“Old Jed” In Trouble – Actor’s slapping wife not part of the act – 1901
“Old Jed” In Trouble – Actor’s slapping wife not part of the act
Richard Golden, the actor, who recently won much applause in Missoula as “Old Jed Prouty,” has been having a warm time in Oakland. The following account of his adventures comes from that city:
Not knowing his wife was watching, Richard Golden, star of the “Old Jed Prouty” company at the MacDonough theatre in Oakland, Monday night, snickered across the footlights at a maiden in a box. Mrs. Golden, who in stage society is Katherine Kittleman, reproached her husband who, just to be cussed, called the miss from the box to the wings of the stage. There, after several seconds of verbal sparring, Mrs. Golden whacked the young lady on the cheek. It was a vigorous slap and was heard in front of the footlights.
Golden looked upon the brush between the women. After telling his wife she was foolish, he led the ladies to the dressing room, where a pungent dialogue took place between them. Once the belligerent females were below the stage where their arguments could be kept muffled, Golden kept the performance on the move by saying to his company, “Let the works continue.”
Miss Alfreda Healey is the young woman whose cheek was reddened by contact with Mrs. Golden’s palm.
Tonight the show went along on crutches. Golden wasn’t in it. The incident of the night before had driven him to tonics and bracers, and when he appeared at the MacDonough he looked like a private New Year’s celebration.
Mrs. Golden has separated herself from her husband and from the company, to return to neither, she says, until public apology has been made to her.
The above article appeared in The Daily Democrat-Messenger on January 21, 1901.
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=lCh-sgrp-YMC&dat=19010121&printsec=frontpage&hl=en