Birmingham state herald., 1895-12-10
MONTGOMERIANS CHARMED
The New Opera by Mir. Erhart Makes Great Hit, and Is to Be Repeated-lt May
 Be Murder.

Montgomery, Dec. 9.-(Special) 1.-The production here tonight of Victor Erhart's new opera, "Elisa." was the event of the year in musical circles. The best critics here do not hesitate to pro- nounce "Elisa" to be the most winsome comic opera that has been offered to the public in the past several years. All who have heard the two unite in pronouncing its airs to be more catchy and agreeable than those of "The Patriots" the new opera about which so much is heard of late. MT. Erhart is a young composer and an Alabama boy. He is a native of Selma, but has claimed Montgomery as his home for eight years past. It is be- lieved here that he has a fortune in his work. It is the class of opera that suits the public ear and is made up of such airs as the audience hummed and whis tied tonight on their way home from the entertainment.
 While no professional talent was em- ployed to produce the opera tonight the cast was nevertheless composed of high class home musicians, whom MT. Erhart had carefully trained. The costuming was good and the performance was de- void of the awkward pauses and entan- elements into which the average anna teur operatic effort falls. A stranger in the audience-a musician, too-was as- founded to learn after the performance that the singers were not professionals. The following filled the parts:
 Elisa, a college student-Miss Annie German.
 Nell, Elisa's chum-Miss Eleanor Vass
 Queen of the enchanted forest-Mrs George Weatherly.
 Cog, ruler of the demons of Quentell- MT William M. Dudley.
 Enrico, Elisa's lover-Mr. P. J., Min derhout
 nd ri t,,;e ry Wyley.
 Tommy. a rural swain-Mr. Joe Barry.
 Valentine, fairy polceman-Mr IT, wing Berry Adams.
 Adonis Melona, a dudish swell-Mr. Charles s. Smith
 Head devil-Mr. Blakey Campbell
 Chorus of college girls, fairies, devils. demons, knomes, hunchbacks, dwarfs. etc.
 The house was crowded at tonight's performance. "Elisa" will be repeated here tomorrow night and later in the week MT. Erhart will take his company to Selma.
 It May Be Murder.
 Joe Grattan, the 19-year-old boy who. 1t was claimed at the time. was mis taken for chicken thief by Peter Powell. another negro, out on Peacock's Tract and shot one night last week, has since died. and from recent developments 1t is believed by the dead boys family that the shooting was intentional and malicious. Immediately after the shoot ing Peter Powell fled, and has not been heard of since. His family live at or near Brewton, and he is believed to have gone there to hide out It is said that Peter is very bad negro, and is wanted by the police in this city on other charges.
 A relative of the dead boy said to a re- porter today that Joe Grattan before he died made a statement in which he said that he and Peter Pow ell had a difficulty only a few days before about some money, and that Pe- ter told him that he would get even with him in some way, and had made some other threats, leading him to believe he would kill him. Joe also said that he and Peter were running along together and were in few feet of each other when he was shot. q told Peter several times" said the deceased in his dying declaration. mot to shoot me as we ran along looking for chicken thieves"
 A warrant has been sworn out for Pe- ter Powell charging him with murder