The Barton Mystery

Examiner of Plays' Summary:

[...] Odd and in some ways an original play. Gerald Barton has been murdered and harry Maitland is lying under sentence of death for the murder, convicted on circumstantial evidence. He is engaged to Phyllis Grey, sister to Ethel Standish, wife of Dick Standish. Dick believes that Mrs Barton has taken from Mainland’s room a letter, which being written to him by Barton after their final interview would prove Mainland’s innocence and get him reprieved. Once Beverley, a psychic expert, divines that this is so […] Beverley in a trance reconstructs the murder, speaking in the person of Barton, and indicating that a woman shot him in defence of her honour. Then suddenly Phyllis confesses that it was she […] again Beverley comes to the rescue and psychically divines a question to ask the valet which upsets his evidence and physics is set free […] what is original is the character of Beverley in its combination of good faith and imposture - for the stage; it is not unknown in life. On the one hand he really does have trances and sees things - and so usefully that one character thinks his inspiration must be from God. On the other hand he resorts to trickery when puzzled and has the ordinary (stage) mark of the charlatan of loving shrink. The audience will be puzzled - I hope it will not be too stupid to be interested, but I doubt it will. The existence or nature of alleged psychic divinations and so forth lies between Sir Ray Lankester and Sir William Crookes. But there is no harm in the stage suggesting the question, and nothing in this play to which exception can be taken. Recommended for license, G. S. Street