The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-19
TWO NEW NATIVE PIECES.
ENTITLED "CUMBERLAND '61"
"AN AMERICAN CITIZEN"

Kentucky Vendetta the novel Theue or .
Romantic Drama-Mr. Goodwin In n
Hunorousiy Ineiined Vet Patriotic Comedy
by MRS. ~nyiey-Ratcline and Miss spraEue.
Last night at the Fourteenth Street Theatre
Augustus Pitou produced In exceptionally
picturesque, tasteful, and lavish fashion
. now romantic drama called Cum
berland 81" and written by Franklin
Fylos. The stirring story OF the new
play, which had its first performance on any
stage last evening. passes at West Point and IN
the mountains Of Kentucky. Tho opening
scenes Of tho drama show that the War OF
the Rebellion 10 impending. Already Its APP
proach Is near enough to distinguish tho
nympathies OF the characters and to In.
dictate tho coming clash Of interests be-
tween them. Stationed at West Point is Col.
Murdoch, and with him is alice Ains'ev. his
ward and the girl to whom he is betrothed.
She is In reality the daughter OF n Ken
lucky mountAineer, and when her be-
trothed saw her first, five years before the
action OF the play commences, she was ono OF
tho uncultivatcd, simple girls OF the Kentucky
mountain country. On the promise that she
should become his wife. Murdoch undertook to
nay the expenses OF her education, anu
she has just returned from Europe to
keen her fathers pledge to him. A closer
ACQUAINTANCE Win II man WIN 10 W SNoh
her husband has convinced Alice that ho is not
tho honest man that in her youthfulness
she had supposed him to be. But his pas
sion for the girl has grown stronger as
her beauty ripcned and as, from the I'M
couth mountain girl who nrst attracted his
fancy, there developed the fine, cultured woman
o fsociety. Her distaste for marriage with him
has grown to rcpugnancc, and tho burden Of her
fathers agreement with Murdock is made
moro intolerable through her love for another
man. with whom, from q child, she had
grown to girlhood in her W home.
He is an officer at West Point, and, although
the two are enemies by heritage, that con-
dition is as powerless now as it ever was
to control their affection for each other.
Between the mountain families Of the
Ainslcys and the Graynes. of which Cor
don Grdpne 10 the head, there had been a
feud for half a century. The last member Of
the two families to die was an Ainsley. That,
in the law of vendetta, meant that the next
must DO a Grdyne.
The affection between his promised wife and
the young officer is unknown to Murdock until
Alice's father comes to West Point to take her
homo for the expected marriage. Old Benner
Ainsicv knows but two passions. Ono is
love for his daughter and the other hate
OF the GraVnes. Ho learns of his daugh-
tcI 'clsl y w ohO ID Ou tlc pOlht V
satisfying his claims on him in another way.
But the love of Alice for her former friend has
been discovered by her betrothed. and when
her father learns that If Murdock releases
Alice she will marry the enemy of his family, his
hate for The enemy proves stronger than his
love for the girl, and he ratihes his promise to
Murdoch. The unworthiness Of Murdock is
greater than the eirl or her father knows. for his
sen oT AN Indian woman is one Of the soldiers at
West Point. His halt-breed Indian blood leads
his companions 10 taunt him as a negro, and he
10 ostracized BY them. He appeals in vain TO his
father to speak tho word which would make tho
alien strain in him not the badge of disgrace
that 1t was thought in those former days.
But Murdock refuses. Then DIRK Hun
sett. as he is Alled. takes sides against
the Confederacy. to which his father turns.
The second act shows the characters OF the
PLAY two months after, the war has broken
sSs' s Jasn old side 4f" %Siie Z sord aSa'i9 Gray 19
10 In command of . company OF Union troops
near the Ainsley house. The day is the
but his absence with his troops is believed to
have made the wedding impossible on that day.
s KIM ne sn ns'u anses eFi tha sh AT s eTe3 ' roof OF W thu
church In which the act Is played. the two are
mace ihs ep mah a n m wlts; "A h bT G ilsntee for 90 l a sipnal ot
ance, ignorant ;hat MIrdocE and some Of his
AlCh elu ACiV LaAiAS - ~ StAo Lt LLtt-
set has gone TO the church in search of Muir
dock. 20 mako him = prisoner and carry him into
are Union soldiers, and both are taken prison.
eri, to he hanged as spies the next morning.,
dock aJ iae sfses bis hal:. S Sre d , SON gh y fo II he sV Vii
burn the bridge that separates the property of the
AinslCys and he Gragnes and %pEovidcs the only
20 roach him, he will reward him for this service
by proclaining who he really is. When the Sc
DirE undertakes the task. His father. signs a
paper which. he says tells tho truth Of his birth
and 'o b. this sive is i ut q. to when a third iSa Pfs EjSgs
Alice soon after contriyes, the escape Of her
the Union troops; Guarding the bridge 10 hi:
old cneny Ainsey. He is waiting to kill the
his hated enemy and Inc man WHO'S,
throws down his gun, that the struggle between
them may be an equal one. Already the glow o.
the burning pines beneath the fridge is r~eficotet
ascends. The two struggling men are Oblivion.
OF the danger, and the beams OF the bridge arr
beginning to glow when. throwing the old maj
from him, Grnpnc starts to rush to the head
qI.tf.ttH," ne. 4 lion nJid!cGs. But a woman
voice calls to him. and Alice. who has followed
from the house, implores him not to leave hel
father ia, fall into the smoking rarine. He re
turns and. dragging 4insiey Out OF d iger. place
cheated him; and put into the envelope a hlanl
~ ~ no rage nc kills uS ihtuer. lucr'
are other dramatic incidents. in the hna
GSenes OF ne play, and the killing o
=, takes. place only a moment before the curtain
falls for the last time. In the lighter scenes o
the play the comedy is furnished by a Irritation
widow and her rather serious minded younl
daughter who has not, from her education a
Vasser, learned to view life with the same idea
that her mother. entertains, and the disagree
ments between these two are chiefly the resul
OF the mothers conduct toward n certnil
young man. He is at first a cadet an
then a soldier, who thinks himself first in Low
with the daughter. then with the attractiv
mother, and finally decides that the daughter l
really the only one that he seriously loved. Blu
he is not allowed to come TO this conclusio
until his father has, determined that he love
kho mother so much he cannot get along withou
her, The senior Lenor-fort this Is the name OF tn
iather and the son-is a New Yorker, who lind
himself placed in the Kentucky scenes OF tn
later acts through his interest in either tn
mother or the daughter-just which one he
not entirely able to tell.
There were five beautiful and appropr!at
scenes Tor the play, and these were painted b
Homer Eincns. John II. Young, and Louis
Young. The views included a vista OF the HUI
son River from West Point, with the ruin OF
oaIricadcd church in the Kentucky mountain,
. timely substantial and natural country houa,