Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-12-25
NEW YORK LETTER
TIE PIorLE, FANcIRs. AND FREAKS
OF eorHAMrowH.
The Stage Revival Of q Scrap Of Paper
Millionaire Oil. Men Bubutut In
High Society.
roor.spopaencs Of the Ricnm ond DtspatchI

An odd ll,tle woman s,rolled down the
aisle OF the Lyceum Theatre the inst nigh'
Of ga Scrap Of Paper" She was chunkily
buih, with her hair clipped as close as
West. Point cadets behind and parted
rak,sbly on one side In front, and she held
her shoulders well back. She had left her
hat down stairs, following the recently-in-
aueurattd custom Of the house.
"pan Frohman," she said as she seized
The chair in one Of her plump little bands
and twisted II deity and firmly into place,
twill make this the most fashionable
theatre In America by bis edict concerning
women's hats. It's English. Women love
10 fuss and furry and Keep men waiting.
IL takes three DAYS TO 20 10 the theatre IN
London. Women make special toilets and
all that. The complaint Of the men about
big hats has started the fashion OF deiay
here"
.,In a short time It will not be possible to
70 of carclcssly 10 the play at an hours no,
tiee and then the men VIII gruhDe aho
blsme-Dsn Frohman.'
Her escort was q receptive man. lie sat
and eIowered down at her with spe'
cics Of elephantine devotion ana seldom
looked al The stage. She might have been
twenty or forty, and she smiled constantly
n
no end Of queer fancies.
The play moved smoothly. II was inof'
fensiyely done. Its performance was the
triumph Of the commonplace. Sardou
never wrote ANYTHING more ingenious,
dainty. and complete than "a scrap OF
Parfrb, I.haye seen men and women OF
ability Mt various characters out OF The
play so that the whole town fell 10 gossip
ing about them at once. Wallack
made less Of n hit than Montague
in the part OF Prosper, for Montague
cave the character an air Of dry and
biose cynicism thai was irresistibly amusing.
From these men 1t is a long drop to Ed
ward Sothern, who played "Prosper at
the IyceIgm. Itwould have been great
performance In the bands Of his father. As
il was. he went through bis PAGES with
calmness end serenity. conveying The idea
of conceit but not OF cynicl>ns Though
he is undeniably one Of the cleyereSt OF
our Younger actors, Sothern did not size
coed In rising above the dead and drowsy
level Of the commonplace Of the cast.
"Wbat funny little people they all are,
said the sbOrt-bared woman meditatively
10 her escort. ether heads look 30 blg
and they're so monsr0usly OIL IN the mat
ter Of legs. Miss Dauvray, Sotbern, Pig
gott. and Miss W ilton are all so desperately
urdcrsized that they look like dolls when
big Joe whiting strides in among them.
whiting looks like a gambler | saw to-day.
/ had been buying gloves ON Broadway
and when | came ont and stood waiting FOL
n car. | found myself beside the knight OF
The green cloth. / gasped silly little gasp
and wished YOU were by. Then | GUIDED
down the gasp end baskcd in the radiant
81 al know
his Lamei'
"JerTe Dunn
ayes, OF course; he's very handsome.
While we were standing thcre-hc didn
see me at ala soedy person with Soaped
mousiacha came mourDfully up, and bow
ing obs, quously to MIR. j. Dunn remarked
in hoatse whisper:
9TH luck, still agn ne, Jerrc.
