Posts Tagged With: Booth Family

Junius Brutus Booth was the patriarch of the Maryland Booths.  Born in England, he achieved early fame in London theaters rivaling the biggest stars of the day.  He immigrated to America with his love, Mary Ann Holmes, fleeing his from his real wife and eyeing even greater success in this country.  America welcomed him with open arms and for decades he toured the nation as a unparalleled theatrical genius.  With genius also came madness.  Junius was known to be so passionate and enveloped in the characters he portrayed that, mixed with increasing bouts of drunkedness, he often blurred the line between his real life and the dramatic characters he played on the stage.  This caused stress for the Booth family but, when sober, Junius was a very devoted husband and father.  He inspired three of his sons to make theater their career and influenced generations of actors.  The newest Picture Gallery here on BoothieBarn is devoted to this passionate leader of the Booth Family, Junius Brutus Booth.

To visit the Junius Brutus Booth Gallery, click on Junius Brutus Booth’s picture on the image below or click HERE.  In time I’ll be creating other galleries for the rest of the Booths.

To learn more about Junius, read Dr. Stephen Archer’s unparalleled biography, Junius Brutus Booth: Theatrical Prometheus

In the age before home computers and the internet, John Calder Brennan was the first search engine.  His passion for investigation and gift for correspondence allowed him to find the answer to any question posed to him.  And, like a search engine, John C. Brennan was a selfless sharer.  When he found a new piece of information about the Lincoln assassination, Mr. Brennan immediately took out his typewriter and carbon paper and sent out a dozen copies to the people on his Boothie mailing list.  For the more personal touch, “John C. Brennan in Laurel, Maryland” would often narrate the information using a system of 10 or more tape recorders connected together.  Though he never published his own book, Mr. Brennan’s name can be found in the acknowledgements of many.  He passed away in 1996 at the age of 87.

John C. Brennan dowsing for John Wilkes’ grave on the Booth family plot in Green Mount Cemetery in 1988.

In going through some of the files given to me by the late Art Loux, I stumbled across an extremely well researched and well written article composed by Mr. Brennan in 1990.  It appears that sometime in 1988 a gentleman wrote a letter to Mr. Brennan asking about the Booth family monument in Green Mount Cemetery.  He wanted to know whether the obelisk on the grave today was the original that had been changed over the years or was a new one.  As usual, Mr. Brennan went to work.  He wrote letters to dozens of people and organizations gathering information.  He scoured books and newspapers.  After two years, he had detailed the unique saga of the Booth family monument.  He wrote up his research in an article which he intended to submit to the Maryland Historical Society for inclusion in their monthly publication.  From what I can tell, either Mr. Brennan did not submit his article or the Society decided not to publish it.

Below I present a transcription of Mr. Brennan’s article, knowing that he would approve of it being shared.  In this way the search engines that followed him can make it available to the entire world, and not limited to carbon paper.

 The Mystery of the Booth Epitaphs in Green Mount Cemetery

by John C. Brennan

Junius Brutus Booth, the great Shakespearean actor, died in 1852 while en route from the West Coast to his home in Baltimore¹.  His widow undoubtedly chose to bury him in Baltimore Cemetery at the eastern end of North Avenue for the reason that he had had his father, Richard Booth, reburied there the preceding year².

Painting of Junius Brutus Booth, father of the Maryland Booths

Edwin Booth, the nineteen-year-old second eldest son, who invariably took on all the family’s problems, was also a notable Shakespearean  actor, ultimately rivaling if not surpassing his father in celebrity.  Edwin was on tour when his father died, and did not return from Australia via the West Coast until 1855, evidently well-heeled from his stage appearances³.  He soon commissioned a distinguished Boston sculptor, Joseph Carew, to carve the dignified and stately (and expensive) monument that, shipped down to Baltimore by water, was erected on his father’s grave⁴ on May 1, 1858, the parent’s 62nd birthday.  Because the elder Booth had attained such eminence incident to his stage successes (as well as notoriety because of his eccentricities and escapades), details of the monument, including its precise measurements were thought newsworthy enough to be carried by an 1858 theatrical magazine⁵, all measurements proving to be the same today as they were originally.

