The record-union., 1894-09-17
ACTOR THOMPSON BADLY BATTERED.
His Former Father-in-Law Interviews
Him Roughly.
He Tells the Tale of How Thompson
Abused His Wife and Borrowed
Money of Her Parents.

An affray occurred at the Golden Eagle
Hotel on Saturday evening about $50
o'clock, in which w. H. Thompson, an
actor connected with the Frohman Com
pany, was severely punished.
John Greer, well-known sporting
man, formerly resident of this city. met
Thompson in the barroom and accosting
him demanded payment of S5l0 which
Thompson borrowed of his tGreer's)
wife some years ago. After few re-
marks, Thompson declined in a sneering
way to pay the money, saying he had
paid it, and Greer struck him, knocking
him partly down and following up the
blow, beat him severely.
A gentleman caught Greer's arms from
behind and Thompson escaped into the
office. Greer followed him and would
have followed up the attack, but Frank
Gray, wishing to avert further trouble.
told Thompson to get out of the way and
be ran through the dining-room and es-
capped. AS he has not put in an appear
ance since, 1t Is supposed he took the
overland train for the East a few hours
afterward.
Mr.. Greer stated that about seven years
ago his daughter, then a girl of Is, but
WIZ DSCdul6 Il SUCCESSFUL
actress under The name of Dolly Greer
was secretly married in San Francisco to
Thompson, she being at the time living
with her parents, who objected to the
match. Thompson took her with him
and they played circuit throughout the
Northwest and Arizona to Los Angeles,
coming to San Francisco. While the
couple were living with Mrs. Greer in
San Francisco Thompson secured an en-
gagement in New York and wished his
wife to go there. AS she was in Door
health Mrs. Greer accompanied them,
paying her expenses and also footing the
hotel and other bills of Thompson and
his wife while in New York, although
Thompson was getting $50 per week
Mrs. Greer returned to San Francisco.
and not long afterward Mrs. Thompson,
who had meanwhile played a round of
engagements in the East with her hus-
band, returned to her mother, broken
down in health, and Thompson went
back to New York.
Greer was at the time in New Mexico
engaged in mining. He came to San
Francisco. and his daughter for the first
time related how Thompson had abused
her and pawned her wardrobe piece by
piece. Under such circumstances he ad-
vised her to get divorce, which she did.
on the grounds of cruelty.
Thompson made no defense. and the
=
divorce being matters of record in San
francisco. During his married life Mrs
Greer had not only paid many of Thomp-
sons bills, as well as those of his wife.
he having never provided in any way for
the latter's needs, but she had also lent
him at different times sums aggregating
500, and Greer himself had lent him con-
siderable money, not knowing of Thomp-
sons i'll treatment of his wife, who had
never until the last moment allowed her
parents to know how she had been
abused.
Since the time Of the divorce, Thomp-
son has never been on this coast until
now, and Greer, learning that he was in
this city Saturday, embraced the oppor-
tunity of meeting him.
1t having been stated that he had a
knife, with which he assaulted Thomp-
son, he strenuously denies that such was
the fact, and says that he was totally un-
armed, and does not know whether
Thompson was armed or not.