Prince Albert Victor of Wales arrived in Manchester yesterday afternoon, and was met at the railway station by the Mayor and the Reception Committee. His Royal Highness, on being driven through some of the principal streets to the townhall, was accorded a very hearty reception by large crowds assembled on the line of route. The weather was beautifully fine, and the Royal visit created a great amount of interest.
A benefit performance was given last night by Mr. Richard Mansfield, the cause advocated being the Bishop of Bedford's Home for the poor of the East-end. The most distinguished patronage had been secured, a long list of supporters, beginning with members of the Royal family, occupying a place on the bill for the evening. The attendance, however, was not as numerous as might reasonably have been expected, especially as Mr. Mansfield appeared in another character of his repertoire. "Prince Karl," which, in virtue of the young actor's impersonation of the character, had a prosperous run, is, as a play, the thinnest of the thin. It is not easy to classify this strange piece, written by Mr. Archibald C. Gunter, but to call it a farcical comedy will, perhaps, be somewhere near the mark. It served to show Mr. Mansfield as a humourist of a very original type, and no character could be in stronger contrast with those he has already played than Karl von Arnheim, Prince of the German Empire, Baron Haustein, Duke of Bummel Dunderburg, &c. This impoverished German talks broken English throughout the play, and the audience, unaccustomed to meet with such an eccentric person - such an amusing mixture of simplicity and earnestness - are puzzled to conclude whether he is really serious or not. Last night, however, the public enjoyed Mr. Mansfield's performance, evidently finding it fresh and unconventional. It is an impersonation that follows on no accepted lines, but has a comicality entirely its own. The prince is a youth who falls desperately in love with a young American lady, Florence Arnhim Howell, a widow and a very fascinating person. From pressure of adverse circumstances, and to avoid marriage with a gushing elderly lady, Mrs. Daphne Dabury, he gives out that he has committed suicide in the Rhine, but turns up again as Karl's foster-brother, and engages himself as courier to a party of American tourists, which includes Daphne and Florence. Various legal complications in connexion with the disposal of the Von Arnheim estates come to pass, but in the end "love wins," as the playbill states, and Karl secures not only his property, but the hand of his beloved Florence. Mr. Mansfield's is a carefully built-up performance, full of brightness and spirit, and above all, as already stated, of striking originality. In the course of the piece he sings a well-known old German song in a rich, mellow voice, and very expressively. He plays his own pianoforte accompaniments. The success he won, and that without having recourse to extravagance of any kind, may, possibly, lead to his curious farce in four acts being repeated during his tenancy of the Lyceum Theatre. Mr. Crompton appears as Spartan Spotts, a designing and impecunious person, and Mr. Frankau as I. Cool Dragoon, a Chicago lawyer and confederate plotter. The character - a slight one - of Markey Davis, an Englishman, and proprietor of an hotel at Coblentz, is performed by Mr. Burrows; and Mr. Parry appears as a young Bostonian, Howard Algernon Briggs. Miss Beatrice Cameron acts naturally and agreeably as Florence Howell; and Misses Emma Sheridan and Emerson perform Euclide Lowell and Maggie M'Dowell, neither having anything to do with the plot. Miss Carlotta Leclerq is an important addition, for the time being, to Mr. Mansfield's company. The experienced actress shows in every scene in which the sentimental old Daphne is concerned. As a piece, we are bound to regard "Prince Karl" as of no value, excepting as a vehicle for the display of Mr. Richard Mansfield's original vein of humour.
Yesterday, at the Southwark Police Court, Henry Jones, 21, tin worker was charged, before Mr. Slade, with assaulting Elizabeth Wilford.
The prosecutrix, a feeble-looking old woman, on getting into the witness-box, declined to give evidence against the prisoner, and said she "didn't want to do anything to hurt the boy."
The Clerk: Is he a relation of yours?
Prosecutrix: No sir: but we have brought him up.
Police-constable Watkins, 239 M division, stated that at about one o'clock that morning he was called to 21, Orange-street, Borough, and saw the prosecutrix there bleeding from a severe cut over the left eye. Her husband complained that the prisoner had assaulted him, and that the prosecutrix having got between them, the prisoner struck her also, and they were afraid he would do them further injury. Witness went into the house and found the prisoner in bed. Witness told him the charge. The prisoner made use of very violent language, and said he would play "Jack the Ripper" with both of them.
In answer to the clerk the prisoner said he did not strike the prosecutrix. He had a row with her husband.
The Clerk: Is it true that you have been brought up by these people?
Prisoner: No, sir. I have lived with them four years.
The Clerk: Sleeping in the same room?
Prisoner: Yes, sir.
The Constable: I found the prisoner in bed with a married couple and two children, and there were two grown-up females in another bed. I believe the prosecutrix and her husband also sleep in the sam
e room - (sensation) - which is in a filthy condition. Mr. Slade remanded the prisoner for a week, and ordered the constable to report the case to the sanitary authorities.
A press Association reporter was informed yesterday by the City police that there was no truth in the story that a man, supposed to be an American had been arrested, and was being followed in Bermondsey; and that no such statement as reported had been made at the City Detective Office. No person is under detention at either of the police stations. The house-to-house search is completed, and has led to no discovery of any value. The householders have offered the fullest assistance to the police throughout the work of inspection. Intelligence was received by the detectives that yesterday afternoon in Islington a strange man was observed to write on a wall the words "I am Jack the Ripper." He was pursued for some distance, but got clear away. The incident of the box containing a portion of a kidney sent to Mr. Lusk, of the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee, was the subject of much comment at the East-end. The idea of it's being a practical joke is not generally endorsed, especially as so pronounced an opinion has been given by two medical gentlemen, Dr. Openshaw and Mr. Reed. The box and its contents were taken from Lemen-street to the City Police-office in Old Jewry, and Dr. Gordon Browne, police surgeon, will examine and make a report in due course. The extra police precautions are still in force.
Frederick Platell, 18, and James Kelly, 16, were charged with being suspected persons by loitering for a supposed unlawful purpose.
Constables West and Flowister, plain clothes officers of the H division, at 1.30 on Friday morning were in Commercial-street, Whitechapel, when they saw the two prisoners working round a crowd of persons who were watching a fire. They (prisoners) were not looking at the fire, as they had their eyes down towards people's pockets. When the crowd commenced to disperse the accused went into the High-street, where they stopped a man, who threw Kelly away. The accused left the man and walked as far as Mansell-street, followed by the officers. They returned to Messrs. Gardner's premises, when Kelly got on Platell's back and looked over a gate that led into the house. Kelly got down, and they remained in the gateway for some time. They then followed some people, who stopped when the accused worked their way by them. Platell ran away on catching sight of West, but was caught by the other constable. West caught hold of Kelly, who threw himself down, and when asked what he was doing said, "I thought Jack the Ripper had hold of me." Kelly afterwards said he was going home. Platell said he and Kelly found their houses closed against them, and went for a walk. The officers pounced on them, and they thought "Jack the Ripper" had got hold of them.
Mr. Lushington remanded the prisoners.
