Passaic City record., 1893-07-15
An ExcruCiating1y Funny
Interview with Jerome
HODkinS.

"But is 1t true that you were
sued for libel, and that you acted
the r0le of your own lawyer at the
odd Bailey in London"
Such were the questions put by
RECORD representative to Jerome
Hopkins, the so.called radical"
Pianist and Composer, upon
his return from nearly four
years fouynee in the British Islands.
"And were you arrested and pun
ished by imprisonment, as the
papers stated3 Do tell us all
about it."
At which the musician
burst into a hearty laugh and ex-
claimed, 80, the newspapers
Those veracious tanglefooting
newspapers! No matter, let us
philosophical1y forgive them, in
wonderment and gratitude for the
amount of truth they contain
rather than in disgust at the
amount of truth which they leave
out of their columns. "The fact
is" Continued he) that it is long
story, and might weary you, but
if you z05H have it, here it is:
During my extended tour in
England, Ireland, Scotland, and
Wales, although distinguished
courtesies were shown me by num-
erous personages, (among them
Earl Fitz William, Lords Cole
ridge, Aberdare, the late Lord
Ronald Cover, younger son of
the late Duke of Sutherland) the
late Bishop of Dover; Lord Powers
court; Lord Arthur Hill, and
many besides,) I was neverthe-
less everywhere robbed by sub
scribers to my concerts who after
getting their names on the print
ed lists as my Friends of Music
or Patrons, refused to pay up,
knowing that a mere sojourner
was not likely to summon them
before the courts as defaulters.
There are many pounds now owing
me thus all over England.
9In London, however, where l
played twenty one times, | stayed
long enough to have batch if
such sinks properly dealt with,
and recovered my money from all
except one, and that was the case
of one DR.. Boor Crosby, who when
he was summoned ito the London
City Court in Basinghall street.
had the monumental cheek to
set up the grotesque plea that
the word present was written
on the corner of the envelope con-
tanning his tickets and left at his
office by my manager instead of
being mailed! We Americans know
that this word is simple direc-
ton to private letter-carriers and
signifies that they shall not mail
or post such letters but shall
present them, TN probyia persona.
But not SO among the Johnny
Bulls, for it will scarcely be credit
ed here, but is a fact nevertheless
that upon the very plain and
evident proof of the intention of
the plaintiff, Ito use the words of
the learned Judge of that Court,
Mr.. Hugh Eardley Wilmot,) the
tickets were assumed to be a
Christmas present to DR.. Crosby,
and that worthy was discharged,
leaving me to pay my own costs
of course, and to pose as a puta-
tive bunco steerer, or worse.
"Only vain was my expostulation.
HisLordship was obtuse inexorable
and hostile. / endeavored to ex-
plain the meaning of the word in
Ameyleau English, and how that
it had three phases; viz I'VE are
here present in Court: doubtless
your Lordship has been present at
Parliament; and furthermore, has
probably often received a
present from admiring friends, thus
the word does not ata0ays mean "a
Christmas byesent" even in England.
But it was wasted eloquence,
His Lordship refused to be molli-
fed or converted, but remarked
that l had very unfortunate
way of expressing myself to
which l retorted.: then there are
sixty-four million nine-hundred
and ninety mine fellow Americans
of mine who are equally unfortu-
nate at which all laughed eseet
the worthy Judge who could
see the pint.
Indignant, as may we'll be be-
lieved, at such termination OF a
sixth suit, after my success in five
previous ones precisely analogous,
/ determined to get my money
out of the man in spite of them all +,
or take it out in fun, believing that
when your 'high-toned' bloated
SWELL stoops to financial dirtiness,
it is against common sense as well
as opposed to the law of the
eternal fitness of thinpS' (aS