Another not quite so detailed description of the Booth monument was published in an article appearing in the New York Times of August 7, 1858, about two months after its erection in Baltimore Cemetery, the writer being one Adam Badeau, a close friend of Edwin’s who later became a member of General Ulysses S. Grant’s staff⁶.  Badeau wrote that:

“On our way to town [from Tudor Hall, the Booth home near Bel Air, Maryland] we stopped at the cemetery where the worthy son of such a father had erected a beautiful and costly monument to the memory of the great actor whom he resembles.  ‘Tis an obelisk of polished Italian marble, on  a pedestal of undressed granite, some twenty feet high, and the work of Carew, the eminent Boston sculptor.  On one side are the dates of the birth and death of the tragedian, with his name in full; on another, simply the word Booth; on the third is a medallion head, full of character and beauty, both as a work of art, and as the representation of a noble, soulful face – ’tis extremely like the profile of the son.  The third side also bears this inscription [and hereinafter the inscription will be referred to as Epitaph No. 1]:

“His life was gentle; and the elements
So mixed in him, that Nature might stand up,
And say to all the world — This was a man.”

It is not anywhere stated that this first epitaph was applied in bas relief form, which it probably was inasmuch as Edwin seemed to prefer raised lettering and likenesses — as witness the present-day outsized word BOOTH, the writings on all three sides of the obelisk, the graceful frame enclosing the epitaph, and the embossed portrait of Junius Brutus.

How long it took Edwin to wake up to the fact that the Shakespearean quotation constituting Epitaph No. 1 was a thoroughly stereotyped vague one that could be used for any male decedent, and did not begin to reflect his father’s universally recognized status, is not known but, as will be seen below, he “came to” early in 1869 and used an original and eminently appropriate one (on a new, freshly carved obelisk) incident to the disassembly of the monument and its re-erection in Green Mount Cemetery⁷.

The tragic disruption in the lives of all the Booths was of course caused by John Wilkes Booth’s murderous act of April 14, 1865. Retribution was exacted of the assassin at the Garrett farm near Port Royal, Virginia, on April 26, and his body, held captive by the Federal government, was originally rumored to have been buried in the ocean or in the Potomac River⁸.  Eventually the family learned that Wilkes’ remains had been secretly interred under the floor of a building at the Old Arsenal Prison (Now Fort Lesley J. McNair) in southwest Washington, D.C.⁹

The unbelievable coincidence that Edwin Booth had once saved the life of the Lincolns’ son, Robert Todd, by pulling him out of the path of an oncoming train¹⁰, had undoubtedly been made known to General Grant by his aide, the previously mentioned Adam Badeau, and Grant, probably at Badeau’s insistence, had written Edwin to say that, if at any time he could be of service, he would.

Adam Badeau and General Grant

Relying on this commitment, Edwin wrote Grant in September 1867, asking his intercession for the release of his brother’s body — which request Grant ignored.  A second request of February 15, 1869¹¹, made by Edwin direct to President Andrew Johnson, received prompt and favorable consideration, whereupon Edwin immediately began planning to establish a family lot in Green Mount in which Wilkes would be one of the first occupants.  He purchased two adjoining lots for $250 in  the name of his mother, Mrs. Mary Ann Booth, and a few years later made another payment of $100 for perpetual care¹².

At the time of Junius Brutus Booth’s death in 1852, a man named William Thompson, editor of the Washington News newspaper, wrote Edwin’s beautiful and highly literate sister, Asia, a very kind letter enclosing an epitaph “which he hoped would be thought worthy to be placed upon his [Junius’] monument.” “My brother, Edwin,” Asia revealed, “at a much later period¹³ was pleased to have it carved on the the monument he erected to his father’s memory.” (The outstandingly apt lines, which follow, will hereinafter be referred to as Epitaph No. 2.)

“Behold the spot where Genius lies,
O, drop a tear when talent dies;
Of Tragedy the mighty chief,
The power to please surpass’d belief,
Hic jacet, matchless Booth.”

The 1869 re-erection of the monument in Green Mount, using an identically carved nine-foot obelisk to bear the beautiful poem just quoted, constitutes the first of Edwin’s two successful attempts to preserve unaltered the majestic original lines and appearance of the 1858 Carew sculpturing.  Fortunately for the sake of pictorial evidence a long search for a likeness of the monument before the third and final legend was applied yielded an 1875 woodcut of a distant but clean-cut view that is reproduced herewith¹⁴, and there is firm documentation that the shaft still bore Epitaph No 2 (Behold the spot, etc.) up to late 1885¹⁵.

