The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-06-09
GROSS AFTER ROsTAND.

Samuel r. Gross of Chicago is going
to sue Edmond Rostand in France and
England. This is one outcome of the
recent decision of the United States
District Court at Chicago declaring M.
Rostand's "Cyrano de Bergerac" to
be a plagiarism of Mr.. Gross "Mer-
chant Prince of Corneville," and en-
joining the production of "Cyrano" in
the United States by any person ex-
cept upon agreement with Mr.. Gross
and the payment to him of a royalty.
The spectacle of Chicago real es-
tate dealer pursuing one of the i'm
mortals" of the French Academy with
a sharp stick into his own front yard,
for literary piracy. is rather amusing;
but, figuratively, that is precisely
what Mr.. Gross purposes doing. Hav-
ing secured a vindication in Chicago,
the author of the Merchant Prince of
Bonneville" says he is determined to
have a vindication abroad, where his
name has been jeered and hooted,
even if it costs him a second $50, 600,
the first having been expended in the
Chicago prosecution. And before he
gets through with the Immortal" Mr..
Gross promises to make him look like
a plugged nickel in a charity basket.
Nine. Bernhard called Mr.. Gross a
fool. When he has trimmed Rostand.
he may do something 10 change the
opinion of the divine" madame.
Mr.. Gross wrote his play twenty
FIVE years ago. At that time he was
as poor as the proverbial church
mouse. He says he lived on 80 cents
day or less, and slept on an old
army blanket. But he dreamed of
fame and fortune to come from his
play, and when he got hungry he tight
ened his belt an extra notch. But his
genius was unappreciated. Nobody
who had means to stage it would pay
any attention to his literary effort
After going hungry a long time and
meeting with many repulses he grew
cynical, dropped literature and went to
work; that Is. to dealing in real es-
tate. And as the years went by he
prospered. He is now rated as a mill
lionaire.
Several years ago, when Rostand's
play was produced, Mr.. Gross noted
that pretty nearly every situation in
it was practically identical with those
in the play written by him so long
ago. Studying the matter over, he
reached the conclusion that he had
been robbed and announced it his pur-
pose to bring suit. There was a dis
position to smile. even in Chicago,
when Mr.. Gross first accused Rostand
of having stolen his work. The mat
ter was finally submitted to a master
in chancery to ascertain If there was
any similarity in the two plays. The
master reported that there were not
less than twenty-nine situations in
"Cyrano." including the most salient
business" of the play, that were iden-
teal with situations in Mr.. Gross
play. antedating Rostand's by many
years. Upon this report the court gave
its decision in favor of Gross and en-
Joined the production of "Cyrano." as
noted. Gross, it is to be borne in
mind, does not claim Rostand's verses
or his hero by name, but the plot of
the piece and the situations. He is
willing to admit that the Frenchman
wrote his own poetry. but alleges that
he purloined another mans ideas for
the motive and the movement of the
story.
When he has defeated Rostand in
his own country and made his laurels
look like they had passed through a
severe hail storm. Mr.. Gross says he
is going to build theater OF his own.
form a company Of his own and pro-
duce the play he has so successfully
defended In the Chicago court.
Meanwhile one cannot help wonder
ms II Mr.. Gross would not be doing
better TO stick TO real estate
There rs strong undercurrent OF
belief among Catholic churchmen IN