Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-08
Columbia.

Dustin Farnum appeared at the Column
bia Theater last night in new play writ
ten for him by Augustus Thomas, which
Is as near "AriZona' as across the line,
in the Mexican state of Sonora. where
alkali dust Is as plentiful as 1t Is in the
territory AS Capt. Esmond in 1.-The
Ranger" Mr.. Farnum had a role similar
to that which he played in 1.-THE Vir-
ginian," though 1t did not give him all
the opportunities of which he made so
much in his previous play. At the head
of seventy rough-riding Arizona "regula-
tors" recruited from all walks of life
Capt Esmond invades the sleepy and
pulque-soaked Mexican mining town Of
Gordo Iona in search of two murderers
one of whom he captures and orders ex-
ecuted in the public square. At the same
time a strike in the mines breaks out, To-
mented by two Americans, the manager
and rascally vice consul. and the town
is attacked by drunken poems. Esmond's
rangers have ridden away in pursuit Of
the second murderer and he is left to help
defend the white women, one of whom,
daughter of the mine owner he loves.
Then come the horrors Of siege, recol-
lections of Lucknow; instructions to the
women to kill themselves before falling
into the hands of the poems and Yaqu In
dians and then follows hope that by a
sally across the frontier Esmond may
oi1hS American tIOcpS " lIle TcSCuc i lie
ranger rides away, but returns to face
death with his beloved, since Uncle Sam
stops the relief expedition at the border
for fear Of international complications
But Mexican rurales suddenly appear,
driving back some of the strikers and cap
turing Others the object of their coming
being to arrest Esmond for executing
man on Mexican soil. The ranger SUBJ
mits to arrest under conditions that lead
to his ultimate release, and everything
,1ch hon Cell, 1lns.
dispa tched by an indignant father who
slips knife under his fifth rib
Complementary to the dominant figure
Of the ranger Miss Mary Boland made a
beautiful and Interesting heroine and
some of the best work of Mr. Farnum was
done in his scenes with her, though all
his acting was careful and finished the
player refraining from making obvious
appeals to the gallery, to which the
lines offered many temptations. For the
play is slam bang melodrama, with vast
quantities of shooting and villain of the
deepest dye.
Mr.. Thomas. 1t is understood, went to
Mexico on purpose to gather local color
for The Ranger" He brought back car
loads apparently, for the play is full of
1t. At the rise of the curtain the audi
ence listens. for the most part uncompre-
hendingly, to dialogue in Spanish, and,
in the course Of the drama, there are
three characters who speak nothing else.
AS these lines often have a direct bearing
| on the plot, this seems somewhat unjust
| TO a large part Of the audience. The
| scenery and costumes are elaborate and
accurate. Exception may be taken to the
| English bride of the rangers horse, for
| the frontiersman who rides with curb and
| snafffe is not yet born.
There were thrills in plenty In the
| drama. applause was enthusiastic, and it
| finally extracted fragment of a speech
from Mr.. Farnum at the end of the third
act. Il am pleased that you like the
play" said the actor. twisting his hat
| nervously. very much pleased" Then,
| as the audience waited for more he
| added. That's ALL" And the charitable
curtain fell and cloaked his bushes.