The Topeka state journal., 1900-12-31
REAL BLOOD SHED.
Duel Scene in ssPrisoner of Zen
da' StartlingEy Real.
Vaughan Glaser's Hand Slashed
During the Contest.
BATTLE is CONTINUED.
Audience Did Not Know That
the Wound Was Genuine.
Company Was Weak, but VIII
Wadsworth PIeases.

Real gore was spilled in the cueI be-
tween "Rassendyll' and s'Hentzau in
the last act Of the Zenda show at the
Crawford Saturday night. Contrary to
the spirit OF the drama .'Raszendyll' was
the combatant injured. Contrary to the
run OF Zenda accidents also. for IL any
thing happens, it is usually "Hentzau"
who gets hurt.
At the close of the first volley "Henr-
zau'' missed a stroke when it came to
tierce and, making a hurried lunge TO
fill up the blade slipped over Rasse1-
dylPs'' SWOrd-guard and gaShed two of
his knuckles to the bone. But few Of
the audience perceived the accident,
chiefly those who sat nearest the stage.
and the performance was continued
without Interruption Mr.. GlaSer'S wound
bled freely but the audience thought l.
'.alI in the play"
Vaughan Glaser, who took the dual
part of Rassendyll" and the Red Elph-
berg, was more petulant than injured
Those swords are Jagged he said af-
ter the performance, and cut like a saw.
1t makes me tired for people to sit out
there in front and say They wouldn't
cur if they did strike one of themi
received a similar cut just a couple of
weeks ago that I have just got healed
up
CONFESS has been playing Hentzau'
long enough and we've been doing that
duel long enough to get along without
any accidents. 1t is rather odd that I
catch the injury every time It is usually
tbs case in Zenda companies that Heat
zau' is the more liable to injury
Before going down to Masonic hall to
the EIks' spread Glaser visited a drug
store to have the injury dressed. Some
member of the company had prescribed
for him, writing on the back of a tele-
gram what he should ask for.
The clerk smiled broad grin when
Chaser asked for some Hydrogen of
Dicoxide-" 1t was peroxide that was
r77e, mr. I4rf hot .rA r4r n
the cuts were washed with q weak solu-
tion of carbolic acid, sprinkled with an
antiseptic and bound up.
How much is the job?" asked Glaser.
Ten cents
is that the way you fellows get rich.
with your exorbitant charges?" Chaser
Queried jocularly.
"Ohl That's just for the cost of the
stuff" explained the amateur and en-
bryonic physician Il won't charge you
anything for my experience. Much
obliged to you. sirI'
"The Prisoner of Zenda" is well known
to Topeka theater goers but it was
chiefly interesting Saturday because of
the presence in the cast of Will Wads-
worth who has lived nearly his entire
life in Topeka. Perhaps that was re-
sponsible for the two large audiences
which saw the play
The production is not up to the stan
dard OF a Zenda play Howard Gould is
no longer Rassendyll, but in his place is
Vaughan Glaser, a young actor with the
form and farce of an Apollo but without
enough fire in his make up to kindle the
flames of passion which are supposed to
burst forth as the young Englishman
finds himself in love with princess who
believes him to be the real king Of
Ruritania-
Charlotte Tittell as the Princess Flavia
did not come up to expectations but
Miss Tittsll has been quite i'll for two
weeks and Saturday was her first ap-
pearance since her illness. 1t is not fair
to judge of her ability by her work Sat
urday for she is known as a successful
actress.
Charles C. Brandt as Col Sapt makes
the most Of his opportunities but the
place of his companion, Fritz Won Tar
lenheim'' is taken by Luke CONFESS who
might do pretty well in an amateur at
traction but even there ne would not
distinguish himself w. L. Buchanan
as BLACK Michael has little to do for
which the audience is thankful. Helen
Strickland as "Antoinette De Mauban"
was good
Mr. Wadsworth. the Topeka actor ap-
peared as ''Bertram Bertrand and as
Franz Teppich. Mayor of Strelsau."
As the young English artist Mr.. Wads-
worth was all that could be expected
and he did a really clever bit of work
in the third act. His character of the
mayor offers a different line of work and
while Mr. Wadsworth was not as salts
factory as in the other part he by no
means made a failure At the evening
performance he received a large bunch