TESHOTITflIORLD
THE TWENTIETH CENTURY AMUSEMENT WEEKLY
Published, at 87 South Clark Street , Chicao, by THECSHOUT IIORLDPL~biunCo
Entered 's Second-Class Matter  WARRENA.PATR c/ r,  OEA M MERALDL-CToR  at the Post-Office at Chicag6,111inois,
- June 25,1907                                  under the Act of Congress ofMarch3.1879

Volume IV-No. 6

CHICAGO

January 30, 1909

JAKE WELLS RETIRES HIPPODROME DEAL
CREDITORS ANXIOUS AN ALLEGED FRAUD
Is no Longer Manager of the Leach Company and His Ex- Receivers of Big Cleveland Theater Charge McKisson and
fl      tensive Holdings are Changing Hands.   Other Stock  Holders With Collusion.

Richmond, Va., Jan. 28.
The big news and sensation of the hour
in the southern theatrical field is the re-
tirement of Jake Wells from the general
manager's offied of the Leath Theatrical
company, which controls all the first-class
theaters in Virginia and North Carolina,
and whese strategic advantage is such
that the Leath syndicate is enaled to
dominate the whole southern field.
The "insid story" of the withdrawal of
the Wells interests from  the Leath com-
pany is here told for the first time, few
persons outside of the directorate of the
company knowing the facts in the case.
The writer has it from the best authority
that in the latter part of last December
the directors made a formal demand for
the0 resizination of Mr. -Wells.  He was
2iren to understand that if esdid nottva-
sin he would be deposed. He resigned.
Ten years ago Jake Wells was the cap-
in of the Richmond baseball club. At
thittime vaudeville was practically un-
known in the sooth. TWith a few hundred
I, lars' capital Jake Wells launched in
is city the first 50-cent vaudeville house
irinia h d ever seen. He was a prime
ite with the newspaper men and they
I ce him every possible encouragement
1idassistanee. The new venture was at-
S*ded by surprising success from  the
iat. But after a few weeks the tide
ned and the expensive shows Mr. Wells
,ught to Richend soon exhausted his
ouimrces. Thbusiness was about to go
the wail when Charles I. M'Koo drifted
front Pennsylvania. He had faith in
future of vldeville here and supplied
Capital 0ecessarv to prolong the ex-
attent.  With  McKee's  money    and
ins" the ntrprise begun by \Vells was
itgain on a sound basis and the house
an1to mt ke money. Before the end of
' first season the theater was doing a
ineity biness at every performance.
1rin  t0h ensuning  two  seasons  the

Three Hundred Theatorium Own-
ers Pass Resolution But Adjourn
Under Gavil.
T  a meeting of the Moving Picture
IhIoter Protective Association, held at
ilermat iotte Chicago      Tues-
oly ver thrlee litnfItyd theater` owners
Ilyf ra nanimnous resolution not to ap-
Ilit for licen-,s of the Mtotion Picture
1ilktl Co., and then adjourned amidst
riens of dicorder, almost bordering
in0t when Da    Mulvey and George
Iis ntrted to speak in favor of the i-
tle Freciet
I icilIder acted as chairman; S.
sler seentarv  aid  D. L. Swartz,
insonr wrtei aWilson iand Harry
s  w     aere aPpointed sergeants at
Thercti1irtiar ealled the meeting
; ite  . it and stated that it had
Iedfe   be iipose of discussing
fr tetheMotion Picture Patents
11- eiaidti ,tter of the Patents Co.
-hi wereic-s ind to the exhibitors,
i  c Were ptined itt ftull in a recent
Tfr tTlsIil, ,,)1TtD, aridstaited:
'itelans thit IIt's ni-iitttto Compelcev-
ibc% t liT' in i-oxaltv on their own
nult aind I ai tines, which they have
n p   andty.d for, and which is their
in uroperot if those exhibitors desire
Mrket by the tt of films placed on the
orhobythe Potents Co. Any exhib-
il w  d     nt sin the agreement
ith PlaCed On the so-called black-
It th  whethor you think so or not
itthretent time. they w-ill control your
An thater, and, if they desire, run you
(Continued on Page 14)

