Name John Stone | Role Actor | |
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Died June 1, 1834, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Plays Metamora; or, The Last of the Wampanoags | ||
John Augustus Stone (December 15, 1801 Concord, Massachusetts – June 1, 1834 Philadelphia) was an American actor, dramatist, and playwright.
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Biography
He appeared on the New York stage beginning in 1822. He wrote Metamora; or, The Last of the Wampanoags, as a vehicle for Edwin Forrest, who offered as a prize $500 and half the proceeds of the third night. William Cullen Bryant headed a committee which chose Stone's play as the best of 14 submitted. The play was first produced in 1829. It told the life of King Philip.
He married Mrs. Amelia (Green) Legge, an actress. She later married Nathaniel Harrington Bannister.
Stone suffered periods of insanity and he committed suicide by jumping into the Schuylkill River. He was buried at Machpelah Cemetery in Philadelphia. That cemetery was closed in 1895 and the bodies moved to a part of Mount Moriah Cemetery called Graceland, which was later abandoned. His grave at Machpelah was marked by a monument erected by Forrest. The inscription reads: "Erected to the memory of the author of 'Metamora' by his friend, Edwin Forrest". Some sources cite Forrest's success with Stone's plays and his paltry remuneration as causing his suicide.