The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-12
SHE ASKS FIFTY THOUSAND
WIDOW BRINGS BIG SUIT FOR HER
HUSBANDS DEATH.

he Fell Down Staircase at the
Grand opera House in Atlanta
Proprietor l.. De Give Is Now Sued
for NegIfgence-BOrSe Swappers
VIII BE Made TO Pay License-Hab-
erdashers Fined for Contempt of
Court.
Atlanta. May IA suit for $4,000 dam
ages. against L. De Give, the wei known
theatrical manager, owner of the Grand
and Columbia Thtaters of this city. was
called for trial in the City Court to-day
Mrs. Mary Wistwall OF Boston is the
plaintiff. She is the widow of Herbert
Wistwan. former treasurer of the West
Point cotton mills, who met his death last
November by failing down the basement
of Mr.. DeGive's Grand opera House
Mr.. Deceive is a man of strong individ-
ual pecuHarities. in some respects re-
garded as eccentric lie used to wear
wooden shoes on the streets of Atlanta
out of the habit of early life in his native
Belgium
When Mr.. Deceive decided TO build the
Grand Opera House he went about II in
his own way. He was no architect or
builder. but at the same time he deter
mined to superintend his own job, even
though a couple Of hundred thousand dol
lars was involved in the enterprise.
As a whole. he achieved a magnificent
success for his theater building as one of
the finest and most artistic in the city.
But it appears that some of the details
went wrong. one of these was a stairway
leading down from the Peachtree street
sidewalk TO a basement which had the APP
pearance at first sight of being the en-
trance to a drug store. This stairway was
unprotected up to the time of the accident
which cost Mr. Wistwall his life.
How the Accident Happened.
Mr.. Wistwan who was, according to af-
fidavits and other accounts, a sober Chris
tian gentleman, 81 years of age, was stop
ping at the Aragon Hotel, en- route to West
Point. During the evening he had occasion
to go TO a drug store and was directed
10 the one in the grand by the hotel clerk.
Il appears that he mistook the stairway
10 the basement for the entrance to the
drug store. At any rate he fell down the
stairway and was found some hours later
In an unconscious condition with a frac-
tured skull lying an the basement. He was
carried to the hospital where he died.
Mr.. Deceive keenly regretted the accident,
for he is a very kind hearted gentleman.
He had the dangerous stairway closed up
with bars. His sorrow did not prevent the
widow of Wistwall from entering suit for
damages, however. She valued her hus-
bands life at $4,000, and though she has
not come down from her Boston home to
personally appear in the case, she has Sc
cured a formidable array of legal talent
and great legal battle has begun in which
it will take a week or more to get through
the first stage in the lower court.
After the Horse sNvappers.
The police of this city have discovered
a new source of municipal revenue. They
have decided that the horse swappers who
form a picturesque part of the scenery
on lower Decatur and far-out Peters
streets. ought TO pay a business license.
Five Of these imperunious traders who
gather about the wagon yards to swap
horses and mules with the country folk,
We're taken into the tolls to-day and a reg
ular crusade is booked to follow. Other
cities with revenue deficits might do we'll
TO keep weather eye upon Atlanta.
Were Fined for Contempt.
r. B. Swift and r. A. Harris, two we'll
known business men, proprietors of hab-
erdashery store on Whitehall street, were
fined $50 apiece by Judge Reid of the City
Court to-day for contempt.
The two gentlemen failed to appear be-
fore II. l.. Parry. a commissioner who
had summoned them to take certain tesu-
mony and Commissioner Parry reported
the matter to the court. In imposing the
fine Judge Reid lessened the penalty by
allowing the delinquent haberdashers 10
purge themselves of their contempt by
making appearance before Commissioner
Parry this afternoon, which they did,
thereby saving their $50.