As flattering and biographically accurate as the poetic Epitaph No. 2 was, Edwin felt forced, for a compelling reason, to discard it and arrange to have Epitaph No. 3, the final one, embossed on another sculptured obelisk after his mother’s death.

Here it becomes necessary to interrupt the continuity of this recital to state that there is still to be seen in Baltimore’s New Cathedral (Catholic) Cemetery a legible upright stone marking the grave of a woman whose maiden name was Mary Christine Adelaide Delannoy¹⁶, whom Junius Brutus Booth at age nineteen married in England in 1815, proclaiming that at the time of her death in 1858 she was the “wife of Junius Brutus Booth, tragedian.”

This Belgian wife had previously cast a blight on the name of Edwin’s mother and on the legitimacy of her offspring during the time that she, Adelaide, was establishing residence in Baltimore preparatory to suing Junius for divorce in 1851 shortly before his death.  Adelaide alleged that her husband, Junius, had lived for many years past with a woman (Mary Ann Holmes) by whom he had a large family of children¹⁷.  The divorce was duly granted, and Junius and Mary Ann then became husband and wife on John Wilkes’ thirteenth birthday, May 10, 1851.  So, upon the death of his beloved mother in late 1885 Edwin felt constrained to place in marble on the third obelisk (in bas relief) an inconspicuous five-line assertion (replacing the five-line poem) that he mother was in fact his father’s “wife”:

“In the same grave with
Junius Brutus Booth,
Is buried the body of
Mary Ann, his wife, who
Survived him 33 years.”¹⁸

The Baltimore American’s account of Mrs. Booth’s funeral (she died in New York on October 22, 1885¹⁹) quoted in full the soon to be replaced, captivating Epitaph No. 2 beginning “Behold the spot where Genius lies.”

In winding down this article it may be worthwhile to give the gist of what utilizing logic and common sense, it seeks to prove — that there was no way in the world in which Edwin Booth could have effected the described change in epitaphs without having commissioned experienced and artistic marblemen, of which there was certainly no shortage in Baltimore in the Victorian period, to produce identical reproductions of the Carew shaft.

An informal poll taken in writing among a half dozen knowledgeable and seasoned graveyard buffs, all frequent visitors to Green Mount and the Booth lot, confirms the certainty that the original obelisk could not possibly have been sandblasted or shaved or chiseled and still maintain, as it does, its 1858 measurements.  The base of the present shaft still fits precisely on what seems to be the original badly eroded and weatherized marble seat²⁰.

If there was anything that the Booths sought to avoid after the Lincoln assassination it was publicity about their personal lives and activities, and in his changing the obelisk inscriptions Edwin must have gone to great pains to preserve secrecy and avoid arousing the curiosity of the press²¹.  The way he went about doing what he did was much, too much, for the author of the most detailed and authoritative book on Wilkes’ death and burials, George S. Bryan’s The Great American Myth²² , which volume carries a full photograph of the monument but otherwise omits all mention of it in the text.  The late Stanley Kimmel, who spent six years in research before writing his classic The Mad Booths of Maryland²³ revealed himself to be completely baffled by the changes in inscriptions — touching only gingerly on one of them and in doing so perpetrating a first-class non sequitur²⁴. A third intriguing and highly readable account of practically every aspect of the Lincoln assassination is Theodore Roscoe’s The Web of Conspiracy, whose 560 pages fail even to mention Green Mount Cemetery²⁵.

The canvass made of graveyard buffs seeking agreement or disagreement with this hard-to-believe solution to the epitaphs mystery also asked for guesstimates as to which are the most-visited graves of famous/infamous people in the United States.  John Wilkes Booth came out fifth in this survey of opinions, with those topping him being the Unknown Soldier and President Kennedy in Arlington Cemetery, President Abraham Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois, and Elvis Presley in Memphis, Tennessee.  Along with the magnificent assortment  of sunlit photographs illustrating Green Mount’s centennial hardback of 1938 (Wilkes would also have been 100 in 1938), the noted Baltimore historian Gerald W. Johnson wrote on page 33 that Green Mount began to take on national and international note when the elder Booth was buried there.  Certainly Mr. Johnson knew, and well knew, that it was not (and is not) Junius Brutus Booth who attracts constant visitors to Green Mount, but the elder Booth’s beloved and errant son, the ill-starred assassin, John Wilkes Booth.

