The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-11-11
SEVEN HOURS TO
REACH WIND0 "
Crowds Eager to Buy Theatre
Tickets Kept in Line by
Three Policemen.

Half of Richmond stood and watched
yesterday while the other half stood
and waited for turn at the Academy
of Music box office, 1t was the open
ing day of the sale of seats for the
coming production of Ben Hur.n and
al previous records for advance sales
were broken.
Before the sun climbed out of the
eastern sky in the early morning the
line began to form. AS early as .
o'clock the advance guard of the great
army which was to follow was on the
ground. And when the box office clos
ed last night at o'clock the line still
numbered 100 persons, who had stood
for hours, but who had been unable
to reach the window from which the
coveted pasteboards were issued.
Not only were all previous records
for one days sale broken. but other
precedents We're established at the
playhouse. Singular as it may appear,
not a dozen people bought as low as
two seats On the other hand, every
body seemed to want at least four.
while a great number bought as many
as ten and twelve. According to Man
ager Leo Wise, this was due to the
fact that almost every one who APP
had letters from people residing all
over the State commissioning their
Richmond friends to buy tickets for
hem. Merchants We're similarly called
upon to act for out of town customers
Kept I'm Line by Police.
Three bluecoats in charge of n SER
Eeant looked after the situation and
restrained impatient ones who would
have slipped into the. place of the fell
ny In ba 1i,,a ~
II the north end of the building. creep
ng slowly across the foyer to the win
dow, thence out of the door fartheset
from the one it came in. The crowd for
the most part was orderly. and the
police had little difficulty in keeping
1t straight. OF all the great number
representing all classes, colors, ages
types, which formed the line few
were other than good natured the ma
jority appearing to be enjoying the cx-
perience.
To illustrate just what fine good
tempered crowd 1t was, Manager Wise
last night pcIntsd oue.that 1t took the
line seven hours to move its OWL
length. That is to say that the line
as it stood when the box office opened
at o'clock in the morning had not
been accommodated until in the at-
ternoon. The man way back at the |
tail end of the procession whom every
body pitied about breakfast time did |
not become the one whom everybody /
.nvied till along toward supper Thei
police saw that every one got far |
deal and allowed no one to force ahead |
of another. nor We're would-be schemers
permitted 10 iu1portune people already |
well UP in the line to buy tickets for
them.
No Spectators There.
mot la,n
the number who bought seats yester-
day, OF this Manager Wise, the house
treasurer. and the police feel sure. IT |
IS believed that the rigidity of the city |
ordinance against ticket specializing |
together with the vigilance of the po-
lice, kept the sidewalk men away
AS pleasant and as satisfactory as it |
was however, the day witnessed one
incident which affected the spirits of /
those who We're present when 1t oc-
CURED. Napoleon Price, colored
Porter who had been commissioned to |
buy seats for number of persons en-
nIoyed and otherwise engaged by the
X. A Patterson Tobacco Company af- |
Ter having stood in the line for three
hours. was suddenly stricken with
PARALYSIS and fell to the street The
ambulance was summoned and he was
taken 10 his home. Price is an elderly |
negro and for many years has been
employed at the Patterson office. He I
rs regarded as one of the represen- \
tatiYe negroes OF the city.