The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-01-16
WAS TOO REALISTIC.
For Even tho Naughty, Naughty
Parisians to Stomach.
PUBLIC DECENcY' is OUTRAGED
by Play in Paris Thcatrc...It
Must Have Been Very Bad, for the
Theatrical People Arc Arrested and
Imprisoned for Presenting 1t,

PARIS, Jan. ia veritable eauS.
celcbrs was heard before the Ninth Cham.
Der OF Correctional Police Wednesday.
1t was tho prosecution Of Do Chirac,
manager OF the Theatre Realistic, rs well
ms OF thrco actresses who assisted him,
for "outraging public dccency' with a
series Of neutrality-suspicious. which
he called realistic exhibitions" They
wero SO infamous that even the Paris
critics only alluded 10 them with cx-
pressions OF disgust, calling upon the
legal authority to wake up and prevent
a repetition.
cool ASSUMPTION.
Chirac Is twenty-five years old. Until
ho commenced his career in little hall
in tho Rue Rochecourt ho was en-
ployed by ono OF the railway companies
When asked his profession by the presi-
cent Of tho court no Replied:
~ am man OF letters" which called
forth an ironical burst of hilarity.
Then the president narrated the in.
cidents Of tho performance and con.
Guided by asking the defendant il he
did not think he was outraging public
decency.
The defendant answered.:
In all good faith, what have done
is for literature. You can appreciate it
or not"
Z Two OF the actresses appeared in court
and claimed to be irresponsible agents
in the affair. A third actress, known
as Nine. De Meranval, did not put in
an appearance.
A TIE SENTENCES.
Various witnesses were heard, chiefly
well known journalists and critics.
Finally N. Labor spoke in defence Of
De Chirac, alluding to his youth and
"eXtreme enthusiasm for what he con-
sidercd tho true creed in art" and
pleaded other alleged extcnuating cir
cumstances.
The court inflicted fino OF o00f. on
Chirac and condemned him to fifteen
months Imprisonment; Nine. De Mer.
ainval, fifteen months; Mine. Hair
douin, two months and Nine. Munter,
one months Imprisonment.
DE CIIIRAc's REALISM.
The "Theatre-Realistic" is, or rather
was merely another OF those elcemosy-
nary institutions that have sprung up
like mushrooms OF late in Paris at which
single performance is given to an
audience OF subscribers or invited guests.
The bill in the present instance con-
tanned suggestive and unprintablc titles
and the Entertainment" proved SO dis
gushing that not one OF tho critics in
vited to witness it ventured to sully his
pen by a description. The audience,
which was thoroughly fin de steele,
merely jeered at the first; but the in
dignation which the latter created
among those casy-going spectators was
SO great that the curtain had to be rung
down before the end OF the "play."
A second edition OF this scandalous
exhibition was announced, but the
police interferred to forbid it, and De
Chirac, with the actress who appeared
( at his side, were prosecuted for "out-
raging public decency.n It transpires
that the Theatre Realistic had only two
subscribers, the tickets OF admission be-
ing sold in the usual way, so it is clear
that the director" merely strove to
turn dishonest penny by catering to
prurient curiosity.
A significant feature of De Chirac's
examination before the police magis-
trate was that he claimed to be less cul-
pablo than NJ. Antoine, whose Theatre
Libre, he maintains, has been far
MASTER than his own filthy under
taking.
. NJ. Sarcy, the eminent critic, was in
vited to attend a performance, but sent
cutting refusal.