The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-09-26


| That there are two hack companies in
! Butte becomes daily very evident to the
hotel clerks who have to explain things
to the travelling men who have their
troubles because OF the arrangement.
Guests at the hotels who bave tickets to
| return to a depot with one hack line
often hurriedly board a vehicle belong
ing to the competing company and when
\ they dnd the pasteboard they have paid
| for does not settle for their fare there
| are few protests not over mild in na-
ture.
This morning about o'clock the tele-
phone at the Finlen rang and the en-
ploye who answered 1t caught a sound
like an electrict current trying to crawl
over barb wire. After a time a voice
exploding in exclammations ana inter-
rogations was distinguished. Then 1t np-
4 peared that the furry was all caused be-
cause the man at the other end Of the
wire had gotten into the wrong hack
when he left the hotel. He had had to
| pay a cash fare when he held ticket,
! he had been landed at the wrong depot
and his baggage was no where in sight.
| These were a few OF the complaints he
had to make and as he dropped the re-
| ceiver to rush to another station he
! promised to do little regulating In the
hack business when he returned to Butte.
"Stories Of ridiculously small receipts
sometimes are told among actors and
managers, but seldom for publication. If
a reporter is lurking near. the receipts
immediately soar among the thousands,
said the advance agent OF a theatrical
company to an Inter Mountain reporter
this forenoon.
fNHn ,t3vo
record for minimum veceipts Us q mooted
question, but James Newton Drew, now
of "The Wrong Mr.. Wright" company.
had an experience which seems to be in
the record class. He was touring the
country with repertoire company play
ing week stands. For want of better
name the organization was known as the
''Criterion Comedy Company"
1.-THE season was waning, the Thes-
plans We're tired and the manager had
lost interest and what ready money ne
had. Medina. N. T., small village not
far from Buffalo, was booked. According
to the advance notices and three sheets
the Criterion Comedy company" was
in some ways just a trif1e better and
bigger than any theatrical organization
on tour AS matter of fact, the COM
| rany contained seven persons, including
the manager, who played leading CONF
edy roles.
1.-THE citizens of Medina. however, were
not to be deceived by gaudy paper and
e2utravagant advance notices. Neltner
did the extremely low prices Of ten,
twenty and thirty cents attract them.
The exact receipts on the opening night
were twenty cents, that sum being con-
tributed by two small boys. In the au-
ddence were seven persons, including the
hotel proprietor and two constables. A
performance was given, nevertheless. the
manager explaining that he needed the
twenty cents in the box Office and could
not afford to refund the money.
Miss Eva Tanguay, now with The
Chaperons," once was the star In a COM
pany called the EVA Tanguay Roper
todre Company" For continuous small
receipts that organization seems to hold
the record. In Norwi h, N. Y, the week
receipts at ten, twenty and thirty cents
were as follows: Monday night. 1920;
Tuesday matinee, s1.75; Tuesday night.
$780, Wednesday matinee, $l.40; wed
nesday night, $5.25: Thursday matinee.
$120; Thursday night. $3.50; Friday
matinee, 50. 30; Friday night $3.50; Sat
urday matinee, $40; Saturday night,
$50
guay's band OF players played to s24. 40
gross on the week. Miss Tanguay now
recalls the figures with a smile, but ad-
mits it was not laughing matter at the
time.
"Down in West Virginia they have a
quick way OF administering the law"
said E. r. Pyle. United States postal
official. who is registered at the Butte
hotel A few days ago Deputy Marshal
Dan Cunningham arrested George Davis,
an Ohio negro, for violating the internal
revenue laws. The prisoner and wit
nesses were taken on train on which
q United Statets commissioner was
passenger. He opened court in Ches-
apeake & Ohio observation car. tried
the prisoner and held him for the grand
jury. The prisoner was taken on the
same train to Huntington and placed in
JAIL That, I guess, is about as rapid
as any work Judge Lynch ever did in
the west"