The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-11-18
NOTE 4 SYR|AC FORGERY.
MARY y. MALOUF,g DEFENSE 10 A
LAWSUIT ny HEN BROTHER.
Seattle's Syrian Colony Called Into
Court as Witnesses-Swarthy
Sons and Daughters of Holy Land
Testify. Ender strange Oaths.

=
al bearing wild Syriae names. shronged
the corridors OF the court house yesterday
and in the tarbartc tengue Of The modern
Holy Land swapped lies and yetailed the
current gossip C the Syrian colony while
waiting to be called as witnesses III ina
case of Malouf vs.. MaIouf- The suit IS not,
as seems TO be Indicated by its title, d.
vorce case, but IL has nevertheless Kept
the nimbls tongues Of the swart sons and
daughters OF Syria csaeking merriiy IN See
attic for several weeks. ON the docket OF
the court ii il terseiy referred 10 as "a SUIT
on a prouaissoFy note" but II Is more than
that. An alleged Syriac forgery IS in
VOWED.
The plaintiff in the case is George Nasser
Ma!0ui the proprietor OF Turkish candy
stand and notion store on Second avenue
The defendant IS Mary Nasser Malouf. his
sister. George is suing Sister Mary on a
promissory note alleged to read as fol-
lows:
'ssS. %. June Is. 1887.
Fourteen months after date / promise
TO pay nay brother. Mr., George Sasser Ma
ty-five dollars. which sum | received and
will pay on due time. Failing 10 do so.
viii be Responsible 70 psg al S sos1z
"In presence of Nicolas Jebran Baida. w.
j. Bahout, Zraidy Malouf.'
Sister Mary says Brother George Is =
monumental Oriental preyaricator, or
something which the Interpreter says Is
equivalent and she resists payment of the
note on the ground that II IS a forgery.
More than that, Sister Mary says that
far from owing her brother $685.. he in
fact owes her N.3l1.e6 on account OF loans
made him at different times, and she asks
judgment for this amount
Sister Mary is a woman about 10 years
of age. with beady black eyes. yet she ia
III .1.tyl
all over Western Washington as pack
peddler. Brother George is slightly older,
evidently, and has been in the United
States longer than his sister, who dates
only from the Worlds fair She shone
then as q shopkeeper on the Midway. She
has been In Seattle for four or five years,
while her brother came here last year from
Los Angeles. where the note is alleged 10
have been given.
Tie original document. which was intro
duced In evidence yesterday, is written on
sheet of common note paper IN the
Syrfac language 1t Is alleged to be slgneu
with the name Of the defendant and the
signature Is authenticated by her mark,
she beng unable 10 read and Write. even
in Syriac. But this allegation. the defend
ant says, is false. She testified
that she never signs her name except with
a seal This seal is also IN evidence in
the case. Il Is Il little copper affair. which
Sister Mary claims TO have bought IN
Jerusalem in 1892 \ translation OF the
note has been made and placed IN evidence.
The trial. which Is still in progress. while
ii is a SERIOUS affair enough fer the parties
Interested is a comedy gem from the
Orient when seen through American eyes,
and yesterday little Incidents kept occur
ring that threatened to mar forever the
reputation of Judge Mcdonald and his
twelve jurors for dignity. Even Attorney
pssa ha .fat ~
Dore and Jackson, for the defendant. had
to laugh at times.
One Of these incidents was the oath OF
the witnesses who at the opening OF the
case lined up fifteen strong in front Of the
bench 10 swear in a body 10 tell the truth,
the whole truth. and whatever else the
clerk mumbles- regarding the case on trial.
Clerk Jenner was all unsuspicious and COM
manding the sojourners from the Holy
Land TO raise their right hands and swear
In unison. was about to administer tae
usual oath. But Brother George objected.
He said his sisters witnesses would not
pay any attention to Yankee oath and
would have 10 be sworn In Syrian fashion
by tine Father. the SON and the Holy
Ghost" on q copy of the Bible. The at
torneys for the other side Objected and said
a plain American oath was good enough.
swear them both ways" suggested
Judge Mcdonald. sententiously.
Ihcn a new tttHCElty arose brother
George produced what he said was a suita-
bile Bible. bat the witnesses With one voice
protested that IL was an American Bible.
Brother Georges lawyer said 1t was just
good. The Judge said he was not sure
il was a Bfble ana no one would swear
positively that II was. He asked whether
an English Bible wouldn't be just as good
The plaintiff said II would
Wei. MIR Bailiif," the court ordered
Just 90 ont and get a Bible" fajliff Clark
came back after a while villa battered
copy OF the Holy Book. which IL later de-
veloped was borrowed from a prisoner in
the county 3aiI. None OF the county Off
GERS possessed such a thing.
The book procured. the Syrians formed In
line ana marched past the clerks desk
each stopping 90 Law q hand On the volume
and repeat n jaw-hreaking SyFIac formula
said to be an oath Then they were sworn
In Engiish and excluded from the court
room and the trial proceeded.
When court adjourned yesterday evening
the plaintiff had closed his case after testi-
fyiag himself and Offering the testimony OF
the Witnesses 80 the alleged signature The
defendant had opened her case and had
given her owa testimony. Her witnesses
VIII be heard today.