The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-01-25
BEN-HUR MANAGER
CAUSES TROUBLE
Would Not Agree in The Settlement Of
Box.0ifice Receipts.
KEPT THE AUDIENCE WAITING

Agreed To--Wanted an Equal
Division of the Extra Money Re
ceived for Seat Snlcs--Curtain
Down While the Trouble Was On.
The performance of Ben Hur" at the
Flottinghau Saturday night was inter-
rupted for over 20 minutes between the
first and second acts because of differ
enCe in the settlement of the proceeds
between Walter c.. Clark. the manager
of the production, and the committee
representing the Mems Guild of St
Lul>es church. The facts in the case
Indicate an unusual degree of smallness
on the part of Clark and a resort to
detestable means in gaining his point.
The first act, which concludes with
the magnificent chariot race tableau,
had ended and the curtain rung down
amid the usual salvos of applause. Less
than ten minutes had intervened at the
previous performances and there was
much craning of necks, whisperings and
ConjCctures when after fifteen minutes
of waiting there was no sign of pro-
Ceediug. The speculation was height
ened when several of the prominent men
of the committee left their seats at a
summons from the box Office. Ten
minutes more elapsed before the curtain
arose.
The cause of the delay was this: Pro-
prietor Clark, who had received set
tlement at his own terms following the
the two first nights and the matinee
performances, conceived the idea that
the committee would on Saturday night
request 1nal settlement according to
the contract. AS means of leverage
with the committee he instructed his as
sistants not to permit the performance
to proceed until his return. He then
went from behind the scenes to the box
Office where he sat without attempting
statement of his case until the delay
was mentioned to him. He then re-
marked that the curtain would remain
down until his terms were agreed to.
1t was then that the committee was
summoned.
TERMS OF CONTRACT.
The contract provided that the gross
receipts We're TO be equally divided be-
| tween Clark and the Mems Guild. The
formers advance agent had expressly
agreed that money received for seats,
boxes and loges in advance of the reg
Guild. Clark, after Thursday and Fri
day nights and the Saturday matinee
performances would permit the guild to
Withhold only such surplus as was deriv-
| ed from the boxes and loges but stipu-
eating a division of the extra prices
received from seat sales. He received
a settlement at his terms. the commit
tee not caring to risk a discOntinuance
of the popular spectacle. However,
they had intended reaching an amic-
able understanding Saturday night
| Evidently Clarke learned this.
Rufus j. Foster, chairman of the COM
mittee, granted a Tribune reporter an
! interview yesterday. He said:
"On December /. Benjamin Hamil-
| ton, Clark's representative, called on
| Rev. Rogers Israel and solicited him
| to use the Ben Hur performance. Mr.
| Israel referred him to the entertain
ment committee, Major Everett War
rem, Theodore G. Wolf, Charles Nc
| Mullen, c.. II. Cobb, w. A. Coleman
and myself. To Mn Israel Hamilton
said, No matter what price the seats
| are sold at above regular prices, the
| premium is to be deducted before a
division of the proceeds is made; even
| if So is charged for a seat Mr.. Clark
will expect only his proportion of the
regular house price of that seat TO
Messrs. Warren, Wolf, Cobb and me
he made practically the same state
ment in Major Warren's office.
"Basing matters on what Mr.. Hamil-
ton said, a contract was made where
by Clark was to get the production of
80 per cent. of the gross receipts and
the contract explicitly stated the
shall ha a in
tained.' Hamilton also stated that
Clark would bring ten men to handle
the mechanism, etc. He only brought
five and we had to hire and pay eleven
extra stage hands.
NOT ENOUGH OF COSTUMES.
CLARK sent the committee a conf
Dental circular of instructions. This
circular called for ten young ladies to
take the part of the Arabian Girls
The contract also stipulated that Clark
supplied all costumes except those for
the sprites and butterflies After the
ten young ladies had practiced the
part of the Arabian Girls for over a
week the ChaperOnes We're Informed
that there were only costumes for
eight, and it was necessary for two
costumes to be made by the chaper-
Dnes.
when Clark arrived here on Tues
day he roughly denied that Hamilton
had made the statement about the
sale of seats, boxes and loges, hut fin
ally agreed to allow the premium on
boxes and loges, |, as chairman OF
the committee, told him | would report
the matter to the committee, wher
Clark prOfanely stated that he would
| he bound only by the contract anC