Footnotes:
1 – 5
5 – 14
14 – 20
20 – 21
21 – 25

Addendum by Dave:

As stated in the article the current obelisk is the third one commissioned by Edwin Booth.  Each time Edwin had the epitaph changed he required the construction of a new, but nearly identical stone.  All the lettering on the monument is in bas relief except for the back, which lists some of the children of Junius and Mary who were buried there.

The fact that this lettering is not in bas relief like the rest of the monument makes it seem like this side was carved in later.  Additional clues makes it likely that additional carving was done a second time after Joseph Booth died.  Here’s the likely scenario:

At some point after the final obelisk was erected around 1885/86 some member of the Booth family thought it would be wise to put the names of the four Booth children who died in childhood onto it.  Three of these children, Frederick, Mary Ann, and Elizabeth had been interred here in 1869, while the fourth, Henry Byron, had been buried in England.  Though some say his body was also brought back at a later date I have yet to find conclusive evidence for this.  Regardless, since carving the stone could be done without moving it, this was chosen instead of creating a fourth obelisk in order to have the names in bas relief.  Looking at the spacing it seems clear that the stone was likely carved:

“To the
Memory of
the Children
of
Junius Brutus
&
Mary Ann
Booth

Frederick

Elizabeth

Mary Ann

Henry Byron”

This order makes sense since this was the order in which the children died.  If you pretend John Wilkes’ name is not there you can see that there was supposed to be a nice space between the parents’ and the children’s names.   It does not appear that either Joe’s name or John Wilkes’ name were on the stone at first.  Joe was the longest living of the Booth children and died in 1902.  Upon his death he was buried in the family plot and has his own stone just like Asia and Rosalie.  Someone, however, thought his name should be added to the list on the obelisk even though none of the other Booth children who had grown to adulthood were on there.  The person who most likely did this was Cora Mitchell Booth, Joe’s second wife and cousin.  Not only did she add Joe’s name to the bottom of the list but also, for some inexplicable reason, she also took pity on the long dead John Wilkes and had his name squeezed in near the top.  Cora Mitchell Booth was the last person to be buried in the Booth lot when she died in  1936 and she has a stone beside her husband, Joseph, and infant son.

Junius Brutus Booth, Jr. was the eldest child born to Junius Brutus Booth and Mary Ann Holmes.  June, as he was called by the family, attempted to follow in his father’s theatrical footsteps, but seemingly lacked the “spark of genius” that made his father a star.  June was a full 11 years older than his brother Edwin and 16 years older than John Wilkes.  He was soon eclipsed professionally by his younger brothers’ talent, and later, infamy.  Nevertheless, June made a career out of the theater both onstage as an actor and offstage as a theatrical manager.  The following pictures of June were taken by Mathew Brady’s Studio at around the time of the Civil War. Click them to enlarge the images.

Image Sources: National Archives

In November I posted a piece about Rosalie A. Booth, the sister of the assassin of President Lincoln.  In that post, I included the full text of Rosalie’s letter that she wrote to her brother, Edwin, in 1860.  That letter is housed in the New York Public Library and the text of it was published in the “Lincoln Log” in 1979.  Here is the text of that letter:

Phil’a

March 12^th

1860

Dear Ned

I received yours from Nashville dated the 7 inst. Asia has got a fine little girl and is doing pretty well so far.  So you see you have won the bet.  Clarke telegraphed you on Saturday. Asia wrote one day last week we both got our boxes and are very much pleased with them and I thank you a thousand times. Mother got a letter from June written on the 6^th of Feb’y he got the check that she sent and was going to write to you at the same time.  He was in good health but little Mary had a very bad cold. He sends his love to you and Joe. In regards to living in New York or Boston it does not make the slightest difference to me as all places are alike as I will have [to] live where Mother does (unless I get married, and have a house of my own but I don’t think that there is any danger of that yet awhile) Mother thinks that she ought to be where Joe is as he is the one that wants some one to take care of him. She [said] that John has been away from home so long that he can get along very well by himself. Love to Joe and tell him to find time to answer my letters. Sleeper says that he got something for Joe to do at the Arch if he has made up his mind to follow the stage. In regard to Wilkes’ fight at Richmond it was with a man named Pat Redford or Bedman in the box office who had insulted him several times before but he did not say what the insult was. He played Ludovico the other night for Julia Dean Hayne’s benefit and was the only one called before the curtain and had a 6 minute call. He seems very much pleased at it. He has got your letter was to answer it. Mother has just written to you and says she will tell you all about how she wants to live as for me all places are alike. Asia sends her love to you and Joe. I am glad that Joe succeeded so well in Biondello.

