The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-07-31
IE NEWS. PROVIDENCE. R. T. TUESDAY, JULY 81. 1900


placed D the columns OF a newspaper. IL
worth i've dollars worth OF prirting on
the dead walls OF a town.
MRS. HoYT'S NEW PLAY.
1 spent considerable money I'm advertis-
ing Mrs. Hoyt and "A contented Wom-
an" In Philadelphia. the first stand made
under my direction" as Il Is called.
1 am proud TO say L have many friends
on the Philadelphia newspapers as l nave
all through the United States, and they
responded very literally TO me In the way
OF advance notices. Col. Alec. NC
Clure, the dean OF the editorial profess
sion in the Quaker City. has been per-
sonal and journalistic friend OF mine for
nearly twenty-five years.
4 got him TO csme and sit out the first
performance played az the Chestnut
Street Theatre. From the theatre he
drove to his office and wrote a column
editorial commencing the play 10 the at
tention OF the ladies of Philadelphia and
say ying that il contained moral lesson
OF the greatest possible value: that IL was
a play which every wife in the city could
view with pleasure and apply that les
son to Nerself
Mrs. Hoyt's beauty. like good wine.
needed no bush. IL was proven at sight,
but when the women OF iiladeiphia
learned that Mr.. Hoyt was giving them
glimpse OF his home life with his beauu-
ful wife. which was most charming and
allurng they focked TO the theatre by
hundreds and OF course they brought
their husbands. their brothers. their
sons. or their best fellows with them as
escorts :, .y
we had against us "as opposition" dur
ing these two weeks. The Geisha. ohe
first time IN PhiIadelphia) John Drew.
'Frhe Sign OF the Cross" and couple or
other plays, almost equal I'm drawing pow
err and vet our receipts eScelled any of
the others This. ] know TO be fact.
because rbwadays 'The Syndicate" has
the most accurate means OF telling Just
how much each attraction In its circuit
draws.
Mr.. IToyt was very much pleased by the
success OF his wife and Of this play.
and he then told me that IL was his In
tention of writing another for her which
should be even "A better card than a
Contented Woman" Said he. Macon.
Dion Boucicault once told me. In speaking
about plays. There's lace and lace. and
the play intend writing for the Madame
you can depend upon IL will be of the
And lace character"
LOVED WIFE DIED.
We ended the season very successfully,
but the next season Mrs. Hoyt did not
play Before its close she died, and Char
ley Hoyt found out that he had loved her
even better than he knew.
Many years ago Dom Piatt, then the
wit OF the American press, became the
editor of "The Editors Drawer" OF Har-
per's Monthly AS the readers C.
grand old magazine know. the drawer is
mainly the receptacle of funny stories.
About three months after he took charge
of his new position | met him In Cincin-
natl looking very downhearted and lugu-
brious. He was a great Shakespearean
scholar. So. accosting him In the Ian
guage he loved so well. l said, What,
man, ne'er pull thy bonnet DER thy
brow you look as though you hadn't
friend in the world and never expected
to have another. Cheer up. Colonel. and
give dull care a poke in the ribs
II wish / could kick the ribs out OF
him." was his reply. MACK. I'm miser-
able. Before 1 got this internal editor
ship everyone i met used to tell me funny
stories till my sides ached with laughing
at them.
Now everyone seems to have tale Of
woe. I meet only duns, and Ill bet TX
there is a funeral within five miles of my
town / am sure to encounter IL IL l go
out for morning walk.
HARD TO BE FUNNY.
It's awful hard to be funny on compul-
sion and Charley Hoyt found after
while that the public expected new
play from him every season, and TO fur
nish fun for these now plays got TO be
terribly hard work. His last really funny
play was, "A Stranger in New York,
and some of the criticisms on that play
hurt Mr.. Hoyt good deal more than he
cared TO admit lie is highly sensitive
man, and he values the appreciation OF
the press as much as does any man ever
met in all my long theatrical career.
When he lost his wife he became very
melancholy and gloomy. His friends and
acquaintances expected that this would
disappear in time, but instead of so do
ing his gloom appeared TO become darker
and darker.
Everything that could be thought OF to
tighten his grief. to cheer his spirits, was
done but for nearly two years his best
friends saw that something more than
common was the matter with him, and
while they would not publicly say that
there was anything wrong, I'm private to
those they could trust they freely ad-
mitted that he appeared to be, IL not
wholly mentally unbalanced. at least par
TALLY deranged to such an extent that he
cotild no longer properly exercise the
faculties for which he had been so re-
nowned.
There is one thing / want TO say and
that is that I feel certain that whatever
Frank Mckee in retiring Mr.. Hoyt to
sanitarium has done. II has been done
honestly and sincerely because he he
lleved that the course he was taking vas
the best one to be pursued for Mr.. Hoyts
benefit.
PARTNER AND BENEFICIARY.
Frank Mckee Is not only Mr.. Hoyt's
partner but he was his beneficiary. He
is Kentuckian. by birth. born and
rsised I'm Louisville. and he Is a whole
souled, generous. big hearted man. All
who know him feel certain that In taking
the unpleasant step he did. placing Mr..
Hoyt under restraint he did not do IL un-
til he felt absolutely sure that II was
step that could no longer be avoided in
Justice TO all concerned.
With Ophelia / say: "Oh! What,a no.
BILE mind Is here o'erthrown." l sincere
ly trust and pray that the physicians
opinion that Charley Hoyt's malady is
incurable may prove erroneous. and that
n short period OF rest and proper medical
treatment may restore him TO perfect
health. bodily and mentally. The world
has pressing need OF men like him. for II
the man who makes two blades of grass
grow where but one grew before is wor-
thy of scriptural commendatlon. how
much more deserving Of praise is he who
has made brightness and hilarity take
the rIace OF sorrow and gloom and Char