The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-08-11
BELLE LA MAR.
A STORY OF THE WAR.


BoUCICAULT's NEW DRAMA FROM THELATE
CIVIL Wharf.-The HEROINE AND HER DEEDS
THE AMERICAN DRAMA.
This week a new American drama, entitled
"Belle La Mar, is to be placed on the boards
in New York. OF this play, its history and
its author, New York Sun reporter says:
Mr.. Boucicault had been writing. He sat at
the center table in his shirt sleeves, with his
manuscript before him. He wore no vest.
He was thoroughly enjoying the GOODNESS OF
which this light wardrobe was productive.
He pushed the manuscript away, stretched
himself carelesslY, arose and walked to the
Chinese cabinet, from which he took a cigar
saying, There's a fourteen-year-old cigar
| You may depend on it, for I've kept
them all that time myself" then
sat down and said, NOW, my boy, We'll
have little talk" The conversation which
followed was repeatedly interrupted by Mr.
Boucicault's private secretary, who ran in
and out for instructions regarding some
manuscript which he was preparing. The
dramatist gave the instructions, and then
returned to the interview, not once losing
the thread of his talk. Napoleon dictated
three dispatches at once. Dion Boucicault
writes plays, and talks to his friends at the
same time. After some dusultory CONVEX
sation, the reporter preached the sub
iect of Mr.. Boucicault's new play,
"Ill tell you how happened to write this
piece, which is thoroughly American one.
You remember last winter when / was in
California. At that time / promised John
Mccullough, the manager of the California
Theater, a rising young actor, that / would
write an American play for him. On the
trip to Europe that promise bothered me.
You know you have no distinctive American
drama, and the pioneer in the work of estab-
fishing ono has to be very cautious in his
Nfa II of Late.
| | thought passions aud predujdices had been
cooled off now. and the time had come when
| justice could be done on both sides, North and
South, without offending either. / sent to
\ Benjamin Moran, your secretary obligation i'm
London, and asked him to send me a history
of the war. After had read and studied it
thoroughly, / seized on the episode in the
valley of the Shenandoah in the spring of
1862. 1t was the time when Fremont, Nc
Dowen and Banks, each at the head of an
army, were advancing down the valley.
That was the time of my play. The founda-
ton of the plot lies i'm different direction.
In the Peninsula campaign Mcclellan found
| that ali his plans were made know to the
enemy. The news was carried by WASH
| ington women who were acting as spies.
/ He therefore refused 10 tell anybody what
he meant to do.
ABRAHAM LINcoLN's ORDER
Secretary Stanton didn't like that, and
President Lincoln finally ordered Mcclellan
to tell the government what he meant to do
He told them and in 4s hours the plan in
all IFS details was known in Richmond. The
plot of my play is drawn from that histor-
| ical fact.
| Reporter. Can YOU give me in very
1 concise form the story of 'sBelle La Mar?n
Mr.. Boucicault. The story is very simple
but l think very dramatic. Belle La
Mar is a Southern lady who is married
| to a Northern gentleman. She leaves
him and goes South when the war be-
gins, because he is a Union officer. She
loves the South so much that, after securing
a divorce in Virginia, she becomes spy for
the Confederates. An officer in. the Union
amy under her husband falls in love with
her, ana betrays the plans of his general to-
her. She is finally captured and brought
before her husband for Trial. She refuses to
tell the name of the officer who has helped
her; but he, after a severe struggle, confe.ses
voluntarily in the hope of saving her. The
i officer is condemned to death, but the court
martial refuses to pronounce upon her guilt
or innocence. On the intercession of Stone
wall Jackson, Who returns unopened the
dispatches which she had stolen. she is al
lowed to go to the commanding general. A
pass is given her by her former husband and
the pass she manages to give to the con-
demned officer, who escapes. To be brief
| the lady is finally pardoned. reconciliation
takes place between her and her husband,
and all ends happily.
Reporter. The play is evidently sensa-
tional?
Mr.. Boucicault. Well, yes, to a certain
extent. You see if you are to have an Amer
lean drama the way must be paved o it,
Literature is like trade. You can't Jump
to the highest point in any particular branch
You must go gradually up to excellence.
am going to try and establish the founda-
ton of American dramatic literature. Ii
am not able to put the capstone to the struc-
ture somebody who comes after me will do
it, and l shall be satisfied with making it
easy for him.
Reporter. Mr.. Boucicault, do you think
it is possible to make good American
drama?
Mr. Bouclcault. Why not?
Reporter. That is just what / desire to
know.
/ Mr.. Boucicault. You have all the. es-
sentials. All that you want is somebody to
devo.e himself to the work and open the
school. America is young country, and,
like young child, you draw too much on
the older nations. You have better ma
terials yourself right here at home, but you
are dependent. Iou haven't learned the
lesson of depending on yourselves. You
draw too much on England and France.
That is easier than doing original work; and
labor, you can't expect to draw out the
original talent of your country.
THE SUPERIORITY OF OUR THEATERs.
Reporter. Mr.. Boucicault, what do you
think of American theaters?
Mr.. Boucicault. think. sir, they are inf
nitely superior to those of London or Paris
They are better constructed, better venti-
lated, and much more cheerful in their inner
surroundings. Besides, your audiences
seem to treat actors better than ours. You
are quick to see good point, either in the
acting or in the play, and you are generous
: enough to reward the man who has pleased