ENTERTAINMENTS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 258, 10 March 1911, Page 4

ENTERTAINMENTS

'•THE MAN THEY COULD NOT HANG." At the Theatre Royal last evening, the Edmund Carrol Dramatic Co. stuged their very sensational drama, "The man they could not hang." The scene opens with the liomstead and gardens of Mrs. Lee, wherein John (her son) makes his appearance after an absence of some years served in the navy. On his return, he at once' becomes engaged to Kate Murton, his old sweetheart, and his father consents that the marriage shall take place in twelve months. During this time his rival, Fred Mastcrville, who proves to be of the worst type possible, acts upon a scheme to bring shame upon him, and to turn his sweetheart against him by depositing in Lee's bag his purse containing twenty pounds, his intention being to have Lee arrested and searched. Dicky Good happened to be within earshot while he was contemplating this, and politely converts the money to his own use. Alasterville, proving unsuccessful in this attempt, breaks an entrance into Miss Cleveland's apartments where John Lee lias lately been staying, and, finding Miss Cleveland to be the only one present, murders her, and after setting the. place on fire, decamps, but enters later by another door. He at once accuses 'John Lee of murder, he being the only occupant of the house at the time." He is at once arrested, tried and condemned to death for the murder, in spite of his protestations of innocence. Three times he is taken to the scaffold, and three times the hangman fails in his attempt through the bolt refusing to act. As a result, Lee receives a life sentence, but during his seventeen years' imprisonment, his old friend, the Rev. Denton after petitioning the King time after time, at last receives the warrant f Ol his release. Although an aged man Lee vows to bear up, and for the sake of his poor heart-broken mother to make the best of his future life in the New World of 11)08. The various parts were well taken, and the prinicpals, Mr Ro\ Herbert as John Lee, and Mr. Ravers a'« the Rev. Denton, came in for hcartv and repeated applause.