Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-02-12
HAMLET DESERTED
Four of the Members of Walker
Whiteside's Company
Leave Him.
THEIR SALARIES HAD BEEN CUT
Actor Avoids Writ of Attachment in
Iowa TOwn-Due Here
Next Week.

Walker Whiteside, the distinguished
factor who i booked to- appear week
from tomorrow. is in financial straits
Four members of his company left
him at Davenport yesterday. return
ing to New York. Those leaving and
the parts they played in Hamlet
we're:
William Clifford. who took two
iparts. those of Ghost" and "Laert as. .
George Hammond. who took the part
Of ''MarcelluS."
Joseph Williams. the Grave Dig
ger"
I"Hcratio."
| Mr. Williams. in addition to taking
The part of ~ Grave Digger" was
also the stage carpenter for the com
Pany.
When seen. shortly before taking
the train for the east, Joseph Will
liams. one Of the members who had
left the company. said:
Salaries Are Reduced.
Yes. four members of the Walker
Whiteside company have severed their
connection herewith and viii depart
at noon upon their return to New
York The Whteside company is own
| ed by Mr.. Whiteside and f.. j. Snyder.
| Mr.. Snyder. however, * not travelling
with the company at the present time.
and had he been with us | am sure
that the trouble would never have oc-
CURED, for he * one of the most hon
oraEIe theatrical managers i'm the
] Try
ness has been bad with the company.
and Mr.. White>idc called the members
! together and told them that he would
either be obliged to reduce their sal
aries or disband. An agreement was
reached whereby the members agreed
to the cut in wages. the same to take
effect in two weeks. My salary was
So week and | agreed to accept So
| for the remainder Of the season. Lam
der was receiving $40 a week. Clifford
$40 a week and Hammond So a week.
| Instead Of abiding by his agreement.
| however. Mr.. Whiteside put the cut
| into effect in one week instead of
holding out the two weeks he agreed
upon. We thereupon notified him
that we would no longer be connected
with his company and took our de-
parture from it after last nights per
| Torrance"
| DOdges the sheriff.
| Continuing. Mr.. Williams said: 'As
| soon as we notified Mr.. Whiteside that
we would not accept the cut upon Il
weeks notice. he suddenly announced
! that he was III and could not fulfill
his engagements at Norfolk, Neb..
and al Cherokee. Iowa. Instead of be-
ing sick. however. upon the nights
that he was billed TO appear at the
above places. he went to Chicago in
search of new material to take our
places. We understand these men
have already joined the company and
a they have not as Yet been broken
into their parts, the rendition Of
'HamIet' must necessarily be some
what confused for time.
The manager Of the Cherokee OPP
era house had a writ Of attachment
issued against Mr.. Whiteside for VIC
lating his contract and this writ was
given tu the sheriff IF Sioux City Ia
serve a. the train passed that city.
Mr. WhitcSidc suspected that all was
not right and all the attaches upon
our train were instructed to notify
any OlUCtT VINO CAME dDbdIu lHdl
there were no theatrical people upon
the train. The sheriff came aboard al
Sioux City. and upon being informed
that no theatrical company was pres
ent. walked through the train and
jumped off again. ! understand, how
ever. that Mr.. NhiteSide was made to
settle for his breach Of contract at
Cherokee during the stay of our COM
pany in Des Moines. The wages of
the members of the company We're
taken cut of their salary for the two
nights that the company Cancelled at
Cherokee and Norfolk. Mr.. Whiteside
Ial>o showed his ingratitude by violat-
ing his contract in furnishing Us with
lSecond-class tickets for our return to
New York. | have been with Mr..
Whiteside for the past five years and
certainly would not leave him at this
time except that 1 have been grossly
| imposed upon, rs well as the other
members of the company who leave
J !,