HERNDON, Mary Eliza, author, b. in Fa- yette county, Ky., 1 March, 1820. She was a daughter of Beverly A. Hicks, an educator, taught in Bowling Green, and married Reuben Herndon, and for her second husband Lundsford Chiles. She published "Louisa Elton," a reply to "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (Philadelphia, 1853), and subse- quently " Bandits of Italy " and other novels ; also a volume of " Select Poems."
HERNDON, William Lewis, naval officer, b.
in Fredericksburg, Va., 25 Oct., 1813; lost at sea,
12 Sept., 1857. He entered the navy as midshipman
in 1828, and was promoted passed midshipman
in 1834 and lieutenant in 1841. He served
on various cruising-stations and was actively
employed during the Mexican war. After three years
of duty at the naval observatory he was sent to
the south Pacific station, where in 1851 he received
orders detaching him from his ship, and directing
him to explore the valley of the Amazon to ascertain
its commercial resources and capabilities. He
started from Lima, and crossed the Cordilleras in
company with Lieut. Lardner Gibbon, who
separated from him to explore the Bolivian tributaries,
while Herndon followed the main trunk of the
Amazon to its mouth, returning to the United
States in 1852. The report of this expedition was
published by the government in two volumes, of
which Herndon wrote vol. i., “Explorations of the
Valley of the River Amazon” (Washington, 1853).
This work was extensively circulated, and is still
cited in works on ethnology and natural history.
In 1855 he was made commander. He took service
in the line of mail-steamers plying between New
York and the Isthmus of Panama. On Tuesday. 8
Sept., 1857, he left Havana in command of the
“Central America” (an old steamer, formerly
named the “George Law”), carrying a large number
of passengers returning from California and gold
amounting to $2,000,000. The ship encountered a
cyclone in the edge of the Gulf stream, and her
lack of water-tight bulkheads and general
unseaworthiness allowed water to extinguish the fires, so
that steam could not be used to keep the ship
under control or to pump her out after Friday noon.
The next day a small brig was signalled to stand
by, and all the women and children were transferred
to her in the three remaining boats.
Herndon kept the boats from being overloaded, and
preserved order on board to the last. He sent his
watch to his wife, saying that he could not leave
the ship while there was a soul on board. He took
his station on the paddle-box when the ship was
seen to be sinking, and made signals for assistance.
At 8 P. M. the steamer went down. Some of
those who remained on deck were picked up by
passing vessels, after clinging to spars, but Herndon
and 426 others were lost. His devotion to
duty excited general admiration, and led his
brother officers to erect a fine monument to his
memory at the naval academy in Annapolis. A
daughter of Commander Herndon became the wife
of Chester A. Arthur, who was afterward president
of the United States.
HERON, Matilda, actress, b. near London-
derry, Ireland, 1 Dec, 1830; d. in New York
city, 7 March, 1877. She came to this country in
early childhood, with her parents, who settled in
Philadelphia. In that city Miss Heron studied
for the stage, under the tuition of Peter Richings,
and made her first appearance at the Walnut
street theatre on 17 Feb., 1851, as Bianca in Dean
Milman's play of " Fazio." In 1852 she went to
St. Louis, and in 1853 played with success in San
Francisco, although her manager had died during
the voyage, and she was without friends and un-
known even by reputation when she arrived in
that city. From California, in 1854, Miss Heron
came to New York city, where her success was
confirmed. Thereafter she appeared throughout
the country, and, returning to New York in 1857,
was much admired at Wallack's theatre asCamille.
In the same year she
married Robert Stoe-
pel, a German musi-
cian of note, from
whom she afterward
separated. In 1861
Miss Heron played
in London at the Ly-
ceum theatre with
English audiences,
making her debut
there as Rosalie Lee
in "New- Year's Eve."
She met with only
qualified success, and
in the year following
returned to the Unit-
ed States. Her last
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engagement was at Booth's theatre, in the winter of 1874-'5, where, among other characters,, she es- sayed Lady Macbeth. Miss Heron's final appear- ance took place in April. 1876, as Medea, on the occasion of her daughter's benefit. The latter part of Miss Heron's life was spent obscurely in New York city, as a teacher of stage elocution. She was a remarkably emotional actress in sensational dramas, but was not successful in Shakespeare's characters. In " Medea," an adaptation from the Greek of Euripides, she was forcible ; but her one great success was in the part of Camille, which she performed for many years to crowded houses, and from it alone received about $200,000.
HERRAN, Jeronimo (er-rahn'), clergyman, b.
in Spain in the latter part of the 18th century.
The date of his death is unknown. He belonged
to the Jesuit order, was sent to labor among the
Indians of Paraguay, and afterward appointed
procurator-general of the Paraguayan mission. His
works are " Relaoion Historial de las Misiones de
los Indios, que llaman Chiquitos, que estan a cargo
de los Padres de la Compania de Jesus en la Pro-
vincia del Paraguay " (Madrid, 1726); " Letter of
Father Herran to His Excellency the Marquis de
Castel - Fuerte, Viceroy of Peru, on the Events
that happened among the Thirty Tribes who live
under the Laws of the Jesuits" (Buenos Ayres,
1733) ; and two reports on missions that are pub-
lished in " Lettres edifiantes et curieuses " (Paris,
1843). The works of Father Herran were trans-
lated into German and published in the " Neue
Weltbote." edited by Father Stocklein.
HERRAN, Pedro Alcantara, Colombian soldier, b. in Bogota, 19 Nov., 1800 ; d. there, 26 April, 1872. He entered the military service when a boy, and participated in all campaigns from 1812 till 1828, and also in the victorious battles of Junin and Ayacucho, 6 Aug. and 9 Dec, 1824. In the latter he distinguished himself in a cavalry charge, obtaining from Marshal Sucre the name of "the hussar of Ayacucho." After the war of independence he served with success during the struggle for the preservation of order, and in 1840 was presented, by order of congress, with a sword. He was a leader of the Liberal party, and was a member of congress and secretary of war, of the interior, and of foreign relations. After subduing the revolution against the government of Marquez in 1841, he was elected president of the republic, and re-
