Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1878-11-16
1.-THE Soldiers Trust.

As considerable interest il being cvin-
c,.i over the play 10 be presented on
Mnnday evening, the title Of which We
ouotc above. and ~ Mr.. Geo. {. Boni-
(,ce has won u wide reputation IN an
actor, We give Al SYNOPSIS OF the play De-
low:
The story, which is founded on an in
cident in the army list III Napoleon Be-
naparte, is this: Corporal Antoine Ii
entrusted with his Generals child, the
iruit OF clandestine marriage, and
" tn papers establishing her identity
and leaving her certain valuable estates,
which should not he turned over to her
by the notary until the Generals mar
riage should have been made public
The notary was to deliver up
these papers 10 the person prononnc-
ing the maiden namc OF the teneral =
wife. An Arrangement understood only
by the General himself and his faithful
corporal. The General il killed in an
attack which Immediately follows the
imposition Of this trust, his wife is lost
sight Of the child il taken 10 the corpo-
ral's home and reared a. his daughter,
the corporal is subsequently captured
and confined as prisoner III the mines,
but ESCAPES after eleven years and re-
turns 10 his native village. Frouchard,
deputy mayor vi the place, has taken
possession OF the Generals unclaimed
land, and understanding the menace 10
his prosperity, which the corporais re-
turn signifies, steals the OLD soldier :
Identification papers, puts in their place
the amount Of money stolen from
the poor box by Capcgracc on
the previous night and publicly
charges him with being Il vagab"nd and
"A thief. The shock Of the accusation
and an cbullition oil rage against The
scheming frochard strike the old
corporal dumb: hc cannot read or write,
and therefore the talismanlc words
which are to place his rcputrd daughter
i'm possession ot her rightiul PROPERTY
are lost His despair nj this calamity
his efforts To express the necessity of
pronOuncing a name which none OF ms
acnuaintances have heard afford Mr.
Bonifacc the opportunity 10 display his
bower, a, portrayer III the emotions,
and his sorrow, regret and painful cast
Ing about Tor way out of hi, difficulty
excite the sympathy nj his
audience 10 very marked
extent. His effort IL convince his
doubling son and adopted daughter,
who believe him dead, that in the gray
haired, ragged wandercr they see the
yrritahle corporal il one Ut the most sad
and beautiful exhibitions Of path0s ever
seen on the stage. Ia this painful strait
he meets Picard, a fellow comradc, who,
while living wounded on the field, over
heard the name which was delivered to
Antoine hy the General, and who, I'M
ierstanding the corporafs dumb show,
agrees to pronounce the name before the
notary. That iunctionaTy L. summoned,
but Picard, hearing al his son 5 disgrace
in committing the robbery charged upon
the corporal. rushes from the nom and
commits suicide, dying with the name
unuttered. The crafty frochard gaining
an entire history of the case, seeks
the hand OF the owner OF the
lands which he iraudulently occupies.
that he NAV make his claim upon
them sure, and in this he is backed by
the second husband OF the Generals
vile, who comes To- light again in the
third act. The husband, fearful that
his honor NAV be impeacl,cd by the
publication OF his union 10 a mother
whose first marriage Is unknown, has
announced that the child no longer lives.
when in an eifeCting scene mother and
daughter are brought together. The
two plotters then endeas"r I" hasten
the marriage and the foaced bride takes
the pen TO sign the contract, when the
corporsl's son, who loves her, seizes
pistol with which To- terminate his eNi>-
tence. This act - terrifies his father
that, springing towards him and avert
ing the aim oi the weapon, hr finds his
speech and pronounces the name that
wrests the land ip,m the lominancy al
a villain. establishes the legitimacy ri
their real posscssor and terminates the
play happily.