The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-04-16
Mr.. TIMOTHY MURPHY
IN THE CARPETBAGGER."

Mr.. Timothy Murphy's new play. 9TH
Carpetbagger,' by Opie Reed and Frank
PiXley. which opened a weeks engagement
at the Olympic last night, is very good at
times and very bad at other times.
1t tells n story of reconstruction da-s in
Mississippi, just after the Civil War, and
while some OF its Southern characters are
a bit sln-dried and overdone for the sake
of local color. there is something of occa-
SIGNAL naturalness in the atmosphere.
Mr.. Murphy's own role of Melville GRANGE,
the carpetbsG Governor of Mississippi, a
former Chicago auctioneer, is a sort of low
comedy conception of a spoils politician
who becomes Il goo-gOo under the reform
Ing influence Of love for a Mississippi Wild
ow. This is something of a novelty in the
line of stage creations, and Mr.. Murphy
makes the most of 1t.
The story. which opens with the carpet
Dagger skinning the State of Mississippi to
"a state OF nature. soon gets Its heart-in-
terest grated onto its political interest, and
from that moment all is sentiment. and the
business of looting an American common
wealth is allowed to sink into innocuous
desuetude. The Governor is In love with
the Widow Fairburn, quite nicely played
by Miss Nellie Yale Nelson: the widows
son, who might pass for The Idiot Boy at
the start, and who is portrayed as we'll as
circumstances will allow by Mr.. James
A1dHley, II III IOSe WIFI I0e governor 8
daughter, dimplingly presented by Miss
Dorothy Sherrod-and there you are. Be-
cause Of all this love the Governor becomes
repentant, wrecks his own machine. helps
to elect his Mississippi antagonist to sue
coed him in office. and is rapturously con-
tent with u second wife in place of a Sec
ond term.
This dramatic material gives Mr.. Murphy
opportunity for some homely and effective
III nm mot n lfttla nofhnS a h{f nf rnnoh.
and-ready moralizing in spots. and some ef-
fective paternal tenderness. all Of which he
makes the most of in something Of a Sol
Smith Russell vein. 1t is, on the whole, I
rather distinct piece of work and adds to
Mr.. Murphy's epute as a delineator of
character. without promising a permanent
success. 1t took well with last nights au-
dience. and the star was called on for two
curtain speeches. which were eminent,y
and amusing.
The supporting company Is adequate, the
best of those not already mentioned being
Miss Mathilde Wefing In the part Of Il fe-
male lobbyist, and Mr.. J.. r. Armstrong as
Major Henderson Reynolds, the home can
didate for Governor.
Mr.. Herbert Fortier as a gambler turned
Iogroller was just a bit too huskily melo-
dramatic. Mr.. 4. Brandon Mitchell, as
Governor Tins negro body-servant, did
good work. The remaining members of the
cast may be commended as equal to their
opportunities.
The play cannot be regarded as a genuine
ly serious attempt to picture the character
and incident of reconstruction days in the
South, inasmuch as the atmosphere Of bur-
!eslue is apparent in evident frankness.
For this reason. of course. it cannot be
expected to achieve distinction as a play
of American life. 1t is. however, amusing
when taken at the valuation plainly put
upon it by its own constructors.