The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-05-20
ALICE NIF[SFN'S
ASTRAL SPIRIT
HAUNTS COURT
Turfrnan's Letters and TeIe-.
grams TO Frank PerIey Bare
Wrath Against Star
Opera Singer Was Plain Zones"
in. Lashings SizzledstO
Manager (


wings before United states Commits
sioner Heacock Yesterday morning
and at the same time the astral spirit
Of Alice Nielsen prima donna, Hut
tered about under the commonplace
code sign Of Jones' Then Paul Stein
dorn. the prominent san Francisco mu-
steal director. was displayed. on paper
as being one against whom Williams
mighty wrath was leveled-
The astral spirit OF Mss Nielsen
more than futtered- She was
imagined as Jumping stiff legged, -
a terrible picture TO draw of such
graceful dancer as tive promoted Tivoli
singer .is-and also as about to have
q dozen fts"-anotheU urid prophecy
10 make for so charming a young lady.
she was also accused of showing
mean and ungrateful spirit because
she simply wanted to claim financial
interest in the company that bore her
name.
In fact. placid Judge Heaeock yes
terday heard much of the turbulent
history Of the Alice Nielsen opera COM
pany. which williams had so richly
endowed in the days wren he was the
admirer of Miss Nieisen's talents The
exploitation came bout. in the hear
ing before the federal court commits
sioner Of testimony ia the suit brought
by Thomas II. Williams Jr. against
Frank i. Perley for an accounting and
SO. 600 claimed by tine racetrack man
10 be due him as moheSy advanced the
Nielsen opera company.
WILLIAMS WAS angel"
Perley's defense. presented yesterday
IN the defendant : absence by his at
torney. Charles A. Lee Of the Fox
croft building. Is that Williams was
the angel" promoter and supreme
head Of the concern and that Perlev
acted under him on a salary and per-
centage- pwO contracts We're admitted
in evidence 10 support Perley's conten-
ton. and then came the letters and
kilograms which PASSED between VIII
hams and Perley. II gas in the VIII
fams communication that ali the cruel.
cruel words were spoken about pretty
Alice Nielsen, the girl with the beau
" spot"
In addition to the Williams letters
and kilograms, there U7ss a letter from
Nose Gunst admitted AS evidence. in
which he spoke OF Albee's success as
having, evidently. Completely turned
her head Gunst regnetted that. So
did Al Hayman, 10 whom Gunst had
written.
Williams appeared in court yester-
day and nonczaalantly identified the
various communications as they were
offered Up by Attorney Lee Henry
Ach represented Williams and offered
no objections TO the evidenee~ as it was
offered
other evidence has been presented
and viii be offered by Perley TO show
that in Williams muniicent days he
offered Perley valuable stock, includ-
ing 100 shares OF the stock Of the New
California jockey club, $4,000 worth of
stock in the La Puerta mining com
pany Of Mexico and $4,000 worth of
stock in an abattoir concession of Mex
leo on certain conditions Perley will
seek during the pending action to re-
cover that reputed gift. which Will
lisms is now said 10 hold.
WILLIAMS TORRID WRATH
The correspondence produced yester-
day dated from December 81, 1900.
when the Alice Nielsen company,
which was then producing The Sing
ing Girl and THE Fortune Teller"
was in Los Angeles. having just com
pleted an engagement in San Fran
cisco. The manager, Perley, had al
ready negotiated with the Shaftesbury
theater in London and George Mus
grove. the London manager, to have
Miss Nielsen appear there. But some
thing had happened that made Will
liams crusty toward his prima donna.
On December 81. 1900, he sent the
first telegram offered as evidence yes
terday. 1t was addressed TO Perley at
Los Angeles and referring to the Lon
don managers said:
Would write them both at once,
saying star (Miss Nieisen) positively
refuses and is unmanageable. And
besides is in such a state that you feel
she viii not make good. Say
almost anything else that occurs to
you"
Two weeks later Williams wrath
was still torrid. On January II, 1901,
he telegraphed to Perley:
We surely want to prevent Jones
having any chance TO produce the
operas in any country"
Who is Jones2' asked Lee of Will
liams when the dispatch was read
yesterday.
That referred to Miss Nielsen" ex-
plained the eX-angel with a smile
WOULD DISCHARGE STAR
The next one was almost climactic.
Perley was then in New York and on
January % Williams slzZleo the West
ern Union trunk line with this:
Think you viii find you can not
manage star. The sooner you dis
charge her the better. Furthermore.
: wish you would discharge him at
Earliest possible moment Please keep
me posted"
Thai is where Stendorff first ap-
Deared as about TO disappear. Some
thing had happened-it did not come
oft yesterday exactly what it was
bils. something had happened that made
Williams glover at Steindorff over 3.OOu
miles of telegraph wires. There was
more 10 come. The next letter pre-
scented by Perleys counsel Lee, dated
February ?, read, ia part, as follows:
My dear Frank:
There is one thing. however. ] am
firm upon. and that is this. that neither
Ausgrove 6Nictor) Herbert" (com-
poser OF Miss Neilsen's operas) nor
any one else has the slightest right to
say to US who shall be our musical
director. would never consent to any
such dictation. and l Furthermore wish
you would discharge Steindorff Just as
soon as YOU can. / do not want him
70 finish the present season with us.
And ] do not care even If we have TO
take a second rate director and even
II the performances go badly.