09-04
Caruso's Belief i'm Recovery
May Have Hastened Death
famous Tenor, Considering Himself Out of Danger,
Reported to Have Refused Consultation
of Doctors Until Too Late

forming. When pain finally asserted
itself Mrs. Caruso was permitted to
telegraph to Rome for specialists and
the tenor was taken to Naples, 1t was
already too late and the breaking of
the abscess caused death before the
sick man could avail himself of the aid
summoned
This story is confirmed in a letter
received last week by Antonio Scotti
from friend who was with the tenor
during the last week of his life.
Antonio Scotti Mourns
Comrade of a Lifetime
No one is more anxious to keep alive
the memory Of his lifelong friend and
comrade than Scotti himself, who, with
twenty-five years of service to his
credit, has probably been at the Metro
politan longer than any other member
of the company.
"Let us not talk about me. Let us
talk about that great man who is gone,"
he said mournfully the other day, as
he sat in his room at the Vanderbilt,
attending to the final details of the
tour which Will take him from New
York tomorrow. The room was
crowded with souvenirs of Caruso.
Photographs and cartoons, letters from
the family, were everywhere, and
great piles of newspapers just arrived
from Italy told the story of the last
days of a great artist.
/ The barytone was particularly af-
fected that day by letter which had
just arrived from cousin in Naples.
Cousin. Constitutes Himself Barytonc's
Ambassador to Death Chamber
"Dear cousin" wrote his relative,
'as soon as Caruso died my first
thought was for you, the comrade of
so many years. What would you have
done he'd you been here? Surely you
would have gone to see the body of
your friend and taken with you some
magnificent flowers. ! held council
with some friends of mine, and to-
gether we set out for the florist. We
ordered q large cushion Of violets and
white carnations tied with ribbons, and
together we wrote this inscription: TO
Enrico Caruso, supreme artist and
lifelong friend; from his broken-heart-
ed comrade, Antonio Scotti.' Then we
bore the cushion to the hotel and in
your name, as your ambassadors, we
placed the cushion at the feet of Ca
ruso."
$50, you see," commented the barry
tone, "Caruso received a very per-
sonal tribute from me, his oldest
friend, long before the flowers which
had already ordered by cable could
be delivered.
"But it was not only upon his voice
that Caruso's popularity depended; it
was the mans great heart and kindly
personality that endeared him even to
people who had never heard him sing"
continued his friend.
morris Gest told me that, when he
was in Chicago the other day, door
man at one of the theaters expressed
his regret at Caruso's death. Did
you hear him sing?' asked Mr.. Gest.
No. was the answer. Not even ON the
phonograph.' But why do you feel so
badly about him then?' the manager
inquired with curiosity. oh, l didn't
have to hear him sing to know that he
was fine artist was the reply. And
he certainly was one great man."
Scotti was too much upset to attend
more than one mass celebrated in
memory of Caruso. This service was
held at little church in the Italian
quarter. At the close, as Scotti was
leaving the church with Mimi Caruso,
little old woman rushed up to the
singer, and with tears streaming down
her face, cried: ooh, Mr.. Scotti, please,
please show mo Caruso's son! / have
walked four miles just to see him"