The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-11-24
LOCAL MATTERS.
THEArRE.-On Tuesdav n;pht was nlav

i =
ior the frst time, believe in this CITY, the sWil-
low Copse," domestic drama of much power and OF
surpasips interest The cast was the best we have
seen " the Marshall for long time. every actor with
scarcely an exception, being perfect in his part and
gying u the expression to which il enfifled and
which, doubtless, the author intended il TO have =
The same may be said Of the female part of the com
pany each lady sustaining her part we'll and one ct
isas' adnirabiy As the play { new to most Of our
the story as may render ineligible such of them
as have not read it. q u
Sir William Vaughan, gentleman of large posses
sions became 50 offended with his son Richard tthe
Sr Richard Of the play) on of his excesses
mat short time before his death, he wrote him a
proaches and in that letter threatened to cut him off
With shilling Upon his return home, Sir Richard
lbemfacel finds his father dead. and takes immediate
possession Fearful that there may be will in ex-
stence ne burns every paper in his fathers library
viii had actually been made, giving the whole pro.
perty to Luke Fielding tCouldoek.) old and faith
u tenant, but OF the existence of this will Sir Rich
ard Is not aware, and it is known only to one Dick
Hunks tGile, desperate, whose vices have reduced
attached to Rose Fielding Mrs Wardl and is IN turn
greatly beloved by her. The consequences such
as might have been expected; the girl was dis-
item, however. to have made reparation By marriage
but In the meantime, Dick Hulks who is aware that
Rose will be an heiress and besides has been long
the fact of the existence of the will to Sir Richard
and hints that ne knows of certain things that may
oIlng him to the gallows The only condition upon
self 49, that Sir Richard shall renouuce Rose, and fur
nisn nm with money to procure him the means of
gle, he consents Upon breaking the subject to the
lady, she is in despair She resolves to drown her
seH IN the brook by the Willow Copse but first writes
friend Col. Vanguard (Grifiths, in which she con-
fesses her shame and reveals the determination to
which she has come. Luke Fielding not being able
to read hands the letter to Lucy Vanguard tbiss b.
Lewis9 an intimate friend of Rose, who tells Luke
Fielding that his daughter is in distress account
,he Illness of relation, and flies at once to the Wiz
low Copse, arriving just in time to prevent Rose
from taking the fatal plunge. In the meantime Sir
Richard comes to take last look at the Willow
Copse, where he had SO often met Rose in happier
days., preparatory TO leaving the country forever
Lucy upbraids him with his cruelty her friend and
The result is that he resolves to marry her, let the
consequences be what they may and to einigrate to-
California Rose retres having first placed in her
bosom the letter which she had written to her father
Lucy and Sir Richard being left alone, surprised
by Meg, whose suspicious of improper intimacy
are at once aroused There is to be ball at the
Manor House that evening, and thither he exhorts
Lucy. In the meantime Hulks and his associate
Bill Staggers Siple) have resolved to break into the
Manor House, and steal the will of old Sir William,
which Hulks knows is deposited in certain spot
man named Augustus RYAN, who had been an an.
prentice and having robbed his till, had runaway
They discover his guilt, and by means of it compel
him to join them. They first make him excessively
drunk, then put him over the wall, and make him
open the gate and after they are in put him up into
balcony, having first directed him where to find the
cabinet contain ng the papers.
