The Washington herald., 1914-11-10

under the aIluring title, The Conspi-
racy," by Robert Baker and John Emer-
SON. The substratum of the action Is
white slave deviltry carried on by q gang
of Italians known as the Scarlet Band.
Victor Holt has come from Maine to New
York. where he has risen to the high
post Of district attorney. His sister, Mar
garet. follows him. At the station, where
he Is TO meet her. but falls to do so, she
Is accosted by a woman who tells her
that her brother was unable to come, and
has sent the woman to bring her &c him.
Unsuspecting, the young girl falls into
the trap OF the emissary Of the Scarlet
Band; is brought to a house OF ill-faTne
and kept a prisoner there for three
weeks, being rescued from the den by a
fireman during a conflagration. Marga-
ret and her brother bend all their in
genuity and energies to break up the
gang. Margaret answers an advertise
ment from the leader of the gang for a
steEographer. While in his employ she
succeeds in getting from a hiding place
under the carpet a list OF the members
of the gang. She Is discovered in the
act by the leader, who threatens her with
death, but she seizes the dagger and
kills him.
She hastens to a restaurant to meet
her brother and arrives just in time to
see him in a struggle with three mem
hers of thu gang who push him into a
taxicab ana hurry him away. Frantic
with fear of arrest she takes shelter
In a place called The Refuge and there
meets a young reporter, Jack Howell.
who traps her into a confession. but
promises her his assistance. To the
Refuge comes Winthrop Clavering. a
writor of detective stories. in search
OF a stenoErapher. He engages Mar
garet. In his home he constructs the
story OF the crime which she has COM
mitted end in the course OF his dicta-
tion TO her there comes to him the
conviction Inat she is the criminal. He
forces the confession from her lips,
but his threat to deliver her up to the
police Is changed by her suggestion
that he close his story by causing the
arrest of the gang and thus add to his
fame both as a superior Sherlock
Holmes and as a writer Of fiction. The
gang Is lured to his study and there
captured. and the curtain falls upon
brief love scene between Margaret
and Jack.
Jane Morgan's acting as Margaret is
OF the excellent quality which has
characterized all her impersonations
since she Joined the Poll Players. The
role Is one Of sustained emotion and
calls for the finest discretion in the
portrayal OF the exciting experiences
through which the heroine passes. In
every scene Miss Morgan struck Just
the right keynote, and her performance
was fiawless from beginning to end.
Carl BrIckert did unquestionably the
best work he has done so far in the
very difficult role OF Clavering. His
makeup was grotesquely perfect and
his impersonation of the eccentric but
shrewd old writer is q really fine piece
Of character study. Russell Fillmore
is as debonnair a news gatherer and
as loveable a lover as any maiden In
distress might wish to come to her
rescue. Ada Sherman is capable as
Martha, Claverings colored maid of
all work, and Louise Kent, is, as usual,
effective in the part of Juanita Perez,
one of the gang, while Marie Carroll
is eminently satisfactory as Rose
Towne, the clerk at the Refuge. The
very large number OF minor roles are
efficiently taken care of.