The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-09-10
d" The LYONS Mail"

Last evening Mr.. Irving favored 4 large aud.
ience with his somewhat famous rendering Of
the English adaptation of MessrS. Moreau
SevaDdin and Deacour's lie Courier de
Lyon" and Of which The following IS the pre-
els:
In 1896, between Liewesaint and Melun. in
France, the Lyons mail coach was sci upon by
robbers, the position and courier were shot
and killed ana The coach pundeTed. TIE
leader of the lObberS and actual murderer was
a villain named DubOsc. An innocent man,
Joseph LesurqueS, who Glanced 10 bear d
strong personal resem blance TO this miSereant,
was accused OF The crime and brought to trial.
and partly by the testimony of Witnesses who
sWOre directly 10 his Identity Will the niuT.
derer, partly because OF the cruel preciDitancy
OF ali unjust Judge named Jeromes GUhitr,
who rejected conclusive abb ana
assumed his guilt, LeSurques was con
yicted, condemned 10 death and guilIotned.
he lett widow aud Three children. His body
was buried in Pere la Chase near the tomb OF
Abelard and HelOlse, aud his grave marked by
a white marble monument bearing this inscrIp-
ZION: "a la memorie de Joseph Lesurques,
Vlctlme de la bus drplOraOle DIES erreurs hu-
malnes. 81 0ctobre. 1896. Sd yeuve ct SEES
enfaDls, martyrs tous deux sur la terre, t0us
deuX Sont Ieuuis au cie." LesurqueS left this
letter, which was published al the time: you
IN whose stead l am about TO die rest content
with the sacrifice of my life. II ever you fall
into the hands OF justice think or my children,
covered with disgrace and of their mother
prey 10 despair, aud do not prolOng the misery
caused by the fatal likeness l bear TO YOU" III
1900 The truth became known aud The assassin
DubOse was executed.
THIS play was adapted for the English theater
IN 1851, and changed in one or wo particulars.
In the original Lesurques is led TO execution :;
IN the English adaptation he Is indicated at
the last moment. a little later Charles hean
brought it out at The Princess Theater Lon
don, using a version made by Charles Reaue
and himself performing the double persona
ton. Inf1S77 Mi. Irving revived it, at The
Lyndon Lyceum. under the name of ''1he
Lyons Mall" The same as lie produced at the
Grand Opera-houSe last evening.
The ilay is IN three acts: the first shows The
commission OF the crime, and Is devoted mainly
10 Dabosc; the second to LesurQues; the third
reVeIts TO DubOSc, aud presents him III scene
of brutal depravlty, surveying from a garnet
window the preparations for the execution of
his double. The end is his disappearance and
the almost instant entrance of Tie indicated
LesuTques.
The interest of the piece centers almost en-
tirely IN Irving and The manner he plays the
double role ana the extraordinary facil-
rutlan Dub0sc TO the gentle ana loVable Le-
surques, filling the conditions OF both persona
lions perfectly. In fact, looking at these Two
Frenchnen as handled by Irving, 50 opposite in
mental characteristics, one is strongly reminded
OF Tue Jekyl and Hyde business 10 Robert
Louis SteEeDSon'S book. There Is not much
difhculIy IN hiking Lesurques aud DuboSe.
played by one mau, as apprOXlmdtiug the work
ing of the good aud evil DrIucipie shown ia lie
unfortunate English doctor.
Janette. infatuated WIFE DubOsc, was PLAYED
by Miss Ellen Terry. Ii is small paIt. but
she improved its every opportunity