The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-01-25
LOW DOWN PERFORMANCE
A Crowd of Depraved Women Per-
mitted to Show
IT THE BEST OPERA HOUSE

I'm Town last Nighf-Thfs Is What
Topeka Has Come to in the Amuse-
ment Line-Deeent People InsuIted
by Being Asked TO PaGrOnize the
Same House.
Carrie Russell company had a very
small audience at the Grand last night.
1t was certainly the fIthiest 'show"
Topeka has seen for many a day. 1t is
doubtful if it would have been admitted
to the Walnut Street theater at Kansas
City.
And this in the best and most respects-
BILE opera house Topeka has.
There are in the"company"five women
and four men. None of them can sing.
none of them can act, and none of them
Can dance All of them can yell; none
of them were born to blush.
The first floor held about $50 men.
Most of them had opera glasses, and all of
them appeared to be in condition to
joy joshing each other for being there.
They yelled, and hooted, and guyed, and
used opera glasses. One fellow had a
large field glass, and was the target for
general guying every time he raised it.
There were three women on the first
floor when the curtain went up. ALI of
them appeared to be respectable. One
was with a very respectable looking
young man, and she left Immediately
after the performance began. The two
others were evidently unsophisticated, for
they staid out two acts before they be-
came indignant enough to leave.
The gallery and balcony were what
could be expected under the cireum-
stances. They screamed and yelled dur
ing the entire performance. Many smoked
cigars.
'her 1F 10
pany has is great deal more 'nervy"
than it is unique The girls" under
the personal direction of the Russell
woman, billed the town in the afternoon
in the most braZen way possible. Into
the stores and shops and Offices they
went addressing the men as darling"
and "sweetheart," and handed them
bills that would have been thrown out
of the mails.
A JOURNAL reporter called on the
Russell woman at her hotel in the after
noon. She had just returned from the
Santa Fe shops with her bevy of bashful
maidens, and with a wet towel was wash
ing the dirt from her eyes and ears and
neck.
"Gee, we've had a time" she said;
''we've been down 10 the Santa Fe shops
with the bills and got fired out. You
know you have to have permit to go in
the shops. Well, l went to the stone
building and of course l didn't get no
permit; but that was all the same. l took
the girls and went over to the paint shop.
We had just got starred when man
comes up 10 me and he says: I'm sorry.
but Pil have 70 tire you out You will
have to get permit Where do you
get a permit / says. AT the stone build
ing he says. Would you mind showing
me where it is?' L says, and SO he took
me around to shew me the stone build
ing, and while | was gone with him that
gave the girls chance 10 work the paint
and coach shops, and you bet they did it
by the time we got back. Then I didn't
care whether we got permit or not.
II struck one of your preachers today
and handed him a bill, He read it and
thought he was going to fall dead, on
the square. He said, 'Oh, OH and then
th,' and 1 said, Thanks He was
funny old guy, anyway.
I'VE generally send all the girls out in
bleomers but we didn't do it in this old
town. TOpeka's too good. All the blOkes
would fell dead"
"What sort of a show do you give?"
asked the re porter.
"Oh, variety" said Miss Russell, "You
ought to see our beautiful ladies'-saIn-
Pile" pointing to herself The reference
to beautiful ladies" is one OF Miss Rus
SELLS favorite jokes, and she uses it
often.
The girls with the company are prom
ised $40 a week. They don't get it. "We
haven't seen a cent from the manager
this season." said one of them.
Yet they live and buy clothes. 1t can
be imagined where they get the money.
A man owns the company, but the Rus
sell woman's name is used.
They are simply a set of disorderly
characters; that is all. 1t is great
wonder the police didn't pull the place
as an improper resort. They would have
been justified and could have proved
their case.