OUTBURST IN BERLIN THEATRE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 255, 7 April 1915, Page 5

OUTBURST IN BERLIN THEATRE.

AGAINST AMEUICAN AMBASSADOR. The United States Ambassador in Berlin, Mr James Watson Gerard, was subjected to an open insult at the hands of a theatre audience during a disgraceful demonstration at a prominent Berlin theatre recently, as was reported in cablegrams at tin time. The incident occurred as follows:—Mr Gerard, it—coinpanied by Mrs Gerard, his firstseoi.tavy, end Mrs C;m\v, and other numbers of the America* Diplomatic Corns, attended the performrmae together. Between the acts the Ambassador-Mid' his companions remained in their plane, conversing quietly in English. This «vv dentlv aroused the displeasure of the persons nearest to thnu, w)io suddenly raised an outcry and began to hoot and yell. The commotion spread throughout the house and a wildly turbulent scene ensued. Someone in the audience, evidently meaning to put an end to the threatening manifestations, rose and succeeded in securing Attention long enough t> explain that the Engl'sh speaking strangers were Americans ar d nere in the company of the American Ambassador.

Far from quieting the, commotion this announcement provoked a still wilder outburst. A man, rising in the, stalls, angrily declaimed that Germans no longer had am* reason to show toleration tor Americans. ITis speech was wildly ",p----plsMftcd. Mr Gerard and his party remained throughout the demonstration and then quietly withdrew.