Show World (October 1910)

■TUB” The Show People’s Newspaper CHICAGO, OCTOBER 8 . 1910. For Jill Kinds of Show People Vincennes, Ind., Oct. 6. — Menlo E. Moore, proprietor of the Red Mill theater and well known In vaudeville, early Monday morning shot and instantly killed C. Edward Gibson, one of the wealthiest oil producers in this part of the country. The shooting occurred on the Union station platform as a Baltimore & Ohio South-western train was pulling out. Moore fired five times, each shot taking effect, and then boarded the train. He left it at Washington and gave himself up to the officers in that city. Gibson was dead when physicians reached him. The shooting was the ^le^^attention^pai^Mrs. cause of t _ __ _ .... plicated. Mr. Moore operates theaters in Washington, Bedford, Mitchell and Vincennes and is a member of one of the most prominent families in Mitchell. He is thirty-three years old and popular In business circles. His wife is one of the most beautiful women in the city and is a daughter of Arnold Padgett, a well known attorney of Washington. She is a leader In Vin¬ cennes society. Mr. and Mrs. Moore have one child, a boy five years old. Gibson came here from Pittsburg about five years ago and made a for¬ tune in the Illinois oil fields. He was about forty years old, popular in society, stylish and handsome. He leaves a widow and a son seven years of age. The shooting occurred just after Gib¬ son had bought a ticket for the Illinois oil field. Moore was seen to follow him from the ticket window; walking, within a few feet of the oil operator. He suddenly drew a revolver and fired five times. Gibson fell forward dead. After the shooting, Moore boarded the train as it was pulling out, and it is presumed that his intention was to join Mrs. Moore, who went to Washington yesterday to visit her parents. He first heard of the talk connecting his wife’s name with that of Gibson a week ago and friends say he had brooded over the matter. After his arrest in Washington Moore showed no concern over his predicament and calmly smoked cigarets while at the station waiting for his return to Vincennes. Moore’s wife is at the home of her father in Washington. Butte, Mont., Oct. 3.—At a meeting of the Butte branch of the Gaelic League recently a motion was introduced and carried to the effect that all theaters staging acts or plays in which the char¬ acter of the Irishman is reviled, insulted, or held up to ridicule be condemned, and that an ultimatum be issued to them to take notice that the Gaelic League will use every means of preventing the abuse of the Irish character by this means. A committee was then appointed to formulate a resolution to that effect, to be read and considered at the League’s next meeting, a week hence. Five years ago, or to be exact, Decem¬ ber 18, 1905, an agitation was started by Irish-Americans who had taken of¬ fense at a poster advertisement of a burlesque company which was considered as an insult to the Irish race; this agi¬ tation furnished sensational country¬ wide newspaper copy for several days. The movement rapidly spread until about show time, when such a lively demon¬ stration was made in front of the the- play, that the mayor of Butte appeared on the theater balcony and addressed the crowd, the company’s engagement was cancelled, and a close watch was kept on later posters. About a month ago a team was can¬ celled at the Empire theater here after the first performance of its act, which contained a feature considered by the management to be an adverse reflection on the Irish race. Eddie Girard was last season com¬ pelled to eliminate part of his enter¬ taining work in a sketch in which he appeared at a local vaudeville theater. Butte might be called an almost ex¬ clusively Irish city, as that race pre¬ dominates in the matter of numbers, and local managers have kept pretty close watch on acts and plays since the disturbance above noted. Whether the movement commenced by the Gaelic League will become a national one, and how far their censorship will extend is not yet known, but it begins to look as though the Irish comedians would better look over their acts very care¬ fully in the future before the first cur¬ tain rises on them in Butte. SINGLING BROS. TO PACE SUIT FOR $5,000 DAMAGES Logansport, Ind., Oct. 4.