The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-05-08

New York, ,Mays.-John E. searies, pop
ularly known as sugar king and Il
trust magnate,'' and technically as the
secretary and treasurer Of the sugar trust,
rashly set himself to solve the problems of
the kitchen, and was beaten. AS falls the
corn under the reaper's sickle, SO fell John
the boxer to lose all interest in his pro-
fession, so did he retire from the fray.
Mrs. Eliza Tierney it was to whom Mr
Searles gave battle upon her own ground
and was defeated. She was formerly his
housekeeper. She was discharged She
sued. She won. Mr.. Searles must pay her
1917 so, forsoit was ordercdinthes supreme
court in Brooklyn yesterda y, Justice Dickey
on the bench and twelve good men and true
in the jury box.
But the real victory was won by Mr
Searles' cook. That parsonage did not
make herself felt at the trial by bodily
presence, but her influence pervaded the
trial and wrung from the defendant the
admission of vassalage. The man whose
word is law to hundreds Of workiuen, who
is a power in the world Of finance, and n
stumbling block to the legislative in
vesti gator, acknowledged her supreme!
Listen to the confession of the trust mag
nate:
Il discharged Mrs Tierney because If
she had not gone the cook would have
left,''
Thus is recorded another triumph for
labor, and to the empress Of the kitchen
80 .rf.a IL
bows the knee
MIS- Tierney's story was interesting as
a demonstration of the intriCat te machinery
below stairs, which has brought many II
woman to hysteria and made the question
of help nightmare TO the careful house
wife
Briefly. she alleged that she had entered
into a cont raCt with Mr Searlcs on Ma J
10, 1896, TO become housekeeper at his
country residence AT Buzzard's Bay, Mass. 4,
for period Of six months The salary was
to he $50 month, with board ana laundry
included Mrs. Tierney was discharged on
June 10, 500, receiving 500, wherefore
she sued for S290, salary FOR -four months,
aud S16670, board and laundry for five
months
So far as the alleged contract was con-
ooeTned it wasra question of yeraCity be
tween the auta.rat % the sugar trust and
the aurocrat OF The household servants, Mr.
Searlcs asserting positively that the en-
gagement was by the month, and that his
payment OF a months salary in advance re-
licved him from al4further claim.
The side issues raised We're more inter
csting, involving the minute discussion Of
,l,,,n,tic c,.,o,,t,,- rrar, th,. St IF
a millionaire AMI the relative values of
cook and houSeiSeemR7
Mrs Tierncy's first claim was that she
had fully earned her salary protesting that
the superintendent Of thirteen servants
aud the preparation OF twelve meals day
were no light task aud in the latter count
submitting the following interesting Sched-
ule
Rrcakfast-7: 80 a. IN, Mfr. and Mrs
Searies in their apartments: I to 9 Il. m,
thirteen servants in Kitchen: 8 a. m, five
children in nursery; $50 to 9 a. m, seven
TO nine guests in dining room
LunCheou-1I a. m, in the rooms Of the
family.
Dinner Noon. thirteen servants in Kitchen
l 80 p. m, five children in nursery; 80
p m, two to nine guests n dining room.
Tea . p. m, in the parlor.
Supper-5:30 p. m, five children in
nursery: 81 M thirteen servants in kitchen;
T:3O p m, seven 10 nine guests in dining
room.
The dismiS Ssal Of Mrs Tierney took place
in Mr.. Searles' library on June IL, and
here, she says. her employer exhibited an
unreasonable interest n the details of
kitchen economy.
He said | fed the servants too well,
she swore He said he could not allow me
to give them the same meat as was served
to the family Mutton stew S good enough
for servants he added"
This testimony was eontradctedflatly ny
Mr. Searles.
II never told her to feed the servants on
mutton" he said. Il simply complained
that the expenses were greater than when
the cook did the ordering.
The principal reason for diScharging
her," he continued, and the jury listened
intently, was because she quarreled
with the cook, and if she had not gone
the cook would have left"
so it was question of the relative
importanccoc these two officers oftlR house
hold government, and the jury solved it in
Mrs Tierney's favor, giving a verdict for
the full amount.