The sun., 1903-12-08
AN EIGHTH AVENUE THRILLER.
POE OUTDONE IN TERRORS AND
SARDOU BORROWED TO HELP.

Taste OF ''TOsca" In A. j. Lamb Queen
OF the White Slayes'-Lamb Bellies
His Name-He's Lion in Cruel Imag-
inings-Whistlink Gods Greet the Play.
+. Sardou on Eighth avenuel Yes, the
Grand Opera House had a taste Of 1Tosca .
last night with Edgar Poe thrown in as an
extra thriller" just as raw beef Is some-
times sprinkled with red pepper by eminent
epicures. The piece in which all this oc-
Cured bears the ominous title OF Queen
of the White Slaves" Its author Ia Arthur
j. Lamb, whose name is sadly misleading
he is a very demon Of cruelty in his lion
like theatrical imaginings. But only for
the sake Of being kind to the gallery. His
hero and heroine, gallant pair, reach their
haven Of safety after series OF adventures
calculated to give any one except hardened
boy the echoes of delirium tremens.
The queen of the white slaves Is Laura
Rivers. She resides in San Francisco. It
was an unlucky hour when, in the parlor
of the Palace Hotel, she attracted the atten-
tion Of a meek though lustful Chinaman-
4an old Chink," as one clear, youthful voice
among the gods" aptly described him.
1t seems that this Wong Flung was fond of
Western blondes, so he agreed to pay Ralph
Grimestone- abhor red name-the sur
prisingy high sum OF $4,000 on delivery
Of the goods.
But the villains did not count upon a
Californian Sherlock Holmes in the person
of James Wendell, young man with highly
orthodox views, revolver and pure,
marble brow. No matter how crafty their
schemes, they were always foiled by TINS
and was always about to marry, her, if her
guardian, or the hateful Ralph with the
fatal laugh, or the Terrible Nine had not
interfered. And now we reach the nub
Of our CORY tale. -,
Mr. Lamb gives us nine collective fiends,
attired in the traditional costume of men
who meet underground in Shiny cellars
with blood red lights, there to put the
Dutch or the Chinese or the cosmic curse
upon their enemy-soc,ety. keagued IN
the exploits OF Balzac's Ferragus and his
famous Thirteen, for they have read Poe;
they have seen aTosca, and between the
two they exc out very comfortable exist
ence in the torture business.
They fail. however, in thinking Jun
Wendell is of ordinary flesh and blood.
He may be tortured and his sweetheart
be forced to listen to his musical groans;
but he staggers out undaunted and defies
the naughty gang: :, -,
Then they puI MIN IN d Ceil Win moving
walls-for they knew their Pit and PEN
dulum" by heart. 1t avails not-Jim has
friends with pistols, knives, CHEEKY hearts
and one axe.
When he is placed on raft and in mid
ocean the gallery last night began to worry
ocean greyhound, several sizes smaller
than jim and his planks, hove into view!
Saved! Saved And there was joy among
the girls-who before the curtain went up
recalled to their listeners the behavior
Of that pretty house in Bronx Park called ed
much as vet in the evolutionary scale.
Oscar Hammerstein, whose new march
was played, looked scared In his seat below:
He did not understand the language OF
boyish enthusiasm.
The parts of the play were in good hands.
j. L. Flatow, as Fleecy Rugs a comic tramp.
coming in for all the laughter and E. j.
Mbern. the chief villain, coming in for all
the hisses. Theodore Frieleus and Sylvia
Bidwell were the people most concerned.
The latter justified all the bother about
her,