The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-04-07
AT McpoNALD's THEATRE.
"The James Boys" Shown in a New
 Light.

"The James Boys" shown in @ New
 Light.
 Frank and Jesse James were not the outlaws, bank robbers and murderers' that court and penitentiary records nave made them out. They were not thirsty for ''berlud." They never went about rob- hing trains and taking lives as the, peo- ple of the United States have been lea to believe The popular impression or the two famous desperadoes is altogeth- CT wrong, according to a playwright.
 The world is being set right and gwen the true conception of the two illustrious Missourians. "The James Boys in Mis- souri," four act rhelodrama, Is doing this missionary work Three hours or melodramatic missionary work was put in at McDonald's Theater last night. The James Boys were real nice young men They had promised their mother, to new CT. never take a drink and to never heV" CT play a card. These moral young men were the innocent victims of the ma chinations of evil men who fastened des- perate crimes upon them ana staiheu their fair names with islanders.
 While 1t is true that they gave the coroner so many jobs that he had to work over time. they did 1t in defense or their honor and their home. All the men they killed deserved to be killed, accord ing to the playwright Tn fact they were the only good men on the stage. when they did any killing 1t was for ven iunce." The bad men they hurried lnto another world were the villains Who haa tortured their pa and ma. They "eIe had men who would rob trains and banks and go off and tel the people that the e,nod James Rows did it. The audience at McDonalds became quite attacheo to these much abused, but upright young men. .,..,
 The show embodied a fine and diVersl- fed exhibition of fire arms. Every male character always carried two guns they called them guns in the play. One char acter was weighed down with hve guns" He made quite a hit with the gallery. And no gun" less than ntteen inches long went with The James boys in Missouri" They were all bright and shiny. too.
 Every act of the show had the same impressive ending AS the curtain went down the gallery would go wild over the same stirring sight of Frank and Jesse with their faithful satellite, LiGe, each holding two long shiny pistols and max ing all the rest of the cast hold their hands above their heads. still there were not as many homicides In the melo- drama as one had a right to expect It is possible that sOIIle Ol thOo0 "'AS had been attracted to the show by It's blood red posters felt that they did not get their moneys worth in the matter of killings The gun play. however met all expectations.
 The playwright has taken many liber- ties with history. He takes the Bentley family. that family of Missouri who be- came notorious by killing people who stopped at their house for shelter. and he organizes them into band of cut throats who make 1t their business to hound the James Boys and their parents in every possible way past human endur- ance. The villain of the piece is Bob Ford. the man who killed Jesse James for the reward offered by the Governor of Missouri. Tn the play he is a deep dyed villain, a member of the Bentley gang whom Jesse James befriends, and who cowardly murders his benefactor
 The play is interspersed with comedy, some of it very good but some of 1t is only rough enough to appeal to the gall lery.
 Miss Eva Lewis. as the sweetheart of Jesse James, was easily the star of the parfnrmance. She is an attractive young