The San Francisco call., 1899-06-21
GUESTS IN THE
DARK AGAINST
THEIR WILL
Merry Row at an Cd
Hostelry-
ALL OVER A CHINESE COOK
DOZENS OF SUITS ARE FILED
IN LOCAL COURTS.
Will Be a Conference To-Day to See
if Some of the Many Land
lords Cannot Be Pla-
Gated.
DOZENS OF SUITS ARE FILEI
IN LOCAL COURTS.
Oakland Office San Francisco Call,
9OS broadway June 20

Jus broadway, June ~
Half hundred guests in the oldestab-
lished Windsor Hotel are wondering what
to do, and as they are literally in the dark
the task is not an easy one. The hotel
is full Of attachment suits, damage suits
and actions of ejectment
In the courts all sorts of stories are on
file and, according to the tales. of the
principals, there must have been some re-
markably torrid times in the old hotel
this year. F. w. Schutze owns the prop
erty, and he rented it to Mrs. Kate Prit-
chard, who in turn sublet it to Mrs. Clara
Bell Gardiner. The two ladies could not
agree from the first. The sub-lease in
cludes a provision that Mrs. Pritchard
should reside at the hotel and have her
own rooms. Although there are fifty
seven rooms in the hotel, it is not large
enough for these two ladies to dwell to-
gether in peace and unity. At the present
time there is a suit in ejectment named
Schutze VS.. Pritchard and Gardiner; an
other suit, Pritchard VS.. Gardner ct al
(all the tenants individuality; still an
other suit is entitled Gardiner vs.. Prit-
chard, for S299 damages. There has also
been case in the Police Court regarding
the picking by a Chinese cook OF an al
legged live chicken, and also within the
same period another series of cases in the
Police Court resulting from the raiding
of very select faro game in this old
established and very reputable hotel.
When the guests rented their rooms
they were told that they could use the
telephone, that they would certainly nave
gas in their rooms and that there would
be fires provided when they needed them.
1t was also understood that occasionally
clean linen would be supplied to the lodg-
ers. AT the present time the telephone
company has cut off the machine, gas
company likewise. coal has given out;
linen is not to be found; and all because
there are two landladies each demanding
the rent and each refusing to give secur-
"a
hotel.
1T all began over that chicken" said
Mrs. Gardiner, when asked to explain her
suit for damages against Mrs. Pritchard
II was running the house and Mrs. Prit-
chard was doing her best to induce lodg-
ers to go elsewhere. / had Chinese
went into the kitchen and there were two
police officers, who had come to take
away Lum. 1 asked that he be permitted
to stay till the guests appetites were sat
isfied; but this was denied me, and then l
learned to my great surprise that on in
formation supplied by Mrs. Pritchard my
cook was to be arrested for picking a live
chicken. Lum never did such a thing.
Chinese fashion. he cut the chickens
neck and bent it back, and perhaps the
bird may have t1uttered for a second or
two but that was all He was acquitted.
but my guests had lost their dinner, for I
couldn't get dinner ready to save my
life. Then Mrs. Pritchard told me that L
had made her out prevaricator in the
OllCe NOuII anu llldt she WOulu not Ue
satisfied till | got out of the house"
According to Mrs. Gardeners story, the
unpleasantness in the house increased and
finally all her tenants were served with
attachment notices for their rent, requir-
ing them to pay it to Mrs Pritchard. One
morning there was a very lively scrm-
mage. in the hall between Mrs. Pritchard
and Mrs. Gardeners maid. Clara. Both
were anxious to have possession of the
bunch of keys and the maid succeeded
in retaining them. While this was going
NJ aht,to ,-11 ,;tl, =,
but it is reported that when he saw the
little affair he said it was no place for a
gentleman and quickly retired.
is not likely that the present compIica-
tions can exist long. An attempt will be
made tomorrow to compromise on all
sides, and there will be a conference Of
all the attorneys interested toward this
end.