The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-01-07

tYep!'
The large audience which saw the
now famous character of David
Harufn,'' the York state horse trader
and fnancier, at the Crawford last
night passed through a change of mind.
The play was advertised without the
name of a single actor appearing. Who
would be the Harun11 of the play was
a mystery. With much misgiying peO-
pie went and made q discovery; they
discovered that W. II. Turner made
capital tHarum." Those who have not
seen William H Crane in the role,
which by the way he originated, can
find no fault with Turner and the gen
eral opinion is that the difference be-
tween Crane and Turner is that Crane
has a niche in the theatrical hall OF
fame which he is now occupying with
out danger of dislodgement, and Tur-
ner viii some day have a niche just as
large and Just as prominent as Cranes
David Harun was so funny that
Eugene Hagan laughed out loud right
in meetin' 80 times Yep!" It's
fact.
David Harum'' was so pathetic that
Arnin F'assler several times wiped the
tears from his eyes He did? .sYepi''
The acting of Turner was so good
that he made ..Harum" a character in
real life; a character that the audience
carried away in memory as a real man
who was what he seemed to be. Tur-
ner did not make a curtain speech; he
did not step out of the character for a
second. He is David Harum' to the
audience and not an actor.
Edward E. Rose dramatized the West
colt novel and he did a wonderfully
clever piece of work. The dranatization
follows the book very closely so far as
any attempt is made to use the scenes
and incidents of the story. The play
begins with John Lenox and Mary
Blake meeting in bonneville" Then
comes the love affair. the Wilder Gull
lunn MORTGAGE" a horse trade a horse
I hzal Ia st
act ends with the Christmas dinner at
the Harum home when DAVID pro-
duces the bottle of champagne which
his spinster sister says is like drinking
cider and smelling horse radish'' only
in the play the curtain drops after
David" pours a copious draught of
champagne into the celery holder and
hands it to Dick Iarribee" and all
drink to "Harum's'' toast a merry
Christmas
The audience found no end of amuse-
ment in Harum's'' ''hoss trade" His
story of buying horse that was with
out a blemfsh or a pirnple, sound and
gentle, that a woman could drive as well
as a man and that would stand without
hitching' and that baked with him once
and encOred the performance three
! times, was the first of the 'Harum''
4 fund. Then when he sold the horse to
1 Deacon Perkins" under the same guar
antee with great stress on the fact that
/ the horse will stand without hitchingf'
the laughter was renewed. The climax
/ of fun was reached at the end of the
/ second act. The scene was "Harum s.
Office. A storm was coming up. The
/ lightning flashed The shade of the big
/ window was drawn to keep out the
1 flashes The clouds gathered and soon
/ the rain could be heard outside Pres
entity there was connection. The
shade was run up and there was tsDea-
1 con Perkins driving the horse that
would stand without hitching and the
horse was not budging an inch! Balk-
+ ing2 "Yepl" The rain was pouring
i down on the deacon and the horse and
it was real rain a real horse and real
1 deacon. The rain was made from gen
i uine SO 94-100 per cent aqua lpura and
( it seemed SO realistic that the audience
/ began worrying about umbrellas No
funnier climax than the baIlSy horse IN
/ the rain has been produced at the To-
pelxa theaters for many a day.
The letters patent and trademark word
which .'Harum' left behind was Yept''
The way he jerked out his assent.
whether in fun or earnest, never failed
to bring a litter.
The supporting company was credit
able. though little bit lacking in spots
Starr King Walker PLAYED John Len
npx'' IN a manner SO free from any
staginess that it was decidedly good
/ Walker is son of a wealthy man in
/ Brooklyn. He does not have to work,
but he is an actor because he likes to be
Independent and make his own way. H.
4 is what the theatrical folk call "a good
] dresser Oti anu Oi1 LIE Stage * - q
4 fashion llate.
Dwight Smith as General WoIsey''
was nothing short of bad. Edwin Brooks
made a humorous +Chet Timson.'' but
he put on a few extra friIls Joseph
/ MayIon had laugh which fitted into
/ the part of Dick Larribee'' like a wedge
into cord wood. Walter P. Lewis as
Deacon Perkins" was on the stage but
a small share OF the time but he ana
the ba1ky horse and the rain storm were
the funniest of all
Charles Eldridge made perfect part