The San Francisco call., 1909-01-03
THE COUNTIES BORDERING OF SAN FRANCISCO
ICONv|CTS, IN BLACK
FACE, GIVE SHOW
Minstrel Performance to Invited
Guests Is Given Inside
Prison Walls

SAN QUENTIN, Jan 2.-Attired in
the latest minstrel modes essayed by
regular minstrels, with the regulation
interlocutor and the same witty black
faces for end men, the San Quentin
minstrel and vaudeville company de-
oehghted hundreds of people from San
francisco, Oakland and Marin county
last night. The show would have done
cfedlt to any theater in San Francisco.
Inc performance was given in the
! chapel within the prison walls and only
prisoners took part.
AS the entertainment progressed the
applauding audience forgot that the
actors were convicts and that armed
guards were patroling the outside of
the building while others stood ready
behind the scenes.
bond of sympathy between the per-
formers and the spectators sprung up,
and for time the barrier erected be-
tween them by the law was forgotten
by both.
Billy Wells, Billy Durand, George
Best and Harry May were the evening S
stars in comedy All are professional
actors, and their stage work was ex-
cellent. Wells made hit in a little
skit written by Robert Grifins, the
actor for whom Mrs. Violet Webber is
attempting to secure a pardon.
| The playlet is called Eight Dollars
a Week and Sea Breeze" and the way
in which it was put through by Wells
as Senator Black and Arthur Temple
ton female impersonator, as Mrs
Rather Gay paved the way for much
| applause.
Though his eyes were dimmed by
approaching blindness, Griffins himself
! took part in his creation. Cast in the
role of j. Wellington Booth, Griffins
showed good knowledge of stage
craft and proved himself royal enter
tainer in spite of his hampered sight.
| Though vocalists have not much
chance to run the scales in the peni-
tentiary, except those of weighing per-
suasion, a surprising number of good
songsters appeared on the program
In the illustrated songs Will billiard
delighted the hundreds by his clear
tenor. The Big Four quartet, made UP
| of e. Davenport. c. Schroeder, H.
Hammond and w. Burke, made a pleas
| ing impression. In fact, every man
cast in the minstrels or in the vaude-
vile portion of the program made a
success and every one was encored.
| Dressed in neat uniforms. the prison
band played within the yards until the
opening of the performance. With the
exception of a few convicts who Were
needed to pass refreshments and assist
| the remainder of the prison population
were massed behind the bars in the
cellhouse. AS the visitors. many OF
them women, walked to the chapel the
barred windows became massed with
| felons anxious to get a glimpse of the
| laughing throngs who brought breath
| of outside life into the place.
Assembled in the chapel the audience
| resembled that found at the Orpheum
or any theater in the city The only
thing that made the congregation pc
culiar was the presence of few striped
garbed men who worked through the
rows with glasses of lemonade for
thirsty spectators, and an additional
seven or eight convicts who viewed the
performance seated on some chairs in
! the rear of the hall
Three performances were given by
the San Quentin minstrels. The dress
rehearsal was attended by the 81
women who are imprisoned there. Then
/ yesterday afternoon the convicts were
/ given a performance which was fol-
/ lowed last night by the third, which
was for the invited guests.