New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-04-06
TOPICS IN LEADING CITIES.
SAN FRANCISCO.
A LONG DIVORCE CASE - LEGISLATIVE -
THEATRICAL
[BY TELEGRAPH To TIE TRIBUSE.l

IHEAIRICAI.
Inv TELEGRAPH To TIE TRIBUSE.l
SAN FRANCISCO, April 5.-Thc fourth week of the
Sharon divorce case dragged along with little inn
portant testimony, but with several noteworthy
incidents As the chief of these is the sudden dis
appearance of Miss Bracket, confidential compan-
ion of Sarah Althea, who was expected to furnish
valuable evidence on rebuttal, rumOr goes that she
was spirited away by ShaIOn's forces, but it is d'
cult reach the truth in such mixture of scandal
and falsehOod this furnishes. One may
judge of the methods employed III this case when Il
private detective, who acts rs Sharons bodyguard,
recently invited n reporter after the trial one day.
to dinner at a French restaurant, and one of the
plaintiffs lawyers has been twice fined for gross
contempt Of court
The work of the State Legislature is watched
with keen interest here. Tho Barry bill to regulate
freights and fares has been passed by the Assembly
and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
number of other measures TO impose an income tax
on railroads have been introduced. 1t was thought
that the lobby would bo out in force to defeat the
bills. but it has not appeared. The inference is that
the railroad managers either do not fear that the
Senate will pass the bills or they regard the pro-
posed measures as unconstitutional. The latter
is probably the true one The Barry bill, for
instance has several provisions in conflict with the
Constitution, and to show what a middle things
are in some of the ablest lawyers declare that the
Legislature has no right to fix fares and
freights while the Railroad Commission is in exist
ence II looks more and more as though the extra Ses
sion will prove boomerang for the Democrats. This
is becoming the conviction among the Democrats
who are sore over the Governors bIuuder They lay
the blame for calling the Legislature together on
Delmas, the lawyer who lustcd after r fat fee. and
on GreathOuse the editor Of the Democratic organ
in this city. 1t is claimed, and Justly, that these
men ought to have prepared the bills and settled
what they could do before getting the Governor to
issue call As a fact nothing was DONE and already
q fortnight has gone with little accomplished The
Democratic leaders not sure of their own men in
the Senate. When the railroad bills come mp this
tiasco will hurt the party, but it cannot damage
Stoncman, as his incompetency has already ruled
him out of politics He is a conspicuous instance of
n good army officer who is dead failure as the head
of a State Government.
One graceful act the Legislature did this week
was to return thanks to d. o. Mills for his generous
gift of a piece of statuary-" Columbus before
Queen Isabella for tho corridors of the Capitol.
Newspaper comment on this gift Is that other Cali
fornia milliOnnares could not do better than follow
Mr.. Millss example and leave some tangible proof
of their pride in the State.
Among the notable deaths Of the week is that of
John Parrott u pioneer banker, who came here
from Mexico in 1915. He amassed a large fortune
by a strictly conservative business, and invested
Tuch money in city real estate confident of q great
advance in values which few years would bring
He was one of the few moncycd men here who were
not carried of their feet by wild excitement in Be-
nanZa Stock
The fast mail service has not reached here yet but
II is not the fault of the Central Pacific TIC man
ayers of the Union Pacific are to blame as they
asked whether the change of time would be perma-
nent and thus fur they have failed to reply. Hence
the delay on this end of the line. Trains are once
more running on the Southern Pacific, but the mails
arc frequently delayed.
Despite the fact that the opera company took
5000. 900 away from the city. large audience
greeted the opening OF Excelsior" the spectacu-
lar venture of the Kralfys, and the piece bids fair
10 have a long run.
Sarah Jewctt was i'll for several days last week.
and her manager rather cavalierly cast Louise
Pomeroy for her role in the new piece Of Claire
and the Forge Master He will lose by his action
however. as the part was in which Miss Jewett
would have made n hit. The critics have all
praised her acting here, but her starring experience
has been Il failure.