Filling the House

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6901, 6 May 1929, Page 4

Filling the House

HUNDRED MEN ANSWER ADVERTISEMENT, “WITH VIEW MAT.” OF WEALTHY WIDOW.” QUEST OF THE WHITE ROSE spSgKgJpi HE criminal police announced from Berlin recently that an attempt /m/_ILwC by tlle luisljail d of a euua woman conductor to ensure a good-sized audience for his wife’s debut with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Berlin was responsible for the uproar that interrupted the concert, and caused her to faint. He had deposited with the police sufficient money to redeem the tickets of those who entered the hall under the misapprehension that they were about to meet a rich and matrimonially inclined widow. Lia Maria Mayer was the chief victim of her husband’s ill-advised attempt. She was in the midst of her work as guest-conductor when a man in evening clothes arose, pulled a pink-scened note from his pocket, and cried: "I protest against this piece of bluff!” Nearly 100 other men in the front rows produced similar letters, and joined in the protest. Mme. Mayer

Those who entered did so under the impression that they were about to meet a rich and matrimonially-inclined widoio.

fainted, while music-lovers in the roar rows attacked the interrupters. Finally the disturbers were marched to police headquarters. There is was learned that the men had responded to a recent newspaper advertisement saying that the widow of af rich industrialist wished to marry again, and that by sitting in the iront rows of the philharmonic concert would be husbands could recognise her by the white roses she would wear. It was the lack of white roses on any of the women in the audience which started the uproar. Twenty-seven of the 100 victims of the hoax lodged charges of fraud against its perpetrators, but ; t was said later that refunding of their ticket money had satisfied most of the complainants.