The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-04-21
The Play Tonight.

1Ho Merry UOW means Simpiy Tue
"villsge blacksmith. Poor Dan O'Hara,
the county blacksmith. lJoe Murphy is in
love with Norah Miss De Bari one OF
those wild Irish flowers that have ever
been famous for their virtue and beauty.
Size is the daughter of Patrick Drew, an
honest farmer, who finds experience a
hard teacher. He is victim of Valentine
Hay (Mr. j. NJ. Manning) one of those
fierce vultures that for centuries have fed
upon the famished, the hungry, the naked
living and the pauper dead of Ireland.
His character is we'll drawn by the
dramatist. The girls father is about to
be ousted by the vulture, who also loves
-or pretends to love-his daughter.
The culture" offers to save the old
man from poverty and the road side if he
will give him his daughter, which proposal
he treats, of course, with the scorn and
contempt Of true son of the "Ould Sod. -
The scoundrel discovers that Dan. the
blacksmith, is in his way and determines to
get rid of him by placing revolutionary
pixies in his forge, which the police dis
cover. Then the terrible catastrophe Is at
hand. Dan is arrested and escapes, and in
the meantime his innocence is established
beyond the shadow of doubt.
Once more the villain is at bay. But the
day arrives for the destruction of the
fathers home. There is but one hope
The old man son, Raymond,a sportsman
has pitted his horse against the agents
The agents horse is brought to the black
smiths to be shod. Dan nails the shoe sc
that he pinches his foot, in consequence Of
which he loses the race, Then the race
comes off. The scene of sorrow, suspense
anG joy IN the little family on the greer
awaiting the arrival of the carrier-pigeon;
which Dan has agreed to send to his love
with note around each little creatures
neck, is worthy of the constructive power
of master dramatist. The pigeons an
nounce each heat of the race. The ex
element is intense. The old mans sol
wins, and the Vulture is hOrS du combat
There might be objection with some as t.
the moral Of the paying up of the mortgage
that the money to do it with came by
disobedient son racing horse against
father command, and that the race wa
won through false-shoeing a faster hors
by the Kerry Cow" Ia the play, a
the black smith loves the old man
daughter against whom the mortgage is t.
be foreclosed, and as there will be genera
financial ruin unless the mortgage is pai
up, the horse-shoeing trick is palliated t
the Kerry Cows" conscience on the con
venient principle that all is fair in 10y
and war" The audience is inclined t
say the same, considering a couple o
Williams" get their deserts as the result
and the Kerry Cow" gets the girl.
From the Boston transcript.
As to Mr.. Joseph Murphy and hi
speciality of Kerry Cow, at the outse
of notes of the actor and the play, it ca
be said that both are coed in the line o
| Irish drama The play is in fact tone
rather above the usual constructions in tn
Celtic direction, in that it appeals bu
slightly to prejudices of nativity and bu
infrequeDtly faunts the traditional red Goa
in the face of the Fenian bull. Tn
dialogue is at times very sharp and witty
and Mr. Murphy gives his part of the her
| yuIth tfll
come in to illustrate the drama, and takiu
merit, brightness and freshness togethe
the performance ought to please moro tina
the average theatre-goer The support
the company is excellent in its quality al
evenness. Mrs Barry gave last evening
descriptive horse-racing scene, somethir
after the manner of Lady Gay Spanke
that was really electrifying in its in
petuOsity OF manner.
From the omaha Herald.
; Last night Fred Marsden's play of Ike
ry Cow" was presented here for the fir
time by Joe Murphy, ably supported /
, Blanche De Bar-a worthy daughter Of NJ
and Mrs. Junius Brutus Booth, the latter
r sister of that famous manager Ben De Ba
The house was filled from pit to CALLER
and the large audience was, from the begi
ming to the end of the play. kept, NJ
thrilled with the deep pathos and tend
sentiment which the author has thrown
10 this production of his sifted pen, al
a then laughing at the witty sayings al
r quick repartee of Dan O'Hara, and t
5 vim and energy of the vivaclous Ali
t Miss Annie Mortimer The parts we
0 admirably cast. While, as matter
f course, Dan and "Norah are the lea
: ing characters, Mr.. Murray as Yale
= tine Hay" was every inch villain" al
he found an excellent coadjutor in n
8 o Drive" Maurice Pike whoEjumped
to the good graces of the audience at OF
6 sleek. sly scoundrel though he was WI
:, his word in ason" and his facial CT
q tortions.
Religious Notices