The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-12-30
CONCERT LAST NIGHT.
A Performance Praised by Those
Who Saw 1t.
Strong Condemnation, However,
Upon the Ticket System
Investigation Called.


given last night, and was rendered to an
audience that occupied every part of the
opera house where sitting or standing
room could be had.
The same trouble which marked the
first nights entertainment, with regard to
reserved seats, was repeated last night,
with the enforced aggravation that the an
nouncement had been made that for
this concert there would be no reserved
tickets sold. placard was placed over
the ticket Office of the opera house yester-
day morning to the effect that no reserved
seats would be sold to anybody. Yet last
night no one could enor the opera house
without they held the little green coupon
which called for a reserved seat. BY
whose order was this? How is the recon
Citation to be made between the placard
of yesterday and the rule of last mighty
And how, in the face of that placard, is TO
be reconciled the fact that re
served seat tickets were sold
by outside spectators at dollar
and that the tickets so bought from spec
ulators were honored at the door.
representative of The STATESMAN was
at the opera house and saw the crowd
that was there. Ladies and gentlemen
crowded the sidewalk and even stood in
the street waiting for an an opportunity
to get in. Marshall Lucy was on the
ground with full force of police to pre-
serve order,and to him perhaps is due the
fact that there was no crush. Sergeant
Palmer held the front door, and on the in
side were several officers, all of whom
were kept busy in controlling the com
planning crowd. Ladies weee required to
stand for some time before they could
even move, and then unless they had re-
served seat coupons had to go home. IL
is fair estimate tosay that five hundred
people went away without even getting
inside the front door. The extent of com
plant is such as to merit an investigation,
and such has been suggested by a number
of citizens of Austin who are interested in
seeing fairness done all around.
In this connection The STATESMAN gives
place to the following communication
from gentleman who is a visitor to the
city, and who was a sufferer by the re-
served seat imposition.
AUSTIN, December %, 1886.
To the Editor of THE STATESMAN;
think that state the views of almost
all the visitors to your city when say that
the manner in which the Confederate gift
concert was managed was very poor, to
say the best that could be said. l mean
by this, the selling of the reserved seats,
as means of speculation, which was GER
tainly done, if / am rightly informed.
Many came here from a distance, and
having bought their tickets in September,
would have as willingly paid the paltry
sum of twenty-five cents extra for reserved
seats at the same time, had they just been
so informed.
But, to come here and see the penuri
ousnoss of some, in the speculation of
reserved seats, it really Disguised all that
heard of it.
There were many visitors that did not
get near the door. The good people of
Austin ought to frown upon such greed,
or avarice. We think, no matter what in
ducements were held out, no such coul
be practised upon the concert-going
public from distance again.
l know SO, for two, at least
We do not think the managers of the
Confederate home at fault. But some
one is, but just where to put the blame,
we do not know. The drawing was fairly
and honestly conducted so far as we
could see, and we think we could see as
we'll as anybody. A. E. BELo.
THE OPERA.
At the opera house last evening the
Pirates of Penzance was repeated for the
third time to an audience as appreciative
as at the first performance. Like all of
Sullivans operas the PIRATES" improve
81, u.
performance seems better than
the preceding one. AS the
music becomes more familiar to the ear
the rendering of each number is more
thoroughly enjoyed by the hearers, how
ever weary of it the performers may be-
come.
The cast of the principal characters
last evening, was the same as on the pre-
vlous performances of the opera, with
the exception of the maior-general. This
part was taken last night by Mr.. Howard
Long, who scored home-run in the way
of successes. Mr. Long assumed the no
easy task of playing papa to numerous
feminine progeny at comparatively few
hours notice,and considering this his per-
formance was phenomenal, his singing
excellent.
For Misses Bowers and Boardman The
STATESMAN reporters repertoire of com
mandatory phrases lacks material What
he had were exhausted in former criti-
cisms, and as their performance gives no
room for adverse remarks, he fears to say
anything for fear of proving un-Shakes-
pearean in repeating. This may be also
said of the work of Messrs. Stacy, Belyln,
Crane and Cummings, their singing and
acting being above criticism.
Much praise is due to both Mrs. Crane.
and Professor Besserer for their
invaluable assistance. Mrs. Crane
was suffering from a severe head
ache, but she worked as faithfully and
well as if she we're in perfect good health.
Prof. Besserer, in the absence of Prof.
Herzog, who was too sick TO attend, had
to assume the leadership of the orchestra
and direct the music, at both concert and
opera, which arduous tasks he performed
with the greatest of success, and added
much to the smooth running of both en-
terta1nments.
A noticeable feature last evening was the
absence of the uncouth behavior which
married the pleasure of the concert. To
whomever this improved order of things
is due, much gratitude is extended.
Deputy Sheriff Dryden, of Grayson
county, while a friend was brushing his
clothes, happened to very painful acci-