, 1875-09-19

| /
misunderstanding ON my part Of having Col he
Ciurgs consent. am willing II necessary, to make
m 1,naav,. H.1;, o. thls: aouss. Jas n DEWITT.
| THE OUTER WORLD.
/ DRAMATIC LAWSUITS IN NEW YoRK.
Dramatic lawsuits are, as the reporters OF fash
ions Say, en- regle in New York. Merely as I'D
vertiaements, perhaps, the managers conside
them profitable Investments. Augustin DAILY ha
two on his handsome with Sheridan Shook
aud the other with Lester Wallack. The fra
involves the proprietary rights in ..Ross
Michel" with which Mr. DAILY pro
posed to open his theatre for tho fall season
Shook l. Palmer claim proprietary right il
the play, and have obtained 3 temporary injunc
ton against Daily, who, for his part, ayers tina
he has bought the original play twice over, an6
that the version which lie proposes to give il
mostly original. Judge Curtis, who heard ani
granted the application for an injunction, decid
ed that DAILY bought the play from persor
whose right to sell it had not been clearly estab
lshed in court. Moreover, the Court held thai
| Dalys claim of having constructed new plnJ
ont Of the materials furnished by s.Roae
Michel" cannot be allowed to prejudice the case
| Of Shook d Palmer The authors and his as
signeee, be they citizens or Aliens as far as the
manuscript and their rights rherein are con
| cerned, are protected by the law; and
these rights cannot be impaired or i1{
| t1in9ed upon either directly or indirectly,
] The questions involved in this case are not OF
much moment It seems to be conceded by both
parties that the play WAS never published in En-
! rope, and the issue ls merely one Of fact, each
basing his claim on an alleged purchase.
| The controversies over 1.-The Biz Bonanza y
nd fha f1rrb 4; r.,
these cases it is claimed that, tho plays having
been published abroad, anv American has the
right to make such adaptation from them as he
may choose. After the publication Of now
play, only the uev features introduced by Amer
icau authors or adapters are protected by Amer
ican law. This principle has long been estab-
lished. It has been affirmed recently in Califor-
MIA in the case of Bartloy Cnmpbell's "BnIls and
Bears" taken from the same source as ''The
Bis Bonanza, and in Wisconsin IN tho case OF
Orphans It il possible that Mr. DAILY does
not care to appropriate Rose Michel outright
on the ground OF foreign publication, since such
. precedent might return to plague bim
in the future; but if he can prove that
the p1ay has been published-or, in other words,
perforned-ahroad, aud that his version Of it
does not infringe upon the rights OF native au~
thors, he will be allowed to produce it, title and
all.
Besides this suit with Shook L Palmer, Mr..
DAILY appears as defendant in smother brought by
Lester Wallack. who has obtained temporary
injunction forbidding the production Of t'Our
Boys" Still another suit OF this kind is In prog
ress between the Airalfys and Connolly i
Pilett, the subject in controversy being the play
"Around the World ia Eighty Days" The
emy Of Music in New York, aud the defendants
have arranged to bring it out at the Grand
Opera House temporary Injunction has been
granted.
THR SOUTHERN THEATRES.
There are indications that the field OF theatri-
cal enterprise in the Southern States will be
worked somewhat mora extensively and visor-
ously this season than IN previous sea-
sons for number Of years. Edwin Booth
has not acted in any OF the Atlantic
States south OF Maryland for over fifteen years;
and the probability is that his journey through
the South this season will be quite t1inmphal
progress. hlr. Raymond as Col Sellers, is also
going to make tha circuit Of the Southern thea
tres, and doubtless 4sthey are waiting for
him now" MIR. Booth will not ap-
pear in Washington City. but be will
visit all the other South Atlantic cities.
Col. Sellers will be in Washington when
Congress meets and wilt hold up to legislators
. glass wherein they may see the inmost part Of /!
Them. These, and indeed ali the prominent acturs
who visit ths South this season, 70 th1ths, under
The management Of Nr. Ford, Of Baltimore, who !
is preferred lessee OF the Southern theatres, !
Ind to whose enterpr;sing plans IL mainly due |
.he approaching revival Of theatricalA on the !
Southern stage. The New York Tribune. from |
which the above statements are taken, gives in |
ereating notices Of some Southern theatres in |
he prosperous days before the War:
In 1851 Joseph Jefferson and John A. Ellslez uan-
ged in Charleston, and frequently acted in neighbor
ug cities. In 1858 the stock company Of tho Rich
uond Theatre-then managed by Jchn r. Ford |
omprised, among many others, Joseph Jefferson,
dxtn Adams and Mary Devlin,--who suhEequent]y
,ecarne the wife Of Edwin Booth Twenty years aeo |
ar1ett nnd Ford were young managers in Baltimore
nd IN their stock companies and among their aasoct-
,iaSke, Edwin Booth, Edwin Adams O, " Tavleure. |
nd H. L. Bateman- The Baltimore home ii aIf. |
s2teman was then the headquarters Of theatrical life
o that region Tho BatemAn girls, infant prodigtas
hen. already gave denotenents Of bright future.
I'D Cowcll was about, with his quips and cranks.
md from thst coserie ha7a emerged leading actors
amous nowadays on both the English and American
sa1e and managers who have succeeded alike IN New
ork, Washington, and London.
Since the War the Southern theatres have been
eneraliy decaying. and the present revival Of
0 save them from utter ruin. Mr. Ford waa
ncouraged to make the experiment by tho suc-
ess OF Jefferson IN the South in 1873
DRAMATIC EDITOR ATTACKED,
Mr. Frederick A. Schuab. the dramatic editor
t the New York Times, has incurred the enmity
certain hangerB-on about Booths Theatre By
ia unfavorable notices OF Barry sulliyan'e per
One OF these ardent attaches At
.cked Mr. schwab last Monday night. Tbs
Of tho encounter are giyen In per-
onal statement ot Mr. schvab publshed By tue
terdld:
Shortly after p VIE leaving the auditorium OF
oothts Theatre with az. Maur.ee Gran, when man
amed Bliss-fornerly eartnan in tbs employ Of
slans Express Company, iates IN Inspector in the
nssom- uouse, Ind aince his removal from that po-
ton Of the hangar>-oa It BOOTHS Tbeatre-ap~
reached me and said, ~ SUPPOSE you have your
ticla all written this performance" I replled d ]
4 performance Ike this neets article. The actor
not 1T to he Custo1n-House Ipapector." Bliss
en- struck 1t me, seized by tbs collar, and began
rearing. 4 crowd intervened aud We were parted |
led upon Officer No. SEQ to arrest Buss, but hn H.
1od.
:'7Hx MIGHTY po11Aa."
The secret history Of Mr. Florence's new play,
The Mighty Dollar" would doubtless be inter- !.
ting reading il it should get iuto print It
Il be remembered that the New York critics
ndenned The play with ono voice On ita 6rst !
They have since modified their :
-. fl