at is, eh -
"pead aein me. cant strike wilmer
70 save ny boots. Why" he said With
plainliye emphasis as he nodded his head
1T eyeIy other word, "if was 10 starve Tor
six DAYS an then il should begin 10 rain
chicken-soup its ten 10 one I'd he caught
wild a fork in me pocket
But there's the play. Helen Dauyray Is
not a beautiful woman, and she j. apt 70
deck her everyday sort Of a figure ~ The
gaudy sumptuOusnoss OF holiday attire. Ii
She were TO dress in simpler taste what art
she has would command a reader atten-
ton. Her Suzanne in "A Scrap OF Pa
per" il 10 my mind far and away the best
thing she ba- done In New York, and inl-
niteiy better than her harsh and hoydcnl~h
performance in cone Of Our Girls.' But
il is not the Suzanne Of woman OF ge-
Mus. but the result Of careful and ccaselc,,
drilling in old. familiar lines. Everywhere
on the stage could be seen evidences OF
correctness in the cOstumng and mount
ing Of one OF the greatest OF modern come
dies. But | yawned, and looking around,
caught the odd-loOking little woman yawn-
Ing too.
"Dear me-" she sighed gently, 81 fear
I'm growing very old. a few years ago l
wept and laughed and sighed over a
Scrap Of Paper"
ait isn't your fault" slid the escort.
speaking for the first time that evening, n
he pulled on bls top coat "it's the actors
the, re all walking in their sleep and afraid
TO speak aloud for fear OF waking one an
other" II really seemed so.
occasionally see on the elevated railroad
rather sharp-featured man. with Keen
gray eyes and chin-whiskers Of the sort that
usually adCIn the yisage Of the traditional
Yankee. lie is quiet.mannered and un'
pretending, and is one Of the recognized
financial powers Of New York. AZ l. Jabel
A, Bostwick. He was recently elected
pTesidtnt OF The New York and New Eng
land railroad. lie is worth Sl0,O0O,0OO OF
$4,000, 900. stories have at times beer
circulated that he was worth Sj0,OO0,OOO
They overstated his fortune by tivefoid
They were quite as ridiculous a.
that other story that John ID. Rockefeller
Of the Standard.Oi Company, was des
tined TO outshine in wealth all the Oihe
milionaires Of New York. The disgust
ing fawning upon wealth so noticeabl
among certain class is not one OF the lcas
evils Of metropolitan life. 1t i fair to 81
of Mr.. BOstwick that he far from plumln
himself upon his wealth, that he is gene
rally esteemed by those who know bim, an
be is very able businessman. lie wa
born In Ohio some forty.tive years ago, an
eaily in life went to Cleveland, where D
engaged in the hardware business. III
health falling him, he weHt to Lexington
Nv, where the climate was more salu0rlou
1hete he met J. h. Tilford, banker, Wh
took him into his employ and eventual
made him cashier OF his bank. Mr. tillor'
was Young Bostwick's best FREUD at tim
when he had little money aud when ne mo-
needCd assistance. That deb. oil gratitude
understand. was repaid In manner III
recalls the saying that Time has wallet
biz back wherein he puts scraps Tor obliNio'
From Lexington, having accumulated son
capital, Bostwick went TO Covington, opp
site Cincinnati, and became dealer In co
ton and grain. Later on he removed
Cincinnati, and finally came 10 New lor
In. yaunarx 1874 "a hen he embarked IN III
cotton business here. After time he Ell
gagged In the petroleum trade as receive
OF the refined oil, which then came prime
pally from Cleveland. II was fierce stru
gle with other receivers for the control
the trade here, and for considerab
time he was engaged IN shaT
business battle with the Rocket,
lers, who then had small offices down In q
eloomiest part Of Pearl street. After a tit
the rivals came TO an understanding. al
other houses being persuaded or coerc
into Joining the enterprise, the result "
one Of the most powerful, one OF the M
defiant, and at the same time one OF I
meanest monopolies that ever laid unscI
pulous hands on the trade Of this country
the Stsndard-Oll Company. Ii only ext
to-day because the people have not be
sufficiently enlightened concerning its o
gin and It's methods. II will no more
tolerated when It's true character j. IA
roughly understood than the Tweed rii
was tolerated or the combine" Of eerta
New York aldermen.
Much Of Mr. Bostwick's vast wealth
due 10 his prominece In corporate,
which, beginning, II is alleged in the da
OF jim Fisk with the Erie railroad-h
secured rebates on freight rates from