vaudeville theater floated on the crest of
a wave of prosperity.
Then Wells entered the popular price
field, organizing a circuit now known as
the Wells Bijon circuit, with houses in
eleven Southern cities. This circuit has
proven a veritable gold mine.
But for the fact that Jake Wells, whose
activities in the amusement world have
won for him the soubriquet of the Na-
(Continued on Page 6)
WHITE RATS AFTER
FIVE MORE HOUSES.
Conferences in Chicago This Week While
Martin Beck is Active for United
in the West.
An important conference was held in
Chicago this week and while no definite
action was taken plans were formulated
which if they have a successful conclu-
sion will mean five more houses for the
White Rats in the west.
Fred Smutzer passed through the city
last Saturday. He only spent a    few
hours in Chicago and stated that he was
not here on business, but en route to
New York to join Mrs. Smutzer. It was
a coincidence that he had a confidential
talk with several of the parties who have
figured it the conferences this week.
The White Rats say D. J. Grauman,
who is to represent the order in San
Frncisco, has promised to secure several
theaters.
Two changes were made in the White
Rat bill which opened at Denver Monday
night, as it was learned that two of the
acts had played that city recently at op-
position houses.
MaLrtin Beck is hurrying through the
west and his trip is not made for the sole
tacino of seeing the countri.

INDEPENDENTS SECURE
FOOTHOLD IN FRISCO.
Secure Novelty Theater Which Will be a
Link in the Chain of Houses
in the West.
San Francisco, Cal., Jan. 23.
The Independents are to invade Frisco
and a vaudeville war on a small scale is
expected. The Novelty theater has been
securedby some one or other  hoseiden-
tity is not known aind improvements are
tGier way, after which it will open as the
Gatiety.
It is barely possible that musical com-
dy andovaudeville will be offered. If so
it is thought fte, White Rat acts which
appear at Denver and Salt Take will be
brought here. The new policy goes into
effect Sunday, Jan. 24.
Jeffiries Engaged.
Jtmes J. Jeffries, the retired heavy-
weight champion of the world, has signed
a contract with Messrs. Pincus and Har-
ris of thne Wigwatn theater for an ox-
tenided totir of fte. lIited States. Tine
Coast four will eornmence on Feb 8 at
Bakersfield and cover three weeks. It is
then the intention to go almost directly
to Texas and the South-from whence
Jeffries hails. Jeffries will be surrounded
by eight feature vaudeville acts entitled
All America's. Messrs Pincus and Harris
have placed   the entire booking   and
handling of Jeffries' tour in the hands of
that veteran manager, W. R. Dailey. It
was Dailey who brought Corbett before
the publie. TWILSON.
It is said here that Morris has ob-
tained Jeffries.

Cleveland, Jan. 25.
Charges of fraud and collusion are
made in a petition filed in common pleas
court Saturday by the Citizens' Savings
& Trust Company, receiver of the Cleve-
land Hippodrome Company, against Ex-
Mayor R. E. McKisson, Henry A. Everett,
John P. Cowing, Chas. R. Morley, W. H.
Ramsey, Fr.nk H. Townsend, Max Faet-
kenheuer, E. W. Moore and David Mori-
son, who are given as stockholders in the
Hippodrome Company.
The petition alleges that a scheme was
formed by issuing and receiving $1,000.-
000 worth of stock with the intent that
they could rely upon $4,000,000 capital for
payment of their claims.
The petition charges that Aug. 24, 1905,
the stockholders authorized "syndicate
agents''-Morison, Everett and McKisson
-to buy from the Hippodrome company
two lenses for the Cleveland Hippodrome
Company, one running 84tyears, from the
Merchants' Banking & Storage Company,
and the other running 99 years from the
itizens' Savings & Trust Company, and
to increase the common stock of the
Cleveland Hippodrome Companyf rom $500
to $1,000,000 to obtain the transfer of
these leases to the Cleveland Hippodrome
Company.
Under the agreement it is charged that
Morison and McKisson received the stock
and issued it to the perons named as de-
fendants.
The petition charges that these leases
were not worth $1,000.000; that the re-
ceiver does not know what they are
worth, and hence the receiver charges
that they are of no value at all.
The receiver charges that this stock
was isstted and purchased as fully paid
and non-assessable, but as a matter of
fact it was not fully paid up.
The receiver asks judgment against
Cowing, Everett, McKisson, Morison
Morley, Ramsey and Townsend for $50.-
000 each. and against Fltkeueuteer and
WAGE SCALE