—William Somsel will bring a suit for damages agamsf the Ringling Brothers for the death of his son Emmett Somsel. accord¬ ing to the local papers. Emmett Som¬ sel. aged sixteen, was killed on the Forepaugh-Sells show lot September 8. it is claimed by counsej for William Somsel that the passage-way there Is fifteen feet in width, leading down a steep incline, and is fenced on either side with wire. They say that on the night in question, the performance by the shows just having ended, the pass¬ age-way was crowded with people. A heavy wagon, drawn by six horses, was sent up the incline at a gallop, with no one in advance to give warning of danger. Young Somsel was struck by hoi ; se s. it is said, and hurled against the wire fence on one side, and in the rebound was thrown under the He received injuries from which he died the next day. The de¬ mand is for $5,000. William Somsel is old ‘hnd feeble, it aLfn* an< l hIs son was managing a sman farm for him In Cass county. He received a high school education and is said to have been a young: man r*™ uch Promise. The Somsel family, Inrun oM yea I S a * 0 ’ llved ^ Clay to* nshlp, Howard county. SHUBERTS GET DECISION IN BIG DAMAGE SUIT b«vl b i ny ’ Tr ° ct - 5.—The Shuberts K.?. n , ont through a decision of the Court Of Appeals In the litigation which pl,„ . UKht against them by Frank L. *2 rec ° vcr *25,000 damages for ?n e J . b t ea , ch of contract, the court Judgment of the lower courts iiiSSf’S the com D'aInt. Perley had nrlo? e ,„ »i at Shuberts had agreed prior to v.v i in each year for a flve set aside for him six hookings < prouucuon or ^tractions Perley might de- routea Shuberts claimed that the but has - heen mndo ready for Perley 0n‘ be , en demanded by him. recoveredT^t- 1 . traction Perley afterwards Division. WpKc < f?*^.T‘ lnly TrIe * Suicide. Mahet b n n C1 S’ Iowa - ° ct - 5.—Miss b ri C , U ”! n ' th f actress who attempted has hL las .* , week at Portsmouth, Neb., HoanH. e i n . tak <? n 1° the Wlse Memorial Hospital in Omaha. Reports are that cover P ns ana win Probably re¬ SYNDICATE AND INDE¬ PENDENTS ROBBERS _— AL. FIELDS Minstrel Man Unloosed Rank Heresy When Haled Into Court in Memphis, Tennessee Prior to May 1 eons ?? r L 0<1 to asluB ror mm six booWna= Ute ? CBVBrlnfr all theaters, the h w which were under the Shu- *— the production of Memphis, Tenn., Oct. 6.—A1 G. Fields, the minstrel king, preached all kinds of dire heresy here the other day when appearing in chancery court in an action which had been brought to pre¬ vent his playing the Lyceum, the Shu- bert house In this city. Local theatri¬ cal men and others familiar with the complicated condition of affairs in the show business this season as the re¬ sult of the split between the K. & E. people and the Independents are chuck¬ ling to themselves, voicing "Amens” and delighting that enough pressure has at last been brought to bear upon a prom¬ inent manager to have him utter a great and growing sentiment. Mr. Field’s piece de resistance came when he was asked to explain to the presiding judge just what the present theatrical war meant and he replied: "Your Honor, there Is a bunch in New York that In recent years has made millions working the local theater man¬ agers and the traveling theatrical man¬ agers. But other people got onto this line of graft and started an opposition combine to get a share of It. They offered to help the local managers and the traveling managers, but now that they are getting a foot-hold, they prom¬ ise to be as big robbers as the others.” Concluding his statement, Mr. Field said: “They have got me In a place where I presume I will have to pay damages, and I’ll pay them, but I don’t propose that the other fellow shall fix the amount of the damages.” Mr. Field’s appearance in court re¬ sulted in his having booked his minstrel show in both the Lyceum and Jeffer¬ son theaters In this city, the former controlled by the Shuberts and the lat¬ ter by K. & E. On the