The San Francisco call., 1896-05-13
The Sensational Scene That
Took Place in a Court.
room.
HIS HoNoR's CONFUSED EYE.
Fair Company and Penchant for
Tender EpiStles Caused All
the Trouble.

Justice of the Peace Carroll and his wife
no longer dwell together in the peace and
harmony that characterized the first few
years of their welded life, and while an
agreed separation is all that exists at the
present time, divorce is by no means un-
certain.
The strained relations in the Carroll
family are the result of sensational
scene that took place in the Juoge's court
room at the City Hall few days ago.
Mrs. Carroll called at the court to see
her husband during the noon hour, but he
had gone out to his luncheon, and she sat
down at h is desk to await his return.
With wifely solicitude she was straight
ening out the papers that encum bered the
desk when her eye fell upon half WI tten
letter that had been began on pad OF
notepaper.
1t began, dearest Marie" and went on,
with frequently repeated terms OF endear-
ment, to ask why the person for whom it
was intended had failed to meet the writer
on the evening previous at place men
toned in the letter.
A glance was sufficient to show Mrs.
Carroll that the writer was her husband,
and she Immediately began a hurried
search for more documentary evidence.
Her efforts were rewarded by the unearth-
ing of a mum Der of letters written in fem
inine hands and signed Cora, Melrose and
other names.
A II were replete with terms of endear-
ment for the judicial light, and were
promptly transferred TO Mrs. Carroils ret
icule, where they were when the Judge re-
turned.
Mrs. Carroll did not make much of a
scene at that time, but when the Justice
returned to his tireslde that evening the
meeting, as described by Mrs. Carroll to
some of her intimate friends, was the re-
verse of pleasant, and the Judge carried a
large and painful lump over his eye for
some days; in fact the scar is there yet.
When she had time to think the matter
over Mrs. Carroll remembe that during
the last year-since his election to the
Justiceship-Judge Carroll had frequently
been absent from home days at time.
On these occasions he was supposed to
be on hunting expeditions in the interior,
or on some favorite trout stream with an
attorney friend, but Mrs. Carroll now be-
lieves that he spent the time in the COM
pany of tie fair ones whose letters were
Her suspicious in this line have partially
been confirmed by the register of the
Baldwin Hotel, where his name is said to
appear on dates when he should, accord
ing 20 the stories he told at home, have
been on Tulare Lake slaughtering ducks.
Since the night when Judge Carroll's
head came into contact with something
harder than itself the family residence on
not, and his present place of residence has
been carefully kept from all but his most
intimate friends, though it is said that a
downtown hotel shelters him most of the
time.
Up to the time he was elevated to public
honors Judge Carroll was for several years
clerk in the law Office of Colonel Barry,
and was looked upon as steady and hard
working student of the law.
With increased income and influence,
however, he acquired sporting friends who
wined and dined him until he became a
devote at the shrine of Bacchus and a
frequent visitor at the racetrack. At the
latter place he was often heavy loser,
and on one occasion was swindled out of
several hundred dollars by having worth
less check passed on him. Then began the
periods of absence from home, ending in
the sensational climax in his own court
room.
Mr.. and Mrs. Carroll have been married
over ten years and have five children, who
are with the mother at the Clay-stree,
residence.
The matter has become public talk in
the portion of the Western Addition where
the CAROLS are well known, and the lady's
friends are urging her to procure q
divorce-an action which she hesitates ia
take on account of the scandal that il
would involve. At present she is satisfied
to let the matter rest as it is and live
separate from her husband on a liberal
income furnished by him.