St. Paul daily globe., 1895-11-18
AT THE THEATERS.

lost none of their pristine popularity
in St. Paul If the tremendous audience
and it's frequent manifestations or
pleasure at the performance given last
night at the Grand may be taken as
good Indications. The house was liter
| ally packed from top to bottom, to
welcome Frank Losee and his wife.
Marion Gilmore, who have come to be
quite popular in st. Paul, as well as
the other members of the cast, many
of whom have been given the parts
| since the play was last seen here. The
play itself is almost too familiar to
local theater-goers to require extended
description. Jim Rathburn, big, honest
machinist, has invented a nelectricaI
device which Hiram Ely seeks to get
| possession of, and finally destroys to
square an alleged injury put upon him
by Samuel Ellison, RathbuIn's employer,
who, 1t appears, successfully courted
the woman Ely loved. Ely's desire for
revenge leads him to resort to letters
calculated to poison the mind of Edi-
sons wife against him and also to an
attempt to blow up the mine into
which Rathburn has taken his sweet
heart, Marion Dale. The effort is un-
successful and Jim lives TO almost
complete his invention when Ely, ac-
companied by a depraved ally, visits
his workshop and after chloroforming
him seeks to ruin the device, only to
be striken dead by a bolt of lightning.
jim Is near, and being the first to reach
the dead man, is arrester, convicted
| of murder, and sentenced to be electro
cuted. Ely's accomplice makes a dy-
ing confession which clears Jim, and
by the quick wit of an Irish servant
(Marion Elmore) the news is taken to
! the governor, a pardon issued and
Jim's life is spared to his sweetheart
and aged mother after he has been
strapped securely in the electrical
chair. The play is called a melodrama,
and is realistic enough to satisfy the
most exacting auditor.
The third act in which the workshop.
adjacent to Jims home, is shown is
little short of wonderful. 1t is a warm
fall evening and the moon rises slowly
beyond winding river, and throws a
soft light on the ripping water. Clouds
soon come up, and the moon is obscur-
ed. A storm, accompanied by thunder
and lightning, bursts upon the scene, and
pose and destroyed the invention when
death overtakes him. The scene is
vividly portrayed and is thrilling in the
extreme. The scenic effects are mar
velously produced and require the
most deft manipulation. The explo.
sion In the mine is blood curdling for
the moment, and one finds relief when
the rescuers find their way through
s,aIi
machinist and his lady love. The pic
lures Of the old mother pleading with
the governor for the life of her in
nocent son and the latter's efforts to
bear up under the death sentence in
the chair are exceptionally strong and
We'll brought out. Frank Losee is a
careful, digTified actor, who is as fitted
physically as he's capable to portray
the character of the sturdy, big-hearted
| machfnist. Marion Elmore, as the ir-
| repressible Judy O'Rourke, with a wide
brogue and unlimited confidence, fairly
| repeated her success Of last year and
made hit with the house.
The part of Marion Dale, Jim's
sweetheart, was given to Carrie FL
berts, who was a winsome and alto.
gether satisfactory helpmeet for the
sturdy toiler. w. H. Murphy played
! the depraved tramp who acted the
stool pigeon for Hirman Ely, the villain,
and was very funny. His topical songs
caught the house and he was forced
to reappear several TINES.
Hiram Ely was the villain of the
piece and gave an intelligent interpre>
tation of the part without the slightest
attempt to overdo it.
Ben Deane, as Samuel Edison. the
employer; C. w. Robellin, as Teddy
| O'Rourke, the Irishman with a whole
| some regard for his wife; Miss Lizzie
Greece, who played Mrs. .Rathburn, and
D. D. Bobj2min, who was Governor
Willoughby, filed their parts in a
| capable fashion, as did the balance of
! the cast, the whole performance going
without bad part. The management
owes it to it's patrons to prevent the
| hideous misses, catcalls and misceI-
| laneous remarks INDUCED in by the
| boys in the gallery. 1t is annoying in
the extreme, and last night actually
| interrupted the progress of the per-
| formance.
The sale of seats for the Melba con-
=
| Wednesday evening, Nov. -. will be
opened at Howard & Farwell's music
! store, at 9 o'clock this morning.
Madame Melba in this great musical
event will be assisted by Scalchf.
D'Aubigne, Campinari Ronald and
selected number of twenty-five musi-
clans from the Boston Symphony
Orchestra.
| Miss Clara Morris. will begin an en-
| gagement of three nights and Wednes-
! day matinee. at the Metropolitan
! opera house tonight. This is her first
appearance in this city for three years.
Tonight and Wednesday matinee she
will present her new play. Ray
monde;' Miss Morris is supported by
j. NJ. Colville and AN excellent COM
pany.
The sale of seats begins this morn
| ing for Col. Robert G. Ingersoll. who
| will appear at the Metropolitan opera
| house Saturday evening, presenting his
! newest lecture, THE Foundations of