Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-05-17
POLL JOINS ALLIANCE.
Hustling Waterbury Manager With
 Keith and Proctor.

New York, May 1.-Two more
 firms. owning eleven theaters be-
 tween them, yesterday joined the
 Keith and Proctor alliance. These
 were Wilmer & Vincent, owning
 playhouses at Utica, Reading and Al- lentown, and s. z. Poli.
 Wilmer & Vincent, through
 member of their firm, made a deal
 with Mir Keith, and a member of the
 firm of Rush & Weber also had an
 interview with MT Keith, which may
 lead to their joining the alliance.
 One of the most enterprising vaud-
 eville managers in New York city,
 owner of two Manhattan houses and
 one Brooklyn house, also. 1t was said.
 will soon join the Keith-Proctor al-
 liance, probably this week. This man. ager Is noted for the excellence of his
 bills and for his willingness to pay
 big sums for famous artists.
 and Sylvester z. Poll signed docu- ments by which, for the period of at least ten years, they will be in com- plete business harmony. The keen competition that has for several years spurred both of these managers into activity now gives way to . union of interests.
 By the terms of the new contract, which is so equitably drawn that neither side is likely to object to it's renewal in 1915. all the theaters on Mir Poli's circuit, eight in number. will henceforth be enlisted on the rapidly growing register of MT Keith's booking office.
 Mir Poli either owns outright or leases high-class vaudeville play houses in New Haven, Hartford, Bridgeport and. Waterbury, and Springfield and Worcester, Mass. In Scranton and Wilkesbarre, Pa, he has recently acquired sites for the erection of new theaters, which will be devoted to vaudeville, and in Jer- sey City few months ago he invest ed nearly $150,000 in a plot of land on which to erect new theater. In the agreement arrived at yes terday concessions were made on both sides Mir Keith volunteered to with draw from Worcester, Mass, and Mr Poli agreed to suspend all building operations in Jersey City. where Mr Keith only recently paid $300,000 for the Bijou theater.
 The managers have each contract. ed not to Invade any of the cities now occupied by either. F. F. Proc tor'sr thea terS are to be protected in this big deal Mir raKeith having effect ed merger of his New York and Jersey City interests with MT Proc tors local theaters, has seen to 1t that the Keith-Proctor territory shall not be invaded by MT Poli. And this part of 1t was more than satisfactory to Mir Poll, who has long been on warm terms of friendship with Mir Proctor.
 All the important preliminaries were arranged in the ofilce of A. L. Erlanger during the early hours of yesterday afternoon. Those who were present at this conference were Mir Keith, Mir Poli. Mir Erlanger. MT AL bee, general manager of MT Keith's and Judge Ulman of New Ha- ven. who has long been MT Polls per- sonal counsel and business adviser.
 The prelifninaries having been thus agreed upon, 1t remained only for settlement of the legal details, and this was effected early last even. ing at the ofiice of former Judge Dit who only few days ago had prepared the details of the mer. ger between Messrs Keith and Proc tor.
 Sylvester z. Poli was born in Luc- ca. near Florence. Italy. He was by trade a sculptor and made speciality of work in wax. He left Florence at the age of 14 and studied in Paris for the next thirteen years. Between times he had been drafted into the Italian army. in which he served for a time. at the end of which he emigrated to America. His first em- ployment here was at the Eden where he quickly became an assistant in the manufacture of wax figures. His talent was readily recog- nized. and he was next found in Phil- adelphia. at the Temple theater, then by the late George c. and W. x. Singerly of the Record.
 He went to Chicago and made sev- sn wax figures of the Chicago anar- ,hists from life. This give him his ,tart in the theatrical business in 1887. He began in Detroit, and later extended to Buffalo. Toronto, Roch- sster, New Haven. and thence throughout New England. His first > heater was in Toronto.