| Show y 1 j i iTh I 11 7 Th IE o l 0 I t r I b j jN A Be- Be Bei 99 4 71 A tx iy rr iv 1 How Flo the 44 I II If Dudley Charming and i I Talented London Footlights 1 aa F l 3 wt 1 J Ja a l f fL f r Favorite was Cruelly 1 r Tricked into a Mock Mar Marl l V eAy 1 j W and Last Shot at i ir r to t b briage a tl r I iA Death by One of Her l tl I k kr Infatuated Stage Door DoorS Doory F S r a I Ia y I t r 1 a j r Admirers J a 1 k ki i s J Js Jah f I ah I a f t t id r w rf S r f 1 r ii a t tits g a r o god z 3 av i J F Fr r a I II 1 I II I f 4 fa It r rc as c f er as k 5 u ry t o y a aa a 34 5 f ht Ka a ti til l 7 I I yrS yrSa a A Ss ti S ca it R a are L t re ref f a aa a 1 ill t t J r s s sr I r tt b j I f o os s t a l lh h Gov ra n a 1 ear r Hwy 4 l li V x A y J t 7 r t t y ski t u H Miss Constance Collier her career as one of the Gaiety beauties a in musical comedy became a famous j star star of the more serious IJ A to the popular idea ideas ACCORDING a s famous stage sUle beauty is thet always triumphant off the stage as well as on If anybody suffers as a result ofa of a romance with Ith her it IS the man in the case The beauty her her- herself her herself self is never the victim g But tins this is far from being the truth tI uth I Quite frequently the stage beauty is the victim of an unhappy love affair de deceived de- de deceived 0 and left broken hearted and perhaps tricked out of or her money and Je jewels cis and her chance of success in her professIon Sometimes as in the case of id rN fated Flo rho Dudley her romance v with Ith one of her stage door admirers lands her in her grave rio rho Dudley budley started her stage career at the Gaiety Theater in London and James Jupp who stood guard over the tho theaters theater's stage door for more thirty t years knew her well veil ell In the volume of reminiscences which he ho las has recently I published he gl gives es some interesting de- de details de details tails of the romance which ended in her I manI r herr J murder and ip in the hanging of the man w who shot her She was as a most prepossessing girl says saS Mr Jupp w ath Ith th a beautiful figure I which showed sho off to gleat great advantage ad In inthe inthe 1 the lovely eo costumes she had to wear r c She was vas the tha widow ofa of a London bus business businessman ness r man and herself finding left wItha with a ayoung oung a young oung bon on to educate and provide for forshe forshe site she thought she would turn her musIcal abilities to advantage on the stage She was a looking fine young woman II of about twenty-four twenty when I first fust new knew her all a l hada had a splendid voice in AdditIOn to being an accomplished hed p anist She I got an offer to go on the mU music le hall stage as a single turn giving 11 Ing songs at atthe atthe atthe the piano O which she accepted It was as scene Eone little time afterward that I again saw her hel and she told me that she was wao getting on very ery well i indeed She had pIa played cd boy in pantomime and her music hall contracts e tended extended for tor scars cars l to I It was during a visit to Manchester at at the TI Tivoli to be that precIse precise that she sho was as introduced to a Mr Hopwood He was represented as a er very wealthy man lie He paid her especial attention and I gradually insinuated himself into her het good opinion He spent plenty of 01 money on her and gave her lier valuable presents at the same tIme lime protesting his love for her and begging her to t o marry him Poor Flo Dudley thought it was an excellent match to make andas and as her het herboy boy would not only be well pro provided for fOl but v well sell ell educated and his future carte carter t eared cared for she a accepted his offer ot o t marriage The theatrical agent who ho had go got goS i 1 her all her engagements and arranged her contracts for her was very astonished And much put out when hen one morn morning ing he received a letter from froma a Mr Mc E G Hopwood telling fromI j I him that he and Miss Plo Dudley were about to be mar mar- married mar mar- married married ried and that he wished all of her theatrical contracts c contracts to bo f canceled He Ile went on further I ing sa say say- sav- sav ing saying that he would call in per per- person person person son and pay up v whatever hate er was HIS due in the way of commissIon on these contracts There was wasa fn fa a f n a postscript asking that their I marriage should be kept ept strict strictly ly Iy secret at nt present When this Mr Hopwood went ent in m accordance with his s appointment