The San Francisco call., 1906-04-03
Arthur Byron Gives
Strong Portrayal
of Croesus.
His Billionaire Is
/. of the Cannon
Ball Type.
MissCoghlan Is Win
some and Gets
Recalls.

Melodrama, with frenzied finance and
the grip of money on national affairs as
its principal ingredients, is given the Co
lumbia patrons in 1.-The Lion and the
Mouse" which opened at that theater last
night for a two weeks run.
Everybody will have to see the produc-
ton, for the fame of the central charac
ter, John Burkett Ryder, said to be a
composite of John D. Rockefeller and H.
H Rogers, done by Arthur Byron after
the popularity accepted idea of men with
souls of steel, and life blood concealed
into gold. who forget everything human
in striving for further enlargement of
their bank rolls, will permeate the city.
The character may be overdrawn, but 1t
has a powerful effect on an audience,
and the appearance and methods of Byron
make it almost a nightmare.
The author, Charles Klein. has shown
as little mercy TO the kings of finance in
general as the one he portrays vouch-
safes those he needs or wishes to get out
of his way. Klein even has the poor bill
lionaire say as the lofty-souled heroine
spurns a check he offers her for services
performed, $50, even contaminate good
money" which is about as far as even
trust magnate can go.
Briefly, the play hinges on a young
woman's effort TO save her father, Fed
eral Judge whom Ryder has determined
to have impeached by the United States
Senate because he has been pruning some
of the tentacles of Ryder's favorite octo-
pus Judge Rossmore is ruined financial
ly by the magnate-the Judge, it is ex-
planned, got his money honestly-and then
his daughter does the Ida Tarbell act and
writes a book signed Miss Green, in
which the Millionaire sees himself to be
the hero or rather villain. He sends for
= ho hn
pens, unknown to i m, is the beloved of
his son, who doesn't fancy frenzied
finance, and asks her to explain why she
thinks so badly of him. He likes her in
dependent manner and she becomes a
member of his household by accepting, to
further her purpose, a commission to
write his biography. Through the
son she gets possession of letters
written by her father to Ryder be-
fore the former was accused. These
letters show that the Judge was innocent
of charges made against him. Ryder ex-
presses bitter opposition TO his sons love
for Miss Rossmore, and thinking to save
him from her, tells the supposed Miss
Green to win his love and wed him.
When she confesses who she is and begs
him to save her father, he brutally re-
fuses. The son is still Wiling to do mis-
part, but she tells him she cannot wed a
fnancier gives in and there is a wild ride
to Washington to stop the impeachment.
the special train containing Ryder, the
young things he has made so happy, and
ROBERTS, trained Senator that Ryder
keeps about his home.
When the play opens it does not promise
much, but when Byron. as the frenzied
fnancier, who doesn't even get time to
more than say good morning to his family,
storms in the second act the audience is
aroused, and its excitement grows from
that time on. Ryder let's nothing lag.
Byron's Characterization has nothing of
the cringing, handwringing miser, whose
wealth accumulates by usury, but 1t is
a strenuous impersonation of a man born
ering to him all that is worth the having
as he goes and mounting to dizzy pin
nacle of wealth and power. He makes of
it a fierce, Satanic character terrible In
it's ruthlessness. The actors physical
qualifications for the part are marvellous.
Gertrude Coghlan as Shirley Rossmore
has the leading female character. She
does her work winningly. and showed a
force in her denunciation of Ryder 1t
brought her a number of curtain calls.
The audience sent the curtain bobbing up
and down frequently for her and Byron.
George Parsons as Jefferson Ryder, and
Joseph Kilgour as Hon. Fitzroy Bagley,
an Englishman, had major parts, and ac-
credited themselves well.