The Washington times., 1912-01-02
Stirring Civil War Drama
Inspires Tears and 4
Laughter.
CHILD ACTRESS
SCORES TRIUMPH
Dustin and William Farnum Also
Appear in Heroic
Roles.

In The Lttlcst Rebel" which opened
q weeks engage oient with q matinee
yesterday in the New National Theater.
Edward Peple, who also wrote 1.-THE
Prince Chap" explains that he has
written tho play with no attempt to
keep alive a dyinG enmity between
North and South. but has used the war
story only Us the background for q
smaller drama in wars great, grim
setting.
Appearing as CO. stars in the play are
Dustin and William Farnum. and shar-
ing honors with them Is dainty Miss
Julia Shelby. 1.-THE Littlest Rebel the
little lady who succeeded. before the
play was half over yesterday. in causing
a merry box party Of children to weep.
In which they were Joined by nearly
everybody In the house. This little lady
Is really remnrka ole. actress for ore Of
her years. giving to her pert a won
derful reality. and living almost the
part of the little giil who. though
raised to tell the truth, lied like a little
soldier to save her fathers life.
Miss Percy Haswell
Splendid In Her Role.
In speaking Of the really excellent
company which surrounds these three
stars Of 'The Littlest Rebel" Miss
Percy Haswell. long and favorably
known to Washingto naudiences, should
not be forgotten. This charming actress
lives only through the first act Of the
play. Her part Is not a long one, but
she gives a splendid deIineation Of the
loyal Southern wife and mother. the
sort of woman who. as her husband
says in the play. You Southern women
are the crutches upon which our cause
Is leaning
A family of three, a father. mother
and their little girl. Virginia, THE
Littlest Rebel" form the foundation
upon which the story of the play is
built. The father Is a scout in the
Southern army. The mother dies. and
the little seven-year-old daughter Is
left to the intermittent care Of the
plantation negroes. Finally the last
Of these deserts her. and sne Is left
alone with her rag baby in the over
can on blueberries and acorn coffee.
except on thoee rare intervals when
her father steals through the North
ern lines. and brings food to the little
girl.
On one such visit the scout is pur-
sued to the cabin by foraging party
Of Federal soldiers, in command Of
Colonel Morrison. Hearing their ap-
proach, the Southern scout cautions
his baby girl to tell them he Is gone,
and conceals himself In the loft. The
cabin door Is battered in but the
troops do not find the man for whom
they are looking, Instead they find
q very digntfied, but very ragged and
hungry little girl, sitting at the ta-
BILE with her rag doll. The presence
Of the scout in the loft 10 discovered
by accident, and he Is in peril of be-
ing shot, but the little girl pleads for
his life SO effectively and the plight
of the father Is SO pitiful. that the
commanding officer OF the squad that
has taken him permits him to escape.
There Is a sktrmish later in the day,
however, and both captor and captive
are betrayed A court martial orders
that Morrison Is to be hanged as q
traitor, and Cary shot as q spy. The
'Littlest Rebel" again comes to the
rescue, and her words so move Gen.
eral Grant that even the heart of that
great "war machine" Is softened, and
both men are released.
Third Act Has
Realistic Battle.
In the play. which Is supposed to
have transpired during the spring Of
1854. at or near the home Of Herbert
Cary, a few miles below Richmond.
there are four acts. Act three is a
realistic reproduction Of an encounter
between the Northern and the South