The morning call., 1894-06-26
He Boiled Over on the
Sidewalk.
HIS WIFE GREW SARCASTIC.
Josie Mahony's Little Pink
Finger.
WAGGED 1T UNDER PAPA's NOSE.
1t Took Four Big Policemen to Keep
the Crowd Moving and the
Coffeys Down.

Coffey was boiling yesterday-JOhn j.
COffey, the lawyer. better known as BLACK
Jack" Coffey. He sputtered all over
Montgomery street in front of his office
during the afternoon and shook angry
flakes of dandruff upon the shoulders OF his
Prnsy Wales coat as he sputtered.
Mrs. Coffey was in superheated state,
too, and so was little Miss Josie MahOnY,
Mrs. Coffey's daughter. The lady said
spiteful things about her husband. while
her daughter took occasion more than
once to show her pretty little pink finger
under bis nose and warningly tell him
mot to hit mammal
He didn't. but he was the hottest Coffey
in town just at that time, and there is no
telling how hard he was thinking.
From O'Clock until nearly all three of
them kept at it. AT no time had they an
audience less than 400 and at one time the
crowd that blocked the street numbered
fully 1000 The exchange of compliments
became so spirited that the four policemen
who were trying to keep the crowd away
made up their minds that il was best to
remove the causes. According Coffey and
his warning wife were taken 10 jail, while
Miss Mahoney went to raise bail for
mamma
The affairs of ths Coffeys had been kept
from the public gaze for some time until
yesterday. No matter how many times
divorce suits had been filed, nor how many
times they had been dismissed, the twain
had kissed and made up and the public
would never have known of family jar but
for yesterday The Coffeys had row and
resolved to separate. Coffey ordered a
team to haul his belongings away and, not
to be outdone in Independence, Mrs. Cof-
fey ordered another vehicle to transport
her goods away.
Eacn began to pack up. aud the row
began. COffey would take hold on some
piece of furniture, and Mrs. Coffey would
vehemently deny his ownership, and so it
went on. They wrangled upstairs, tangled
in the halls. tangled on the stairs and
almost came to blows on the sidewalk
amid the household and Office furniture.
which had by this time been deposited.
They escaped any physical violence and
effected some sort of division until they
struck the Office safe. That was the rock
on which they split. Coffey claimed it,
and swore by all the whiskeTS on the chins
OF the seven Mormon gods that be would
have it. Mrs. Coffey claimed it for Josie
Mahoney, and Josie stayed with the claim.
Two big safe movers had got the
bulky article 20 the head of the stairs, but
Mrs. COffey was below 1t and Swore she
would not bulge an inch, and that if they
took 1t out it must be over her dead body.
Julia" with the long sound on the
If yez don't git out o. tn road we'll drap
IL on yeZ!'
But that didn't scare Julia little bit
aud she held her ground manfully until
the movers, with all the resources of their
trade In their hands, succeeded In letting
it down slowly so that it just pushed her
out OF the way and onto the sidewalk.
Her rage by this time had reached the
highest point and the way she turned
loose on C0ffey was enough to make an
ordinary man Rrayheaded. 1t only made
Coffey swear, and that mildly to himself,
and he might never have got TO the
boiling point had not Mrs. Cotfey planted
herself on the safe amid the loud plaudits
OF the assembled multitude and expressed
her intention of emulating Patience on a
monument He waxed her with threats
and threatened her with arrest, but she
never t1inched and made things pleasant
for the crowd by expressing her cOnte mpt
for his character in all kinds of keys
The stOre-keeperS in the vicinity began
to kick after about two hours OF this
blocking of business and sent for the
police. with the result that the Coffeys
were booked as William and Julia Smith
and charged with disturbance. Coffey
secured bail at once and then chivalrOusly
offered to go out and rustic for his wife,
de went, but he never came back, and
alter Mrs. COtfey had remained at the old
City Hall for about balf an hour her
daughter raised the money and secured
her release. Upon her arrival at Mont
gomery street she found that her recTeant
husband had taken advantage of her abb
sence and spirited the safe away.
The case will be heard in Judge Camp
BELLS court this morning.