The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-04-11
CAESARS GHOST AND WICHITA
Wild Uncanny Rumor Which Is Now Excit-
Ing the Country.

The country will not let Wichita alone.
When Wichita is not sprl-ging some
thing novel and singular in actual life
the eastern papers take up inventions
and ascribe them 10 Wichita.
Louis James played Julius Caesar" in
this city Friday night. The country now
has it that the actual ghost OF Julius
Caesar appeared, having been materia.-
lied By Wichita spiritualists.
The story which is floating around the
county is 10 the effect that local spirit
ualists in Wichita secured permission Of
Mr. James for the trial. Ponderous edi-
torials are being written on the matter.
The following is a sample. II is from the
Kansas City Journal:
Theatrical realism is about 10 reach
after the occult veritiss. The experiment
is not TO be made in effete Boston or nov
elty-struclI New York, but in Kansas.
where the Pops come from.
The spiritualists of the Arkansas valley
have proposed to MIR. Louis James 10 in
vest him with the spirit Of Julius Caesar
on the occasion OF his presentation n
Wichita OF ShakesDeare's play OF that
name. They promise 10 make him act as
never man acted before. Should Mr..
James accept the offer the result viii be
watched with profound interest by theat-
rical managers. actors and actresses, not
TO speak OF the theater- going public. II
seems obvious that there are many play
ers whose work would be more 'corvinc-
ing if they could be possessed for few
hours each evening by the spirits Of the
4
IN the case Of M. James, however.
there is a rather embarrassing confiction
between spirit and character. Before
matters go TOO far, the Kansas spiritual
lists should be informed that Mr.. James
does not play the tile part ir the historic
tragedy of Julius Caesar but that Of
Marcus Brutus. one Of Caesars assassins,
handed down from generation 20 genera
ton as ''tne MODEST Roman Of them all. +"
Even in life Caesars ambition troubled
Brutus much. and for fear OF it ne be-
came one OF the conspi-ators against the
cOnqueror; but after the assassination
that Caesar became a terror.
"Bru;us feared not Caesar in The flesh,
but trembled before his "monstrous ap-
partition" il the spirit. According 10 the
ShakespeaTean narrative. he saw the
ghost at Sardis and at PhilippI At the
beginning OF the fatal battle Bru;us ex-
claimed:
20, julius Caesar. thou art mighty yet.
Thy spirit walks abroad and turns our
swords
Into our own proper entrails.'
The poet would also have US Infer that
the Nemesis appeared again IN Brutus'
dying moments. f0r with Ms last breath
the suicide general exclaimed:
Caesar, now be stiIl.
I killed not thee with half 50 good will
1t Is. therefore. apparent tha; Il Mr.
james in Ms assumption ot the charac-
ter OF Brutus. finds himself possessed BY
the spirit Of Caesar. there VIII Be a com
plexity Of inspiration. passion. motif and
conduit never bore imagined. mUca
Jess expressed. Il +: does not result IN
spontaneous combustion and deprive the
American stage o. a gifted player. re
should al Re grateful
Blu, the infusion o: dad mems splits
into living mems bodies could doubtless
be made very useful o. The sage 4 vel
GUARDED Where NO o. mp-e spirits az