The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-10-25

The local premier of "The Clans
man at the Salt Lake Theater next
THURSDAY evening, viii be a notable
event in the dramatic and social annals
Of tbis city. "The Clansman comes
60 the Salt Lake Theatcr for series
OF four performances, evenings OF Octo-
Der 90, 30 and 81 and Saturday natl
nee. With its tremendous significance
as the white man g play of the TWEEN
tieth century, its passionate story OF
the scenes following the civil war IN
the south, It's comedy and pathos ol tho
old arisitocratic regime. and lts oc2u-
tiful scenic production ana daring hu
Klux Klan calvalry of mounted men
and trained horses it possesses all the
elements TO inhame curiosity and set
public expectation on tlp-toe \ wei
come figure in the title role VIII bo
that OF Franklin Richie. who has ocen
we'll liked in the west during several
previous visits notably as leading mah
of "Sowing the Wind. and support
Tanauerav. Richie is the matinee
girls idol of good looks, manly car
yiece and feryent speech. O~pos1te him
wall be Miss Eugene HAYDEN, the NC
brnska girl who has made a great hlt
IN leading parts ia New YORK 'ity:
End who viii play the feminine lead O.
Elsie Stoueman. the Vermont beauty.
The trio OF laugh provoking darkles IN
The cast will be pfayed by Bury Max
well Of County Chairman tame' MISS
Maude Durand. who is an own cousin
of the late President Jefferson DAVIS
of the southern coHfeGeracv. and George
NJ. DeVere The trenchant role os the
negro lieutenant governor of South
Carolina viii be taken by Charles j.
Wilson. Others in the cast OF seventy
1--WE people are NJ i. Jordan. Ruth Hart.
Claire Mersereau. Gage Bennett. Joseph
I. Sweeney, Gus Inglis, Mortimer
Ritchic. Harry Quinlar. Edna Davis.
Earl Lee and John j. Flanagan. When
the curtain rises the audience will see
2 typical home Of the courtiy land own
ing race of the old south, o home which
has given four Of It's sons 10 the cause
and in which the triumphant Yankees
are now intcrminglCd with the Dixie
folk. 1t Is election day in Piedmont,
S. c., and the negroes, aided by north
ern carpet b1ggers and military despot'
ism, carry the state bv 100000 major
ity. electing most of the legislature and
a big. iusolcut mulatto as lieutenant
governor. In the second act the beau
tiful home Of the Camerons u about
10 be taken from them by forced sale
for taxes. Captain Ben Cameron or
eanizes the ku Klux klan 20 light the
iiaucee. Miss Elsie Storeman, Il north
ern girl buys in the old homestead and
presents il 10 It's former owners. II -
in the last two acts of "1he Clans
man. that those scenes are laid which
have made the sensational success of
the play. the negro rule bears its eN-
pected fruit. A black mllitiaman,
casting a covetous eye on Ben s eltn
sister. Flora, purspes and frichtens the
poor child until she falls TO her death
over a cliff into river and Is drowned.
Then the klsn assemblies. Shrouded
ghosjlv white and mounted on
shrouded steeds, they go forth after the
murderer. and. capturing him. meet
again in their mountain cave, where the
ritual OF the khan is pronounced. the
negro forced to confess under a hyD-
motto spell. and decree Of execution is
entered Finally the last act is duel
OF love and hate between the nero
governor of the state on the one hand
and Captain Cameron. the leader of the
khan. on the other The mulatto dares
TO raise his eyes to Elsie and offers her
the freedom Of her lover If she will ally
herself with the black man. On her re-
fusal, ne brutally summons the chaplain
OF the negro regiment 10 have the mar.
Tiagc ceremony performed. but the Ku
Klux Klan, headed by Captain Ben.
enters the room and saves the bcauti-
ful white girl and her deluded. but
now awakened and repentant father.
'"The Ciansman,' as u play, is the re-
suit Of loving study of his native south
made by the author. Thomas Dixon. Jr
He first incorporated the materials in
his novels. 1.-THE Leopard s Spots and