God bless you my dear Brother is the pray[er] of your loving sister

Rose A Booth

There is, however, at least one other letter written by Rosalie that still exists today.  That letter, written by Rosalie to her niece, Edwina, is housed at the Hampden-Booth Library inside The Players Club in New York.  I had discovered a poorly copied version of the letter online, but making a workable transcription from it was extremely difficult.  On my own, I managed to transcribe bits and pieces of the letter that hardly added up to a quarter of its contents.  After my initial post, I received an email from a fellow Lincoln assassination researcher named Kate Ramirez who resides in New York City.  She graciously volunteered to visit The Players and attempt to transcribe the letter in person.  I’m eternally grateful to Kate for giving so generously of her time and to the director of the Hampden-Booth Library, Ray Wemmlinger, for allowing her to view the document.

Unfortunately, even in person, Rosalie’s handwriting is very difficult to decipher.  Kate was only able to make a partial transcription of the letter.  By combining her efforts and the work I had previously done, we’ve managed to transcribe about three-fourths of the letter.

Before reading the letter, however, some background is required.  Rose is writing this letter to her niece Edwina on April 3^rd, 1881.  At the time Edwina, her famous father Edwin, and his second wife Mary McVicker, are living abroad in England.  Asia Booth Clarke, who had moved to England with her husband and children years before, had convinced her brother Edwin to make the journey across the Atlantic to perform for London audiences.  The engagement only lasted about a year and, during this time, Mary McVicker’s health was failing.  The family would return to America in the summer and Mary McVicker would die in November.  Still, Edwina, her father, and stepmother, spent their time visiting with “Aunt Asia” and her children.  Asia’s oldest child, Asia Dorothy Clarke, was nicknamed Dollie and she was only a couple years older than Edwina.  Edwina and Dollie had another cousin, Marion, who was the daughter of their uncle Junius Brutus Booth, Jr.  She was an actress and resided in America.  Rose mentions news about Marion in her letter, but what she announces never actually came to pass.

What follows is the partial transcription of Rosalie’s 1881 letter to Edwina, along with the poor quality images of each page.  If you have any ideas for what missing words might be, or any corrections to the transcription thus far, please feel free to comment below.  Perhaps, through teamwork, we can actually get this letter fully transcribed.

Click to enlarge	April 3rd 1881 Dear Edwina You must excuse me for not answering your letter sooner I have been sick for over a week but I am quite well now I’m so sorry for Mary I hope by the time this reaches you she will be ____ Grandmother got your letter last night she will answer ____  ____ ____  ____ for ____  ____
Click to enlarge	Papa and you let her You must excuse this ____ as I am weak yet from my spell of ____ I enclose a slip of paper for you to give Papa it may do Mama some good I take an English ____ called The Young ____ ____ ____ it is a very nice B[roth or Brand] Give my love to Aunt Asia and all of her family Tell Dollie that I will write to her soon I wish Many Happy returns of her Birthday I intended to send her something ____
Click to enlarge	we could not get in time ____ I will send it soon Grand Mother and Uncle Joe join me in love to you all You ask if Marie is engaged to be married Yes she is engaged to a Mr. Harrison I believe and is to be married in a year if nothing occurs to break it off he is one of the Editors or is connected with Dramatic Mirror We see very little of her I go to see sometimes Aunt Aggie and Uncle June
Click to enlarge	are both in B(oston?) I believe and there ____  ____ good ____ Tell Mama and Papa that we pray for you all and that Mama may soon be restored to health I am proud my dear Niece that you will happily be ____  ____  ____ they ____  ____ you ____ ____  ____  ____ God Bless you all Your loving Aunt Rose A. Booth

References:
Special thanks to Kate Ramirez for visiting The Players and for transcribing this letter.

Thanks to Jeff in the comments section for his input and help in transcribing.