the agent pointed out out that the marriage would could have tc be made known as otherwise othen the contracts could not be can can- canceled can canceled Mr Hopwood told him that he would not allow Miss Dudley to go on the stage again agam and that even en her en- en engagements en engagements for the following week must be broken He left the office and nothing was heard of either of them for some time untila until a letter from rIo Flo Dudley came to that same agent say saving ing that she sho he wanted anted to return to the stage and asking hIm If h he he would act on her behalf as ns he had prevIOusly done The agent replied asking a her to come to his Ius office She arrived arrived ed and he had only put one or t two to 0 questions to her when she suddenly burst into a passionate fit of weeping Then the truth dawned ned upon him I know what is the matter That postscrIpt to the letter Mr Hopwood wrote me gives the I whole hole game away You arc are not married You a ape quite right she saId between een sobs I v was as introduced to him himIn himin himin In Manchester and understood that he was a wealthy man so as I had my boy to consider I consented to marry him Then she told how her son had been placed at a boarding school and she and Hopwood had gone away to Brussels where they the had spent a very ery happy time She had only been bad back backa a few days and was stopping with her sIster in Ilford when to her great dIS- dIS dISmay dis dismay may rosy she discovered that Hopwood wasa was wasn wasa n a married man with three children en She determined to ha have hate e nothing more morato to do with hence him him hence her desire to get back on the stage The agent Igent said he ho had seen Hop wood Hop wood at a theatre and Flo Dudley said I dont don't want to sec bee him again and begged him to get her an engagement as 83 soon as possible He said he thought he could get some of her ber old contracts to stand good and made an appoint appoint- ment appointment for her to come along another dy day and sign the agreements f i t I s 7 j 1 k ft f if I fl rt t w f t tr r d t t 1 A J t r y vs 1 t hP- hP Look Look out cabby cried Flo Dudley y as n t ff vs she le toppled out of the 1 r d 1 k t t 1 11 1 taxIcab hes got of a a A II rt 1 M lt r Jf revolver He has shot shotA A f Id rii dM f r I Fd lI k kM ii M P v r 2 ti r o io f w y yme me t M Mh h u f MA t-t t Q L i f ate Jt W e 3 u v byr a i a k kb b vr Irene t Richards taM t 5 the former chorus girl who stepped from the Gaiety's stage into rich ava t ts s z av ava r and fashionable satiety as the wife of a a y Lord Now No it appears that t tins tillS man Hop Hop- Hopwood hop hop- hopwood Hopwood wood persevered ered in his Ius attempts to get Flo Dudley to go bac back to him but she he was too horrified at his cowardly co deception lion tion and would have no of any kind with him Hop Hopwood had somehow or other got gotto gotto gotto to know of a man named J Kelly pith whom Io I-Io Dudley was very ery friendly and he made use of this mans man's name by sending a bogus asking aking a kIng her herto herto herto to meet him at a restaurant in Holborn Little dreaming of the tuck trick that hat lied had been played upon her she went ent In ans answers ers to the telegram andon and on arrIval at the cafe was va confronted by Hop Hop- Hopwood v wood He must have pleaded very earnest earnestly ly for she allowed allowed him to entertain her herand herand herand and then take her in a taxicab to Fenchurch Street to catch the 1155 P M train tram back to Ilford When they v were ere very close to the station the ta tact taxi cab cab driver heard three loud reports and thinkIng something had gone wrong with the tires bres stopped slopped the cab and got out Aid then the awful ful truth came camo cameto cameto to him As he opened the cab door the tl-e un un- un unfortunate un fortunate fOI v wom-in wom nearly fell fen out on top of him She was as bleeding profusely but was quite conscious Look out cabby she cried he has gut got a revolver He has shot me Take Tae Takemo mo me to j r hosp hospital tal s I i Gaby id d Deslys who scored hera her N a first outside success I a of France at the x famous r rold old Gaiety i Theater in p in pin London rr A policeman who had also heard the shots and had run after the cab now arrIved upon the scene followed by a alot alot alot lot of civilians 1 ns They found Hopwood lYing herpes the seat with blood pourIng front from wounds in m the head and a smoking revolver in his hand hand- He was carried out and laid at the side of poor Flo