The San Francisco call., 1908-10-23
TRIBUTE PAID TO
DEAD JOURNALIST
Every Honorable Profession and
Vocation Represented at
Big Smyth Benefit
By Walter Anthony

Not one honorable profession nor
honest vocation but what was repre-
sented yesterday afternoon in the great
audience at the Princess theater when
the benefit was rendered to the sister
and aged mother of the late Robert
Assheton Smyth, former sporting edi-
tor Of The Call Clergymen and lead
ers of the local sporting fraternity
were there; so Were superior judges
and leading lawyers, prominent mer-
chants and bankers and their clerks,
besides theatrical mana gers. and. of
course, a host Of those who, news
papermen. had known the man whose
memory was being honored in the more
intimate affairs of everyday life.
A sum which, when it iSall IN, will
approximate more than $1,000 was
realized through the generosity of the
friends who came in throngs to the
OF the PLAYERS on the stage, the mu-
sicians in the orchestra chairs. the
theatrical employees behind the scenes.
the chorus girls and principals and
ushers in the front of the house and
the theatrical mansg gers, some of whose
checks helped to swell the proceeds of
this testimonial to the memory of a
good, clean and upright man.
There was a holiday spirit in the
air and the show went with a vim,
There was a lurking sadness which.
hanging like backdrop. tempered fun
to seriousness and suggested the loss
of the friend whose death. being
mourned. could yet inspire the devo-
ton which love and respect bore full
handed TO those two at home who best
of all knew the loss which had been
sustained
HARTMAN As AUCTIONEER
Ferris Hartman. who besides doing a
stunt with Walter DeLeon and Joseph
Fogarty, representing the Princess, was
auctioneer. summed the matter up Ia
conically when. after buying an orig
inal drawing by Bud" Fisher. he said:
Remember, you're not buying any
thing here this afternoon. You are
giving and getting and that's more
than happens often in this or any other
land.
Hartman made splendid auctioneer.
He could have sold baby buggies in an
old folks home yesterday afternoon.
Nobody could escape him. He even
tried TO sell some pictures to his tiny
son in the audience and might have
succeeded had not James Coffroth been
there to bid things mp and carry them
away.
/ The auction sale OF pictures by Maur-
ice Del Niue. Sylvan Schulz, Bud
Fisher, Charles ". Rohrhand and Her
bert Roth was one of the most sue
cessful features of the long program.
and Hartman graduated into Warfield's S
class at playing in splendid earnestness,
and yet with whimsicality, the role OF
the auctioneer.v
In front of the house there was some
lively activity. A bevy of beauties
made entrance to the Princess ex-
pensively delightful. They were the
program and the boutonniere girls and
whatever you gave them for a car
nation and program they kept. There
was no more change than to a sum-
mer in Hawaii. Eddie Hanlon was the
only man who got any money back.
He handed Sally Edwards. the Princess
contralto. five spot" and she gave
him two fifty" back, because she said
she didn't Nave the heart TO keep
it all.
Those program girls swelled tire fund
splendidly and We're under the inspira-
tion. il is said, Of Spike Slattery and
w. o. Mcclellan, whose pleasant duty
il was TO distribute the souvenir pro-
grams. This is their role of honor:
Mrs. Ferris Hartman. the Misses Sarah
Edwards, Emile Hayward, Alice Robi-
nett Flora Norris. Violet Elbe. Mabel
Baker. Ella Crane and Lydia Crane all
OF the Princess, and Miss Annie Wyck-
off, pretty and uniformed usher from
the Valencia.
EXCELLENT PROGRAM
Inside of the theatcr. which Manager
Loverich had generously placed at the
disposal of the ones in charge of the
benefit. a program of fine excellence
was given. Every theater in the city,
except the Van Ness. was represented.
and each number was given big ap-
piause.
Ernest E. Howelrs PLAYERS from the