The San Francisco call., 1908-07-29
REFORMED DBURGLAR
AT THE CENTRAL
Hero of Dealers in White
= Women" a Cracksman, Who
Seeks NObIer Occupation
Audience at Popular Theater
Thrilled With Seven Full
Pledged Plots
By Walter Anthony

Barnard BrantOn, king OF the cracks
men. has reformed. On the honor OF an
honest, discreet robber he passed his
word last night, before witnesses, that
he had never in all his career as a safe
expert stolen from poor mans strong
box, nor robbed q needy widow Of S5,O0V-
he freely divuIged the truths of his past
and opened his heart TO the detectives
in a narrowing tale which made strong
men, Injured 10 scenes Of crime ana
Blood, weep very bitterly.
II seems that he had an aged mother
who had consumption. He also had
very wealthy uncle Personally he was
broke. His mother was likely 10 ole
twice. so TO say; once Of consumption
and once Of starvation. so Branton ap-
pealed TO his wealthy uncle-his moth
er's OWE brother-for aid. DO you sup
pose the old skinfiint would render III
Noi What did he care II his sister, with
whom as a child he had played and
Quarreled died q miserable death ;
What did he care II she needed dollar
or so for bread and water? Nothing
Il Is tncOnceivable. but true. He turned
aside from poor Barnard and had the
office boy put him out
Reader, the annals OF the police court
are full OF such circumstances; poor
women and rich unclesi So Barnard
went out and became a thief; but a
good one. His mother was thus enabled
70 die a luxurious death. The ablest
doctors in the land were brought TO her
bedside and gave her up, and her
funeral was most expensive, for Bar
nard was g good son.
Everything was going we'll with Bar
nard until one night he met a woman
on the bridge. She was about TO plunge
70 her death IN the chill waters that
rippled against the piers beneath. She
did not tell him her name. but Barnard
didn't care much about that and slipped
her some excellent advice and a hun
dred dollar bill which he had just ex-
tracted with great risk from g broker
Now. would you believe IL, who should
Barnard meet some months later but
the same girl. He was entering an up
town residence for the purpose of rob-
bing IT, but the family had not yet gone
To bed. and found him IN the parIor
All this came out last night in Bar
nard's thrilling story. He gave q false
name and threw open his overcoat- He
was in a dress suit and the family stood
for his old friendship story. Instead OF
. cracking safe that night he reformed
and that is precisely what saved him
from criminal prosecution, for he had
inadvertently enough robbed q safe
about five months ago which contained
papers which he gave up TO the police
and led TO the raiding OF q notorious
and Infamous resort in Chinatown, next
door 10 an opium den, where white girls
were being kept in cages and sold to
the highest bidder.
Such, very briefly, is a part OF Bar
nsrd Branton's story as related TO my
self and others last night at the Gem
tral theater. I would not have believed
such things could be If II had not been
for the deep sincerity OF Herschel Nav
all, who was the cracksman, and for the
additional reason that the den was ex-
posed and raided in plain sight by some
fine looking policemen while Barnard
beat the proprietor to death.
MeiOdrama is the art Of the theater
with imagination left out 1t has all
the faults OF all the great plays and
some Of their virtues-action, for in
stance. There isn't a dull minute at tbs
Central this week. Somebody is get
ting killed. or lured away to shame. OF
is being fogged to death I counted not
less than seven full 1edged plots ir
Dealers IN White Women" and any one
or them good for a vaudeville sketch
DO not affect to despise melodrama. I,
is a good play in the rough: IL is the
bone and frame OF a drama, and it has
the splendid virtue OF being wfthout :
problem and asterisks. Besides. Edna
-lsllsmere wears a directoire gown
slashed appealingly.