The San Francisco call., 1897-03-01
ST RANGE FATALITY
PURSUED THEM
Peculiar Incidents Of Some
Society Amateur
Actors.
The Comedy of caste" Has Its
Behind the Scenes
Story. :.
To- Night the Play Will Be Presented
at the California to Society
Audience.

Associated with the society company OF
amateurs that is to present Caste. to-
night al the California Theater are some
remarkable incidents that approach ro-
nance in. their strangeness.
When society folk. as=they intend to do,
shall have assembled in force before the
iootlights to witness the performance,
they will have in the persons of the differ
ent actors subjects for as much attention,
perhaps. as will be aroused by the char
acters and the development of the charm
ing little comedy itself.
To the part OF tho hero of the piece a
sad fatality has been attached. The first
one who trained for it was Arthur Ma
thieu. A few weeks ago his father died
suddenly. and. even while the funeral SER
vices were being performed over her hus-
band Mrs. Matthew passed away. The
soE, thus strangely bereft of both pa
rents at once, was lost 10 a happy com.
pany, sadd ened through sympathy with
one of the jolliest and most capable of its
mem bers.
J.. c.. Wilson Jr. was asked to fill the
place. Ii began studying the character
Immediately, and with unusual diligence.
His success was surprising. The. bills
already ordered printed with Mr..
Matthews name were hastily changed.
But on the very day only a. little over q
week ago that the; placards Of caste"
had been distributed about town young
Wilson's father:died after brief illness.
For the. third time another man was
found for the part. DR.. Frank. Robinson,
son of Dr. Luke Robinson, took the place,
and he has been devoting day. and night
to the work, that his presentation of the
oh tar i,nf ho a SDf ~
the proficiency acquired by the other
member of the company, who have had
weeks of careful coaching by Leo Cooper.
In addition to the two pretty debutantes
who are TO pay the romantic parts OF
hum BILE hu, charming sisters, loved one
by an English army officer of high family
and the other by an unassuming: plum Der,
there will be young society man whose
identity is hidden by the stage name of
'Selden Stuart" which he has assumed
for private easons that rumor says are OF
a romantic character. Whether or not his
dis. uise will be penetrated by the curious
spectators remains to be seen.
But this is not. all. There is. another.
stage name in the company md it shields
the identity of pretty young woman,-
who is a cousin OF Mrs. Will. .Tevis and
niece of Ex-Governor Pacheco. AS Miss
Nav Robson she will interpret the
character of the Marquise de st. Maurs,
proud and aristocratic mother opposed to
the marriage of her son to Esther Eccles, a
dancing girl whom Miss. Leila Burton
will represent.
1t will De Miss Robeson's" first appear
ance on the stage, but not her last, as it
is her intention to adopt acting as a pro-
fession.
Then, too, there will be the humorous
Charles Dickman, who is already we'll
known to Bohemians as clever enter
tainer and character artist. He will do
The part of the inefficient Eccles' father,
who is Away out of employment and usu-
ally half drunk from choice.
There is Frank Norris, who in himself
is unique character. Before he entered
the University of California be had pub
lished a.book of his own verse, and during
his college davs at Berkeley. he was .iden-
titled with different dramatic entertain