The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1882-02-28
THE OATES VERSION.
What the Western Singer
Thinks Of Denver Jour-
nalism.
Why She Refused to be Inter
viewed and the Conse-
quences.

Alice Oates and her company oil
San Francisco artists are at present
deiighting audiences in the interior
towns of Kansas. and On Sunday last
the prima donna was interviewed by a
reporter of that sprightly paper, the
Topeka Capital. After some few
preliminary skirmishes in order to get
rid Of Mr.. Watkins, husband of Mrs.
Oates, the reporter mildly suggested
that the company had just arrived
from Kansas City:
"Yes, Il presume you know that, if you
have read the Kansas City papers.
The newspapers have treated us quite
unjustly, both at Denver and Kansas
City. 1t was spite work, l think. l
will tell you about it"
81 should be glad to hear it,"
'1H Denver they wanted to inter
view me, and a gentleman, Mr..
Field, believe, sent his card to nv
room about II o'clock. l had just re-
tired, and having been travelling all
day and feeling exhausted, sent word
to him that if he would excuse me
would be pleased to see him the next
day / presume he didn't like my
refusal, and the paper the next day
published pretended interview with
me. When the gentleman called
again to see me / sent him word that
he had done so well the first time, that
| thought he did not need to see me
and refused him the interview. l
heard he said
HE WOULD GET EVEN,
and the paper said good deal about
me that wasn't true. but it did not
hurt our business until We got to
Kansas City"
"Have you been accustomed to
such treatment from the newspa-
pers?"
mo, indeed. sir y; Denver is the
first city, and l think the papers
there had something to do with what
they said at Kansas City. always
give first class performances and my
company is composed of ladies and
gentlemen. But then, l don't care
what they say about me, only l don't
like my family to see it. You news
paper men sometimes forget in your
mention of ladies in our profession
that we have mothers and sisters as
well as other people. 1t is all right
to criticize our merits: they can say
all they please about me on the stage,
that l can't act or sing, but when
they publish that l drink and carouse
off the stage and that the members of
our company are not ladies and gen.
tlemen, it is very unjust and as false
as it can be. This Kansas City mat
ter annoyed the ladies of the COM
pany very much more than it did me.
[ don't let it bother me.
DON'T GET THIN AT ALL"
"From appearances, Mrs. Oates. I
should say you enjoyed remarkably
good health" INTERCEPTED the scribe.
81 do. indeed, sir; though it is
wonder we don't all die.--changing
diet and climate nearly every day
and living most of the time on the
cars
Have you had good business
this season ?"
"Splendid until we reached Kan
sas City. l played six weeks in
San Francisco, and people we're
turned away every night. In Kan
sas City we didn't do so well. The
scurrilous articles in the papers there
kept the people away. Isent copies
to nav lawyer in New York, and a
suit for libel may be brought. 1t
was very mean Of the newspapers.
Why, in Denver they had men at
the sides of the stage watching us.
1 told our girls to be careful not to
whisper or they would hear Of it in
the paper. They said 1 used the
Pinafore expression, 'dsmme,' and
the little lady shrugged her plump
shoulders at the thought of such a
thing.
"The Denver interview gave your
age at 80 years." interrogated our
audacious representative.
NOT so OLD.
did they? They didn't know. /
nresume YOU would like to know my
age?"
The scribe nodded.
Il am the youngest lady in comic
opera Oh the stage"
Our young man remarked under
his breath that "they all are"
81 am % years old, and have been
in comic opera for eight years and on