The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-04-13
MUSEMENTS
David Higgins ia ssPIney Ridges at
the Acadmy of Music.

A charming bit of dramatic realism is
David Higgins beautiful romance Of the
South. entitled 'At Piney Ridge which
was presented last evening at the Acad-
envy of Music. The plot is laid in the
mountains of Tennessee. The story Is a
powerful one of love and hate. and out
of very simple material, the author, Mr..
David Higgins, has built up a very abb
sorbing play. full of deep interest. Mr..
Higgins, in his play, appears as one of
the principal characters. that of a young
mountaineer. and as an actor he dupli-
Gated his success as a play writer.
The first act shows the porch and gar
den of General behring's plantation, iate
in summer. Deering il the president of
2 bank and q very influential man.
The Democratic Convention which is to
nominate . man for Governor IS being
held in Chattanooga. Mark Briarson. the
villain. IS cashier of the Generals bank
and plots to ruin him. because the Cen
erals daughter has refused to marry
him. she having promised &c pc the wire
millionaire, having acquired his money
by hard work on his vast plantations.
In the second act, when the General IS
about TO announce the engagement OF ms
daughter TO Jack Rose. Rriarson steps up
and says that the wedding cannot take
place and further says that Rose - 4
white niggar,' OF course. he Is called
a fabricator, but he has carefully pro-
vided himself with sa-caHed proof OF his
assertion in a woman called Dagmar,
who was formerly a slave on Mayor
tell the story and she says that when a
battle was being fought on that planta-
ton she carried Major Briarson's little
son and another boy, Jack Rose, to the
mountains, to escape from the scene of
the battle. Major Briarson was killed IN
the battle and Dagmar was left with
a mulatto. Dagmar tells the company
that Jack Rose is the white niggar!
This news causes much excitement
throughout the mountains and many
Lane has threatened to kill him on
sight, because he is led to believe that
The plot at this point is apparently hope
lessly tangled. Rose tries to clear him
self of the charge Briarson has made
against him but cannot because me
woman Dagmar refuses to speak. The
third act shows the Tennessee noun
tains and the home of Zeb Lane. Gem
eral Deering and his daughter Azalie are
walking in the mountains when thsy are
met by Major Jartee, who is teller IN
Deering's bank. Jartee tells the General
that he cannot run for Governor be-
cause his bank is on the verge of col-
lapse. He says that he has examined
the books and finds them full Of false
entries and that there is not $4,000 IN
cash in the bank. Briarson comes upon
the scene and the Major accuses him OF
robbing the bank. He admits it and the
General lays a whip across his siloul-
dfrS. brldfSOn Is tHcii lpiu 10 ltdfE INK
State. Rose comes in at this junctufe,
md, hearing OF the trouble. offers to
help the General out and prevent the
bank from failing by depositing s2oo, 900.
In the last act Briarson comes back to
the State with the woman Dagmar and
both go to the old Briarson homestead,
where Rriarson had buried the money
he stole from the bank While there
they are confronted by Rose and the
| General and Dagmar tells them that
Rose is the rightful son of Major Briar-
con and that Rri3rSAn is the white
niggar." Briarson tries TO escape through
a indow but is shot by Zeb Lane, who
revenges his daughters ruin. Thus the
scene.
Fred Julian as the General was excel
| lent, and Elizabeth Field as his 3daugh-
ter filled her part admirably. as did
Georgia Waldron as cindy Lane. The
| part eff Mark Briarson, the villain, was
well taken by w. Garfield, and Henry
| Hillard as Major Jartee was most anus
inc