Norwich bulletin., 1922-10-14
FAMOUS ACTRESSES
nREW.

DREW.
 In the winter of 1920, Thomas Fred ericll Lane, a provincial actor of Eng land, and his wife, Eliza. brought on the stage little baby of 12 months, which was supposed to cry But the in- fant cared nothing for what play wright thought an actor should do, and when the lights appeared and the audi ence Ioomed, she just laughed and cooed with sheer delight. It was the first appearance of Mrs. John Drew.
 Shipwrecked twice before she was 13, playing child parts from the time she could be carried to the stage, she came to be one of the great women of the stage. She was born at Lenbeth, Eng land. Jan. 10. 1920. It was tough year on the profession. George III. who gave us 50 much trouble. died. The thea tres were closed for one month, and there were other troubles. Mrs. Drew's father was fairly good actor, and her mother, who brought her to America was a pretty singer.
 For the first five years of her life Mrs Drew played all of the chiIdren's parts and they fed her cherries in the wings to keep her quiescent until the cue came. At five she was playing the part of a rightful heir in Meg AIur- nock." and at seven. playing to a hip- podron1e performance in which horses were used. she narrowly escaped injury. Her father died.
 The mother decided to come to New York and they made the voyage on A sailing vessel-tlere were no stesm- t boats. then and it required four 1 weeks. It was June [. 1927, when 1 they reached New York 4 few days ] Philadelphia, where they appeared al the Walnut Street theatre. Mrs. Drew represented the Duke of York to the
 elder Booths Richard TIT. She went te l Baltimore and appeared as Albert te
 Edwin Forests William Tell. Hei
 mother married a stage manager.
 We find Mrs. Drew at the Bower1 theatre in New York next, in the rolt
 of Little Pickel in '"The Spoiled
 Child" She was only nine when hel fstepfather decided that they should gt
 to Jamaica. Their ship went on a roci near Santo Domingo and it required four weeks to get them to their destin ation. Once in Santo Domingo, yellow
 fever killed her stepfather, and he mother was near death from it. Th
 mother and daughter came home an,
 played several engagements.
 During one of them they made Wash ington, where she met President Andrev
 Jackson. ''Old Hickory kissed the youth full actress and she was henceforth
 Jackson Democrat. Again she starte
 for the West Indies, and a second tim her ship was wrecked. Back to Ney
 York she came, and at the age of i . she was again at the Bowery treatre. Her mother procured an engagemen at Boston at the Warren theatre, fo SIS a week. But then expenses were pro : portionate. They had seen the Bower stage "Mazeppa" for a total cost of s10t which would probably get smile froI Charles Dillingham;.
 : In Boston they lived in one room. Mir, Drew says in one of her charmin : stories that they had a chest in whic . they kept their clothing and "a barr, : .of ale' Mfr volstead had not the ) dawned upon the spirit of our dreams. One next finds this remarkable stag ] woman at New Orleans, with "Tll School for Scandai'' among her play ] ] and there Sunday theatres first cam ] during the engagsment. Mrs. Drew wa , toe devout Christian to stand this, an l they had to train somebody else fe 5 all her parts one night a week. Tw
 seasons at Vicksburg and Natche
 brought her to Philadelphia again wit ! of the Walnut Street theatre-the to ' box office did not earn it and the York. finally came.
 She married George Mosson in 1S4 | He died in fe wfrlonths and she ma, : ried John Drew, Together the Drew il played the leading cities and won |