The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-12-13
DENIED TT WAS A. "SNIPE" WHICH
AROUSED ACTOR GARD
NER'S IRE.
THAT ARRAY AT THE GRAND
WAS THE TALK OF THE TOWN
YESTERDAY, AND VERY ONE
SIDED.
With fbe Thesuinn Who Made Such
Sorry Exhibition of Himself
That Night.

Frank Gardeners exhibition at the
Grand opera house at the close OF the
performance Saturday night was the
talk of the town yesterday. The COM
Inent was so generally uncompliment-
airy that Gardeners left ear must have
been at fever heat all day. Gardner
has been saying once each perform
ance during the week that "the man
who hires me is the man who fires
me-" Whether or not he had had
practical experience along that line
is not known, for Gardner went to
Minneapolis early in the day, but the
patrons of the Grand, in fact the pa
irons of all local playhouses considered
it was up to the management to do
something, whether it did or not.
In the C l o e's report of the affair
an unfortunate error crept in, and that
was in regard to the identity of the
two young men who caused Gardner
to lose his head. A young man who
claimed to have been in the party dur
ing the evening said the two young
men were Ed Fetsch and Richard Rob-
erts. 1t was learned yesterday, how
ever, that the two men were ]. r. Gil
liam and Herb Fockler. Both Fetsch
and Roberts spent Saturday night
working at their respective places Of
business until after the theater episode
occurred, and each was consequently
subjected yesterday to good deal Of
annoyance over the occurrence. But,
as they said to each one who mentioned
it, they were strictly out of it, except
for the prominence given them on
what the G | o b thought was reliable
authority.
The two men who caused Gardeners
anger, and one of whom felt Gardeners
blows, told a reporter for the G. o b e
all about the affair. Instead, however,
Of intending TO insult Gardner. Gillian
was throwing Gardner a bouquet, or
rather cigar. His story of what led
up to the affair is as follows:
my friend and L went to the theater
last evening for the third time last
week, and, as Gardner had on the two
other occasions seemed to recognize us
with friendly glances, 1 felt somewhat
as though he was good fellow We
applauded his performance, and he
seemed gratified at our appreciation
Saturday evening his behavior was the
same. He looked at US and smiled just
as the curtain was about to drop, and
with no other thought in the world
than good fellowship l quietly tossed
him cigar. 1t was not a half-smok-
ed cigar, but a good one in it's entire
ty. 1t did not strike Gardner, but fell
close to him on the stage. 1 expected
nothing else but that he would laugh
ingly pick up the weed with some Jok-
ing remark, and was SO surprised
when he jumped down into the audi
ence that I did not realize his inten-
lions until he angriiy grabbed me by
the throat. He struck me several
open-handed blows in the face ana
was back on the stage again before L
could recover from my establishment.
My friend was also nonplussed by the
indignity, and a few seconds later
started after Gardner as he Jumped
back onto the stage, but the curtain
fell before he could get behind the
scenes. Gardeners claims that my
friend and L were" annoying the musi-
clans are false. We know two members
of the orchestra, and aside from occa-
sional quiet, unObtrusiVe. remarks TO
our acquaintance, we in no way dis
turbed any one. 1t was decidedly an
unfortunate affair, which we both SIN
cerely regret, but we were only the in
nocent victims of Gardeners wrath''