The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-12-22
So Mapleson announced a second "

see. So MapleSon announced a second
performance by Patti, for the following
Tuesday, in I'll Trovatore,' y stating that
the box office would open. for the sale
of any surplus tickets on the following
Monday at 10. Here is a pen picture of
the scene on the morning of the sale,
March Is, as given in one of the dailies:
To one who has stood on Mission
street. opposite the Grand opera house,
yesterday afternoon, and viewed the bat
tie from afar, as it might be said, it
seemed that a large number of people
had run completely mad over the desire
to hear Patti sing. Such an excited, tur-
bulent. and, in fact, desperate. crowd
never massed in front of a theater for
the purpose of purchasing tickets. 1t
absolutely fought for tickets, and it is
questionable whether, if it had been an
actual riot by fierce and determined
mob the scene could have been more
exciting or the wreck of the entrance
OF the theater more complete After the
throng had melted away, the approaches
to the box office looked as if they had
been visited by a hrSt-claSS Kansas ey-
clone in one of its worst moods. The
fact that. tickets were on sale for several
performances had much TO do with it.
1t was sort of cleanup for last even
ing and todayS matinee but above all
for the Patti night on Tuesday A line
began to form as early as o'clock in
the morning and it grew and multiplied
until 10 o'clock 1t had the corner on Third
street, while the main entrance was
packed solid with a writhing and twist
ing mass of humanity, which pressed
close to the glass doors which form the
first barrier. and which were guarded
by a lone policeman. He did his best
upon the doors, but as the time passed
and the box Office did not open. the
crowd became more noisy and unman-
ageable, and finally an irresistible rush
do Gov ! h.
resist an instant, and gave way as though
they had been made Of paper. In the
fierce tunlult which followed the glass
was broken out of them, a bow being
htrled bodily through one of the panes,
with a most painful result to him, for
he fell cut and bruised inside. These
was not an inch of available space be-
tween the street and the main entrance
that was not occupied by men, women, or
children indiscriminateiy huddled in to-
gether. The potted plants were overturn-
ed and annfhilated understhe feet of the
throng, the glass in tho large pictures
which adorned the walls was broken,
and the pictures themselves Cra syed to
the floor. The box office was besieged
by solidly packed and bowling mob. the
regular line entirely overwhelmed, and a
grand struggle ensued to get as near the
as possible. Then the crowd itself es-
sayed to get into some sort of. order,
The more powerful forced themselves
to the front and started a newtlire. with
out any regard for those who had been
first in position before the barriers were
OverJhroWn: y
ut twisted itself about.the lobby, form
ing curves and angles that would have
made the typical snake retire into OBJ
security Tor very envy This line was
pressed upon from all sides by unfor-
tunates who had been left out of the
original formation Of it. The air was
thick and sultry, the crowd perspired.and
blasphemed. and the storming Of the box
office became imminent Just at this June
ture, Capt Short arrived with a large
squad of police, and under the influence
of copious display of suggestive-look-
and formed a somewhat orderly line. A
line Of season ticket holders was also