Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-29
STAGE CAREERS HALT
1.-THE World at Night" Put Out
of Business.
FRAUD, SAYS KIMBALl
Rich" Mexican and His Colleagues
Put Under Bond.
DANCERS AND SINGERS DUPED
Aspiring Talent Put Up Cash to
Stop Them, When Stars, From
Deserving Company.

washington IL concerned, Judge Kimball
put it carefully to sleep this morning.
This is the story:
There were three girls who were just
simply crazy to 60 on the stage. One of
them did have a little experience in q
play called when We Were Twenty
one." acquired one night when they
wanted an extra lady to walk through
the drawing room and wave a fan. The
others were simply aspirants.
So when one of them read an ad in the
paper which said that any one who
wanted to travel through Europe and be-
come footlight favorite of the crowned
heads should call at a certain address on
New Jersey avenue, why, all three drop
ped in at the address given. They met
two gentlemen there-Louis D. Rivas and
Roger v. Ribatet.
Interview With Play Promoters.
1--WE called" said one Of the girls, "to
answer your advertisement about travel
ing through Europe"
"Oh. yes," answered Mr.. Rivas "You
see we are getting up The World at
Night company. and we want some
chorus people. Now We do not want any
one who Is great star or who can COM
mand a high salary We want from
W
and dance a little
"Oh. dear. l can't sing a note," said
one Of the girls who has a husky voice.
That's all right. young lady. I'll nix
1t 80 all you need to do is dance a bit.''
"And how much do we get paid?" asked
one Of the girls.
I'm coming to that. As I said before.
or should have said, The World at Night
will go all through Europe. playing at the
principal cities and before several Of the
ho nj ri
will be ectacular show, entirely, and
l want vaudeville talent"
But 1 don't know anything about
stage dancing" said one Of the three as
piring coryphees.
Gar. Can you waltz?
And two-step?'
"oh, yes Why, down at Luna
THAT is all right. then. Now The
World at Night will pay each of you
$40 week after we get started. First
we will take you to New York for six
weeks rehearsal. and you will then be
taught to dance and sing.
attend to first. You know that you might
become SO talented and SO perfected in
the art Of stage dancing that some big
European company would want you, and
l could never stand for that You ladies
must put up $25 as security that you
will not Jump the company.
Girls Call Again.
But this amount seemed too high; so
the ladies left. Later they came back
and were told that they might possibly be
let in on the ground floor-say S..
At this second visit there appeared Gus
tave G. Molina, Mexican. hacker Of 1.-The
to get to q certain address, but did not
seem to take any interest in their stage
careers to come.
The aspirants left the house and did not
sign contract But there were others
who came, forty people, who were all
ready to put up the money and who were
going to take the train for New York this
very week, where, for six weeks, they
would sing and dance and draw So a
week. After that they were all to board
the fare, and after that-fame
Just before the whole company would
have started for New York two detectives.
Messrs. O'Brien and Warner, walked in on
Messrs. Rivas and Ribatet and took them
to the station house. Later Mr.. Molinas
walked into the meshes.
Mr.. Molinas exhibited checks drawn to
the order Of Gustave Gurzman, which is
the other name he goes by. Also he had a
letter, on the letterhead of the Mexican
Securities Company. purporting to inclose
to him forty dollar check.
He was the hacker Of the show, he said
in broken English. a man Of means and
influence In Mexico.
Molinas Posed as Rich.
He was the first of the three to tell
Judge Kimball this morning just why
the company was o. K. after the three
young ladies had told their side, and
after two Disguised young buck dancers
had told of their experience with the
world at Night" company.
Mr.. Molinas said he came from Mexico
with lot of money some time ago.
II meet ices man-Ribatet. He say to
me. We mex 20 gre-H a-at teater COM
panee. You put re money up. I do da
bizaneess. I hat no money at re time.
Look. I am what you call, err, all, UNI,
yes. I am wise! I hat no money yet, as
1 wait for re check from some place.
$50 l mex ices checks, so as to keep
zee confidence OF ices men. See gay
tink I got zee money"
And in that style Mr.. Nolinas explained
just how he gave the other two the i'm
preston that he had lots of money and
could finance anything at all. He had 81
and cent when they searched him at the
station.
Mr.. Rivas spoke better English and ex-
planned how he had been jockey once.
but that gaining in weight he took to
dancing on the stage. He said he had
arranged with Mr.. Ribatet, who speaks no
English. to make up this company and
get Molinas-Gurzman, he called him-to
put up some money.
Gurzman had exhibited to him. he said,
many checks and papers which seemed to
show that he was rich.
R!vas calmly told how the police of
Baltimore had squelched 1.-The World at
Night and told how he merely wanted
beginners in the theatrical business, so
they could stand behind other and ex-
perienced actors and actresses and fill
up the stage.
The third member of 1.-THE World at
Night company. Mr.. Ribatet, whose
name appeared as manager on the type
written contracts which nobody signed,
said nothing in court
Judge K:mball said there was no doubt
in his mind but that 1.-The World at
Night was but a scheme to defraud. In
order to protect other young buck dancers
and wou!d-be chorus people, he held the
three gentlemen in $500 bond each.
Horse Spectacles.
From the Boston Transcript.
The business of one we'll known firm
of opticians in England consists largely