The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-02-02
STAGE RAFFLES is
DOUBLE OF CROOK
Men in Audience Think They
Recognize Actor in Burglar
Play as Real Article

If you were a well known English
actor, with record of % years expert
ence with all the great stars
. And you were starring in playlet
on the Orpheum circuit in which you
portrayed sort of wholesome Raf11es
wh5, in the guise of gentlemanly
lpnatic, robs house OF all its con
tents
And If couple Of men in the audi
ence thought they recognized you as
real Rafies, a society BLACKBOARD who
borrowed money at the clubs, ran away
with another mans wife, became.
Mormon, a preacher and a writer of
hymn books and finally a jailbird-
And If the initials of your name in
by the real criminal in his several
aliases
wouldn't it jar you? wouldn't it
cause you to make scientific inquiries
regarding the phenomena of coinci-
dence?
When Harrison Hunter stepped on
the stage OF the Orpheum last week in
his skit, The Van Dyck," he caused
stranged chills to run up and down the
spines of three well known men who
once lived in Spokane-H. M. McCart-
ney, assistant chief engineer of the
Western Pacific, and two friends, one
of whom now lives in San. Jose.
REsEMBLED CROOK
We'll. I'll be hanged" said McCarl-
ney, isn't that our old friend, Airing
ton Buckingham Wadsworth?"
why, Of course, it is replied one
of the others. Imagine him now an
acter2"
The men turned simultaneously to
their programs and were surprised to
find that their supposed friends name
was Hunter.
But hold on" said Mccartney, heres
a coincidence. His name in the playlet
is Arthur Blair Nottingham"
This exclamation caused more chills
as well it should considering the career
of Arlington Buckingham Wadsworth.
1t appears that Wadsworth, a young
Englishman, cut wide swath in the
northwest some years ago, but finally
borrowed money and did other things
which brought him within an ace of be-
ing made a jailbird. He disappeared
shortly. turning up in Chicago, where
he was known as Arthur B. Ward, and
then ran away with the wife of a mag
netIc healer.
He then went to Salt Lake City, where
he assumed the name of Alfred Blair
Wadleigh and the role of an English
man of wealth and a convert to Nor
monism. This section becoming too
warm. he fed, and was next heard of in
New Zealand. where he established a
new cult, built church and published
book of hymns and sermons. But his
piety could not keep him out of prison
nor from his habit of changing his
names beginning with A. B. w.
IT is strange that in appearance the
real confidence man so closely resem-
u I, fe IL.
Hunter should be enacting role which
would have suited the real Wadsworth
TO a dot Hunter could not account
for it.
ACTOR SURPRISED
Seen in his dressing room at the Oak
land Orpheum yesterday, he was first
amused and then amazed and after. fur
nishing a complete alibi he expressed
his determination of probing into the
underlying principle of coincidence.
I'm the last Is years" said the actor.
laughingly, Il have assumed a great
many aliases, but as far as I can re-
member this is the first one with these
apparently tenacious initials I assure
you / have never been in New Zealand.
haven't sung hymns for a quarter of a
century. far less composed them, and
have only been in the other places YOU
mention in the way of business-pro-
fessional acting for given salary, I
mean.
4 came TO this country from England
nine years ago as leading man for Olga
Nethersole, and with a four years serv-
ice with Frohman and other engage
ments with Sothern and Marlowe.
Maude Adams and katherine Grey, l
have had little time to acquire any of
the accomplishments which this gentle
man possessed. 1 would hardly like to
act p hours a day year in and year
out. 1t is hard enough to do it three
hours night. That's why I prefer
vaudeville