New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-16
MISS WARD SEEN
AS SCREEN WITCH
June Caprice a Boy in
"The Ragged Princess"
at the Academy

lSCnCraIL Nbs cnoNn ~ NV
Strand Yesterday, with Fannie Ward in
IN. role Of Suzette. a Huguenot refu'
zee.
Miss Ward has plenty OF witchery
bu. not the sort for which she IS &C
cused and sentenced 70 be hanged. The
little actress plays her part charming
". and while il does not make any
great demands -. is more than ade-
/ ouate.
Jack Dean. as the handsome hero
falls far short, at least in appearance
One is most forcibly impressed with
/ the fact that the costumes Of 1892
were not designed with a view TO bring
/ ing out the good points OF the genus
homo. Turnover lace collars and
/ knickerbocker suits served only 70 &C
centuate the fact that the men Of that
period had prominent Adams apples
and were deGcient in calf.
! Mr.. Dean. as Richard Wayne. was
supposed to present striking ..e cor.
trast TO the ugly old Makepeace
+ Struble. the town usurer, who was also
his guardian. As a matter OF fact,
Struble was rather a fascinating old
devil. who proved that he had a heart
when he fell in love with Suzette and
won her away from his foster son.
Suzette marries him 70 save herself
and her mother from becoming the VIC
Tins of the town mob. who accuse them
of withcraft because they speak
French. but in that unaccountable way
so prevalent in the movies, Suzette
loves Wayne. She gets herself into all
sorts of trouble with a wishing chain
riven her by the old Sduaw Nokomls
but she is saved at the gallows By her
lover. who brings a proclamation from
tie Governor.
iourns 20 the meeting house, and
listens while the minister reads the
Scriptures to them and Suzette snc
Richard plight their troth in the usua
fadeaway fashion.
What is so rare as n June Caprice
il the obvious question which presents
Itself 70 ones mind after viewing the
little star in THE Ragged Princess al
the Academy. Miss Caprice Is remark
adv like Blanche Sweet. only more so
and she is admirably suited 10 the part
OF Betty Jones, a drudge IN an or
/ phanage, who looked after the other
children and taught them the creed o.
/ Pollyanna. ,:.,.
lane Lee. one Of the cleverest children
an the screen. She portrays the incor'
a.
nonchalance which, one prays, Will no.
depart from her when she grows uF
| into a movie star.
Miss Caprice seeks 70 hide her beauty
in overalls and a farmers hat, but, as
she wears flowing ringlets, she decelye'
no one for any length OF time. she
hires out as a farmland, and has some
amusing experiences. She IS invited
70 play poker and go in swimming py
the other farmhands, but something al
WAYS intervenes 70 save her the EN-,
bsrrassment of an explanation. II
, BETTY only had had the manhood TO cut
of her hair. all would have been well
but one day she let 10 trail at an mop,
perfume moment, and the grouchy Ole
farmer decided to send her back to tn'
when Betty learns this she runs
away again, leaving behind her true
heart beating beneath torn coat A
: OF natures gentlemen wear ragged
coats in the movies: the villains wear
dress suits; so Betty should have
/ known when she was sccosted by ken,
ard Neill that ne was far too WEI
/ dressed 70 be honest. she had no lore
bodings, however, and calmly accepted
/ Russian sables and Paquln gowns from
! him, and then slapped him IN the lace
| when he attempted 70 kiss her.
Her eyes are opened, however oy her
farmer boy, who follows her to town.
He believes in her, even though appear
ances are against her, and he hnally
nersp,de. her TO leave her bene-
factors house, don her overalls and &C
company MIN over the horizon.
Miss Caprice was advertised 20 ap-
PEAR in person, but she was too shy, or
perhaps too capricious, 20 60 up on the
stage. 90 she stood up in the box,
stretched out her hands and said: II
wish could take you all in my arms.
The applause was so thunderous that
II looked for moment as though the
operation was about 10 be performed
inyersely.
Surely. Herbert Standing Alfred
Vosburgh. Helen Eddy and Jack Law
Ton are very stupid people or Vivian
Martin never could have fooled them as
she did yesterday IN Her FATHERS
Son" at the Broadway.
Could any one possibly take MISS
Martin for a boy? The answer IL, no;
and yet she managed TO deceive all
those clever people till the final close
I'd. Miss Martin is beautiful as man
even more beautiful than Francis \.
Bushman-a and, by the way, her name
in the play is Frances; but surely even
simple-minded people like her uncle
and her cousin would suspect some
thing when she cane IN carrying a
birdcage and accompanied BY colored
nanny.
Lieutenant Richard Hardness, a
guest in her uncle's house, makes yio-
lent love TO Frances every time he sees
her in her cousins clothes, and then
ten minutes later he fails 70 recognize
her because ~ has put on an Eton
suit and tucked up her curls.
The story, if improbable, IS vastly in
teresting and proves that Miss Martin
is a wonderful horsewomsn. She joins
the army, carries messages through the
enemy's lines, Is captured, and finally
fights a duel before IL is discovered
that she is only a woman.
When Lieutenant Hardness ex-
claimed, "How blind I have been!' he
had the hearty Endorsement OF every