The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1921-05-27
"The Clever Crook" Warrants
Its Name, According to
Advance Synopsis
PLAY TO BE GIVEN AT
GRAND THEATRE JUNE 2
Cast Practices Regularly and
Success of Production Is
Now a Certainty

A clever farce comedy Is assured
when the senior class of the Bemidji
high school presents its class play at
the GranA theatar, afternoon and
evening. on Thursday, June 2, under
the direction of Miss Esther Young,
instructor of English. The cast Is
putting in hours Of practice every
day and the success of the lproduc-
tion is now assured. The title OF the
play Is 1.-THE Clever Crook" and tudg-
ing from the synopsis which follows.
the name was well selected.
ION the eve of the wedding of an
absent-minded mans daughter to
youth who Is troubled with fits Of
kleptomania, a new lady's maid Is in
trOduced into the house. The best
man knows the groom is subject to
taking things that do not belong to
him, unconsciously. The wife knows
her husband has the same fault, and
both are trying to keep the secret" a
secret. To add to the excitement. the
lady's maid happens to be advance
agent for thief, the man she is to
marry. He arrives after she has look
ed over the place, and together they
lay ingenious plans for relieving the
house of heavy burdens of wedding
presents.
"Doogan finds it easy going. The
young kleptomaniac believes Doogan
to be the detective he has sent for,
and accuses him of having removed
the valuables that are already begin
ming to disappear. The absert-mind-
ed parent hands Doogan his money
and asks him to keep it for him. The
other members of the family hasten
to conflde to him the whereabouts OF
their valuables. Just as the two
| thieves have gotten about everything
there is in the house in the way OF
valuables and are ready to make
their escape, there enters an earnest
capitalist, who demands certain
stocks which he has given to the ABB
sent-minded parent as collateral for
a loan he is now ready to pay. The
stocks can't be found. The capital
lists money disappears and threaten
ing punishment for everybody, he
goes, but in search OF a warrant. The
officer enter with the warrant, and
the warrant is stolen and carefully
deposited in the absent-minded ones
pocket.
'"Then follows the most exciting
and laughable scene in the play. In
which the officer. waiting for anoth-
er. warrant to appear, holds the whole
household in durance while the
thieves are trying to escape. The
kleptomanlac is trying to evade the
consequences of his innocent repre-
dations, and the wife is trying to
find out what the absent minded one
has concealed about his person. The
money is eventually found In the
possession of the minister; the
thieves hold up the whole party at
the point of the pistol and, to con-
clude, the absent-minded parent re-
etners with all the booty, which he.
single handed, has recovered
The cast of characters Is as fol-
lows: "Joan Carr" Elsie Shannon;
miss Alice Carr" Dorothy Wilson;
"Mrs. Carr" Bessie Knox; caroline
Carr" Thelma Bowers; >"Madge
Carr" Ruby Lect; "Nell, the maid,"'
Grace mclaughlin; News Reporter"
Ragnhild Moe; "Mrs. Jamison, deal
er in stocks and bonds" Lorraine
Kreatz; civilian Carr" Tom Simons;
flames Quincy" Robert Naylor; DIR.
Willoughby," Preston Gibson; "Rev.
Mr.. Spelvin," Arthur Olson; "Jack
Dugan, the clever crook" Phil Denu;
"Joe Thompson. plain clothes detec-
tive" John Koors; Sergeant OF Po-
lice" Hovey Lord; "Police Officer
O'Malley," Row Stapleton; CLANCY"
Morris Opsahl;, 'O'Brien," Rupert
Stechman; "Casey," Walter Higbe,
and "Chauffeur," Rupert Stechman.
The play is under the direction OF
Miss Esther Young, instructor in
English in the high school, and from
present Indications this play will be
one of the best ever staged here by a
graduating class.