The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-04-27
CLEAR S1OO,OOO
FOR SUFFERERS
Twenty-Five Thousand See
Benefit Theatrical Per-
formance in Chicago.
PRESIDENTS GREETINGS
CROWD WAS so GREAT THAT Po.
LICE COULD NOT CONTROL 1T
AND TENT WAS TORN PARTLY
DOWN.
Publishers PressJ

Publishers Pressl
Chicago, April 26.-a send greet
inss to the managers and best wishes
for the success Of the benefit per-
formance for the relief of the San
Francisco sufferers. Sisned,)
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
This me ssage was received from the
President of the United States over
telegraph wire connecting Washing
ton with the big Bernhardt tent on the |
Lake Front Just opposite the Audito-
rum hotel, was heard clicked off of
the telegraph instrument today and
when the dots and dashes were form
ed into words and read to the listen
ing audience there arose a chorus of
cheers that could be heard many
squares away.
1t was the signal for the beginning
of a benefit performance for the
earthquake and fire sufferers of San
Francisco, and the performers played
to the largest audience any of them
has ever faced.
$4,000 in Attendance.
twenty-five thousand people, who
paid from one to five dollars each for
the privilege, crowded inside the big
canvas auditorium, vociferously re<
ceived Nine. Sarah Bernhardt as she
hurried onto the improvised stage
from her special car In which she
made the trip from Indianapolis espec>
tally for the purpose of opening the
performance with which she said she
felt honored in having her name SO
conspicuously connected.
When Nine Bernhard appeared,
the crowd demanded speech which
was delivered.
Following this she recited "A Little
Music" poem by Victor Hugo Five
hundred musicians formed the orches-
ira. which played an accompaniment
stars Taking part.
e. s. Willard. 4. II. Sothprr, Julia
Marlowe. Robert Lorraine and theatric-
al companies from all local theatres.
took part in the program. When T..
s. Willard recited The Charse of the
Light Brigade" the applause was SO
continuous and the recalls SO frequent
that he was obliged to make a short
feelingly to the occasion of the bene-
fit.
Thousands more bought tickets
than there was room for, even under
SO immense a roof and an hour after
the performance started all the avail
able standing room between the street
curb and the tent and surrounding
that structure was black with people
Shortly after o'clock the i'm
mense crowd surrounding the tent,
seized the canvas and tore down the
north wall, the police detail being In.
sufficient to hold back the $4,000 in
the park.
Noises Too Great to Hear.
The noises, both from within and
without were SO great that only the
few hundred nearest the stage could
hear enough to follow the different
acts intelligently. All sorts OF
things were sold at Iancy prices, pro.
grams, candy, soft drinks, flowers,
editions of the afternoon papers were
all being cried in strident or shrill
tones according to whether the vender
was male or female. This was done
within the tent during the perform
ance and the good natured audience
submitted to it all, understanding that
1t was all helping to swell the amount
of money to be used for the relief of
their needy countrymen on the Pa
cific coast.
The returns from the benefit per-
formance and accessories are esti-
mated to be in excess Of 100000.