The evening times., 1896-07-25
Mrs. Hoffman's Twenty Cackl-
ing Hens Were the Cause.
SHE MUST PART WITH THEM
Case in which a Nervous
Woman Appeared as Platntiff-A
Prisoner Who Wanted to Put on
a "Front"-His Remarkable Nerve
Displayed in Court.

VI ner Wl1ntEeU leIb uanu, clOtneu IN
black mitt. dimly shone from under the
silk, ring, hardly thread OF gold around
the wasted marriage finger, SO worn was
it BY the passing OF many years. Yet, once
it was heavy band of gold, Tor the wearer
has outlived by ten years the allotted three
score and ten.
Her worn, pinched face, yellow and
drawn as papyrus roll OF the days of the
Pharaohs, was half concealed by her white
hair dressed In bandeaux over her ears
and cheeks. Her deep set dark eyes
possessed the strange glitter that comes
with extreme old age.
She is Mrs. Ann Hoffman, dragged into
court by her neighbor, Mrs. Eliza Alt
sclut.
For thirty years Mrs. Hoffman has rails
ed chickens at her house, No. 1909 Fourth
street northwest, and now 1t is left for
Mrs. Altschut, who lives next door, to
complain that the fowls ara rapidly send
ing her to an early grave with their ma
tutinal vocal exercises. She had an enun-
ciation very much like the small boy
when he recites a poem full OF abrupt
rising and falling infections.
HER HEALTH GONE.
"Her noisy fowls" she said, "have
destroyed my health, and only sleep when
take medicine from the DOCTOR
She wrestled for months and fought that
grisly marrowless specter, insomnia, and
now suffers from nervous prostration, al
though she showed in her face no ravages
of disease or the set melancholy look Of
sleeplessDess.
How many roosters has she?" asked
the court.
''She had three" answered the COM
plaiDant. There's only one now"
who else knows about this in your
house?" asked his honor.
Nobody, but her husband" said Mrs.
Hoffman's lawyer, smiling He is dead
and can't hear them.''
Mr.. KaT, fat man with thick, gray
mustache- and goatee, wearing suit of
clothes to match, piled up the agony even
higher than Mrs. Altschut.
The growing and cackling has affected
her BRAIN" he said, ,solemnly, land de-
stroyed the comfort OF her home. On my
last visit 1 found her lying on the floor
prostrated.'
Counsel said there were no roosters in
Mrs. Hoffman's yard.
'Only hens?" asked the judge
yes sir; only hens; twenty of 'em, and
they are all widows" laughed the law
yer, adding that his client had been keeping
chickens since 1865, and they helped to
support her.
ONLY THE CHICKENS.
"step up here, madame" said the court
to Mrs. Altschut, now tell me, don't
every kind of noise annoy you in your pres
ent nervous condition.
mo; only the chickens" she said.
Il understand there are no ROSTERS in
the yard" said his honor.
"Only hens" was the reply of Mrs. Ait
schut, who contradicted her first statement
about the chunticieers, "but their cackling
is just as bad.'
ut is very pleasant for some of us, COM
mented the court, good-humoredly, Ito hear
the cackiiug of hens when they lay eggs;
1t shows the ma terial prosperity Of the coun-
try is not in danger
This remark produced a strange effect
on man among the spectators, be whsk-
cred and unbathed He carefully expec-
torated swift stream of tobacco juice
in his whiskers, wiping the end Of his
beard with child-like innocence on his
dirty shirt front, and said audibly, Il
noed ! was right. the Judge is fer chick
ings fust, last an all the time, an that
makes him q middle Of the-roa man
Dern me ef Amt got good mind To give
vent to my feelins right now.
You'd better not" whispered Flynn.
taking the 16 to 1 man by the collar and
orl-i out 81
His honor, resuning inquired kindly into
Mrs. Hoffmau's circumstances, and finding
she was not altogether dependent on the
chickens as means OF livelihood, gave her
one week in which to dispose of them.
Mr.. John Mahoney believes in the eff
cacy of what lie terms a front" in battling
against the world and In endcavoring 10
procure the necessaries of life, one Of
which, in his case, was a clean shirt, got
arrested by Policeman Russell this morn
ing.
Russell found him in the back yard OF a
house at the corner of Eighteenth and E
streets. John was there without the per-
mission or Invitation of the occupants
and was lovingly cycling rot of shirts dry
ing in the sun.
complaints about him." said the officer.
Now, me fren'. go slow" said Ma
honey. Dem people an me are jist as
tick as can be-
what were you doing in the yard?"
asked the court.
II wanted to borrow shirt ter make q
front wid,'' said the defendant.
Where were you going to get it; off the
liDe?' said the Judge.
mo, stree, yer onner," replied Ma
honey. "The lady was going ter stake me
to oDe."
You didn't get one, " remarked the court,
scrutinizlng Maboney's linen, soiled and
ragged.
mo; dey wudn't fit"
Mahoney went on to say that he was a
brickiayer, and had the promise of a lob,
but he was ashamed to go after it until he
had a clean shirt.
1T was u case of jolly" explained John,
land TO have me proper noive, had ter
flash up with u dead white dinky on
"Yes, brickia yers are accustomed to
working in silk pajainas and Irish linen,''
said Prosecutor Pugh, sarcastically.
"say, when we got de coin," replied
Mahoney, entirely unabashed, like dat
guy i'll de play, the earth's ourn."
Thirty days. cut in the Judge, ana for
Observation-Disclosures