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76
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
Conducted by B. B. Wilson
HALL GETS TWO=YEAR SENTENCE.
CHEAPRECORD PLAN FALLS THROUGH.
SONG DISPLEASES PRESIDENT.
Found Guilty of Using Mails to Defraud Song
Writers—Sent to Penitentiary at Atlanta—
Two Others Now Awaiting Trial.
Move of Group of Music Publishers to Market
Ten Cent Talking Machine Records Is With-
out Results—Several Meetings Held.
Popular Song, Believed to Refer Indirectly to
John T. Hall, erstwhile music publisher, and
whose trial on the charge of using the mails to de-
fraud about 1,500 ambitious song writers occu-
pied nearly two weeks and furnished material for
many columns of humorous reports in the daily
papers, was found guilty on Friday of last week
and sentenced by Judge Foster in the Criminal
Branch of the Federal Court to serve two years in
the penitentiary at Atlanta, Ga.
Judge Foster said Hall's scheme was the most
flagrant swindle that had ever come under his ob-
servation.
"There is no excuse for an intelligent man,
especially one who has himself written good music,
to engage in such a despicable enterprise as you
operated," said the judge. Hall is the author of
"Queen of the Moulin Rouge" and "The Wedding
of the Winds."
A motion by George G. Battle, attorney for
Hall, for the setting aside of the verdict was de-
nied.
Two alleged associates of Hall are now out on
bail and awaiting trial on the same charge.
The plan for the marketing of ten-cent records
of the "Little Wonder" type by a group of local
publishers of popular music, and which has been
announced and commented upon recently, has ap-
parently come to an end without accomplishing
real results. Several meetings were held and
some enthusiasm shown, and one of the prominent
talking machine companies had submitted quota-
tions on the small records in quantities, but there
was no direct move toward perfecting a perma-
nent organization among the publishers and the
plan died a natural death. The refusal of a cer-
tain prominent publisher to enter into the plan
probably had something to do with its failure.
Moreover, entering the talking machine or record
trade on a substantial basis is not so simple as it
looks, as some publishers have found out.
That songs referring to his engagement to Mrs.
Gait are distasteful to President Wilson was indi-
cated last week when Michael J. F. Fitzgerald, song
writer and politician of Brooklyn, N. Y., received
a request, through Secretary Tumulty, that he do
not have published a new song he has written, en-
titled "The Pretty Little Indian Maid." It is said
that references to the Chief of the pale-face tribe,
the "White Chief's Home," coupled with the fact
that Mrs. Gait is a descendant of Pocohontas, made
the lyrics objectionable to the President.
ANSWER TO SUIT FOR SALARY.
Werblow-Fisher
Music
Corporation
Answer
Charges to Suit Filed by Francklyn Wallace
and Ask for Damages in Turn.
In answer to a suit brought in the Supreme Court
by Francklyn Wallace against the Werblow-Fishcr
Music Corporation to recover $2,450 in salary, al-
Well Known Song Writer and Publisher Passes
leged to be due him from that company under a
Away in Liberty, N. Y., After Long Illness.
salary contract, after the publishers discharged him
as manager at $50 weekly, the Werblow-Fisher
J. Fred Helf, composer of popular songs, died on
Music Corporation declares that it made a tentative
Saturday at Liberty, N. Y., in his forty-fifth year.
agreement with Wallace as manager, subject to th"
Five months ago he became ill and retired from his
decision of the board of directors of the corpora-
firm, the J. Fred Helf Music Publishing Co., which
tion, but that he did not fulfill expectations in
was later dissolved. He is said to have composed a business way and therefore was dismissed. The
more than a hundred songs, some of the best known defense also alleges that Wallace took a list of the
of which were: "Gee, but It's Great to Meet a corporation's customers and attacked its credit, and
Friend from Your Home Town," "Someone Thinks that the complaint be dismissed and that they re-
of Someone," "When You Know You're Not For- ceive damages of $250 for losses sustained.
gotten by the Girl You Can't Forget," and "How
Would You Like to Be the Ice Man?"
