The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-10
BUTTE News.
WILLIAMS IN SPOKANE
The Musician Was Lost to His
Friends for Long Time.
A SPIRITUALISTIC FAKE
: He Coined Money Out of Gullible
sssSs-
$50 Public-Ihe Next Big Show at
the Grand Will Be
- "Hogan's Alley"

II have just received letter from
friend in Spokane telling me that Jesse
Williams, who had been lost to his
friends for many years. was in that
city," said a theatrical man in Butte
yesterday. 1T is the first time l had
heard of him in ten years. At one time
he was among the most prominent mus
ical directors in America. For several
years he occupied that position at the
Casino in New York. Williams is a
character in his way, The first time l
met him he was in the sound country
about 20 years ago. l was then al the
head of a travelling organization and
Williams was giving a one-man mus
teal show. About that time spiritualsm
was at it's height as fad and Williams
hit upon a scheme to profit by it. He is
an excellent musician. He advertised
himself as a medium and worked the
thing so successfully that people came
for miles and miles to attend his public
exhibitions. His trick was to appear on
the stage and open his seance with a
lecture on spiritualisn. He then went
into a trance, his acting during pre-
liminary fits was perfect and success
fully deceived his audience. When he
reached the passive and tranquil state
of a medium he picked upon the name
of some departed musician and eX
claimed:
Aha, he is here, he is here
Seating himself at the piano he
played with a master hand, selections
= from the composer whose alleged spirit
guided him, and after giving the people
= the worth of their money he suddenly
broke off into a rasping discord.
. The spirit has gone, he said There
is douhter disbeliever in this audi
ence. The spirit will play no more
1.-THE audience was dismissed, the ma
jority believing they had witnessed a
marvellous spirit manifestation. Will
: Jams worked the trick for all it was
worth, and when l last saw him he was
coming money at it.
The next big show at the Grand will
be "Hogan's Alley, said to be one of the
funniest Irish farce comedies that ever
came in over the Northern Pacific, the
characters of Hogan and BrOgan being
portrayed by the great comedians,
, Campbell and Caulfield, supported by a
company of reputable performers of
ability.
Campbell and Caulfield have a wierd
dialogue that goes like a bunch of Chin
ese fire-crackers, and there is not q
breathing spell in it from the first word
to the last 1t includes a lot of queer
squibs with words, puns that snap back
and forth with the speed of lightning,
perhaps more grotesque and refined,
put still said to be amazingly ludicrous.
EIf the average character actor had to
work so hard he would think himself a
much prosecuted man, and few of them
have the quaint creative faculty that
marks the successful star.
Campbells description of the veteran
who had been shot in the lip, and years
: after tries to tell the story of the Bat
tie oh de Wappahannook" is said to be
a particularly laughable bit of non
sense. THE Alley" will open at the
Grand next Sunday.
The r. E. French Theater company
began the week at the Union Family
theater last night with a production of
that splendid military drama. "A Fair
Rebel 1t was staged as well as the
limited resources of the Family would
admit and was eXcellently played by
an exceptionally good company of
sactors. Mr.. French as Col. Ezra Mason
and Blossom Boardman as Claretta
Montieth the fair rebel, played par
ticularly strong parts. Mamie Holden
Eva Earle French, Josephine Strong
Paul Boardman, H. P. Wilson, Charles
& Howard, Kinney Mcleod and c. A.
Smiley, the villain, all did good work
A number of specialties We're intro
duced between acts and Paul Board
man, without much excuse and with
out apology to the audience, also rang
in some bad singing of bad songs dur
ing one of the acts. Moran and Nc
Clenna, a clever team of speciality per-
formers, did several good turns be-