Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-11-12

alongside the walls. Chinese pro-
prietor and assistants grunting assent
and complaint, peering cautiously
through the peephole In the double
door and bullying their compatriots
smoking in another. compartment.
Hop pipes passed about. Women
rave In their delrium. to be hushed
up by their neighbors. Thieves. young
and old, plan their labors uptown.
One unident fed young man suspect
ed by the regulars.
Enter two well-known crooks want
ed for forgery on a bank In Bronx
vile. Older man sends word to his
daughter that he is safe. She comes
to him and her lover. who is the other
forger, well-known Western crook.
TIL eYes' talk from all hands. Every
second word seems to be guy"
Forgers are taken by the police who
raid the place.
RefOrmer Is Discovered.
Then it appears that the young man
under suspicion Is an assistant dis
trlct attorney. More surprise on the
part of the actors than the audience,
who seemed prepared for his pres
ence. Says he is studying the real
way of reforming criminals and is
there to help anybody who needs 1t.
Promises to help forger's daughter
free her parent II he Is really inro-
cent. She says he Is and the curtain
falls.
Act II.-Scene in the district attor-
ney's office-Trial of two forgers has
been hurried forward as the bank
complains. District attorney and his
assistants are looking for evidence.
They want to prove that the Western
forger was associated with the other
man. Interview one of the habitues
of the opium den. He refuses to
peach, although they have skeleton
he Is supposed to have left behind
him after a Harlem robbery.
Fletcherizes Paper.
Old crook, who appeared In the first
act and is friend of all implicated,
Is brought In. The daughter of the
forger arrives and the two conspire
comfortably for few minutes, while
all the staff retires to leave them
alone. Old man puts on a pair of
spectacles and says he is blind. but
will identify anybody the Office wants
him to. Girl decides to steal check
out of the tin .ox, put 1t into an open
safe. by means of the skeleton key.
Persuades youthful assistant dis
trict attorney to allow her to do 1t.
Puts Il into her mouth and Fletcher
ICES the paper SO carefully that the
audience laughed outright. But 1t
was sorry for Ter when she came in
with her clothing disarranged and,
overwhelmed with grief and mortifi-
cation, declared that the police officer
had compelled her to strip herself in
his presence with no matrOn near her.
She goes to the house of detention.
Youthful assistant suspected, and
it Is decided to release the girl at
night and follow him to see IL he goes
to her house. All during the act he
talks eloquently about the real way
of reforming the criminal classes, and
at every opportunity certificates on
the subject, neglecting no familiar
argument against prevailing condi-
tions. He was a very serious young
man.
Act III.-Home of the girl in tene-
ment. Father and her lover out on
bail. She decides to marry him that
night and run away Father at first
objects, but later consents While
she packs her bags, youthful district
attorney turns UP. She tells him her
plans, says she never meant to return
the check when she took Ii and shows
her real character. He Is disappoint-
ed. A word from her to the effect
that all crooks think they are doing
right when they commit a crime they
want to sets the reformer off on a
trail blazed some two years ago by
another dramatist. 1t all depends
on how you think.
Melted Heart of Gunman.
CAS- a man. etc, etc." is his slogan
from that moment. He heard II late,
but he manipulated that theory with
such effect that in the ten minutes
before the curtain fell he had melted
the heart of the Western gunnan,
who was jealous, and on the point of
shooting him up, made the heroine
weep a great deal and promise never
to marry unless her lover reformed
for good--he had voluntarily surren-
dered himself under the CAS- q man,
etc.. etc." argument to twelve years
mprisonment--mov all the crooks
to repentance and then given himself
up for his assistance to the heroine
In Fletcherizing the check
1t was powerful doctrine and it
impaired to the closing minutes of
an altogether shameless crook play
the moist piety of an experience meet
ing in a Salvation Army barrac''s.
All these characteristics are bound
to work for the popularity of this
melodrama which Mr. Belasco has so
adroitly visualized for the spectators.
The first act was a marvel of nysteif.
Gus and portentous play of light and
darkness, the tenement rooms In the
last act an equally veracious realiza-
ton of altogether commonplace pic
lures. The playing throughout served
to throw every strength of the piece
into relief and hide the Weakness of
the least probable scenes.