The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-08-12
SOME hELOORANA IN
CUMMINGS DONNF ALL
Injured Husband Pursues the
0ne-time Star.
HAPPY HOME WRECKED
REAL REASON FOR ALLEGED
ACTORS TRIALS.

Many Salt Lake people will be in
terested in the troubles of Ralph Cum
mings, the One-time Grand theatre
stock company star. According to a
Los Angeles paper, there is a dramatic
story behind Cummings downfall
It is a story of a ruined family and
a merCiless pursuit, says the Times
The scene Of action stretches from
the crowded offices of Broadway, New
York, to Los Angeles, and up into the
bleak regions OF the far north. Some
Of the actors are well known to the
people Of Los Angeles. The theatre
gOers of this city viii remember there
was one John J. Shaw in the Cum
mings company, a big man who played
the role Of heavy william. This man,
with Cummings and j. j. Spies. d we'll
known dramatic agent Of New York,
are linked together in play Of venge-
ance as dramatic almost, as any
melOdTama on the boards.
of course, there was q woman in
the case, too She played a triple role
Of typewriter and wife to J. J. Spies.
and later on the storm center as 4
were, of the whole action The first
scene in this drama of real life began
in the fall of 1900. in New York, where
Cummings was known as Robert Cum
mings. Shaw became connected with
the offices Of Spies as general utility
man anu W d. LAEdLc4 10y the DRAMA Tic
agent with the kindness of a brother.
John J. failed TO con6ne his attentions
entirely to his work, however. The
result was sudden disappearance of
Mr.. Shaw and Mr.. Spies typewriter.
Spies managed to keep track of the
couple and learned. after a while, that
they were negotiating to join the Cum
mings Stock company, which was then
about to work its way westward. Spies
sWore the direst vengeance against all
parties concerned in the breaking up of
his family. and warned CUMMINGS
when he heard of Shaw's intended
move, that if he engaged the runaway
couple he would hound Cummings to
the death and ruin his theatrical career.
Cummings laughed at the man, and,
to show his contempt for his threats,
gathered Shaw and Mrs. Spies into his
fold when the company passed through
Chicago. However. Cummings soon
discovered his mistake. From that
time on the star OF the Cummings
Stock company began to set. Wher-
ever they went an evil nemesis followed
after them Mysterious quarTels with
managers of various theatres cut short
( their engagements. 1t is doubtful If
ever a company was haunted by a
worse hOOdOO.
The i'll luck they encountered in Los
Angeles is still fresh in the minds of
/ the public. 1t was given out that the
company was to play a return en-
gagement here during the present
month. For some unknown reason
Manager M0roscO Cancelled that con-
tract and Cummings had to seek new
. fields. A tour through the state and
in the northwest only wore his com
pany to & fragile" All his efforts to
get on his feet again were unavailing
Even Shaw left him; but still his bad
luck continued.
His company all broke up. his money
I Wit a 81 Nd ha
raised with troubles ne had brought
upon his own mead, Manager Cum
mings at length appealed To his wife
in San Francisco for a little money.
But she remembered the time when her
ambitions to be a leading lady were
frustrated by the applicant. and so the
poor man got nothing. IN some mys-
ferrous manner Cummings reached
Nome with a theatrical troupe. There
he hopes TO be out of reach of the in
eXOrable Spies. but the latter still
swears the direst vengeance against
both Shaw and Cummings.