The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-02-06
Prevented the Performance of
"The Beggar Student"
From Starting on Time and 1t
Vexed the Audience.
BOX OFFICE RECEIPTS
Attached For Failure of the
Company to Appear
At the Oliver Theater at Lin
coin, Nebraska.

TIL go before the curtain myself and
tell the people just how it is. III tell
them to go to the box Office and get
their money back, and there'n be no
more performance tonight than there is
ice in the Internal regions. I'll show
them who I am"
1t was Miss Dorothy Morton talking
and her manager was the individual to
whom the remarks were addressed. She
was standing threateningIy near the
curtain on the stage of the Crawford
theater few minutes before o'clock
Saturday night, and it was necessary
to look at her a second time to know
that she was not in the best of humOr
The curtain had not yet been raised
on the first act of THE Beggr Stu
dent
But my dear Miss Norton began
the manager.
I'm not anybody's dear Miss Nor
ton" she interrupted.
1T wouldn't be the wise thing to do
to dismiss the audience" went on the
manager. 1T might hurt our reputa-
ton
I don't care what it hurts" said the
angry star starting to beat a tattoo with
one foot on the stage floor. Il think
the whole thing is a mean trick and I
want to tell the people about it."
But if you wait a few minutes longer
I think the trouble can be adjusted"
said the manager.
I've now waited an hour" snapped
Wait just ten minues longer and let
me see what can be DONE" persisted the
manager.
Miss Morton kept on beating a tattoo
with her foot and looked about the
stage a few moments without answer
ing. Then she said:
I'll wait just ten minutes and no
longer. If this thing is not settled in
that time I go before the curtain and
dismiss the audience"
The manager hurried from the stage
and made his way to the front of the
house. Miss Morton walked into her
dressing room, sat down in front of the
mirror and picking out a rose from a
bouquet started to slowly pull it to
pieces.
Just Il minutes later the curtain was
rung up on the first act of The Beggar
Student"
Saturday night was a night of trou-
BILE for the Dorothy Morton Opera COM
pany. 1t was a night of tiresOme waits
for the audience assembled to see the
performance 1t was all due to at
tachment of the box Office receipts for
the evening
Late in the evening suit was filed
against the company and Scott Turner.
advance agent, in one the Justice
courts by the manag cement of the Oil
amounted to Manager Crawford filing
the suit as the Oliver is the theater he
lately acquired 1ne petition TeClLeQ
that the company failed to show at the
house, after the engagement was adj
vertised and seats sold, and asked dam
ages to the extent of $11I. In accord
ance with the petition attachment pa
pers were issued and served at the box
office about the time the performance
was scheduled to commence.
Then the trouble began. Manager
EmmersOn of the company sent word
back to the stage manager to hold the
curtain, and called County Attorney
Aaron JetmOre from the audience to
handle his side of the controversy Tom
King, Santa F'e agent, who had an order
on the box office for payment of trans
portatiOn amounting to about $50 was
called in for the opportunity of pro-
tecting his interests, and the discussion
was declared open.
1t continued without any satisfactory
arrangement resulting and inside the
audience waited impatiently for the
performance to commence. The minutes
went by, the lawyers and managers
argued and the audience waited. Short
Iy before 9 o'clock Manager Emmerson
received word that he was wanted on
the stage.
Then it was that Miss Morton threat
ened to dismiss the audience. When
Emmerson returned to the front of the
house he made a proposition to allow
the attachment suit to stand temper
arily, King taking an order on Wichita,