THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
and attempted to enter a window on the second floor. The window was closed, and as he was trying to open it he lost his hold and fell to the ground, a distance of 35 feet, carrying the sunshade with him.
[March 24, 1902.
of the Company individually acquitted them. selves in a manner worthy of the excellence of the subject which they had in hand and gained from their auditors well merited approval, The plot and general scheme of The Geisha are too familiar to all theatre lovers
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revolver was in working order. No cause has as yet been learnt that could have prompted the deceased to take such an extreme step.
From enquiries we learn that the deceased was playing billiards in Thomas's Grill doms till about ten o'clock. Ho complained to his friends of feeling "queer," and added that "it did not matter he was going to end it all." THE DALLAS COMPANY AT THE necessitate recapitulation here. It says much
Mr. Weiker then pulled a revolver out of his jacket-pocket and showed it to those with him, remarking that it was loaded. After bidding good-bye to all be left the hotel, and at this point one cannot help remarking the extreme thoughtessness of the unfortunate man's companions, for apparently they allowed him to depart without an effort to turn him from his purpose, without, indeed, doing anything to avert the tragedy which follow ed so quickly. Reaching Pelham House, Mr. Weiker saw his landlady, Mrs. Moore, and bade her also good-bye, after which he went upstairs to see another of his friends. On coming downstaira Mr. Weiker again spoke to Mrs. Moore, who drew his attention to the fact that he was hatless. He replied that he did not want his hat, as he was going only a little way. Mrs. Moore, to whom the deceased gave not the slightest indication of what was in his mind, then tried to persuade him to stay in the house and go to bed, but her efforts were useless. Mr. Weiker went outside, and a few moments after the report of the revolver roused the inmates, who, on running out to the street, found Mr. Weiker as already described. The deceased was a quiet, gentlemanly young fellow, temperate in his habits and with apparently nothing to trouble him. The sad tragedy has naturally pained his friends very much.
Mr. Weiker arrived in the Colony from Germany about six months ago, and was em ployed in the superintendent's office of the Nordduetscher-Lloyd. He was much appre- ciated by his employers, to whom the news of his sad end came with a shock. They say that he did his work well, was liked by everyone, and had no debts. The funeral took place at Happy Valley on the 21st inst., and was well attended.
DEATH OF A BLUEJACKET IN
POTTINGER STREET.
Another sad fatality, the second within a fortnight resulting in the death of a British bluejacket, was reported by the police on the 14th inst. The circumstances are these:-On the 13th inst. one or two sailors from H.M.SS. Ocean and Rambler arrived at the
Criterion Hotel, a drinking saloon situated at the lower end of Pottinger Street, The hour was late, and according to the statement of the land. lady the men had no drink, but asked to be accommodated with beds. Two bluejackets, one of them the deceased, were shown into a back room, where no less than fourteen cot-beds, packed closely and ranged so as to utilise every available inch of space, were placed. The deceased, who was an able seaman on the Rambler named William Blair, lay down for a time and them got up. "I'm only going outside." he told his comrade, who shortly afterwards heard a scrambling noise and then a heavy fall. On running out, he found Blair, quite insensible and bleeding freely from a wound in the head lying underneath a zinc sunshade which had been torn from its place over a window on the ground floor of a small courtyard attached to the saloon and used for toilet purposes. Blair never regained consciousness, and died in a few minutes from a fractured skull. It is con- jectured that he was attempting to gain access to the window on the first floor by climbing on top of the sunshade, which collapsed beneath his weight and precipated Blair to the ground. The distance was only a matter of ten or twelve feet, but the deceased's injuries showed that he must have alighted on his head. The police were communicated with and the body was re- moved to the public mortuary, where the cause of death was certified. Blair, who was aged 24 years and a native of England, was buried in Happy Valley on the 13th inst. with the customary naval honours.
Later details show that the first belief as to how Blair met his death is incorrect. It now appears that he climbed a bamboo scaffolding
THEATRE.
17
#D
The term "crowded is superfiuons in de scribing a Dallas audience, especially_on opening night, Every seat in the Theatre Royal was occupied on the 17 h inst.; as amitter of fact, they were taken days before the com- pany arrived in the Colony. The piece staged was The Toreador, a musical comedy that has been received with enthusiasm in those places in the rient already visited by this talented con binatian; its production the 17th inst. was equally successful. The scenery was charming, and the general effect was enhanced by the excellence that marked the rendering of the piece, While a fuller account is made impossible owing to the absence of programmes, it may be said that each one in the cast acquitted himself and herself with the greatest credit, and as natural sequence the audience was appreciative and encores were frequent.
