The San Francisco call., 1897-07-02
Judge Slack Orders a Ten
Day Vacation for
All Hands.
Expert Kytka, the Last Actor,
Fails to Cover Himself
With Glory.
he Gets Badly Mixed Up. on the
Stand, and Is Ruled to Be Not
Sufficiently Competent.

That stirred feeling" so completely and
disastrously perm Gated the systems OF the
attorneys, witnesses, clerks, bailiffs. e1-
hibit-hostlers and others connected with
the Fair Craven litigation that Judge
Slack called a welcome halt yesterday and
ordered every body off TO the woods for
ten-day lay-off and general recuperation.
The attorneys for the Fair heirs are re-
sponsible for the condition of aft airs that
made this step really necessar-. Mr..
Wheeler was taken i'll while The conspir-
acy charging Witness Aitken was reveling
in the most interesting chapters OF his
strange yarn. Mr.. Wheeler was conduct
ing the direct examination of this witness,
and his associates claimed that none but
he could complete it, by reason of the al
legged fac: that he alone had become faml-
liar with the story and was competent to
pilot Aitken over the stony path that lay
before him.
They had been informed that his Honor
intended 10 direct that the examination
of Aiken would proceed despite Wheeler's
indisposition, so they planned . grand
stay play to clrcumvent such disaster.
They brought their ailing associate into
court yesterday, enveloped in an i'm mense
bandages. 1t was solemnly proclaimed
that Mr.. Wheeler was there to proceed
with. the examination of Aitken, sick as
he was. Could Judge Slack be SO heart
less as to permit this? OF course BOT.
But tue long adiournment was not
ordered until after the attorneys for Mrs.
Craven had been given an opportunity to
have some sport with KytBa, the In
dividual who proclaimed himself on the
witness-stand to be thoroughly qualified
expert on all matters pertaining to pho
Biography, microscopy, typography and a
little of everything in general. he was
called by the plaintiffs for the purpose of
giving testimony to the effect that the
blanks used by Notary Cooney in ac-
knowledging Mrs. Craven's disputed
deeds were of lot printed by the Crocker
Com pany as late as January, 1896, aud
therefore could not have been acknowl-
dyed in 1894, as their date indicates. But
unfortunately for Kytka d question as to
his competency arose, and In fact 1t was
demonstrated right there in conrt that he
had woefuliy overestlmated his abilities.
Kytka was placed on'the witness-stand
at the direction of the court, and for the
special purpose of being subjected to the
test as regarded his knowledge of differ
ent Kinds of type. Broad smiles were
soon to be seen in all parts OF the court
room as il developed under Attorney Del
mas questioning, tnat The expert could
not distinguish scare-head primer from
agate type. and hopelessly mixed himself
upin general.
In his wonted quiet way Judge Slack
said he guessed. Kytka could not pass
muster in. this particular line, and he or
dered him off the stand.
Then came the adjournment Mr.. Del
mas registered formal objection to va
cation being taken before the witness
Aitken had been finished with, but then
there was Mr.. Wheeler in his agony, and
the court could not be hinthearted. The
new season of the cee ebrated drama will
not begin until the 18th Of July.