The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-03-11


band OF steel, with three sharp, spear
headed points encircles his forehead;
an executioner stands over him grasp
ing in his hand q screw, each turn Of
which drives the steel points into his
| forehead. The torture will be most eX-
crutiating unless you By one word re-
veal Angelotti.
Ls Tosca hesltatcs, pale as ashes and
,, trembling,
DREADFUL SCENE.
Then Mario, with superhuman efforts,
in faint accents, exclaims:
"Tcsca, you know no. where An
gelotti is; you can disclose nothingP"
"T6urnez !" sbrieks Scarpia.
Then a terrible wall of palma cry
that seems 10 come from the very soul
of dying man--is teard. 1t is
frightful cry, that seems to veil the
universe with misery and desolatien.
La Tosca, overwhelmed with despair,
reveals the truth. The police drag
Angelotti from his hiding place, but he
is in the last agony of death, having
taken poison TO avoid public execution.
Then Cavaradossi appears. He is as
pale as ghost, drops of purple blood
trickle down his forehead; be has
emerged from the torture. but he seems
like walking corpse. Perceiving the
dead body of his friend Angelotti, he
realizes that La Tosca has spoken. La
| Tosca tries TO embrace him, but Mario
| pushes her rudely aside. Spurned by
her lover, La 1osca falls insensible.
| Scarpia then arrests La Tosca and
Maris and sends them to the prison of
le no thirA
WORSE scoUHDRELIsM YET.
The fourth act opens with a scene IN
the palace of Scarpia, Regent of Police
Scarpia, besides being a sort of human
bloodhound, is also "minotaur,"
| having scores of mistresses in every
street in Rome. He knows that La
Tosca hates him. He is in search of q
new refinement of vice. He has never
yet enjoyed the fayors OF woman who
thoroughly Ioathed him. He is sup
ping in his palace. 1t is 2 o'clock IN
the morning. He sends for La Tosca,
and when sac appears he tells her, with
brutal ferceness, that Mario has been
sentenced to be shot the next morning ;
but if La Tosca will consent to pass
the night with him in the palace, he
will save Mario's life. He promises to
give the lovers passport to pass the
| frontier, but to appear to obey orders
| he agrees to have the captain of the
guard have the muskets of the firing
party loaded with blank cartridges.
Mario must feign death, and afterWard
when the body is removed arrange
ments will be made for Mario and La
Tosca to escape together.
THE woMAN's CONSENT AND REVENGE.
Here again love overpowsrs all other
feelings. La Tosca consents to crafty
Scarpia.
Scarpia and La Tosca are seated side
by side at the supper table, candelabra
brilliantly illuminating the hall,
Scsrpia places his arm around La
Tosca and draws her to him. La Tosca,
with lightning rapidity. seizes huge
carving knife and plunges it into
Scarpia's body, killing him instantly.
La Gosca gazes blankly on her PROSTATE
victim. She thinks of the Catholic
church, and with strange impulse she
SEXES two huge candelabra and places
them beside the head of The dead
Scarpia. Then, with womanly instinct
and tenderness-in dramatic contrast
with her murderous fury of moment
before-she places silver crucifX on
his breast.
In the fifth act La Tosca informs
Spoletta, the captain of the guard, that
she has performed her part OF the
en-. agement. Scarpia's assassination is
still undiscovered. Ia Tosca tells
out Scarpia's orders about the feigned
execution and escape.
THE EXECUTION CARRIED OUT.
This the captain proceeds to do.
Mario Cavaradossi is led out. The fir
ing party is drawn up and the words of
command are given -" Ready! Aim
Fire!" Mario falls motionless to the
ground. Spoletta steps forward, bends
over the body and places his hand Oh
his heart. He smiles and retires. La
Tosca appears. She exlaims:-
mario Conceal is ready! have
our passports The carriage is here! In
an hour we shall have crossed the
front!er!" Mario remains motionless.
La Tosca rushes up TO him, places her
hand on his heart aud utters
wild shrek like that of Mario when he
w do uhOC1 oOIheo va bOACs hAolAO 10 OCo0s
Death is not feigned, but reality. La
Tosca discovers that the orders of the
captain were to have Euskets loaded
exactly as for any common criminal,
Scarpia's object being merely to crafty
his desires and let the result take care
! of itself. La Tosca calls the captain an
assassin. My superior's ORDERS" re-
| Joins Spoletta. La Tosca, beside her
self with rage, boasts that she has
killed Scarpia, and regrets that she
could not have the exquisite delight of
killing him again.
Spoletta and the police rush off to
verify the truth of La Tosca's con-
fession. During their absence La
Tosca leaps over the parapet of the
Castle of st. Angelo into the Tiber, and
the curtain falls.
The New York Herald says of the
performance: 1t was almost IL O'Clock
when the curtain was rung down on
the closing scene. In consequence of
the lateness of the hour it is almost i'm
possible to give to the play and per-
! Torrance the careful, critical consider
alton that work by so eminent play
wright and by so distinguished an &C
4 dnoou-oo Ioko, 4 ,,x