New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-16

Marion Morgan
By Ralph Block

As a mystery 1.-THE Barton Mystery"
which was started on its career Satur-
day night at the Comedy Theatre, has
everything in its favor. The style Of
its construction guarantees that any
ono with the hardihood to sit through
the several curtains will be as much
in the dark as to what il is all about
as he was when he took his seat. The
nearest | can come TO characterlzng
tie entertainment Mr.. A. +. Arson pro
vdes. with no lack Of ingenuity, at the
Comedy, is 70 say that Sherlock Holmes
and Palladno doing the second act of
Or. Jekyl and Mr.. Hyde" and the
third act of 1.-THE Thirteenth Chair" at
the Palace would be almost like it.
The play is doubtless intended to
solve the question of who killed man
named Barton previous to the first act,
but so far as the audience is concerned
the chief mystery appears to be wheth-
er the author meant to write another
yogi melodrama or whether he was
presenting a comic view of astral and
psychic hocuS pocus. The matter OF
who killed Barton is solved without
difficulty some time before IL o'clock,
but for myself at least | confess the
other matter is still dark secret.
Barton, it appears, was visited by
man named Maitland before he died,
and Maitland was promptly clapped
into prison, "a the saying goes, for the
death. Richard Standish, X. c., in
whose house in Grosvenor Square the
several scenes transpire, is much put
out over the affair, because, as 1t hap
pened, his wife's sister was going to
marry Maitland. Into this scene comes
Beverley, the gentleman OF astral af-
fictions. Beverley convinces even his
skeptics, by much visible taking, that
he has powers, and finally in a scene
that much resembles the exposure
settings Of THE Thirteenth Chair"
forces Maitland's fancee to confess
that it was she who did 1t.
Several other circumstances that have
nothing to do with the play take up
good deal OF time. One of these is a
dream, enacted on the stage. in which
Standish throttles his wife under the
impression that she IS trying to shield
Maitland as her lover II is by no
means a pretty scene, and only sue
ceeds in so completely losing the thread
Of the narrative that no audience can
be blamed for giving up in despair and
letting the play 90 wherever II pleases.
The other extraneous episode is an
epilogue, an attempt by the author to
piece out the two hours and a
half OF playing time, after the mystery
of Barton's death has been solved, by a
second gamut OF suspense over the
~ 1ost la
young woman of. The court does. with
the aid of Beverley, who fakes papers
20 bring the chief witness Of the of
epilogue might do for vaudeville. But
TO bury its attention a second time in
an evening In brand new situation is
too much 10 ask of any audience.
Several bits Of acting do much tow
ard redeeming the piece. Offset. how
ever, By several bits of bad acting.
Mr. Arson, in Henry Irving
makeup. plays capital Beverley,
although afflicted as much as is
the audience by the authors unwill-
ingness TO disclose whether Beverley
is meant to be a charlatan or an actual
purveyor of clairvoyant powers. The
scene in which he converts Sir Ever
hard Marshall 20 belief by telling him
the circumstances connected with sew
eral personal belongings. with Lady
Marshall signalling the history with
semaphoric hands in the background,
is lots of fun, however old bit Of
comic juggling it may be. &. W. An.
son. the father in real life of the chief
protagonist. gives flavor 10 Sir Ever
hard, although the needed tempo Of
the piece does not warrant his some
times too many hesitations. The sew
eral ladies Of the cast spoil their char
acterizations by an overabundance Of
screaming and OF grimace.