Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-05-27

An interesting lawsuit. in which Nine Ade-
lima Patti was the defendant has just been tried
in the queens bench division in London. 1t
will be remembered that the famous prima
| donna several years ago bought a beautiful
country seat in South Wales, near Swansea,
called Craig-y-Nos castle. After its purchase
she expended large sums of money in land
scape gardening aud improvements, and as
might have been anticipated, many of the bills
rendered were exorbitant, and the action
which has now been disposed of at Nisi Prius,
was brought by Belgian known as Victor
Emanuel Stevens to recover the sum of fifteen
thousand dollars for alleged service in cutting
down some of these bills. and procuring their
settlement at the reduced figures.
The plaintiff asserted that Mme Patti had
made an express oral agreement with him in
the following words: 81 will pay You half of
all You can save on the various claims:" and in
his statement he sets forth the various bills on
which he alleged that he had effected reduc-
tion. He was the only witness On his own side.
but he sworc his case through as far as he could
Nine. Patti denied positively that she had ever
made any agreement with Victor Emanuel
Stevens and further, that he had rendered the
services for which he had sought to recover
she paid $3.50 into court, not admitting any liza
bility. but to be given him in case it should be
shown that plaintiff had been out of pocket
for railway expenses. Stevens, who was a COM
mission agent in London for some French olive
Oil merchants and manufactured in Baker street
celebrated hair dye, was introduced to the de-
fendant and Signor Nicolini in 1872 He visited
them at PATHS house at Fulham and afterward
at the Welsh castle, and became an intimate
friend. Both placed confidence in him. and
wrote to him very informally. Stevens pretended
that the agreement as to his compensation was
secret arrangement between him and Patti, of
40 No v{c int 20 a
produced one of her letters, in which she wrote;
Somebody smells a rat. and takes it for an ex-
cuse on your part to come here" 1t was quite
evident that the plaintiff had hoped to frighten
Patti into compromise through his possess
sion of some letters containing ::unguarded ex-
presSiOns.
But the brave little woman was not frightened,
and made creditable appearance in the witness
box, where she stated that in the above quoted
passage she did not mean Nicolini, and did not
recOlect to whom It referred.
Mme PATHS denial that she had made any
contract with Stevens was cOrroborated by
letter written to Nicolini by the plaintiff. in
which he said: my dear friend, did all that
for YOU and your lady as friend and without
interest" Patti gave him a watch, medallion.
and some little paintings.
That, in fact, the plaintiff had really done
nOtnlng for Patti. and that all the cutting down
OF bills and saving of money was due to Capt.
eye, R. n, her lifelong friend and business
various trades people concerned. Mr.. Barron,
the landscape gardener, who had been paid in
all some SAC, 600 for retaining the surrounding
moorlands. laying out gardens aud furnishing
orr ornamental trees at Craig-y-Nos. swore that Mr..
Quoted from the bill in question. Mr.. Legg,
gas engineer, testified that ne took FIVE per cent
on his bill OF $40, 900 for chandeliers on condi-
ton that he should have check at once, which
Capt. eye paid him. And Morgan Morgan, the
castle, stated that the sum Of $25O accepted by
him for water spring was fixed BY two arbitra-
tors, and that Stevens ''had nothing at all to do
with 1t" and, moreover, that he. Morgan, had
never asked 5000 for the spring, as plaintiff
alleged. The trial was enlivened by the remarks
Of the judge, Baron Huddlestone who told a
story apropos OF the question whether Mr.. Nor
gan needed an Interpreter. "The reason /" said
his lordship, i" said thought he could speak
English was that when was down in Swansea
effect: When Nine. Patti was going over the
house at Craig-y-Nos there was an old spinnet
IN the drawing-F0Om, and she offered to sing
and play to him, an offer which he accepted
ne was charmed: Of course, and when asked by
his neighb0r at the public house II she sang to
him he answered. Yes.' They asked how. and
he replied, Pretty middling tidy"
The judge charged in favor Of the defendant,
telling the jury that II the possession of letters
thought to be imprudent was to be used as q
hiOoho W iOiCC CffO UcfcBd0dt lQCO 3 COmprO-
mise, and the confidence Of woman was sought
to be abused for purposes of extOrtion, he had
no words ut to seattle such man or express his
loathing for him; and II it was untrue, then per-
jury had been added
The jury, without hesitation, found q verdict
for Nine. Patti, which was received In the court
room with unchecked applause
Mr.: Jelf, Q. c., in his opening for the plaintiff
SAID that 1t was no part Of his case to explain
the relations between Nine. Patti and Sfgnor
Nicolini, but he had heard rumor that they
were married according to the rites Of the
Greek church, and that he was not concerned
TO challenge that, so long as the legal position
remained unaltered, as she was now being sued
as single woman. When the plaintiff was
cross-examined, on the following day, he made
q statement as to Nicolni being called Nine
PATHS husband, when he had a wife ana big
children In France. This speech Baron Huddle-
stone pronounced to be irregular and imper-
tlnent." And in his summing up, Mr.. jeff said.
as to the remarks made by the plaintiff as to
Signor Nicolini and his family had not he (the
cOunseD believed that they were made through
the impetuOsty Of foreigner in moment of
irritation, he should have thrown up his brief
In his charge, the judge referred to Nine Patti
as Nicolinis wife; SO it would seem to be the
judicial view in England that the twain are to
De regarded as man and wife. in all collateral
matters, at least, and in 80 far as the general
public is concerned.