Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-12-13

3 bO1Es AND CbolCk lLACEe 90 FOR LARGE
sUxs--DIsTIEGUIsHED MEN AMONG The BUY
| KRs-AcroR cKASE TAKE: TURN AS AUo-
| TIOSEER-IScIDENIs OF TIE DAY
To say that the auction sale Of seats for the
Press Club benefit that is to be held at Al
baugh's next FRIDAY was a success would be to
put IL even too mildly to suit a profession whose
sole aim in life is TO tell the truth and never to
ezaggerate. The auction took place yesterday
afternoon at o'clock in the restaurant Of the
House Of Representatives, and the friends Of
the newspaper men, well rs the members Of
the guild themselves, rallied in such numbers
and with such big wads Of bills in their fists
that when he last call of going, going, gone"
was made by the auctionser the tin box into
which The money went Was full TO the brim, and
a careful count made later in the evening
showed that the pile was worth Just about
81. 600 in good Creenbacks and certified checks
I some time before O'Clock the restaurant was
packed that it was an impossibility for any
more 10 crowd in, when Col. F. ID. Mussey of
the Cincinnati Commercial Gazette mounted
handicapped table and gave the word for the
fua to begin. Col. Mu.sey the auctioneer
and when the day comes when there is money
IN the newspaper business the eloquent colonel
has profession ready cut and dried for him.
I The wav he ran the bidding IN and the amount
/ be made that gOod-natured crowd give up was
a surprise to those who had come with the idea
I that because they were on hand early they could
have the pick vi the house for few dollars.
SOME HIGH PRICES.
/ The highest price paid for box was s250
This the amount that THE EVENING STAR
I paid for lower stage box, and when the bid
was given the crowd eheered. in fact it did
! every time a phenomenal bid was made or the
2 of a nrOmIIHrt a
I chaser.
I he highest price paid for a single seat
/ 500. This was what II cost Congressman Bel
den % New York To get the first choice of seats
/ in the orchestra. Hs took seat II, and in the
event that Mr.. Belden is unable to be present
: vhen the curtain rises at noon on Friday the
audience will probably find that seat draped
with flowers, for cool century of dollars is said
to be the largest price ever paid for single
| seat at any such entertainment in this country.
I DISTINGUISHED PURCHASERS.
These prices. while they were the largest,
were by no means the only big bids. for the
bidding had been in progress for a good while
before a person could get couple Of orchestra
seats together for less than S25. Many of the
I leading men in The Senate and House we're
among the bidders had left bids with tho
correspondents. The sale only lasted a couple
/ Of hours, but it did not stop until the crowd
had spent all the money they could well afford,
i
/ they had intended. Col Mussey has such
/ seductive manner about him. you know. Thus
I when Speaker Crisp had put out good lump Of
| Ia, mber- salary for a bunch OF tickets and was
I followed by ex-Speaker Reed, Senator David B.
/ Hill. Congress man Cummings and other we'll
/ known Statesmen the guieless auctioneer would
eXpatiate on the advantages, socially morally
and politically, OF sitting next TO such men at
such performance. aud the prices of seats in
! their Immediate neigEbOrhOOd at once took an
n 4. toto Al
all he while Slr. Waiter WellInsn. the acting
! president 81 the National Capital Press Club.
eat q; the receipt Of customs and smiled in
nOcent smile as the men who are usually asked
only to give up news stepped TO the desk
and gave Up good solid wealth. In this
/ pleasing If ardIous. task Mr.. Welman who is
| incidentally the Washington corresI Ondent of
/ the Chicago Herald, wa. assisted by Mr- G. A
/ Boyntoa. the secretary of the club. and Mr.. J.
/ l.. Jones OF TUE STAR. While the fun
! going Mr.. Hobart Brooks OF the New York
! Asrgd wandering around with happy
/ look on hi face and his hand full OF commits
[ sious from wealthy friends Mr.. Brooks is the
chairman ~ the entertainment committee. and
20 him more than to anyone else IL due the
credit tor the success that is now so certain.
When the auction Was over there were very few
seats ieit unsold in the orchestra and these will
/ not lat long now that the box sheet is open at
Albaugh's-
MR. CRANE TAXES THE HAMMER.
! Fo- few minutes there a change in the
/ auctioncer. Mr. ". Ii. Crane in the crowd.
/ Not only will he and his company present an
act Of the senator" on Friday but yesterday
! lie bad in "a seat fo- himself at a high figure and
I then announced his willingness to go the
stand and auction off that ticket again. His
humor OIL the auction table was Is rich as it is
/ GA he larger stage that LIE usually treads. and
after lie had told few funny stories and guyed
! the newspaper men bit he started the sale of
I the la.tebOard and in few minutes had added
| So TO The receipts. The money came out of
/ the inside pocket Of Mr. c. W. johnson, chief
clerk Of the Senate.
/ The fret business of the afternoon was the
[ auctoning of Of the boxes, eight in number.
he first vent TO Capt. Geo. l.. Lemon for
I SZ2j. Gen. Newberry cashed in $500 for
: OF The lower boxes and another went TO the
/ Pabst Brewing Company for $500. Box c. one
I OF the lower stage boxes. was started at { $50
/ and from hat II up steadily to $3.50. at
which figure ii was secured by The EVENING
I STAR Company. The four upper boxes went
I ono 70 Count Nitkievicz for 5000 one to Sena-
tor Free for sll6. ono to ex-senator Whitney
FOR : $50 and the last to Mr.. W. W. Rapley of
ihe National Theater for $780,
oTHEEs WHO TOOK SEATS.
The second choice of seats secured bv
| Miss Rose Coghlan, who gave go for the
/ chance Senator d. z. Hill took No. in row
II at SIS Mr. Eoessle paid s25 apiece for Nos.
and 4 IN row +. Representative John l..
I Mitchell and Senator Paddock we're the next
BUYERS. Joe Howard. the New York CORES
Ioulont. paid $40 for two seats in row y. and
Representative Amos Cummings paid SEQ for
two Immediately behind him. Representative
I Price OF Louisiana paid go for "a single seat,
and Mr.. NcAl!lIiu gave Si3 for Nos. l, 3 and
Z N row e. C!erk Kerr was contributor at the
| same figure. As well a. Mr.. Walter Wellmsn
I Numerous enators. Representatives and other
wcN-sucwn QeoFir, either personally or through
friends, responded literally to the auctioneer's
CALI amt the beet seats in Inc orchestra went off
Ike hot CAKES. MANY Who were ready to buy
ucAets al good round prices could not wait
until an o{I Ortunity offered.
/ Repre- -entauvo Jason Brown Of Indiana last
! night purchased five seats, paying 500
R other seats were sold during the evening at
sui prices. bringing up the total receipts for
the dav 20 nearly - zoo.
Mr.. Whitney. who bought one of the boxes
ha- tecgrsi he'd hat il will be impossible for
him elf OF his wife 10 attend and has donated
the box 20 the club. Sealed bids for its pur-
chase vii be received b. the executive com
u..tt-e mp 20 p. on Wednesday.
The ticket committee have decided to charge
IS Tor the remaining seats in the orchestra III
tue hrst four rows Of the orchestra circle and
the irst two rows of the balcony The other
reseryCd seats in the house are placed at 20.
gallery. : /, and general admission to the or
s ch7stra. Si.5O.