The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-06-03
SONG AND DANCE
stiefel Divorce Suit Heard To-
day ~ x-Artist's Story
Of Woe.

- -
were spectators in the Court OF Chan
Gerry this morning when the divorce suit
of Isaac Stiefel against his wife, Mrs.
Kate Stiefel, who keeps a Boarding house
at No. 40 Under avenue. was heard be-
fore Vice Chancellor Stevens.
This suit has created no inconsiderable
sensation among the residents of Lin
den avenue, among whom Mrs. Stiefel
has always borne a good reputation.
When 1.-THE News, exclusively, a few
weeks ago, printed the contents of the
bill filed, the gossips of Greenville had
enough to furnish them with talk for
a long time.
Mrs. Stiefel, after a separation from
her husband, being unable to support
herself took lessons in singing and dane
ing and formed a partnership with Frank
Schwartz, or Murphy. Together they
did a song and dance act" at various
vaudeville performances under the name
of Murphy and Fields Leaving the
lyric stage she opened the boarding
house referred to. The artist Murphy
was, SO the husband alleges, the cause
for the divorce suit.
AT the opening of the trial this morn
ing ex-Judge Puster, counsel for Mrs.
Stiefel. asked that a detective and two
hostile witnesses should be excluded
from the room during the testimony of
the petitioner, Isaac Stiefel. He had
as his counsel Messrs. Otto Grouse,
George G. Tenant and Maurice Marks.
Stiefel took the stand to give his story
of his martial troubles He married
Mss Kate Peters in August, 1879. They
We're each sixteen years of age. He said
that prior to their marriage he had
taken Miss Peters to a hotel and her
father hearing it threatened him unless
he married her After the the
couple repaired to her fathers house
and displayed their marriage certificate.
He left his wife with her family that
night and returned to his home. A few
days after he called to see his wife to
make arrangements for housekeeping.
His salary was only 81 a week and his
wife refused to start housekeeping on
such a princely sum. He visited her
daily, he said, and always in the presence
of her family. About a week after this
he learned that she had run away and
not long after accidentally met her in
New York. He stopped her and asked
her to come back home and she refused,
because he wouldn't go out dancing and
Enjoying himself with her. From that
time he never met her until two years
afterwards, when she informed him that
she had a son which was born in Plain
field.
stiefel said that subsequently he met
her in dives and dance halls on the
Bowery. On several occasions she called
on him for money to support the bow.
he gave ~ regularly to her mother. He
n01 iva 1nr Aa-,,~ "a
salary as an upholsterer. Then he lost
sight of her and after some time found
her IN Bayonne and she was then travel
ing with a man named Murphy, or
list In Stiefeps petition his artist and
others are named as correspondents.
When Judge Puster began his cross
examination Steifel sat upright in his
mon looking man, whose testimony
against his wife was given as bitterly
as possible and punctuated with e
looks at her. He admitted that when.
into an apartment house in New YORK
with a maj he didn't speak to her or
ask her where she was going. He. also
admitted that his own parents did not
know OF mis- marriage to Miss Peters.
He also admitted that he tried to borrow
his wife's photograph, telling her he
wanted to hang it UP in his room. The
photograph he gave to a detective to
trace his wife.
The next witness, a ferry agent at
the Central Railroad, identified Murphy
as the man whom he had seen Frequently
cross the ferry with Mrs. Stfefel: but
ne never heard him address her as his
Wlfe. Murphy, the ex-song and dance ar
fist, is employed at the Central Rail-
road ferry att Communipaw soeicitinp
baggage. Judge Puster declined to cross
examine.
Charles Collins, of No. Is West Fiftv-
fourth street, Bayonne, said that he
lived for many years in the same street
with Mrs. Stiefel. He knew both Frank
Murphy and the defendant. She was
KNOWN as Mrs. Murphy. Witness identi-
ned Murphy, who sat in the rear seats
Io ms recollection people in the same
streel knew them as man and wife.
Cross-examined, witness admitted that
ne never heard Murphy call Mrs. Stiefel
house. sne
Other witnesses were called. whose
lestlnony was of a similar character.
Recess was then taken.
At two o'clock the hearing was res,,mad
anc me petitioners counsel put a red
faced fiashlly dressed man, Philip R1ck-
1Sy, a putcher at No. 81 vesey street.
This individual swore that he took Mrs
Stlefel to a notorious saloon run by a
man named Thfele. in Bayonne, and there
s Mas t erim ~; intimate with her. All
noble thing in the world. When Judge
Puster. got at him and showed certain
inconsistencies in his testimony as to the
character OF the rooms, Buckley dropped
would like to drop out of sight. He
SUNK from the stand, followed by con-
temptuous looks from the spectators. a
w wo co,deague OF Buckley, one Brush,
lar testlmony, but at the last moment
ne and only the terrors Of an