The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-05-23

The triumph of the Giffen-Neill COM
pany at the Metropolitan opera house
over the social element of the city has
been complete. At each performance
during the past week there has been
a fashionable crush. The social size OF
the first weeks engagement OF this ad-
mirable dramatic organization has peen
no small feature of pleasure to many
patrons. Society has Endorsed the Or
ganiZation in truly emphatic man
ner and under its wing of patronage
throughout the summer the Giffen-Neill
players will have little, in all probable
ity, to feel dissatisfied with
This week, beginning tomorrow night,
the Offering will be that clever and
highly interesting drama, "a Social
Highwayman," in which, the. Holland
brothers scored such a hit during the
past season. Courtice Jaffrey, the
principal character in the play, is an
adept in the art of turning social COM
pliments and delicate attentions. A
man with an artistic nature, aesthetic
inclinations, and yet rogue, scoun-
drel and a common thief at heart; a
man who is privileged to walk the halls
tured society and who makes use Of
his opportunities to rob the ladies' of
their jewels. Yet there is a strange
feeling of sympathy goes out to the
man AS one writer has ably described
him, he is the Robert Macaire Of af-
ternoon teas" The play is written in
a melodramatic monotone. but it has
the merit of grasping and holding at
tention. 1t contains another remark
able Characteristic servant of the So
ciety bandit, himself a criminal and
pariah Yet so skillfully is the play
wrought that one watches this man
with a keen fascination and interest,
and never once does this interest fall.
Perhaps the manner in which this role
is portrayed has more to do with It's
success than might ordinarily be the
case. Certainly the artist to whom 1t
IS to be entrusted can be relied upon
to present a finished impersonatSon.
The character will be assumed by
Charles Kent, and that is an assur-
ance of an artistic performance.
"A Social Highwayman" will be pre-
scented at the Metropolitan by special
permission of Richard Mansfield, its
owner It is in four acts-the scene IT
the first being at the apartments in
New York Of Courtice Jaffrey. The
second act takes place in the same
apartments one week later. The thlru
act occurs in the studio OF Carolus
Despard, close associate Of JafTreys,
while the fourth act is laid at Mrs.
Munyon Pyles country house one week
later. Through the entire career of
Courtice Jaffrey there hangs an air of
genteel mystery. This sleek -.th1ef
fipallys however, falls in love with
pure and beautiful girl named Einor
Burnham, bright New England
flower, and this falling in love comes
very near causing the JIndoing of the
man who had defied all detection.
2 Once, and, only, once, does a storm brew
that threatens Jaffrey's destruction,
and this ill-Wind is brought about by
Sonora Leila. Caprices.> Jaffrey has
robbed the fascinating Sonora Of very
valuable Jewels, and she in turn threat
ems to expose him unless he discon-
tinues his attentions to Miss Durham.
Jenkins Handy and his willy craft come
Into play here, however, for he tells the
Spanish beauty that he has knoWl-
edge of the fact that in 1887, in the
month of May, the Sonora, alias Leila
Eoldsborough Rising, was married to Ed
war Rising, in the English chapel of st.
Martin at Vienna and that in the city
of New York, her first husband being
still live, and she, undivorced, mar
ried Senior Jose Caprices, thereby com
uniting bigamy. It's a sort Of a tr1-
angular agreement, and the Individual
safety of each depends on the silence
of Jaffrey, Handy and the Sonora
Jaffrey has hold on his faithful SER
want whose knowledge of his crims
would send him to prison. The Sonora
knows Jaffrey has stolen them, and
although jealous of him into the bar
gain must yet remain silent for her own
safety The duchess is the daughter Of
an American, who made. his money III
lard or beer or some speculation Of that
kind and the daughter developed
through the natural laws of evolution
into a British peeress. Her money in
England, and her title in America
makes her queen in both countries, and
her visiting cards are never thrown