The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-09-09
EVA is A FAILURE.
Robert Ray Hemilton's Alleged
Widow Quits Transforming,
Her COMPANY BECAME STRANDED
After a Very Brief Engagcment---The
People Didn't Caro- to See Her Pa
rade Her Disgrace and the Show
Didn't Draw.-.shc Had to Pay the
Board Bills of Her Company After
the Performance.

SHAMoRIN, Pa, Sept. Sine theatre
cal company in which Mrs. Eva Mann
was the central figure came to grief in
this place Saturday night. 1t is not
likely that she will parade the stabbing
of Nurse Donnelly before the public
any more, although Manager Cole says
that the Philadelphia engagement will
be filed. The company was to have
played at Williamsport tonight, but
the engagement has been cancelled. as
have all others in country towns. The
combination left here for New York.
One of the actors told the Reading ticket
agent that after the tickets were pur.
chased there was ten cents left. Had
not Mrs. Mann given $40 to help pay
board bills it is probable that some OF
them would have had TO walk home.
This was the fifth aud last perform
ance. On the day before the company
swooped down ON pottsville. Two hun
dred persons composed the audience,
and. II reports are true, the company
had "hard luck" there. A few OF the
men were assaulted by bystanders in q
saloon for Directing to derogatory re-
marks about Mrs Mann. Saturday
morning the troupe arrived In Shame
kin. A big crowd was at the station to
get glimpse of Mrs. Mann. She was
heavily yelled when she got off the cars.
She was escorted 10 hotel near by,
and had monday lunch served in her
room. The company rehearsed in the
afternoon, but Eva stayed in her rooms
enjoying a novel. She was rudely dis
turbed by IN enterprising boy, who
begged permission TO sell her photo
graphs to the audience in the evening.
The adventures flew into rage and
drove the boy from her room. She said
that the newspapers had Paraded her
face entirely too much to suit her.
Soon after this the manager wired
Charles Gardner OF New York, tho back
or OF the venture, that money was need
ed to pay expenses. No answer was re-
ceived. Gardner had told Cole that he
would stand all expenses as far as Potts
Vile, and il the nightly receipts were
not large enough to makeit go after that
the company would have to manage for
themselves. Cole assembled the COM
pany in the parlor and informed them
OF the facts. They eagerly awaited
nightfall. When the curtain rose 100
people were scattered about the theatre.
On the appearance Of Mrs. Mann few
gallery gods applauded in derision. She
was very pale and trembled. She spoke
in a low tone and the prompter came to
her aid frequently. When she was en-
tering the cottage in which the stabbing
was to occur, she half faced the audi
ence and fell back into the arms OF her
leading man, out OF sheer nervousness.
During the remainder OF the play she
acted into an aimless manner. Before
the show ended several people had left
the hall
The most annoying part OF Evas trials
began after she had regained the hotel.
Manager Cole told the night clerk that
the company was ina fix, and that there
was not enough money among the crowd
to pay the bills. The clerk aroused the
proprietor, who told him to get all the
money he could, and that to hGrbor
them another day would mean that
much more expense. Mrs. Mann re-
luctantly opened her purse and gave
the $50. Manager Cole was asked why
such small houses had been encounter.
ed. He said that the newspapers had
been attacking the play sosavagely that
it ruined the house in each town:
Every paper, big and small, had
"roastedh them. He added: "NIrs.
Hamilton has laid no pretense to acting:
She thought that her reputation would
draw big houses.
Since the night Eva played the OPEN
ing engagement in New Jersey she has
viewed with complacency the diminish
ing crowds in each theatre, but when
the final crash came she wept bitterly.
When the company registered yester-
day Mrs. Mann's residence was omitted.
During the day some one supplied the
words, Trenton Prison" Eva was
very indignant when informed OF it, and
had them erased.