The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-08-25

In the play" 40" there Is more than
the melodrama of the plot. There is the
pathetic picture of a mining camp IN
deCadenCe. The fever of success, pres
ent or to come Immediately, has sub
sided. The place has "a past. 1t has ira
ditions and memories which are con-
stantly influencing present action. Mo-
tive is not always on the surface as ii
is in a new mining camp where men
from the uttermost parts of the earth
are suddenly brought together by one
common purpose and with complete
oblteration of all preceding personal
history. Quarrels and animosties have
their beginning and whole history in the
moment, and bystanders can form cor
rect judgments of their merits. But in
it's decadence a mining camp Is hurried
on by it's traditions to make the quick
Judgments of the earlier days, without
the same guarantees of their being just
or chivalrous judgments
1t was one of the merits of the pre-
sentation of the play last night by Mag
gle Moore and II. r. Roberts and their
company, that they brought out this
element of the drama managing it's
shadows so as to give true perspective
to the main plot.
The time of the drama is i'm the 7O's,
a quarter of century after the rush of
40. "ColJames," Herbert Ashton, a st.
Louis lawyer, wants to find the heiress
of a big fortune. a child who with her
parents was in the Mountain Meadow
massacre in 1857. An old negro, Ned "
w. ]. Townshend, a survivor of the
massacre, gives him the only clue. The
child was rescued by an Indian woman.
"Col. James" sends Arthur Denison,"
Alec Cochrane out West to follow up
this clue. tom Bradshaw" Percy
Ward, col. James " conf entail clerk
81, ;,,f ha oh inc
his employment, sets out on his own ac-
count determined to find the heress,
marry her and thus gain the fortune
Bradshaw and DenisOn both arrive at
the decadent mining town. They find
two young women, wards of 'Mississi-
ppi," Lily BranscOmbe, and learn that
they were brought to the camp in the
winter of 81 by an Indian woman. They
both conclude that one of these is the
missing heiress, but fix on Bella"
Madge Corcoran, "Mississippi's" favor
it's as the one, and Bradshaw marries
her. They also find in the camp Bed
rock General" II. r. Roberts, Forty
nine" Fred Esmelton, who has been
working a tunnel for quarter of CEN
fury without success. In the third act,
events move very quickly. Forty nine
discovers that Denison is his son. He
also strikes it rich. He is about to be
hanged by the Vigilantes. Bedrock
General does the greatest act of his
life, he offers himself to be hung in
Forty mines" place. Carrots" Maggie
Moore is identified by Ned" as the
missing heiress. Bradshaw is discov-
cred to have committed the crime of
which Forty mine" is accused.
There is nothing left for the last act
but to reward long suffering virtue and
goodness with evening dress and dia-
monds and marry Carrots" to Deni-
son.
Maggie Moore as Carrots" was all
that the character should be, an in
genue, thoroughly good the life of the
camp with her songs, and its good angel
with her ministTations. II. r. Roberts
as Bedrock General" was a finished
actor throughout fully justifying the
reputation he brought and the good
opinions he has gained.