The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-02-03

yesterday:
st. Paul. Feb. 2, 1897.
Mr. Sodini-Dear Sir: Our president and
committee refuse to give their consent for
you to continue running the Central Garden
theater. l informed the mayor this morn
ing and he requested me to inform you of
the action and to have you close at once.
Yours ID. Morgan.
The arbiter of the Olympic's fate has
again spoken, and after allowing the
resort to reopen for enc night the Rev.
David Morgan has put his foot down
with a determination which fairly
scintillates with morality, though Mr..
Sodini, the proprietor OF the theater,
when he received the above communi-
cation could not see the virtuous
sparks and declared that he had not
been given a fair deal, and that he
did not deserve such treatment from
Mr.. Morgan.
''He is out for the graft, said Sodini,
referring to Mr.. Morgan, land because
I did not come down frequently enough
to suit him he concluded to lay down
on me. If I had handed him $25 as I
at first intended when I visited him
Monday everything would have been
all right and 1 would have been run
ming yet. If the authorities had closed
my place. I would have no grievance,
but L don't like this idea of being shut
! up by a man who has taken my
money"
Naturally, such an assertion, made
openly and without reserve in regard
to Rev. David Morgan, caused some sur
prise, and, upon being asked to explain,
Mr.. Sodini said that when he had first
contemplated opening the theater in st.
/ IA hot Mr.
Morgan would cause him trouble, and
had been advised to see him and
quiet the reverend gentleman's scru-
pies against concert gardens. Acting
upon this advice, Mr.. Sodini said that
shortly after the theater was opened
he visited Mr.. Morgan at the Bethel
and together they had talked the stu
alton over, with the result that before
he left he handed Mr.. Morgan 500 Ac-
cording to Mr.. SOdini, the manager of
the Bethel took the money with some
remark about disliking to accept money,
but that it was of course for the poor,
and under the circumstances, ETC., ev-
erything would be "all right" There
was more conversation on this occa-
sion, Mr.. Sodini said, during which he
promised to call on Mr.. Morgan again,
when he hoped he would be able to
do more "for the poor" Mr.. Morgan
had bowed his caller out, Mr.. Sodini
related, with the remark that that
would be all right a cordial hand
! shake and an invitation to drop in
any time"
For nearly month, the proprietor
of the theater continued, everything
had run along smoothly at the place,
when he again called on Rev. David
and this time paid him So He had
received the glad hand" from the rev.
erened gentleman, and after some pre-
liminary diplomacy, had informed him
he was sorry the sum rendered was
not larger, but that he had been to a
heavy expense to fix up the theater
and business was not as brisk as 1t
might have been, so that he was un-
able to pay over as much as he would
| have liked.
Morgan took the money" said So
dini,' and stuck it down in his pocket
without looking at it's denomination,
but this time there was nothing said
about the poor" or any ''delicacy,''
on the part Of the recipient, which
made the gift in the least unwelcome
or unexpected. We talked over the
business I was conducting and 1 again
! received his assurance that everything
! would be all right, but he advised me
against any too fragrant breach of
| propriety and asked me to call again
| L told him would and he wanted me
to come some day and take dinner with
him. 1 couldn't stand for this, how
ever but told him [ would get around
before long again.
This was the last deal / had with
Morgan. I failed to call on him, for
more than a month and then came
! the "holler" about the stairs leading
! from the stage to the gallery, and the
! presence Of women in the theater The
| stairway was removed at Morgan's
request and the curtains taken down
/ from the boxes, and for a time things
were quiet again. I still kept away
! from him, with the result that there
! was another kick about the girls in the
gallery. Morgan and a man whose
name l do not know, then came to
see me here at theater, and after talk
ing the matter over, [ did away with
this feature, but made no offer OF
money, as l had decided that l was
through with that part of the pro-
gramme. Friends had told me to
quit Morgan, and put the money
/ where it would do more good, and I
paid him nothing more. Things ran
along this way for some time till
this last difficulty arose, which seems
to be in the. nature Of a quietus
When 1 was allowed to reopen Mon
day night I thought, perhaps, this
would blow over, but someone is evil
IDENTIFY sore" and I guess the limit
has been played. 1 am sorry, however,
concluded Mr.. Sodini," that 1 did not
take that $25 with me when called on
Morgan Monday. I took the money
out of the safe, but said to myself
1 would not give up any more and
| put it back. Yes the theater is
finally closed for good and all,
but l don't relish the manner in which
it was done"
An effort was made by a reporter for
the G O e last evening, to see Mr..
Morgan, but he had left the Bethel
early, and 1T was impossible to reach
him at his home at Hamline, so his
denial or explanation Of the above was
not obtained.