The evening times., 1898-10-27

Matteawan, N. Y, Oct. 27-While the
| wind howled about the Matteawan Asv
lum and the rain burst upon it in mighty
sheets last night the criminal insane of
the State produced and listened to a
thrilling war drama. The actors were in
sane, the author was insane, the audience
was composed of 400 lunatics guarded by
lew Keepers, yet ii is but telling the
truth TO say that there are many actors
In vaudeville in New York city and a
few dramatic authors who could have
learned much from tonights perform
ance
Nhlle the terrible weather and the ex-
citing nature of the play In hand seemed
likely TO exert an exciting inuence upon
the strange audience, there was no unto
| ward Incident to mar the performance
| The audience was most orderly, but
caught the humor and patriotism of the
drama with wonderful quickness.
The DISTINGUISHED Audience
The audience ontafned many persons
| at whose deeds the State wondered and
/
Matteawan. Oliver Curtis Perry the IA
nous train robber, entered the theater of
| the institution led by comrade for, he
| still wears a bandage over his eyes, which
! ne destroyed. Behind him walked
| ''F'renchy,' the murderer of old Shake
speare. He smiled vaguely at the comedi-
ans. Lizzie Halliday, the central figure
IN the grewsome tragedy of the Shawan-
gunk Mountains, a triple murderess,
I Urg2 2T.al ~
! tear when the fortunes of the hero were
at low ebb, and the frequently were,
! for the author gave the villain no end of
rope.
DR.. Meyer, wife of the poisoner, was an
! other first nighter and an interested one
| He was prodigal of his applause. George
/ Apo, of green goods and Lexow COM
mittee fame, sat beside his father, Quinn
! bo Apo, who has been four times found
guilty of homicide. The young man often
laughed heartily, but the face of Old
/ Quimbo betrayed no feelings, except that
| at times his deep set eyes glowed with
new fire. This was when men struggled
I on the stage. Such action stirred old APP
po, but not greatly.
Mickey" Sliney, the East Side boy
whose crime made a sensation In It's day
was the livelest of those present. The
vast majority of the patients enjoyed
themselves as thoroughly and as deceutly
as any audience which sat in a Broadway
theater last night, although some of those
present are recognized in the asylum as
men too dangerous to be left for d mo
ment unguarded.
The Play and Characters.
The play, called by the author, Ernest
Bostwick, an original musical drama, was
For Love and War" Bostwick is not
convict. although he is a patient. The
cast follows:
Richard oakly, banker. played by W. F. Rus
sell
Linares, alias Jennings, by D. L. McGnn.
Robert Norris, 0akley's secretary by Ernest
Bostwick.
Felix o'Grady, servant and detective. by Edwin
Fraser.
Valentine reporter by James McEvoy.
Louise McQuirk. maid servant, by Patrick
Geughegan.
Colonel Chase. by Jchn Esterbrook.
Captain Mortimer. by Henry Peterson.
Ducy. orderly, in league with LinaTes, by
Thomas Harmon.
OF these actors only McGinn, McEvoy
and Russell are attendants. The others
are inmates, as were numerous supers
who represented the Seventy-frst Regi-
ment and who drilled much better than
many volunteers. Patrick Geoghegan,
who played Louise McQuirk, was the only
long-term man in the cast. He was sent
to prison long ago for grand larceny. He
was a well-known East Slider. From pris
on he was transferred to the asylum. He
proved clever comedian. and with Ed
win Fraser, short-term man, who did
the man servant and detective act, was
the life of the play. These men were
really funny, and Fraser in particular
could give lessons to many comedians who
pass for sane human beings In spite of
the weight of evidence against them.
Synopsis of the Play.
The author, as the hero. is secretary TO |
a banker and loves the old mans daugh- |
ter The banker loses money through the |
decline of Spanish bonds, and Jennings, |
or Linares, lends him money and seeks the |
hand of his daughter in return. The he |
70 marries the girl in a hurry. and be- |
ing accused of robbery and not being ripe |
for vindication, hurries away TO fight the |
Spanish The villain turns up before San |
tiago as Spanish spy in an American |
uniform and gets possession of military |
telegraph instrument long enough to get |
the hero suspected of treason and well |
nigh hanged But Felix O'Grady. who |
knows more in a minute than Foxy Quill |
er does in a week, exposes Linares as the |
Americans are returning victorious. and |
the hero is reinstated in time for the red |
fire and the patriotic chorus which closes
the piece.
Roosevelt, Van Wyck, Lee Mckinley,
Shafter and Wheeler made material for
the comedians, just as they do in thea
tiers where the windows are not barred,
and here. as elsewhere the funny man
remarked of Gen. Shafter that his word
ought TO carry some weight, adding. sot-
to voce $40 pounds. OF Roosevelt, Geog
hegan, as the funny Irishwoman, said
she wouldn't name her boy Teddy, as
that would be an insult to a beast which |
wouldn't dodge anything. let alone tax
es. These topical illusions were hailed
with wild applause by the audience who
appeared thoroughly conversant with
current topics.
Scenery Painted by n Convict.
The second act showed the Seventy-first
in the trenches before Santiago. The
scenery was painted by a convict, and
was wonderfully we'll done. The usual
songs and dances were introduced in the
old way, and some of them were excel
lent. No one on the stage or in the au-
dience showed the slightest symptom of
mental disturbance. although some of
those present were among the States
most famous crminals-men of whorr
one has heard nothing but blood an
violence.
DR. Allison said some of the actors anf
many of the audience were much quiete.
in the theater than in the wards. The
lights and excitement occupied their at
tention. Indeed, permission to attend
or participate in these entertainments is
a sort of good conduct reward, which
has proved most useful in some cases.
Bostwick, the author and hero. took