The San Francisco call., 1895-12-29

Christmas week. while in the higher-priced
parts of the house "the most vociferous
enthusiasm" has prevailed, to quote the
New York papers. for the critics are unani-
nous in praising GA Bowerv Girl"
The Dramatic Mirror says: 1.-THE recep-
ton was most enthusiastic. and the play
was genuine sue cess.' The Suns opln-
ion is that A Bowery GirPs' sensational
scene goes with dynamic power" and the
New York Herald remarks:
That .'The Bowery Girl'' continues to throw
a spell about many West Side as well as East
Side hearts was demonstrated last evening by
the immense audience which assembled to see
Ges es the ssse Of the
numerous in the gallery that they hung over
the rails and made the rattan man look foolish.
But it would take columns to quote the
praise that the New York papers have
given Miss Bascom's melodrama. The
little woman says that as she sat hidden
away in the darkest corner of a stage box
at the Grand Opera-bouse and saw the
gallery boys hanging over the raillngs
shouting, while thunders of applause came
fiom the rest of the house and the curtain
went up again and again, she was not re-
joicing at her success, but was absorbed in
trying to realize how it had all come about
that little bit of thing like herself had
succeeded in being the cause of such vast
amount of noise and confusion.
1.-The Bowery Girl" received its first met
ropolitan production at the Grand Opera
house. 1T was only booked for week,
and as Clara Morris and her company had
pre- empted the big theater Miss Bascoms s
work had to depart, though it was doing
the banner business of the season. 1t was
taken over to the east side for Christmas
week, and as the holiday attraction at the
Columbus Theater it has been repeating its
successes won at the Grand Opera-house.
Bascom's first play. She has another
drama named "a Daughter of Uncle
Sam" in reserve, which her friends who
have read it say is better than her
maiden effort, but she would not show it
to any managers till "a Bowery Girl" had
succeeded or failed in New York. There
is likely to be some competition to secure
her new play now. Miss Bascem's friends
here arr not bit astOnished at her success.
They say that success is just what they ex.
pected she would achieve sooner or later,
but it has come to her sooner than they
expected.
com Swasey. She is the daughter of Cap
tain w. S. Swasey, who came here in 1916
and is a welI-known pioneer. "Ada," how
ever. likes to write under her mothers
Jose. the grandmother of the young play
wright, was well-known character in the
Garden City, where her word always passed
for law among a large circle of friends. In
deed, not to know Mrs. Bascom in San
Jose was to argue oneself unknown.
Ada Lee Bascom, as she chooses to call
herself, went on the stage some years ago.
She played child's part in "Miss
Moulton' with Clara Morris in this City,
and afterward, when acting with Frank
Mayo in New York, she became ac-
quainted with the beautiful and gifted
actress. Laura Don. The young women
Don wrote a part for Ada Bascom in her
play, "a Daughter of the Nile" Just
about the time of its production poor
Laura Don was stricken down with con-
sumption, and Ada Bascom, abandoning
the stage, accompanied her to Europe,
and nursed her till her death, which oc-
Cured on the Riviera.
On returning to New York the Califor-
MIA girl put her friends history into novel
form, and published it under the title of
"A God of Gotham" George Gould was
supposed to be very easily 6iscernible un-
der this title, particularly as he had paid
marked attention to Laura Don, and gos-
sip said he had been anxious to marry her.
However that may be, all the copies of
Ada Basccm's book were bought up, and
it disappeared suddenly from the book
stalls.
The rights of reproduction were sold for
mere song and, though second edition
was recently published under a new name.
the authoress reaps no benefit from the
present sale of her book. She has been
more fortunate with "a Bowery Girl"
though her carelessness in business mat