The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-01-21
A Shabby Dodge to Adver>
'tise a Play.
How the Redemptorist fathers
Were Eictimized.
The Sensation Performance at the
Stadt Theatre.


mont u Tue St9ut TncoLre NS0n l8y Tic cACusiSc
and unenysabe claim is, If mot the most honorable,
1t least the newest and Ytost ingenious. "A silly
hodge-pedge OF sensatiogis undcr the title OF
ss.The Secrets of New York; OF, The Jesuita An
America was advertised Tor performance mst
Sunday evening. II Is mot cust0mary-indeed, It Is
altogether excepti0nai--to select sunday even In
shs cosmopolitan atm ,sphere for the public per-
formance OF plays on sac stage, least OF all those
of o character like the one just mentioned. But
the Sabbath, the Sc que tells answered just the
purpose Of giving ths necessary notoriety to. the
ridiculous play which, crowded audience gathered
to witness last evening. twas carefully. given out
that the Jesuits inul,rfered to prevent
THE PERI soRMANCE ON SUNDAY
by taking advantage OF the statute against theat-
rical exhibiuons-dJn the Sabbath There was very
transparent blwjider made by whomsoever engi-
neered the dodge. for instead OF representing to
Captain Ward,1of the Tenth precinct, that the ac-
tua Jcsuits IT, OF st. Francis Xavier's church.
Sixteenth street) complained OF the intended out
rage. he MAJ lie 1t appear that the Redemptorist
Fathers wereb the body offended, ana were calling
indignantyAfo for its suppression. He might as well
have Eaid az ~ otncr order Of the Roman Catholic
Church, for the Redemptorists are little allied to
the Jesuits as the Dominicans or the Carmehtes or
any of the rest OF the elements In the Roman Cath
ole herWrchy. To ascertain the truth OF the story
about THE German Redemptorists Fathers OF the
Church s,f the Holy Redeemer in Third street, re-
portercf the HERALD made a call last evening on
FatherT Writ, the recuor, and learned the follow
tng:- FIt
INTERVIEW WITH FATHER WRIT.
REFt)RHER-I have called to know what truth
1heresis;in the statement that you or some member
OF yeprOrder complained toCaptain Ward OF a play
intended TO be given ut the Stadt Theatre last Sun
day,evening ana had 1t prohibited
EAther WRIT am glad you called, that may
explain and explode this silly story. sunday after
noon, while was engaged giving instructions to q
class OF boys up stars, the lay brother, who was
acting as porter in the hall, came to me and SAID
that Q gentleman, representing himself as Ger
man ana q Catholic, was below and complaining in
Q very indignant manner OF a play about 70 he pro-
duced at the Stadt Theatre lbelllng and carcatur-
ing the Jesuit Fathers. He sent up q copy OF the
Staaas.zst containing the advertisement o!
TO inform that gentleman, who, by the way
gave no name. that the matter was no concern VI
ours; that this was free country and that in any
case he should not take notice OF such low. vulgar
exhibitions. He said further to tell the gentleman
nc e s ss he Sd
60 to the jesuits themselves, in sixteenth street.
.Thst was an continued led, Father Writ that
the statements that We mad made representations
to the police which Is wholly false: Nobody in this
SION. O suspect the person VINO called went to
Captain Ward and ON his own responsibility
'At can only account for this Trick either
on the grounds that the people Ut the theatre
me share wanted hae shut and sp
the performance" Father Writ, who Is u large
Indignation at being the victim OF this shrewd
dodge, but he closed his narration he laughed OF
the impudence OF the trick and said ne should take
In future.
PLOT OF THE PLAY.
1.-THE Secrets OF New York. or, The Jesuits In
America as performed last evening at the New
York stadt Theatre, is modelled on the principle Of
the supremest exaggeratlon, and IT IL rather more
than SURPRISING that the bare announcement OF It's
production should tend to draw together an im
mensely large and intellectual audience Of the
phegmauc, stoical. matter-of-fact Teuton, who
very seldom INDUCES IN anything that
american humbug.s The piece just quoted mas
the merit of employing tMrty-two people in the
aass pesso@ pesldes nna run ss cret o. araSts
bummers generally, and railroad and steamboat
hands, Among the most P prominent Of the cal, cast
cinthe (Herr Weinachp and Padre lgnatius (herr
Heyneman). Sebastian Licks, boarding house
ietn Beckman, Marie Boettcher (Fraulein seig)
Ceciie (Fraulen Emma Wlese) and others. The
piay opens with view Of q barr0Om In
4 aREENwIoH STREET BOARDING HOUSE,
where several drunken men are discussing lager
tues q hi his country eAastria~whicS the others fail
TO appreciate. However, the landlord winds up
With rodomontade on his being In love W.T.. MIN
comes into she room and gives her
decided and emphatic ,.u opinion in A., favor S
pen to be inmates Of the same house. Father Jo-
Eefus enters has an interview with the girl and
retires with the ejaculation that he has converted
one woman. who win be moulded entirely to his
and the will OF the Order-that IT, she must marry
rich man, become widow, and the money must
20 to their institution.
TIKI RxIGRANT RUNNERS,
with one new arrival, who is introduced to the
landlord and Immediately relieved OF his money.
as s
TO foist some OF his wares on him, perpetrates
some OF the sickest hits on the deiunct ring
atn IUa and on m ri ~ wh lRh
fell like wet blanket upon the audience, and did
not even create ripple Of concentration: The
an entire cargo OF newy-arrved emigrants, hahili-
tated in the vestments OF Fatherland, and adorned
from board ship.
The remaining four acts are on par with the
ARGUMENT OF THE PLAY
can be summed up IN the shortest manner possible
A.man named Boettcher, residing in st. Louis,
: lives IN peace and plenty with his wife and daugh-
ter xare but takes 1t into his head day To die,
\ leaving large and valuable property. The widow
could not 1nd any will, but the Jesuits did pro-
( ~duce arch an Instrument, and claimed and obtained
poor and penntless. Friends send the two to
Europe and the only relic OF the past left the
widow b an old casket OF antique Workmanship
(which she takes with her, and which subsequently
tproves bar fortune During her absence
aosc possogs,on OF the BoetIcher estate revel in
wealth and carry thugs generally with a nigh
hand. Thewyidow IN the meantime Is IN Europe,
c.ouers secret apartment, which, on being opened
with spring, reveals tue original VIII OF Boettcher.
Theywidow atonce signifies her iptection VI gong
back. to the United States to reclaim her inherit
nnce which intelligence is transmitted TO the ST.
LouisAesuiis by = priest In Europe. However, the
family arrive, Institute proceedings TO reclaim the
estate, which the possessers OF the property con-
test lnSn 6y inch. ny some means the Fathers i'm
prison Marie In Sloister, from which q lover res
cues hev. The Legacy is recovered, the Jesuit
FATHERS are prosecuted and it is asceriained that
the 0rdAr, besides carrying on their regular
prayers, also run oounterleltng MILL upon which
current bank bills are ground out by the quantity.
The play rhus ends, aud vice is punished, while
virtue IL triumphant
In an interview with the author OF the above, as
also "Barbarfc Rubrlc'--Herr Ceza Berrer~the
= writer was informed that the drama was founded