Dudley When an electric ambulance arrived they ere both taken away to Guys Guy's HOSpItal where it was found that she sho had three wounds pounds and v vas as sinking very Cry rapidly She regained I consciousness and realIzing that her erd was near asked for a pre t from the church of SS Peter and Paul of Ilford to be sent for forThe The priest came as quickly as he possIbly could but too late to administer unction Hopwood was In the hospital for about a week eek before he be charged with the tho crime Clime but he was as taken over by the authorities untIl such time as he ho could be dIscharged from flom Guys Guy's and taken taen into official custody When the news of toe awful affaIr reached cods cod's wife she sho made straightway to the hospital but he abo absolutely refused to see hei hel He was soon well enough to bo be ds charged ds charged and then the proceedings agam against t him began He He was first taken before the magistrate at the MansIOn House whence he was sent for trial at atthe atthe atthe the Old Balle Bailey I shall never ne forget that trial It wa was the J first murder trial bial I had ever been to and I am certain it will sill be the thelast thelast thelast last I suppose it was because I knew the poor murdered girl and had lIked and admired her that the trial had an Irresistible attraction for me ItI It I was as asno no morbid desire that needed satisfying but I could not have kept away until I had seen it through And I did It was in the extreme and even the most sober of the newspapers ne had long accounts of the h scenes in the court The way that man wept and moaned was too awful to wItness for Ion long One moment he would protest hIs innocence of any intent to do Jo any injury to the poor girl and he would pour forth long declarations of his passionate love for her the next ha hI would be ex- ex ex explaining in m a detailed det manner the exact manner in m which the shots had been fired andS and S swearing that rIo Flo Dudley budley had fought and struggled with him andt andI and I I t ITi J that this was the cause of of i 1 the revolver going off This I would be followed by another I J flood of burning tears and heartrending moans Mr lr Justice did not appear to tobe tobe tobe be the least little bit affected by Hop Hop- Hopwood's woods Hop woods wood's tears and In grief in fact in hIs summIng up he pointed out the vast dif dif- difference dif dlf difference t ference between his outburst of strong emotIon and the precise manner In InI I wInch he had questioned different wit witnesses ne nesses ses on very trl trivial lal points When the jury had tested the pistol in order to find if it worked as easily as Hop Hopwood had made out and there could be any possibility of the wounds having been made accidentally they reo re retired I I tired to consider their verdict They I ere unanimous in m a verdict of Guilty The manner in which Hopwood listened to the final address of the Judge and the passing of the death sentence was vas more suggestive e of a perfectly in m indifferent different spectator than that ofa of a man hearing his dreadful doom i Hop Hopwood appealed against the sen sen- sentence sentence tence but without avail for the up- up upI appeal ap appeal I peal was as dismissed He was hanged on Wednesday January 29 1913 He spent a very restless night be- be before be before I fore his execution and occupied most I of the time in m writing farewell letters I to former friends The following letter letterI I was written by Hopwood when he had r only a few hours to lively live My ly dear dear- dear I cannot go to my long rest without writing to than thank you ou for the many kind actions I have re- re received received re received at your hands bands and to ask you to tol toI l I belIeve me when J I tell you that it at was not my nature to be unkind to anyone any one In the tho world and more particularly to this poor girl of whom Iwas I was very fond and di did my best for Believe me mo I shall be very pleased indeed to go to my rest rest as I am utterly broken I heartbroken heart and crushed the only source now of sorrow to me being that I II I must leave such a stigma upon my I poor innocent little children whIch breaks breaks my heart You know the many hard hard- hard fights and struggles I have had against adversity in my short life and andI andI andI I I trust that in time to come you and andI andI I may be permitted to meet again where here peace reace may y reign and where whore there andI are areno areno areno I no more bitter struggles II To Be Continued A |
