The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-01-23
SAYS "SWEET KITTY
BELLAIRS" IS PlRATED.
Miss MOntagu of "Sweet jasmine"
Fame After MIR. BeIasco.

Fame After MIR. BeIasco.
The troubles of Miss Marie Montague
with her play Sweet Jasmine" which
withered from a lack of financial nour-
ishment through the medium of the
box Office the final end coming in Sa-
vannah, are not over, and Miss Mon
tagu believes now that Sweet Kitty
Bellairs" is an infringement on her
copyright
Miss Montagu's misfortunes in sa-
vannah are still fresh in the theater-
going mind. Her company went to
pieces here, and a number of the MEM
bers were stranded for week after
ward AS the contract for their re-
turn to New York was with the man
ager of the tour, Wallace Munro, Miss
Montagu made no arrangements for
the transportation of the company back
to New York until she found that Mr.
Munro had failed to do so.
Now comes another chapter in the
history of the Inflated Sweet Jas
mine" The New York Telegraph says:
During the greater part of last week
a stenogra pher has been slyly follow
ing the dialogue of Sweet Kitty Bel
lairs' each night at the Belasco The
alter, and the motive behind this un-
usual proceeding became known yes
terday when, in the United States Cir
cult Court, Grace B. Hughes, known
professionally as Marie Montagu,
brought an action against David Be
lasco, Maurice Campbell and Henrietta
Crosman, alleging that Sweet Kitty
Bellairs' had received far more inspira-
ton from a play entitled Sweet Jas
mine than from Egerton Castles
novel, The Bath Comedy
Indeed, Miss Montagu does not
make use of SO polite an expression as
inspiration but in formal legal YER
blage alleges in her bill in equity that
the defendants, 'contriving and intend
ing to injure your orator and deprive
her of the profits, unlawfully and
wrongfully produced dramatic COM
position which is an exact copy of
your orators copyrighted dramatic
composition or substantial portions
thereof
Further along in the bill Miss
Montagu makes use of the word 'pi-
rated, and asks the court to grant
her a perpetual injunction restraining
Mr.. Belasco from further presentation
of Sweet Kitty Bellairs. She fur
thermore demands the profits derived
from the production up to date.
Miss Montagu is known slightly In
the theatrical profession. She came
originally from St. Louis a number of
years ago, where she appeared for sew
eral performances in a company sup
porting Clara Morris. She moved to
New York eight years ago. Sweet
Jasmine is the only play which she
has ever written.
News of this piece reached Broad
way early last September, when Miss
Mnntapu a ifC hogan hpr
son at Annapolis, Md, appearing un-
der the management of Wallace Mum
no. The tour came to an end in a
fortnight.
ION Feb. II, 1908, Miss Montagu
perfected her copyright of the pla%
under it's first title of La Fleur'
Three months later she again filed the
manuscript with the Librarian of Con-
gress under it's title of Sweet Jas
mine Many of the scenes, much of
the color scheme, a large share of the
dialogue, and most of the situation, she
now alleges, have found their way into
Sweet Kitty Bellairs.'
Miss Montagu says she discovered
the marked similarity between the two
plays when she CHANGED to see Sweet
Kitty Bellairs about a month ago. She
attended three subsequent perform
ances. making copious notes, and then
consulted her attorney.
Investigation has proved conclu-
sively.' said Miss Montagu, that the
manuscript of Sweet Jasmine which
was entrusted to some one associated
with my business affairs. found it's
way into Mr.. Belasco's hands. / shall
be able to prove absolutely several
conferences in this regard.
g The only suggestion for the piece
which l ever had came from Bulwer
Lytton's Aux Italens.' Now Mr. Be
lasco mentions The Bath Comedy as
suggesting Sweet Kitty Bellairs.'
In my play Jasmine is discovered
in Lord Graham's apartments, as Kit
ty is found in Lord VerneYs apart
ments. The soldiers enter half tipsy
in both plays. they dance around the
heroine and toast her in both plays,
and at the climax of the act Lord
Graham, to save Jasmine in my piece,
says: This lady is to be my wife.
That is precisely Lord Verney's meth
cd of saving Kitty in the other play
az could go right through the play
and draw even more startling paral-
1als.'
"Mr. Belasco was decidedly reticent
yesterday in regard TO Miss Montagu's
contention. He dismissed the subject
by saying:
az don't know Miss Montagu, never
saw her. and know absolutely nothing
of her or her play.