The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-13
FOR DEFT., MISS HAGGERTY.
JURY PLEA ny a WOMAN VINO rs
LAWYER FOR HER FATHER.
1t WA. All Over in 81. Minute, ana Contained

nc Was All Over In Six Minutes ana Contained
About 1,Soo words, which would Make
Three-ounrters or n Column In The sun
Another Bnslnessliko spin,tor a witness.
On behalf of her father, who is defendant In q
$4,000 damaCc suit. Miss Anita Hcthcrington
HaSgcrty, spinster and lawyer, faced o Jury in
Part VII. of the Supreme Court yesterday. 1t
was very pleasant for tho jury, and they ono
and all faced Miss Haggcrty all the time she
was ON hor fcot and most OF the time when she
wasn't. Miss Haggorty is tho exact opposite OF
the comic weekly woman lawyer, being young,
well-drcssed. and decidedly remunerativo OF any
trouble that the observer may be put to In
looking at her. And In spite of considerable
nervousness yesterday. she showed herself, in SO
far as opportunity was given. q good lawyer.
The case against George A. Haggerty, her
father. is a matter of a torn stair carpet In his
c m at 2o3 East 1olst street. Mrs.
Grezingcr, at one time ~janitress Of the tenement,
asserts that in November, 1893. she caught her
foot in the carpet and fell downstairs, damaging
herself to the extent Of $4,000, which she is
DESTROYS of having Mr.. Haggerty pay. The con.
tention of the defence Is that Mrs. Grezinger was
ordered to take up the carpet. but did not do so;
furthermore, that shc never received any inju.
ries from falling downstairs, but merely coun.
forfeited illness in order to bring suit against
Mr.. Hnggerty in revenge for being ordered out
VI III nbubt lOT ntRlttIlnE Z uuIlC as JNnl'
tress. For the plaintiff Lawyer Cooper appeared
and for the defence Miss Haggcrty and Hubert
Miss Haggerty's first opportunity was tho
cross.examination OF Charles Mertens. who
boarded with Mrs. Grezingcr at the time of the
1t is not unfair to Mr.. Mertens to say that in
mental processes be Is, no sprinter. besides, no
she arose to tackle. him his eyes almost popped
out of his head. He looked at her and shrunk.
Then he looked at the Justice. but found no help
there. Than mt Tho lnTv. who were Nil DnHy
looking at Miss HagGerty. Finally he made a
swift visual calculation OF tn, high window be.
hind him, gave that up as being impracticable
and settled down In the witness chair. clutchtnE
the arms powerfully.
In q sharp, businesslike tone that made the wit
ness blink. you say that you nearly fell down.
thatf"
The witness took a deep breath and gurgled
speak louder. please. What do you mean
by saying that you nearly fell ."
"Well-I-I-iust missed falling" stammered
Gould you or could you not hear a noise on
the stairway when you were in your store
Huh O. said the witness, staring and wide.
Gould 70" have heard a noi~se-somebody
falling downstairs. for instance =.
Upon this Miss Haeserty meditated for a
Then, absent maindedly' she reached up and
patted an obstreperous strand Of hair into
Straight. lie u felt Better T''I Plainly this RisS was So only
q woman who was dealing with him. and there
was no need Of being scared. He took his time
to admit that be didn't Know much about the
cause OF Mrs. Grezinger's Injuries; Another
boarder named McHugh got of easier because he
didn't have to answer 80 many questions. Then
q physician testified as to the diagnosis of the
case. and was followed by Mrs. Grezinger. who
told OF the accident.
At the afternoon session Miss Hnggerty rose
and turned a pair OF large and very earnest eyes
| nnn thn Nnrv EURrv n in tha HOY ~ ~
forward and fastened his eyes upon those eyes.
Miss Haggerty took a long breath and opened
three sentences the court stenographer began
to look pleased. He was congrstGlating himself
and he had cause. The little woman lawyer was
speaking something like $50 words a minute.
burrows began TO appear in the foreheads OF tho
3urymen. They were having hard work follow;
ing her, and no wonder, for her address bristled
with facts. In about six minutes she sat down.
having covered the whole case, and the iurymen
wiped their foreheads. Some OF the things she
I'VE feel that this case is a scheme to collect
damages for an, accident which never happened.
We do not believe that Mrs. Grezinger ever
with the tenants for neglect OF her duties, and
one case OF this neglect was in her not seeing
that the Sarpet on the stairs was In proper con.
When the first witness for the defence was
with Miss Haggerty. This was Miss Catherine
Ahern. who looked 50 Young and sirlish that an
audioie expression OF surprise went through inc
court when she testified that she was in the
real estate business for herself. 1t the time OF
the trouble with Mrs. Grc2ingcr she had been a
clerk for her father. who was agent for the
tenement.
Miss Ahern was nm excellent witness. She
testified clearly. emphasizing each answer with
q sharp little nod OF her shapcly head, and
cr"oss-examination worried her not at all. Her
statement that upon hearing OF the torn stair
carpet she had ordered the ~janitrcss TO take up
the carpet was n blow to tho cause of the plain
till. Miss Aherns brother and father followed
| her in turn uUOD the wltneBS stand. Mira. Caro-
line Moass wound up the session. She testified
that Mrs. GrezinGcr was up and about during tho
time when she was supposed 70 be lying in bed
suffering from her injuries. The case was then
| hdionrned.