The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-04
CHINATOWN CHARLIE" HUNS.
8OWBRY HAS A MELODRAMA
WITH PLENTY DOING IN TT.
Props GV0HnS when He Figures waste
Of CartTidEes-Theatre in n Theatre
Gives Chance for n Hit OF Gun Play
Lady Athletes in = Bridge OF Life.

chinatown Charlie, the Opium Fend,"
sixteen melodramRs in one, appeared last
mint at the Thalia. The overworked
property man sat down IN a barrel after
all was over and figured 1t out. He said
that the actors had used eight revolvers
all to clean In the morning-twenty-
seven 80 calibre cartridges, thirty-six 80
calibre cartridges, two knives. three bottles
Of assorted knockout drops and n vial
Of vitriol. (which Is going some,' said
the property man.
When the curtain comes UP we are In
Chinatown. II Is afternoon and Kate
Murphy, the Irish soubrette; Is making
love alternately to Murphy, the cop, and
Louis Lofts. the clothing man.. Enter q
swallowtail and opera hat at 4 O'Clock
In the afternoon. Before he opened his
face the gallery was kissing. 1t is Buck
Harris, as low o villain as was ever foiled.
And who Is that with him IN the red dress2
II is Lold Mdrsh; the poolroom queen.
Kate hates her on sight. They are there
To do Chindtotcn Charlie. the cousin OF Buck.
For Buck wante the estate.
Il taught him to smoke dopel" he Kisses.
Course him, 1t is less dangerous than
muhdahl" They are gone and Chinatoun
Charlie is here. BE has Just had an opium
dream Of mother.
Enter the r%ubberneok wagon with tour
ists dressed In low neoked dresses-all but
one dressed in modest white, who steps
down and puts her hand on Charles shout
der. Who could she be but the heroine2
One sighed at the thought Of what she
must endure in the next three acts, He
tells her how bad he has been.
Il am but a simple working GIRL she
says, "a telegraph operator. Yet I have a
warm, true heart. Let me be your friend"
But the villain is among us.
Come upstairs and have a pipe Of DOPE"
be says. Shake the gee-url,s
MOI says Chinatown Charlie. at is
you and the dope I mean to shakel' Cur
tain.)
1t is some time before Charlie really begins
foiling the villain. All through the first
act he Is foiling dope and the demon rum.
Not a gun is drawn until the second scenei
when, after they have doped the tea which
Charlie has taken instead of rum at the
hands Of the simple little telegraph opera
tor, the 8. /. t. o. pulls a gun and foils the
villainess. (Curtain.)
This does not prevent the villainess from
hiring her, In the third scene, as operator
In the private poolroom: But play us no
tricks, gee-url!" cries the villain. Here,
| put this gun to your head, That is a
private wiah to the Belmont track. Call
up, and tell me what jockey will ride Wild
fah!"
~"Crimminsl" shouts the simple working
girl after the property mar has jiggled
a key for awhile. Then she faints. Per-
haps she sees it all coming.
After that 1t gets too many to tell fora
uhila Tha villain Gtan1a tho mn cd Ynfau
and the villainess puts EN- in Charles
pocket, but the heroine runs In q note tell
ing him all about it and the poolroom is
pulled and Charlie is arrested and Detectiue
and the villainess pulls her gun and the
lights go out and it's the police station
and Riorddn says that he has a warm heart
under his red waistcoat and which does
your heart tell you is telling the truth his
sin staine creature or that sweet young
girl and the sergeant says Charlie is inno-
cent and the villain draws but Louis
wrenches it away and
Well, anyway, after a time we're In the
Long Branch telegraph station, where
she has a lob as head operator, with Charlie
as her assistant, and he is proposing by
the Morse code. Enter the villain and
villainess:
"Ce-arse huhl She must be put-out-of-
the-wayl She knows that | stole the notes!
Quick! The chloroforml' and the vii.
lullObS 10 ou Will IIeI lllllD llRuIb. SlIlu
the villain incidentally shoots Charlie.
He doesn't die. SO the villain gags him
and puts a paper over his face. Enter
Riorinn, the sleuth.
He is sick and eleeping,' says the viii
lain.
Il do not believe you'll" says Riorddn.
The gee-url is in the next rooml" says
the villain, and RiOrdan starts away. But
Charlie taps in Morse code on a water
pitcher and Riorddn turns back.
Bang! Bangl Bang-bang-bang!
The villain has leaped through the smoke
and made his escape sS(Curtain.l
And now we are in q Bowery Theatre.
They have nailed their play theatre onto
the real one by two boxes on the stage. In
one sits the comedy outfit, squirting soda
the villain and villainess. Keep, wise to
this situation. The real audience is taken
right into the action.
Chinatown Charlie leaps on from the
wings.
Keep your seatsl" he says to the audi
ence. There is a man in this house to-
night who abducted a young gee-url. He
is about to be arrested"
He is notl" shouts the villain, leaping
TO the footlights and drawing two revolvers,
Of which faint. THE man who moves
dies! Stop, you policemen therel"-for
three cops are running uptthe aisle. Lola,
cover Chinatovn Charlie. Now, Bill, when
l say three, shoot the dog as he ls! One-
two" The assistant villain, who has
hitherto been out of it, has his gun at Char
lie breast.
Thu y,
Bang
The Jew villain had shot the assistant
villain from the box. The villain turns
and the cops, placing one foot on the bass
fiddle, vault to the stage,
But the villain, lightly shooting a stage
hand who tries to stop him, is gone.
And now we are in a den in Chinatown
an opium den. Yes, that Jolly sailor with
the mattress on his chin is Ri0rddn in dis
guise. Yes, that shadow that steals into
the opium bunk is Charlie. Only six shots are
fired before the Ladies' Athletic Club forms
Tie bridge Of life from roof to roof and the
heroine escapes amid a fusillade.
Yet deeper trouble is to come. We are
IN the Times Square station of the subway,
yet oh! how changed since last we saw IL.
Charlie fights with his uncle to prove that
the heroine is a puah gee-url, and the viii
lain takes advantage of the diversion to
knife the uncle. He dies. The alarm.
The arrest. Buck done it nit my knife
dot he schtole. | will swear it by every
oat' in English und two in Yiddishls Alone
with the villain; You did it, there is blood
on youah hands," "Ce-urse you, gee-url,
onto the tracks you gol" The approach
ing train. Foiledl The rescue. ICur-
tain.
The column is petering out, and it is late
at night. Believe us, this is only half way