The Topeka state journal., 1900-03-02
"SAPHO" IN COURT.
New York Women Testify That
the Play is Immoral.

New York March 2-Olga Nethersole,
the actress, appeared at her hearing for
indecency in producing "Sapho" in a
gown more startling than any she
has yet worn in the Center street police
court. She was looking extremely well
and showed no signs of nervousness The
actress was Immediately piloted to the
private examination room of Magistrate
Mott. Two policemen stood guard at
the door. Marcus Mayer, Miss Neither
sole's manager; Louis Nethersole, her
brother; Theodore Moss, proprietor, and
Charles Burnham, manager of Wallack' s
theater, and Hamilton Revelle were also
at the hearing.
"Sapho'' received a thorough airing
through the descriptions and opinions
of Mrs. Almon Hensley, president of the
Society for the Study of Life; Mrs. NJ.
S. Harris, president of the New York
Mothers club; DR.. Eloise 1. Church;
Hilary Bell, dramatic critic and Will
liam o. Inglis, a newspaper reporter.
All of the witnesses except Mr.. Bell
pronounced the play immoral. Mr.. Bell
said that it was disgusting from an ar
tistic standpoint.
ACTRESS PROMPTS COUNSEL.
Miss Nethersole sat at the right of her
counsel Abe Hummel, and, as during
the preceding day, prompted Mr.. Hum
mel continually. She suggested among
other things that because Mrs. Hens
ley'S voice was so we'll modulated she
might once have been an actress, and a
question to that effect was accordingly
put to the witness and promptly de-
MED. Behind Miss NetherSOle sat her
secretary, Miss Maude Clayton, and her
now with the Sapho company. They
were both elaborately attired. Miss
Nethersole upon several occasions re-
cited lines from the play, but always in
a whisper, to Mr.. Hummel, and never
aloud with dramatic feeling as she did
on the first day of the hearing.
Mrs. Hensley, talking rapidly in a
low voice, described the first act of the
play. Mr.. Hummel cross examined her
closely and adroitly brought out the un-
Objectionable features of the play. AT
the close she said: Il think a great
many of the words are improper.
think a great many of the scenes are
improper and the play as whole is
detrimental to the youth of our city
COULD SEE THROUGH COSTUME.
Hilary Bell told of the costumes worn
by Sapho in the first act, which he de-
scribed as diaphanous, a costume over
tights, SO, transparent that when she
stood with her back to the light you
could pretty well see through it,
Mrs. Harris testified that she had seer
the play and was so disguSted that she
wished to leave after the first act bui
was persuaded to stay and judge of II
thoroughly. In answer to the question as
to the impression she had formed Mrs
Harris said: I thought it very immoral
I have thought of it every day and night
since then"
DR. Church in her testimony said: 81
was astonished that the public permitted
it,
w. o. Inglis, a World reporter. describ-
ed Miss Nethersole's costume in the ball.
room scene as one that revealed a great
deal of her person. 1t left her shoulders
bare. he said and displayed the middle OF
the calf of her leg. He described fighl
Iafrx al1r md Tnf a 7
over a man. He said that Sapho made 9
rush at Toto, tried to uppercut her. and
then, rushing into close quarters, tried
to rough her. Mr.. Hummel, Magistrat te
Mott and Miss Nethersole all demanded tc
know at once what the witness meant by
the use of the word rough"
You must be the pugilistic reporter
Mr.. Hummel said.
What 1 meant" the witness said, twas
that Miss Nethersole made a rush at tht
other woman with her arm in such :
position that it looked as though she was
trying to strike her with her elbow. Thaf
would be called a foul blow in the priz'
ring, and when a fighter adopts such tao
tics it is called 'roughing.'"