The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-08-08
well, did you often meet Henry Mar


ment's thought, Il was engaged at the
time with those parties you spoke Of"
81 spoke OFF" Indignantly exclaimed
Delmas. 81 know nothing about them.
What do you mean by saying you were
engaged in them? Do you mean you were
engaged to dance there p
The witness face flushed. mo" he
said, 81 don't mean that. A LOT of us got
together and we got these parties up."
Mr. Delmas then asked the witness to
sketch upon the blackboard diagram of
the Palace Hotel cafe for the purpose of
defining the positions of the parties at the
lunch related OF. The witness, however,
declared his utter lna6illty to comply with
counsePs demand, and on Grove johnson
once more interposing, the court informed
Mr.. Cham bliss that he needn't draw unless
he wanted to.
But the examining counsel was not
satisfied yet. In learning navigation /
suppose you learned drawing?" he asked.
II did," was the reply; 'and astronomy.
too"
"Where did you study mathematics"
"Board ship and at school in Missis-
slppi;"
rectangular means. Now, supposing the
| Palace Hotel cafe to be rectangular
could you not represent 1t by two straight
| lines on one side ana TWO lines meeting
| those at the endsY'
| Mr.. Chamblis was fain to confess that
his artistic powers went not this far, and
| on further objection by Grove L. John
son of Sacramento Mr.. Delmas was en-
| joined from proceeding with this line of
examination.
must have finished your lunch before
those parties you mentioned. What did
| you have for lunch ?"
81 cannot remember" gravely answered
| the witness. He was then asked to whom
| he had first mentioned this circumstance.
| He replied that he spoke to his attorney,
| Mr.. Phillips. He also conversed upon
the subject with Prosper Rsiter. the head
waiter. Captain Chapman and Nv. A.
| Keefer, ESQ.," The witness also talked to
| Grove l.. johnson, Mrs. John Martin and,
| he thought, her son. Henry Hoffman. He
| remembered that 1t was Henry Hoffman
vino had served him with subpoena.
"What did Mrs. John Martin say to
you ?" asked Delmas.
''She was very distressed She cried
and said she had been roughly handled l
remember that she asked me some Ques-
tons, though l forget what they were"
How intimate was your acquaintance
with Mrs. John Martin. Mr.. Cham bliss ?"
MOSTLY social. | occupied a room in the
| next hallway to hers on the sixth floor of
the Palace Hotel. My room number was
GA. l met her in the corridor one day
| and she told me where her room was"
How long mad you known her?"
81 first met her on the City of New
York, travelling up from Panama. l was
third mate OF he vessel, and Ia my offici al
| capacity Mrs Martin spoke 10 me-"
Have you ever called upon her?'
The witness took some time to answer
| this question. First he said he had only
| called once, when he went to see her at
| her house on Van Ness avenue Sunday
last; then he remembered he had once
| called upon her at the hotel, and finally
that one day last week he called upon
| Mrs. Martin at the house of Mrs. Tbbets.
Then Mr.. Delmas sDrsng a little mine
| of his own. Without any warning or pre-
amble the lawyer asked: do you know
a society called the Fruit-pickers
Grove Johnson didn't like this question,
and he made g satisfactory row about 1t.
Delmas insisted, but, as before, Judge
examination. However, he left the an
sWer as tiOnal to the witness.
Eyes, do" said the society man after a
pause That was the name of defunct
poker players gathering" There was
| loud laughter in court at this answer. and
| from this point to the end the evidence
| was most amusing.
"Didn't you play there?" asked Delmas,
sternly. as if he'd never touched a card In
| his life.
Johnson got in some more objections,
aud Delmas had to withdraw. Then he
| asked Chambliss if he had ever played
cards for money, but this question didn't
co. Chambliss sat calm and unabashed
| throughout.
Now" said Mr.. Delmas, again chang
! ing his tactics, you didn't want to testify
in this case. did your"
"Oh. well. | wanted to speak of Mrs.
Martins good character, az. knew it to
be. l was willing to do that" readily an
swered the witness.
"Well, but didn't you go to your lawyer
and ask him how you could possibly evade
your subpenaT
Eyes, l did. l was busy this morning
and l didn't want to come to court"
"Where is your lawyers Officer"
"In the Supreme Court building"
"You are too busy to come to court, yet
| you went to the Supreme Court building TO
| see how you could get out of itP''
81 was busy" repeated the witness. 81
was writing at my book, so l wished to
postpone the subpoena"
s'You had reached an interesting portion
of your book" agreed Mr.. Delmas, "yst
you wished to assist Mrs. Martin, did you
nOt?"
"Oh, yes. wanted to testify to her good
character"
coming to courtp
II don't know. didn't want to come
to-day, but my lawyer said l must"
"Who was aboard ship with Mrs. John
Martin that time you were third mate and
met her?"
"Her son, / believe"
"Was she known as Mrs. Martin or Mrs.
Hoffman,"
"As Mrs. Martin. l never knew her as
Mrs. Hoffman"
MIR. Delras then said he wished the
ruling of the court upon question. He
wished to ask the witness this question:
Are you not in the habit Of gambling for
mOnev?"
Grove johnson made more noise, and
the court was about to sustain the objec-
ton when the Sacramento lawyer said:
II am advised by Mr.. Phillips to withdraw
the objection. do So"
Judge Coffey said he did not care, the
objection being already sustained. How
ever, the witness might answer if he chose.
The witness chose to answer, and the
result was disastrous:
mo, sir; am not in the habit of gam
bling for money-at the present time.
TRoars of laughter IN court amid which
Mr. Delmas signfied that his cross-exam-
ination was at an end.
Grove johnson, however. must needs
re-examine, and be put his foot in it. He
said: "Mr. Phillips suggests to me to ask
you TO explain your last answer. You
said, mot at present. What do you mean
by that?"
Il mean / haven't gambled for money
since | played with those fruit-pickers,
some time ago." Amid the shrieks of
laughter this answer ELECTED the distin-
guished society leader and the third mate
was nermitted to resume his seat