Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-21

the stories ~ TO YernousA's '1ssAsesnt pur-
suit. OF the fittsnnrg heiress are totally
Persons acquainted with all OF the facts
aver that 1t IL match OF the affections
pure aud simple between Yarmouth and
Miss Thaw. and that all OF the members Of
the Thaw family except the young woman's
stepmother have been distinctly In favor OF
the marriage from the beginning of the
ceurtship. which. contrary to the general
understanding. began several years ago in
Europe. Now that the young woman's STEP
mother has been won over" as the phrase
runs. all hands over this way who come
into contact with the Earl of Yarmouth
during his New York visit are pleased.
Captured New York's Good Will.
Yarmouth captured the good VIII OF New
York within less than week after his ar
rival In this country. He was stroll!ng
down 9Th avenue one evening a few days
after he got here. when his attention was
attracted BY the spectacle OF a Van Dykcd
fellow of the professional maisher class ed-
dressing himself to q MISUNDERSTANDING
woman who was standing In front OF q ci-
gar store. 1t afterward appeared that the
woman was waiting for her husband to
come out Of the cigar store. which he had
entered to get a light for his weed. Var
mouth. who does not look like a very ro-
bust man, bellies his appearance In that re-
spect. as do good many Enlylishmen. He
walked over to the masher.
Are You acquainted with this ladyr' he
asked the tall fellow with the Van Dyke
beard.
That's none Of your" the masher
started to say. but he came to a very sud-
den stop, for the excellent reason that Var
mouth was punching him all over the
street. The handy young Engiishman
walked around that masher like a cooper
around barrel for three or four minutes.
and trimmed him so thoroughly that the
masher was barely able to totter to a cab.
in which he was hurriedy driven away.
Yarmouth, after waiting for the frightened
woman's husband to join her. rushed away.
but a tenderioin police reporter, who had
witnessed the punching OF the masher.
recognized the puncher, and the story got
out. New York Is so outrageousy afflicted
with street Washers that the occurrence
made hit with the town, and the guyng
to which Yarmouth had been subjected
from his arrival on the steamer suddenly
ceased.
Stampede to Pay Debts.
1t is expected that veritable stampede
will shortly begin among Brooklyn folks to
pay their debts. A company with an extra
ordinarily heroic scheme for running down
dilatory debtors has been organized across
the big bridge, and the scheme is already
I'm operation. with very effectual results it
Is said. The company Is regular debt
collecting outfit After due notice has been
served upon delinquent debtors to pay up.
and the debtors still decline to settle
big covered wagon drives up to the debtors
door. On both sides Of the wagon cover,
In big letters. is painted the inscription:
collectors of Bad Debts Qnc)."
The company has had legal advice as to
this inscription on its wagons, and the man.
ager OF the concern states that the scheme
has been declared to be perfectly lawful.
Great care. however, has to be exercised
by the drivers of the wagons In the matter
of stopping at the wrong addresses it be-
ing stated that the householder thus VIC
timized by a drivers mistake could sue
cessfully resort to the law. The company
Is already doing a big business in the col
lecting OF debts that have long been looked
upon as dead ones by creditors employ
ing the firm. The outfit collects all kinds
of IN. G." debts-wages. money due store
keepers, physicians, lawyers mortgage
loans. and SO The scheme will ,unques-
tionably spread to New York before long,
and eventually the dreaded wagons may be
seen In the big cities all over the country.
A Bunco Game Worked Often.
A justihable howl is being emitted by the
theater-goers Of New York over q bunco
game which the projectors OF theatrical
benefits" have been working with great
frequency and success over here this sea-
son. A performance for the benefit of some
old-time theatrical manager who has fallen
upon evil days, or some actress convalescing
lIUuu u p6flUu O1 SICKNESS, OF even some
playhouse treasurer or other theatrical en-
ploye who has had run of hard luck" is
announced. Most OF these benefits are given
on Sunday nights, the idea being to con-
vince the public that the celebrated players
advertised to appear at the benefits will
certainly show up at the performances.
The names Of all of the notable celebrities
OF the stage in New York at the time the
benefits are announced are set down on the
lists of those who Will positively appear"
The casts for the benefit performances ara
given a tremendously impressive "all-star''
appearance by the managers of the affairs.
and, naturally enough. theater-goers who
read these inviting announcements more
than scramble to the box offices to purchase
ticke.s and look forward eagerly to the op-
portunity Of seeing SO many famous per-
sonages OF the stage at one and the same
performance.
In not one solitary csse this year have the
remarkable promises of the projectors OF
these benefit performances been fulhiled.
or even one-half or one-quarter fulfilled.
As a rule. just one or two Of the fag-end
individuals on the padded lists stroll on and
on the stage, but it is rare that even one Of
the actual notabies makes his or her ap-
pearance. The performance 10 composed Of
cheap, third rate vaudeville performers Al
general thing, and at one benefit given.
the other night. at which no less than
twenty-five of the most distinguished In
dtviduals on the American stage were posi-.
lively announced to make their appearance,
not one showed his or her countenance to
the huge audience that had assembled with
such immense expectations. The perform
ance consisted of acrobatic jigs by more or
less vulgar variety actors, cheap and silly
sketches" by vaudeville performers OF the
ribbon-counter sort. and hopeless recitatfons
of the "Curfew Shall Not" etc, kind, de-
livered by amateur young women of whom
nobody in the audience had ever so much
as heard. The noted actors and actresses
who permit their names to be used in this
fashion say. IN self-defense. that they con-
tribute sums of money to the benefit, land
that lets us out as they put the matter.
They appear to forget that 1t also "lets the
public in" 1t is a bunco game. pure and
simple, and a mighty mean one at that, for
the time will assuredly come when the New
York theatergoing public will utterly de-
cline to patronize genuine and deserving
theatrical benefits. at which the famous
men and women of the stage announced to
appear actually mean to appear. c. L. C.
Widening London Bridge.