The San Francisco call., 1908-10-13
By Walter Anthony

Dustin Farnum scored personal
triumph last night at the Van Ness
theater. The phrase is a ready made
one, but takes on significance because
1t is true The triumph was more
personal than otherwise We love Dus-
tin Farnum for his ''Virginian." His
rSquaw Man" suggests the other west
ern play; but. and it must be admitted,
he is not quite as large as Jim Carston,
the English nobleman who sacrifices
himself and becomes a pariah and a
sduaw man of western Utah. Far
NUNS presentation of the role is SYM
pathetic. his assumption of the charac-
ter is imaginative and vivid at times.
but 1T does not fit the grandeur and
greatness of the big west; it halts in
the great scene where he gives up his
son-his little Hal-and permits him
TO be taken away to far off England
to be reared just as though his mother
was a countess and not the squaw
who saved his fathers life. Perhaps
Faversham, the first squaw man, was
in the minds of many of the auditors
If he was. they made no sign, for
Farnum was given a splendid reception,
which lasted so long that he had to
make a little haiting speech which
could not have been bettered either
on the score of sincerity or brevity.
At any rate, it is certain that this
morning those who saw Faversham will
still recall him as Jim Carston, and
say this with complete and deferen-
tial subscription to the prejudice
against odious comparisons. They will
crop UP. though. in spite of ones self.
COMPANY CNEQUALLY GOOD
The company with the production is
unequally good, Some are much better
than others; none is entirely poor. The
episode in the third act where Taby-
wana, the Indian chief, comes to Car
ston's ranch to warn him that the
sheriff is after him or his wife, Nat-u-
ritch, for the murder of Cash Hawkins.
the bad man. six years before, is i'm
pressively solemn, the Indian speaking
in his native tongue, with cultural
but resonant vowels and short SEN
tentious phrases. 1t was superb in it's
primitive simplicity. 1t could not be
better done. The chief is impersonated
by Mitchell Lewis, and the interpreter,
who tells what the Ute is saying, Is
assumed by Logan Paul The ensemble
is like a picture of the west in the
sixties. ~
Mary B. Conwell, who plays Diana,
wife OF the man for whose crime of
embezzlement Jim assumes the blame
and fees England, is effective. Maude
Hosford, her mother in law and aunt
to Jim" is hopelessly STACEY Big
and hearty in the hands of George W.
Deyo. I liked Katherine Fisher as
poor little Nat-u-ritch, whose little
head contains but two thoughts-"Jim'
and their son Hal. and who kills herself
when she sees that she stands in the
path that would lead her husband to
happiness. 1t is a forlorn soul she
undertakes to portray, and she does 1t
silently and on moccasined feet. Hers
| is eloquent pantomime
Brinsley Shaw as Hawkins the bad
man is picturesquely violent in the
single act in which he appears and the
scene at the Wyoming cattle station Is
made effective by clever grouping and
lively stage business.
DRAMA is UNHAPPY
The drama is narrowing and unhap-
py It's satisfactory finish Is only ac-
conp1ished at the expense OF a wrench
of your heartstrings, for no one not
even Jim, wants to see the faithful
loyal Nat-u-ritch kill herself to liber-
ate her husband TO the fair English
girl and herr son to life in England
Of luxury and honors.
The scenery is not as fine as Miller
accustomed us to in The Great Di-
vide" but it is serviceable and, 1 dare
say accurate.