The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-02-27

New York, February 26.-(Special)-No more sobby plays for Miss Ms -aret An glin. The actress who stary ''The Great Divide" and other produc- tions as were designed ike audi ences sry tears. declaY lat she is through with weepy ply Miss Anglin has signed & provisional contract with Liebler & Co.,, which will entitle that firm to her services for long term of years providing rip-roaring comedy is pro vided for her by ssext Thanksgiving. The comedy must be mutually satisfactory or the contract will not stand and Miss An glin may continue her lachrymose course through life, leaving trails of briny tears in her wake from city to city.
 For ten years Miss Angtn was under the Liebler management and if the agree able comedy Is forthcoming she will It. erally return to her old "home." Many years ago Miss Anglin desired to play comedy roles, but fate seemed against her, and the best she could get was the sobful portrayal of brow-beaten sister hood.
 Charles Dillingham; has made the of ficial announcement that he will not re- new his contract with Fritzi Schef, the comedy songstress. Her future plans have not been arranged, although I un-
 
 Shuberts. The trouble arose through the frequently with which Miss Scheff disap- pointed audiences. Notwithstanding the fact that private car was furnished her upon her tours. she pleaded illness so often that audiences seldom knew when to look for her.
 "The Witch,'' now part and parcel of the New theatre repertory, is gloomy hut a narrnigCfh1a when we remember that it is written to cover a gloomy theme "The Witch. is adapt ed from the Norwegian to fit the days and scenes of the Salem witchcraft in New York about the year of 1893, 1 be- lieve But the adaptation is skillfully made and Madame Bertha Kallch plays the leading role very worthily. The story concerns a young woman of Por- tuguese blood, who has been cast by fate among the stern Puritans of New England. She marries one of the grim, old ministers of Salem. His young son by former marriage returns from Eu- rope, where he has been absorbing the continental ideas on fast life. The young wife immediately falls in love with him. haggard old woman. who is put to death as a witch, reveals the secret of her black art to Joan, the minister's wife. Joan revels in her magic power and finds that she can summon her lover to her at will In frenzy Joan tells her hus- band that she loves his son and he falls dead upon the spot. The aged mother of the dead minister immediately accuses Joan of being a witch. In frenzy of panic Joan admitted her powers and here the play ends. The idea is conveyed that the young widow met fate upon Witch s Hill, where the Salem gibbet stood Madame Kalich does impressive work Ben Johnson. as her aged husband. and Guy Bates Post as the son who fell in love with her, were effective in their in depreciation.
 ''The Witch" will be played at inter vals during the road tour of the New Theatre company in the spring.
 When Harry Lauder sails for Europe on March 1t may be his farewell to America for number of years The genial Scotch comedian was presented with a silver loving cup by members of the Arkwright club several days ago, after his performance at the American Music Hall, and he made one of his char acterlstic witty speeches. One of Lauder's stories, which he picked up on his recent trip across the continent to California, fs maybe you've heard 1t, built is:
 "When arrived at small town in Colorado I found convention of stock men in session. The hotels were crowded, but the sexton of tte church was pre- vailed upon to open up that sacred edi- flee to allow certain weary strangers to sleep within It's hospitable portals. At midnight the church bell b0omed out in wild alarm. The hotel keeper just across the way and residents within earshot thought surely fire had broken out. May be the town was threatened.
 'sThs sexton hurried into the church