The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1908-03-10
The INTERPRETATIONS Jane,

HECTOR FULLER.
The NatiOnnI-"SaIOmy Jane"
For long period of time Bret Hsrte
was denied his proper position in the
annals of American literature. but in re-
cent years he has been accorded de-
| serving high rank as a writer Of fiction.
| especially in short-story form. His char
acters are real, yet picturesque He
makes them participate in incidents pc
culiarly characteristic OF the time, place,
and period of his story. and beneath the
rough exterior of his personages we can
! readily see all Of the pathos accruing
from simple natures. and much Of the
/ true manly instincts which guide the ac-
| tons Of miners. frontiersmen. and even
! outlaws and gamblers. Above all. he
| possessed a remarkable power Of creating
! a perfect atmosphere by a few deft
/ touches, II IS a singular tribute to his
genius that such writer's and play pro-
ducers as David BelascO and Paul Arm
strong should so 10 him for material. but
in the cases OF THE Girl of the Golden
West" and "Salomy Jane" the ends justi-
! fy the means in both instances.
out of the brief story by Harte. Mr..
Armstrong has constructed an intensely
interesting play Of melodramatic tenden-
cies. and in Miss Eleanor Robson we
have an actress fitted by every quality
Of temperament and personality for the
effective portrayal of that remarkable
character. Salomy Jane In fact, with
Bret Harte's genius at the bottom, helped
by Mr.. Armstrong; constructive ability.
and with Miss Robson's art at the end.
what reason could there be for expect
| ing anything undressing or inartistic?
The story revOlves around the character
Of Salomy Jane Clay. "A daughter of old
Kentucky transplanted into the CalifOr-
MIA mountains, and the change has not
wrought a single variation IN the bold, I'M
pulsiye. and deeply emotional spirit in
| herited from her ancestors IN the Ken
lucky mountains. with her blood is the
| price of an insult, and love is something
| that comes but once and lasts forever.
| She lives in what 10 most women would
| be constant terror. for her father. to-
/ gether with one LaTrabee has brought
| from the dark and bloody ground one OF
| those deadly family feuds 10 California,
where there was already outlawism
enough in the form Of stage robbing and
| horse stealing. She is insulted by a
rufiian named Baldwin. and calls on RUFF
/ Waters. who aspires to her hand 10
avengc the insult i'm blood.
He hesitates. and in the interim stran-
ger appears and takes the life OF Bald
win and the girl meeting him in the
woods. Immediately recognized in him
her ideal. directs him TO escape. but he
r. FVnT he
purpose Of apprehendIng stage robbers,
together with Red Pete Heath and is
! condemned 10 death as an accessory. She
takes leave OF him in an intensely interest
ing scene. expecting 10 see him no more,
but he escapes. and. instead Of insuring
safety by flight. he returns to her home,
is nearly captured again. but again cludes
the vigilantes by the aid OF SalOmy and
Jack Marburg. a gentleman gambler. who
is also in love with SalOmy. kills LARA
bee. who mistakes him for Salomy's
father and fires from ambush. and finally
all hands escape into safe territory. or
course the whole thing is melOdrama, but
no mclodrama of the common kind. where
shots continually jar the nerves and the
fumes of saltpeter offend the nostrils. II
Is a melodrama with poetry. pathos, and
living. consistent characters, and such
can never fail TO interest. The action is
rapid and vivid, and the lines extremely
bright
Miss Robson adds 20 her numerous sue
cesses by her impersonation Of the hero
Inc. It is a wide stretch from Merely
Mary Ann to Salomy Jane. but this
actress has versatility and high intelli-
gence and 40 change of character works
any difference I'm her art. She properly con-
ceives and intelligently plays the charac-
ter and artistic success is the result. She
is highly attractive as the impulsive,
simple. yet strong souled child OF nature.
and her power was particularly empha-
sized in the scenes before the lynching
and at the close of the play
a fine character sketch is contributed
by George ". Wilson. as Col. Starbottle.
"A Southern gentleman Of the old school.
a disciple OF the code duello in all affairs
affecting honor, and a disciple of the
flowing bowl in all affairs affecting social
relations. Mr.. Wilson's acting was highly
edifying. and he makes one of the distinct
hits of the production
Another good sketch is that of A. s.
Lipman, as Marburg. the gambler. the
same character which Har,e produced
in other stories as John Oakhurst. and
lately interpolated as Jack Rance. into
! The Girl Of the Golden West Mr.. Lip
man gives "a fine portrayal in all re-
spects Of temperament and makeup.
Others Of the splendid supporting company
are Ada Dwyer. as Lie Heath: II. B.
Warner, as The Man." Scott Cooper, as
Yuba Bill. Earl Brown. as Rufe Waters:
James Seeley, as Madison Clay, and
three bright children, Marjorie Conway,
Alma Sedley, and Donald GaIlaher The
play was thoroughly enjoyed by a capac-
ity audience, including a large number of
those prominently known in political, liter
airy. and social life.