The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-10-20
MANAGER OF B|JOU IS
PLACED UNDER ARREST
Chief of Police Charges Production
OF immoral Performance ut
Burlesquc House.
HAD Nor BEEN IssrsiNso5iREDo,
Manager Briggs, After Securing Bail,
Says He Had Not.Seen Slow Be
fore and Did Not Know of Objec-
tfonabIe Features.

Manager Charles Briggs, OF the Bijou
Theatre, was arrested last night Just
after the close of the night perform
production Of an improper play: at The
BiJou. The variant was sworn out by
Chief of Police Werner after witness
Ing the nights burlesQue performances
The warrant charges Briggs with pro
curing certain persons to produce and
exhibit q certain play called The Mis-
chief Makers before and in the pres
ence of divers persons and in which
play there were certain actions. words
and Indecent suggestions manifestly
| tending -to corrupt the morals OF all
who heard or witnessed the same" Cap
tain r. L. Sowell. of the First Precinct
Station, served the warrant on Briggs
and brought the theatre manager to
Police Headquarters, Briggs was bailcd
in the sum of $500 for his appearance
before Justice Griggs in the Police
Court this morning, bond being given
by j. B. Pace. Jr
WERNER SAYS WAS THE
MOST VULGAR HE EVER SAW
The arrest was not made until after
the opening performance of the weeks
engagement had been complcted
Major Werner said that the show was
the most vulgar which he had ever wit
messed. and Captain Sowell Was OF
the same opinion. Manager Briggs toll!
the police that he had received no ad-
vance notices us to the performance
and that he did not know the kind OF
performances which was scheduled to
take place. He said that he saw the
Objectionable features and had already
made notes, previous to his arrest, as
TO certain of the acts which would
have to be eliminated before n second
performance could be given
t.rn. Il las ,fr<I,
have been but few times this season
that the Bijou has been so packed rs
1t was last night. The billing OF f"rhe
Mischief Makers" on the billboards seat
tered throughout the city was suf-
iicient to bring out nearly 1900 men
and they packed the house to the
very aisles. According to the police,
there were not more than n score OF
women present.
Several of the acts exceeded any
thing OF the kind which has ever been
witnessed in Richmond, it was said,s and
but for the homo that 1t would improve
the show would have been stoppet be-
fore 1T was completed. However, i'm
stead OF improving. the performance
went from the naughty to the decit-
edly vulgar, according to tho police, and
the grand climax came in the last act
This accounted for the performance be-
ing completed before the police Inter-
fered.
WILL BE SEVERELY
PRUNI1D THIS AFTERNOON
There will be no second repetition OF
Tho Mischief Makers" show as 1t was
produced last night. The manager OF
tho company will cut and prune along
the lines directed by House Manager
Briggs, and the performance this after
neon will become the usual kind of mu
sical comedy which has been book ed
into.the house during the earlier weeks
OF the season.
Major Werner was emphatic In his
sdenunciations of the performance as it
was given last night.
IT was the most vulgar performance
which have ever seen,"tho chief said
and regret, that>we allowed its COM
pletion. 1t was only In the hope that
there would be grcdeeming features to-
ward the close and that tho objection
able features Of the earlies portion OF
the performance could be. eliminated at
fter. the initial show. But the longer we
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