The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1901-07-09

WV iNvhtAIN s'iii'N 'ii''''' ~
tent on dolng bodily harm and
with dcmoushing the stage,
created riot last night Boo the
Chinese theater one which, for a time,
looked as N IL would end iu bloudshod.
The members OF the Flying Jordans
troupe " circus performers narrowly
escaped severe injury at the hands ~
the crazy mob. and made their escape
in the darkness TO the rice fields In the
vicinity of the theater under the guid-
ance OF Police officer joy. They flew
as never before.
For the space OF fifteen minutes the
mob surged and shouted until the In
terror OF the theater resembled scene
from the Peking legation. Men In the
galleries who had just entered began
the riot by throwing chairs across the
intervening space 20 the stage, mar
rowly missing those who crowded for
ward in the pit below.
The presence of "A few police officers
did not for an instant check the riot
ers. and had 1t not been that the Off
GERS put forth their energies to save
the women OF the troupe, the latter
might have been handled roughly. The
appearance of Deputy Sheriff Chilling
worth within fifteen minutes of the
commencement OF the trouble, quieted
the row, and peace was restored by
dispensing the crowd.
The trouble started In "A peculiar
way, and was due in a large measure
to the method by which the Chinese
pay their way into the theater. 1t Is
the custom for the Chinese managers
| to charge good admission fee be-
| tween the hours of 6 and o'clock, a
/ lower price from to 10. and still an
other and smaller price from 10 to II.
/ The Chinese shows begin early and end
| late whereas the American shows com
mence at q later hour and end earlier.
Despite the fact that the Jordans' per
I formance was much shorter than that
| to which the Chinese are accustomed.
the same methods of paying for admis-
sion were carried on. The perform
ance of the Flying Jordans began at
o'clock. An admission fee of 25 cents
was charged from until o'clock;
! from to 10 o'clock, Is cents; from 10
until IL O'Clock, 10 cents, and after that,
nothing. The performance had been
advertised with gaudy posters of men
and women aCrobats flying through the
air apparently without the aid of ma
teral things. The posters took the eye
OF the Chinese, and preparations were
made for one of the biggest audiences
that had yet been gathered in the fine
new theater. Long before the hour ap-
pointed the crowds gathered in front
of the building, and by the time the
show commenced there We're about 1900
persons present. The lower floor was
crowded, while the gallery and stalls
were comfortably filled. The various
numbers of the program were given
the Flying Jordans doing their graceful
acts upon the trapeZe slack wire and
rings.
At length the program reached the
number where one of the women of the
troupe makes her appearance on tbs
stage in tights, holding in her hands a
cloak-like arrangement which she
opened and closed, while a stereoptiCor
lantern threw pictures of all kinds
upon her. the effect being quite artis
tic to the eye of the Anglo-SaNon
This number was to begin about 1O:li
o'clock.
Suddenly an electric fuse burned out
leaving the stereopticon dead anC
the number could not be completed
There was long silence while the cleo
trician attempted to fix the mechanism
but without success. Then one of the
management stepped forward and said
that owing to the failure OF the cleo
trio mechanism, the show would have
TO be brought TO close. As the num-
Der would have occupied about ten
or twelve minutes, it was apparent tc
the Chinese who had paid their admis-
sion at 10 o'clock that they We're get
ting nothing for their money.
Instantly there was a wild clamoring
In the gallery, and the Celestals be.