San Francisco dramatic review (1899)

May 12, 1900 THE SAN FRANCISCO DRAMATIC REVIEW gentlemen," said Gilpin, with a provoking smile, as he threw the key out of the window into the alley below. The altercation brought Sawkins on the scene. "What on earth's the matter with you?" he said to Gilpin. "I never saw you behave like this before." "Probably not," was the answer. In response to a summons from the property boy, a sergeant and a policeman put in an appearance and advanced to liberate the actor. "Stand back !" roared Gilpin, presenting a pistol. "What's the matter? Are you mad? What do you mean?" we shouted in chorus. "I mean that I arrest this man, Hubert Murray, alias Rupert Windeyer, on a charge of forgery and swindling. I'm a detective from Scotland Yard and here's my warrant," and wTith his left hand he flourished the document in front of our astonished eyes. The fury of Windeyer was terrible to behold. He cursed, swore, struggled and stamped, and at last succumbed to exhaustion and superior strength. He wras placed in a cab, driven to the police station, and in the morning brought privately before a magistrate who remanded him to England. Gilpin had calculated well, for the same day the Torres' Strait Mail Steamer appeared at the mouth of the river, and the detective smuggled his prisoner on board, and they sailed for their destination. The magistrate, the policemen and the two newspapers of the city were, outside of ourselves, the only ones in possession of the true facts, and Sawkins managed to secure their silence. Fortunately for us, sensational journalism was unknown in sleepy Rockhampton. The genius of Sawkins caused the report to be circulated that Windeyer had inherited a vast fortune and had gone to his native land to claim it, and as Miss Tudor who, as it turned out fortunately for her, was only his wife in name, corroborated the statement, it was generally accepted. Gilpin was an actor of too small importance to need accounting for. Of course the affair threw a damper upon us, and Sawkins wisely concluded that we had had enough of Rockhampton or Rockhampton had had enough of us, so two weeks after we disbanded and proceeded on our several ways. ****** Two years after I unexpectedly ran across Sawkins, who had just returned from a trip to England, in the bar of the White Hart Hotel, Melbourne. It was our first meeting since Rockhampton, and exceedingly cordial on both sides. We fell to discussing old times and old acquaintances. "3y the way," he said, "who do you think I met in London ? None other than our old associate, Gilpin. He is fatter, sleeker and jollier than ever. He has retired from the sleuth business and is now proprietor of a thriving tavern at Islington. "He insisted on my accepting his hospitality, and while under his roof furnished me with the sequel to the Windeyer episode and further particulars concerning it. "Windeyer, it appears, was in reality the Honorable Hubert Murray and a younger brother of the Earl of . He had been an officer in a crack cavalry regiment, but owing to a shady gambling transaction had accepted a hint from his Colonel and resigned his commission. His brother, the Earl, had washed his hands of him, and he had been forced to rely on his wits for an existence. Finding himself hard-pressed for money, he had by fraudulent representations and forged signatures swindled a prominent Israelish money-lender out of ten thousand pounds, and had decamped for Brazil, taking with him Mary Tudor, who had long been his chere ami. His victim, unable to induce his family to make restitution, determined on revenge, and Gilpin had been dispatched to capture him. This proved anything but an easy task, and it was eighteen months ere the detective ran his quarry to earth in Rockhampton. He had trailed him through city after city in America before coming to Australia, only to lose all clue of him, and was about to abandon the pursuit when a conversation, overheard by chance in a Sydney Hotel, caused him to proceed to Rockhampton. The detective's admission to the Sawkins' company had been secured by a letter of introduction secured for that purpose. He had never seen Windeyer before, and was uncertain as to his identity, as owing to alterations in his appearance, he did not exactly tally with the description furnished him, and it was only the fortune-teller that had dispelled his doubts. The Sorceress had been in his pay, and her revelations supplied by facts furnished by him had so terrified the actress that she had been betrayed into unguarded speech, which, when repeated to Gilpin, satisfied him that he had at length found the object of his quest and determined him to act as soon as expedient, which was the night before the departure of the English steamer, and by a coincidence the occasion of the WindeyerTudor Benefit. "On Windeyer's return to England, his relations had endeavored to save him, but British justice is inexorable. He was tried, found guilty and sentenced by the judge in a scathing speech to five years penal servitude. "Mary Tudor had, while playing in Calcutta, won the admiration of a wealthy Ceylon coffee planter who had made her his wife." "Where did Windeyer gain his stage experience ?" I asked. "He never had any, if you except his performances in garrison amateur theatricals. He also benefitted by his association with Miss Tudor, who I expect, if the truth were known, coached him in private. And now, my dear boy, you know as much as I do." "Thanks," I said, "I'm glad to hear little Gilpin is prospering. He was a capital fellow, although a frightful duffer of an actor." "No ! No !" protested Sawkins, "I can't agree with the latter portion of your remarks. Remember his East Lynne performance." "Yes,"I assented, smilingly, "you're right there. He certainly on that occasion fulfilled the prophecy of the Sorceress, and made THE HIT OF THE SHOW." Subscribe for The Dramatic Review. "Eczema Positively Cured Cr no charge. Consultation and one treat ment free. Prof. R. K. Shipley, specialist skin diseases and tape worms. 