The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-07-12
SAYS SHE WAS HUEDTH KING Of LAYSAN BOARG Of REGISTRATION
CHORUS GIRL SUES ORPHEUM
MANAGERS.
Miss Rose Naylor of Southwell Opera
Company Says They Scared Her Into
Surrendering Her Contract.

Although the Australia sailed for San
Francisco last Tuesday with the ma
jority of the Southwell Opera Company
aboard, the Orpheum Company, Limit
ed has not gotten rid of the theatrical
white elephant for at least one MEM
ber of the company remained in Homo
lulu for the purpose of pressing suit
for damages against it. AS the fore
runner of the trouble which viii beset
the local managers a suit for damages
was filed in the Circuit Court yester-
day against them for $3.50 by Miss Rose
Naylor a member of the Southwell
Company. Her attorneys say that
there are more to follow. According to
the plaintiff she was cruelty bluffed out
Of her just dues
When the Southwell Company was
engaged in San Francisco last May
they were given contracts for sixteen
weeks at salaries from $12 to $1O0
week, together with round trip trans
portation Although welded to her
art, Miss Naylor occupied the position
of a lesser light and belonged to the
great majority who drew down $12 per.
She was also required by the terms of
her contract to furnish her costume ex-
elusive of boots, tights, grease paint
and a few other incidentals, but in as
much as her mite toward the tout en-
l,Semble consisted of a high soprano
part in the rear ranks of the chorus,
she had enough of her salary left to
buy all the chewing gum and alliga-
tor pears her friends could eat.
For some reason the Company, as a
whole, failed to catch on here and the
deep gutteral notes of chief Comedian
Wolff soon became sepulchrical in the
empty house of mirth. Nor did the
generous charms of Miss Hattie Belle
Ladd appeal to the lovers of the beau
| tiful and as to the chorus the John
nies' must have changed their names
for all that the front row saw of them.
| Losing money at the rate of $3.50 a
week convinced the management that
no matter how warm" individual
members of the company might be, as
an aggregation, the Southwells were
rapidly converting the Orpheum into
an ice factory, with frost an inch
| thick on the chairs. 1t was then that
the Company determined to get rid of
the incubus.
Accordingly the early part of last
week the entire Southwell Company
was called to the theater. Some went
with beating hearts for there was a
week and a half's salary coming and
they had hopes. Others. looked for the
rehearsal &C some new opera s'hfSe the
wise ones simply obeyed orders. There
in the heat of a summer day was en-
acted the tragedy of a contract Ac-
cording to the statement of members
of the troupe Manager Cohen, and 9TH
er stockholders in the Orpheum Com
pany proceeded to bluff them to fare
you-well on the Australia. The thea
| trical managers went right to the point
and said that the engagement had
| proved a failure. The Company was
a dead frost and the best thing for all
hands would be for them to go back
home, south of Market street, where
they would be appreciated. True there
was still ten weeks contract uneXpired
but the managers proposed to let it eX-
pire a natural death. Some members
of the opera company entered a mild
protest against being sent adrift in
such summary manner The engage
ment to Honolulu had seriously inter
fered with their securing engagements
in the States and they thought they
were being unfairly treated. The end
of the matter came however by the
Orpheum people agreeing to pay the
company two weeks salary, upon their
signing releases for the balance of the
contract. This was done by the entire
crowd and the majority of them left
for home via the Australia.
Among those who remained was Miss
Naylor. She secured employment in an
attorneys office and through him she
instituted the suit. She claims that
the Orpheum people secured the re-
lease of the contract through duress
so she asks redress in the sum of $3.50
In addition to the suit of Miss Naylol
it is understood that nearly every 9TH
er member of the Company authorized
the attorney to institute proceedings
in their behalf The attorney filed the
first suit for the purpose of testing
the matter and learning the sentiment
of the Orpheum people. The case was
set for August 9Th. Miss Florence and
Miss Van Metre other members of the
; company who remained in Honolulu
declined to institute any action against
the Orpheum people as did Mr.. Wolff