New-York tribune., 1906-05-05
BENEFIT BRINGS $33, 900.
Record Programme Entertains
CrO1cd- Many Stay AU Day.

The San Francisco benefit at the Metropolitan
Opera House yesterday was without doubt the most
noteworthy ever given in this country in point of
quality. II of receipts Thirtythree thou
sand dollars the total for tickets. flowers pro-
grammes and the like, and this sum will be turned
over 10 the Mayor Of San Francisco with the pro-
vision that it be used for the relief of the police
hremen and professional" people in the stricken
city. The benefit began at II a. m and lasted TIL IL
O'Clock at night and during all that time not seat
in the house vacant, except few boxes ana
hundreds of the overflow (for more tickets were
sold than there was room for inside) were taken
care of at nearby theatres. One hundred and htty
policemen hand, inside and out 10 hahole
the crowd and everything went smoothly.
A souvenir programme, signed with the names OF
all the performers, was offered at AUCTION III tiie
evening. The bids from $50 to S2o9 1heh d III
tie woman in box bid 81 900 and got It, me name
oT The successful bidder was announced as "Lotta'
Miss Charlotte Crabtree the actress, who retired
from the stage after making her acting in child
parts known throughout the country
The crowd began to assemble at $3.50 a m at
which time the picnic crowd which evidently
intended to stay all day and was equipped with
luncheon showed up. The house was filled at the
hour OF opening. and this picnic element whlcA
had secured seats down in front. stayed all ;he
afternoon and when 6:3O came showed no Signs Oh
leaving OF course there was no way Of COM
Mailing them to leave though every sort OF annoy
ance was inflicted on them The lights were turned
out and a threat was made to send the sweepers
around but eight hundred of them stayeo Oh
0IearVvhile the evening crowd was waiting out
side IN line stretching around to Seventh avenue
and tha police were having hard time handIhg
the crush at the door When all expedients to Oust
the nicnickers had failed this crowd was admitted
ond in three minutes all the vacated seats were
filed up again. and the standing spaces We're Feii
niscent of ''Parsifal" matinee
The feature of the evening programme tilele m
couId be a feature in bill that counted LILLIAN
Russell and Yvette Guilbert and Nesta I1lley anu
Mrs Faske as ''huer'-was the appearance OF
Nine Games Charles Burnham. of WaIack s
Theatre. who bore the brunt of the burden IN ar
ranging the benefit introduced her in a charming
speech He said she had told him sne sANeu s.. ~
gown but Il poor street thing from the oiSaStei'
and he replied that II she appeared IN a 49, -
the audience would greet her as II IL were d AoO
silver Then Nine Eames entered. NOT IN IH~Ce 81
tosh however but in radiant evening soMLl;; o.I0
was shoWyered with ana II was seVeIai ulo-
before she could go on Snf sane ~ the ola
ElZabethian lyric, Spring, the sweet opLlne' an
alone of the singers responded with an extra NUM-
her singing THE Last Rose OF summer OtueI
were Nine Schumann- -Heink. Miss Aus der One
(yho played the Hungarian Fantasle OF A@szt IN
briIliant lnanneF), Miss Maud Powell, Rafael
Toeaffv Nine BlauVelI, David Blspham ana MISS
Mrs Fiskes contribution TO the programme was
Tpoeu on the disaster by Edwin Markham. w.
II Crane and Francis Wilson, IN a farce, Wanted,
0ne Thousand Nilliners,' convulsed the afternoon
audience by their antics in petteoats Only Vesta
Victoria was unable 70 appear, because her cos
TUNES did not arrive. There little actual
ont for shouting '.FireT' when efforts being
made TO clear the house at the o'clock recess
and another was taken into custody for specializing
IN seats inside Of the theatre.