A THEATRICAL SCANDAL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 263, 10 November 1906, Page 13

A THEATRICAL SCANDAL.

DASTARDLY LIBEL OF POPULAR FAVOURITES. (From Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON', September 2S. The tonpne of the scandal-monger Ts fiver wagging, and theatrical people are especially subject to the venemous Insinuations of the evil-minded. For some montns past most outrageous tales have been In rhvnlation concerning the popular young actor. Mr Seymour nicks, the husband 01 Miss Ellaline Terris, and the younger or the two sisters Dare, whose photograpns are to be seen In every picture post cara shop. Phyllis Dare, a pretty, winsome girl actress, who only reached her 16th birth day In August last, is a daughter of v highly respected gentleman who acts as clprb to Mr Justice Bigham. She commenced acting ere she reached her "teens," and at eleven years of age she was In tho cast of "Blue Bell, In Fairyland," the company including Mr Seymour Hicks. Tne piece ran from Christmas, 1001, to June, 1002. and since then Miss Dare has not played with Mr Hicks. He did not, In face, see her again for a couple of years, and then only for a few minutes In the presence of her mother. Yet scandal-mongers associated their names together, in a manner I that caused the deepest pain to the girl and I her family, and to Mrs Hicks and her husI band. Mr Hicks received scores of anonyi tnons comtnunlcatious informing him of the talcs told concerning himself and Miss Dare, and made every effort to trace the authorship of the scandal. For a long time he could pet hold of nothing which would i justify him in Instituting a criminal proj secutlon for libel, but quite recently he I received news from Liverpool which enabled him to set the law In motion against a creature, who, if not the actual inventor of J.he infamous stories, has taken an active part in their dissemination. The actor lost no time in getting the man arrested, ana on Monday last a mechanical engineer named Frederick Vernon Wolfrles, alias Dare, was arraigned before the Liverpool stipendiary for "unlawfully and maliciously publishing certain defamatory libels" concerning Mr Hicks and Miss Phyllis Dare. The man's conduct, as disclosed by the evklfnce for the prosecut'on, can only be described as atrocious. E.irJy tMs year uieatne to Liverpool, adnr.iiig first the name of Vernon, and subsequently the name of Dare. He told his landlady that the tv.-o Miss Dares were his sisters. He sposc from time to time of writing to them, gave the landlady their photographs, and left letters addressed to them about hie room, so as to give colour to his claim of relationship to the young actresses. He also Decame a customer at a bar in Lime-street, much used by members of the theatrical profession. He went there passing himself off as the brother of the Misses Dare, ana in that way made an acquaintance with one of the barmaids, and talked to ber about himself and his father. In proposing marriage to her he told her that there was great trouble in the family, in connection with one of his sisters, Miss Phyllis Dare, and on September 2nd, wrote to his fiancee thus:—"Just a line to ask you to meet mc, If possible, at the house, 27, Falkner-etreer, as early as possible, to go for a motor drive at 11.30. I forgot it yesterday, but we can have dinner at one o'clock, and I have then some terrible news about Phyllis to tell you. I will tell you all I can when I see you." The second letter, which was dated September 3, was more explciit: "My dear Phyllis is in trouble in Paris; in fact, the is.=xpecting £o become a mother, but, wnat is worse, a married man is the culprit, no less a person than Seymour Hicks, a man who has a nice wife and children. Dad has gone to Paris. I have written and I shall go over as soon as I can. I think Phyllis has acted very wrongly. The news in London is that Phyllis was drugged. If that is so, I am afraid there will be a law case. They only state at home that dad hes left for Paris. I believe that It Is tie ialk of London, but I toope not."-

la another letter prisoner wrote to tfie same young lady: "My darling,—l may teU yon that unfortunately the j report about Phyllis is true. I wish I had my ' own home. Of course, I should not have had her home if you did not wish it. Poor girl! It appears she was drugged by something put in some sweets. . . . and now I believe Mr Seymour Hicks has politely told har he does not intend to help her. If 1 could get hold of him! Fancy a married man getting a girl—a child—into that state! Horse-whipping Is too good. If he was single—well, he could marry her, but as it is, what can be doce?" The writer of these atrocious epistles is wholly unknown to any member of the Dare family, and when arrested readily admitted that the girls, Phyllis and Zana Dare, were not his sisters. When charged at the police station ho said: "I didn't think it was a libel. I was oniy telling fairy tal°s to a girl!" H.e was committed for trial at the assizes. Mr Hicks is now anxiously searching lor the original propagators of the scandalous cslory. He hints broadly at the issue of further warrants, one of which will conlaia the name of a "very well known man." Apparently the sole foundatiou for tjie libel which has caused such pain to the Dare family and to Mr and Mrs Hicks, Is the fact that in May last Phyllis Dare's father, Mr Arthur Dare, sent hs daughtei to Brussels to finish her education at the convent, where her elder eister Zena —now a member of Mr Seymour Hicks' company— completed her scholastic studies.