I’m in the midst of reading the book, Junius Brutus Booth: Theatrical Prometheus by Stephen M. Archer. One of the most fascinating things I’ve come across thus far is the drama that occurred when Junius Brutus Booth made his star debut in the theaters of London. In preparation for a post about the matter, I found myself with a wealth of material on the early theatrical life of Junius Brutus Booth. Instead of summarizing key points of Junius’ initial acting career, I decided to write a series of posts examining the humble acting beginnings of the man who would later father a theatrical dynasty, including the assassin of President Lincoln. What follows is a continuing part of a series of posts entitled, “When Junius Took the Stage”. Click here for Part 1, here for Part 2, here for Part 3, and here for Part 4 of the series.

Part 5 – When Junius Took on Kean

On February 12^th, 1817, Junius Brutus Booth made his staring debut at the Covent Garden Theatre in London.  A thunderous round of applause and acclaim followed his efforts and the crowd demanded a repeat of the spectacle the following night.  This reprise also proved to be extremely successful for the young actor and also buoyed the spirits of Henry Harris, the manager of Covent Garden who had been convinced to give Booth a shot at stardom.  When the audience once again called for a repeat of Booth’s performance the next night, Harris assured the crowd that Booth would return, just not that next night.  Harris not only scheduled Booth to play Richard the Third again on Monday the 17^th, but also entered into negotiations to sign Booth to a three year contract with his theatre.  Junius had exceeded his “try out” as a star at Covent Garden, and Harris was eager to have the rising star remain in his employ.

Junius Brutus Booth as Richard the Third. This engraving was made in 1817.

The press caused by Booth’s appearances at Covent Garden caught the attention not only of the theater-going public, but also the leading star of the London stages, Edmund Kean.  Kean was the unrivaled star of London and had been since his staring debut in 1814.  Kean had an extremely devoted group of fans and was almost universally adored and acclaimed by the newspapers and theatrical magazines.  Kean’s supporters were called “Keanites” but a faction of extremely devoted fans was appropriately known by the name of “The Wolf Club”.  In their appreciation and fanaticism for Kean, the Wolves made it a practice to effectively quell any prospective rivals to Kean’s dominance in London.  They openly heckled actors who had the audacity to act in roles “perfected” by Kean.  Booth’s successful and seemingly ongoing engagement at Covent Garden proved a threat to Kean’s throne.  The Wolves responded by describing Booth’s acting as a mere imitator of the great Kean.  Perhaps hoping to contain this rival before he had a chance to eclipse him, Edmund Kean, himself, entered the scene.

A caricature of Edmund Kean and his “Wolf Club”

After Booth’s second staring performance, Kean heard through sources that Booth and Henry Harris had disagreed on an appropriate contract for him to play at Covent Garden.  Kean rushed into a carriage and found Booth dining.  He greeted Booth as a fellow colleague and informed him that he had a theatrical engagement for him.  Kean took Booth over to Drury Lane Theatre, the theatre he acted in and had a great deal of influence.  Over drinks and accolades, Kean convinced Junius to sign a contract with Drury Lane.  It was inferred that the two would be partners and, together, they would astound London with their mutual talents.  For their first shared debut it was decided that they would act in Othello.  Kean would play the heroic Venetian general, Othello, while Junius would play the antagonistic ensign bent on his leader’s destruction, Iago.  For Junius this likely appeared to be the opportunity of a lifetime.  He would act side by side of the great Kean and show all of London that they were equals, skyrocketing his popularity.  Perhaps even, the audience would deem him the superior actor, essentially establishing him for life as the premiere actor in London.  So much was on the line for this performance in Junius’ eyes.  To Kean’s perspective, however, their debut was a chance to put this young upstart down for good.  It was an opportunity for Kean to prove his preeminence in the most direct way possible.

In Dr. Archer’s book on Junius Brutus Booth, he entitled the chapter on the Kean-Booth performance as, “Showdown at Old Drury”.  This perfectly encompasses the tone that occurred on February 20th, 1817, when the curtain rose on Shakespeare’s Othello.

A newspaper advertisement announcing the shared performance of Booth and Kean for February 20, 1817.

It was a night to be talked about for years to come and the audience came out in droves to see which man earned his laurels.  I quote from Dr. Archer:

“Booth lost. Most accounts suggest that Kean acted Booth off the stage, driving him out of London and to America.  While not exactly the case, Kean took the palm for the evening, and London theatregoers never again considered Booth a rival to Kean, even after the older actor fell from public favor.”

