The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-01-31
JAKE WELLS
WILL RETIRE
WILL NO LONGER OCCUPY POSI-
TON OF GENERAL MANAGER
OF THE LEATH THEATRICAL
COMPANY. CONTROLLING MANY
THEATRES.

The Show World of January 30,
published in Chicago. contains the
following dispatch from Richmond,
Va:
THE Dig news and sensation Of the
hour in the southern theatrical field
is the retirement of Jake Wells from
the general managers office of the
Leath theatrical company, which con-
trolls all Of the first-class the2-TeS in
Virginia and North Carolina, ana
whose strategic advantage IS such
that the Leat1 syndicate 5 enabled 10
dominate the whole southern field
The inside story of the withdraw
al of the Wells Interests from the
Leath company is here told for tle
first time. few persons outside Of the
( Oil ectcraJe of the company knowing
the facts in the case. The writer has
) il from the best authority that in the
Z latter part of last Dec ember the di-
! rectors made d formal demand for
{ the resignation of Mr.. Wells. He was
given 10 understand that Ii he did not
+ resign he would be depOsed. He re-
/ signed.
| Ten years ago Jake Wells was
1.-THE captain of the Richmond baseball
club At that time vaudeville was
practically unknown IL the south.
: With Q few hundred dollars capital
( Jake Wells launched in this city the
! first fifty-cent vaudeville hOuse Viz
ginia had ever seen He was prime
! favorite with the newspa per men ana
they gave him every possible encour-
/ agement and assistance. The new
venture was attended By surprising
/ success from the start. But after a
| few weeks the tide turned, and the
/ EXPENSIVE shows Mr.. Wells brought
10 Richmond soon exhausted his re-
sources The business was about L"
/ eo 10 the wall when Charles |. Nc
Kee drifted in from Pennsylvania
/ He had faith in the future of ydude-
vile here and supplied the capltal
/ necessary to prolong the experiment NJ
With McKee's money and brains the
enterprise begun by Wells was put
again on sound basis and the house
BEGAN to make money. Before the
end of the first season the theater
was doing a capacity business at
every performance During the en-
suing two seasons the vaudeville the
alter foated on the crest Of wave Oh
prosperity.
/ 'Tben Wells entered the popular
price field, organizing a circuit now
known as the Wells BiiOu circuit, with
IhCuses in eleven southern cities. ms
circuit has proved a veTitaDle gold
mine.
But for the fact that Jake Wells,
whose activities in the amusement
world have won for him the soubri-
Guet of the Napoleon Of the southern
theatrical field, developed plungin8
nroDensjties as his wealth increased
and his interests expanded, he mlShV
now be enjoying prestige and anu
! sEce instead of fighting creditors IN
The courts of half a dozen states.
He built summer parks in Atlanta
birmingham. Richmond and else
where. He backed road companies.
ne took on business deals with STAR
end Havlin. Charles Z. Blaney, OTIS
Harlan. John ". Dunno and others.
He built penny arcades. he returned
tn baseball ventures. lie had many
irons in the fire.
'The former baseball player became
a mower in the amusement purveying
business.
Then suddenly he fell upon evil
DAYS His summer park ventures col
flapsed. His read companies lost
money. The penny arcades lost favor
with the public The dividends of
the Leath Theatrical company and
the Welles Amusement company be-
can to dwindle at the same time. The
/ Wells Biiou circuit suffered reYerses'
The Hotel Allen which he opened in
partnership here with Steve Allen
was another losing venture.
Creditors besieged him on every
side. Judgments for debt, amounting
to about $4,000 in the Richmond
! courts alone, bean to accumulate
AGAINST him. They are stiH accumu-
Iating here and in other states. The
extent of the liabilities of Mr. Wells
/ is unknown. but he is heavily in
/ volved. With his holdings in the Bi-
ion circuit hvpCthecated and his stock
in the Leath company. the first class
/ circuit reverted 10 the company by
the failure Of Mr.. Wells to meet his
notes. he has no visible assets in Vir-
/ elria Judgments obtained in the
/ Alabama courts against him and
| transferred to the Virginia courts
1 u