The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-10-19
EM q S E NJ E N IS.

BooTH's THEATRE. -Yesterday evening Boaths
theatre was crowded with delighted spectators OF
the renewal of the signal triumph by Miss Kate
Bateman when this great American actress reap.
peared last June at the Haymarket theatre in Lon
don and personated the character OF Mary Warner
the heroine OF q new domestic drama which was
written expressly for her by the versatile Tom Tay
lor The plot is simple, but deeply interesting Devoid
OF striking originality OF conception, 1T nevertheless
ingenIously combines the strange incidents which
sometimes break the monotony Of the humber
walks OIL fe Indeed it has been affirmed to be in
the main faithful transcript Of real experiences,
Illustrating the adage that truth s stranger than c
tion II Is the oittold tale OF robbery with chain
OF circumstantial evidence, pointing usual
to parties entirely innocent and remarkably
vrtuous, while the real criminal, of course,
gets or at first without q breath OF suspicion,
although he Is in the end oyerlaken by remorse ana
makes q clean breast OF It, AS the secret however,
only appears to be known by Mary Warner, her hus-
band and the wife OF the guilty party, 1t is difficult
to conceive how the character OF the falsely accused
woman can be successfully cleared, although she
does md her husband very well Off and arec,ionate,
and her child all that can be desired
The first two acts Of the play are decidedly the
best, and in these the plot works smoothly and the
dramatic interest Is fully sustained The first act
shows the robbery in the house Of the firm by which
George Warner, Marys husband is employed the
thief being a graceless scamp, who is GEORGES
fellow workman. Immediately before the cash.
box is stolen George is IN the counting room
with one OF his employers, and after taxing him
with taking unfair advantage OF his workman's
skill indicates his determination TO emigrae TO
America and asksthe loan OF twenty pounds to help
him to make a start IN the New World. or course
ne does not get IL, but Is left alone in the r0om
having seen his employer put large sum OF
soon afterwards Mary Warner, his wife, enters, her
object being to make tho same request for the loan
been previously discussed and decided upon petween
the husband and wife, She obtains an interview
with one of the principals, Is refused the
loan, and she also Is left conveniently Hone in
the counting room with the unlucky cash-box.
After she leaves the thief, who has been all the time
concealed IN a washroom, and who Is repeatedly
interrupted In his speculative enterprise and COM
PEELED to pop back into his hiding place, gets clear
or with the booty. His goodness or heart leads him
to resolve upon giving George and his wife the
twenty pounds they need to carry out their scheme
OF emigration, which he has overheard while
In his lurking place, and he goes to
their lodging for that purpose. Finding no person
at home he one of Georges chses to force open
the cash-box, wraps four hvers IN bill OF the sail
ing time OF the American packets, pockets ths bal
ance Of the money and finally conceals the box itself
IN Georges room. lie then leaves without being
seen. Mary returns, the partners and the
police officer, who have discovered the robbery,
enter and nd the evidence Oh guilt IN The midst Of
Of damage to the policeman, obliging him TO
summon brace OF assistants. George, however ia
ready and willing to swallow all three myrmidons OF
the law with the two partners in the bargain when
Mary suddenly declares herself the thief. OF course
she does this supposng George to be the guilty
party and OF course George believes that Mary had
really broken one or the ten commandments She Is
sentenced to Ave years. imprisonment, and the most
impressive in the play is that in which George
after long absence for IN his strong honesty he
abhors the crime OF which he deems his wife guilty.
at length visits her In prison. II being the first
time she has been able to speak to him sue expects
him to evnce his sense OF the sacrifice she
has made and the suffering she has undergone, as
she believes, for his sake; but he is cold and distant
although deeply affected; and when she tells him
that is for MS sake she Is there he msunderstands
her meaning, and imagnes her to plead that she
committed the theft for him. Mary, certain in her
own mind OF her husbands guilt, believes him to
be coward IVA ni ana an migrate, and resolves
never TO see MIN more. This ends the second act,
aud from this point the plot begins to lag, the
third act nnding Mary Free having served out her
Tune. The rest OF the play exhibits her subsequent
trlals.how the real thief has the meantime mar
RED Mary's dearest friend and become wretched,
pennless starving, drunken scamp; now this man's
wlle steals gentleman's pccketbook; how Mary Is
again thelnnocent victim, arrested for another per-
sons crime; how the gentleman VINO has been
robbed turns out to be George warner; how Mary
ges W, refusing 70 stay ~ her nusbauus request;