Kean had brought out all the stops for this much anticipated performance.  “On this occasion,” the London Sun reported, “[Kean] exerted himself more than he ever did before.  His energy was great, and his execution of many touches very fine.  Indeed the whole third Act was a masterpiece in his style.”  Kean’s increased vigor and passion was easily observed by the audience and elicited thunders of applause and esteem by his “Wolves”.

Edmund Kean as Othello

Junius’ performance, it was written, “was a creditable performance, but it was nothing like what a too [sanguine] public fondly anticipated it would prove.”  The young actor was no match for eminent Kean.  In one performance, Kean established his perpetual dominance over Junius Booth.  Reviews were consistent that Junius performed well, and that, “with another actor [as Othello] the Iago of the evening might have been thought of great, but by the side of Kean we could discover in him nothing strikingly original in thought, vivid in conception, or brilliant in execution.”  It seems clear that the two men were on completely different levels and that Kean’s star shined higher and brighter than Junius’.  The cruelest reviews for Junius continued the idea that Booth was merely an imitator of Kean and unworthy to act in his presence.

It is likely that his inability to topple Kean and the practically universal reviews announcing his submission to the reigning star, depressed the young actor.  His misfortune was not over yet, however.  With a clear victor established, Drury Lane proceeded to cast plays headlining Kean and banishing Booth to less prominent roles.  Junius quickly learned that he would not be able to play any roles that “belonged” to Kean.  In Richard the Third, the play that had brought him accolades at Covent Garden, he was banished to playing the smaller role to Richmond to Kean’s Richard.  He could not play Hamlet, Sir Giles Overreach, or Bertram either.  He was to be essentially shelved, allowed in to act in roles barely better than the stock actors, so that he would never dream of rivaling Kean again.

At the same time, Junius was once again approached by Henry Harris at the Covent Garden Theatre.  Harris did not consider their negotiations regarding a contract with his theatre to be over and he still desired Junius for his stage.  A performance was scheduled at Drury Lane for February 22^nd, in which Junius would act as Richmond to Kean’s Richard III.  Junius was overwhelmed.  As Dr. Archer puts it, “he had acted only slightly more than three years, and he now found himself torn between the two leading theatres of the English-speaking world.”  He had signed a contract with Drury Lane to act with Edmund Kean but, on the other hand, fulfilling that contract would subjugate him to less prominent roles and he was receiving an offer from Covent Garden which would allow him to act in his leading roles once again.

Junius Brutus Booth circa 1817

A second performance of Othello at the Drury Lane Theatre was scheduled for February 22^nd.  Audiences, already knowing that Booth was no match for their beloved Kean, came out in droves to express their admiration for the victor.  Junius was not anxious for another round of reviews calling him grossly inferior to Kean.  He needed time to think and reflect on his future.  He wrote a letter to the manager of Drury Lane which was delivered to the theater by 3:30 pm.  In it he expressed his inability to perform that night due to being, “extremely ill from the agitation,” he had suffered the previous week.  Junius, along with a friend named James Salter, departed London and traveled by coach to a suburb of London called Tottenham.  Here, he attempted to restore his body and spirit.

Trouble was brewing back in London, however.  Though the manager of the Drury Lane Theatre, Alexander Rae, had received Junius’ letter early enough in the day to have the playbills changed and an announcement of his illness posted, he chose not to.  Whether this inaction was prompted by Kean is unknown, but the outcome of this certainly worked in his favor.  When the audience members arrived to see Kean and Booth in Othello and were told that Booth was not there, they were furious.  The performance went on with stage manager Rae playing the part of Othello to Kean’s Iago.

Due to the crafty behavior of Rae, Kean and the Drury Lane Theatre, Booth’s absence from the performance that night was seen as a slight to London’s theatre going public.  In an occupation where one thrived, or died, based on the whims of the audience, this offense would have major ramifications for Junius Brutus Booth.  Stay tuned for the next installment in this series, “When Junius Took on the Mob”.

