The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-03-21
"secret Service" at the Park.

William Gillette's melodrama of the civil
war, Secret Service" is being acted-for
the first time in this city-at the Park
Theater by the Pike Theater stock COM
pany of Cincinnati. Performances will be
given this afternoon and tonight and to-
morrow afternoon and night. The audi
ences yesterday filed the theater. though
the prices are almost twice those usually
charged at this theater. Mr.. Gillette has
imagined a secret-service officer i'm a strug-
gle between his love for a rebel girl and
his desire TO carry out a trick that means
a victory for the Union forces. The love
and duty" theme is familiar enough in
stories of war, but i'm Secret Service il
is treated in a new and interesting way.
Mr.. Gillette is one of the cleverest writer's
and actors OF melOdrama of this day
Within the last year his fame has become
International He is now in London acting
in his dramatization of Conan Doyle's
Sherlock Holmes"
The secret-service agent, who is the hero
of the play. is named DumOnt, but while
he is at Richmond he is known as Thorne.
a captain in the Confederate army. He
plans to have a bogus order issued TO the
Confederate army that will weaken il at a
certain point. Immediately afterward the
Union troops are to attack at that point
and force their way into Richmond. While
he is working at this scheme he meets
Edith Varney. daughter of a Confederate
officer. He is supposed TO have been
wounded and she obtains for him "A com
mission in the telegraph service so that he
may stay at Richmond. He at first declines
to take the commission from her. wishing
to keep her personal honor separate from
his official duty. He is being watched by
Arrelsford. of the Confederate secret serv-
ice, and the SOutherner catches him send
ing the vital dispatch and shoots him i'm
the hand. ArrelsfOrd calls the guard and
accuses Thorne of being a spy and a Union
agent. At this moment Miss Varney comes
forward with the commission for Thorne's
new position, and with this Thorne fOilS
Arrelsford. The guard draws off and
Thorne determines To send the dispatch.
In the midst of il the feeling that he is not
right i'm using Miss Narney as a tool
mounts over his wish To serve his cause.
and he withdraWs the dispatch.
The telegrapher that was sending the dis
patch under Thorne's order appears Just
as Thorne is about TO be shot by order of
a court-martiaI conducted by Arrelsford
and saves his life. IL Is shown that ThOrne
has not done anything so serious as To war
rant his execution. but he is "A dangerous
character and he is sent 10 prison. As he
goes he and Miss Narney understand that
when he is released he will return To her.
The play is acted with a sincerity that
covers 10 great degree its improbabilities.
Byron Douglass impersonates Thorne with
a logged determination that one would ex-
pect IN such a courageous member OF the
secret service. Lizzie Hudson Collier is a
forceful Edith Narney. George Farren i'm
personates ArrelsfOrd. whose ardOr in
tracking Thorne is heightened because he.
too, has loved Miss Narney. Thomas NJ.
Reynolds IL the telegraph operator, and he
plays convincingly. on his first appearance
at each performance yesterday he was
greeted with prolonged applause by many
persons that had admired him as a mem
Der of the Grand stock company. Angela
Dolores Is Edith's mother. and John Is.
Maher is the herOine's brother. Joseph Is.
Everham. who also acted with the Grand
stock company, is a negro servant Agnes
McCaull j. prominent as the sweetheart Of
Edith's brother. The other parts are
capably acted.
The scenes of the play are the drawing
room OF the Narney house and the war de-
partment telegraph office, and both places
are well pictured.