CIRCUS

O'HARA CROWDED OUT
OF GREAT NORTHERN.
Blaney Wanted Him to Appear at the
Academy, But the Star of Dion
O'Dare Refused.
Minneapolis, Minn., Jan. 27.
Fiske O'Hara, who has been appearing
in Dion O'Dare under the management of
Charles E. Blaney, has closed his season
because he was crowded out of the Great
Northern theater in Chicago by Williams
&W Walker. The star is said to have had
an understanding with Mr. Blaney that
he was to appear only in the better class
of houses. Mr. Blaney is understood to
have accepted a week at the Academy for
O'Hara in lieu of the Great Northern,
where the colored comedians are pros-
poring.
OTarai nake a kick last week by tele-
grpli but Blaney is said to have wired to
ile company manager to end the season.
Matnger Ike Speers negotiated with 0'-
Snim for this week at thne Miles theater
hut at lawyer was consulted whno ado'ised
OHara toabe careful as his ontract with
Bltaney had seven moreooweeks to run.
Manager Al McLean stated to THE
SHOW    WORD    correspondent that 0'-
Hara   would not enter vaudeville nor
would lie appear over the popular priced
circuit. The Dion O'Dare has been on
the road 23weeks andBMcLean says busi-
ness Ias been good. BARNES.
Will A. Page will have a stock com-
pany at the Auditorium in Baltimore,
opening on Easter Monday.

Moore for $25,000, against F. P. Smith
for $8,400, against the F. P. Smith Iron
& Wire Works for $4,800, against Mori-
son and McKisson jointly for $100,000, and
against Morison, Everett and McKisson
as syndicate managers, for $499,900.
The court is asked to compel these
persons to tell to whom they have trans-
ferred any of the stock, if they have
transferred any, and to ascertain the lia-
bility of the persons who now possess
the stock, and to order them to pay up.-
FRYE.
THE NEWS OF THE WEEK.
A Stubborn Cinderella has made a big
hit in New York. See page 4.
Olympic Theater in    Chicago- may
change its policy. See page 6.
Cecil Lean and Florence Holbrook are
going into vaudeville. See page 10.
Ray Comstock denies that he acts for
the Shuberts in securing theaters. See
page 5.
The Alhambra theater will not be de-
voted to burlesque according to Max Web-
or. See page 6.
Oklahoma theater managers held a
meeting about which there is much secre-
cy. See page 5.
One hundred rental bureaus have signed
the agreement of the Motion Patents Com-
pany. Seepage 8.
George Kleine comes out in an inter-
view claiming he controls the Gau-
nont films. See page 23.
Martin Beck says moving picture the-
aters are not hurting vaudeville to any
great extent. See page 8.
Carl Laemmle thinks the Motion
Picture Patents Company is working
along the right lines. See page 6.
Samuel F. Nixon and Sam Harris figure
in a suit for the dissolution of the Peo-
ple's Theater company at Youngstown,
Ohio. See page 5.
CHANGED;
ES SATISFIED
Billers and Representatives of Five
Circuses Finally Reach an
Agreement.
The circus agreement adopted by the
International Alliance of Billposters and
Billers has been slightly changed and as
it now stands it issatisfactory to the lead-
ing circus managers of America.
The original agreement had been signed,
It will be remembered, by Hagenbeck-
Wallace, Sells-Floto and the Cole Broth-
ers and now that the wage scale has been
changed so that it is satisfactory to
Charles Ringling, the Barnum & Bailey,
Ringling Brothers, Buffalo Bill and Pawnee
Bill Wild West and John Robinson shows
will sign. It was predicted by circusmen
here early in the week that Edward Ar-
lington would sign for the Miller rothers
101 Ranch and that many of the smaller
shows would be willing to sign the agree-
ment as it now stands.
Charles Ringling, acting for Barnum &
Pailey, Ringling Brothers, Buffalo Bill and
Pawnec( ill, r'-ftised to sign at aconfer-
ence with Pr e sident George Elliott some
tim  ago tId itwas feared innsome quar-
tore that there woould be an open split
between the leading tented enterprises of
America and the billers. THE SHOW
TWORLD is glad to announce that both
sides were willing to compromise and that
the circus sky has been cleared of a dark
and ominous cloud.
The meeting was held Sunday. Jan. 24,
at the Ringling Brothers office in Chica-
go and representatives of the three cir-
cuses which had already signed were pres-
(Continued on Page 16)

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PICTURE EXHIBITORS
HOLD STORMY SESSION

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