Semi=weekly graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1895-1902, 1896-08-26
The "soeIAL TRusT.n
It Is on the boards of Theater at
San Francisco.

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 25.-The long
looked for production of the Social
Trust" appeared for the first time on any
stage last night at the Columbia thea
ter in this city.
1.-The Social Trust is a new play
written especially for the Frawley COM
pany by the two well known authors,
HILLARY Bell and Ramsay Morris. 1t IS
a comedy drama, the story of which is
founded upon the incidents connected
with the downfall of the famous Cord
age Trust The leading role will be en-.
trusted to such actors as Wilton Lack
aye, Louise Thorndyke Bouccioault,
Blanche L. Bates and others. For this
production special scenery and stage eff
feets have been gotten up and it is prob
able that the play win soon be taken to
New York for an extended run. The
story of the play is as follows:
The handspring of the dramatic ae-
ton is the marriage of Roderick Brew
ster to Lillian Cornell. The former is a
New Yorker Of social distinction and
the head of the Paper Trust, a corpora
ton into which he has inveigled large
number of fashionable men and women.
He has utilized all his funds in the
scheme and has reached point where
he must raise more In this emergency
he decides to propose for the hand OF
Lillian Cornell, supposedly wealthy
girl who is quite well aware not only to
love him, but has bestowed her affec-
tions on Charlie King, young author.
Furthermore, he himself is in love with
Mrs. Hallock, wife of the originator of
the Paper Trust He has staunch ally,
however, in Mrs Norton, Lillian's aunt,
a woman of unlimited means, whose
ambition in life is social success, who
has come from California to achieve
that success in New York and London
and who means to utilize brilliant
match for her neice as a steppingstone
to her own ends. She suggests Brew
ster's proposal to Lillian and is met with
a prompt deelination.
Then she brings forward some I'M
pleasant facts. which compel the girl,
unwilling though she be, to sacrifio her
self and accept Brew ster. Then comes
period Of married life, where husband
and wife, while living under the same
roof, are as far apart as strangers.
Eventually climax is reached in the
affairs of the Paper Trust where some
valuable securities are hypothecated by
Brewster, who risks his wife's dowery
in his schemes, which must be re-
deemed by q certain day or the head of
the trust will find themselves on the
way to prison At this point Mrs. Hal
lock, wife of the originator of the Paper
Trust, is about to give bail, and sends
card of invitation to it to Lillian
through her husband, Brewster Lii
liam, knowing the relationship between
her husband and Mrs. Halloek, whom
she has never met, refuses to accept til ,
invitation, her action bringing about a
powerful scene between husband and
wife. On t'ee night of the ball, how
ever, Lillian. to the amazement of her
friends, appears at Mrs. Hallock's.
A sensation is produced by a striking
scene between Brewster's wife and Mrs.
Hallock, brought about by the latter
thanking Lillian for accepting the inyi-
tation to the ball. Lillian brings con-
fusion to the woman, who has tried to
humiliate her by announcing that the
envelope handed her by her husband
and which he supposed held the card Of
invitation contained in reality a note
from Mrs. hallock informing him that
unless he forced his wife to appear at
the ball he should never enter her Mrs
Haloek's s. presence again.
The last act, which is in the whole
dramatic, and which occurs in Brew
ster's library at o'clock in the morn
ing, directly after the ball, shows his
frantic endeayors to force money from
Mrs. Morton through an attempt at
Matchmaking his wife's character. Mrs.
Morton stands firm, refusing to believe
i'll of Lillian. The one person who can
sustain his charge and who knows that
Lillian is innocent, although he unwit-
tingly fell into the trap laid for her, is
dragged into the scene. After much
diplomatic hedging and equivocating
she finally, when pinned down, utters
delibe- ate lie and saves Lillian. Almost
the same moment Hallock discovers
note written by MS wife to Brewster
and mad with jealousy and rage he
shoots the latter dead
Five Men Believed Drowned.