The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-02-03

era containing but one melody hides in n
trunk, which his sweetheart then orders to
be strapped up and shipped to Vicksburg; an
Irish sergeant jokes pleasantly with his gen
eral and captain; the word mamma is pro-
nounced ma-mar; the villain makes desber-
ate love to a short negro girl, whom he
mistakes for the tall heroine because the
former has disguised" herself by throwing
her mistress cloak about her; the female
villain, an octoroon, In love with the hero
who is already supplied with a living
wife, puts on Tugs" dresses in great
style and throws herself about in such
an independent manner that the heroine
feels impelled to get on her knees and crave
the humble boon of being permitted to be
her friend, II favor which, in justice to the
villainess, it should be stated, is not
granted. That lady feels sorry for what
she has done Her conscience smites her
She doesn't tell you this, but you can see
that it is so. She makes her exit, left sec
ond entrance, and the next time she ap-
pears villainy is actually eXuding from her
There Is no nonsense about her She deals
In the dyed-in thewool- and n yard-wide
brand of deviltry.
Trite is perhaps not exactly the proper
adjective with which to describe the plot of
Captain Hernc," etc, but it comes nearer
TO the mark than anything else given by
Webster in his justly celebrated ortho-
graphical work. Howard Herne and
Godfrey Colchester are half brothers, who
live on II plantation near New Orleans
When the war breaks out Howard es-
pouses the cause of the Union. The rest, of
course, sympathiZe with the Confederacy
Howard is disowned by his mother, and his
brother, who is interchangeable in making
love to his half sister-in-law, tries to kill
him in battle, and failing in this attempts
to poison him mt the close of hostilities by
havoring his medicine with prussic acid
His mother is, however. at the time looking
into the mirror Of IL bureau which happens
TO he in the sitting room, and the villain is
foiled again, but makes amends for his
poor work in the matter by commercially
numbering the ''villainess''
There is a ridiculous minor love affair
running through the play, as we'll as Sc
rles of mutual MISUNDERSTANDING between
Howard and his wife, brought about by de-
vices of the bad man and bad woman of the
piece. They are so transparent that no ten
year-old child would have been deceived by
them, and yet they seemed to fool the grown
up actors and actresses.
lady named Margaret Barrett Smith
pleads guilty on the programme to the au-
thorship Of Captain IIcrne, U. S. A., and
1T must be admitted that if she were Bron-
son Towards only rival in dramatic writ
ing the dean of American playwrights
might feel secure of his position for many
years to come. But bad as Miss Barrett's
play unquestionably is, it would not have
seemed so hopeless had the actors enjoyed
even bowling acquaintance with their
lines. But several of them seemed to have
forgotten that they were expected to know
their parts, and the result, aus may be i'm
agined, was somewhat demornlizing to
those who had the forcthought to do lit
tie studying
f.. j. Henley is IN excellent actor, and he
knows it. Perhaps it is this consciousness
of his ability which has kept him back
somewhat He is full of earncstness and is
vigorous and conscientious, but he is scarce