References:
Junius Brutus Booth: Theatrical Prometheus by Stephen Archer

After my previous post about Rosalie Booth, John Wilkes’ largely forgotten sister, I sough the help of a medical professional to help explain to me her recorded causes of death.  The only doctor I know personally is Dr. Blaine Houmes, who just so happens to also be an accomplished researcher of Abraham Lincoln’s life and death.  Therefore, I took a break from sending him pictures of this mysterious rash I keep getting, to ask him to comment on Rosalie’s ailments.  Though I was expecting only a few words from the good doctor translating “bulbar paralysis” and “progressive spinal sclerosis” into layman’s terms, he was gracious enough to provide a very detailed explanation of these conditions and his thoughts on Rosalie’s state of health.  Instead of merely putting his reply in the comments to that post, I feel his response is worthy of a post of its own. The following explanation is courtesy of Dr. Houmes, who has my sincerest thanks for his expertise and help.

“Bulbar paralysis and progressive spinal sclerosis are two different entities and exhibit all the imagination and florid naming that Victorian medicine documented for disease patterns they largely didn’t understand. Neurology back then was quite primitive. These two diagnoses found on the death certificate involve a great deal of speculation figuring out what exactly is meant, but some explanation might be useful.

On the bottom of the brain is the brain stem, inside the skull. The brain stem is the part of the spinal cord which is a transition zone between the brain and the spinal cord in the backbone. From each side of the brain stem there are twelve pairs of cranial nerves exiting to different parts of the head, neck and certain internal organs. The nerves generally have two functions—sensation and/or motor (for movement), and they send signals as to how we perceive and actually move/operate/feel things with and in our bodies.

The nerves are numbered I through XII, and are (with simplified function): I Olfactory (smell), II Ophthalmic (vision), III (eye muscles), IV Trochlear (eye muscles), V Trigeminal (chews), VI Abducens (eye muscles), VII Facial (facial movement), VIII Auditory (hearing and balance), IX Glossopharyngeal (swallows), X Vagus (swallows, speech, chest/abdomen organ function), XI Accessory (turns head/shoulders), and XII Hypoglossal (tongue muscles).

Bulbar paralysis is the end stage of Bulbar palsy, involving the nerves IX, X, XI, and XII. This can be caused by genetic disorders, blood vessel problems (such as bleeding from stroke or trauma), degenerative diseases (ALS which is Lou Gehrig disease), inflammation or infection (including Polio, Lyme disease, and Guillain-Barre syndrome), Cancer/tumors, Toxins (botulism is a prime example–which plastic surgeons have discovered has magical properties in the form of Botox, much adored by actors and actresses), and autoimmune disorders (where the body starts making antibodies against itself). Those suffering from this malady have problems speaking, chewing food, swallowing, choking on liquids/saliva and they drool. Many eventually die from aspiration of food/saliva or from pneumonia.

Progressive Spinal sclerosis is “probably” either spinal stenosis, Multiple Sclerosis (MS, “The great crippler of young adults”), or ALS (“Lou Gehrig” disease).

Spinal stenosis is usually from arthritis and aging, either narrowing of the spinal canal (inside of a vertebra, which protects the spinal cord) or the small hole (foramina) on each side of the vertebra where a spinal cord nerve exits to the arm, torso, leg. This is a chronic, progressive disease with much back and leg pain, numbness, and tingling for most. Not everyone will feel the symptoms even if they have the problem.

Multiple Sclerosis is a disease where the fatty insulation cover of nerves (like the insulation for electrical wires) is destroyed, leaving large holes, gaps, and scars called plaques, which disrupt nerve signals to and from the brain. The disease can be gradual, rapidly progressive, or stable. It usually starts in people living in colder climates, starting between the ages of 20-40,and is twice as common in women than men. It causes problems everywhere in the body (along with great pain), and usually starts with sensory or motor symptoms.

The challenge in determining Ms. Booth’s disease is wondering whether the cause of death is from a congenital disorder (such as cerebral palsy, which can occur during pregnancy, childbirth, or up to three years of age) or of later onset. Plus when one sees the word “invalid,” what exactly does that mean? Was it of psychiatric origin, such as depression which can periodically get better and then worse? Was it a fairly mild form of intellectual disability (the current politically correct term for what was formerly called mental retardation)? What other diseases did she have–diabetes, high blood pressure? Her death certificate (viewed with a poorly reproduced copy) notes the cause of death–if correctly read–involved a process evolving over “about ten years.” Perhaps she had both chronic problems and then suffered a heart attack or stroke as the final insult to her body. This is certainly plausible; while living with her young brother Joe the month before her death, she was still up and able to answer the door when a visitor knocked, and then faced a brick heaved at her, along with a fusillade of rocks aimed at the house. Her cause of death remains a mystery.”