Life — January 4, 1906 — page 27: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

circus tent! They won't believe it at first, and then they'll have a lot of fun with Sara and the Americans, And the it knows more Ways than one to beata woman, . . . SRS, KLAW AND ERLANGER M have won the first decision ina law- rust will gloat over the fact that -LIFE- suit in which they have been engaged with David Belasco and celebrated the fact in characteristic fashion, Mr, Mare Klaw made it the occasion for a newspaper parade of his exultation, in which he set himself up as a critic of District Attorney Jerome and a prophet of disaster for that official, Mean- while Mr, Jerome was quietly engaged in gathering the evidence in a conspir- r acy matter, which may result in some of the leading theatrical magnates jo Sing Sing prison, The Belasco de- ning the increasing proc sion to cision was in one of the lower courts, and as it involved some delicate points of law, it is quite possible that Mr, Klaw’s rejoicing may later on be turned to wailing and tearing of the beard and gnashing of the teeth. HE Trust was also yictorious in its contention that it might refuse to honor tickets which had been purchased from a ticket specu lator, after the purchaser had been warned that they would be refused at the door. It has widely spread the information that this decision of the Court of Appeals applied to the case cf Lire’s representative, who is re- fused admission to the Trust thea- tres because he has dared to print truths unpleasant to their mana- gers. This is to inform inquiring readers that the decision in the speculator case is rather in favor of Lire’s legal contention than against. The decision has no direct bearing, but, to use a bit of legal slang, it “squints” in the direction of a theatre ticket of being a license which the manager may revoke at his own whim or fancy. It indicates in a way, that when a manager sells a theatre ticket in the regular course, his mind and the purchaser's meet in a tacit contract that in consideration of the price the manager agrees that ae Peter Mend if the purchaser presents himself at the agreed time in presentable condi- tion, he shall have the privilege of witnessing what the manager has agreed to present, and that he may not be treated any differently from other persons with whom the mana- ger has made a similar contract. In the case of the speculator it was part of the contract, of which due notice had been given, that the ticket must not be sold to another person in a certain prohibited place, v#s., in front of the theatre, But this is getting into technical matters which may in- terest persons of the legal profession more than those of Lire’s readers, who have simply followed this jour- 27 WHAT IS THE NEWS, DEAR 2” “SWELL, WIFE, THEY'VE ROASTED YOUR FATHER PRETTY WELL. nal’s fight for its rights and incidentally for the rights of every theatre-goer in the United States, To these Lire is glad to give the as- surance, in denial of the Trust's widely published claim, that the recent decision of the Court of Appeals of New York has no especial bearing on the status of the LIFE case. But it has a bearing on the managers. The decision means that from this on, if specula~ tors do business in front of the doors of a theatre, it is because the managers want them there, Managers who are square with the public were in many instances able to keep the speculators away before the decision was made. Now if speculators do business in front of a theatre, it may be taken for granted that the manager ts in collusion with them in an effort to beat the patrons of his own theatre. A speculator in front means a crooked manager inside. N EW YORK'S big Hippodrome is about to hatch out a lot of little hippodromes in such outlying places as London and Chicago, Metcalfe. tn the Rear: MADAM, WOULD YOU KEEPING YOUR HEAD STILL? OCCAs SIONALLY I CATCH GLIMPSES OF THE STAGE WHICH DISTURB MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT. comicbooks.com