witness stand in answer to the bill which had been filed against him, Mr. Field gave this explanation: His show had been booked in the Lyceum when K. & E. controlled it. When the break came and It seemed as though the syndicate would have no house in Memphis, Mr. Field in¬ structed his personal agent to book the Field show in the Shubert houses In cities on the route to which there were no K. & E. houses, and the minstrel show was booked a second time in the Lyceum. Then K. & E. secured the Jef¬ ferson and Mr. Field thought himself in duty bound to fulfill his original con¬ tract with the K. & E. people and booked the Jefferson. The minstrel man was much wrought up last Wednesday when he was hailed Into court as the result of the suit which the Shuberts had brought against him to prevent his playing the Jeffer¬ son and the hearing was attended with not a few comical features. There was a big gallery and when A1 Field was on the stand the crowd seemed to think of him as a minstrel end man and not as a mighty serious and mighty sore theatrical manager. The judge in chancery ruled that the Field show could go on wherever Mr. Field wished to have offended house ha< through an action L that its recourse in n damages. The the Jefferson, Field show _ „..... the K. & E. house. Klaw & Erlanger and the Shuberts were both represented in court by local attorneys. In Atlanta, on the date just preced¬ ing the one here the Field show was presented at the Grand, the Shubert house, in opposition to the K. & E. peo¬ ple who insisted that it be put on at the Orpheum which they control. Con¬ ditions there were just reversed. The minstrel show’s booking had been com¬ plicated by the defection of the Grand from the K. & E. ranks, but In such a way that the minstrel manager felt him¬ self bound to abide by the Shubert con- STILL FIGHTING FOR idan and the case is now In the Federal NORRIS & ROWE DEBTS Court at Indianapolis. The court re- Creditors are still fighting in the Nor- '-ently held that the Donaldson Llth- rls & Rowe bankruptcy case. The ograph Company has a preferred claim minor creditors have taken an appeal and this claim is more than the funds from the decision of Referee Harry Sher- on hand. “SUMMER WIDOWERS” GIRD MAKES GREAT CATCH New York, Oet. 6.—-John Moller, Jr., son of John Moller, millionaire sugar refiner and former commodore of the Indian Head Yacht Club, and Daisy Dumont, of the “Summer Widowers” company, have been married. The groom Is prominent as a golf player. Miss Dumont is to leave the stage at the conclusion of her present engage¬ ment. Mr. Moller was recently divorced and his wedding to Miss Dumont, whose Conn. “WINNING MISS” PEOPLE TO MARRY IN GRAND RAPIDS Toronto, Ont., Oct. 1.—Johnnie Gil¬ more, assistant stage manager, and Ella Heinsley, a chorus girl, with the "Win¬ ning Miss” company are planning to - - A - Gretna -e Grand Rapids. Mich., Green tomorrow and be married. “A Winning Miss” is this season un¬ der the direction of Boyle Woolfolk who is featuring Max Bloom. Forty-four on the stage, four musicians, and a work¬ ing crew of four make up the announced roster. The company has been playing “BOBBY BURNITT” FLAY NOT FOR THOMAS BOSS New York, Oct. 5.-—Arrangements whereby Thomas Ross, formerly of “The Fortune Hunter” company was to star in “Bobby Bumitt” under the manage- fent of A1 H. Woods have fallen through. REVIEW SAYS “BEN HUB” IS BOOKED IN OPEN DOOR The New York Review Is the author¬ ity for the statement that Klaw & Er- langer’s own prize production, “Ben Hur,” has been booked in a number of theaters whose managers have sub¬ scribed to the open door policy. The bookings, it is said, have been made directly with the managers. The Review points to this as a tri¬ umph for the Independents in that the heads of the theatrical syndicate are themselves doing just what they have previously prohibited the producing managers associated with them from doing. Small Profit at Nashville. Nashville, Tenn;, Oct. 6.—Receipts of the recent State Fair from all sources, were about $57,000, and the expenses about *50,000, leaving the net profit around * 7,000 for the association.