He succeeds in obtaining it, and as they are rifng
the contents, Sir Richard with Lucy on his arm
comes up in the background and discovers them
He first makes Lucy conceal herself in the coal
house, and then advances upon the rufisns. He has
ggle with Hulks, but is unable to obtain the
will. In great alarm, Augustus fires Oft pistol, the
ruffians fee, the house is raised and Sir Richard
hides himself in the oal-house, where Lucy already
is. but not before he has been seen by Meg, who
calls attention to it, The house is searched and the
twain are dragged forth. Lady Apsiey, Mrs. Chip
peadae) immediately declares that all intercourse
must cease between her son Arthur Apsley ssearns)
and that young lady. That young gentleman, in
great distress, Immediately waits Col. Vanguard
and informs him that he cannot marry his tighter
but refuses TO assign any for breaking off the
match Meg, however, soon arrives, and relates the
whole affair. The Col is ferocious against Sir Rich
ard, who, he thinks has dishonored his child. In
the meantime, yoong Apsley has an interview with
Rose. who reveals the whole matter to him. decar-
ing that she, and she alone, was to blame. This
comedies the young and his mother, but the old
Cob only be satisfied by reading the letter which
Rose had written her father This rouses the sus-
picions of Luke Fielding, who is present, and who,
saatching the letter ftom the hands of the Colonel
forces his daughter read it. The consequences are
terrible. In private interview with his daughter
he tells her the farm is hers, having been bought
with her mothers money, gives her the lease and
the money he has made it, and forces her, in spite
of her prayers to take Them He then tells her that
he will not snfer her to bear his namethat she must
bear that of the man who has betrayed her-and up
on her refusal to tell it, he endeavors first strange
her, and then to brain her with an axe Overcome,
however by passion he falls down in fit, and Rose
also swoons away. While they are in that situation
Sir Richard enters and bears Rose of. In the mean
time, Luke Fielding becomes the inmate of lunatlc
asylum ia which he is confined for four years. During
this time, his daughter, now become Lady Vaughan
by her marriage with Sir Richard seeks for him
rywhere in ~ vain There are two other persons who
tions, viz Huks and Bill Staggers He is at length
dismissed as harmless lunatc, and becomes com
mon beggar, devoting the few pence which he re-
ceives to drink Hulks and Bill Staggers at length
find him in low drinking house, between lunacy
aud drink, sitting in state of stupe faction. They
also meet with their former comrade, Augustus, at
the same place. and resolve to employ bis services
again They exhibit the will to Luke, who does not
exactly comprehend them, and Hulks not being able
to rouse him sufficiently FORCES power of attorney,
by which he obtains the complete manag cement of
his affairs He gives this paper to Staggers and sets
off to the manor with the WILL resolved to wreak his
enge on Sir Richard and his wife. Before he ar
rives, Luke Fielding has already been there, to beg
aims not knowing that his daughter was there
The interview between them is intensely affect
ing Luke becomes suddenly restored to his senses,
and believing that the spendor around his daughter
is the wages of her shame insists upon leaving the
house. He is prevented by Rose and her husband,
who enter the moment In the midst of the scene,
Col. Vanguard and his daughter arrives and the Co.
lionel immediately explains everything, telling Luke
of Sir Richard Vaughan. This produces great j. y
aud complete reconciliation. In the meantime
after Huks had left the drinking house, Augustus ds
ands of Staggers the paper in his possession tel
IL him he toiI harea The latter says he may have
il il he can whip him. Upon this, they have regu.
lar setto and Augustus succeeding in getting the pa
per, makes the best of his wayto the Manor closely
followed by Staggers. B Before he arrives Huks has
already been there and exhibited the will. Augustus
shows the forged power of attorney and explains
how it was managed. Staggers having arrived, seve
raj officers of the police, who had been kept in
dness, enter and handwriting Hulkes and Staggers
lead them Of to gao it appearing that they had been
guilty of many robberies, &c. The denoaement leaves
all parties very happy
Such is very faint outline of the story upon which
has been constructed of the most affecting and
effective melo-dramas to which the language can lay
claim. 1t is due TO the actors that we should say
something of the manner in which they acquitted
themselves. Beginning with the ladies, as is their
part Of Rose We could hardly convince onsselves
that the lady really only acting part. The rep
resentation natural much like real life, SO
entirely like what any woman OF strong feelings
would have done and said, if placed under similar
circumstances that found the utmost difficulty in
realizing the exact truth. 1t was worthy of Fanny
Ken bic in her best days. Upon the Richmond stage,
at least we never saw any female character pow
erfaliy sustained.
Miss E. Place sustained the character of Meg very
ereditably
Miss Lewis is delightful young actress and played
the part of the atiabie, and hghspirted Lucy Van
guard, with great animation. She svery young and
fsilnre she would have been excused, when Others
whose looks were not quite good might have
been condemned. As she played her part we'll
however of course, the admiration was the greater
The stately and aristccratie Lady Apsley found an
excellent representative in Mrs ChippenGale whose
Junolike figure seemed formed especially for such
part.
Georgiana, Miss Apsley and Kinchin Fan were
well represented BY Miss Z. Ince, Miss Mason aud
Mrs. Grfifbs. a4
Now for the gentlemen. The part of Luke Field
ing seems pecuarly adapted TO Mr. uidoek-his