BUYS "HOME,J>WEET HOME."
Mr. Helf was born in Maysville, Ky., and came
to New York twenty-four years ago. He is sur- Payne's Autograph Manuscript Is Sold for $160.
vived by his widow and daughter.
The autograph manuscript of John Howard
Payne's
"Home, Sweet Home," signed by the
DEATH OF DE WITT C. WHEELER.
author and dated Washington, March 2, 1851, was
De Witt Clinton Wheeler, formery of 2287 knocked down for $160 to George D. Smith at the
Loring Place, Bronx, who was said to have ac- John E. Burton library sale in the Anderson Gal-
cumulated a fortune from illustrated songs, of leries last week.
which he was one of the pioneers, died suddenly
Saturday from heart disease while on his way to
"KATINKA" IN PREPARATION.
Fordham Hospital. Of late years Mr. Wheeler
The new Hauerbach-Friml opera, "Katinka," is
had devoted himself to moving picture photography,
and made a number of notable films, among them now in preparation and will be presented under
the management of Arthur Hammerstein about
being "Alice in Wonderland."
the first of the year. The title role will be sung
by May Naudain. The score of "Katinka" will be
published by G. Schirmer, Inc.
DEATH O F J ^ R E D HELF.
"ALONE AT LAST" ON TOUR.
The Messrs. Shubert announced last week tbat
Lehar's great operetta success, "Aknie at Last,"
will remain at the Shubert Theatre for the balance
of the season at least, and that two new companies
are now being organized to take the piece on the
road some time before the first of the year. The
music of "Alone at Last" is published by the
Karczag Publishing Co., New York.
A NIGHT IN JUNE
KING'S BEAUTIFUL SERENADE
A Master Melody—That has won its way to
the hearts of the people purely on merit.
F»IANO S O L O , 2 S c .
Ask your dealer or send direet to publisher.
f . L. B A R N H O U S E . O s k a l o o s a , I o w a , I S A
Features
of
H ! s
Engagement,
Brings
Re-
quest That It Not Be Published.
NEW VALSE PROVES A SUCCESS.
'Valse Annette" Already Stocked by Many
Dealers and First Edition Is Getting Low.
Sam Fox, head of the Sam Fox Publishing Co.,
Cleveland, O., who has been in the East some time
looking after the distribution of some of his latest'
publications, is particularly enthusiastic regarding
the manner in which the latest instrumental num-
ber, "Valse Annette," is being received by the
trade. He states that well over two thousand
dealers have already stocked the number and that
the demands have practically wiped out the first
edition of 100,000. "Valse Annette" is by Lionel
Baxter, who was responsible for the two big suc-
cesses, "Valse June" and "Valse Elaine," and that
fact alone has done much to popularize the new
number.
BANKRUPTCY PETITION DISMISSED.
Judge Hough has dismissed the petition in bank-
ruptcy filed on July 1(* against Fred Fischer, also
known as Fred Breitenbach, song writer, of 900
Rogers place, New York, on consent" of creditors.
He had only four creditors, to whom he owed $3,762.
George Augustus Veazie, composer of several
light operas, and for several years a member of
the faculty of the New England Conservatory of
Music, died Saturday at his home in Chelsea,
Mass., in his eighty-first year.
Sensational Song Hits
"MOLLY DEAR IT'S YOU IM AFTER"
"™WEDDING«™SUNSHINE»™ROSE"
"SWEETEST GIRL'MONTEREY"
"DANCING THE J E L L Y ROLL"
"MEMORIES'
"SOONER OR LATER"
"CIRCUS DAY I N D I X I E "
,,3 BIG INSTRUMENTAL HITS
GOOD SCOUT-MARCH-TWO STEP
"KANGAROO HOP"-FOXTROT
"GERALDINE WALTZES"