1206 Market street, opposite Sixth. cModjeska Home Mme. Modjeska and her husband, Count Bozenta, have returned to Los Angeles from the East and are again domiciled on their ranch in Orange County. The Modjeska theatrical season closed at Wilmington, Del., on April 7th. John C. Fisher, manager of the company, reports a prosperous season of thirty-one weeks. "Mme. Modjeska will not go out under management next season, "said Mr. Fisher. "She will not, in fact, play at all. Her plans are to leave for Europe some time in August. She expects to be abroad for the best part of a year, and will extend her visit to Poland, not having visited her native land for several years. She intends to have an edict barring her out of that country on account of an anti-Russian speech made at the woman's parliament during the Chicago World's Fair, removed if possible, and has been advised that the best way to accomplish that result is by a personal visit." The Vinton Stock Co. The players who were left at Sacramento, after Thompson and Allen threw up the business, have united under the direction of Darrell Vinton and will play out the season of two months at the Clunie. Notwithstanding the fiasco attending the opening night, the players are so well thought of and the company is now, with the necessary changes having been made, such a strong one that last week, notwithstanding the strong counter attraction of the street fair, they played to $850.00 Several offers have been received from outside managers to book them whenever they have open time. The roster of the company is: Darrell Vinton, Marion de Rocco, Fred Esmelton, Frank Opperman, Val Trainor, Chas. Edler, W. H. Davenport, Roy Fleming, Reta Villiers, Mabel Carmichael, Helen Davenport, Blanche LeMar and May Powers. The company is an exceptionally strong one and a good attraction for any house. Brune Will Manage ZMcVowell Clarence M. Brune, manager of the Frederick Warde Company, will control the starring tour of Melbourne McDowell in a repertoire of Sardou plays next season. McDowell and Blanche Walsh will part company after the engagement at the Grand Opera House, New York, next week. Miss Walsh will not play next season. She will spend nearly a year in traveling over Europe and expects to buy several plays for production season after next. About Various Things The Conjurer's Boy Carl Hertz, the noted conjurer, has rather a horror of small boy confederrates, and no wonder. On one occasion he was performing in London, and, borrowing half a crown from one of the audience, he placed it in the centre of an orange. The idea of the trick was for the coin to disappear and find its way into the pocket of a youngster at some distance from the stage. Mr. Hertz, at the proper moment, called upon a boy in the crowd to produce it. Fumbling in his pockets for a moment or two, while all eyes were turned upon him, the boy at last fished out a quantity of small change. "Here's two and threepence-halfpenny, sir," he shouted, "I got thirsty, so I changed that half-dollar you gave me." * * * Barnabee's Baby H. C. Barnabee, the popular comedian of the Bostonians, tells a story about a baby which made the hit of the evening at a certain performance of Patience, in which he took part. "There was a young couple up in the gallery," he says, "and they had the baby contingent along. My thunderous tones repeating my lines, 'Where the dust of an earthy today is the earth of a dusty tomorrow, ' awakened the baby, and it began to cry loud and long. Then came my lines, 'It's a little thing of my own.' I made the most of them, and the house caught on and yelled itself hoarse." * * * Verdi Is Honored The gold medal of honor conferred upon Giuseppi Verdi by the Emperor Franz Josef of Austria was personally consigned to the famous old composer on the feast of St. Joseph, Verdi's "name day," the eighteenth of March. The medal was accompanied by the emperor's good wishes and some sincere words expressing the deep esteem in which he held the veteran composer. * * * Origin of Pickaninnie The etymology of the word "pickaninnie" is discussed by a writer in the current number of the American Anthropologist, who says that its possible derivation was pointed out by Sir Hans Sloane, in 1707, in his "History of Jamaica." "Piganinnes," says Sir Hans, "is a corruption of pcqnenos ninos, applied to the black or slave babies of Jamaica." * * * A Reputation "Playing Katherine," in Katherine and Petruchio, says Ada Rehan, "brought me much satisfaction, but a very bad reputation for temper. I have often been amused at seeing the effect that a first performance of the Shrew in a strange place produced on the employees of the stage. They shunned me as something actually to be feared."