Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-02-24
JUDICIAL @0RRUPT0Nb MUSICAL @0MEOY EYPN0TEsNs
THE LAST RESORT" RECEIVED
WITH PLAUDlTS AT SHUBERT'S

broken INTO the conference room th3
night previous for the purpose Of con-
cealing herself IL the telephons
booth. On this admission Osborns
orders Justices Haskell and Alexsn-
der to order the girl under arrest %
q charge Of burglary, and this II
done
The third act. Two months later.
shows Hollis cell ii the jail. whefs
he is serving mis- sentence for con-
tempt. Popular clannor over his Ina
prisonmeBt has made him eandi-
date for governor and il is election
night.
Returns flashed through the eel
window onto the wall Of the cell show
that Holt has been elected. On thai
same day the trial of NJ Ellison
for burglary has taken place and shs
is found guilty by the jury packed
by Osbornes efforts. Osborne comes
to Hits cell to make a deal with him
whereby II he viii refuse TO accept
the election as governor Osborne viii
obtain the immediate relief Of tbs
g-rl.
Hollis love impels him to accept
This proposition, but the r enters
and refuses TO allow hira to sacrifice
himself to save her. The chief Just &c
then appears ana tells the girl thaz
he viii not allow her to be railroaded
TO prison. but viii order a stay o.
sentence. At the same time he uses
his right as chief justice to ordee
Osborne under arrest on a Charge Of
bribery.
The curtain falls with the chief jls-
lice wishing Hot and Miss Ellison
the best Of luck in their engagement
which ic IN ne ft5rfal ~ r~ie 81
at once.
The first two acts Of THE Last
Resort, are about as well written a.
The Lure. but the last act falls
far below the Scarborough average
IL Is tee long. too tallsy and lacks
action.
The bulk of the action Of the play
really deVOlves on ha1f a dozen char
aeters, although there are sixteen per-
sons in the cast. George Fawcett as
Osborne, made the poiitician-corporas
tion lawyer a character SO true -
life that it was herd at times to be-
l-eye II was only portrayal on the
stage. Wilson Melrose as Sheridan
Holt made manly figure at all TIMES
and used p splendid speaking voice -
good advantage.
Miss Frances Ring as Frances Eli
son, the newspaper woman. was e oa
n that caarag ter. but when sic de-
veloped into the sweetheart OF hols
she was rather weak in the scenes
where strong emot.o al work was
called for. This little trib-te must
te pad to Miss Ring. She is the first
person I have ever seen playing 3
newspaper woman. or man either for
that matter, who did not appear on
the stage with a huge sheaf &C copy
paper in one hand and q bundle OF
/ lead pencils in the other. II is only
the stage newspaper people and tbs
cubs in real life that carry the cepy
paper and pencil. Notice the nexs
newspaper man you Come across and
see if this is not true.
Mark Price. as Chief Justice Macon.
B. r. Graham as Justice Haskell and
George BaclSus as Justice Alexan err
| the three constituting the appel ats
division CT the Supreme Court. afford-
ed a splendid contrast between he
honest and crooked iu5 ges. The CHEZ
Justice stern and unyieiding in his
honesty was powerless be ore til<s
I crookedness Of his two fzliow JUS
ices
re auiet manner IN which hs
brought out his points and his per-
So 10 Until At the end he had n
! masked the croc led work of these
around him reminded LAWYERS and
i newspaper men present asst rtghz
: very much of another chief st e.
+ well known locally.
F The scene between Alexander anc
/ Haskell when they openly discuss the
1 crookedness Of the bench IS rather
start ing revelation Of til ngs behind
I the scenes in judicial life.
/ In The Last Resort MIR Scarbor-
ough has written something that IL
the view Of the writer will make g,
+ profound impression on those wap
2, witness it in New York City. It n
obvious that that city was in the
mind OF the author when ne wrote his
! scathing denunciation of the 5udicl-
airy.
II is almost certain thai great pres
sure viii be brought to bear to kin
off the show in New York. This pres
sure win be from political and ofii ia2
4 sources and It can safely he stated
that these influences can exert scmo
power in New York when it is SO
desired. DUKE WELLINGTON.