If the Dallas Musical and Dramatic Com- pany made. what appeared to some to be rather a tame beginning on the first night of their season at the Theatre Royal, no such remark can be applied to their second performance, which they gave on the 18th inst, before a house filled almost to the doors. The piece presented was H.M.S. Irresponsible, a rollicking, tuneful comedy that has gained great praise in England. Its presentment on this occasion was successful in every way: the plot was well developed, the musical numbers were rendered with excellent effect, and the dresses and the setting were tasteful and pretty, as is always the case in a Dallas production. The plot is whimsically humorous. Act I opens in the Island of Samnos, on which 8 party of English tourists have been cast away, among them being Captain Chepstowe, who is on his way to join his command; H.M.S. Irresponsible, He has in his possession a large sum of money belonging to the Government, and as the island is infested with a band of the brigands, he to save this changes places with his valet, Jim Slingsby. Latterly the stranded tourists are rescued from their troubles by a party of blue- jackets from the Irresponsible, who have heard of the wreck, Unfortunately for the real Captain Chepstowe, the brigands retain him as 8 hostage, while Jim Slingsby goes on board and finds himself in command. Act II is laid on the deck of the Irresponsible. As one may imagine, couplications of the most langhter-provoking kind ensue as the result of Slingsby's persona- tion of the captain Matters assume such a shape in the end that be jumps overboard to escape detection. In Act III, which is laid in a village in Turkey, all the characters meet in customary, irresponsible comic-opera fashion, Slingsby, having been' picked up by a vessel, appearing in the role of waiter at the principal botel, and the real Captain Chepstowe in his true colours. Slingsby is rewarded, as all good heroes should be, with the hand of an heiress; the others of the dramatis persona get their deserts likewise. In the hands of Mr. Henry Dallas, the part of Jim Slingsby was excellently done. His songs were well sung, and bis acting was irresistibly comic. In the character of Captain Chepstowe, Mr. P. Knight shone to advantage as a comedian and won hearty ap- plause for his songs. Mrs. Dallas, who was warmly received, did cleverly all that was re- quired of her as Victoria Chaffers; and Miss Marie Arnold enacted very sweetly the part of Olive Chepstowe. Though the caste is too long to permit us to go into details, we must not omit to mention the highly successful appear- ance made by Mr. Harold Godwin as Lieut. Anderson, nor the graceful and pretty dancing of Miss Cissy Fitzgerald. The Bob Chaffers of Mr. D. Munro was also clever and well worthy of remark.
On the 20th inst. at the Theatre Royal the Dallas Company produced The Geisha in presence of an audience that completely filled the house, and the piece got a reception which showed that this old favourite has still ' potent powers of attraction, while the members
to
for its writer and composer that it retains in the degree it does the power to attract and amuse. Last evening, its representation went along as smoothly as could be desired. Miss Nellie Curtis sang sweetly and acted prettily in the title-role and impelled ad- miration on all sides. Neither she nor Miss Eva Clark, who appeared in the part of Molly Seamore wih chai miog effect, has mach vocal robustness, but what they lacked in that direction they made up in others. Miss Curtis was very successful with her "The Amor- ous Goldfish,"" A. Geisha's Life" and also in the Kissing Duet" with Mr. Percival Knight. Miss Clark got encored for "Chon Kina” aud A Monkey on a Stick." Mr. Knight, by the way, was not by any means in good voice and his singing did not show to advantage, except in the Toy Daet" with Miss Clark, but he acted with his customary vigour. As Wun Hi, Mr. Henry Dallas created endless fua all the while he was on the stage, and Mr. D. Munro was convincingly good in the role of the Marquis Imari. Of the others characters
we cannot pass over the Lady Constance of Miss Bertha Hunter nor the Juliette of Miss Marie Arnold; and also there remains to be mentioned the graceful dancing of Miss Cissy Fitzgerald. The incidental music was unexceptionally well rendered and the dressing of the piece was both tasteful and effective.
A
CONCERT AT KOWLOON
INSTITUTE.
very enjoyable evening was spent on the 18th inst. when Mrs. Brand assisted by her friends supplied the details of the programme at the weekly concert which is held at the Kow- loon Institute. The hall was filled to its utmost capacity by an audience which showed by their loud and generous applause how well they appreciated the efforts which were being made
to entertain them.
The chair was taken shortly after 8 o'clock by the Rev. J. H. France, M.A. Mr. Northrop commenced the proceedings with The Diver," which was well received-as was also his rendering of the pretty Spanish ballad Juanita" in the second part of the programme. Mrs. McCubbin then sang the ever favourite "Loch Lomond" and the pretty Scotch song "Mary." Miss Bullen followed with two recitations, after which Mrs White- house contributed the "Gates of the West," and Mr Buckhan "The Holy City." Mr. and Mrs. Bullen, assisted by Messrs Makeham and Young, presented the humorous sketch "No Grumbling," which showed how easily grumbling could upset an otherwise happy family. After a short interval Miss Ramsey sang ia her usual effective style, to Mr. W. Brand's accompani ment, "Tit-for-Tat," and, in respouse to an encore, "Asthore." A pleasing variety was Mr. Chamberlain's exhibition of Indian club swinging of which art he is a master. Bullen gave an humourous recitation which evoked loud laughter and applause, and Mrs. Brand terminated the programme by her tasteful rendering of "Woman's Way." The accom- paniments were ably played by Mr. James 8. Macnab,
Mr.
The Tokyo correspondent of tho N.-C. Daily News wrote on the 10th inst.:-The Diet has had a peaceful close. Among seventy-nine Government Bills presented to the Lower House one alone was rejected, namely, the extraordinary appropriation for the Wakamatan Foundry. The notable features of the session have been the placablity of the Seiyukai and the bad relations between the two Houses.-The same correspondent says:-Three of the prin. cipal commercial and industrial associations of Tokyo have given a banquet to the British Legation and Consulates to emphasise the pacific character of the new alliance. All the Cabinet Ministers attanded, but there were no speeches.