The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-17
HIGH PRICES FOR SEATS.
WHAT SONS PEOPLE WILL PAY
TO SEE BOOTH AND BARRETT.

The First Choice Brings 81 1871, 500
the Aggregate of the First Hours
Sale-$6 the Average Price of Front
Seats-How the Sale Was Conducted.
There was not what theatrical people
would call rush when the Booth Barrett
sale of seats began yesterday morning at
Davis Bros, but there were enough people
on hand to make the bidding lively from
the start.
The seats were sold at auction. This is a
procedure without precedent here, but it is
the custom in many Northern and Western
cities. Ten o'clock was the hour fixed for
the sale.
There were hardly more than dozen
people waiting up to that hour. They
began to dropin though by twos and threes,
and when the sale opened, a few minutes
after the hour appointed, the place was
pretty well filled. Mr.. II. c. Davis con-
Quoted the sale.
THE FIRST BID.
The first bid offered was 81 for the privilege
of selecting n seat in addition TO which was
the 81 admission. The bid was raised 10 So
then to So and finally to So IS, and Dr.
William Duncan became the possessor of
seats l, ?, and 4, row l, section q in the
dress circle, paying a bonus of Sl5 for the
four tickets
Mr. F. ]. Mccall secured the second
choice at the same figure, and chose front
seats l, 2 3 and in section of the dress
circle
Mr. F. A. Smith secured the next choice a
50, and Mr.. II. M. Conner the next at s. 80.
Mr.. Smith took four tickets, and MI Conner
five. Mr.. G. w. Tedeman also bid IS 80
for four seats. Messrs. A. j. Merkle, $.
Meinhard and Dennis j. Murphy bid success
fully at the same figure.
THE BIDDING BEGINS TO wANE.
The price then began to drop, and Mr.. j.
d. Miller secured the next two seats for
s. % From that the price went down to
SIS, and then to 81 rs. Mr.. n A. Pratt Sc
cured eight seats at that price, and Mr.. A.
S. Guckenheimer the next six for 81 80.
Up to the twentyeghth choice the price
held up to "a So but after that it dropped
to 81 %. Buyers who had been standing
aloof waiting for the prices to wane then
put in their oars and tine sale kept up until
all of the choice seats in the orchestra ana
dress circle had been taken. When the sale
closed it was on the fifty-fourth choice, and
the receipts were then nearly 81 800.
The private boxes were not offered atauc-
ton, but will be sold to-day at S25. The
sale was kept up until O'Clock last night at
81 25 a seat
TO BE RESUMED TODAY.
The color of the tickets was then changed,
and the sale wilsre-open at $50 this morn
ing at 81. The sale yesterday embraced all
of the desirable seats in the orches-
ira and dress circle, leaving a
part of threa rows and scattered seats
to be sold today. None of the first balcony
seats were auctioned, and they are one of
the choice locations in the theatre, There
was no buying by spectators. Several
were on hand, but they did not dare risk
the chance of losing, and the legitimate
buyers had it all to themselves.
SOME OF THE BUYERS.
Those who bought at the sale, besides
those whose names have already been men
toned were Alderman Herman Myers, Col.
William .Garrard Mayor Lester, w. w.
Mackall, w. w. Fraser, W. w. William
son, Beirne Gordon, DIR. W. w. Owens,
Lee Roy Myers, s. c. Haynes, T. d.
Rockwell, M. J.. Screven, II. j.
Rieser, r. NJ Demere, Frank +. Rebarer,
j. C. Lawton, j. d Simllins, Ii. Jensen. b.
X Copper, Frank Weldon, f. F. Lawton,
w. G. Morrell, T. B. Wylly, A. L. Alex
ander, II. H. Hull, L. j. Gazan, f, Gut
man, G. A. Shearson, D. l. Mcintyre,
Austin Wilson, G. NJ Houston, Capt d. &.
Purse, j. F, Doyle, w. r. Mcintyre, q. S
McAlpin and j. r. Young. DR.. w W.
Owens was the largest purchaser. bidding
81 p each for ten tickets. The limit was
first tixed at six seats, but when it was
seen that the spectators were not bidding
the limit was removed. Quite a number of
bidders bought for others than themselves,
so that the list of purchasers does not alto
gether show the make up of the audience.