The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-05-20
" THE BELLS"


VIII ne fiayco ny mi. Ds
Maxuire's Next Saturday Night.
Butte. May 1s.-The plot of The
Bells as played by John Griffith
and his company. which will be seen
at the opera house next SATURDAY
night Is quite familiar to many OF the
older theatrical goers. but to the
younger ones IL is quite unknown
tized from THE Russian Jew" by
Chatrain, gives Mr.. Griffith ample
scope to enact his new sphere or inn
portance. Matthias" The theme OF
the story is here given In synopsis;
Matthias whom Mr.. Griffith portrays.
during the night. After his departure
Matthias learns that the Hebrew had a
large amount of money with him. ana,
being pressed for the immediate pay
ment OF some notes. he stealthiiy foi-
lows and brutally murders him. throw
ing the body into a lime kiln. and hur-
ries away with the ill-gotten gold. The
Jews horse wore a set OF peculiar
sounding sleigh bells. which so inn
pressed Matthias that when alone or
whenever a crisis of his life is at hand.
he hears the tinklings OF the bells up
on the harness of the Jews horse FIJI
teen years pass and Matthias has pros
pered: still the bells haunt him ana
drive him into the very paroxisms OF
.hysteria, which becomes more violent
with each attack. Once he meets a
mesmerist, whose manipulations and
control of his fellow man seems so as
founding to Matthias that he fears he
will be subjected to this invincible
power and forced to reveal his past
life and be a self-accuser OF his foul
murder OF fifteen years before. that he
dreams OF the disclosure every night
upon retirement. His wife tells him
that he mutters in his sleep. which re-
calls his dreadful dreams. In terror
he seeks out q lonely room in dark
tower and sleeps alone with barred
doors. so that no one may hear him
| repeat or hint of his crime whilst in
slumber. His ambition Is to see his
| beautiful daughter welded to the mill
| itary commander of the local troops.
| The ceremony has passed and Ma
| fhias' ideal hopes are realized; night
comes and Matthias bids adieu to his
| assembled guests, and with his lighted
| candle mounts the lonely steps to his
| room in the tower. He sleeps and
| dreams-such appalling dreams. most
terrible to contemplate. He has at
last succumbed to the will of the mes
| merist. Bit by bit he reveals the story
of his crime. intermingling IL with APP
peals for aid from his son-in-law. He
is dragged into court, tried, sentenced
to death: the slender rope is tighten
ing about his neck; he screams in ag-
ony. Suddenly the door of his room
opens and Matthias bounds forward,
shrieking: "Cut the ropei Cut the
roper and falls dead at his daughter
| feet.
The enactment of the dream. in the
third act. is what will eventually earn
for Griffith strong foothold upon the
pinnacle of fame. He offers IL to his
auditors in a most weird manner. and
whilst a new characterization to him
now, IL promises to give him greater
prestige than that of his worthy prede
cessor, Mr.. Irving, which made hin
famous during its one hundred and
fifty-one consecutive nights run at tn,
Lyceum theater, London. Eng. Caleb
UNI and scenic accessories lend valu
able assistance to its presentation.