I went away pondering the situation.  What I was asked to believe was as follows:  Mr. Smith had composed a play having all the essential features of my new and original play, and differing only in the two modifications—­these being the very same two modifications which Mr. X had urged me to make in my play.  Mr. Smith had taken this play to the firm which employed Mr. X, and this firm had accepted the play and produced it, without Mr. X, their chief play-reviser, ever seeing it—­or else without his mentioning that it was my play, with the two modifications in my play which he had recommended.  The play had been taken to the Hudson Theatre, owned by William Harris, Jr., who had accepted my play and submitted it to Mr. X, and the play had actually been produced at this theatre for nearly a week without either authors or managers ever hearing of my play!

I may be unduly suspicious, but I could not credit this peculiar chain of coincidences.  I took the matter to the Author’s League, whose executive committee read my play, saw the other play, and agreed that I had cause for inquiry.  Mr. Louis Joseph Vance, representing the league, undertook to interview Mr. X, who was an intimate friend of his, and sent Mr. X a telegram asking for an appointment.  Mr. X did not answer.  Mr. Vance assured me that this was the first time the gentleman had ever failed to reply to such a request from him.  Subsequently, Mr. Vance made an appointment to meet Mr. X at luncheon, and hear his explanation of the matter; but Mr. X failed to keep the appointment.  I went ahead with plans for a law-suit, whereupon Messrs. Jones and Robinson withdrew their play.

My reasons for telling the story are two.  First, I think it well that would-be playwrights should have some idea what they may encounter when they venture into the jungles of Broadway; and second, because critics and play-goers who saw the play of Smith and Brown will wish to know which play was written first.