The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-16

i happy. A new play by a new author was acted for the first time, and the audience was thrilled and entranced by the swiftly moving scenes of a drama that weaved back and forth with the realism and relentlessneso of life. The play was a melodrama entitled "On Trial" by Elmer l.. Rezenstein, and pre- sented by that famous firm of theatrical producers Cohan & Harris. Little had been heard of the author and the sur
 prise was complete when it proved to be the most original and best constructed play seen in years.
 In the originality and skill displayed in it's construction only George M. Co., hans Seven Keys to Baldpate" com pares with it in the recent annals of the stage.
 "On Trial tells the story of a crime. the compelling forces which shaped the ! loves of the principals and the trial which solves the mystery. It grips with the tenacity of well-spun detective yarn while the swiftness with which it moves and the manner of it's unfolding suggest the cinema.
 A cast of unusual excellence has been selected for the presentation of the play here at the Jefferson shortly. The play requires an acting company of over g peo- pie. The original cast and Chicago pro-
 duction intact will present "On Trial here.
 1 The attraction announced for the lief | ferson shortly is the all-star revival of | The Chocolate Soldier" This highly es- | teemed comic opera occupies prominent place in the hearts of music lovers and [ the forthcoming presentation will undoubt- 1 edly repeat the welcome accorded it's for mer appearances. The company this sea 1 son is said to be the best to which the fortunes of this favorite have ever been l l e. cd Inc 1a, al,., :l ] combine in a rare degree the qualities of
 vocal excellence and personal charm. ............................
 members of the family of Page had some | thing coming to them. There are doubt
 less thousands of American Pages, from | the ambassadors to England and Italy downward There is no evidence that I Walter Hines Page or Thomas Nelson IPage ever became imbued with the idea ] that they had a share in this estate but
 most of the other Pages in America, it
 seemed, did For the court here was shoWered with letters from across the water As a matter of fact, the Page estates were distributed years ago An 1 application to reopen the case was made 1 Tn 1912, but the judge declared it closed I forever That has not served to cut off
 the claims entirely, however and ire
 quently a letter on the subject is received l from America
 I Before the war the average number of
 ,etters year from America was around 1 oooo. Now there are even more Most
 come rom very poor people, as the char
 acter of the correspondence reveals.
 VERY PERSISTENT
 l some of the claimants are very per- l slstent. few years ago there was | one hhSllshman who believed that he
 was entitled to certain funds which ! were lying dormant" He made rep
 ehtatlons to his member of Parlia- | heht, asking assistance, but the M. P. l Knowing the futilty, declined to see I the claimant So the claimant deter Inlhed to force an interview and action
 He garbed himself with great pla- | cards. like sandwich man, With an
 inscription briefly outlining his case i and mentioning the name of the mem
 Der with whom he demanded an in | terVleW. Then he stood for day after l day outside the House of Commons and hnally he forced the member to
 take action As the member had fore | seen, however there was nothing in it. 1 Sometimes money is actually recoy-
 cred There are, of course, moneys ly- l ing dormant which really belong to
 someone and which are simply tied up | during litigation, which often stretches
 out for years These cannot possibly | belong to missing heirs. Often
 enough the sum is found to be very | small. A next of kin agent will seek l missing heirs" When he finds them i he will tell them at certain sum, ! probably the agent himself does not | know how much, is waiting only for the | legal claimant. The heir will natural 1 ly do all he can. and spend consid- l erable sums perhaps-he certainly will | if the agent can arrange it-and in l the end recover a few shillings, for in
 publishing the list of claims the court | sets forth all of them, from those of
 few cents, overlooked in some set Il dement's, to the rounder sums where I the heirs are actually missing. II There are some sums still in the
 possession of the government which
 have been there for centuries. but they i are all small and can never be recov- cred. There are other things besides l money. too, like pieces of plate. jew | elry and so on. There is another fund, l the suitors fund, it is called. consist l ing of money in litigation, which runs
 to enormous figures, but missing heirs | have no chance at this Ip the great ! number of years that the unclaimed
 millions" have been lying in the court
 the interest accumulation was great