The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-07
ADJUSTMENTS
"rhe Third Degree.


 Richard Brewster...... ....James Seeley Howard Jeffries. Frazer Coulter Howard Jeffries. Jr......... Ralph Ramsay Captain Clinton. Alfred Moore Robert Underwood Earle Williams Dr. Bernstein. Walter Cravens Mir. Jones. Harris l.. Forbes MT. Bennington. Marris l.. Forbes Det. Sergt. Maloney Edward Lehay Elevator Attendant. M. Bnckley Officer ..........................J. H. Cooley Servant at Brewster's s....A. M. Buckley Annie Jefflfes Fernando Elisct Mrs. Howard Jeffries. Lidia McMillan
 Charles Klein's notable play, ''T'h'' Third Degree" was presented at the Jef- fers on theatre yesterday afternoon and last night Birmingham theatregoers were fortunate in having for the consid- eration two very strong dramas in simul- tareous engagements. Reference is made to 'The Third Degree at the Jefferson and Madame X'' at the Shubert Both arc absorbing, yet widely divergent in theme and treatment, with perhaps the balance in favor of Madame K" as q more dramatic vehicle.
 However, no disparagement is intend- el to the play or the players at the Jefferson theatre for "The Third De- gree" easily sustains it's very great repu- tetion as a vivid disclosure of certain police methods in New York and con soquently In all the larger American cities. The play is based on what is vaguely known to the public in general as the third degree in police examna- ton, which means bullying a victim until If cl,a 1afnfp fn art of 1Flat t01a tho confessor may be as guiltless as an infant
 An alleged confession having been ex- tracted from youth by long-continued oross-examination and eventual hypno- sis, he is conveyed to prison under charge of murder He was caught ,n- tcxicated and trying to escape from the apartments of friend who had commit ted suicide. This weak, but guiltless, scion of an aristocratic family has alien ated his father and his family by mar rying a factory girl. The plucky fight which this girl makes to save the life Of her husband forms the burden of the plot Ignorant and scorned by insuf- ferable snobs, the girl alone and un- aided wins first the support of a great lawyer and then continues to wage bat
 
 certain type of city police is severely scored and the worth of a good woman's heart, whatever her environment may bs or may have been. is depicted in d manner which does credit to the creator Of "The Music Masters" and "rhe Lion and the Mouse' The interest is well sustained throughout, even though there are four acts and great deal of talk.
 The company as whole deserves praise for very good performance. James See- ley as Richard Brewster fitted well the role of the lawyer, who is induced to defend the accused boy, even at the Lerl of his own interests. Frazer Coul- ter as Howard Jeffries presented a snob- bish father in way which made the character thoroughly repugnant until tho fathers unnatural heart was changed for the better. Ralph Ramsay acquitted him self creditably as the victim of the third dc gree and Alfred Moore as the police captain made that parsonage truthful portrayal of a figure that is familiar wherever politics and the police are syn onymous Fernando Elisct had difficult and trying part to play as Annie Jet- fries, but she showed much ability and presented a daughter of the people, Tn a truly heroic light. She seemed quite in character with type of young wom- an familiar to the larger cities of the east, where the factory girl has already had her apotheosis at the hands of sem tiInental novelists. Lida McMillian was not quite convincing as Mrs. Howard Jcffries in some of her scenes, although her performance was for the most part satisfactory. Earle Williams, as the man who committed suicide, was not visible for long, yet made the most of his op- 1 portunities